#so don’t drink it at eleven pm and think that things won’t happen

[dulce-pjm]

Hello. I come bearing a request. 😜

#9 au & #9 prompt. Idk why but this combination just made me laugh. I feel like this screams Yoongi vibes?? So I'm gonna have to request Yoongi lol

anywayssss thank you!!

omg this was a very interesting combination!! had to sit and think on this for like a full 24 hours until i had an idea that i really truly liked. i hope you enjoy, thank you so much for requesting!!! (all of you go shower her with love, she’s the best)

au #9 - secret admirer!au and prompt #9 - “I just wanted to cuddle!”

make your own request here using these prompts!

posting this a day early because it worked better for me scheduling-wise. surprise! lol

case closed!

word count: 4.4k (I’M SORRY)

genre: FLUFF, slight crack, secret admirer!au

summary: it’s gotta be him. yoongi is your secret admirer and you’re so close to proving it. but what happens when you actually do?

warnings: painfully awkward OC, swearing, me having a crisis in tags

Well, call you Sherlock-freakin’-Holmes because you’ve solved the mystery.

Three weeks, three. whole. weeks. of this bullshi— bullcrap (stupid New Years’ anti-cursing Resolution. Which you’ve broken. Multiple times.), but you’d figured it out! The FBI should probably start recruiting you now because you’re pretty sure you’re the world’s next genius detective. (You’re kidding. Kinda. Working for the FBI would be pretty awesome.)

It started with the little notes on your desk. Heart-shaped sticky notes with random, absolutely idiotic pick-up lines scribbling across the pink paper, addressed from your “Secret Admirer.” It’d absolutely baffled you.

It was no secret that you were well-liked around the office, your pleasant demeanor and endearing nature making it easy for you to fit into the tightly knit social circle. It’d been quite a relief to you when you’d first started working at the firm. But liked enough to have a secret admirer? That felt more than preposterous.

You’d spent nearly the entirety of your morning and all of your lunch break pondering the note. Maybe it was a joke? A weird office prank. But that didn’t make sense. Your office was mostly full of parents who loved to brag and/or complain about their kids and overworked twenty-something-year-olds who were much too exhausted with their efforts to build their careers to think about pulling pranks.

But if they were real, then who? After several days of walking into the office and finding the notes (which you kept in the top right drawer of your desk, for investigative purposes. obviously.), you knew you wouldn’t be able to rest until you determined the culprit once and for all. You didn’t exactly want to ask around. The thought made you a little embarrassed and you’d be lying if you said that having this mystery to yourself wasn’t at least a little bit fun.

And how did you find the culprit, you ask? Well, at the place where one finds anything they could ever need: IKEA.

You’d been needing a new bedside table since the one your auntie gifted you just wasn’t cutting it anymore, which gave you the perfect excuse to slowly stroll through the guided floors of the furniture store, gazing lovingly at the decorated rooms and pretending you were living here and not your lazily furnished apartment. You managed to find a sturdy and modern-looking replacement for your nightstand and had loaded your cart with it and a few of the fancy sodas at the checkout line when you saw them.

Pink, heart-shaped sticky notes. The exact heart-shaped sticky notes that’d been littered across your desk for the past week. They were on sale, too, only fifty cents for each pack.

You left IKEA with a new lead... and like seven packs of sticky notes (it was a good deal, okay?).

The next day, you plopped yourself down in the middle of the break room during lunch with a mission and unstoppable resolve.

“Hey, Lisa.” The woman shifted her body in your direction, looking up from her phone momentarily.

“Hmm?”

“Do you shop at IKEA?” you asked, making sure your voice was loud enough to carry throughout the break room. Before Lisa could even answer, a cacophony of voices was quick to join in on the conversation.

“Oh, I just love IKEA,” Dahyun, one of the mothers of the office, said. “I take my kids all the time. They love running around the place and they’re crazy about the food. It’s like taking them to the park except I actually enjoy myself too.” All the other moms hum in agreement.

“Except when I come home with three new pieces of furniture for my husband to help build,” one coworker argued between mouthfuls of her egg salad sandwich. Everyone in the office could laugh at that.

“Oh my god,” Dahyun responded. “One time I got this huge bookshelf for the kids’ room and I thought Seokjin was going to actually kill me. He was up until midnight trying to decipher those instructions. Now we find tutorials on Youtube and build them together.” Soon, the entire break room had split off into their own conversations again, the IKEA discussion having left as quickly as it came. You’d sighed, feeling like your attempt to spot the one who purchased the heart sticky notes was a complete flop.

Until a gruff voice from across the table mumbled, “Their coffee is actually pretty good.” It was so quiet, you almost hadn’t heard him. Your eyes had gone wide, but you were quick to smother the expression and subtly continue the conversation.

“Is it?” you asked casually.

“Yeah,” Yoongi said, munching on his leftovers from the oddly cute pink tupperware container in front of him. “I really like their espresso. It’s good for Americanos.” You grinned, leaning forward.

“Really? What’s the brand called?” It wasn’t like you disliked him, but you didn’t find yourself talking to Yoongi often. He worked in a different department from you and always seemed too hesitant to join the big group conversations at lunch, more likely to observe the banter and dialogue rather than participate. But the times you had talked to him, he’d been nothing but pleasant. Maybe a little sarcastic and blunt and intimidating, but always kind and easy to chat with.

Yoongi shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s Swedish.” You laughed softly, realizing the question was rather pointless. Something in Yoongi’s face changed though and he took a deep breath, like he was gathering the courage for something. “You know, maybe some time we could—”

“Y/N!” Lisa exclaimed, oblivious to the conversation with her eyes still glued to her phones. “Did you see this?” She shoved her phone towards you, forcing you to speed-read through the article. It was some speculation about a dating rumor, the kind of news you can never keep up with but can be fun every once and awhile.

After you got through the piece, you’d nodded politely and mumbled some exaggerated opinion on the matter before letting Lisa return to her phone, and you to the conversation with Yoongi.

“Sorry,” you said. “What were you saying?”

But whatever conviction Yoongi had before was gone. “Ahh, it was nothing. Never mind.”

You weren’t too concerned about it, more focused on the fact that you finally had a potential suspect. He was the only single person in the room who was also a confirmed IKEA shopper, which made him suspect number one, actually.

You didn’t have enough evidence to confront him, not yet. That would require further investigation.

But you won’t lie. You definitely wouldn’t mind if Yoongi was your secret admirer. You’d been harboring a minuscule, incredibly tiny baby crush on him for a while now. Nothing serious or developed. You’d just always thought he was cute with his very much pinchable cheeks and soft dark hair. You’ve definitely never caught yourself checking him out when he’s using the copier, conveniently located across from your desk, and the time he’d caught you mid-fall when your heel snapped absolutely did not make your stomach fill with butterflies.

Needless to say, you’d be questioning Yoongi further.

While you developed your scheme (on paid hours, mind you), the notes kept coming in. Occasionally they were paired with a steaming mug of coffee or tea, leaving you whipping your head around the office to see if you could catch anyone nearby, specifically a man with black hair and a very cute smile, when he allows you the privilege of seeing it.

While most of the notes were greasy lines and light-hearted flirting, there were the occasional notes that had you giggling or smiling to yourself, drawing the attention of your coworkers. Ever since, they’d been making jokes about your “new boyfriend,” which couldn’t be farther from the truth.

For the sake of the investigation and your sanity, you formulated a plan. You mindlessly approached your boss, requesting a duplicate of some form you said you’d lost. He had obliged with a huff, reminding you that you’d need to get new signatures before you could turn it in.

In actuality, the form had been turned in weeks ago. But you weren’t here for corporate idiocy. You were here for lo— Er, detective work.

You’d casually approached Yoongi, asking him to print his name and signature on the designated lines. He complied easily, using what you recognized as an IKEA felt-tip pen to scribble his name. Hmm. You always thought he was more of a ballpoint kind of guy.

“Thanks!” you’d chirped, ready to move on and snag Taehyung from HR’s signature and maybe get Namjoon’s while you were over that way, just in case either of them could be your mystery-note-leaver.

“No problem,” he said, fiddling with the pen in his fingers. You were about to step away when he spoke up again, voice just as soft as it was that day in the break room. “I found the name of the IKEA coffee brand. If you still want it.”

Your face lit up all too noticeably as you stepped closer. “Really? I would, actually.” Yoongi gave you a close-lipped smile in return, turning to rifle through his drawers for some paper to write on. “My mom actually just gave me this new coffee machine for my birthday. It’s the kind that comes with those pods and I’ve slowly been trying all the flavors. I’ll add the IKEA one to the list, now I have an excuse to go shopping and a new coffee to try.” The words came out all at once, making you feel painfully awkward. You were glad Taehyung wasn’t here. When he’s not actually doing his job, he can be a ruthless tease.

But your attention was ripped from your rambles and the heat in your cheeks when Yoongi grabbed a pink. heart-shaped. sticky note. from his desk drawer and used it to write down the brand. Your jaw dropped slightly as you openly gawked, your suspicions being confirmed before your eyes.

It was almost bold, the way he casually scribbled the letters and placed the note in your hand, letting his fingers brush yours. Like he was daring you to confront him right then and there, in the middle of the office with everyone watching. When he met your eyes, it was like a silent challenge.

Too bad you’re not quite as bold as he is. You scurried off in a tizzy to get your other signatures and hoped he didn’t notice how flustered you were (Spoiler Alert: He did. If you hadn’t run away so quickly, you would have seen him quietly chuckling to himself).

Once you collected yourself, you did what you actually set out to do, though there wasn’t much of a need at this point. You grabbed the most recent sticky note, reading We’re not socks, but I think we’d make a great pair, and compared it to the different handwritings on the form and, of course, the note Yoongi just handed to you personally.

Lo and behold, the handwriting matched. Your secret admirer was none other than Min Yoongi.

The majority of the evidence had been collected. All you needed now was one final confirmation, one final blow that proved your findings right once and for all.

“I really can’t let you see the security footage, Y/N. It’s against company policy if you don’t have good cause.” You sigh, massaging your temples.

“Aww, come on, Hoseok!” The tray of cookies sits untouched on his cluttered desk. You hadn’t baked the whole batch and trekked down to the security room for nothing! “It’s just a little thing. Ten minutes of footage, tops.”

Hoseok looks back and forth between you and the cookies helplessly, seeing the clear attempt at a bribe. HR would have his head if he caved for you, but it’s hard to say no when you’re always kind to him. And the cookies look really good.

He sighs. “Alright, fine.” You squeal a thank you before leaning over his shoulder, directing him to the time you’d like to see and staring at the screens intently, eyes fixed on your desk from the view of the ceiling camera.

And there, at 8:43 am today, is Yoongi. Walking by your desk, slapping a pink note on your keyboard and placing a mug of coffee next to it. You cheer in absolute delight, pulling Hoseok up into a hug. He’s entirely caught off guard, halfway hanging out of his seat, but slightly endeared at your excitement, having somewhat put together why you came here.

“Hey, Hoseok, I— Oh.” You break away from the hug quickly, brushing off your skirt and blouse as you turn to the source of the voice.

The blood completely drains from your face when you see Yoongi, eyes wide as he looks back and forth between the two of you.

“Oh, shit,” you hiss as you fully step away from Hoseok. “Yoongi! Uh, hi, I actually wanted to—”

“Sorry for interrupting,” he mumbles nearly at the same time, awkwardly turning around and walking the other way. On pure instinct, you fly after him. As you go, Hoseok snatches a cookie, sighing happily at the sweet taste and leaning back in his chair as to best eavesdrop on your conversation.

“Wait!” You nearly collide into his backside when he abruptly stops, spinning to face you. You wish he was easier to read. You can’t tell if he’s annoyed or flustered or just straight-up neutral. “I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

“Oh, okay.” He shifts on his feet, tucking his thumbs into the pockets of his dress pants.

“About... um... that... coffee!” It takes everything in you not to smack yourself. If you’d had adequate time to prepare, to work up the nerve, you’d have said it. But when you’re looking right into his pretty brown eyes and all of his attention is right on you it’s a bit difficult to think clearly.

“Oh.” His face lights up considerably, though there’s still a hesitancy to his expression. “Did you try it?”

“Yeah! It was great! I made an Americano with it yesterday and really liked it.”

“I’m glad,” Yoongi says, and it feels genuine. “Did you try any new coffee pod flavors today?” You smile bashfully, all too pleased that he remembers.

You take a moment to recall the flavor you went for this morning. “Oh, yeah. It was mint chocolate flavored.” You scrunch your nose at the memory. “It was pretty gross.”

“I don’t know, that actually sounds pretty good. I like mint chocolate.”

The words tumble from your lips before you can stop them, before you can force your logical brain back into control. “Oh, then you should come over and try it!” The smallest of gasps leaves you as you realize what exactly you just said and quickly try to correct it. “That is, if you want to. It’d only be right, since you recommended me the IKEA coffee. So I can return the favor.”

Ugh, shit. Why are you so dumb? Who decided that it was okay for you to speak on a regular basis? Because they were dumber than you, if that was even possible.

“That... sounds nice. Like, right now?” Your heart thumping your chest is the only reason you know you’re alive as he raises his eyebrows and tilts his head and you can’t help but think it’s cute.

“Uh, yeah,” you stammer. “If you want.”

“Sure. Just let me grab my coat and sign out.”

What did you just get yourself into?

--

Yoongi sips at the mug pensively, brows furrowed as he struggles to decipher the many flavors attacking his senses. “Is that blueberry?”

You nod with a short giggle, the caffeine frying your brain by the minute. Turns out Yoongi does not like mint chocolate in coffee all that much. So, naturally, you had to try every flavor in the variety pack your mom bought with the machine to find which one was the best. You’re pretty sure the two of you have consumed at least a week’s worth of caffeine in the hour you’ve been camped by your counter on barstools. If you thought you were awkward and overly talkative before, this was much. much. worse.

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?” Yoongi pauses.

“Wait, do you mean like with ten being the worst tasting thing ever? Or the best?” You scoff.

“With ten being the best tasting thing ever. Obviously.” He chuckles quietly to himself, daring to take another sip.

“Obviously.” He makes a show of wafting the steam from the coffee towards his nose like a snobby wine-taster, ensuring that he experiences every part of the drink before giving his rating. “Yeah, this sucks. Negative seven thousand out of ten. Would not try again.” You giggle again, stealing the mug from his hands and ignoring the butterflies in the pit of your stomach when your hand brushes against his.

You have your own taste of it, lips puckering as soon as the liquid hits your tongue. “Oh my god, that’s disgusting.” Yoongi laughs at your expression, leg bouncing slightly with all the pent-up energy from all the coffee.

“I did try to warn you.”

“You did, the curiosity just got the best of me.”

At that point, you decide to call it quits, moving your barstools back to their rightful place and dumping any leftover coffee in the sink.

You fall into a comfortable silence, washing the mugs together. You let him rinse and scrub while you dry and put them away, since you already know where they go. It’s oddly domestic, and you can’t help the goosebumps that run up your arms each time his elbows rubs against yours in the close space.

“Hey, Yoongi—”

“So, Y/N—”

The words are spoken at the same time, causing you both to abruptly end your thoughts. Timing can be funny like that.

“You go first,” you insist, eyes trained on the green mug you’re drying.

Yoongi hesitates a moment but eventually proceeds with his question. “Are you and Hoseok—?” He leaves the question open-ended, struggling to find the right word.

“No!” you exclaim, maybe a little too passionately. “No, no, no. I’m very single.”

Great way to put it, Y/N.

“Ahh, gotcha.” He hands you the hot pink mug you normally keep in the very back of the cabinet out of sheer embarrassment of the mustache printed on the side. It was an impulse purchase and definitely not a story for when the guy you’re crushing on is first getting to know you. “What were you gonna say?”

You inhale sharply, furiously rubbing the towel at the mug. Just gotta do this quickly. It’s like ripping off a band-aid. What’s the worst that could happen? It all be a huge coincidence?

That would actually be really awkward.

You blurt the accusation out quickly, before your caffeine-induced panic can unleash its iron grip on your thoughts.

“I know you’ve been leaving me those notes. The secret admirer ones.” Yoongi doesn’t seem all too surprised, just continues washing mugs and handing them to you.

“I know.” Wait, what? Well, that was a bit anticlimactic.

“You know?”

“Yeah. It was kinda obvious.” Was it really? Damn, what good is being a detective if you can’t even hide the fact that you solved the mystery? “Do you want me to stop?”

Yoongi isn’t looking at you, but you sure are looking at him. Noticing the pink blush that creeps up his neck and cheeks, concentrating at his ears. He’s chewing on the inside of his cheek, probably thinking you don’t notice.

It’s adorable.

“No. They’re pretty cute. But sometimes weird.” That’s one thing that never really clicked. Never in a million years would you have guessed that Min Yoongi would have a taste for bad pick-up lines and puns. If anything, that seemed like something that disgusted him, if his reactions to Seokjin’s visits to Dahyun were any indication. That man could lay the grease on thick, and Yoongi always looked utterly appalled at his cheesy one-liners.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just thought you might like it.” You bite your bottom lip to repress a smile, putting away the dish in your hands.

“Can I ask why? Why the little notes instead of just asking me out?” And then caffeine-you starts screaming in your head again. “Er— Not that I was expecting that. It just doesn’t seem like you, as far as I can tell.”

Yoongi sighs, supposing it’s only fair that he lay it all on the table.

“A month ago I heard you talking to Lisa, when you said you’d always wanted love letters. Not that that’s what these were. But I wanted to ask you out in a fun way because you’re a fun person and I know I’m not great with words so I figured stupid little notes would make you smile. The secret admirer thing was supposed to be just once, but your expression was really cute when you first saw it so I kept it up. Your smile’s pretty nice. I guess.” You don’t think you’ve ever heard him say that many words at once, uninterrupted. Maybe Yoongi’s operating off of caffeine-brain too.

There’s an uncontrollable grin on your face, pushing against your cheeks to the point where they ache and crinkling into your eyes at the corners. When Yoongi turns to look at you, surprised at your sudden silence, you get a full view of his flushed cheeks.

“Your smile is pretty nice, too,” you manage, earning a sheepish expression in return.

“I guess,” you add.

The rest of the mugs are finished as the two of you wrap up at the sink, smiling to yourselves like kids who just confessed to their crushes. Which is essentially what happened anyway, if you ignore the fact that you’re less than half a decade away from turning thirty.  Something about the way he’s been paying careful attention to you, to your conversations and your personality, your likes and dislikes. Never have you felt so sought after. It’s really nice.

You’re giddy, every muscle in your body tense and filled with energy— and not just from the caffeine. It’s what compels you to keep talking... although you also have the urge to just pull Yoongi into a huge hug. He’s irresistible, like one of those giant teddy bears you can only find in stores at random times during the year.

“Maybe you should stay,” you spit out, glancing at the clock. “The night.”

Yoongi’s eyes fly towards yours, nearly bulging out of his head.

“Wha— Tonight?” Now it’s his turn to be flustered. “I mean, if you really want me to. But isn’t it a little soon—?”

“Huh?” And then it hits you, the weight of your words. “Wait, no! I only meant because of the caffeine. Caffeine overdose. It’s a real thing. You probably shouldn’t drive. I’d let you use the couch.” You smack your face outright, wishing you could crawl into a hole never come back out. “I didn’t mean— that. I mean, I certainly wouldn’t mind doing that... at some point. But not right now, and—”

An exasperated half-scream leaves your mouth and you barely peek through the fingers over your eyes. “—I just wanted to cuddle! Just a bit.”

Yoongi stares at you blankly after your outburst for what feels like hours before finally piping up. “That... sounds good to me.”

At some point the awkwardness fades— you’d still like to find a hole to crawl into, though —and you’re plopped next to Yoongi on the couch, criticizing Hallmark movies like they’re up for the Oscars.

Yoongi sighs as the clock approaches midnight, though neither of you are even close to being sleepy. “I’m never drinking coffee again.”

“Ditto.” The credits start rolling as the trailer for the next film plays, something about a secretary and her boss getting together— classic trashy romance that you’ll probably enjoy more than you’d care to admit. You turn to Yoongi as the commercial break comes on.

“Hey,” you say. He swivels his head towards you, eyes just as bright and alert as yours.

“Hey.”

“Wanna hear a pick-up line?” His eyes narrow.

“Haven’t you had enough of those for a lifetime?” You smirk.

“Oh, I have. Now it’s your turn.” Yoongi sighs, settling back against the couch and gesturing in front of him.

“Fair enough. Have at it.”

You shift to face him slightly, legs tucked under your thighs criss-cross-apple-sauce style. “If you were a pirate, would you put your parrot on this shoulder—?” You tap the shoulder closest to you. “Or this one?” You sling your arm around his broad shoulders, leaning closer with a cheeky grin.

Yoongi, in response, outright scowls. But he doesn’t pull away.

“That was terrible. I never want to hear that again.” You scoff, slapping his arm playfully.

“I thought it was at least a little cute!” Yoongi shakes his head.

“It was only cute because you did it.” He laughs, straight up laughs, at your expression, pushing your arm away so he can wrap his own around your abdomen, playfully pulling you into his side. If his friends could see him now, they’d probably have a heart attack at how whipped he’s acting.

At some point, it turns into a bad pick-up line competition, the two of you googling the worst ones you could possibly think of, eventually turning to the inappropriate ones for the sheer shock factor. The caffeine crash hits around four am, with Yoongi’s head heavy in your lap as you recline back against the couch, mouth hanging open as you snore softly. It’s weird and a little awkward and entirely unconventional. You’ll blame the fact that you don’t hate it all on caffeine-brain. Let’s just blame everything on it at this point.

You wake up the following morning with a powerful headache and a sticky note on your forehead, no Yoongi in sight.

You tear it off, blinking the sleep from your bleary eyes until you can actually make out what it says.

Your eyes are like IKEA. I’m totally lost in them. haha, get it? anyways, IKEA date on saturday? no caffeine allowed — your secret admirer (yoongi — in case you forgot)

ps - you look cute when you sleep

You snicker as you stumble to the fridge, fastening the heart-shaped note to the cold metal with a magnet.

Maybe someday years from now, or maybe weeks or months, you’ll look back on this whole encounter and cringe. Hell, that’s what you’re doing right now. But you can’t deny the anticipation you feel at getting to spend more time with Yoongi, even if it’s filled with awkward pauses and rambling.

Either way, it’s official. Mystery solved. Case closed.

[laudthingcat]

I love you (Todoroki Shoto X Reader)

Hi yall~ This is my first time writing and posting a oneshot myself, but it was hella fun so i might as well just keep writing heh even if it’s shit y-y

I lost my damn text when my computer crashed before saving anything so i had to write everything twice i cri

Btw sorry if something sounds weird. I’m not a native so there’s that.

Word count: 1.4k

 Masterlist

Your boyfriend was throwing a party over at his house. His family was rich, so his house was huge. His parents, being busy, were now abroad taking care of an unexpected problem. The house was full of drunk teenagers and the air was now replaced by cigarette smoke. “Yikes”, you said to yourself before getting out of the house. It was the beginning of march but it was still very cold outside, and you started regretting not having some warmer clothes. You sure enjoyed parties, but not this kind. A party where you could at least hear your own thoughts would have been nicer. Since it was your boyfriend’s party, you were automatically invited, and yet, he was nowhere to be found. Not picking up your phone calls or reading your texts, you started getting worried.  

 It was now almost 10 pm and you still didn’t get any sign from him so you decided checking every room was a must, even tho it was his house, he won’t get mad now, will he? You entered every room, carefully looking around. In a few you got a glimpse at people making out. Blushing and closing back the doors in seconds, you continued checking the rooms, one by one but he was still nowhere to be seen. Maybe he went outside to buy some more drinks? That could be a possibility. 

 It was just way too noisy inside so you went outside looking at your phone, hoping there would be a response from him by now. The fresh air helped you feel better. You relaxed and looked around the house. “Oh it’s his friends”, you said seeing some familiar faces. They were all smoking and laughing without a good reason. “They need Jesus”, you mumbled before backing away a few steps. But then something caught your eye. It was your boyfriend kissing another girl. He was kissing her so passionately and yet whenever you tried to get close, he’d push you away saying that “he’s not in the mood”. You watched them without saying a word, too shocked to do anything. You knew you should go there and confront him, but you couldn’t, at least not at the moment. You felt betrayed and your heart was broken. How could he? He noticed you standing there and immediately started running towards you, calling out your name. Facing him was the last thing you wanted, so you ran inside. He knew you had self esteem problems and that you always felt like you weren’t good enough. You opened up and let him know about your insecurities and he still played with your heart.  

 Thanks to the big number of people in the house, he couldn’t find you. You continued wondering around, looking for a place to sit and think things through. When you were sure he lost you, you couldn’t help but think about him, memories of him and that girl filling your mind. Your eyes got watery; you started crying, not giving a damn about other people seeing you like this. How was she better than you? Just because she had the guts to kiss a guy she barely met? She was hotter for sure, but you could be hot too if you wanted. 

  Not thinking straight, guided by the desire of being good enough for somebody, you went to the kitchen where you grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels. One, two, three, seven, ten shots; or maybe eleven? You lost count. Everything seemed easier now. Your head was spinning, yes, but you felt so much better. Needing to push every thought about him from your mind, you decided to go with the crowd, moving your body after the rhythm of the music. The song was so catchy, and your moves were so different from what your sober version would do. Not after too long, a random guy started dancing with you. He started touching your back, sending chills to your whole body. A few songs later, he started kissing you. His lips felt nothing like your boyfriend’s, so you started crying. That’s bad; that was bad. You knew it. But even so, you didn’t reject him, thinking that it may help you forget what happened. 

  Closing your eyes, you continued kissing the stranger. A few seconds later you didn’t feel that guy’s lips anymore. A boy was almost killing him in a fight. People got scared and a circle was made around the two of them. You didn’t really react in any way. You were just watching, thinking about how you’d like to eat some donuts. The boy woke you up from your daydreaming by grabbing your hand and leading you to an empty room. He turned the lights on, so now you could see his face. You recognized the face right away. It was Todoroki Shoto. You and him were very good friends, but recently he has been pretty busy with his classes and training, so you haven’t seen him in a few days. That was the last place you’d expect to see him, especially since he’s not a party person.

“ Todoroki?” you asked clearly surprised, being really embarrassed thinking about how he saw you kissing a random dude. He was probably disappointed. No, he certainly was disappointed, since you were disappointed yourself. 

“ Yes”, he responded coldly. Ahh man. You knew you fucked up, but did he really have to make you feel so bad?

“ What are you doing here? I thought you hate parties.” 

“ I do.” 

“ Then why are you here?” 

“ I came here for you. You invited me, remember?”

“ Ah, right” You did. But you didn’t expect him to actually show up. 

“ But then i got here, and the first thing i see is you kissing some random. Do you even know the guy?” he asked clearly pissed, losing control over his quirk, small sparks of fire coming out of his left part of his body.

You looked down because you already realized how stupid that was. But now you were just too curious. He usually doesn’t give a damn about other people’s business. Why was he so pissed? 

“ But why are you so angry with me kissing that guy? Maybe i like him ya know.” 

Oh no, he got angry. 

“ Why do i care?? He was almost fucking you right there, Y/N!! I am your damn friend! It’s my job to take care of you! I care about you…” His face got flustered saying those things. You thought to yourself how cute he was right there. He was usually a really cool guy, not showing emotions much.

 You were at a loss of words. He has always been there, also listening to your problems and somehow always finding your whenever you were feeling down or needed somebody to talk to. 

The silence was filling the room, until he broke it. “ But why were you kissing him anyways? I thought you have a boyfriend?” 

“ Well, I saw him kissing another girl”, you said casually as if you were talking about somebody you didn’t care about.  

“ Oh.. I told you he is a jerk. ” he said in a hushed voice.

Then you realized it. “ Actually I don’t really care. I thought about it and i didn’t really love him. He was my crush so I was really happy when he asked me out, but after a while I realized that I don’t like him. I wanted to break up with him, but everybody was saying that we look good together so i started believing that too.” 

His eyes grew wide. “ What??” 

“ Yeah..” 

“ Are you out of your mind? You shouldn’t date someone just because people say you look good together, Y/N” 

“ I know. But.. I wanted to feel loved.. I- I thought he loved me” , you said, tears falling down your cheeks.

“ You dumbass..” He said before pressing his lips against yours. His lips were soft. The feeling Todoroki’s kiss gave you was new. Not even your ex-boyfriend made you feel that way. He deepened the kiss, turning it into a passionate one. You didn’t want him to stop. You wanted this moment to last forever. Todoroki made your heart beat incredibly fast, now thinking about how you felt loved by the guy you least expected. When he broke the kiss, you looked down, blushing. He was also looking away, too embarrassed and surprised by his own actions. 

“ I love you” , he said grabbing your hand and squeezing it softly.  

[if-you-built-yourself-a-myth]

Check Ignition: Sander Schmander

By popular request (*cough* everyone on ao3 and @art3misjade), here is Sander's perspective on events

This segment falls right before Chapter Four of Check Ignition

Sander Driesen was drunk. Honest-to-god, shitfaced drunk. And for the first time in forever, too—he’d laid off the stuff since his treatment plan made it difficult to handle, and since he wanted the meds to actually work. But tonight, he thought, I’ve earned this. Everyone else was drinking. It would be weird if he didn’t participate when his own boyfriend was halfway through his fifth cup of punch.

Fake boyfriend. That was a whole thing.

Now, he lay on the stairs leading upward to the boys’ dormitories. Hopefully those stairs. He didn’t make a habit of visiting the common rooms of other houses, and the layouts tended to differ from one another.

“Sorry,” he croaked to everyone who shimmied their way through. “My bad. Deepest apologies.”

This was why he needed Britt, he thought, to reign in this kind of impulse. Granted, she was the only one who knew about everything else thus far, but he wasn’t going to tell Robbe all that, not when it was already hard enough existing in a magical world with a mundane illness. He wanted to hold onto this last little dream.

Midnight was fast approaching and the bustle downstairs had yet to dispel. Sander tried to move his arms and found them unresponsive. Or rather, he could move them, but it required too much effort to be worth it. He slumped back. More people flooded up the stairs to sleep off whatever terrible concoction was in that punch bowl.

“Robbe has such stupid ideas, I swear,” said Moyo, cresting the staircase. Sander perked up at the sound of Robbe’s name. Probably Moyo. Sander struggled to think through the names of Robbe’s friends—he had them listed in his bedroom for continuity purposes.

He recognized Jens easily enough, because Jens was wherever Robbe was. And Sander watched Robbe a lot. Sander held his breath, as if being quiet could prevent them from seeing him sprawled across their path.

“Shut up,” Jens shot back.

The third boy with them—Alex? Adam?—pitched in, “It’s not Robbe’s fault you don’t get any.”

“He’s throwing away the chance of a lifetime.”

“Shut the fuck up. You sound like an incel.”

“But like, why do they kiss so much? It’s not like you have—” Moyo stopped short as he tripped over Sander’s leg. Despite their somewhat rational conversation, they weren’t any more sober than Sander himself. “Shit, speak of the devil.”

Jens leaned down to Sander’s eye level. “You alright?”

“Never better,” Sander slurred. It came out more like a groan.

Moyo approached to help Jens move Sander from the center of the stairs. They sat him up against the railing on his left side, which was not any more comfortable than the steps digging into his back. Jens was still in full Quidditch uniform (even the chest padding!), Moyo sported a Hufflepuff tie over a t-shirt and jeans, and Adam-or-whoever stood at a quiet distance in a pair of burgundy pajama pants and his Quidditch robes. Sander would have made note to write these in on his list—a good indicator of personality.

Too bad he didn’t have the sense to do so.

“Can’t handle your alcohol, huh?” Moyo asked. He didn’t seem very threatening, though the question was definitely a taunt. Sander’s brain felt like vanilla pudding. Moyo turned to the boys. “Should we wake Robbe?”

“Yes,” said Sander. Oh, hell yes. Robbe. He liked Robbe so much.

The story itself was long and antiquated, a love-at-first-sight kind of deal for Sander. He couldn’t think of one version where he wasn’t the bad guy. He went on a double-date with Britt and her friend, expecting one of Noor’s usual yuppies to show up and bore the whole table with pointless conversation. Then it was Robbe.

Do you ever just see someone, really see them, and—how could he phrase it—know? Or think you know. All things considered, it wasn’t the best sign in terms of his condition.

He had to walk all the way into the next town over to call his psychiatrist, only to realize there wasn’t much to tell her. Hey, I’m infatuated with this guy that my girlfriend’s friend is dating. What should I do? She’d give him some common-sense answer like, Break up with your girlfriend, which he didn’t want to do until he knew what he was feeling would last. So he said, These side effects are nasty, and she reevaluated his dose of Lexapro.

“Let the virgin sleep,” said Moyo.

Sander pitched forward to grab Moyo by the arm. “No, wake him up.”

Because the thing was, time passed, and the feelings didn’t fade. Britt could tell he wasn’t present anymore and said nothing. Maybe she thought it was the Depakote that his psychiatrist added to the cocktail when the antidepressant dangled him on the edge of hypomania. She was a good person. It really wasn’t fair when he told her it was over via owl, and it really wasn’t fair when he seized his opportunity to kiss Robbe in the astronomy tower. The argument in question was not so bad. He conflated it for an excuse to leave her.

“Where’s Robbe?” said Sander. “I have to see him.”

“He’s asleep, downstairs. We gave him a blanket and everything.” Jens passed over his own cup of water. “Drink this.”

“I have to see him,” Sander repeated.

“Yeah, you have to go to sleep. He’s going to be here tomorrow.”

“It won’t be the same tomorrow.”

The whole relationship wasn’t even meant to be a thing. It was a cheap kiss, really, in the astronomy tower. Sander just wanted to know what it would feel like, and he thought it might serve Robbe too, so he did it. Robbe’s appearance the next day was the most unexpected, thrilling twist he could have dreamed of. Except, in a dream, it wouldn’t be fake.

Robbe never missed a chance to restate that it was fake. That wasn’t the best sign, either.

“Aaron, don’t just stand there,” said Jens. “Help me out. Grab his arms, will you?”

“Aaron.” Sander tested out the name. “But you’re Adam!”

“How much have you had?” Aaron grabbed Sander’s arms and lifted. The boys got Sander up two stairs before deciding he was too heavy. They sat him back against the wall.

“Try again,” Jens instructed.

The second try went about as well as the first.

Jens crouched to Sander’s eye level. “Look, is there someone else we can get for you? Or are you cool with sleeping here?” He had to hold Sander’s shoulders in his hands to keep Sander from pitching forward and rolling all the way back downstairs.

“We can’t leave our friend’s boyfriend here!” said Aaron.

“Fake boyfriend,” Moyo added.

Sander groaned. Yes, remind him of that! It was fake! He knew it already! If his psychiatrist could see him now, she’d say—alright, she’d say that he wasn’t allowed to drink on his overly specific medication regimen. But if that weren’t a factor, she’d say some more common-sense things like, “Tell Robbe how you feel. Tell his friends, if you want.”

Fuck, he missed her. He could seek out the phone booth sometime this week and tell her all about it. She loved hearing from him.

“There’s no one,” he slurred. “I’m okay.”

“Fine, there’s us, then,” said Jens. He hefted one of Sander’s arms over his shoulder. “Moyo, take three.”

Moyo took the other arm. They dragged him up the rest of the way, bumping his head on every other stair. He felt like a snow globe in a tourist trap shop, all shaken up, no escape through the glass. Huh. Poetic. Where was Robbe?

“Wake up Robbe,” Sander requested. Jens and Moyo dropped him into the fourth bed in their room. Aaron, Jens, and Robbe lived here; Sander could deduce that from the eclectic assortment of things piled on every available surface. The blankets of the bed in which he lay were already rumpled, implying that someone else had slept here recently. He touched something sticky on the top sheet. Okay, maybe they didn’t sleep.

Jens looked back and forth between Moyo and Sander. “Why?” he asked.

There were plenty of replies Sander could give. We’re fake-dating, and I want it to be convincing.

We’re such good friends, and I want to tell him so.

I think he has my cell phone. Jens might not know what a cell phone was. Sander could never tell with those purebloods.

He and I have plans to smoke weed and throw rocks at pixies in the Forbidden Forest.

Sander said, “I misssssss him,” with the s pulled to the end of the world. Yeah, that would work, too.

“Um, okay,” said Jens. “We’ll see what we can do.”

Then he, Aaron, and Moyo started laughing, although Sander couldn’t tell just what they found so funny. Sander had an alarm on his cell phone to take his medication at eleven PM, since schedule was important to the efficacy of the active ingredients, or whatever it was his psychiatrist said when she adjusted his Lexapro to 15mg. It buzzed in his pocket, but he didn’t have the pills. He was too tired, anyway. It wouldn’t matter if he skipped a dose or two; he’d done worse things than that with lesser consequences.

“You’re going to get Robbe, right?” he asked, and in a moment of clarity, he realized he was a needy boyfriend. He wasn’t a fan of needy Britt. You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Jens yanked the curtains shut across the fourth bed and bound them with a spell. “You’re drunk, go to sleep. We’ll get Robbe.” The boys began another fit of giggling.

It didn’t bother Sander at all. He stared at the arcing pillars that held up the bedcurtains and hummed a David Bowie song into the darkness. He was young and drunk and in love, and anything could happen. So what if Robbe thought their relationship was fake for now? In a matter of time, it would be real.

[cryptidofthekeys]

Vampire!Henrik x Chase

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Alcoholism? Technically, Mentions of abuse- all verbal, manipulation, blood, and finally- I guess implied divorce talk? That’s all I can really think to tag the tw’s as so there y’all go, just want to be safe

Chase was driving up the road when suddenly, his car began making these god awful noises, he cringed and pulled his car over to the side of the road and stopped, he got out and then took a look under the hood “Alright… What’s your problem n o w?” He sighed, getting frustrated with this stupid vehicle, what was worse is he was VERY far away from home, he couldn’t afford his car to break down now! There wasn’t even a gas station nearby! He tried to work with it and after a few minutes more he sighed and ran his hands down his face “Great, fuckin’ great… Now I can’t even get back home…!” The man groaned before pulling out his phone and seeing there was no service, this just irritated him more, he looked up ahead and saw a house that sat atop a hill, maybe someone up there could give him a hand… Chase reached over and opened the glove compartment, rummaging around before pulling out his flashlight, he had always kept one in his car just in case… And well it just so happened that this was the perfect opportunity, he got out and then made his way up the hill, unbeknownst that someone was already very aware of his impending arrival… The figure watched from the window as the man climbed up the dirt road, traveling up to his house, a smirk playing on the figure’s face “...Excellent…” It spoke to itself as it stepped away from the window, it needed to prepare!

The closer Chase had gotten to the home, he had realized, it was practically a mansion! The place was h u g e! He noticed there were lights on as well so luckily for him he could get some help, he flinched when it began thundering and then raining “S-Shit!” He ran as fast as he could to the home, eventually he got there and he was practically soaked by the time he reached the door, he gently knocked on the door and shuddered, after being rained on for so long he was a bit cold, luckily the porch had an awning over it so that shielded him from the rain, and after a few moments of waiting, the door slowly creaked up and a man stood before him, in a dark brown turtleneck, a white lab coat, and his pants and shoes matched the turtleneck’s color, he looked a bit… Paler than most but Chase couldn’t say much because he was very pale as well, and the man’s eyes… Holy s h i t… His eyes were a beautiful Ocean Blue color, Chase hadn’t registered what the man had even said to him because he was staring so much, he then realized this was a bit… Awkward “O-Oh sorry, uh, what did ya say, dude?” The man repeated himself, his voice a bit monotone “I said… May I help you? You are soaking wet, you must be freezing…” Chase noted that the other man’s accent definitely sounded German although he could be wrong, either way… “Oh yeah, uh… My car broke down… And I was wondering if you, like, had a phone I could use to call someone…” The man shook his head “Unfortunately, I do not, my phone is broken and I’ve been meaning to get another for some time now…”

The man paused to adjust the glasses on his face “However… I should have some tools in my garage that could potentially help, you are free to stay the night if you wish… After all, it’s quite the downpour out there, yes?” Chase looked back and noticed the lightning in the sky and then the crackles of thunder, the rain was pouring as heavy as it possibly could and he shuddered and turned back to the man “I mean… I don’t want to trouble ya any more than I already have…” The man cut him off “You have not troubled me at all, in fact, I insist, I do not want you catching a cold nor getting hurt out there, so please… Do come inside…” The man stood aside, holding his hand out to gesture at the inside of his home, a friendly smile playing on his lips.

However that smile unbeknownst to Chase who naively stepped inside, after wiping his shoes on the outside mat mind you, was as fake as one could ever be… The man could smell this stranger’s scent so vividly and he had to practically restrain the urge to pounce on the other, this was strange actually… The man never had such a reaction to any human really, but something about this one was… Different, nonetheless, he would strike soon but not yet… “Oh yes, my name is Henrik Von Schneeplestein by the way… But of course, you may call me Henrik as it is easier to say I’m sure” Chase nodded and extended a hand “Name’s Chase Brody, pleased to meet ya Henrik” Henrik happily exchanged a handshake with the other, trying his best to ignore the strong urges building up within, he usually had good control over his urges and such so why were they acting up all of a sudden? This was… Strange, but nonetheless… He had a tour to give the hu- er, Chase… “Come with me, I will show you around… My house is very large and it’d be a shame for you to get lost in here” Chase chuckled at that and followed Henrik “Y-Yeah, I uh, don’t wanna wind up lost in here, or anywhere that’s for sure…” The house had the typical rooms that Henrik gave a tour of, the bathrooms, the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the bedrooms, the place even had a basement however Henrik didn’t seem too keen on showing it.

Chase couldn’t blame him though, he didn’t like basements either, those creeped him the fuck out… And the man wasn’t acting defensive about it either, he just stated that it was mostly cluttered down there and it was dusty, far too dusty for him to enter… After the tour ended, Henrik led Chase up to a bedroom “This will be your room, not too far from mine, so just in case you need anything, it won’t be a far walk from my room…” Chase nodded “Sweet, your house is really cool!” Henrik smiled at this, usually, when he let humans inside before they never thought his house was cool, it was just creepy to them, so this was the first time someone had come inside and complimented his house “Ah… Thank you…” Henrik then cleared his throat “There is a wardrobe in this room if you wish to change clothes, I’ll uh, leave you to it” Chase nodded, watching as Henrik walked off somewhere back down stairs, he headed into his room and immediately began to change into a more comfortable outfit, it was a turtleneck that was a dark heather gray color, it looked pretty cozy… And then some pajama pants to go with it, granted that looked like an awkward combination, he really didn’t care, he just needed something that wasn’t wet and cold, after changing, he threw his damp clothes aside, he’d take care of those later.

He headed out and down the stairs, he took notice of Henrik sitting there on the couch, watching some television, he didn’t want to disturb him too much, he just needed something to drink, he crept into the kitchen and opened the fridge, there wasn’t… Much in there at all, this was strange… Maybe Henrik hadn’t had time to go grocery shopping, either way, he grabbed the bottled water and took a seat on the couch, not TOO terribly close to Henrik of course, he didn’t wanna make the man uncomfortable “So, what’cha watchin’?” Henrik glanced over at Chase before looking back at the TV “One of those cheesy vampire movies, I find them to be very ridiculous and always watch these when I need a good laugh” Chase looked toward Henrik “Oh? How are they ridiculous?” 

Henrik sighed “Well for one, half of these movies I’ve seen are not even accurate, there are a good few out there that I can appreciate, but some of these movies…” He pinched the bridge of his nose “Mein Gott…” He paused, and was about to continue before he slowly realized ...Maybe he shouldn’t, he doesn’t want to risk revealing himself to Chase, at least, not yet… But the man was as oblivious as they come “Hmm, yeah I can kinda see what’cha mean, well I mean… At least this isn’t Twilight levels, right?” Henrik groaned at that “Please, do NOT even get me started on the Twilight series…” Chase couldn’t help but snort at that one “Alright, alright, sorry” (no disrespect toward Twilight, this is all just in good fun) and after that, both Henrik and Chase continued watching the movie, occasionally, Henrik would point out a flaw here and there, mostly about the vampires which okay, now Chase found some of these to be a bit… Odd but maybe the man just, really liked vampires and did research on them or some shit, either way, it was none of Chase’s business, after all, he WAS just a guest here… After the movie had ended, Chase stood up, going over to toss his empty bottle in the trash now “I think Imma head to bed… I’m pretty tired and it’s already eleven pm” Henrik stood and nodded ���I think I will do the same” He turned the TV off, heading up the stairs along with Chase, now that the movie had ended and Henrik was paying close attention, he took notice of the clothes Chase was wearing, and he wouldn’t deny… That outfit albeit a bit odd, was awfully cute on him…

...What was Henrik thinking? He shook his head, no, he just met this man and Cha… This HUMAN was no more than a mere snack for a creature like him, he couldn’t be thinking such things as that! He barely caught what Chase was saying to him before he looked up “Could… Could you repeat that?” Chase rose a brow “I asked if you were okay… You were just staring off into space…” Henrik nodded “Oh uh, yes, I am fine… I was just thinking about some things…” Chase headed off into his room and stopped before hopping into bed and turned “Oh by the way… Thanks Henrik, for uh, lettin’ me stay here for the night… I appreciate it” Henrik nodded at the man’s words “But of course, it’s no problem at all… Goodnight Chase… I hope you sleep well” Chase smiled “Uh yeah, same to you…” And with that, Henrik headed off toward his room, Chase heading toward his bed and plopping down, too tired to take the shirt off, and besides he didn’t much feel comfortable sleeping shirtless in a stranger’s house either, he had to admit though… He was intrigued by Henrik, even if he was going to be able to fix his car tomorrow and leave, he would most definitely hang out here if Henrik allowed or hell, he’d invite the man over to his own place … Then again, he highly doubted Henrik would want to spend time with him, after all, they WERE still practically strangers to one another, they knew nothing about the other… He was just being too hopeful that someone, anyone would wanna spend time with him.

...No… No, god… Just… He sighed and shooed his thoughts away before they could even begin to get bad, he just wanted to rest well tonight ...He didn’t want to think about how lonely he was, he didn’t want to think about how he had no one… ...He didn’t want to think back to the day Stacy divorced him and left him ...Annnd now he was ….Great… He just closed his eyes and prayed he could fall asleep soon and have a good night's rest… After a few moments he managed to fall asleep… Meanwhile, as a few hours had passed, Henrik had risen from his bed, he wasn’t really sleeping, he had no need for sleep, he was just waiting for Chase to fall asleep.

Henrik slowly crept out of his room, surely the man was asleep by now… Although, Henrik could sense, well, something from the man, he crept toward Chase’s room silently, managing to sneak his way in, and there was the man, laying flat on his back and sleeping so peacefully, or well that’s what Henrik thought at first, he crept closer and loomed over Chase, his fangs glinting in the moonlight that shone through the window when he opened his mouth, he mumbled softly “I’m sorry for this… I truly am…” Usually he wouldn’t care about feeding, but for this human, it was different in that regard, he felt bad but there was nothing else he could do, there was no way he could wait for another human to pass by his area, he’d wind up starving if he didn’t feed soon… Henrik slowly moved onto the bed and gently tried to pull down the collar of the turtleneck, it’d be a bit harder than normal to feed with this in the way but he’d do what he could, he leaned in closer, inhaling Chase’s scent and he couldn’t help but shudder which caused the man beneath him to shift and then, he froze… Keeping as still as he could manage, even if Chase woke up it wouldn’t bother Henrik too much, he could just command him to fall back into a deep sleep, after a few seconds of shifting, he got still again, he never did open his eyes.

However he did mumble a few things, Henrik perked up at this, he listened intently at the man’s ramblings… He mentioned the name Stacy one moment then the next, he sounded as if he were sobbing… Henrik realized the man was having a nightmare, he could see it clearly in the other’s mind… The woman was leaving and taking what he assumed to be the man’s kids away from him, the expression on her face held no remorse as she dragged the kids to the car and then drove off just like that, the man was heading back inside and began to cry, he grabbed the nearest bottle of whiskey and began downing it and that’s when Henrik decided he had enough of peering into this man’s mind, his eyes glowed a bright red as he slid off of the man and he held a hand out in front of him, suddenly, the man quit shifting and his tears and shaky sobs slowly stopped and he seemed to be sleeping more peacefully… Henrik’s eyes then widened as they slowly faded back into that Ocean Blue color, he pulled his hand away and immediately ran out of that room, not worrying about Chase waking back up, at least not for a long while anyway.

(if that doesn’t make sense to you then let me explain, Henrik DOES have some vampiric powers obviously and one power in particular is the ability to kinda read minds/see into dreams and if he so wants, he CAN actually affect others dreams, turning them into nightmares or in Chase’s case good dreams)

Hours had passed by and suddenly it was morning, Chase was outside in Henrik’s garage and looking for the parts he needed to fix his vehicle, making some idle chatter with Henrik who was standing in the doorway all the while, eventually he found all the things he was looking for “I, ahem, apologize I’m not able to come out and help… The sunlight, just… Bothers my skin immensely and can be very dangerous for me…” Chase nodded, he felt bad for the man, not being able to go out in the sunlight any if at ALL… That must suck big time “It’s fine dude, I just really appreciate you letting me borrow these tools to fix up my car… I’ll uh, be sure to bring them back BEFORE I leave of course” Henrik smiled and nodded “While I do appreciate that, you may keep them… I really don’t have much use for them… I don’t go out all that often…”

Chase looked over at Henrik before looking out toward his car “I’ll just bring them back next time I visit” He said absentmindedly at first before realizing “I… I wait… That didn’t come out right I didn’t mean that, because I know we’re still like-” Henrik only smiled and cut him off before he could finish “It’s alright… I don’t really need the tools if I’m being honest, and of course... You’re welcome here anytime you want, I enjoyed your company actually, even if it was for a short time…” ...Wait, why did he say that? More importantly why did it feel authentically genuine?! That was a lie! ….Wasn’t it? Either way the man smiled and practically beamed at Henrik and okay… That should NOT affect him as much as it is… Chase thought for a moment before setting the tools down and then grabbing a little piece of paper from his pocket “Do you have a pen on ya by any chance dude?” Henrik nodded and took one of his many pens out of his pockets and handed it to the other who began writing something down on the paper “I know ya said your phone is broken and ya need to get a new one, but hey, ya ever manage to do so, gimme a call!” He handed Henrik the number who took it and scanned over the paper, he then shoved it into his pocket “Ah, thank you…” And then Chase picked the tools back up and gave Henrik a wave as he headed back down toward the road and to his vehicle.

Eventually he managed to get his vehicle fixed, even though it took a couple of hours at least… He took one last look back at the house before driving off, he really hoped he could come back… He’d like to get to know this man a lot more than what he did, and so… After a few weeks, Chase was sitting at home one day before he heard his phone ring, he reached for it lazily before seeing a number he didn’t recognize, usually he’d ignore those due to it being spam calls most of the time… But… Just in case it was Henrik which he doubted, he answered it anyway “Yo?” He spoke nonchalantly, to the man’s surprise it was indeed Henrik himself! “Is this Chase?” The man was very surprised and almost excited “Hey Henrik! Yeah, it’s me dude! I guess ya managed to get a new phone, yeah?” The other man on the phone huffed “Yes, it was… A bit troubling but I managed at the very least… I um… Was just wondering… Would you… Er, if you are not busy of course… Would you like to meet me at the Impresso Espresso Coffee Shop? And aha, just between you and me… They’re Espresso is not that Impresso… ….I MEAN IMPRESSIVE”

Henrik could feel himself dying at the pun he just made, he cursed the name of that Coffee Shop… But then he heard Chase laugh and… Wow, he… He liked that… He liked that a l o t. “Ay! With a place named like that? Fuck yeah, I wanna go for sure! ...Er, but wait, I thought ya couldn’t like, go out in the sunlight?” There was a pause before the man cleared his throat “Ah, yes, that I did… But this coffee shop stays open very late actually, it’s one of the very few around here that does.” Chase thought for a moment, this could be his chance… A chance to get to know this man more ….He bit his lip ...No… No, no time for that kind of thinking now… “Yeah then, sounds great, how about Eight PM? I wanna like, give it enough time ya know, to get dark so the sun n shit won’t bother ya!” This made Henrik’s undead heart twinge a little… How thoughtful… He quickly gave Chase the directions before continuing “Sounds just fine to me, I will see you at Eight then, yeah?” Chase replied with a yeah and then the two of them exchanged goodbyes and hung up, Chase was excited, this was ACTUALLY a chance for him to get to know Henrik better! Any and all thoughts of doubt had temporarily vanished and he immediately scrambled to get everything ready.

He needed to clean his apartment room and get ready! He managed to tidy up his apartment, it was really just a precaution just in case Henrik wanted to come over to his place ...He didn’t want the man seeing his mess, he’d feel so embarrassed if the other did! And then he got ready, nothing fancy at all really, he just cleaned himself up a little, he had ultimately decided to use a floral scented cologne, it was a rose scented one, he didn’t want anything TOO strong and the other cologne he had was a woody type… ...Now he was worrying if his cologne would be too much ...He needed to stop, he backed away from the mirror after making sure everything was in line, before heading out he quickly grabbed Henrik’s tools and then headed out the door, it was 6 PM so he should make it on time! He hopped into his car and sped off in the direction, eventually after a good bit of driving, he was there, he had unfortunately arrived a little late,he thought he would make it on time but he miscalculated things, of course it was nothing TOO major… He just hoped Henrik hadn’t left the place, he found a good parking place and then hopped out and headed inside, he spotted Henrik way in the back and headed over quickly, he saw the man grin as he approached “Sorry, I’m a little late…!” The man shook his head “It’s nothing to worry about…” Henrik slowly inhaled and his eyes fluttered shut for a moment “Ah… Is that… Rose I smell…?” Chase grinned sheepishly as Henrik opened his eyes again, his face was probably a little red right now but no matter “U-Uhh yeah…? I’m sorry if it’s bothering you I just didn’t know-”

Henrik cut him off “Hey, you do not need to apologize so much, yeah? I can assure you, it’s more than fine… Rose is actually one of my favorite scents… Along with Jasmine… And maybe of course Coffee itself…” He chuckled a little bit as did Chase “Ironically enough, the other choice I woulda picked was gonna be Jasmine, guess either way my choice was correct then” Henrik grinned at that although it immediately faded, mostly in fear he’d accidentally reveal his fangs, the more he thought about it… He needed to be more careful, even smiling could be hazardous ...Not that he really ever smiled, at least… It was never genuine either way, it didn’t matter… “Ahem, shall we order our drinks?” Now, sure, Henrik may have been an undead vampire but for one, Chase didn’t and NEVER needed to know that, two he would never go without coffee whether he was a vampire, a werewolf, or any other type of mythical creature! Chase nodded and with that, the two of them headed toward the counter, Henrik ordering the typical plain black coffee and then looked at Chase and told the barista a Mocha for him, Chase looked surprised “Woah wait, how’d ya know that was EXACTLY what I was going to order?”

Henrik shrugged “You looked like the type of person to like a VERY sweet coffee …I… Have my ways when it comes to people, coffee drinkers especially…” Henrik did take a mental note that he and Chase were both polar opposites in that regard, Henrik loved a strong bitter tasting coffee while the other loved a more sweet tasting coffee, eventually the barista came back and Henrik paid for them and then they both took their coffees back to their booth, he had hoped Chase hadn’t found that too suspicious but it didn’t seem like the other man did 

...Maybe he was just really oblivious ....Either way, it didn’t matter to Henrik, in fact that was a good thing! That would mean Henrik wouldn’t be in too much danger… “So… How long have you lived up there, in that house I mean…?” Henrik took a sip of his coffee before answering “I’ve lived up there for as long as I can really remember… I love the place for how quiet and relaxing it is… Although I will be honest, it can get fairly lonely up there from time to time” Chase nodded “Yeah I can get that, the apartment can get that way too… I mean, the lonely part… Not the quiet part, fuck no, it’s never TRULY quiet around that place” Chase rolled his eyes and Henrik had a look of sympathy for the other “I can only imagine…” Henrik looked away as Chase sipped on his Mocha Coffee, he… He wasn’t used to this kind of thing so he needed to think of something, ANYTHING that wouldn’t be creepy…

“What do you think your favorite place would be?” ...Well, it’s better than nothing… Chase seemingly looked up in thought for a moment before shrugging “I dunno really, I guess I like… Forests, I like to explore in the woods and wander through the trees, of course, gotta be careful because last time I did that I… Iiii… Got lost… ...For several hours… What about you?” Henrik made a mental note of that, he didn’t know why but he really was curious about the other, and it seems as though Chase was curious of him as well “Hmm… I would have to say… The Ocean… While I do not particularly care for the swimming part, I just love the sounds… The feeling of the sand… It’s all so beautiful” Chase nodded “I took my kids to the beach once, they seemed to enjoy it well enough, I er, I didn’t really get a chance to myself…” Henrik rose a brow at this “Oh? And why is that…?” Chase bit his lip and looked away “...I uhh, well… I was just busy with some stuff, some youtuber stuff… That’s all…” Henrik frowned a little, that was a lie… And he wouldn’t deny as much as he didn’t understand these newfound feelings and emotions, this newfound curiosity towards a human as well… He didn’t want to push it any further and risk upsetting Chase “I see” Was all he simply said and the man seemed to sigh in relief albeit he was still fidgeting, and struggling to find something to ask as well before he suddenly blurted out “Sooo, who are the special people in your life?” ...Annnnd Chase was mentally smacking himself on the forehead, that was a bit too forward.

However Henrik didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, in fact his voice was mostly monotone as he spoke “There are no special people in my life, I am… A loner first and foremost but there have been no special people in my life for as long as I can remember…” ...Well now HE was lying… There used to be someone but Chase had no business in knowing that… And besides, it was unimportant anyways… “O-Oh… Jeez, that sounds… Rough… I mean, I don’t really have special people in my life anymore either… Well, aside from my kids but, eh… I rarely ever get to see them…” Henrik looked at the other in shock “Why is that…?” It took the vampire a few moments before slowly he recalled, the very first night Chase stayed with him… The nightmare, the kids, the woman taking them away…Whoever that woman was… Henrik was beginning to hate her, he listened to Chase as the man sighed “....My Ex-Wife… Stacy, she uh, took the kids in the custody battle and such and, really she uh hardly ever lets me see em… She even sometimes uses them against me... But- I just… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t dump all that on ya” Henrik shook his head 

“No no, I can promise you, it’s fine…”  It took all of his strength to hide the venom that threatened to spill into his words “I’m very sorry, and forgive me if this is out of line but she’s definitely a manipulative one, using your kids against you like that, judging just based on what you said… I definitely don’t have the best feeling about her… I feel as though she’s done more than that...” Chase was silent now and Henrik was worried he had gone too far before the man spoke up “...I-I mean, she’s never like, hit me or anything… Sooo I… I wouldn’t… Just… Don’t worry about it, let’s uhhh, talk about somethin’ else…” Henrik was very tempted to peer into the other’s mind to find out more about this ‘Stacy’ woman… But, he refrained… “Of course… What else do you wish to talk about?” Chase thought for a moment before finishing his mocha “Know any good jokes, dude?” Henrik had never been the best at jokes, he shook his head “Unfortunately I do not… I am not the joking type…” Chase shrugged “I dunno dude, ya made a pretty good joke earlier based off the name of this place” Henrik groaned as Chase grinned “Do not remind me…” And then there was a pause, Henrik finally getting to finish the rest of his coffee before Chase chimed in “Hey, Hen, what does a Zombie Vegetarian eat?” The vampire rose a brow “...Well, they would more than likely make a vegetarian alternative to human brains or you know… A regular salad? Like humans themselves eat?”

Chase gave Henrik a look “...Dude… I was gonna say Grrraaaaiinnnnssss… That… Why and how the fuck was that so oddly specific like you KNOW what vegan zombies eat?” Henrik looked away, his face red in embarrassment ...Which was new, he had never ever blushed before! “I uh… I was just… Speculating, really… Nothing more or less…” He hoped Chase would buy that and it took the man a few moments before he looked up in thought “...Maybe you do have a point though… I never really thought about it, god if creatures like that DID exist, it’d be a hella lot better if they WERE vegan... That way we wouldn’t have to worry about our brains being eaten, being torn apart, or having our blood drank” Henrik’s eyes widened momentarily as he looked over to Chase who seemed to be lost in thought now, probably thinking about vegan monsters… “I, yes… I mean of course those creatures do not exist in the first place, but, it’s an interesting thought…” Chase shrugged “I dunno… On one hand, it’d be fucking AWESOME if a monster existed but on the other hand, you’d be completely fucked if one of them got their hands on you ….Assuming they have intent to kill of course” Henrik silently nodded along, trying not to seem so frightened, the man was just talking about monsters, if only he knew… He was sitting here talking to one right now, part of Henrik was curious how Chase would react, would he run away screaming, try to fight him or ‘kill’ him ...Annnnd now Henrik was becoming more worried about Chase finding out, that didn’t help… “What’s your favorite kinda monster, Hen? Ya seem to have an interest in those yourself…” Henrik kept his gaze averted from Chase’s.

“Hmm… If I had to choose a favorite… I’d say a Griffin or Dragons… Such powerful beasts of the air… I’d have much respect for creatures like that” Chase grinned “Hell yeah dude! Honestly… Those are some pretty good picks, if I had to pick something… Hmm… God, this’ll probably sound so basic, I uh… I’m not really an expert on monsters... So I’d go with werewolves or vampires…” If Henrik had any more coffee left to drink he would have done a spit take at that “Ah, vampires you say?” Chase nodded “Yeah, werewolves are cool because their fuckin’ HUUGE and have big claws and can totally fuck shit up but like, vampires seem much cooler ...Probably literally too, but they have some cool powers! They can turn into bats whenever they want and fly around the world, even if it is ONLY at night, they can do a lot more than werewolves really, and just lots of cool shit” Henrik couldn’t help but smile at that, it was pure childlike excitement from Chase… Oh but the vampire himself couldn’t help but feel as though, Chase’s childlike excitement would turn into one of pure terror if he ever revealed himself, he’d probably never want to see Henrik again, he’d probably hate Henrik ...And now the man’s smile was fading as he looked out toward the window “It’s getting rather late, isn’t it?”

Chase looked down at his watch and his eyes widened, the watch read ‘11 PM’ “Fuck dude, I am SO sorry… I didn’t mean to like, keep you out this late” Henrik shook his head “Please, as I have said, there is no need to apologize to me so much…” Without thinking, he grabbed Chase’s hand, his breath almost hitching in his throat at how warm the other felt… He didn’t feel any urge to sink his fangs in this time, and truth be told… He didn’t want to hurt Chase, not anymore… He knew he was beginning to care about this man, and even though these newfound feelings were scary to him… He could manage “I had a great time, in fact… This is the most fun I’ve had in a very long time!” He then saw Chase’s expression, it was one of concern and then Henrik realized why, he drew his hand back from the man’s “Your hand is ice cold, if you need, I have a pair of gloves out in my car…” And then there was a pause before Chase looked up into Henrik’s eyes “I… You… You did? Really? I mean, I did too of course! Honestly, it was really fun… And I’m glad I got to hang out with you tonight…” Henrik was smiling “Yes, I really did… I hope we can hang out like this more often if I’m being honest…” And that caused Chase’s heart to skip a beat, H...Henrik REALLY wanted to hang out with him ...Again…? This made the man smile back “I’d like that, hell yeah dude!” And with that, the two of them headed out of the shop, Henrik looking up to the night sky and inhaling deeply “Ah… It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Chase looked up and saw the big bright full moon among countless amounts of stars “W-Woah… It… It really is…”

Henrik turned toward Chase, smiling as brightly as he ever has, his fangs glistening in the moonlight “Aha… Not only did I want to get some coffee with you… I actually knew there was going to be a full moon and the stars were going to be out like this… I wanted to see them… With you…” Chase looked over at Henrik and smiled as well “I… Thank you… It’s honestly really beautiful, like, just… Holy shit…” He muttered as he gazed back up at the stars, honestly, even though he had tried to push these feelings away, Chase would not deny, the more he looked at Henrik, the more he thought about this man… He couldn’t deny the feelings… Honestly he knew why he was trying to avoid them, trying to push them back, it was because he was afraid… Afraid of things turning out the same way as they did with Stacy, afraid Henrik would leave him all the same… Mock him for being so pathetic, for being a failure as both a father and a husband… Chase’s mind was running wild all of a sudden, filled with negative and bad thoughts, 

Henrik was suddenly looking at Chase and coming closer, the man cupped Chase’s face suddenly which caused him to jump out of his thoughts for a second and look Henrik in the eyes, the two of them staring at each other for a few moments before Henrik began closing in, now Chase wouldn’t deny… Part of him wanted to kiss Henrik… He really did, and that seemed to be what the other was going for, but with all the thoughts of things ending up how they did with Stacy, everything bad she had said about him, how Henrik could end up the same way, it made him pull away all of a sudden “I… I need to uhhh get home, it… It’s getting really late… An...An-And I… I have some stuff to d-do around the ap-apartment…! I enjoyed hangin’ out with ya dude but, gotta go!” He quickly ran to his vehicle, cranked it up and sped off in the other direction, leaving Henrik behind who was still standing there in the coffee shop’s parking lot.

After he had gotten back to his apartment, he headed inside, slamming the door behind him and quickly taking a seat on the couch, he placed his head in his hands “Stupid… Stupid… Stupid! God, I’m such a fucking idiot! A fucking… f-failure…” He shouted to himself, he just couldn’t… Everything was too much, and he probably just ruined the one chance he had with Henrik! The other man probably hated his fucking guts if he didn’t already before… He probably, no, he was sure of it… Henrik absolutely hated him now, he could feel the glare on Henrik’s face in his mind, he could feel the hurt he had just caused the man for leaving him there so abruptly, his thoughts were running wild, screaming at him for running away like that, calling him a coward, a loser, not deserving of a second chance, not deserving of love… He got up and made a beeline for his whiskey bottle, snatching it up rather aggressively and proceeding to down half of it in one sitting, he sat there, letting the bad thoughts take hold of him, letting Stacy’s voice remind him of what a failure he is, not only as a father but a failure as a husband, tears were spilling down his face and onto the floor as he continued to drink more whiskey, eventually, he finished the whole bottle and was so drunk and disoriented that he could barely even move.

After an hour had passed and Chase had passed out with the thoughts still echoing in his mind, he awoke to the sound of his phone buzzing, it was the text notification sound… He hadn’t slept long enough to wear the alcohol off by any means… He was still drunk as hell and drowsy, he lazily picked up his phone, grunting when it slipped and hit him in the face, he picked it up again very slowly and read the message, it was Henrik’s number… He couldn’t really concentrate fully but he opened the message up and began to read through it, it read as [ I’m sorry if I have made you uncomfortable, I did not mean to be so forward like that, that was very rude of me and unwarranted, I should not have tried to kiss you when it was clear we were just there to hang out, have some fun, nothing more, nothing less... So I hope you can at least forgive me and we can move past that, sincerely, Henrik ] Chase blinked slowly, Henrik’s message didn’t make much sense to his brain right now so he texted back even though this was… Not the wisest idea while being drunk like he was.

[ heyyyooo, its fiine, urrr actually p cute, ngl ] a few moments later, there was a reply [ Chase are you okay? You are acting a bit differently ] and of course Chase responded [ Iiiim fiine, u worry 2 much!!! Jus had a li l drink is al ] His grammar was… Poor when he was drunk but no matter, he didn’t really know what he was doing anyways… [ Chase, how much have you had to drink? ] and at that question, it took Chase a few minutes to respond, partially because he was half falling asleep again [ whole bottle, bout a ha v anotha 1 ;) ] And almost immediately there were a string of texts that read out [ Please Chase, don’t have another ]  [ I’m coming over there ] and then [ Just stay where you are before you get hurt ] and now, had Chase not have been drunk this would have concerned him but he merely shrugged it off and put his phone down, he got up from the couch to go grab another bottle and he fell over almost instantly, he giggled at this “leggys dont work…” And just like that, there was a knock at the door and a very concerned voice calling out “C-Chase? It’s me, it’s Henrik… Can you get up to open the door?” A very slurred voice came from inside the apartment “I dunnnoooo… Legs feel heavy…” Henrik called out “Well please, try for me… Try to open the door…” Chase groaned and tried to pick himself up off of the ground.

(no offense to like, people who actually drink alcohol and dont act this way or any kinda way really but this right here? It’s literally just for the story, just gotta clarify that ya know?)

He shuffled over to the door and after a few minutes of fumbling around, he managed to unlock it, as he was backing away from the door he stumbled and fell back, giggling a little “Iss opennn…” He slurred out, immediately, Henrik swung the door open and his eyes widened as they landed on Chase, he ran over and helped him up and quickly set him down on the couch “Oh Chase… Are you hurt at all? Did you fall on anything sharp and or a hard surface?” The man began looking over the other, checking for any and or all injuries, meanwhile Chase was just giggling away and hiccuping every once in a while “Nooope… m fiiine… G-God… You’re really hoooot…” He giggled again, not really noticing the concern spread all over Henrik’s face, he looked around the apartment, he noticed there was a GOOD amount of whiskey around… He needed to get Chase away from here, now sure, this might technically seem like kidnapping… BUT his place would be better than here… And besides it’s not like he was going to just keep the man! “Chase, I’m going to pack you some clothes and stuff… You’re coming to stay with me for a while…” Chase rose a brow, he didn’t really manage to decipher Henrik’s words and just agreed with him “Oookaay whateverrr ya say doc…” Wait… Was Henrik even a doctor? ...Meh he looked like one to Chase anyways so that was enough for him to give the other man that nickname, meanwhile Henrik told him to stay put and while Chase would’ve gotten up and tried to sneak some more whiskey… For some reason…

He felt like he couldn’t disobey Henrik, not in worry of getting in trouble but he literally couldn’t move from his spot, he was confused by that but processing this kind of information was hard right now and trying to figure it out? Near impossible… Henrik then came back with a bag packed full of clothing and other items that Chase would need “Alright… Chase… I want you to listen to me and listen well” His tone was much more… Stern… And… Okay, maybe this alcohol was affecting Chase more than he thought because Henrik’s eyes looked red now “You are going to sleep now… I COMMAND you to sleep…” Command? What was Henrik doi- ...Okay well, Chase was yawning and his eyes slowly fluttering shut, and just like that the man was out of it, Henrik sighed, his eyes turning back to their normal Ocean Blue color.

“I’m sorry Chase…” He didn’t know why he was apologizing, maybe for what had transpired earlier… Maybe for using a power like that on Chase, even if that was a HUGE risk to give himself away, he didn’t care, he just wanted the man to be safe… He didn’t care if the other remembered that and questioned him or found out what he was, just as long as Chase was safe… He picked up the man with ease, well… Sometimes vampiric powers had their perks! 

He could hold even the heaviest of objects with ease, he loaded Chase up into his car and the bag as well and drove off, sure he could have ran off and got there faster but just in case, he did want to give Chase an option to leave when he wanted or even needed too, he was just doing this to get the man away from all that alcohol, god forbid he drank too much of it… Considering how incapacitated the man already was, no… Henrik didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened, he shook his head and just kept driving, looking over at Chase who was sleeping peacefully it seemed, truth be told… He had also used some of his powers to ensure Chase would have pleasant dreams instead of those nightmares… Which he knew this was going to hurt him severely later, he was growing weaker from not feeding for so long, sure he could go a good bit longer if he really needed but he didn’t want to risk going into a frenzy, god… Especially not around Chase, he’d never forgive himself if he hurt the other.

After a few hours had passed, Chase awoke and blinked, his vision was blurry and fuzzy at first so he took a few moments before trying to move around, another thing he noted was that he had a MASSIVE headache… He groaned at the pain and continued to blink a few times and his vision eventually cleared up, he carefully sat up, holding the back of his head, as he stood he wobbled a little “F-Fuck…” He mumbled to himself and looked around, his eyes widening in surprise… Wait… This wasn’t his apartment! He was about to panic before he looked around the room more closely, this was the same room that he had stayed in when his vehicle broke down, so that meant… He was in Henrik’s home! ...But how did he even get here? It didn’t make sense, he couldn’t remember what happened… He wandered out of the room and down the stairs very cautiously as he saw Henrik sitting at the table, looking very nervous before the man’s gaze snapped over to Chase “I poured you some water, got you some toast, and a pain reliever right here, after you eat and take the medicine I want you to go straight back to bed” His voice was stern and Chase looked down to the ground, fiddling with his hands as he walked over “H…Henrik… What happened…?” The man looked at Chase and sighed “Well, firstly, you got very very drunk last night and began texting me, do you remember any of what you said?”

Chase was taking a sip of water, as Henrik spoke, he choked on the water and his eyes went wide “I...I…” Before he could continue, Henrik went on “You called me cute, and began acting much differently...” He cleared his throat and sighed “...Chase… You scared me half to death last night...  You could barely even stand up, you fell t w i c e… And just… Look, I am NOT mad at you for leaving, I understand that me leaning in like that for a kiss was inappropriate and I-” Chase shook his head, he remembered now… He remembered texting Henrik, calling him cute and hot, and then just… He remembered why he was drinking in the first place... “No… I just… God, fuck… I’m sorry… It’s just… It’s not that I DIDN’T want to kiss you… I just…” He placed his head in his hands, he couldn’t look at the other man “Henrik… Do you recall the things I told ya about Stacy?” The vampire took a few moments before nodding.

(I know there’s a warning up above but hey, just in case you have forgotten about it, here it is again- Trigger Warnings: HEAVY mentions of abuse, nothing physical but verbal for sure, manipulation, belittling talk, and Chase kinda spirals in his thoughts before Henrik brings him back, if any of that makes ya uncomfy then dont put yourself through a potential anxiety or panic attack okay?) 

Chase kept his head in his hands, he was having second thoughts about this, but… He didn’t want to just lie to Henrik… “She’s done a lot of bad things… I hadn’t really realized before when I was, ya know, with her but over time I…. uh, I did come to realize some shit… A lotta shit wasn’t right… And really that was only thanks to some friends. ...She uses the kids against me, she never hardly EVER lets me see them if she can help it… She… fuck… She always called me a failure… As a husband and a father… Belittled every single interest I had… Said I was too childish for my own good, that… That nobody else would want me but her, nobody else could put up with me but her, that if I let her leave… Nobody else would ever want a pathetic loser like me,  she told me… So many horrible fucked up things… After everything she did, everything she said, I… I started drinking… I know I shouldn’t have, I shouldn’t have started drinking because it just caused more problems between us, she had a right to be worried though, about the kids getting hurt under my watch, but she even went as far to say I might do something to them! I just…” He paused and fell silent for a few moments “A...Ahaa…” He looked up, tears streaming down his face “Maybe she was right after all… I A M a pathetic loser… I mean I turned to drinking and over what? Things she said about me? I’m a failure… I… I… I don’t deserve love… I don’t-” Henrik stood from his seat and came over “Chase, that’s enough… You are not a failure and you are certainly not a pathetic loser… When I look at you, I see a good man… A man who tries his best every single day, a man who is an extremely amazing father…”

Henrik took a moment to clear his throat before continuing “From the very first day since you came to my house, I’ll be honest, I took an interest almost immediately… And believe me when I say, I don’t take interest in anyone so lightly, you are… Special… Very special to me, Chase… I would never EVER treat you like she did, she was manipulative and abusive, I will not be... I would never say any of those things about you, and I mean that… You are an amazing man… I… Chase… I love you… I really do…” Chase’s eyes widened as he looked up at Henrik, he wiped some tears away from his face “But I… Aren’t you mad at me…? I ran away like a coward… I… I…” The man cut him off “I already told you, I am not mad at you… You were just scared, and if you are still scared then trust me, I WILL give you all the time you need to think things over, you don’t have to give me an answer right yet if you don’t want…” Chase bit his lip and looked away from Henrik for a few moments before looking down at his hands, he wouldn’t deny, he was fucking terrified… But a BIG part of him wanted to actually take this chance, he really did have feelings for Henrik, the man had already treated him with more respect than Stacy ever did, actually never once belittled any interests or anything he really ever said, never once yelled at him like that… Never used anything against him… He took a few moments before slowly standing up and looking Henrik in the eye, he didn’t even say anything before practically lunging forward at Henrik, wrapping his arms around him and giving him a kiss.

Henrik’s eyes widened, he didn’t expect this, not so soon… But of course he was definitely not going to complain, his eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Chase as well, right now would be the perfect time to bite into Chase’s neck and feed but… Henrik didn’t want to, not at all anymore… He just wanted to kiss and hold the man and honestly never let go, eventually they had to break away from the kiss, both they’re faces flushed, Chase had a bright smile on his face, it’s the brightest smile Henrik’s seen and he absolutely loved it.

Henrik also had a big smile on his face as well, before he looked over at the medicine and water he had originally left out for Chase “Oh, you should probably take that and head on back to bed… After this whole ordeal, I do believe the both of us need some rest, yeah?” Chase nodded, Henrik had a point, he was absolutely worn out, he quickly ate through the toast and then took the pill and drank some water to wash it on down, he always cringed at medicine, it tasted gross but it’d help him in the long run “Hey Henrik…?” The other man raised a brow “Hm?” Chase walked back over and pulled him into another hug “...I’m sorry… For worrying you like that… I… I’ll try my best to not… To not do that again…” The vampire smiled and sighed, hugging the other back “I forgive you… I’m just… Happy you are alright and safe now… Now, you need to hurry and head on back to bed so you can at least get SOME sleep…” Chase nodded and pulled away from the hug and began walking toward the stairs, then proceeding to quickly head up the stairs, Henrik following in behind, as Chase turned to go to his room, he looked back at Henrik and smiled, very genuinely “...Love ya, dude…” The vampire smiled back, for the first time in so v e r y long… He felt happy… He felt genuine happiness… And now, maybe, just maybe… The loneliness he felt for oh so long would vanish as well…. “...I love you too…” And with that, the two of them proceeded to their respective rooms.

A few hours had passed, Chase had awoken feeling much better this time… His headache was gone and he felt so much better… In fact, he felt excited… He wanted to spend more time with Henrik already! He headed out of his room and down the stairs once more, however, he didn’t see Henrik anywhere… Well, maybe the man was still sleeping, this was his chance to do something nice for Henrik, since it was still a little early in the morning… He crept over to the kitchen and began making some coffee for the man, and then headed to the living room to chill out and watch some TV while waiting for the other to wake up, 30 minutes had passed and still no sign or sound of Henrik, Chase didn’t want to disturb his sleep but he was a little curious… He softly crept up the stairs and toward Henrik’s room, trying desperately not to make a sound and disturb the man just in case he was still sleeping, Chase slowly crept into Hen’s room and his eyes widened, the man wasn’t in bed… Hm, maybe he had left to do something? ...Then again, the sun was out and he said he couldn’t go out in the sun… This was strange, he called out for Henrik, there was no reply… So Chase went back downstairs and called out again, he was trying not to panic, there had to be a logical explanation for why Henrik wasn’t answering… Perhaps he was busy working on something somewhere in the house? Chase would just go around and check everywhere.

It took him a long while, the place was huge and there were a lot of rooms to go through until finally he came to the basement, this was the only place Henrik could be… He bit his lip, he didn’t exactly like basements but he needed to make sure Henrik was okay… He took a deep breath and pushed the door open, it was too dark to see so he flipped a light on and looked around, he didn’t really notice anything out of the ordinary except for what appeared to be a quarantine chamber (He has a chamber like that for a LOT of reasons), Chase walked up to it and knocked on the door “H-Henrik? Are you in there?” He heard a groan come from the chamber before Henrik called out in a strained tone 

“C-Chase!? You need to leave right now…! I… I’m uh… I am busy with my w-work!” Chase raised a brow “...Henrik, you sound like you're in pain! Fuck dude, are you alright?!” The man backed up as far as he could in the chamber “Chase… Please… I’m b e g g i n g you… Leave… You don’t want to see me like this… I… I’m not what you think I am… I just… I can’t… If you see me now… Y-you’ll want to l e a v e me...” Chase didn’t understand what the other meant but he was growing more and more concerned “Henrik, please… I just… I would never leave you, no matter what! Dude, you’ve given me more support and love in the last few days than I’ve gotten in a long time, no matter what it is, I promise I won’t leave you, just… Open this door, please?” There were a long few moments of silence “Chase, you don’t understand… I...I’m a fucking m o n s t e r… If I open this door… I don’t know what could happen…! I don’t want to hurt you because of this, this fucking CURSE!” Chase didn’t know what the other meant, this… This wasn’t making sense but he wasn’t going to leave Henrik no matter what “Henrik, I’ll love you… No matter what or who you are… I’m not going to leave you… I don’t know what you mean by monster but even then, I don’t fucking care… I don’t care if you are a monster, or anything like that… I promise, it’ll be okay… Just, please, let me in…?” Another long moment of silence before the man inside sighed and unlocked the door “Chase, if I try to hurt you… I want you to hit me with ANYTHING you can find… I don’t care if you hurt me, it won’t matter, so long as you are safe…”

Chase slowly pushed the door open, to be honest, he didn’t know what to expect but he certainly didn’t expect to see Henrik, huddled in the corner… His eyes red and pupils slit, his ears pointed and the closer he looked, he could see fangs… “W-Woah…” Chase muttered, looking stunned by Henrik’s now inhuman features, he really wasn’t kidding when he said he was a monster… But nonetheless, he felt bad when Henrik looked away from him in shame “Chase… Darling… Remember when I said I couldn’t go out in sunlight?” Chase nodded “Well… I… I can’t go out because it will burn me to a crisp… I...I’m a vampire… I just… Oh god…” He hid his face in his hands “Just… Don’t look at me, I’m a hideous being…” Chase came closer and grabbed Henrik’s hands in his “No, no you’re not… Henrik, I don’t care… I don’t care if you're a vampire, a werewolf, or any kind of creature! I love you, for you… F-Fuckin’ hell… You look so weak, and you’re shaking… I need you to tell me what’s goin’ on?” Henrik looked at Chase “I...I… I haven’t fed off of anyone or thing in a long while… And… When I took you back to my place… I… I’ve been using my powers too carelessly… I just…” Chase looked around before looking back down at Henrik “...Vampires like, drink blood, don’t they?” Henrik nodded, he… He didn’t like where this was going.

Chase knew there was no other option “Feed from me then” Henrik’s eyes widened “No, No… I refuse… I don’t want to hurt you, Chase!” The man shook his head “Henrik, I’ll be honest, first and foremost, I don’t know much shit about monsters or whatever… But I know, a vampire NOT feeding for a long period of time can be very bad, secondly, it is LITERALLY NOT the worst thing that’s happened in my life… And if you feeding from me means you’ll gain your strength back and you’ll be okay, then I’m willing to risk it, now… Please, just fuckin’ do it, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you!” Henrik looked at Chase, worried as ever “I...I’m just so fucking scared I’ll… I’ll lose control, go too far, and hurt you or worse… I just… I c-can’t…”

Chase cupped Henrik’s face then “Listen, I trust you… I trust you with all my heart and I KNOW you can control yourself… If you need to I can help you even, just please, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you… We literally just confessed to each other barely even the other day, there’s no fucking way I’m going to lose you already I can’t… Now just, hurry up and drink, I promise it’ll be fine” Henrik sighed and took a few more moments to think about it before looking at Chase “If I start losing control, if I start drinking too much, you NEED to pry me off, I don’t care WHAT you have to do just promise me, that if I can’t control this… You WILL pry me off and run…” Chase nodded “I promise…” Henrik leaned in toward Chase and he was shaking more than he needed to be if he was going to do this… He was just so fucking terrified he was going to lose control, he was worried he’d drink too much blood and wind up killing Chase! He took a deep breath and inhaled, he thought about Chase… He thought about all they had already gone through… He thought about the kiss they had shared the other day, and then he thought about how much he loved Chase… He leaned in closer to the man’s neck “This is going to sting, I’m sorry…”  Chase only shrugged “Eh, nothing I can’t handle, trust me…” Henrik was tempted to ask what he meant by that but he just… Wanted to get this over with already.

He carefully sank his fangs into the man’s neck, cringing a little when he heard the grunt of pain, and he could feel his eyes dilating as he clutched at Chase tighter who was just trying to sit still until Henrik was finished, he wouldn’t deny this was extremely awkward and it felt weird and he had so many questions but for now, all he wanted was for Henrik to have his strength back and to be okay, that was all he could focus on right now, this was what the vampire had intended for originally now that he recalled, he was originally going to drink all of the man’s blood but… Then he got to know this man, and he caught feelings for the other hard and fast… So now the plan has changed, he just hoped he could control himself, god forbid anything bad happened to Chase, he’d never ever forgive himself… A few moments had passed and he could feel Chase trying to push him away, okay… The other wanted him to stop, but suddenly the vampire was clutching the other man tighter and growling lowly, he began panicking internally and mentally screaming at himself to stop, he knew it! He KNEW he’d wind up going too far! He just fucking knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself, why did Chase trust him?! Why?! Chase then gently held the vampire’s shoulders “C-C’mon Hen… I know you can do it… I k n o w you can stop…” He paused before smiling “Please?” At first, he still continued to feed from the other but then that plead… His eyes widened, he needed to stop, he H A D to stop himself NOW! and then his eyes went back to being their normal Ocean Blue color and he carefully pulled away and fell backwards into the corner, he was shaking and looking away from Chase.

“I...I… I didn’t… I’m sor-” Chase quickly pulled the other man into a hug “Hey, shh, it’s okay doc, ya did it…! See? I knew you could control yourself… Look at me, I’m fine dude!” Henrik took a deep breath and then looked back over at Chase who was smiling proudly albeit a little bit weakly “I think that’s enough excitement for like, a fuckin’ year… Like, holy fuckin’ shit so much has happened in the last few days n weeks even…” Henrik chuckled at Chase’s words, the man helping him stand up from the corner “You okay now, doc?” The vampire smiled and okay it looked a bit horrifying with blood still on his fangs and mouth 

“Yes, I’m fine... I just… Thank you, for letting me feed from you… As creepy as this will probably sound, your blood actually tastes very good!” Chase smiled at this “I uh? I’m glad? I do have a question for you though… Just one for now, I’ll save the others for a different time…” Henrik raised a brow “What would that be…?” There was a pause before Chase rather nonchalantly asked “Were you planning to drink from me like, the first time we met n shit?” Henrik’s eyes widened before he cast a guilty look down to the floor “Unfortunately, yes, I was planning to do so while you slept here actually, which looking back on now I am REALLY glad I did not and ahem, got to know you better because had I originally done so, yo...you wouldn’t be here right now...” Chase nodded, okay, that was a bit horrifying to think about… But, everything has changed since that day, so he knew Henrik would never do something like that now “Ya know, that should terrify me right now, but honestly? I trust you, with my life dude! And besides, everything’s different now so I’d say everything really worked out in the end!” There was a pause before Chase remembered something “I, since you just drank blood, you’re probably not gonna want the coffee I made for ya, huh?” Henrik smiled at this “...Ya know, despite just drinking… Coffee sounds delightful right now if I’m being honest” Chase grinned and he was about to give Henrik a kiss before he stopped “...First, can you uh, clean the blood off? I… I don’t, really wanna taste any of my own blood I don’t think…” Henrik nodded and headed off to get cleaned up, he also came back with some disinfectant and a bandage and patched up the wounds on Chase’s neck.

The two of them then shared a kiss and headed out of the basement and into the kitchen, Henrik sitting down at the table and enjoying some coffee while Chase was grabbing something to eat, the man honestly still had a bit of shock, he was in love with an actual vampire! He would never complain of course but he definitely had a bunch of questions for Henrik later on, for now, he wanted to enjoy some nice quality time after the events that just transpired, he and Henrik both really were tired from the events that had transpired, but the vampire wouldn’t deny, it was nice to have someone that loved him despite being a monstrous being… ...He definitely felt that things would be okay from here on out, and it felt good not having to hide himself from Chase anymore, and he wouldn’t deny, sensing the other’s curiosity and excitement over the fact of him just BEING a vampire? That was really adorable… This was the happiest he had felt in a long time, and he’d be lying if he also wasn’t looking forward to spending more time with Chase, yeah… Things were gonna be alright finally.

(I don’t wanna end with them napping like I ALWAYS DO ya know, this was fun to write and heyo I’m lowkey proud of it! BUT as a bonus and a lowkey apology for UNINTENTIONAL angst, here’s a bonus tidbit of Henrik slowly regretting his choices to spare this man)

Chase’s expression becomes serious as he speaks “...You’re impossibly fast and strong, you’re skin is… Pale white and ice cold…” Henrik raises a brow at this “C-Chase wha-” The man continues “Your eyes change color…” He pauses again, he knows Henrik will get the picture if he continues “And sometimes you speak like, like you’re from a different time…” Another pause, Henrik was still visibly confused and wondering if Chase was having some sort of breakdown…? “You never eat or drink anything ….Except coffee sometimes…” He added that bit in only to hold some truth “You don’t go out in the sunlight…” Henrik looked very concerned “Chase? Darling? Do I need to call you an ambulance? Wh-What is happening?” The man was trying his hardest not to grin and keep a serious look on his face “How old are you?” Henrik blinked in confusion before shrugging “Ahem, I would have to say thirty…” Yeah, he had no idea where this was going… Chase continued on, admiring how Henrik actually gave a real answer, that was cute… He was so oblivious to what he was quoting “How long have you been thirty…?” Now Henrik thinks Chase was just asking the questions he wanted, this had to be it… “...A while, I’ve been thirty for as long as I can remember?” And finally… They were to the point Chase wanted, he had gotten Henrik here and it was too late to turn back now.

A wicked grin spread across Chase’s face before he uttered the few words Henrik would surely catch onto “...I know what you are…” At first, Henrik was confused “W-Well, you should, considering I dr… ...Drank…” He began to trail off, he slowly put two and two together although it did take him a lot longer than he would’ve liked, his eyes widened as he realized what Chase had been doing this entire time “...Chase, darling, the love of my undead life… I swear to God, sometimes I regret sparing you that very day we met…” He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, he realized however the man would not give up until he did the same and quoted the movie, as much as he did NOT want to, he sighed and stood up, walking slowly behind Chase, eyeing him almost like a predator “...Say it…” He whispered darkly, right near Chase’s ear, this made the man’s breath hitch in his throat, there was a pause before Henrik continued, his tone still dark “...Out loud…” Chase still remained silent, they really were just about to reenact that whole damn scene… This time, as Henrik spoke, his tone was much more demanding and aggressive “S a y  I t…” The man was breathing heavily for a few moments before he spoke softly “...Vampire…”

Chase’s eyes were wide as Henrik got a bit closer, he could feel the vampire’s cold stare on him… “...Are you afraid?” Henrik asked, trying not to grin or laugh, this was ridiculous… That was so fucking stupid but he wanted to humor Chase at least ...That way he wouldn’t just stand there and wait all day for Henrik to quote this with him, Chase took a few moments before slowly turning around to face Henrik, he almost cracked up when he seen the other’s expression for this “...No…” There was another pause before Henrik got a bit closer “Then ask me the most basic question… What do we eat?” Chase snorted at this, he couldn’t hold it back and he smiled “...You won’t hurt me…” Henrik raised a brow, a smirk crossing his lips “...Are you sure…?” Chase blinked “Wait- That’s not a part of the movie?” He questioned and slowly backed up as Henrik began drawing closer, a malicious grin spread across his face, his fangs showing and his eyes that shade of red again 

“H-Hen? C’mon dude… I was only joking, it was for fun! Ahaaa… I-I swear! I’ll never make ya quote Twilight again!” Henrik then grabbed Chase’s shoulders very gently, this had made the man jump a little “Babe… Please, c’mon now, it was just for fun!” Henrik’s grin never faltered as he leaned in closer “Chase, my darling… Remember how you just said I wouldn’t hurt you?” Chase nodded, he wouldn’t deny, he was actually lowkey a little scared right now and Henrik seemed to sense it, so he decided to cut the act quickly, his eyes turning back to normal “Well you are absolutely right! I would never hurt you my love!” He leaned in to give Chase a passionate kiss which took the man off guard, his face turning a bright red and after Henrik pulled away, he glared “Not funny dude, you asshole…” He wouldn’t deny, this made the vampire chuckle and nuzzle against Chase “...I love you, so very much...” ...Okay, that brought a smile back to Chase’s face as he wrapped his arms around Henrik “...Love you too, Hen…”

(I legit just looked up that whole damn clip on youtube just to quote this section bc y’all better believe Chase would do it tho- absolutely)

[kissjane]

A GOOD NEIGHBOUR IS WORTH MORE THAN A DISTANT FRIEND / (Not so) Short fic

#44 from this prompt list

I’m your new neighbour and I got locked out, help!

Eliott cannot keep in a sigh of relief when he rounds the last corner on the stairs. He hadn’t really been up to going out just yet, not completely recovered from a depressive episode from hell, but his fridge had been totally empty, and he even didn’t find any shampoo, which he bitterly needed after days without a shower, so he had made himself get up. Of course, the store had been fucking swamped, and it had taken way too long, and then when he got back here, the elevator had been closed off for maintenance again, and so he had had no choice to drag himself and his groceries up eleven floors.

But he has the finish line in sight. He can see his front door, only fifty or so steps away, and then he can shower and put on a clean shirt and a fresh pair of boxers and fall back into his bed with some microwaved soup.

His feet shuffle over the floor, his breath shallow, his eyes focused on the door, keys already in hand. Forty steps… thirty steps… twenty…

“Excuse me,” a voice suddenly breaks through his count, but Eliott cannot deal with anybody right now, he needs to get in, fall down, close his eyes for a long time. Ten more steps.

“Uh, sir? I’m so sorry, but –”

A groan escapes Eliott.

The cashier couldn’t have been just slightly faster? The elevator couldn’t have worked properly, for once?

“Look, I am really sorry, but I live in 312, and I –”

Eliott forces himself to look up. The sooner he listens to this guy, the sooner he can tell him to fuck off, and the sooner he can collapse on his bed again.

In front of him stands a man he’s never seen before. He is a bit shorter than Eliott, but he looks to be about his age. His hair is brown and sticks in every possible direction – but Eliott cannot fault him for that, especially not when it looks clean and free of grease. His own matted hair surely looks a lot worse. The guy is barefooted, wearing grey sweatpants and a T-shirt that has faded into something undefined. He is holding a few envelopes in his hand, but Eliott doesn’t really register those, too busy staring at the guy’s feet. Who the fuck walks around without shoes?

“I just went down to get the mail from the lobby, but I guess the door fell closed, and now I can’t get in, so I was just hoping I could borrow your phone to call somebody, I promise I'll be out of your hair after that –”

Oh, god. Eliott really isn’t equipped to deal with people right now.

But his eyes fall again on those naked feet. Who knew how long the guy had been standing out here in the hallway already.

He takes a deep breath, thinking longingly about his bed, his shower, microwaved soup.

He looks up, unsure what to say or do, and the guy is looking at him with – oh.

Blue.

A summer sky. A pristine lake. Faded denim. Soft blankets. Warmth and safety and belonging.

This guy has the biggest, the bluest, the most beautiful eyes Eliott has ever seen, and suddenly he doesn’t feel as bone-tired anymore. Surely he can manage for another five minutes, while this guy calls the landlord or some locksmith or his girlfriend to come pick him up.

He nods, not trusting himself to speak, and he opens the door, while the guy smiles at him and those blue depths suddenly shine like the stars and the moon combined.

“Oh, thank you so much! Here, let me help you with that…”

He grabs one of Eliott’s bags before Eliott can react, and carries it in.

“Shall I help you put these up?”

He doesn’t wait for Eliott’s answer, and efficiently starts unpacking the bread, milk, juice, and microwaveable soup. He puts the shampoo on the table, and looks at Eliott expectantly. Eliott has no clue what he is supposed to say or do. The fog in his head is growing again, and if he doesn’t get into the shower soon, he won’t be able to tonight, and the idea of another night without washing up makes his skin crawl.

“So, uh, can I borrow your phone then?”

Ah. Right. He tries to remember where it is. Oh, right, he put it on the charger before he left the flat. He wants to go get it, but the idea of walking to the bedroom only to have to come back is suddenly way too overwhelming, and he sags against the wall.

Finally, the guy seems to notice something is up.

“Hey, are you – are you okay? You look a bit… off. Is there anything I can do?”

He sounds concerned, and his blue eyes have gone a shade darker as he watches Eliott.

“M fine,” Eliott croaks. “Phone… in the… in the bedroom.”

The guy looks outright worried now.

“Okay, uh, I think you should go lay down anyway. I can leave you to get some rest, I’ll find somebody else to borrow a phone from…”

Eliott feels bad, but it sounds heavenly. He nods once, curtly, trying to ignore the guilty feeling inside, and tries to move his legs, but he stumbles. In a flash, the guy is by his side.

“Let me help you get to bed,” he says, slinging Eliott’s arm over his shoulder, letting him put most of his weight onto him.

“Where is your bedroom? Careful now,” the boy admonishes softly, as they shuffle through the hall.

“Wait,” Eliott mumbles and halts in front of the bathroom. “Need a shower.”

He gets a sceptical look from the guy.

“Are you sure you can handle it? Not gonna lie, you look really like shit.”

Eliott just stands, too tired to nod, or to think about anything.

“Okay,” the guy relents, “but I’d feel a lot better if you let me stay while you shower. I mean –”

Eliott notices a blush creeping up on the guy’s cheeks, but he doesn’t have the mental capacity to figure out what that is about.

“I mean, not in the bathroom, obviously. But maybe I could wait until you’re done and I know you’re safe in your bed before I go? I wouldn’t forgive myself if you slipped and cracked open your head or something.”

It all goes too fast for Eliott to understand, but the siren call of the shower is too alluring to ignore, so he just nods again, and croaks, “Shampoo?”.

He waits while the guy quickly fetches it from the kitchen table, and then almost tumbles inside. He misses the apprehension in his visitor’s eyes, and finally takes off his smelly clothes. He is too exhausted to stand up, so he sits on the floor of the shower stall, and mechanically washes his hair. Turning off the water, he sits, not up to finding a towel and drying himself, until he hears a knock on the door.

“Are you okay in there?”

He mumbles something, and decides he is dry enough to pull on some underwear. Just as he hears another knock, a bit more urgent this time, he is ready. He pulls open the door, and even though it is probably rude as hell, completely ignores the boy, hand poised to knock a third time. The soup will have to wait, he vaguely thinks, as he manages to stay upright until he is within reach of his bed, tumbling down on it, and sinking into a dreamless sleep.

***

Eliott wakes up, disoriented and with a growling feeling in his stomach. He tries to remember what happened – he went to the store, he took a shower, did he eat anything? Another groan from his stomach seems to indicate he didn’t. He sniffs.

Something smells good.

He sniffs again. It’s almost like fresh coffee.

Slowly, carefully, he sits up, and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. The exhaustion has worn off somewhat, and he walks to the kitchen, ready to finally munch on some bread, when he stops in his track.

At the counter, with his back towards Eliott, stands a man in an old t-shirt, comfy sweatpants and – Eliott’s Pollock socks?

He coughs, and the guy whips around, a startled look on his face.

Blue eyes.

Suddenly it comes back to Eliott – the neighbour locked out of his flat, wanting to use Eliott’s phone, standing watch outside the bathroom door while he washed off the grime of the past week.

“Oh, you’re awake! I, uh – I didn’t want to come into your bedroom for your phone while you were sleeping, so uh, I hope you don’t mind me hanging out. I made coffee and I can warm up that soup you got…”

“Are those my socks?”

Eliott doesn’t know why this is the only thing on his mind at this very moment. It must be that the blue of the man’s eyes makes him a bit dizzy.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, sorry. I got cold feet… I started a load of laundry and I saw these were hanging on your drying rack, so uh. I’ll wash them and get them back to you, of course. As soon as I can get into my flat.”

Eliott sits down at the table, while the other puts a mug of steaming coffee in front of him.

“If it’s okay, I’ll go grab your phone now, and call a locksmith, yeah?”

“What time is it?”, Eliott murmurs, sipping his coffee. It is way better than when he makes it, and he eyes the mug slightly suspiciously.

“About eleven pm,” the guy says, moving towards the door.

“It’ll cost you an arm and a leg to get a locksmith out at this hour.”

The boy stops in his tracks.

“Yeah, well,” he shrugs, “not a lot of choice, have I?”

“You could stay until tomorrow,” Eliott hears himself say before he can think it trough. Or until the day after, his treacherous mind adds, as he drinks the heavenly brew.

The guy’s eyes open even wider.

“Really?”

“Really,” Eliott says. “I’m not the best company right now, but there should be enough soup for both of us, and uh, we could watch a movie or something.”

A long beat passes, and then the guy steps back into the kitchen, getting out the soup, and firing up the microwave.

“Thanks. I’m Lucas.”

“Eliott. And you’re welcome.”

They grin at each other.

Eliott feels the last drags of his dark mood disappear.

A good neighbour is worth more than a distant friend, he thinks, and if something inside him pipes up to say that neighbours can become friends, or even more than friends, he tries to ignore it. For now.

[talietikasero]

Aria of the Sol

So, this is a preview (with brief context before each scene) for something I’ve been working on for a while. This is a “what if" scenario following the "Aria was revived” ending (/ original implication?). Set in the three-week gap between Revelator and Strive.

[Check it out on AO3]

Scene 1 (Chapter 1): Aria wakes up in the hospital and meets her daughter and son-in-law. [Inspired by “Ch’io mi scordi di te?” by rex101111]

[November 25. Illyrian Royal Medical Center, Patient Room 107. 11:02 am] Approximately five days had passed since she was checked in as a patient. If only she knew the collective shock from the medical staff and those who were waiting to visit their family members when they saw her unconscious form being brought into the facility by Sol nearly kicking the doors off, who had Ky and Sin trailing right behind. Those standing outside were treated to the sight of the Gullinkambi Dark acting as the group's transport, with Daryl's fleet right behind as they were all returning to Eastern Illyria.

“She gonna be alright?”

“Let’s hope so.”

“You’re good to go, Johnny. Thanks for the lift.”

“Anytime.”

“Daryl, drop the girls at my home. Dizzy will be waiting outside.”

“Understood.”

Inside her head, memories of who she was started flooding in from two clashing sources. Source A had recent memories about her days figuring out what it’s like to be human. People tracking her down, one annoyed she got away, another insisting she take off the mask so he could see her face. Source B saw nothing but death and destruction, whether it was from her hands or not. Humanity hated her for this, but she didn’t care. Those foolish “knights" who dared oppose her. That grumpy old man who, against all odds, survived fighting her on seventeen different occasions. Out of those eleven brave souls who participated in the tournament that led to her release, one stood above the rest. When she saw him, it was then that she remembered herself —who they were – before taking her final breath.

“H… How could I have forgotten you? If only we could have talked one last time… Just the three of us…”

“…Justice…? That’s right… The man who created us… our boss! I won’t rest until you lie writhing in agony before me!!”

Vision hazy, she stood alone in a void that seemed all too familiar before seeing two others in front of her. This strange woman with a halo and a pumpkin motif who mirrored her in physical appearance down to the face simply smiled, where the armored monster who she admittedly was frightened by stood idly and stared before nodding. They faced each other, joining their hands before merging as one. She saw her own reflection, still dressed in her researcher clothes. Her identity became clear.

She is Aria Hale, one of the key researchers assigned to the Gear Project.

Various figures and faces she couldn’t put names to appear one by one, two of which appeared to be her old colleagues still dressed in their white lab coats. She wanted to call out to them before refraining as they changed into strange attire. One was covered from head to toe in a hooded robe that looked more like a straitjacket than anything, where the other was clad in red, black, and white, and was the reason for her demise seven years prior. Was this truly how they were in her absence? Everything suddenly went blinding white.

Aria had regained consciousness. Nose crinkling at the sterile "lemon" scent, her eyes slowly opened to see the dimmed fluorescent light above.   "Nnnngh, where am I?"   Her sudden awakening startled the nurse who was doing her hourly check-in, causing her to rush out the door and call for one of the main physicians. Whoops. Curious about her surroundings, she saw that she was dressed in a light blue hospital gown and had been hooked up to a system that tracked her life signs. This wasn’t the project complex infirmary. Where exactly was she?

When the nurse returned following a doctor, Aria apologized for the unintended scare, to which the latter understood and said she overreacted. After a series of questions regarding any possible issues and if she had any dietary restrictions, the doctor had another staff member bring her something to eat and drink. She wasn’t listening to what they were discussing but did catch “well now that she’s up, please contact his majesty.”

[1:15 pm]

“That was unexpected.” The breakfast she ate wasn’t the subpar hospital food she recalled from back then. Rather, she was given a bowl of freshly chopped fruits, some toast and berry cream cheese, and a mug of coffee with sweet cinnamon cream and sugar mixed in. As an afternoon treat, she was also left a fruit tart, along with a kettle of hot water, a small assortment of tea, and two cups.

Aria was passing time with a copy of the local newspaper in hand while the radio played music, trying to wrap her head around what she was reading. The main story reported that there was this worldwide battle ranging from Illyria to the Japanese Colony. The article detailed various heroes fighting against someone named Ariels's forces; assassins, pirates, a doctor (with a paper bag on his head? What in the hell), some soldiers (oh my god just how large is that man with the helm?), and... is that a girl with wings? What exactly did she miss? Despite not knowing who this blue-haired girl was, she couldn't help but feel a little proud of her, reading the positive things the people were saying. "She saved my life!"

"She refused to abandon us."

"She's like an angel! No, a goddess!”

“If she were Queen, she’d make a perfect match for King Ky.” The hospital's usual noise of medical staff chatting or yelling life-saving orders, wheels on carts and beds rolling, and footsteps were present, but she heard what sounded like a group of people headed towards her room. She folded the paper and placed it on the table next to her bedside, figuring she'd finish reading it later. If there was something that caught her attention, it was the weekly news recap radio broadcast stating that the Gear Maker has turned himself in.

“The ‘Gear Maker’… Asuka’s been arrested?”

"Ah, here we are."

"Thank you."

"Thanks, doc."

"This is exciting! I can't wait to meet her." Was her head playing tricks on her? Those muffled voices on the other side of the door sound familiar yet entirely foreign. Still listening, she saw herself in the mirror the nurse had left earlier. "Well, if they come in here, I can't look disheveled." She lowly muttered as she touched up her appearance; it wasn't too bad, just a light sign of tiredness (she wanted a haircut too.) “…When did my hair become… two-tone…?”

First, she heard a soft, feminine voice. "I think it'd be best if she saw you first. I don't want to scare her. D-don't give me that look, Dad!" Scare her? How could that happen when she'd already seen the worst horrors imaginable?

"Dizzy, look at me. You're not scary. But I see what you're getting at." Whoever the second person in this conversation was, she could sense they were reassuring her of something. It sounded like they were together in some way. "I think she'd be happy to see you." Her eyes widened as the third voice caught her off guard. Is that who she thinks it is? Is it really ---?   "Incredible, Sol. Your soft side is showing." "Shut it, Ky." Dizzy? Sol? Ky? Who are these people? "I'd say it's normal to forget someone from before, but you know all three of them. Or at least I did. ~" Who the hell was that? Now there's a voice in her head? Great. She just wanted to sleep again and tell those three to come back later. Now was not the time for having to get answers for every question that may pop up. "Heh. Doctor, could you do the honor?" "Oh, of course." There was a gentle knock on the door. "Ma'am?" "Y-yes?" Aria put the mirror away and adjusted her blanket. "You have a couple of visitors. Is it okay to come in?" "Yes. Please enter." The sound of the door slowly creaking open was harsh compared to the steady beeps of her vitals monitors. She wondered who would step in first but kept her hopes at bay. A blond young man dressed in blue and white was the first to enter. Had she seen him somewhere before? He was older now but lacked the fierce and determined gaze she remembered. Neutral bordering on welcoming, this man bowed as he introduced himself. "Good afternoon, madam. My name is Ky Kiske. I'm the King of Illyria." Oh god, what did she do? How was she supposed to greet royalty, let alone the man who's in charge of everything? Unsure of how to do so, she politely nodded and smiled. "Pleased to meet you, your highness. To what do I owe the honor of a visit?" "It's been a few days but what a relief it is to see you're awake. I hope you don’t mind as my wife wanted to come along, and we brought an old ‘friend’ of yours." "I appreciate the concern." "We're sorry to show up unannounced, but we came as soon as we could." Dizzy was the second to enter the room, taking a seat close to her. "I know this may come off as a shock, but it's nice to finally meet you, Mom." Aria took a moment to study Dizzy's appearance. Features remarkably like her own, mainly in the eyes and face shape. Long blue hair tied with yellow ribbons, a tail, red eyes, and wings. The realization hit her like a freight train as this was who she had just read about. This heroine, the queen, was her daughter. How the child of two stressed-out scientists from over one hundred and seventy years ago ended up as one of the most powerful women on Earth is an answer for another time. For now, she was trying to think of a conversation starter. “Nice to meet you too.”

//

“It wasn’t until our college years that I met your father.”

“You two weren’t high school sweethearts?”

“If we knew each other back then, something might’ve come out of it. He is two years older than I am.”

“Oh. So, with that if you were a sophomore, he was a senior?” Dizzy may have the mind of a woman in her mid- to late-twenties, but she never had the chance to attend an actual school. She did have an idea about how education systems worked.

“Precisely, though I might’ve been bumped up to the same student standing now that I think about it. Though that would’ve been unlikely as I earned my PhD in my late teens. Our studies differed, with my focus on cytology, and his in magic particle physics, but the two of us were recruited to work for the same project group after graduating. He was confused as to how I could be interested in someone like him – an extrovert and an introvert, respectively. Aside from me and our mutual colleague, he didn’t have very many friends – if any at all.” Aria noticed the expression on Ky’s face, indicating that he already knew about her partner’s lack of social skills. “I guess he wanted to be around me so much that he asked to be transferred to the team I was with, rather than work on his original assignment. All jokes aside, it was really because of how much significance the project held. I think he was tasked on researching some powerful spell. Saint Oratorio, I believe it was called.”

Dizzy turned to Ky, asking something that popped into her head. “Isn’t that what they fired that day?” Ky nodded, remembering the argument on if another energy blast should’ve been used or not. Aria noticed the couple sneaking in a quick glance at the door, then exchanging a knowing look at each other.

“Excuse me for a second.” Ky rose from his seat and headed out the door. “Get in here and talk to her, you moron!”

“I told you I’d go in when I was ready!”

“And when would that be, huh?”

“When you and Dizzy left! Let go of me! AGH!”

The door swung open with Ky dragging a familiar face into the room by the lapel of his jacket. Dark brown hair, olive skin, and those bold rectangular eyes she vividly remembers. The world knew him by a nom de guerre – Sol Badguy. His real identity wasn’t common knowledge, only being known by a handful of individuals – Asuka, Paradigm, presumably Ky, Leo, and the Valentines, and her. He displayed no significant signs of aging despite the time that passed since she last saw him, still appearing to be in his mid-twenties. Aria’s grip on the blanket tightened as she murmured his name. “…Frederick?”

____________________________________

Scene 2: After being discharged from the hospital, Dizzy takes Aria out on a shopping trip. Aria meets a friendly time traveler. 

[December 2. Downtown Shopping District. 12:15 pm]

“Let’s get going. There’s more shops to browse."

Although the public started to trust her, Dizzy and Aria went out with two members of the Convict Hammer team as their escort. Thankfully, the citizens were nice enough to give the Queen her space and greeted her whenever she passed by. There were some who gave her “thank you” gifts, ranging from goody baskets filled with sweets and teas to flowers and handmade trinkets, all of which were given to their escorts to carry.

Weather today was a cool 60 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly overcast with scattered clouds. Aria recalled something regarding her accessory choice on a past date. “You gotta be some kind of eccentric to wear a hat on a day like today.” The promenade was bustling with the usual crowds, some people were getting ideas for what gifts to buy for those special in their lives as Christmas was approaching. Aria noticed a family of three walking past a toy store, seeing the child point out what was in the window to their parents. Glancing at Dizzy, who was busy meeting and greeting the people she protected during the recent attacks, she thought to herself “if only I – no, we were there for you back then. That could’ve been the three of us.” It made her chuckle that their escort had to explain everyone needed to wait their turn to speak with her daughter – she is technically a celebrity.

Aria couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. She stood still, noticing everything froze similarly to that fateful day. Out of nowhere, a man with long blond hair, wearing a blue shirt, black pants, a varsity jacket, and a black bandana appeared next to her. His sudden presence nearly made her jump out of her skin. Just like Ky, Aria vaguely remembers seeing him before too. He simply smiled and waved in a friendly manner. “You have nothin’ to worry about. Name’s Axl. I’m a friend of Fre—I mean, Sol’s.” One more person to add to the list of who knows his real name. “He asked me to check on you today. Glad to see you’re doing well.”

Aria blinked at him owlishly. “I’m sorry but did you just say check on me?”

“Yeah, he’s got other business to attend to – can’t say exactly what it is either.” He shrugged, giving her a look that she couldn’t decipher. “He told me to tell you he’s sorry for being gone, but he did add something about making it up to you. We’ll meet again sometime.” Axl raised his right hand, making a peace sign. “See ya ‘round, Ari.”

“W-wait!” Time resumed, leaving her standing in the middle of the sidewalk confused about what she just heard. She tried to find Axl, her head turning to all possible directions, and no trace of him was to be seen as if he vanished into thin air. Her motions bordered on frantic as some passersby gave her puzzled looks. “He doesn’t have the decency to see me in person, yet he sends a friend to say hi and watch over me. Sometimes, I just don’t understand you, Frederick…”

“Madam Hale, is everything alright?” One Convict Hammer asked regarding her wellbeing. “You seem like something's troubling you.”

“I’m fine, really. I spaced out for a bit.” Aria rubbed the back of her neck in attempt to brush aside what just happened. “Sorry.”

____________________________________

Scene 3: Ky takes Aria to the castle. She meets the other Kings and has something to ask one of them.

[December 3. Illyria Castle War Room, 9:45 am]

“The last time I saw this many people staring at screens and tapping away at keys was during a project crunch.” Coffee cup in hand, Aria commented on the operator crew stationed around what looked like a throne on the lower floor. “It was either from a sooner deadline or everyone just decided to make last minute changes on their data. It wasn’t odd to see at least one or two people running down the complex’s halls with a sizeable stack of papers.”

“Not too different from the crew here, but what can you do? We’re only human. Normally, civilians aren’t allowed in here, but I’ll make an exception.”

“He’s right about the ‘no civilian' policy.” A boisterous voice came from the burly man that approached them. “Ky, who is this?”

“Aria, this is Leo Whitefang, the Second King. Leo, this is Aria Hale. You know, my mother-in-law and you-know-who’s partner.”

She nervously smiled at him. “Hi?” Fitting name considering he has a hairstyle reminiscent of a lion’s mane. He towered over them, standing with a sturdy frame at six feet and five inches. She noticed the difference in the two kings’ fashion choices; Ky wore lighter clothes with his jacket placed over his shoulders, where Leo had a heavy coat with a furry lining.

“Oh, my apologies.” Leo apologizing wasn’t something anyone saw often. He gave Ky a side-eyed glare. “A heads up would’ve been nice.”

“One of the few times I decide to drop by, and the God of War's better half is here.” A man who looked to be exactly the midpoint of Ky and Leo's age gap approached the three, briefly bowing as he stood near them. “Good morning, Ms. Hale.”

"Daryl?" Kiske and Whitefang asked in unison. “What are you doing here?”

“With the G4 summit next week, I thought I’d at least consult with you two in person before I go. It’d be a terrible idea if all three of us went, wouldn’t you agree?”

Aria wondered what the Three Kings had for a planned course of action regarding the conference. At the moment, she remembered what she and Ky had discussed on the trip to the castle. She tapped his shoulder and leaned in to whisper “did you forget my idea?”

“Ah, right. That’s one of the reasons why I brought you here. Leo, Aria has something to ask.”

“And that would be?” She didn’t speak, only bumping her fists together. “You want us to do what now?" Leo asked as he crossed his arms. He had an idea of what she meant but would rather hear it from her. "Teach me how to fight. I can't be reliant on others to defend me." "Okay." Ky chimed in. "Okay!?! You're telling me that the woman who used to be Just--- OW!" Aria punched Leo in the stomach as hard as she could. "Don't call me that."

“AUGH! Was that necessary!?” Ky couldn't help but laugh at Leo's expense. "And we're off to a good start. Look at it this way, it's not like we’re placing her in a big role like Ramlethal."

"Dammit, bambino! You have a point. Fine. Report back here at 0900 tomorrow. Your training will begin then." Leo’s communicator went active. Holding a finger up to his ear, he answered and looked towards the hallway. “Hm? Yeah. Alright, I’ll be right there. I’ll get you access.” Click. “That was Ram. Did you not authorize her entry to the armory?” Ky shook his head – the task referred to was Leo’s job. “Before I go, what’s your preferred style? Sword? Shield? Bare hands?”

“You’ll find out when you start teaching me.” Aria replied with a hint of playful snark.

“You really are Sol’s girlfriend.” As Leo walked away, Aria turned to see what looked to be a girl wearing a white body-length cape with red bandages on her left limbs waiting for him. The mysterious girl seemed to be hovering a few inches off the ground and was accompanied by two small flying creatures.

“He’s a bit of a hardass, but you learn to tolerate it.”

“I heard that! There’s a multitude of reasons you’re not as popular as us and that’s one of them!”

“See what I mean. Also, this is for you.“ Daryl handed Aria a medium sized gift bag with pink and purple tissue paper sticking out. Printed with an art nouveau floral pattern, there was a sun emblem on the lower right corner, not-so subtly hinting at who dropped it off. “I didn’t know which flavor you’d like, so I put both chocolate and strawberry desserts inside, on top of your actual gift. Don’t worry, I didn’t look.”

[Kiske Residence, Aria’s room. 5:15 pm]

“If you ever stop by, I hope you like what I picked out…” Aria placed the folded bag in the drawer and slid it shut. She looked to the closet where the other clothing she bought was stored, including a dress and hat like what she owned in the past. Hopefully, she’ll be able to wear it sometime.

“Ram, are you sure about this? We haven’t introduced ourselves yet! She might think we’re being rude.”

“I’m certain, El. At least let me try and speak with her. I’m only the messenger here.”

“Hey, are ya talking about Sol’s gal? Ya know, I was the first Valentine’s companion.”

“Ugh, stay out of this, you big balloon creep!”

“Lucifero. Self-destruct. Why must you follow me everywhere?”

“You’re getting better at this whole showing emotion thing, but you’re terrible at small talk! …okay. I’ll be waiting in our room until you’re done.”

Following the fading footsteps, a rhythmic knock-knock-knock preceded a monotone voice. “Miss Aria? May I come in?”

“It's unlocked.” Her attention was turned to the same young girl from this morning standing in the doorway. She wore a dark blue and white sailor dress with a mint green bow, had amber eyes, brown skin, and cream white hair. “I don’t think we’ve met before, but you’re Ramlethal, right?”

“Of course you two have met! Just not like this! ~”

“Correct. As you may have learned, I am a Valentine, and as such my sister and I were created from you.”

“’Valentine'? Created… from… me?”

“Mother used you as a template for our existence. I can see why now but telling you this isn’t why I’m here.”

“Then why are you? Do you… want to chat? You look like you could use someone to talk to.”

Ramlethal's blank expression shifted to a soft smile. “Perhaps another time, but there’s something I have to do first.” She walked up to Aria and hugged her. “This is from him. Thank you for returning. Sol is much happier than he was before.” She let go and left, gently closing the door behind her.

Aria stood there dumbfounded at what had just occurred. “He’s… happier?”

She took a seat at the desk where she placed her gift from earlier. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to open it. “I know it’s from you, but what exactly did you get me?” Removing the tissue paper and the extra gift desserts, she pulled out a black box. Placed inside was a brown teddy bear dressed as Sol – removable headband included – holding a heart and rose, along with a card that had “to Aria” written on it. Opening it, she read the message.

“Cute plushie, isn’t he? I got this custom made just for you. Even comes with a change of clothes: a purple shirt, black slacks, and a lab coat. Hope you’re not too worried about me. I promise I’ll see you soon. Okay? 🖤”

Aria finally has friends and family, yet without Frederick, she felt alone. Opening the container with the strawberry pudding, she picked up a spoon, and placed a scoop of the sweet in her mouth. “I’ll hold you to that… Really wanted to share this with you too.”

____________________________________

Scene 4: Aria meets her other genetic copy and her grandson. Song used: “Pirates” by Caravan Palace.

[December 5. 6:30 pm]

Reorganizing her belongings, the soft melody from the song currently playing on the phonograph filled the room.

Do me, beauty. Rock me up, yup go once again. Hug me, beauty. Oop, the way this life is clearing into my brains. Fool me, beauty. Let me think of home once again. Hear me, beauty. You gotta hide away the secret of your low bone this man.

“Miss Aria. It’s me, Ram. Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

“I hope I’m not intruding on anything.” Ramlethal was carrying her puppy in her arms to keep it from barging in.

“You weren’t. I was just cleaning up. What brings you to my room?”

“I, uh, wanted to tell you I think your skills are developing nicely.” She chose her words carefully, trying not to sound off-putting. Holding a conversation is something she’s still working on. “I had some downtime and observed again.”

Aria's training today consisted of testing her agility and competence to read and react to opponents. During a brief cooldown period, she did notice the small group of people watching included more. “Who were those two standing next to you, Dizzy, and the others?”

“My younger sister and your grandson. They’re,” Ram paused for a second, “actually waiting outside because they would like to talk to you as well.”

 Aria's attention went to the open door, seeing a grey-haired girl and a blond boy with an eyepatch sticking their heads in. “Come on in, you two.”

Elphelt and Sin entered, both taking note of how grand the royal residence's guest room was designed. The younger Valentine was nowhere near as reserved as her sister when it came to talking about something – the first thing that came out of her mouth after seeing Hale was “oh, she’s even prettier in person! I see where Miss Dizzy got her looks from! And by extension, me!”

“Like looking into a mirror, isn’t it? Even more so since you got a new hairdo. ~”

“Weirdly familiar, like I’ve seen you before.” Sin poked his chin, trying to recall. “I remember now, there was the first one with the winged hat who tried to kill the Old Man! She had a freaky Gear form and managed to brainwash me for a bit too. But I can tell you aren’t her since she’s gone.” He was jabbed in the arms by the sisters. “Ouch, what was that for!?”

“You had a brain to begin with, you dope?!”

“El, don’t be rude!”

As the three were fighting amongst themselves, Aria found herself thinking “what in the hell happened.”

[7:43 pm]

“I’m glad I had the chance to speak with you. Is this what is referred to as ‘therapy'?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it that, but let’s say yes for the time being. Hey, what’s wrong? Was it something I said?”

“N-no. It wasn’t. You just seem more like a mother to me than my ‘actual' one. I am aware I’m not human, and she created me as an emotionless doll she threw away when I had no further use.” Ramlethal tried to soothe herself by smoothing out her bandages. Part of her wanted to tell Aria about what happened in Scandiva, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Her magehound started snuggling next to her, sensing the mood drop. “She… she called me a failure.”

Aria grabbed a tissue and wiped the tear that ran down Ram's cheek. After disposing of it – and picking up the Sol bear – she kneeled in front of the Valentine, holding the plush in front of her own face. Using one of the bear's limbs to tap her knee, she had her attention. “Listen to me. She’s the failure, not you.”

Peeking up from behind the toy, Aria was treated to the sight of her genetic copy struggling to keep herself from giggling.

____________________________________

Scene 5 (Chapter 2): Day trip date. Aria brings up a very sensitive subject later that night. (Note: this was written with the game’s implication of a pregnancy. Also, I did some level of research and figured the stage I picked is approximately where Italy's Amalfi Coast is.)

[December 9. L'oro di Illyria. 5:45 pm]

A few hours later, they went for a leisurely trip down south, dressed in their best attempts at incognito clothing. Emphasis on attempt as the suppressor was a dead giveaway (it was worth a shot). Aria was wearing that dress and hat she purchased a week prior, paired with leggings, fuzzy boots, and a warm winter coat. A callback to how he dressed himself in the past, Frederick was wearing a black button-up shirt with a tank top underneath, dark blue jeans, and a pair of Chelsea boots. He also had a mid-long jacket that she brought along just in case, placed under the sidecar’s seat.

“Oh, I remember this place! Heaven’s Edge! It’s where we met for the first time after I left the Sanctuary to get some fresh air. Ah, memories. ~ Or am I remembering wrong? Those sword monoliths look very familiar.”

There’s that childlike voice again. It changed to a mature tone mid-sentence.

“Just who are you? And how can your voice change like that!?”

“Oops, I’m sorry. You see, I’m the previous owner of your current body. My name is J—”

Before this disembodied voice could say her name, Aria’s attention went elsewhere. “You alright?”

“Uh, yeah. This isn’t what I thought you meant by going out, but at least the trip here was fun.” The highway they took was through inner Italy and had passed through numerous towns, of which contained convenience shops to obtain refreshments here and there. “Built that bike yourself, didn’t you?”

“Designed for one so that’s why I made a sidecar for you.”

“Can it turn into a minibike if I wanted it to?”

“What? You’re psychic now? I’m still working on that part.”

“Hey, chief! Ari!”

“Axl? What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area. Thought I’d drop by and say ‘ello. Almost didn’t recognize the two of ya.” He wasn’t used to seeing Frederick, let alone anybody, in anything so casual. Aria, on the other hand, wore that dress nicely. He couldn’t help but feel a slight hint of sadness, as the last woman he saw in a similar clothing article was M— he mentally shook his head and put on a smile. “That outfit looks lovely. Ain’t you a lucky guy?”

“Thank you. Nice to see you in real time and not during a time freeze.”

“Ah, yeah. I wanted to avoid trying to talk in a crowd. My bad if you were annoyed by my choice.” Axl had the power to jump to any point in time and any dimension, yet he’s been frequently visiting for some reason only he knows. “I got something to tell you.”

“I could use a quick snack.” Aria wasn’t paying attention to Low and spotted the outdoor marketplace, noticing the large ship cruising by. “I’ll be over by that fruit vendor. Don’t be too long, alright?”

As Aria left, the two men watched her reach into her purse, taking out a few W$ to purchase an apple. It amused them as she tried to fight the kind vendor about giving her a free apple, insisting that she pay for it as it’s only fair for business. Not only did she end up with a free fruit, but she was also given a bag containing two additional and a bottle of cream soda with a straw. She didn’t look back at them; her attention went to admiring the colorful cliffside residential buildings.

“Do you think I could get a free piece of fruit and a drink too or is she a special case?”

“You might scare the living daylight out of him.”

[9:15 pm]

"So, um, about Dizzy." Aria clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs, avoiding eye contact while staring at the paved stone walkway.   "I was trying not to bring her up, but what about her?"   "I..." She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "I didn't know how to tell you." She didn't hear a response, worrying her about what Frederick was thinking. A moment later, she felt a hand rubbing her back, taking this as a sign that he's listening while trying to soothe her. "I already experienced how you reacted when I told you I was sick with that infection, but I didn't want to make that worse by telling you you're going to be a father. I don’t recall how far along I was, but you shouldn’t have had to live with knowing you’ll never see your unborn after I was gone either."   He remained quiet a bit longer before reaching to wrap his arm around and pull her closer. Not too suddenly as he didn't want to give off the wrong idea, but once he saw her ease into him, he placed a kiss on the crown of her head. “Do you remember your birthday where I showed you that programming ‘error'?”

“You mean the ring? Of course I do. I didn’t mind that you didn’t have the real one because your method was so cute. It was so… you. If neither of us killed the mood, I would’ve told you I was looking forward to changing my name to Aria Bulsara.”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn't occasionally think of some alternate time where we truly settled down. We were still scientists and met under the same circumstances, but there was no Gear project or magic, and you didn't have an illness. Or at least one you didn't tell me about near your last days."   "Wha--... really?"   "Yeah. Then all this shit happened." His voice was deceptively calm, yet she could sense the rage beneath it all. "My conversion and the resulting amnesia, your conveniently timed 'disappearance', and the destruction of the complex with countless deaths were the beginning."   "Then decades later I lost control of my mind and body and waged war against the world. That stubborn geezer never quit, but then Ky and you showed up to seal 'me' away. I don't think I felt it, but during my imprisonment, that's when I gave birth?"   "Sounds about right. We're living in one of those stories I used to read when I was bored. The reader turns out to be the hero, where someone very close to them was used as a twist villain."

____________________________________

Scene 6 (Chapter 3): Aria takes up the offer of becoming a bounty hunter, taking up the alias “Luna". Her new outfit is a blue, black, and white version of Sol's, with a pair of blue goggles in place of a headband. Song used: “Seven Seas of Rhye” by Queen.

[December 10. Somewhere in the Illyrian outskirts. Midday.]

“No targets today, so do you wanna just relax? I think there’s a beach just up ahead.”

“We’ve been on the road for a few hours, so a rest period at a beach sounds perfect right now.” She noticed what song was currently playing, having already passed the bridge. “Oh, I know this one! It’s one of my favorites.” Clearing her throat, she began singing along. “Storm the master-marathon, I’ll fly through.”

He couldn’t help but smile and continue. “By flash and thunder-fire and I'll survive (I'll survive, I'll survive).”

“Then I'll defy the laws of nature and come out alive,” she pointed a finger at him. “Then I'll get you!”

“Be gone with you, you shod and shady senators.”

“Give out the good, leave out the bad evil cries.”

He clenched his fist and held it up. “I challenge the mighty Titan and his troubadours.”

She placed her index fingers at the ends of her mouth. “And with a smile.”

He pointed towards the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea as they sang the last line together. “I'll take you to the Seven Seas of Rhye!”

//

[Nighttime.]

A cool 55 degrees, the night sky was clear as the stars strewn throughout were in full display. They sat by a bonfire, sharing drinks and leaning back against the Firewheel Mk.2, enjoying the other's company. There was a brief squabble on whether they should find an actual motel room to stay in for the night, with Aria winning as she convinced Frederick to sleep in a bed as opposed to the ground.

Fire crackling paired with sounds from the nearby wildlife, she thought of a conversation topic. “Hey, do you wanna hear something weird?”

“Shoot.”

“Before I woke up, I saw myself, Justice, and someone else.”

“Oh yeah?”

“It was unnerving. She looked just like me but had a halo and her hair was the inverse of mine. My first day at Ky and Dizzy's, I scrounged around and found a cracked one that looked just like what I saw. Along with an iron mask, a crux ansata, black heels and gloves, and a white jumpsuit. It all fit me perfectly! I was considering wearing that instead of this.”

“Jack-O.”

“Huh?”

He took a drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out before continuing. “To bring you back, a special Valentine was made that contained the other half of your soul. Her name was Jack-O.” He butted the cigarette before tossing it into the fire. “Ram, Sin, and I chased her down before any additional damage could've been done. Then a few days later, she reappeared with Asuka, and struck a deal with us. Said something like ‘if you can get me close enough, I can fuse with Justice to revive, well, you.’ I thought they were full of it. Turned out they were telling the truth.”

“He's right! ~ I took off my mask and told him I was literally half of you. Nearly lost his mind right there. Sorry about the forced mind override, but you refused to accept it, and he wasn’t going to back down. ~”

“That explains the voice in my head. I wonder how her stuff got into my room though.”

“She’s still in there?” He gently poked her forehead. “I can imagine when you wear these, she also sees life through blue tinted lenses.”

“You’ve got puns now? I knew I should’ve gone with a pink color scheme.”

“Blue’s more your color.”

[sue-bts]

Matcha Frappe, No Whip - Jikook (f/m)

Inspired by: JK’s workout vlog

→ Slow burn smut. Avid gym-goer Jungkook orders from the in-gym smoothie barista Jimin. Prolonged stares, unhealthy amounts of smoothie consumption and a lot of muscle squeezing are the results.

or: Jimin can't stop looking at the new gym regular, who makes a lot of noise while working out.

Pairing: Jungkook x Jimin

Words: 20k

/ AO3 Link /

“This dude won’t shut the fuck up."

When Jungkook got his membership, within just a few visits, everyone quickly developed a strong hatred for him. It seemed like gaining enemies would be hard to do so quickly… but Jungkook was good at everything, even when it came to being the most infamous gym goer. Having just moved to this city for college, Jungkook got himself a membership to the local gym. Isn’t college supposed to be a time to make friends? Despite this, Jungkook’s gym antics proved counterproductive. 

He wasn't planning on waisting that type of money on the gym only to not go. First, that would be a slap in the face to his dad—who was paying for the membership—but Jungkook as well just enjoyed working out. He was an avid chest press enthusiast, along with being an expert at most other machines and workout routines known to man. Despite this expertise, people’s focus on him were directed to something different about him—not in a positive way. Their irritated stares were not to admire his perfect form or the curves of his muscles as they tensed, their attention was rather focused on how he was really fucking loud. 

And this loudness wasn’t for brief little bursts when the workout became hard to endure. His noises would continue for long periods of time during his workouts, his noises were long, drawn-out and constant. They closely resembled moans, sometimes even turning into slight growls when the sets especially strained at his endurance. He’d let out these huge huffs and the gym attendees would roll their eyes and quickly try to turn up their own music. 

On the rarer occasions, other gym members would even go up to him mid-workout and start up a conversation, maybe to distract him from his current circuit—quieting the gym for just a few minutes of peace—or maybe to segue the conversation into asking why he makes so many noises while working out. Jungkook was unfazed by the inquiries and the unwanted attention, he continued on without quieting himself nor noticing the many glares in his direction from the other people on other machines. He was that kind of guy, it wasn’t that he was insensitive or didn’t care, he simply didn’t notice when people were upset with him. He didn’t even notice a certain boy in certain little smoothie shop who couldn’t keep his eyes off of him.

 ☕︎

 At first, Jimin didn’t notice when Jungkook joined the gym. He was always in a rush behind the little counter of the in-gym smoothie shop. Either he’d be taking orders, or in charge of making the drinks, or cleaning up. Whatever he was up to he was always trying his hardest to impress his manager; Namjoon always had a sternness to how he carried himself, his face usually stoic when he evaluated how Jimin worked. 

It was probably about a week into Jungkook’s membership that gym employees, and a few gym regulars, brought up the new kid to Jimin, describing how he was wreaking havoc upon everyone’s ears.

“I think that dude must be listening to death metal in those little earbuds to not realize how fucking loud he’s being,” one middle-aged lady said with a sneer, before ordering a fruit smoothie from Jimin. 

Jimin hadn’t thought much of the comment, there were always the odd complaints here and there from people who like to complain. The comments became more and more frequent though, Jimin presumed it was just an easy conversation filler while he took people’s orders, but their seriousness sometimes shocked Jimin.

“I’m surprised you haven’t gone mad yet listening to that one really loud guy,” one of gym’s personal trainers said to Jimin when he picked up his smoothie from the back counter. 

“I’m kept pretty busy in here,” Jimin smiled, remaining professional. He didn’t even have to pretend though, still being unaware of who this infamous boy could be. 

 ☕︎

 Two weeks into Jungkook’s membership Jimin finally meets him. Or if we were to refer to him using the other labels Jimin has heard: “that loud son of a bitch,” “the kid,” and the surprisingly crude: “buck-toothed whiney boy,” (that one made Jimin laugh despite being so rude). 

Jungkook’s typical schedule on Wednesdays is to come in early, around eight in the morning, before his summer class at eleven. And Jimin’s usual work schedule starts at one pm til the smoothie shop closes at nine (the gym staying open twenty-four hours). This particular Wednesday is different due to Jimin’s coworker’s dog deciding to get the flu, making him take on her shift. This puts Jimin behind the counter at the ungodly hour of nine in the morning. 

Jimin is only an hour into his shift when Jungkook rolls into the smoothie shop, fresh from his workout, one AirPod still lodged into his ear. 

Jimin is fucked. 

Jimin doesn't get a chance to grab a good look of the boy before he approaches the counter; Jimin is used to being speedy and going about his orders in a rush, so it is second nature for him to see the customers in a blur, without taking the time to evaluate each of them. 

When he stands with only the counter between him and the customer he does a double-take, that’s when he screws himself over. 

The first thing Jimin notices of the boy is that his shirt is so sweaty the outline of his chest and abs are prominent, the shirt is stuck to them by the moisture, rippling over the outlines of his body. Jimin is sure that it must have been a normal t-shirt before this boy’s workout, but now, the thing resembles a wet sheet of paper, nearing translucent—but Jimin doesn’t really mind that. 

Jimin quickly stops staring at the boy’s chest and instead finally looks up to the boy’s face. Jimin is blushing over how worked up he is at just the sight of this random gym-goer, hopefully the boy hadn’t noticed how Jimin had been so carefully evaluating his form. 

Of course, Jungkook wasn’t paying attention to Jimin’s frantic behavior. Jungkook’s attention is turned to the blackboard menu overhead, eyes gliding side to side reading the different drink and food options. Jimin watches as the taller boy’s taught jawline flexes in thought, his sweaty hair plastered to his skin in little ringlets, his mouth opens and shuts while he reads the items silently to himself. It’s a tantalizing sight, Jimin doesn’t make an effort to clear his throat to gain back the boy’s attention, nor does he mutter the passive-aggressive, “Take your time.” Instead, Jimin utilizes these moments to watch the other, appreciate the angles, how the other’s breathing isn’t quite back to normal yet, still in little puffs that heave past the boy’s sharp collarbones. 

For a few brief seconds the silence and wait is tolerable for Jimin, his fingers curling in on themselves as they press against the counter, his apron starting to itch at the nape of his neck. But then… the dark-haired boy’s tongue presses against the inside of his cheek while he thinks. This view of the boy in front of Jimin, with his tongue pressing to his cheek, protruding from within his mouth, has a distinct correlation to something a bit more inappropriate that pulses within Jimin’s perverted mind. God, Jimin swears he woke up in some alternate hell dimension today to have to deal with this shit only a foot or so from where he stands. 

It’s not really Jimin’s fault after all. This is his job, he can’t just run away from this angel man in front of him. But he still beats himself up for how horny he is already. Each time he meets a really attractive guy this kind of thing happens, he catches feelings so quickly—well, maybe not feelings, maybe just a lot of pent up sexual tension. And then later in the night he’ll go home and imagine all these made-up scenarios where he and this random hottie will have a meet-cute and end up fucking against his apartment’s little kitchen counter… or maybe on the rug so it makes Jimin’s skin bright red from friction… or or or perhaps they don’t even make it to Jimin’s apartment, they could just fuck in the elevator, he wouldn’t mind at all.

He tries his best to shake away this entire train of thought, it’s unrealistic, idealistic and a disappointing hobby to have as nothing much comes of it. Late night Jimin, when his lips are puffy and they become indented with his own teeth marks from how he bites into them during an orgasm, thatJimin has no regrets with the hobby.

“Oh shit,” the sweaty boy utters. 

Finally, Jimin is brought back to reality, having had his vision turn to a haze while steadily focused on the other boy’s well-structured face. The boy doesn’t pay notice to Jimin spacing out on him though, his eyes are turned to his hand. 

“Damn, I’m sorry I’m so gross right now, I didn’t even notice,” he says to Jimin, gesturing to how he had wiped his forehead of sweat, only to realize the degree of how sweaty he is.

Jimin, taken aback at how Jungkook hadn’t just blurted out his order (as most others would do), stutters to find words. 

“Oh, don’t worry! I thought it just must’ve started raining outside or something!” Jimin exclaims, trying to add a cute little smile. The boy just furrows his brow and takes a glance at the many windows to outside the gym.

“It’s June,” he says plainly. 

“…Oh.. yeah, you’re right.”

There’s a rush of heat that floods to Jimin’s cheeks, trying his hardest to ignore the awkward pause as the boy’s eyes are wide and blankly take in Jimin.

“Are you ready to order?”

The boy’s stoic expression finally breaks into a chuckle, “Right, yeah. I don’t know if I like any of these options.”

Oh?

Jimin pauses, dumbfounded. 

The boy notices the other’s pause, “Which one’s your favorite?”

Finally something Jimin can comprehend. “I like the matcha frappe,” he answers, his voice shifting into a softer and sweeter coo. 

“That sounds good to me, can I sub the milk for coconut milk?” He asks, "I’m trying to watch my dairy, one too many banana milks last week."

“Oh yeah, of course.” Jimin writes down the order to the cup’s label, match frap, sub co mk. “What size?”

“Is there a big price difference? I’m on a kind of tight budget.” 

“It’s a twenty-cent jump from a medium to a large.” Jimin is grateful that he can rely on his usual script while taking orders, not having to fumble for his words as he usually does when having conversations with pretty boys. This fumbling of words is why his different attempts at Tinder or Grindr haven’t eased much of his sexual tension. 

The dark-haired boy grabs the hem of his shirt and plucks it away from being attached to his damp skin, “I’ll go big and get the big.” 

“Ok you like it big- I… I mean, you want a.. a large.” 

Fuck.    Fuck.    FUCK.            F U C K.

Jimin tries his best to swallow his words but they’re already out, all he can do is stay focused on writing onto the label: large. He keeps talking as fast as he can so the other can’t focus on his mess up. 

“Would you like whip?”

“Nah I’m…still watching my dairy,” the boy says. Jimin wants to punch himself.

The boy starts to pump his shirt to get an airflow to his stomach, he seems to be much too focused on how sweaty he is to really care about Jimin’s mess up. Jimin thanks the Gods above for this boy’s lack of an attention span. However, Jimin’s needy eyes constantly want to sabotage Jimin’s normal train of thought; they’re trained on watching how the boy’s flicks of his shirt reveal little glimpses of his tanned skin. His skin is smooth and taught, the V line prominent, daring Jimin’s eyes to travel down to where the boy’s shorts cut off the path. 

Jimin gulps and manages a nod as he writes down,“no whip,” to the cup’s label. 

“Name?” 

Jimin finds it easiest to only stare intently at the cup’s white sticker label, no longer trusting himself to stand face to face with—

“Jungkook.” 

It’s just a name Jimin, a stupid little name of someone You. Don’t. Know. And yet, Jimin’s heart bursts, it flutters, it drops to the pit of his stomach, he’s nervous, excited, the syllables echo, the sound of the other’s voice saying his own name bounces all throughout Jimin’s mind. Jimin doesn’t know why. But oh my god, he’s obsessed. 

“Ok, I’ll get that going for you!” It’s hard to shift back to his customer service voice when it feels like a piano was dropped onto his head. But Jimin manages to get the words out, his fingers are a little shaky and his writing of “JK” is more squiggles than a coherent word. 

Fucking finally. Jimin’s body feels like it’s soaring through the air when he’s able to rush away from the counter to make the boy’s drink. In this little section of the shop he can hide behind the different assortments of protein powders and fruits, it’s not that he’s hiding from Jungkook watching him, it’s that these objects can block Jimin from trying to watch Jungkook.

Jimin’s extra adrenaline lets him speed through making the drink, hopefully to get Jungkook out of his atmosphere as soon as humanly possible. In his rush he almost adds whip when he’s done with the drink but quickly stops himself, instead just adding a lid and straw to the to-go cup. 

He goes up to the other end of the counter, “Jungkook…?”

Jungkook looks up from his phone to see Jimin waiting for him across the small shop and he smiles. That must not have been aimed towards Jimin, right? Jungkook must be happy his drink is done so he can leave… right?

“Thank you,” Jungkook says, still a small smile to his lips. He reaches out and takes the drink from Jimin’s grasp, but his fingers gently brush over Jimin’s as he pulls the drink away. Jimin looks down at the frappe, with Jungkook’s veiny fingers clasping to it, and a few glide over Jimin’s own fingers. Then there’s one little purposeful tap. Or maybe it isn’t purposeful. It might just be a tap. 

Jimin looks up at Jungkook to gage the other’s expression, but Jungkook is already on his way out, completely focused on sucking at the straw to get to the first bit of his matcha. There’s a moment that passes and then Jungkook sways his shoulder and he gives Jimin one last glance before he’s completely gone.

How the fuck is Jimin—Jimin of all fucking people—supposed to comprehend if that was purposeful or a random accidental finger tap, if that was a purposeful or random last glance. Jimin’s insides are in a knot and Jungkook has only been in his life for maybe the better half of ten minutes. 

Jimin watches as Jungkook leaves the gym, holding the door open for some men who walk in, giving some random high fives to other passer-byes in the parking lot until he fades out of view. Jimin feels a large tug of relief when Jungkook is no longer in vision. He doesn’t put two and two together, that this random hottie could as well be the loud nuisance everyone’s been arguing about. 

Jimin just thinks to himself, imagine if that guy was always around! How would I get anything done?! 

He quickly finds out just how fucked he really is. 

 ☕︎

 Even when Jungkook scurries out of the smoothie shop Jimin isn’t rid of the boy. His mind is filled with thoughts of the other, Jungkook’s glistening skin, the soft flesh of his cheeks that contrast to the sharpness to his brow and jaw. Jungkook stars in all of Jimin’s dreams. When Jimin wakes up from yet another one he instantly reaches for his phone to text his best friend Taehyung about it. 

jm: you know the guy who bought the smoothie yesterday?

tae: haha yea ?

jm: i just had a fucking wet dream about him

tae: god jimin you need to get a grip 

jm: how am i supposed to control dream me??? dream me is a bold little fucker 

tae: maybe real life you needs to do something about that 

Jimin leaves Taehyung on read, huffing to himself as he collapses back into his sheets. Jimin usually ignores Taehyung’s antics, the other always has these grandiose ideas of romance and what Jimin’s so-called-sex-life should entail. Jimin typically doesn’t live up to the standard—at least while he’s sober. 

And not even going to work can distract Jimin’s thoughts from finding their way to Jungkook. Because Jungkook could walk in at any second, and Jimin’s heart can’t prepare itself to handle that. Jimin is working his typical one to nine shift, however, it’s Thursday! This means a different gym schedule for Jungkook, one that consists of coming in around one thirty pm, not specifically to ruin Jimin’s entire day, but that is definitely achieved.

In walks Jungkook. Jimin wants to throw himself into his blender and swirl away to a different dimension. He might just have a heart attack.  

Jungkook is on the phone and laughing, strolling through the double doors, still unaware of how much hatred from the staff is directed towards him, and how much fucking lust is emanating from Park Jimin. Jungkook is clad in a new set of workout clothes, gray sweats replacing yesterday’s basketball shorts, and a tight fitting black tank top instead of a loose white t-shirt. The change is very accepted though, in how the tank is tight to Jungkook’s skin, accentuating the broadness of his exposed shoulders as they lead down to his small waist. Jimin doesn’t even notice that he’s licking his lips but he is and god he can’t bring himself to look away.

Jungkook chooses a random chest press machine, close enough to the smoothie shop that he’s within hearing distance of Jimin. Jimin presumes the other doesn’t pay notice to this proximity though, Jungkook seems to be only focused on starting his workout with a simple warm up beside the machine; stretching, and then progressing into a little burst of cardio. Already loud grunts escape him with each jump lunge, and then a whine—that might as well be labeled as a moan—when he finally takes to the machine. Each elongation of his arms with the weight generates an onslaught of sharp little noises that echo and sing their way from Jungkook’s mouth to Jimin’s pierced ear.

Oh. Oh. He’s the guy. Jungkook is the “guy.” The one everyone hates. Go figure. 

Jimin can’t decide if he wants to spontaneously combust at the realization right where he’s standing, or run over to Jungkook and position himself between those spread legs of the dark-haired boy, being the one eliciting those moans. 

Okay, Jimin thinks, I can handle this. This is fine! 

He is very much not fine. 

Luckily, Jimin is distracted from his thinking as a customer comes up to the counter. It’s a tall middle-aged man who massages the bridge of his nose with exhaustion. 

“I’ll have the Raspberry blend,” He says simply, adding a polite smile despite his noticeable irritation. 

Jimin nods with smile, he’s so relieved to be briefly distracted, “Ok! What size—”

“Man, it must be so annoying to work here, huh?”

Jimin is taken aback at the interruption of the order, guys who look like this don’t usually start a conversation with him. But no one else is in line behind him so Jimin isn’t too worried about exchanging some words before getting started on the order.

“What do you mean?”

The man shrugs with a laugh and quickly glances behind himself to the glass wall that showcases the people working out on the other side. “I’m only here sometimes, and at random times ‘cause my schedule is loose… anyway, I swear to God, every time I’m here that kid is also.”

Jimin at first doesn’t know which “kid” the guy is talking about, at first he thinks an annoying child is playing with the workout machines and disturbing the other adult’s workout routines or something. But the man looks behind himself yet again, this time he does a mild gesture to the particular boy he’s talking about, and Jimin’s eyes follow his stare to see Jungkook furiously doing a tricep workout through the glass. 

“Oh!” is all Jimin can say, his voice light as he stumbles over the word. 

The man turns back around to face Jimin, “It must be annoying to always be hearing that guy groan all day, must give you a headache.”

Jimin looks over the man’s shoulder to watch Jungkook for a split second, the muscles in the boy’s arms tensing and releasing as his noises are frequent. He can see how they’d be bothersome to the other gym-goers, especially other straight men. But gosh, the only thing Jimin can think of is: if he makes those kinds of noises while working out... the noises he’d make in other... scenarios... oh man. 

Jimin manages to pull his attention back to the man in front of him, “I guess I’ve just gotten used to it by now.” 

The man nods with a sympathetic little smile. He reaches for his wallet and drops a couple of one’s into Jimin’s tip jar with a wink. “Thanks for entertaining me.”

Jimin blushes and grabs an empty cup, “Ok, so, what size would you like?”

 ☕︎

 The place lulls during the odd hours of afternoon, Jimin can’t remember what he used to do during these lulls. Now he uses these slow hours to lean his elbows against the counter, his cheek resting in his palm as his eyes follow the dark-haired boy as he makes his rounds to the different machines. Jungkook’s breath is hitching, finally becoming erratic after nearly two hours of lifting and weight training. It’s taken him this long to become tired? That endurance… he must last a long time… during his workouts! He lasts a long time for workouts…

Within the haze of his thoughts, Jimin doesn’t notice that very boy his thoughts are revolving around approach the smoothie shop until the taller boy is peering down at Jimin, who’s perched on the counter. Jimin really can’t get away with anything. 

“Uh… hi?” Jungkook says, a light laugh with the words. 

Jimin shuffles to stand up fully, his back aching from leaning for so long. He’s once again staring into Jungkook’s eyes. 

“Is the chocolate protein shake good?” 

“It’s really good,” Jimin practically chokes out. 

Jungkook peers at Jimin with a slight raise of his brow, but doesn’t question Jimin’s words. “Ok cool, I’ll get that in a medium…” Jungkook pauses, looking to Jimin’s apron, “Jimin."

Jimin’s heart stutters with hearing his own name emerge from the dark-haired boy’s lips, he wasn’t prepared for that and his entire dialogue is interrupted. He’s back on that Jungkook bullshit again, desperately wanting to reach out and graze his hand over the boy’s skin, it’s emanating warmth; the sweat hasn’t cooled Jungkook’s skin yet, he’s flushed all over in bursts of pink across the skin that’s displayed. Jimin is whipped. That reminds him:

“Any whip?”

Jungkook chuckles, “I’m still recovering from my banana milk dairy overdose.”

“Right!” 

“Yeah.” 

That’s splendid. Jimin wants to make a cold protein shake, pour it on the floor and lay down in it until he turns into a little chocolate popsicle to no longer exist as part of the human race. It’s not too horrible he forget this specific request for no whip, but in front of Jungkook, he feels the pressure to be completely calm and collected—despite how opposite that is of himself. 

“I’ll get that going for you then…” he says in a rush before hurrying off to once again find salvation behind the assortment of industrial blenders. 

 ☕︎

 The next day it’s a banana shake with oat milk. 

“I had to go back to my fave,” Jungkook laughs, looking especially pleased as he takes a sip.

 ☕︎

 The day after that it’s a gross spinach combo, somehow ginger and orange juice end up together, Jimin’s nose scrunches with disgust as he pours it all into Jungkook’s to-go cup, the “JK” on the label starting to become clearer as Jimin’s nerves around the other boy subside. 

 ☕︎

 Finally it’s his day off. Though the nerves may have begun to subside, his thoughts of Jungkook only become more prominent. Day after day the boy’s face is further ingrained to Jimin’s mind. The different bits of skin that are exposed in his different exercise clothes, the different ways his wet hair can be parted, swept back or plastered to his forehead, cascading across his flushed cheeks or tucked behind his pierced ears. 

jm: i might be obsessed

tae: i knew jimin wasn’t impervious to boys!!!

jm: i can’t stop thinking about him tae 

it’s so bad

idk what to do

tae: kiss!kiss!kiss!kiss!

jm: and then we’ll ride off into the sunset on our unicorn ??

tae: i think you underestimate how much of a bad bitch you are jimin

jm: bad bitches don’t need no mans 

tae: … i think this one does ^

 ☕︎

 The next day Jungkook orders strawberry mango.

Jimin definitely isn’t much of a bad bitch when it comes to watching Jungkook’s lips mold around the straw and take in his first sip. 

His breath must taste of it; of that stupid strawberry mango smoothie. When kissed his lips probably give in, as easy as biting into soft fruit. Maybe they’d emit a soft whine from the roughness, but ultimately be swayed with a sweet breath escaping. His tongue might be citrus, maybe sharp in its sourness; but Jimin wouldn’t be able to pull away, sucked in by Jungkook in how one sucks from a smoothie straw.

 ☕︎

 It increases, Jungkook now gets a smoothie before and after his workout. Some kind of apple and oatmeal concoction going in and a peanut butter mocha after. Jimin begins to worry for this boy’s stomach but he still eats up the time he has with the other while he places order after order, and their fingers always brush when he retrieves his drink. 

 “God, my bank account is suffering,” Jungkook mumbles while sliding his card over to Jimin. 

Jimin flashes his bright smile, a smile that’s rarely seen in normal customer service. It slips across his face easily with Jungkook though. 

 ☕︎

 Another day. 

 ☕︎

 And another. A kid Jungkook’s age shouldn’t be allowed to have this kind of influence on Jimin’s mental sanity. 

 ☕︎

 Jungkook must not know how to chew or something, Jimin thinks during yet another shift at the smoothie shop, but I’m so god damn lucky this boy doesn’t know how to chew. He hardly hears Jungkook approaching him, but it’s now a familiar sight to the shorter boy, it doesn’t make him completely lose his mind. But he can’t stop himself from letting his eyes travel up and down Jungkook’s body to just make sure this is real life. 

 ☕︎

 “We need to make a punch card just for you, Kookie,” Jimin says, a solid month into Jungkook’s frequent smoothie orders. Jimin tests the waters with muttering Jungkook’s nickname under his breath in addition to the statement. Jungkook isn’t phased, per usual. 

“And a longer menu, I think I just ran out of new stuff to order,” he replies, his eyes desperately scouring the menu. 

“Do you still want something?” Jimin asks, his voice so sweet, curling at the end to accentuate the question.

Jungkook looks from the menu back to Jimin’s face. “Any suggestions?”

“I always go back to the matcha frappe, that’s what I told you to order on the first day,” he answers in a coo. The first day. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that, it implies he noticed when the first day was. But… he did. So maybe that isn’t so bad to notice. 

Jungkook’s eyes flash a little sparkle before he ducks his head down with a laugh, his hair falling in front of his face to block Jimin from reading his expression. When Jungkook’s head perks back up he’s regained his composure, only a little smirk still held at his lips. Though not much, this is still some of the most emoting Jimin has received from Jungkook yet. Either the boy is shy or just hard to please, either way, the sight makes Jimin’s insides warm, buzzing like a faulty car going up a steep hill.

“Sounds good, I’ll do that.” 

Jimin gulps with a nod.

Do it? He means have it right? 

Maybe he should just get a new job so all of his senses aren’t attacked every time Jungkook slips up with his words. 

 ☕︎

 “Jimin, hey, are you even paying attention?” Jimin’s dance instructor Hoseok snaps. Jimin shakes his head trying to rid himself of his random thoughts, his vision returning to him as the other student’s heads all turn to look at him. 

“Sorry sorry!” Jimin exclaims, realigning his feet to the proper position to continue. Hoseok’s face is still strained with disappointment but he turns back to the mirror to resume teaching the choreography. This is so unlike Jimin, he’s usually the star pupil, he usually is way ahead of everyone else, practicing any chance he gets after work or on his weekends, before and after practice. Now he’s reduced to a little floating orb of light that can only comprehend thinking Jungkook is hot, Jungkook is hot, Jungkook is hot, on repeat. 

“You’ve been out of it the last couple of classes,” Hoseok says after practice. Though Hoseok is a bit older, and bit more experienced than Jimin, they’ve been dance buddies for years. Hoseok gets fed up easily, snapping frequently, but the second class is over his face returns to the usual peppy expression that’s held to his features. 

Jimin sighs, swiping the few droplets of sweat away from above his lip. “Yeah I’m good, just boy troubles and stuff, y’know.” 

Hoseok laughs, sitting down on the floor and Jimin follows suit. 

“I can relate. Do I know this boy?” Hoseok says, his tone mirroring a parent. 

“Nah, I don’t think so. He’s just a regular at my gym and he’s obsessed with smoothies.” 

“Sounds cute,” Hoseok laughs again.

Jimin can’t even explain how cute it all is. “I think he’s ordered a smoothie from me every day I’ve worked for the last like… month.”

“I don’t know if anyone likes smoothies that much” Hoseok says, “He might just like you.”

Jimin is taken aback, his face contorted in concentrated thought, “Wait… what?”

Hoseok pauses for a moment, waiting for a comedic pause, but there is none, Jimin just stares back at him, dumbfounded. 

“Jimin, oh my god, dude, it’s obvious that he’s only buying that many smoothies to see you every day.” 

Jimin still can’t process what Hoseok is implying. His eyes are wide and mouth held slightly open in an “o” shape. Is he really that dense? Whenever he’s brought Jungkook up to Taehyung he’d thought it was a one-sided crush… something funny to talk and daydream about, but now…

“I know you can be hard on yourself and think no one likes you Jiminie…”

Jimin interrupts him with a scoff, “Aishhhh, Hoseok!”

Hoseok rolls his eyes with a smile, “Jimin, let me finish. I have to break it to you, I think a lot of guys probably really really like you. This smoothie guy is probably of that category. You just never pick up the signals!” 

“I—…” Jimin can’t help but laugh, “I can’t comprehend this entire conversation.” 

Hoseok nudges the other boy’s shoulder, “Maybe he’s just waiting for you to write down your number on his smoothie cup.” 

Jimin internally curses himself out. Despite how idealistic all of this sounds… Hoseok might be right. 

“Honestly, I think you’re giving him too much credit,” Jimin sighs, exasperated as he leans back until laying entirely on the hardwood floor. Hoseok follows suit, resting his head so their hair overlaps on the ground. 

“Who’s gonna be the dick to hit on someone at their job? Maybe he’s just being polite to make sure you actually like him back.” 

Like him back? Can this be real life? Here Jimin has been pining over Jungkook possibly acknowledging his existence, and Hoseok suggests Jungkook’s been the one trying not to overstep Jimin’s boundaries? 

Hoseok interrupts Jimin’s intense train of thought, “Can I at least see a pic of him?” he asks. 

Jimin is glad his thoughts are cut off and the conversation slightly switches subject. He reaches into his pocket to fish out his phone, pulling up Jungkook’s Instagram (which he’s been stalking ever since he found it, about two weeks ago). He hands his phone over to Hoseok, who grabs it eagerly. There’s a brief pause, Hoseok scrolling through the photos on Jungkook’s page until pulling up a specific one of Jungkook while working out. It’s not in the same gym where Jimin works though. 

“I think your smoothie boy needs to lay off the protein shakes,” he says while pinching the screen to zoom in on Jungkook’s bulging biceps and perked chest. Jimin watches, a little fear in his stomach while Hoseok’s fingers manhandle the screen. 

And then. 

“Oh fuck, ah god, I’m sorry Jiminie,” Hoseok exclaims. Jimin’s stomach drops, seeing that Hoseok accidentally liked Jungkook’s photo.

“How far back is it…” Jimin says quietly, his breath hitching. 

“… it’s from 2018.” 

“Fuck.”

Hoseok slowly passes Jimin’s phone back to him, Jimin’s face colorless and his body splayed out across the floor like a broken doll as he accepts his phone from Hoseok. He wants to fucking delete his entire Instagram account, and then the app, and then dump his phone into the ocean. But all he can manage to do is stuff his phone back into his pocket and push away the image of Jungkook receiving the notification from his mind. 

The boys lay there in an awkward silence for a few moments. 

“You definitely have to give him your number now,” Hoseok says. 

 ☕︎

 Jimin grants himself a few more days before trying to make any moves. He lets himself pay more notice to how Jungkook orders, how Jungkook’s eyes graze over his frame, how maybe the other’s breath doesn’t hitch from the workout, but rather in reaction to when Jimin will smile, or when his words are particularly soft. Jimin lets Jungkook continue to drain his bank account on smoothies, trying out every smoothie option on the menu, or combining new flavors to create cursed protein shakes. 

One day Jungkook says, “Just surprise me.” 

On another he almost spits out his drink when he first tastes it, “Is this really orange-pineapple?”

Jimin’s eyes dart around, “Well, yes, but you said to add the kale chips and get rid of the banana, and sub it with greek yogurt.” 

“I really said that?” Jungkook says, shaking his head with a laugh while trying not to purse his lips on the second sip. He’s hardly successful. 

“Ah, Jungkook, aren’t I your hyung?” Jimin presumes. 

Jungkook smiles despite still holding the sour liquid within his mouth, “I don’t know, maybe.”

“I’m twenty four,” Jimin says, smirking as Jungkook playfully shoots his eyes around the room. 

“I’m twenty two…” The younger mumbles. 

“Ah,” Jimin says, “Then as your hyung I’m pretty sure that’s what you said.” This is a new level of sass from Jimin, but he doesn’t doubt himself as Jungkook flushes and can’t meet his eye contact. 

“I think I’m delirious, Jiminie,” Jungkook laughs, Jimin’s nickname slips easily from the other’s lips, but Jungkook doesn’t pause to reconsider it, he’s almost out the door by the time it registers in Jimin’s brain. Jungkook’s voice, the little word, Jiminie. 

Before Jungkook is completely gone he turns back, halting his speed, “Please don’t let me create my own drink again tomorrow, I really can’t be trusted, hyung.”

“Tomorrow,” “Hyung.” 

Even if Jungkook hadn’t said, “Tomorrow,” Jimin would have still presumed that Jungkook would be back again tomorrow, as he is everyday; but to hear Jungkook actually acknowledge it, to reconfirm it, the word sinks into his skin and makes his body feel wobbly. Jungkook is gone before Jimin can respond. He’s always gone so fast, smoothie jostling with the speed, “hyung” left heavy in the air. 

Jimin’s phone dings and he fishes it from his apron discreetly, a text from Hoseok appears. 

jh: Jimin! I am going to intervene as your little guardian angel and declare you make your move with the smoothie boy tomorrow 

Hoseok’s timing is annoyingly on point. 

Jimin whispers to himself, “tomorrow.” It’s all becoming so real to him. The word lingering from Jungkook’s mouth to repeatedly echo in Jimin’s mind, the word on display across his bright phone screen. He doesn’t have much of a choice to avoid it any longer, with “guardian angel” Hoseok getting involved and all. Despite how all his limbs seem to tingle and his mind fogs up as if filled with tv static, tomorrow is better than never. 

 ☕︎

 The tomorrow in which Jungkook and Hoseok were referring comes too quickly for Jimin’s liking. It’s Jimin’s normal shift today of one to nine pm, and for a few hours he can busy himself with an onslaught of customers and Namjoon breathing down his neck on occasion. It’s not until seven pm rolls around that Jungkook marches through the gym’s double doors. Now that Jungkook is here and that means Jimin will actually have to follow through with making his move, all Jimin wants is to recoil into his skin and simply become invisible. He especially wants to be invisible due to how his eyes can’t stop staring at Jungkook. The dark-haired boy is wearing an all gray puma tracksuit, the top rolled up at the sleeves, the bottoms loose on his legs but tight at his hips. Jimin prays Jungkook doesn’t toss a glance over to him because he swears he’s melting where he’s standing. If it weren’t for his taught apron tugging at the small of his waist he believes he’d be a puddle by now. Luckily, Jungkook is lazily scrolling his phone like usual, his brow flexed and mouth in a pout until he laughs and double-taps the screen. He’s a simple boy and Jimin eats it up.

But Jimin does wonder why he was so late today, Jungkook is more of a morning workout person (well unless that’s not when Jimin is working), if not, then he’s an afternoon person at least. Jimin tries not to dwell on it, busying himself with scrubbing the blenders and pre-chopping some vegetables. Then the noises start to pick up. When they do, other gym-goers instantly make their way to the exit doors, making sure to send a stabbing glare to Jungkook’s direction before marching off. Jungkook is busying himself on the rowing machine, paying no attention. 

Jungkook’s two-hour workout feels especially long tonight, Jimin can’t find anything to do with himself while fewer and fewer customers come in every hour, the gym doesn’t even slow down but who’s buying a smoothie at eight pm? Well, certainly no one in this fucking gym. 

Jimin wants to run in little circles as his fear tingles up into his chest. With each passing minute he becomes more antsy and easily startled. He needs to focus on his breathing, controlling it and slowing it down. He stands still, with his eyes shut, and works on taking in a full deep breath, and then letting it out slowly. 

Of course this is when Jungkook decides he’s done for the night. He strolls in with his usual languid demeanor to find Jimin quietly huffing and puffing to himself in the far corner of the shop. 

Jungkook clears his throat.

Jimin nearly topples over at the interruption, definitely ruining all of his attempts at controlling his heart rate. It’s soaring through the roof as he slowly makes his way out of his corner and closer to Jungkook. 

“It’s not too late to order… right?” Jungkook says, his voice dripping. Maybe it is the night time that makes his voice sound deeper and more powerful, or maybe it’s Jimin’s mind being dosed in copious amounts of oxygen.

Jimin glances to the overhead clock, eight fifty-five. He’s off in five minutes. 

“No, you’re good,” Jimin says in a burst. 

“Cool. Can I have the matcha frappe please?”

“Isn’t this your third time?” Jimin exclaims with a laugh, regaining his composure. 

“Hey, third times a charm,” Jungkook says, raising up his hands with a shrug. “And I’m starting to be fond of the coconut milk.”

Jimin can’t muster a response, only nodding and gesturing for Jungkook’s card. Jungkook grabs it from his wallet and hands it over, but Jimin tries to grab it too early, his fingers cascading over Jungkook’s and jumping away at the touch. The card falls to the counter and they both stare at it, neither raising their gaze to the other. Jimin, in a tizzy, finally grabs for it and hastily slides it through the system. 

“I’ll have it out for you real soon,” Jimin says, his voice hushed as he hands Jungkook’s card back to him. 

“Thank you, Jimin,” Jungkook says. His voice is deep and he doesn’t hesitate a syllable, it’s all purposeful, but his expression shows otherwise, of a little boy trying to run away from his words. He grabs his card and scurries off to one of the stools to wait, his body slouching over and his loose clothing hiding most of his frame. 

This is Jimin’s chance, he quickly blends the tea and ice, but before he pours it into the cup he writes on the label. While Jungkook is relaxed and on his phone like any other day, Jimin feels like he’s spinning counter-clockwise on a foreign planet. A planet where his knees want to give way because gravity pulls at them too harshly. He double-checks the label, the scribbling is legible enough, and the drink’s condensation hasn’t completely soaked through the paper to have it curled and wrinkled on itself. It’ll do. It’s the best he can do. 

Jimin’s heart might not actually be beating as he sets the drink at the end of the counter, spinning it so the label is on full display to Jungkook. Either his heart isn’t beating at all, or it’s beating at the speed of a hummingbird, far faster than Jimin can even process. All he can do is stand there awkwardly, his fingers intertwined and his chest heaving in little bursts. 

Jungkook is nonchalant as he approaches the counter, his breathing far more controlled than Jimin’s despite being the one who just recently finished up an intense workout. For a second it seems Jungkook doesn’t pay notice to the label, Jimin backs away, preparing to not say a single word about it and let the other leave. But then Jungkook’s hand slides along the cup and he does a double-take, noticing all of the extra writing. Jimin is completely still, eyes trying to find anything else to focus on besides Jungkook, and yet they are plastered to him, unable to look away as the other reads the cup. 

“would u teach me how to lift? i’m free after 9” The label reads. 

Jungkook looks up from the label to look at Jimin, then his head turns to the clock: nine o’ one pm. Jimin’s heart is fluttering so much he thinks he might take flight. 

“You’re free?” is all Jungkook asks, a small smile growing across his face. 

“Mhm,” Jimin answers, his voice tiny. 

This whole “tomorrow” thing turns out to be really working in Jimin’s favor. 

 ☕︎

 Oh so Jungkook is actually set on teaching him how to lift…ok. 

“You can start with just the bar, it’s about forty pounds, so it’ll give you a good idea of where you’re at.”

Jimin’s wide eyes are trained on watching Jungkook explain this all to him, while he has his experience in dance he’s never been too fond of weightlifting or muscle building. Jungkook, on the other hand, is avidly displaying the angles at which hands and arms and feet should be when lifting. Jimin just likes to hear the other’s voice for such longer bursts than the usual smoothie order, so he lets the younger boy drawl on excitedly. 

“Ok, so, you got all that?” 

He definitely got none of it but he gives Jungkook an exuberant nod to please the other. He takes his turn under the bar, first positioning his feet for a wide squat and then his hands grab the textured part of the bar indicating where to hold. Jungkook’s eyes are all over him, maybe contemplating his form, or just to take him in. Under the gaze Jimin feels light and airy, his blinking erratic as he looks back at himself in the mirror. 

“Your form is really good,” Jungkook says quietly, “Are you ready to try it out?”

“M’yeah,” Jimin answers, swaying slightly in anticipation. He slowly bends slightly down to dislodge the bar from where it’s held, holding it on his shoulders. Forty pounds is a lot heavier than Jimin thought it would be, it presses into his skin and he shuffles under the weight, trying to remain in position to do the squat. 

“Woah, woah, is this good, are you ok?” Jungkook says, reaching out for Jimin, his hands curling around Jimin’s waist. Jimin freezes from the contact, the bar no longer wiggling in his hold, his legs no longer shaking. The touch of Jungkook both exhilarates him and stables him. Jimin’s head slowly turns to Jungkook, the bar pressing at an awkward angle but he ignores it.

“I’ll just help you with this first one,” Jungkook says, his voice resembling more of a whisper than a normal volume. His hands don’t leave Jimin’s waist, instead they curl tighter, urging the other to begin his descent. Jimin lets his body ease into the squat, focusing on the strain to his thighs, the weight at his shoulders, the tension to his back, his soft face contorted into seriousness. Jungkook moves with him, squatting behind him to showcase the movement to it. Jimin pauses, holding the squat, “This is the right form?”

Jungkook releases his hold on Jimin to walk around and view him from the side. Jungkook’s touch so quickly leaving makes Jimin realize just how desperate he’s been all this time to be held. He wants to whine with the loss of contact, but manages to control his face to remain neutral. Jungkook evaluates him for a moment, his eyes trailing down the other’s slightly arched back and thighs that threaten to quake. Jungkook reaches out to him and traces along Jimin’s flexed forearms, up to his rounded bicep and further until his fingers meet with the cold metal along Jimin’s neck. The slight graze alights Jimin’s skin, the subtleness to it, and yet so tender. Where Jungkook touched there are surges of heat. 

“You’re perfect—… I mean, your form is perfect,” Jungkook says quickly, his face losing some of its composure. Jimin smiles to himself, his face hidden behind his bangs as he raises himself back up to standing. Maybe Jungkook had been just waiting for an invitation from Jimin, a scrawled proclamation of what they both kept meaning to say. 

Jimin puts the bar back into place, stretching out his muscles with a sigh. “Well, that was a good first day of lifting, lots of hard work and many hours put in.”

Jungkook laughs, extending his arm for a fist bump. 

A fist bump. Really? Jimin wants to throw himself under all the dumbbells and be crushed to death. He returns the fist bump, begrudgingly though, and offers a pathetic little smile. 

“Do you work tomorrow?” Jungkook asks. 

Jimin steps away from the entire metal contraption and sits on the bench beside it, eyeing up Jungkook who stands before him. 

“I do,” he answers. 

“Do you want to try a different workout after your shift?” Jungkook has a hard time meeting Jimin’s gaze, his eyes focused on the floor, watching his feet scuff across the tile. 

“I’m not actually that interested in getting into weight lifting, it’s not really my forte…” Jimin mumbles. He’s scared Jungkook is truly thinking that his little smoothie cup label was a legitimate request for a personal trainer of sorts. Jimin feels like such the idiot and just wants to remove himself from the entire scenario and go to bed. 

“Ah, really Jimin? I was hoping I could stop spending money on smoothies to see you…”

The words cut into Jimin and he turns to Jungkook in alarm, Jungkook yet again hides from Jimin’s stare, shuffling his feet and pretending to pick at his fingernails. Jimin is at a loss for words, his tongue feeling dry and his lips opening and closing trying to find a noise to emerge from them. 

“To s-see me?” He finally manages to stutter out. 

Jungkook laughs sitting down on the bench, but still a good three feet between them. The distance feels thick and obvious, Jimin wishing he were bolder to scoot closer but remaining planted exactly where he’d sat down. 

“Didn’t you ask me to teach you how to lift so you could see me?” Jungkook retorts. 

“Well—” Jimin wants to continue but Jungkook’s hand slides across the bench and Jimin pays too much attention to it to finish his comeback. Jungkook’s hand sits between them, idle, the boy calculating Jimin’s response. Jimin’s face doesn’t convey too much, mostly shock, but then his eyes glaze over as they raise to look back at Jungkook. Jungkook closes the gap and his hand skates over Jimin’s. Jungkook’s palm is rougher than Jimin’s soft skin, probably worn out from all the weights constantly in his grasp. Jimin can’t do much of anything, just watching as Jungkook’s larger hand rests on his own, at ease. It’s a soft sensation, of mild touch, of minor contact, but it still creates a flare of heat within Jimin’s small frame, his cheeks flushing and eyes darting about. It’s hectic and strange and Jungkook’s touch is still so foreign… but so welcomed. 

“I don’t think my account or my stomach can handle many more smoothies Jiminie.”

Jimin bites his lip and his wrist twists so that his fingers intertwine around Jungkook. Their breathing is hushed and slow, Jungkook’s fingers react willingly to fully hold Jimin’s hand.  Jimin isn’t familiar with being so forward, so bold, it all feels sudden but he likes it. 

“I don’t think I can handle watching you drink any more godawful smoothies, Jungoo,” he finally replies, gaging Jungkook’s reaction. Jungkook hums, a smile forming that’s brighter than any of his previous smiles. 

“I’m glad we can agree on that.” 

 ☕︎

 Jimin isn’t mad when the next day comes about quickly. Though a tension is still in his stomach it is more promising. It’s his first day of work without one specific boy coming by to order a smoothie early into Jimin’s shift. Jimin misses the interaction, while before it had plagued him and sent shivers down his spine, now he craves the feeling. His demeanor perks up when Jungkook shows up two hours before his shift ends; the evening light is behind Jungkook, the slight semblance of golden hour surrounding his shoulders. It’s a heavenly image, the boy moves nearly in slow motion, the lighting displays the outline of all Jungkook’s fly away hairs in contrast to his dark silhouette. The gym’s speakers have some random pop song blaring on in the background, but Jungkook deserves a much cooler soundtrack to accompany his runway style walk. 

Usually, Jungkook doesn’t shift his attention over to Jimin when he first comes in, he usually seems focused on getting started with his workout, AirPods in and gaze trained to his phone or already focused to what machine he’s planning to use. Today, Jungkook’s head turns to Jimin standing behind his little counter. Jungkook smiles, it isn’t strained, it isn’t a second thought, it comes easily and doesn’t fade for a while. Jimin stands stiff and expressionless until he raises his hand up do give Jungkook a little wave. Jungkook laughs then, waving back before wandering off to the far wing of the gym, out of Jimin’s view.

 ☕︎

 Jimin cleans up the shop in a hurry as the clock ticks down to nine, he scrubs furiously at the strawberry stains and tries to control his hand as it writes the new specials down in cursive. Namjoon is hovering somewhere nearby, finally emerging from his little side office to as well prepare for closing. 

“That loud kid didn’t come by for a smoothie today,” Namjoon says, Jimin spins to face his boss. “I hope that doesn’t continue, he’s loud but he’s good for business.”

Jimin smiles, but he knows he can’t make any promises on Jungkook’s behalf—or Jungkook’s dad for that matter, thinking of how drained his income must be funding Jungkook’s devious endeavors. 

 ☕︎

 Jungkook is leaning against the open door frame of the smoothie shop when it finally reaches nine. Jimin rushes to him, giddy like a child approaching a large display of candy. Jungkook’s eyes do a once over across Jimin’s body, the loose shirt Jimin is wearing under his apron today, his black skinny jeans to abide by the dress code. Jungkook takes in the other’s appearance like he’s grammy awards ready, clad in a tailored designer suit. 

“Hi,” Jungkook says, the word dropping his mouth amidst a harsh exhale. Jimin presumes it to be due to his workout, unaware of how flustered the other really is. 

“Hi,” he answers. 

It shouldn’t feel this easy, to ignore the fear that coils within his stomach, to not mind his messed up breathing pattern, but it is easy. They walk beside each other like they’ve walked with each other for years. It’s never been like this for Jimin before, giving into his feelings, to follow through with them, maybe this is how his friends who’ve been in more serious relationships have felt this whole time. Like it should be easy. And all of a sudden, Jimin can understand. 

Jungkook leads them to a corner where a lot of elliptical machines are lined up. 

“To warm up,” Jungkook says. Jimin isn’t so fearful of this machine, he’s more familiar with cardio workouts and hops on without hesitation. 

“Wanna do a mile?” Jimin asks, and Jungkook looks at him with an excited smile. Jimin likes that the other is competitive, matching his pace, matching his form, their legs moving in unison. Jungkook is so… obliging, so friendly, it seems like a lot of the walls he originally put up have been broken, revealing an energetic twenty-something-year-old with a smile always waiting to form. 

They both come to a stop at the same time when they reach a mile, Jungkook’s beyond sweaty now, and Jimin feels a slight dampness at his forehead. They hurriedly get off the machines, and Jungkook notices Jimin’s slight glaze of sweat. He approaches Jimin, his gaze soft and eyes trained to the other’s flushed skin and little airy breaths. Jungkook hasn’t seen Jimin look like this before, he’s usually so composed within the smoothie shop, while Jungkook is the one to always look wrecked. He slowly brings up the back of his hand and it glides across Jimin’s forehead. 

“There you go,” Jungkook says, his hand withdrawing from Jimin’s skin. The graze doesn’t help cool off Jimin’s skin, it only flares a heat across his face. And Jungkook’s words snap something in Jimin, something switches. The subtleness to the gesture, the softness of his touch along Jimin’s skin. “There you go,” because Jungkook wants to make sure Jimin feels comfortable. Jimin feels his breathing surge, much like a swelling tide, he feels like his heartbeat is at the back of his throat. Without a second thought, without letting his mind overwhelm him or the sight of Jungkook intimidate him, he lets himself lean closer and fill the gap between them. His hands clasp to Jungkook’s face, pulling the other to meet his kiss. For a moment, Jungkook is still, his eyes wide and his body frozen. Jimin becomes alarmed and pulls away, their lips only a few inches apart and Jimin’s eyes glazed over. 

“Can I kiss you?” Jimin asks, regretting not asking before and hoping he didn’t ruin everything. At first, Jungkook only stares blankly, and then with a sheepish smile and his eyes slowly glossing over as well, he nods. 

“Yes… yes.”

Jungkook initiates it this time, with his head tilting closer so his soft mouth can take in Jimin’s bottom lip, sucking it in and swallowing the slight noise that escapes from Jimin. Jungkook really does taste sweet, and his tongue soon curls into the kiss, swirling within Jimin’s mouth like strawberries clashing with oranges. It’s enveloping and it finally quiets some part of Jimin’s mind he didn’t know existed. Their hands are scattered across each other, tugging to pull clothing closer, brushing over the soft flesh of shoulders or cheekbones. 

It’s nearly perfect, except for the setting could have been more idealistic. The ellipticals surrounding them, and whatever the gym is playing over the speakers, is a little out of place for their dramatic first kiss. But it makes Jimin feel more comfortable; it feels familiar, he knows this side of Jungkook, the side that will drain his account to kiss Jimin, and never wear anything besides workout clothes. 

 ☕︎ ☕︎ ☕︎

Chapter Management

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Chapter 2: banana milk

Notes:

So... here's all the smut I promised... along with the fluff I also promised

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The first time Jimin sees Jungkook in normal clothes is on their first date. He hops into Jungkook’s car and for a moment is slightly taken aback to see the boy in all black streetwear: black t-shirt, black pants and black sneakers. It’s almost intimidating, with Jungkook’s piercings catching the light and his hair actually somewhat styled to contrast how wet and disheveled it usually is. Jimin looks much softer in comparison, wearing a white button-down and blue jeans, his bangs brushing over his eyebrows. 

“Is it eating time?” Jimin asks sweetly, turning in his seat to look at Jungkook who’s relaxed behind the wheel. 

“Yes, finally some real food.”

“Noodles?”

Jungkook smiles, “Yes,” he murmurs past his grin. 

Jimin feels his stomach leap in hunger and anticipation as they drive, Jungkook’s car is intense, its air conditioning blasts at Jimin until his hair is messed up beyond salvation. He doesn’t mind though, he leans back and lets himself relax, Jungkook turns on some random music that drowns out the road and traffic noises. Jungkook looks almost more in his element behind the wheel than he does at the gym—if that’s possible. Maybe he just pulls off every atmosphere. Jimin watches as the other boy shifts gears, merges into traffic, slowly lets his leg press onto the gas when they reach the freeway. Though his legs are concealed in black pants, Jimin can see how Jungkook’s muscles tense when he breaks or applies speed through a turn. It’s a cautious movement, controlled and calculated, Jungkook has a certain control to himself that gives off a confidence Jimin admires. 

“You’re a good driver, Jungkook-ah,” Jimin says, eyeing the other tentatively. Jungkook flushes, his powerful demeanor shattering to expose how easily flustered he can become.

“Thank you hyung.”

Jimin’s words affect him in a specific way. Though they always come out light and sweet, he knows Jimin is careful with what he says. When he does speak it means something, and Jungkook can only shrug under the attention from the older boy. 

 ☕︎

 The noodles are gone quickly, with Jimin holding a pleased expression, licking his lips and pushing the empty bowl to the middle of the table. 

“Did you eat well?” Jungkook asks, as well finishing off his dinner of lamb and rice. 

Jimin nods, his smile not fading as he leans on his elbows to get closer to Jungkook’s side of the table. “And I’ll pay too, how does that sound?” He asks in a playful tone. 

It’s an entirely new side to Jimin that comes out after he’s eaten well. His face plastered with a smirk as sweet as a strawberry, his eyes nearly shut in the contortion. Jungkook indulges in it, in the sight, in the words that coo from Jimin’s glossy lips. He plays up his intrigue in response, matching Jimin’s posture by resting his chin on his fist with his elbows digging into the table. 

“My dad would certainly adore you for giving my bank account a rest.”

“Your dad?” Jimin laughs. 

“And me too,” Jungkook says while he looks away, flustered, his stomach rumbling with digestion. Jimin’s entire being distracted him, his thoughts staggering off, ruining all chances at trying to find a witty comeback.

Jimin startles when his phone buzzes suddenly. He quickly retrieves it, smiling at Jungkook to excuse the interruption. 

tae: how’s the date going stud 

Jimin rolls his eyes. 

Jungkook quirks a brow, “Who is it?”

“Just my friend Taehyung,” Jimin answers, shoving his phone away without responding. 

“What’s he up to?”

“Just… y’know…” Jimin laughs as he trails off, his face flushing, “Checking in on us.”

Jungkook’s nose scrunches with his shy smile, “Making sure you’re still alive and I’m not a serial killer?”

Jimin scoffs, “More like… congratulating me on not being a pussy and actually going on a date with you.” 

He can’t believe he actually says this. He tries to back away before the words escape him but they’re out before he can manage to shut his mouth. He doesn’t even mention the use of the word “stud” in Taehyung’s texts, the word just making Jimin want to laugh at his name even being compared to that of a stud. 

Jungkook’s ears perk hearing Jimin’s words, leaning forward until the table presses into his abdomen. “Don’t people….want to take you out like allthe time?” 

Jimin’s face turns perplexed, his eyes darting about like he’s on some hidden camera show getting pranked. 

“What? Definitely not.” 

Jungkook’s face turns from that of joking, to now more serious and questioning. 

“I swear, a thousand guys have probably tried to flirt with you at the smoothie shop.”

Jimin pouts, his mind trying to make sense of everything Jungkook is saying. “I would seriously doubt that.”

“Jimin… do you not realize how pretty you are? And sweet? I’m not some smoothie maniac, I came to your shop everyday to hopefully make an impression on you amongst all the other guys who must flirt with you all the time.”

Jimin goes completely silent, his mouth agape and he feels how his face slowly turns bright red, the heat pulsing under his skin. 

“I didn’t want to be just another guy who bombards you with gross flirting while you try to work, or push my number at you just to get blocked,” Jungkook’s eyes dart around the scenery of the restaurant, trying to find the right words, trying not to scare Jimin off, “I only bought so many smoothies ‘cause every time I’d go into that damned shop all my courage melted away when I saw your face.”

“Jungkook—” Jimin tries to find the right words to pull from his frazzled jumble of thoughts, he tries to reach his hands towards Jungkook’s but they feel like they’re made of lead. 

“I’m… I’m really glad you wrote that note to me on my cup, I don’t think I would have ever had the guts.” 

Jimin wants to melt, but finally in a good way. In a way not like a puddle to the ground, but instead, like thick honey, pouring over every surface as his body is enveloped in the warmth of Jungkook’s words, the other’s voice surrounding him and devouring until he only exists to be covered in the sound.

“I was really nervous,” Jimin finally says, sheepish, trying to hide his face from view—if only his bangs were longer. 

Jungkook’s hands reach out and find Jimin’s, his fingers coiling around the other’s, and squeezing as his response. 

“Tell Taehyung you’re the coolest, most bold and forward man I’ve ever met,” Jungkook jokes, but his eyes are warm with affection. 

Jimin just bats away the praise but knows he’ll rant about all of this to Taehyung later. 

 ☕︎

 With Jimin and Jungkook now “dating,” (or “talking,” or whatever they are), they interact less often at the gym. Jungkook doesn’t try to fit his workouts into Jimin’s work schedule, his workouts only sometimes accidentally overlapping with Jimin’s shifts. On those spontaneous occasions Jimin blows a kiss or Jungkook comes up to the counter to exchange a few words if there isn’t a line. Namjoon eyes up Jungkook, waiting for the boy to make an order but Jungkook doesn’t—his bank account exhausted enough after his long month of a nearly entirely smoothie diet—this results in Namjoon shaking his head with disappointment and returning back to his little side office. It’s nice for them to operate on separate schedules, it allows Jimin to not feel so distracted all the time, he can think of other things besides Jungkook. That doesn’t mean he’s successful though, his “boyfriend,” or whatever they’re going to call it, still plasters himself all over Jimin's mind. At least Jungkook’s loud noises aren’t constantly disrupting Jimin from working. 

After a movie one night Jungkook drops Jimin off at his apartment, the night’s warm summer air lingering in the space between them. It’s a Tuesday, but summer days don’t feel any different from each other, always warm and always holding promises for the night. 

“When can I see you next?” Jungkook drawls, his words slow and heavy, as if Jimin isn’t listening. 

“Ahh, I work late tomorrow… you don’t have to come by the gym a second time to pick me up since you like working out in the morning.”

“Day after tomorrow I have a really early morning test too aghhhh,” Jungkook sighs with an exasperated posture, “So I can’t stay out late tomorrow either…”

“So… maybe three days from now? Friday?” Jimin asks, his pitch dropping in his sadness. Jungkook quickly grabs the older’s chin, holding it tenderly to evaluate Jimin’s upset expression. 

“Hey, we can FaceTime and text, and you know I’ll be thinking of you,” Jungkook says. 

Jimin pouts, but Jungkook doesn’t tolerate it, to see Jimin sad. His fingers squish the soft skin of Jimin’s cheeks, bringing the other’s face closer to his. Jungkook’s breath hovers over Jimin’s lips. 

“Can I kiss you?”

Since their first kiss they both enjoy asking the other before they kiss. It’s not that neither of them are willing, they both desperately look forward to kissing each other, but it’s something about the wait, the pause before the touch. 

Jimin’s eyes flutter shut, and he doesn’t need to say anything, leaning in to reach Jungkook’s lips that engulf his. It’s breathy and slow, it tastes like movie popcorn, and it never lasts long enough for their fill. 

“Okay…” Jimin sighs. His fingers crave to reach out and pull Jungkook closer to him again, despite the heat in the air he craves the warmth of the other. He lets Jungkook leave though, waiting at his door to catch how Jungkook always turns back to give one last glance to Jimin before actually leaving. It’s a little thing, but in its simplicity, it satisfies Jimin’s heart. 

 ☕︎

 His fucking coworker’s dog gets the flu again. Maybe she just needs to get a different dog, Jimin thinks, begrudgingly, as he walks into the smoothie shop at six-in-the-fucking-am. He’s so sleep-deprived and angry he forgets entirely of Jungkook’s frequent morning workouts. So when Jungkook walks into the gym—three hours into Jimin’s shift— at a crisp nine o’clock, Jimin is quite taken aback. Jungkook doesn’t even notice Jimin behind the counter, not expecting Jimin to be working right now (Jimin wishes he wasn’t working). Jungkook is wearing a large hoodie that blocks most of his peripheral vision, his head bent down as he focuses on his rapid texting. While Jungkook walks right past Jimin’s shop, Jimin’s phone buzzes.

jk <3: missing u Minnie, wishing i could see ur face :(((

Jimin wants to audibly laugh, looking up from his screen to see Jungkook’s little hooded head give his phone a satisfied nod before walking off out of sight. Jimin smiles to himself, texting back. 

jm: can’t wait to see u <33333

If only Jungkook knew.

 ☕︎

 Two hours later Jimin can hear that Jungkook is almost done with his workout. From quite far into the gym Jungkook’s low noises increase in loudness and sound more and more strained. Jimin looks to the clock, it’s only a few minutes into eleven am, he’s due for his lunch break right now, having already passed his fifth hour. Namjoon doesn’t really care when Jimin takes his lunch, or if he even takes one at all, but corporate forces him to mandate that all his employees do. Jimin turns his attention from the clock to see Namjoon standing behind him. 

“Please go take your lunch,” the older says with a sigh, making sure to watch Jimin punch out before he takes his place at the counter.

Jimin smiles innocently at him as he walks out of the smoothie shop, “See you in forty-five minutes, hyung!” He coos, and Namjoon just rolls his eyes, but can’t help to smile in return. 

Jimin glides along the gym’s tiled flooring, making his way down the different paths of gym equipment, past the ellipticals where he’d first kissed Jungkook, and further until he sees the younger walking into the locker room. Jimin follows light on his feet, his apron still tight at the small of his waist. 

When Jimin enters the locker room behind the still unaware Jungkook, the place is quiet. It’s hard to make himself be quiet, though he’s usually delicate with his feet, his nerves get to him and he stumbles slightly. Jungkook’s head whips around and he rushes to Jimin with a look of pure surprise. His entire body is glazed with a sheen of sweat, the smell so intoxicatingly Jungkook. Jimin is overtaken by it and feels like he could swoon within the grasp of the other boy. 

“Jimin!” Jungkook exclaims, his fingers instantly enjoying the feeling of holding the bare skin of Jimin’s arm. Jimin smiles, his hands as well wrapping around any part of Jungkook he can hold, every part feeling taught and hard after having just worked out. 

“My schedule got changed,” is all Jimin can say before his patience wears thin. He doesn’t bother asking Jungkook if he can kiss him because as his head leans closer, Jungkook meets him in the middle without hesitation. Their kiss is heavier than any of the few they’ve shared before. It’s harsher, with their clash of teeth and frantic movements. 

It’s a time of day when the gym’s occupancy lulls yet again (its far past when people work out before work, and not yet the time for people working out after work) an in-between time when everything echos and it feels like the entire room was meant for only Jimin and Jungkook.

Jungkook walks them backward, bringing their connected bodies farther into the empty locker room. Jungkook’s hands are greedy to hold more and more of Jimin, the pads of his fingers grazing over any skin that’s exposed, his legs in between Jimin’s to close any distance that still remains. 

“The sauna,” Jimin says, his breathing uneven and a devious smile forming at the corners of his mouth. Jungkook’s own excitement escalates, Jimin’s boldness heightening the tension that rises between them. 

“The sauna,” Jungkook reaffirms, only to be tugged by Jimin in its’ direction. Jungkook’s heart is racing, following behind Jimin, his sore thighs threatening to give out while Jimin is just starting to wake up for the day. 

They enter the sauna carefully and quietly to make sure no old naked men are in it. It is empty, quiet except for the sound of the coals sizzling against water. The franticness is gone, Jimin is slow now, almost circling Jungkook in a predatory manner. Jungkook stands stiff and still, watching as Jimin unties his apron. And then his shirt is off too. Jungkook’s eyes feel low, maybe the heat is getting to him, or it could be Jimin. 

It’s definitely Jimin. 

Jimin approaches the younger in a manner unlike himself, his eyes grazing over every inch of Jungkook, swaying his hips and his fist tossing his t-shirt to one of the random wood benches. 

“Jungkook…” Jimin says, his pitch is lower than Jungkook has ever heard it. Jimin leans closer and leaves a light kiss to the curve of Jungkook’s neck. The wetness of Jimin’s mouth is cold against Jungkook’s hot skin, sending a shiver rippling down his spine at the contact. 

“Yes hyung…?” he manages to answer amidst the fog of lust that clouds his mind and chokes down the volume to his voice. It comes out as a whisper, and Jimin loves how much power he has over the younger. If the Jimin from a month ago could see him now…

“I want to make you feel good,” Jimin replies. Jungkook noticeably gulps, which only urges Jimin’s mouth to find its’ way to Jungkook’s throat. He nips at the supple flesh, then his tongue traces down the expanse, and back up again, to find its’ way to behind Jungkook’s ear, “I want to make you feel so good.”

Jungkook shudders, his frame pressed against the door, his body leaving an obvious silhouette against the foggy glass. He wants Jimin so bad, he wants Jimin to touch every part of him, he wants to feel his skin against his hyung’s, it’s all so much he can’t find the right words fast enough. 

Jimin takes in Jungkook’s earlobe, nibbling at it, tugging at the younger’s piercing he has between his teeth. 

“Do you want me to touch you Jungkook?” 

The question is easy for Jungkook to answer, finally, he’s capable of a response, giving a hurried nod. His eyes are almost entirely shut, but he forces them to stay open to take in the sight of Jimin, to see how Jimin’s body leans against his, how his fingers slide down Jungkook’s chest only to stop to tug at his sweatpants’ strings. 

“This is alright?” Jimin asks, holding onto Jungkook’s hips so the loose sweats don’t immediately slide off. A soft moan escapes Jungkook, his hands reaching out to brush through Jimin’s dampening hair. 

“God yes.”

That is all Jimin needs. He makes quick work to let Jungkook’s sweats fall to his ankles, his underwear tight across his thick and muscled thighs. Jimin takes off Jungkook’s hoodie next, the younger’s hair tousled, already looking like sex hair. All of Jungkook’s skin is burning up, Jimin finds it intoxicating, heat emanating off the other as Jimin trails little cold kisses across his lover’s collarbones and shoulders. His breath along Jungkook’s skin is refreshing, smelling of the smoothie shop to contrast the smell of cedar all around them.

The smoothie shop, the smell makes Jungkook’s heart flutter, somehow the cute boy from the smoothie shop is kissing down his skin, still smelling of mangos and banana. How did he manage to end up here? What good deed of his landed him this kind of karma? His fingers curl tighter in Jimin’s hair, tugging the other to kiss him, just to make sure this is all real and actually happening to him. Jimin meets the kiss, hard, it’s definitely real, with the slight pain of the older biting at Jungkook’s bottom lip. 

Jungkook’s low and broken moan echoes throughout the room. 

Finally, the noise isn’t from working out, Jimin made that moan, and his confidence only grows seeing how wrecked Jungkook has already become. He wants to ruin Jungkook, to pull out every noise the boy could possibly make, he feels hungry in his desire. 

“Come here,” Jimin says as he breaks the kiss, a string of saliva still connecting their lips. 

“Mhm…” Jungkook says in a delirium as Jimin leads him to sit on one of the warm wood benches, his back leaning to rest on the benches behind him. He’s relieved to not have to stand anymore, he honestly thought his legs would give out in only a matter of time. Now his limbs are relaxed, he watches how Jimin’s eyes turn dark, only slivers of light flashing across the other’s irises from the embers each time they spark and crackle. Jungkook’s breathing is flighty and hitches, even more, when he watches Jimin descend to his knees in front of Jungkook’s spread legs. 

It’s a sight, finally, Jimin’s hair isn’t well kept—to match that of Jungkook’s—it’s splayed across his face, hiding some of the sweetness that’s usually plastered to his face. He’s seductive now, inching towards Jungkook, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. And yet, even in this dark atmosphere, Jimin has a way about him, of being so sexy but still cute. In how his little shoulders wiggle as he crawls closer and closer, his cheeks are round and flushed. Jungkook is already too far gone to handle the scene in front of him, he lets his head lull back when he feels Jimin begin to scatter kisses up the inside of his thighs. 

It’s a sight, Jungkook in front of Jimin, his legs nearly quivering with each kiss that nears closer and closer to his bulge. Jimin loves that Jungkook can’t contain himself, how his legs keep trying to spread wider and wider to give Jimin better access, how his throat bobs with each whimper that escapes him, how he can see Jungkook’s cock twitch within the restraints of his underwear. Jimin finally reaches his destination, Jungkook already completely hard despite no contact. Jimin makes sure to look up at Jungkook, securing their eye contact as his mouth begins to suck at the fabric. Jungkook can’t help but buck his hips from Jimin’s mouth suckling at him, he mewls as his eyes threaten to flutter completely shut. 

“Eyes on me, Jungkook,” Jimin says. He’s set on watching how Jungkook reacts to his every touch. Jungkook bites at his lower lip, not able to do anything with himself as Jimin’s mouth slobbers over his concealed cock. 

“I can taste you already, Jungoo…” Jimin says, his mouth kissing and then sucking in the clothed head that is leaking pre-cum. Jungkook practically barks when the heat from Jimin’s mouth surrounds his cock, the underwear rubbing at his sensitive skin. 

“Please, Jiminie…” Jungkook says, voice already ruined, coming out low and gravely. 

Jimin doesn’t want to make Jungkook beg, that isn’t his intent, he only wants to please Jungkook, show how good it can feel. Though Jimin has been shy around other boys all his life that doesn’t mean he hasn’t given his fair share of blowjobs. Random High School boyfriends, or the occasional college flings, were perfect chances for Jimin to master the skill. This is just the first time Jimin’s really wanted to take advantage of his skill to use it to the best of his ability. It would be hard to not want to please Jungkook, the younger’s eyes grow so wide and sparkle when he’s pleased. Jimin wants to see his face like this as often as he can. 

Jimin slowly peels away the confining fabric from over Jungkook’s cock, Jungkook lets out a beautiful sigh when the air hits his hot flesh, watching as the underwear is dragged from his hips, down his thighs, until Jimin carefully slips Jungkook’s feet through the holes. He’s left in only his white t-shirt, that’s becoming see-through from his sweat and the wet, thick air. 

“Ah… Jungkook,” Jimin says, taking in the image, hopefully ingraining it into his mind forever. Jungkook’s flushed cock pressed to his abdomen, making his t-shirt ride up, his cock twitches, it’s slick with pre-cum that’s already dripped down his length, his chest takes in long breathes and his legs are open, patiently waiting for Jimin. Jimin can’t resist waiting any longer just to take in the sight. He nuzzles his cheek against the inside of Jungkook’s thigh, taking in the smell of the other as his palms travel up from Jungkook’s thighs to find purchase at his hips.

“Jimin, if you don’t touch me I think I’m going to pass out,” Jungkook moans. That’s reason enough for Jimin to bring his face back to Jungkook’s crotch, this time it’s skin to skin, only beautiful and flushed skin on display, no stupid cloth separating them. Jimin’s tongue pokes out, he makes sure to get Jungkook’s eye contact once again, before licking a strip up Jungkook’s length. 

This alone sends a spike of pleasure through Jungkook’s form, his stomach tensing as Jimin laps at his vein. Jimin’s mouth is sly, knowing how to subdue a man. His thick lips mumble against Jungkook’s cock, making sure every inch is wet and desperate. Jungkook wants to complain again, to beg Jimin for more more more. He doesn’t need to though, Jimin can see how flustered and needy he is, and he obliges without needing words. Jimin kisses the tip yet again, but this time he opens his mouth and lets it full descend down. Jungkook’s groan rumbles, a noise Jimin hasn’t heard from him before, much louder than the usual weight lifting groan he’s heard previously. It’s exciting, it’s empowering, it makes Jimin only want to please him further. His mouth reaches Jungkook’s base and sucks, Jungkook whimpers, his hips threatening to buck further into Jimin’s throat. Jimin let him do so—yet. He wiggles his throat back and forth at Jungkook’s base, creating a wet and lewd noise. 

“Hyung…” 

Jimin’s mouth slowly ascends Jungkook’s girth, trailing up slowly until he only suckles at the head once again. He can taste Jungkook’s pre-cum, it only urges him to continue his administrations. When he takes Jungkook’s length back in, his hands trail from their hold on Jungkook’s narrow hips to slide up his torso. Jimin watches as his fingers expose Jungkook’s tanned abs, they move up and down quickly with his sharp breathes and stuttered little gasps. 

How did Jimin pull this? This statue of a man, with chiseled features that so easily quake under Jimin’s touch. Jimin releases Jungkook’s cock from his mouth with another lewd pop to echo across the sauna. 

“You can fuck my mouth now,” Jimin says with a voice crack, his throat already weak. 

Jungkook nods, quickly winding his hands into Jimin’s hair to sway the older to take his cock back into his warm, wet mouth. Jungkook doesn’t hesitate to follow Jimin’s instructions, Jimin’s mouth takes in his entire length, relaxing his jaw in preparation for Jungkook’s thrusts. The younger’s thrusts are desperate, they don’t follow a rhythm or pattern, they are fast to seek the softness of the other’s throat, to eat up the noises of gurgling and Jimin’s little choked whines. 

“This is too good Jimin, I can’t take it,” Jungkook says, his voice almost singing the words amongst his little broken sobs of pleasure. 

Jimin’s hands travel along the skin of Jungkook’s chest, irritated with the t-shirt getting in his way. Jimin lets Jungkook completely wreck his throat, but in return, he brings up the hem of Jungkook’s t-shirt to the younger’s mouth. Jungkook doesn’t hesitate to bite down on the fabric, his teeth grinding into it as his moans are muffled. This gives Jimin full access to his exposed skin, his hands squeezing Jungkook’s pecs, tracing the defined lines of his six-pack. 

This might be heaven. 

Jungkook tries to speak through the fabric within his mouth, but his words come out as a jumble of syllables. Jimin can easily guess what he’s trying to say though, feeling how Jungkook’s cock bounces in his mouth, erratic and frantic for the friction. Jimin’s moan harmonizes with Jungkook’s when the younger finally cums, the heat shooting down Jimin’s throat as he sucks it down greedily. Jungkook finishes with little jolts of his hips before he fully relaxes with a low sigh. Jimin slowly raises his head from Jungkook’s length, lapping at the little bubble of white that still trickles from Jungkook’s slit. 

Jimin licks his lips. 

“Fuck,” Jungkook groans, releasing his shirt from his mouth, the fabric crumpled and wet. He sits up from his reclined position, evaluating just how wrecked Jimin is. “Did I go too hard?”

Jimin giggles, lightly coughing, but his smile not fading. “I’d sound a lot worse if you went too hard.” 

His voice is still light and sweet, despite a few voice cracks. Jungkook reaches for the older, his fingers needy to hold the soft skin of Jimin’s face.

“It’s way too hot in here,” Jimin laughs, as Jungkook’s contact only further heats up his skin. 

“I can take you back to your apartment and return the favor,” Jungkook mumbles, his eyes glazed in his post-orgasm bliss. 

“I wish, I have to go finish my shift though,” Jimin answers with a disgusted sigh. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a blowjob during someone’s lunch break.”

Jimin eats up how Jungkook’s face breaks into a shy smile, while still remaining naked and his cock still hard against his stomach. 

“I definitely have never given a blowjob in a sauna,” Jimin replies. 

They leave the room and Jungkook does his best to help Jimin look normal again, putting Jimin’s t-shirt back on and tying up Jimin’s cute apron. The last few minutes of Jimin’s break tick down quickly. Jimin’s hair dries easily but his lips are extra swollen. 

“Kiss me before I have to go back to work,” Jimin says, in his cute little way of whining out the words. Jungkook doesn’t have to hesitate though, loving the feeling of Jimin’s plump lips against his, still tasting of cedar and that fucking smoothie shop. 

“I guess I’ll see you day after tomorrow?”

Jimin makes an upset face, pouting and hunching his shoulders, “Yeah…”

“I’m glad I at least got to see you today,” Jungkook mumbles, kissing Jimin’s cheek repeatedly, taking full advantage of their last few minutes together. “Well, maybe we did a little more than just see each other.”

Jimin wants to smack the other, “Can’t wait till I can see you again,” he smirks, having to pull himself away from the other’s hold to get back to work. 

When he returns to the smoothie shop, Jungkook walking with him to give him one last kiss before leaving the gym, Namjoon eyes up Jimin. 

“You look different,” is all he says. 

Ok, Jimin thinks, next time definitely not in the gym. 

 ☕︎

 This "next time” doesn’t come fast enough for Jimin’s liking. It’s longer than the “day after tomorrow” they had agreed upon. 

jm: so ur not free til monday? :00

jk<3: an exponential amount of hw got assigned,,, so yea :’(

jm: didnt u guys just have a test ??

jk<3: summer school is,,, a bitch 

trust me i hate it too 

but u know,,,, dad pays for tuition and gym membership and refills my card soooo 

jm: yea :(((

i miss u tho

jk<3: i miss u too 

u have no idea minnie 

plus,,,, my last memory of u is….. ahhh

lets just say i can’t stop thinking abt it

Jimin smiles widely at his phone, turning it off and throwing it across his bed before he stares at the text for hours, knowing the longer he’d look, the more he’d completely melt on the inside. But his phone buzzes before he can leave it on his bed to get ready for the day. 

jk<3: so monday?

jm: yes yes yes

 ☕︎

 Usually, Mondays are a cursed day. But in the summer months, when the sky never really wants to fade into night, and the city pulses in a new way, and legs are always on display in mini skirts or revealing shorts, those months don’t let Mondays bother anyone. With Jimin’s always fluctuating work schedule, and the gym’s inflow not relying on school schedules, the only structure Jimin relies on is that of Jungkook’s. Jungkook’s stupid summer school classes, his relentless assignments he manages to put on the back burner to always text Jimin back quickly and finally make time to see Jimin in person. Jimin knows it’s a hard schedule to be fit into, so he’s grateful when he sees the younger’s face at the other side of his apartment’s door. 

Monday. Who would’ve thought?

“You made it,” Jimin coos, pulling the younger into a soft hug. He takes in Jungkook’s smell as his face is pressed to the crook of the other’s neck.  

“Of course,” Jungkook answers, taking a deep inhale, his nose in Jimin’s scruffy hair. It’s the same as always, smelling of summer and fruit, but Jungkook can never get over it. 

Jimin pulls them into the room and he shuts the door behind Jungkook’s back. The hug loosens only so Jungkook can take the shorter’s face into his palm. Jungkook stares down at Jimin, eyes looking over every centimeter of the other’s face, how his eyes are wide waiting for something to be said or done, how his mouth always looks so kissable. 

“You’re not sweaty,” Jimin points out, breaking the silence.

Jungkook’s mouth stretches into his familiar smile, one Jimin has been missing, “I wanted to see you the first chance I got,” he replies. “Honestly fuck school for not letting me see you earlier.”

Jimin’s face perks up into a giddy smile, “See?! That’s what I’ve been saying for days.” 

Jungkook cracks up, kissing Jimin’s forehead, wrapping his forearms over Jimin’s shoulders just because he can. Jimin is the perfect height for him to easily embrace and lean his weight into. 

“I’m hungry,” Jimin says with a whiny tone, mumbling into the warm fabric of Jungkook’s shirt as he’s buried under Jungkook’s arms.

“Yeah?”

“‘Jimin hyung,’” Jimin mocks, playing up his already high pitched voice, “Will you make me a smoothie? I want a matcha fraaaaaappe.” 

Jungkook nearly growls in his slight irritation with the shorter boy, just rolling his eyes as he still holds onto the other’s shoulders. 

“Jimin-ahhhhhh, I don’t want whipppp, I drank too much banana milllllllk,” Jimin continues to drawl, a little devious smile on his face. He knows he can easily work up Jungkook, and he indulges with the power. 

Jungkook doesn’t hesitate when he squats down and grabs Jimin by his thighs, slinging the shorter boy over his shoulder, and quickly slapping Jimin’s butt that is helplessly on display. Jimin is laughing from behind Jungkook’s shoulder, keeping up his high pitched voice practically speaking gibberish, his arms dangling as he’s marched around his own apartment. 

Jungkook finds Jimin’s room, the door cracked open and wafting with the older’s scent. Jungkook is already obsessed. Despite his infatuation, he keeps up his dominant behavior, tossing Jimin from his shoulder onto the other’s bed. Somehow, Jungkook still manages to be tender with the administrations, his eyes showing a different side though; one that darkens with growing lust. Jimin sees the change of character, huffing from the roughness of the other but not speaking up to complain further. 

“Jimin-ah,” Jungkook purrs, crawling onto the bed on his hands and knees, slowly approaching the other’s sprawled body. “Don’t make me toomad.”

Jimin smirks, giddy in hearing Jungkook’s pitch drop. But his body is too antsy to lay still, sitting up and switching over to being also on his knees. Jimin doesn’t play along with Jungkook’s dominant character he’s putting on, he likes to be competitive. 

“I’m your hyung, Jungkookie, I think we both know who’s really in control right now,” he replies with a devilish tone. Jungkook is taken aback, pausing in his tracks, only capable of watching how Jimin slowly pulls off his blouse. Jungkook can’t quite comprehend what it is about Jimin that is able to so fully transfix him, maybe the way his body so carefully sways in his movements, how he is so sweet but still holds his ground. 

Maybe it’s just in how Jimin is so Jimin. 

And it’s true, Jungkook really isn’t the one in control, but he loves how Jimin is. With that little sweet voice of his that knows what it wants, and how to always get it. Jungkook would easily buy out the entire smoothie shop’s stock over and over again if Jimin asked him to. 

Luckily, Jimin doesn’t want that, all Jimin wants is to close the space between him and Jungkook. He wants Jungkook’s fingers to touch him today, to find every mole of his, to kiss the skin that craves the other so dearly. He wants Jungkook to make love to him, for it to be hard and brutal and completely ruin him, but still have a tenderness remain in the movements, to still see how soft Jungkook’s eyes can become when they look at Jimin. Jimin wants it all, right now, as quickly as possible, as loud and rough and soft as possible. 

When Jimin beckons Jungkook, with a simple hum in the back of his throat, his knees craning to get closer, Jungkook is ready to give Jimin everything he requests. 

Their lips meet. It’s hardly a sensation at first, the light brush of breath, the hesitance of youth. But Jimin doesn’t allow it to remain so gentle for much longer. His tongue licks across Jungkook’s bottom lip, savoring how delicate it is before he fully envelopes the other in a deep kiss. Their tongues hardly know what to do, both so hungry and clouded in lust that it’s wet and uncontrolled. Jungkook’s mind races with thoughts, Jimin’s tongue, Jimin’s lips, Jimin’s hair, Jimin’s taste, Jimin’s skin. He wants more of it all. Jimin is willing and ready to satisfy. 

Jimin shoves Jungkook down, climbing atop the other’s thighs to straddle Jungkook’s hips. He quickly resumes their kiss, heavy breathing connecting and un-connecting their lips from each other. Jimin rocks on Jungkook’s hips, testing out how quickly Jungkook can become hard for his hyung—it’s quick. Jimin smirks to himself against Jungkook’s lips, embracing his power and using it to his full ability. He doesn’t just rock his hips, he sways them and moves them in circles, testing out how many noises he can elicit from the younger at the mere friction. 

“Jimin,” Jungkook whines, breaking their kiss but the older still grinds down on him, “Take off your pants I want to return the favor.”

Though Jimin appreciates the younger’s offer, he just wants to be fucked right now. 

“We can do that some other time,” Jimin says, leaving little breathy kisses along Jungkook’s neck until he’s cut off at the collar of the other’s shirt. Jimin makes quick work of taking off Jungkook’s shirt, admiring the exposed skin in a harsher lighting, taking in each detail he hadn’t been able to while mid blow job last time. 

“You don’t want me to eat you out?” Jungkook asks, almost sad, Jimin’s hair tickling down his chest as Jimin leaves kisses everywhere he can. “I bet you taste so good hyung.”

Jimin scoffs, nipping at Jungkook’s side, “I have very stretched patience right now, I’ve been waiting for this for too long.”

That’s enough reason for Jungkook, he reaches his hands down to his jeans and quickly unbuttons and unzips them. Jimin sits up and lets Jungkook wiggle out of his own pants. 

“Iron man underwear?” Jimin laughs.

Jungkook blushes, reaching out for Jimin and pulling him back to sitting on his lap. He sits up with Jimin’s thighs wrapping around his waist, “I was wearing a different pair of Iron man underwear in the sauna, you just didn’t notice.” 

Jimin throws his head back with a laugh, “Jungkookie-ah, you’re such a player!”

“I definitely am, you still sucked my dick even when I wore Iron man underwear.” 

Jimin smirks, leaning close once again to suck at Jungkook’s neck, he only breaks the contact to whisper against the other’s skin, “And now I’m gonna let a guy in Iron man underwear fuck me, look how desperate you make your hyung, Jungkook.”

The words stifle any chance Jungkook had at a come back, he’s much too far gone with lust to defend his underwear choices. If it works for Jimin then why argue?

Jimin’s hips regain their previous pace, working in dizzying circles over Jungkook’s confined cock. 

“Do you have lube?” Jungkook huskily asks, his neck rolling back with pleasure, giving Jimin a view of his sharp jawline and craning neck. 

“Yes, I’ll get it,” Jimin answers, pushing himself off of Jungkook’s lap, leaving the younger desperate for friction to return. Jimin saunters over to his bedside table. Knowing Jungkook’s eyes are stuck on his form, Jimin makes sure to put on a show as he strips from his pants. This leaves them both in only underwear, the air almost cackling with the sexual tension that sparks between them. Jimin sticks out his tongue with a wide smile and squinted eyes, his tongue flicks back and forth as he showcases his strawberry lube.

“Of course,” Jungkook laughs. Jimin nods, winding his way around the strewn clothes on the floor, back to Jungkook sitting ready on the bed. 

“Turn around,” Jungkook tries to command of Jimin once the older is on the bed, but Jimin doesn’t break eye contact, is body finding its way back onto Jungkook.

“I want to watch you while I finger myself,” Jimin says. 

Jungkook gulps. All he does is nod, even if he didn’t nod Jimin would still do what he pleases. Jimin pops the cap of the pink plastic container, drizzling the thick liquid onto his pointer and middle finger; the smell hits the room all at once, intoxicatingly sweet and it makes Jungkook’s eyes flutter. 

“Would you help me take these off?” Jimin asks, looking down to his annoying underwear that also strains against how hard he’s become. Jungkook adamantly nods, his hands reaching out to tug down the hem, pulling them until Jimin’s cute little cock pops out. He slides them down until they fall from the older’s thighs and sit at his knees against the bed. Jungkook uses this as his opportunity to finally touch Jimin, the warm skin of his narrow hips, how soft it is under Jungkook’s fingers. 

Jimin whines with the attention, trying to focus on fully lubing his fingers up as they bend behind him to rub at his hole. Jungkook watches in amazement, wetting his lips, the scene playing out like some kind of expensive porno and somehow he’s managed to sit in front the most beautiful bottom he’s ever seen. 

Jimin’s first finger teases at his entrance, he relaxes, and slowly pushes it in, his face breaking from it’s controlled expression to let out a long whine. 

“God Jiminie, do you need me to help?” Jungkook asks, his pitch low, watching as Jimin slowly thrusts the finger in and out of himself, his ministrations slow as he stretches himself out. 

Jimin is in a haze, peering at Jungkook from past his thick lashes, “Just watch baby, all I want you to do is watch me… don’t I look good right now? Just one finger fills me up… imagine how tight I’ll be around your cock.”

Jungkook’s throat feels dry, he doesn’t know how to process this level of dirty talk, he’s never had to before. But Jimin is all-new levels of sinful, his voice alone leaving Jungkook needy and pliant. 

Jimin makes a show of it when he finally inserts his second finger in, his eyes squeezing shut with a sharp moan that escapes him. He starts to bounce onto his own fingers, using his strong dancer thighs for leverage. Jungkook encourages the other, his fingers grazing light trails across every surface of Jimin available to him. He reaches around the older and traces down Jimin’s arching back, reaching the supple flesh of Jimin’s ass, taking in the soft skin and squeezing it tenderly. 

“Mmm, I don’t want to wait anymore,” Jimin whines, his back curling even farther. 

“Maybe you should do three fingers…” Jungkook says, smiling. 

Jimin’s movements stop for a moment to eye up Jungkook, “Cocky huh?”

Jungkook shrugs, a hand grabbing his clothed cock, giving it a few strokes as Jimin watches with pursed lips. 

“Better safe than sorry, hyung.” 

Jimin rolls his eyes, but he spreads lube across his ring finger, making sure to not break eye contact as he slowly inserts it past his ring of muscle. He can’t keep up the serious facade though, as the intrusion brings about a new wave of pleasure and slight pain. He can only manage a few thrusts of his three fingers before his thighs quake and give out on him. Jungkook is quick to scoop up his hyung, his fingers holding tightly to the other’s warm and glistening skin. 

“Hyung…” Jungkook mumbles into Jimin’s soft tummy. Jimin’s collapsed onto his back, his limbs splaying out carelessly across the duvet as Jungkook climbs over him. “You’re so…”

“Yeah?”

“You’re just—“ Jungkook can’t find the words, looking down at the boy below him, the sheets wrinkling under Jimin’s frame. He’s overtaken by Jimin’s ethereal appearance, of his hair falling every direction, of his face showcasing a level of pleasure Jungkook’s never seen anyone possess. 

Jimin doesn’t need Jungkook to try to finish his sentence. He wraps his fingers around the back of Jungkook’s neck and brings the younger to his lips. Their kiss isn’t hurried, it’s slow, and tender because it’s them. They’re shy and flushed and they can’t get enough of each other.

“I’m ready,” Jimin says into Jungkook’s mouth, his voice so hushed Jungkook has to pull away to fully comprehend it. Jimin gives him a nod to reaffirm his words, his legs spreading, his eyes hooded in their desire. Jungkook doesn’t need further encouragement, he slides off his underwear, finally letting his throbbing cock free. It’s flushed at the head and Jungkook gives it a few lazy tugs before reaching to Jimin’s strawberry lube. It’s a little cold as it drizzles down his length, but he doesn’t mind, making sure it’s evenly coated before lining up at Jimin’s hole.

“You’re cute,” Jungkook says against Jimin’s cheek. 

“Aishh, just fuck me already,” Jimin complains, but his voice is playful. Jungkook follows the older’s orders. He grabs his girth and circles Jimin’s rim before slowly sinking in, managing to continue pushing farther and farther—despite the overwhelming pleasure that swarms all his veins—until he bottoms out, pressing against Jimin’s skin. Jimin lets out a high pitched moan as Jungkook lets out a low one. It’s a beautiful melody, entirely their own. Their movements are halted for a moment so that Jimin can full adjust to Jungkook’s girth stretching him out. But Jimin, being a needy and antsy boy, quickly grows tired of waiting and bucks his hips up to urge Jungkook to begin moving. 

Jungkook tries to control his arms as they lean at either side of Jimin’s head. Despite all his working out, the muscles he’s put so much effort into growing, he’s still weak as his cock is buried in Jimin’s warmth. But he wants to do his best for his Jimin, he wants to make the smaller boy cry in pleasure. So he manages to control his limbs, finding leverage against the mattress to pull his hips back up, his length dragging inside of Jimin until he pushes it back with a rough thrust. Jimin gasps, a loud moan escaping him with the force. Jungkook is hooked on the noise, he begins to pick up his pace and thrust faster, gaging Jimin’s reaction. Jimin is a loud bottom, and Jungkook eats it up, his own moans falling from his lips as he nuzzles against Jimin’s neck. 

“’S so good, ah, ah, it’s so good,” Jimin manages to say in-between the rampant bucks of Jungkook’s hips into him. 

Jungkook coos at Jimin’s praise, his abs clenching with the effort of filling up Jimin to satisfy the older’s fill. Jungkook sits up, keeping his pace unchanged, and he grabs for Jimin’s thighs, bringing them up to press against Jimin’s torso. This new angle allows Jungkook to thrust faster and directly into Jimin, noticing instantly how he begins to hit Jimin’s prostate. 

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” Jimin lets out amongst his other gibberish mumbles and praises. Jungkook flashes an evil grin, taking pride in already finding Jimin’s angles. He pumps into the other, making sure to hit the same spot on repeat until Jimin is practically sobbing from pleasure. 

“If you keep this up I’m gonna cum already,” Jimin whines, his hands reaching out to hold onto Jungkook’s hips, halting the other’s motions. Jungkook lazily smiles, still within Jimin’s warmth but pausing for breath and leaning down to scatter kisses all over Jimin. 

“I wanna ride,” Jimin blurts out, his fingers curling in Jungkook’s fluffy hair, and beginning to pull at it so Jungkook leans away from him. Jungkook sighs, frustrated as he’s tugged away from Jimin’s skin littered with small hickeys and the wetness from Jungkook’s mouth. But Jungkook follows orders, albeit slowly and begrudgingly. When Jimin flips the younger over and hovers over the tip of Jungkook’s cock, Jungkook isn’t so begrudging. 

Jimin wiggles over it, teasing the other, his small hand wrapping around his cock and giving it a few pumps, Jungkook can only sit there obediently and watch. 

“You’re gonna make me act up,” Jungkook says in a grumble, his impatience wearing thin, though a smile cracks across his features. 

“Maybe I’d like that…” Jimin responds, yet again swaying his hips dramatically to urge Jungkook on. Jungkook, despite his usual reserves and somewhat timid nature when shy, grabs onto Jimin’s side while Jungkook’s other hand tightens around his own length. He positions Jimin’s hole over the head of his cock, his eyes looking over Jimin to take in the boy’s neutral but encouraging expression, before shoving the older down onto his cock. Jungkook feels more pleasure in seeing how Jimin’s face contorts with the sudden intrusion and euphoria that bursts within him than the pleasure that courses from his own length. Despite this, the pleasure of being inside of Jimin is also very overwhelming. Jungkook lets out a yelp when the other boy first sinks down, and then there’s a pause. Jungkook bites his lip, eyes not daring to look away from Jimin’s because he knows how the older boy hates when he looks away. Jimin feeds off of the attention, the praise that’s given within just a small gaze, it is what fuels him to begin moving. 

At first it is slow, a small raise of his hips with a twist of his angle. Jungkook already caves, his hands trying to find purchase on any part of Jimin he can hold on to. Jimin loves how reactive Jungkook is, his hands covering where Jungkook holds him, encouraging the younger to hold onto him tighter, to enjoy it even more. And Jungkook is easily swayed. He can hardly try to buck his hips up to meet Jimin’s administrations, he’s only capable of sitting back and let Jimin thoroughly ruin him. 

“Should I try out this challenge I saw online?” Jimin asks with a light giggle, his speed increasing, his thighs putting in the work to give him proper leverage as he bobs up and down. 

“W-what challenge?” Jungkook stutters. 

Jimin smiles and doesn’t answer, he begins to sway his hips to the left, and then in a circular motion, and then to the left again, a circle, and then forwards towards Jungkook, and then away in the opposite direction, finishing his pace with a forward and backward movement, and finally a left to right motion. Jungkook is out of breath and out of new noises to make when Jimin pauses in his actions. 

“Was that the challenge?”

“I spelled coconut,” Jimin laughs, regaining some speed as he rides Jungkook, “Coconut for my non-dairy boy.”

Jungkook slaps Jimin’s ass with the comment, drawing out a whimper from Jimin, and Jungkook can’t help but smile in satisfaction. 

“You need to say more stupid shit so I can make fun of you,” Jungkook grunts.

Jimin nods, his hands reaching out to plant themselves on Jungkook’s hard chest, “You can’t make fun of me while I’m riding you, that’s just not allowed.”

That’s fair, Jungkook thinks, as Jimin grinds against him, the breathing of the shorter on top of him becoming strained and letting out little noises with each exhale. Jimin’s small fingers twist at his bobbing cock, the skin flushed and wet with a mix of lube and pre-cum getting everywhere. 

“Do you want to cum Jiminie?” Jungkook asks, stabilizing Jimin’s movements with a harsh hold on the other’s hips. Jimin nods frantically, letting Jungkook control the scenario, no longer trying to bounce onto Jungkook’s cock with his labored and desperate movements. Jungkook makes sure Jimin stays still so he can thrust his hips up to completely thrash Jimin. Jimin is too far gone for this treatment, his body going loose as all he can do is take it, bending down to nuzzle into Jungkook’s chest as the younger continues his relentless movements. Jimin grinds his cock against Jungkook’s abdomen as he strokes it, letting the other completely control the pacing and roughness. He loves it though, he loves controlling Jungkook until he grows tired of it and lets the other have his way with his body. It’s pleasant to lay atop his tan boyfriend—if he is Jimin’s boyfriend…—and receive all the pleasure he’s been craving for months. The slight glaze of sweat over Jungkook’s skin, the breathy moans with the effort, the way Jungkook’s fingers keep brushing over Jimin’s naked back to soothe the other’s constant whines as he nears his orgasm. 

Jimin feels loved. Or at least adored. And it just adds to his high, the euphoria of Jungkook’s fingers gripping at his soft skin, the tangle of moans and whines amidst the hot air, it all builds. It brings Jimin to his climax as his body shudders with the release. Jungkook remains thrusting into him, not loosing his pace but enjoying the feeling of Jimin’s walls tightening around his length as he rocks the other through his orgasm. Jimin breathes heavily, panting against Jungkook’s honey skin, his fingers crawling over the younger boy’s chest and abs. 

“Cum for me Jungkook.” 

Jimin knows he won’t be able to handle much more, he wants Jungkook to cum quickly after him so he doesn’t become too sensitive. 

Jungkook, being the obedient boy he is, doesn’t need to be asked twice. He holds Jimin up, raising the older’s hips slightly off from sitting on his thighs. He thrusts erratically upwards into Jimin as Jimin can’t help but yelp with the overstimulation that already courses through his limbs. Jungkook comes quickly, his reserves letting go and for those brief moments leading up to his release he doesn’t worry about hurting Jimin. Jimin likes it though, to see Jungkook grit his teeth and anticipate his growing orgasm, how his moans turn to low growls. When Jungkook finally thrusts his last time and his body goes limp with his brief moment of pure bliss, Jimin takes it upon himself to roll his hips a few more times onto Jungkook’s cock, enjoying how Jungkook mutters, “Aishhh, Jimin…”

Jimin relents, despite his enjoyment in watching Jungkook’s face contort, it does hurt him to continue much longer. He slowly raises himself off of Jungkook’s cock that drips a few last drops of cum. It’s a sight, Jungkook’s abs covered in cum, his cock wet with lube and his breathing still trying to calm down. 

“Do you have anything to clean up with?” Jungkook finally asks when his eyes clear of their haze and he’s able to control his breathing. 

Jimin laughs, standing up only to quickly realize how sore he is. He stretches out his limbs, Jungkook watching how Jimin’s naked body bends to gracefully. I should really watch him during one of his dance classes, Jungkook thinks, remaining quiet as he takes it all in. 

“I have toilet paper?” Jimin says with a sheepish smile. 

Jungkook throws his back to the pillow under him, sighing as he feels cum drip down the sides of his stomach. “This is always the gross part,” Jungkook laughs. 

“Wanna shower?” Jimin asks. 

Jungkook’s expression perks, “Yes, unless it all drips off of me before I can get in.”

Jimin giggles, reaching down to smack Jungkook’s shoulder, “Don’t tease me!” “Don’t cum on my stomach next time!” Jungkook jokingly exclaims, “God, I look like a glazed donut.”

Jimin dies of laughter, throwing his head back as his eyes completely shut with his giggles. He finally calms down to grab Jungkook’s hand and tugs the younger boy off his bed. Jungkook follows Jimin as they find their way to Jimin’s shower, quickly, so Jungkook doesn’t have to deal with the dripping liquid much longer.

It’s all so natural. It all feels so right. It feels romantic, scenic, it’s too perfect for how much fucking cum is on Jungkook’s stomach right now. He just laughs to himself. 

 ☕︎

 “Ok, I’m gonna admit something to you,” Jimin says, maybe four months into them dating—yes, officially dating— “I’ve never had banana milk.”

Jungkook’s face turns to utter shock. They’re walking along some random street they’ve accidentally discovered, long into the night but it’s still warm out, it feels like the street beckons them further. It’s a street of random convenient stores with neon signs lighting up the humid air, vendors still behind their carts because so many other couples are out despite it being a late hour of the night.

“How did I accidentally start dating someone who’s never had banana milk? What kind of hell dimension am I living in?” Jungkook teases. Jimin nudges his body against Jungkook as he laughs. 

 ☕︎

 It’s actually a funny story how they managed to start dating. They’d had sex a couple times, each time Jimin being dominant until tiring out and letting Jungkook pound into him. Despite the many occasions their naked bodies intertwined, despite how many times Jimin would choke on Jungkook’s cock or Jungkook’s tongue would dart into Jimin’s hole, Jimin was still too shy to ask Jungkook what they were. 

One night they were cuddling on Jimin’s couch, random snacks littered across the older’s coffee table and their legs tangled around each other. Jimin, bold after eating well—not to mention the alcohol that also helped fuel his courage—finally turned to look at Jungkook. Jungkook had met the other’s stare, his expression innocent and eyes wide.

“Yes?” Jungkook asked amidst the silence. 

Jimin hesitated, floundering to find the remote and pause whatever they were watching. “We’ve been having a lot of fun together… right?” 

Jimin felt his nerves return, he wished he could have retracted his words but he already started to get the conversation going, he couldn’t have turned back. 

“Yeah…” Jungkook smiled, still not picking up on any of Jimin’s slight eyebrow raises or how his eyes darted around; always so oblivious. 

“Well… I guess I just wanted to make sure that… I don’t know… that you feel comfortable with me calling you my… my boyfriend.”

Jungkook had looked perplexed, his forehead tensing and his lips trying to form a word. 

“It’s okay if you’re not comfortable calling it that yet!” Jimin continued to blurt, “… I just wanted to check in—”

“Jimin, wait what?” Jungkook interrupted the other’s rambling, “Haven’t we been boyfriends this whole time…?” Jimin was still not convinced, not letting a smile form yet, his fingers picking at the blanket that had been strewn across their legs a few hours previous. 

“I don’t know, we’ve never talked about it and I didn’t want to rush you…”

Jungkook scoffed and grabbed the older’s round cheeks, squeezing them until Jimin’s lips formed a plump circle shape. 

“I’ve wanted to be your boyfriend since I first saw you in that smoothie shop. Jimin, half my stuff is already in your apartment right now,” Jungkook could hardly continue through his laughter, “You already met my dad and we had dinner together, Jimin, I’ve slept here for the last two days.” 

Jimin was quiet, just staring back at Jungkook with wide eyes and his cheeks still squished under Jungkook’s fingers. 

“Oh.” 

Jungkook laughed, “Yeah.”

“Uh…” Jimin slowly smiled, his cheeks turning a stronger pink and his eyes darting around the room, “Then that’s cool.” 

 ☕︎

 The streetlights emanate a soft glow across the city’s street. Jimin eyes the upcoming store they approach as they slowly continue their walk. 

“I could try it for the first time, like, right now.”

Jungkook turns to look at him with a pleased smile, “You definitely won’t regret it, I really miss it. I think I made myself literally lactose intolerant after drinking a few too many.”

Jimin laughs, his hand reaching out to rub Jungkook’s tummy with sympathy, “If I really like it I might have to become lactose intolerant too.”

Jungkook shrugs, “We’ll just have to see huh?”

Jimin nods, and they turn in unison to enter one of the markets. The fluorescents are at first hard for their eyes to adjust to, all the product’s labels bright and colorful. Jungkook knows immediately where to go, despite each market having a different layout, most have their drink freezers along the back wall. Jungkook confidently marches over, scouring his eyes over the numerous products until he lets out a pleased laugh.

“Here we go! Banana milk! This is my favorite brand!” He exclaims proudly, showcasing it to his boyfriend. Jimin nods, returning a smile, and lets Jungkook bring it to the cashier and check it out. They leave the store and find a street side little table with two chairs across from each other.

“Ooo, this is so exciting,” Jungkook giggles, undoing the cap and sliding the drink over to Jimin. Jimin eyes up the yellow label and then turns his focus to Jungkook who intently watches his every move. 

“Are you ready? Maybe you should record this, Jimin’s first sip of banana milk,” Jimin is slightly teasing, but he loves how happy Jungkook is, so he plays along. 

“Oh, good idea.” 

Jungkook quickly fishes out his phone and presses record, the iPhone beeping as the video begins. Jungkook talks into the phone, “Everyone, prepare yourselves, this might be the most important moment in Jimin’s life. Yes… he’s trying his first sip of the famous banana milk!”

Jungkook signals to Jimin for Jimin to take his first swig from the plastic bottle. Jimin follows orders, picking it up, evaluating it one last time before bringing his lips to its’ rim. The sweet milk hits his tongue and his eyes widen and then he swallows it down carefully. He takes one last sip before setting the drink back down. Jungkook raises a brow. 

“Hyung…” Jungkook’s voice drawls from behind the phone, “Are you even able to find words to describe it? Can you handle how good it is?”

Jimin giggles, playing up his pleasure with the drink. “Ah! Jungkookie! How have I never had this before! You weren’t lying!!!” 

Jungkook is pleased and turns off the recording, slipping his phone away. 

“See? I knew you’d love it.”

Jimin nods, taking another sip, adding a satisfied sound effect as it slips down his throat. After a few minutes of brief chatter they stand up and continue their walk, light noises of other conversations drifting in the heat around them. Jimin takes Jungkook’s hand in his, tenderly, carefully, softly. 

It’s so warm out, but Jimin always needs the heat of Jungkook’s hand in his to feel complete. 

  ☕︎☕︎☕︎

[lexhq]

VEGAS SUBPLOTS.

please ready fully before taking a subplot. for our week long event , i wrote up some ( or took suggestions for ) subplots ––– or small side plots that you can be involved in. there are some that will only have one slot open and some that will be open to more , so make sure you read the details. this will be updated as people ask to fill the spots. they’re first come first serve , so scoop one up if you like it. just to keep this consistent , please im/dm the main to fill a subplot , i will not fill slots through ims on my characters or discord. please im the main only with the subplot number + your characters name. if they all fill up , i will write more ! you’re welcome to one slot per character unless saturday hits and there are still slots open. in that case , i’ll let you guys know and you can fill a second+ spot to make sure everyone has a full plot. these are totally optional ! 

you’ve obviously allowed to plot other things that happen individually , but we thought that it would be fun to have some specific plots that you guys can know about ooc to stir up some drama and create some plot points for the group. you can decide with your subplot partner(s) when the subplot takes place. please do not assume knowledge of any subplot until those characters have made it clear that it’s happened ! 

EXTRA VEGAS DETAILS.

they are traveling in whatever way with whoever you decide , but mostly they will be traveling by car in friend groups. hotel check in time is at 3 pm pst / 6 pm est ! they are all staying at the same hotel and pitched in to get a handful of rooms that they can share. room hopping is encouraged ! 

TAGGING.

during the week , you can use the tag lex.vegas to tag starters , social media posts , etc. please also keep using lex.start to keep track of starters. they will be in vegas from saturday until friday night , 3 pm est / 6 pm est and the event will be played out in real time ––– so each day is a new day in vegas ! if you have any questions about the event , subplots , etc. please ask me ! 

subplots are located under the cut. please like this once we’ve read it ! 

subplot one – lost on the strip. 

no one knows how these four all ended up spending time together , but they’re gone literally all night because they ended up getting lost. they started walking , trying to find a bar , and now it’s 6 am and they’re finally rolling back up to the hotel and boy did they get into some shit when they were lost. ( what happened while they were lost is to be discussed by the 4 players ! )

         x ––– taken by kurtis , maia , & tba - two / four slots. 

subplot two - i am fully aware this isn’t our hotel. ( full )

simple. hotel hopping. various excuses , various sneaking tactics , and now they’re in the rooftop pool of one of the most expensive hotels in vegas that they’re definitely not staying at , and the hotel security seems suspicious . . .

        x ––– taken by momo , gennie , yoshi & sierra - four / four slots. 

subplot three - extra road trippers. ( full )

deciding the main strip wasn’t all they wanted to focus on , these two decided to take a trip of their own and head down to the red rock canyon conservation area for some exploring. sure , their friends are all drunk at a club on the strip , but to them ––– this seemed like a better idea. 

        x ––– taken by rowan & fin - two / two slots. 

subplot four - have life , happy . . . wait , what ? ( full )

of course it had to happen. drunk and out of control , these two actually tried have have a vegas wedding. no one knows why , one second they were partying and next , elvis himself was having them say i do. thankfully , elvis’ notary certification expired four years ago , but unthankfully , it takes a minute for them to realize that. 

       x ––– taken by mimi & ken - two / two slots.

subplot five - nothing to see here. ( full )

they’re definitely not certified bartenders , but they decided to jump behind the bar and act like they own the place. free drinks , anyone ? they’ve got your covered ! hopefully the bar manager won’t notice that they’re literally taking tips for making drinks at a bar they don’t work at.

       x ––– taken by prima & capri - two / two slots.

subplot six - we’re just here for the alcohol. ( full )

despite the fact that the club was closed for a bachelors party , these few decided to find a way to sneak their way in and crash it ––– and it’s definitely not their fault if someone accidentally ends up sleeping with the groom to be. 

       x ––– taken by gracie , elijah , sofia , & amara. - four / four slots.

subplot seven - we lost them !  ( full )

apparently the hangover can relate to real life because three friends spend literally forever looking for the fourth friend who , unironically , fell asleep when they were on the roof of their hotel partying the night before. thankfully , no tigers were involved in the partying , and they find their friend without making too much of a ruckus , though they were this close to getting the police involved.

       x ––– taken by cruz ( fourth friend ) , dev , maya + ares - four / four slots.

subplot eight - jackpot ! ( full )

they decided to give their shot at gambling and ended up hitting it pretty big at the casino ! everyone was shocked and maybe it caused the group to go a little hard trying to win for themselves , but this person took their winnings and happily cashed in for the week. 

      x ––– taken by cove - one / one slot.

subplot nine - wait , you partied with who ?! ( full )

they don’t know how it happened. one minute , they were at a club minding their own business , and the next minute they’re in the vip lounge with literal celebrities. the bragging rights are definitely there , because no one else was able to get lucky enough to get it ! 

      x ––– taken by honey , blue , bambi , & zeke. - four / four slots.

subplot ten - i am not looking. ( full ) 

when in vegas , you might experience a ton of things , but strolling right up on a drug deal and then having to explain to the police no i swear i was just trying to by some chips from the store isn’t exactly what you think might happen . . . and yet , here you are , trying to assure the las vegas police that you and your friend were just trying to get into walgreens. 

     x ––– taken by fin & theo - two / two slots.

subplot eleven - can we please just go home ? ( full )

getting a misdemeanor in vegas was not the plan , but the smallest public incident and here you are , trying to make sure you’ll be able to get back home to california after all of this is over. sometimes it happens ! 

     x ––– taken by bren - one / one slot.

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 98 [Begin: Captain America: Winter Soldier]

Two days passed, the sixth came and went. And aside the usual corporate business, nothing strange or eventful happened. You counted your luck and tried not to think too much about it. It was nice, when life was just that little semblance of normal. Though all throughout the day you kept looking up at your office door, waiting for somebody to barge in and demand something ridiculous or tell you something crazy. But. Luck was on your side. And the only person who barged into your office was Tony. With a sweet kiss and a warm invitation to lunch. Which you easily accepted. 

But. Come the next day. Your luck had run out. Just after one PM, Pepper let you know Natasha had come up to see you. So. Of course you had to let her in. If you didn’t she’d just catch you somewhere else, and there was no reason to refuse a visit from her, right? 

Hmn. Maybe a little wrong. As she came in, dressed in dark jeans and her slick black leather jacket, you noticed she was carrying the dreaded manila folder underneath her arm. And it was in that moment you knew you’d made a mistake. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Even so, you tried to keep chipper. Maybe she was just out of a meeting of her own, and had toted- 

She cut your optimistic thoughts off as she sat down, placing the folder atop your desk, sliding it your way. “SHIELD needs you to come in. But-” Holding her hand still over the folder, looking straight at you. “Word is from Steve, you’re not in a going-on-a-mission mood, these days.” “Well-” 

“Which is getting around, by the way.” Trying to advise you. Her smile was still light, not curt, and she didn’t seem upset. Just… concerned. Lightly. “Fury’s feelings are starting to get hurt. He won’t stop going on about how you won’t accept his phone calls.” 

At this you gave a light shrug. “Yeah well… I’ve been pretty busy over here. And people tend to take notice when I just go away for a week or so.”

“Like how you and Tony left for almost a whole month with no notice.” Check-and-mate. Backing you up into a corner. Which was fair. There was no reason to lie to Nat, was there? Though she worked for Fury, same as you, you always imagined she had your best interests in mind. She never gave you a reason to think otherwise. 

With that in mind, you dropped your polite expression, drooping just a little with a sigh. “Steve is… getting antsy. And- you know- for the most part, I don’t think he’s wrong. You know I’ve kind of never seen eye-to-eye with Fury. With the way he does things.”

Her eyes dropped for a moment, seeming to consider her next words very carefully. “Look… I’m not in the right place to be advising anyone to do anything against their best interests. But if that’s how you really feel- and you think it won’t get better? It may be time to walk.” 

At this you slumped back in your chair. “You say that like it’s easy.” 

“I’m not saying it is. Especially if you walk on this mission. Expect a call within at least the next few hours after I report back. And it won’t be a fun one.” Her smile, despite what she was saying, made you feel better somehow. You supposed it was the same way that made Steve feel better. Even though SHIELD was falling from everyone’s good graces, and even though she worked for them, Natasha was still a good person. 

Still a good friend. You still believed that to be the case. 

“Maybe I don’t need to walk. Can’t I get like… a desk position? Or something?” Hoping for the best case scenario here. If you could still do work for SHIELD and not just bail- which is absolutely what Fury was going to see it as… although her smile told you everything. That was probably going to be next to impossible. With a heavy sigh, you decided on your next question. “What’s the mission?” 

“On a need-to-know basis for the agents going on it, I’m afraid.” And with this, she finally leaned back in her chair, extracting the folder from your desk to hold it a little more protectively on her lap. “So I’ll only ask one more time… you in? Or out?” 

You did all your due diligence to really think about this. With what she was saying, if you turned this down, it would probably be the beginning of the end. But maybe it was time. And maybe you’d visit Nick in person, and see if you could talk him down into giving you that coveted desk position. And if not… maybe it was time to put an end to this chapter of your life. “I’m out.” 

After the two of you shared a long gaze, she nodded, and then stood. “Understood. I’ll see you when I get back, then.” You gave her a small wave as she left, but she stayed near the door for a minute. “It’s a shame… hostage situation. On the Lemurian Star. Really could have used your talents.” 

Unable to help a crinkle of your nose, you arched a brow at her. “I thought you just said you couldn’t tell me anything. Don’t tell me you think you can bait me?” Teasing her. You didn’t think that was the case. At her wry smile, you gave her one in turn. “Steve going?” 

“Yeah.” 

“You’ll be in good hands.” 

“I think so, too.” 

The two of you ended the conversation with one small final wave, and then she exited, closing the door gently behind her. You let a silence sit, staring deep out into space. Thinking. And- nearly- as you opened your mouth, you almost asked JARVIS- what is the Lemurian Star? Realizing you had no idea what that was. Some kind of aircraft maybe- or a ship. She had said on not in, so not a building. But then you realized that’s what she wanted you to do. 

She wanted you to look it up, get invested, and then your bleeding heart and need to do right by the world would finish the rest. You’d call her up and tell her you were following in. So. Instead… you circled the holopad on your desk to call Tony down in the lab. 

Once he picked up, you smiled at the image of him sitting pretty in front of you. Especially as he slid his goggles back and grinned at you. Little grease smudge on the corner of his cheek. Ever the working man. He must have been building something in the shop instead of sciencing in the lab. “To what do I owe the mid-day honor?” 

You settled your chin in your palm. “I’m going to schedule a flight to DC for tomorrow. Can we make dinner plans tonight? Somewhere quiet and sort of fancy?” 

That thinky face of his came on, little scrunch of his brows and press of his lips. “What’s in DC? Don’t tell me you’re already checking in on Rogers. He’s a big boy, you know. Can handle himself.” 

“I think I’m about to get fired from SHIELD, actually.” 

At this he lit up in seemingly pleasant surprise. “Oh? So we’re celebrating, that’s what you’re saying? In that case I’ll clear out Eleven on Madison.” 

You couldn’t help your initial look of distaste. “Too stuffy.” 

“Top floor of the Standard?” 

“Hmn.” A little hum as you leaned forward. “I could work with that.” 

His grin, as always, was just so charming. “It’s a date. How’s seven sound?” 

“Let’s make it eight.” 

“For you, I’ll do eight.” 

Warmth touched your chest first, then your smile. “Thank you. I love you.” 

He returned the expression. “I love you. See you at eight.” Giving you a little peace sign, a gesture which you countered with the curve of both your hands in a heart just over your chest. Something that always just seemed to make him melt. After that he cut communications and you pondered what your next moves would be. 

Well. First seemed simple. Make a reservation at a DC hotel, just in case. Meetings with Fury were often trying and tiring. If you needed a place to lie low and rest for even a few moments before getting back on a plane, it was worth it to just get now. Then you decided to try and preempt your own fate. 

And made a call to Nick. 

He picked up second ring. “I’m very busy. You should be, too.” 

Crap. So Nat hadn’t reported back yet. Maybe trying to give you a little space to breathe. Oh well. “I’m coming to DC tomorrow.” 

“I know you are. For a debrief when you’re finished.” 

“No. I’m coming to DC tomorrow morning because I’m not going on the mission tonight. And I think we’ll have a lot to talk about, regarding that.” 

It was strange, when Nick Fury had nothing to say. You supposed he was letting you sit in silence because it was uncomfortable. You weren’t scared of him. Sure. He had lots of files on you- and Tony- by now that maybe if leaked to the public could cause quite a lot of damage. But you hoped you were right in assuming Fury was above doing something petty like that because you were thinking about leaving. 

...right? 

When he still seemed to be mulling over what next to say, you stopped your sweating and spoke again. “This isn’t a conversation to have over the phone.” 

“I guess it’s not.” 

“So I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

The silence the next time was shorter. “Triskelion. 11 AM. Shame, that it may be your first and last time seeing it. But I’ll make sure you enjoy the sights while you’re here.” Tone tight. Angry- maybe. You weren’t exactly sure. Seemed to be that way, as he cut the line right after. 

It left you feeling a little uneasy. Because that… 

                                                        ----

Looking over his freshly poured glass of white wine at you, Tony’s brows went straight up, head inclined. “He threatened you? Thought the man had more class than that.” 

“Well. I don’t know. If he did, it was a veiled threat. It’s not like he came out and said he was going to beat me up or release stuff to the press.” 

At this Tony nodded, taking a short sip, humming. “Mn. There’s the Nick Fury we all know and love. Making shadow threats.” You couldn’t help but agree, taking a long gulp of your own drink with a heavy nod. When he settled his glass down, “You need me to come with you? I’ve been meaning to get a look at that building.” 

You couldn’t help your grin. “You wanna snoop around, is what you mean.” 

“You read me so well.” Smiling back at you. “Would you mind?” 

“Much as I love the idea, if we both go he’ll be suspicious. Especially of you.” You’d never mind Tony escorting you anywhere, truly. But… “I have to do this one on my own.” If you were about to get fired, or if you were about to quit, you had to do the admirable thing here and just face Nick on your own. Speak to him on a personal level- and hoped he appreciated the effort. 

He sat back in his chair. “I hate it when you’re right.” 

“You love it when I’m right.” Correcting him rather sassily, unable to help yourself. 

At least the grin it produced on his lips was well worth the effort. “Yeah. Alright, fine. But-” Holding a finger up. 

“No buts, Tony.” 

“Hear me out, would you? Take the specs. I think we can pull that off again. Besides, as an accessory, tinted glasses are far and away the best look anyone’s ever come up with. If I do say so myself.” Hand to his chest. 

You couldn’t help your smile. Damn him. “You would. But- why? You want me to record their stuff? What happens if I get caught?” 

“So little faith in my tech.” 

“I would never underestimate your tech. I’d just like to have an exit plan just in case I get cornered for espionage.” 

“Espionaging the espionagers. What a world.” 

“I don’t think those are words.” 

“We can look it up when we get home- anyway- honey, seriously. I don’t ask for much-”

“You’re extremely high-maintenance-” 

“It’s part of my charm- stop interrupting me- anyway- I’d really appreciate this.” 

Though you’d only just teased him about it, it wasn’t actually true. Tony never really did ask you for personal favors like this. Not ones that would potentially, even at an almost zero percent chance, put you in danger. So it had to be the opposite, you realized. “You’re worried about me? You don’t think Fury would do anything stupid, do you?” Assault you? Yeah right- ...except that one time he did do that. “He pulls another gun on me, I’ll end him myself.” 

Reaching over, he settled his hand atop yours, giving you a small squeeze. His eyes stayed steady on yours in a deep gaze. “A little of that. But. I’m genuinely curious about that building. Pretty big for a SHIELD joint, don’t you think? What- agents on every floor?” 

To be honest, you hadn’t given it that much thought. Maybe he was on to something. As he usually was, when he thought about stuff like this. “Sitting at their desks perusing the internet from nine-to-five, I’m sure.” Sarcasm dripping. Your eyes dropped for a second, turning your hand over to clasp around his. “...what is it you think they’re hiding in there? Give me… not worst case scenario but-”

“We ever get a resolution on those weapons they were building? The ones JARVIS dug up? -and the old man, credit where it’s due. They ever say they were gonna stop?” It only took a few moments of you looking at him, for that to click, before he spoke again. “Exactly. Never hurts to know what SHIELD is up to. What they don’t want people to see.” 

“Technically some parts of us are what they don’t want people to see. Are we comfortable with that? In a, let’s say, nightmare scenario-” 

“No nightmares.” Tony cut you off quickly, and very suddenly he was holding you just a little harder. “We’re not going tit-for-tat here. This is just internal affairs.” You had to process this, and unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of time to do it. As your eyes dropped, his thumb stroked over the side of your hand. “Steve wanted you out, right? He must think something’s up over there. And considering he’s usually the last horse to finish any given race-” 

“Would you lay off him?” You were careful in the way that you said this. Not irked because Tony wasn’t being serious. Just a little playful- but… meaning it. “He’s doing his best. Like the rest of us.” 

Tony just smiled. “Think you’re getting your wires crossed here, that was a compliment, for once.” 

“Such a shame he wasn’t here to hear it.” Smiling back. 

“Yeah, well… if he thinks something’s going on, something’s definitely going on, is what I’m getting at. And while we have this sudden opportunity, I’d like to take advantage of it. But. Only if you’re okay. You say no and that’s it. Alright? No pressure.” 

Except there was immense pressure very suddenly. He had to understand that. You knew he was telling the truth. If you wanted him to back off, he’d back off, and figure out some other way to undermine SHIELD. As per the usual. But… you wanted to do right by him. And this would be the easiest way. 

So… “Fine. I’ll wear the specs. If you think they’re inconspicuous enough.” 

“More than half a helmet visor, that’s for sure.” This was very much true. If you went in there with LUNA activated you might as well just have told Fury you were trying to dig up whatever he was trying to hide. “They look good on you, anyway.” Grinning lightly. 

“You only say that because you made them- and because you wear them. Constantly.” 

“Doesn’t make it any less true.” 

[elijahrosefanclub]

Just imagine Elijah proposing to Isaiah at midnigh (at new years)

tHE LONG-AWAITED RESPONSE TO THIS PROMPT (which i love and think is super cute): it got a little long so i’m putting in a cut but here it is on ao3!

my new year’s resolution is you (2k words)

New Year’s Eve is probably Eli’s favorite day of the year, in all honesty, and there’s a very simple reason why. For at least six hours, every year, usually around midnight, he is pretty much guaranteed no bullshit. Everyone is busy partying and drinking, and while that might cause problems for the LAPD, it is so out of Eli’s jurisdiction. And that means that New Year’s Eve is the one night a year when Eli is not awake to see the clock tick over from 11:59 to 12:00. In fact, it’s the one night a year when he always gets over six hours of sleep.

It’s fucking fantastic.

There’s a yearly Vindicators party, and his routine is that he goes when it’s early, when the party is just starting and all the snacks are still well stocked, and he has precisely one glass of champagne and then leaves and is generally in bed by ten PM.

Once he and Isaiah had moved in together, she’d changed her own routine a bit— for the last couple of years, she’s always been home by midnight. At one point, he had asked why, and she’d responded that this way, she gets to start the new year with him even if they’re both sleeping. Actually, especially if they’re both sleeping, because hopefully that’ll be a sign of how the new year is going to go.

(It’s a running half-joke between them, how little they each sleep. Isaiah always gets caught up in one thing or another, and Eli finds it hard to step away from Mission Control even when he’s personally vetted the entire night shift and found them competent. Half-joke because they know it’ll catch up to them eventually, but that day hasn’t arrived yet and it might not arrive until retirement. So for now, they’re fine.)

It’s been eight minutes since Isaiah texted that she was on her way back. Normally, Eli wouldn’t have seen the text— it’s about eleven-forty, and usually he charges his phone at night in the kitchen to avoid sitting in bed watching security feeds of Mission Control on his phone. (There’s a landline in the bedroom in case someone actually needs to contact him at night and by some miracle he’s not already at work.) But tonight, he is ready and waiting. Isaiah should be back by eleven-fifty, and then he only has ten minutes to kill until midnight.

He wants it to be obvious that he’s still awake, because Isaiah’s years as a super mean that her fight-or-flight response is very well developed and tends toward ‘fight’. So surprises are bad. To that end, he’s made sure that the lights are on and there’s some music playing. 

He is ready.

Unfortunately, now it’s 11:43, and he has a lot of time in which to do nothing. And he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little nervous— well, not nervous, per se. More like, he’s anticipatory. And also nervous because unknowns, no matter how probable a certain outcome is, always make him nervous.

Sometimes Eli wonders why he decided to go into managing superheroes instead of, like, accounting.

Regardless, he is here now, and he’d rather be here than in the financial department of some faceless corporation, so here he’ll stay.

But he’s going to make some hot chocolate. 

There is a right way, a wrong way, and a desperate way to make hot chocolate. The right way is on the stove with actual chocolate and milk. The wrong way is with chocolate syrup. The desperate way is with cocoa powder or a hot chocolate mix. Eli doesn’t disapprove of the desperate way, not really, but he avoids it when he can. That’s why it’s called the desperate way.

That’s also why he’s melting chocolate discs in a double boiler at 11:48 PM. Eli likes hot chocolate because he doesn’t like sweetened coffee or tea, but he needs something to fill the void of 'dessert beverages’, and over the years hot chocolate has become his go-to drink when he doesn’t need caffeine and herbal tea just isn’t cutting it.

Besides, it would be presumptuous to open a bottle of champagne now. And it would go flat.

He’s just started pouring in the milk when he hears a key in the lock and the front door swings open. It’s 11:51. And it takes everything in Eli to not immediately stop what he’s doing and freeze like he’s just been caught red-handed stealing. 

Okay, so he’s a little more nervous than he thought he was. Whatever. He can deal.

He keeps pouring the milk, focusing intensely on the stove, and looks up once he hears Isaiah’s footsteps stop in the doorway to the kitchen. “How was the party?”

She’s leaning on the doorframe, her green scarf still around her neck, smiling in the sort of way that makes Eli think (correctly, because he’s spent a lot of time seeing how her face changes) that she doesn’t know she’s doing it. “It was good. I was worried that Elliot might feel awkward since he hasn’t been with us for very long, but I think he’s found his niche on the team. Also, he can seriously hold his liquor.”

“There is pretty much nothing that would surprise me less,” Eli says drily. “Nothing blew up?”

Isaiah laughs and steps away from the doorframe. “No, we save that for when you’re around.” She approaches the stove and puts her chin on Eli’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. “So what are you doing up so late? Ooh, hot chocolate." 

"Well, I haven’t been awake for midnight on New Year’s Eve since before we met. I figured it would be nice to actually stay up with you. And the hot chocolate is… it’s honestly just because.”

“Hmm.” She’s silent for a few moments, and then she says, “Are you distracting yourself so you don’t obsess about whether anything’s happening in LA that might need the Vindicators?”

“That’s entirely possible?” Which it is, technically. Even if Eli has never been less focused on the Vindicators than he is at the present moment. He can let Isaiah think that’s why he’s making hot chocolate at almost midnight.

She shifts a little bit and he feels a kiss on his jaw. “I understand that. But if anything happens, Tanis will probably know before you do.”

“What? Why?”

“Her phone isn’t fifteen feet away from her and she has the same news alerts set up that you do.”

That’s fair. 

The chocolate and milk look pretty evenly mixed at this point, so Eli turns off the stove. “How long until midnight?”

“It’s 11:56.”

Okay. Four minutes to kill. He can do this.

He turns around to grab mugs from the cabinet, but Isaiah’s already pulling two down from the top shelf, and some neuron fires in Eli’s brain to remind him that the ring is still tucked behind his ties in the bedroom and he has four minutes and he somehow has to get it and bring it back here without Isaiah noticing.

Hmm.

He carefully pours the hot chocolate from the pot into the mugs (no matter how careful he is about it, it’s still probably the scariest thing he does regularly, including walking into the super training facility without checking to see if anyone is practicing projectile warfare), sets the pot back down on the stove and covers it, hands one mug to Isaiah, and says, “I’ll be right back, I’m going to grab a sweater.”

Problem solved. Also, the extra layer of the sweater means that it’ll be harder for Isaiah to tell immediately if he has anything in his pockets.

On his way out of the kitchen, he checks his phone where it’s charging on the counter. 11:58. Okay. Cutting it a little close, but he can do this. 

Eli tries very hard not to visibly speedwalk out of the kitchen, but once he’s safely in the hallway, he jogs as quietly as he can into the bedroom, grabs the first sweater he sees, tosses it over his arm, pulls out the ring and stuffs it in his pocket, and then heads back down the hallway to the kitchen while putting the sweater on.

When he returns, Isaiah is studiously covering her hot chocolate with marshmallows, and she says, “We’ve got like thirty seconds until midnight. Ready?”

“So ready.” In more ways than one.

He grabs his hot chocolate and sets it down next to hers, and like he thought, she’s got a clock pulled up on her phone counting down the seconds until midnight. Twenty seconds. 

Wow. Fucking years, and now all he’s got is twenty seconds. The anticipation honestly might kill him. (But that would be an incredibly stupid way to die, and above all things, Eli abhors dying in stupid ways.)

Fifteen.

He has to time this right if he wants to do it at exactly midnight. This is something Eli has known all along, but now his brain is positively yelling it. Did he mention he should have gone into accounting or something boring like that? 

Whatever. Still worth being here, now, even if, as he has definitely mentioned, he is fucking nervous as fuck.

Ten. Countdown time.

Nine. Okay, single digits. Getting closer.

Eight. Eli casually takes the most minute sip of his hot chocolate just for something to do with his hands.

Seven. He puts the mug back down on the counter.

Six. Shitshitshitshit.

Five. It’ll only take him about a second to kneel, but he definitely needs to get the ring out of his pocket first.

Four. Which he does, carefully holding it to his side out of Isaiah’s sight. He can’t quite work out how to open the box one-handed, but that’s okay, he’ll figure it out— 

Three. No more time to think about it.

Two. He turns a bit so his knee won’t slam into the cabinet underneath the counter.

One. He kneels.

It’s such a simple motion— just kneeling. When it comes down to it, there’s not a lot to be stressed about. He does this to tie his shoes. But the thing that makes it different, that makes it something that’s important, is the ring box in his hand that opened so easily that he can hardly remember doing it, can hardly remember anything about the past few minutes except that they all seemed to go by so fast compared to the eternity of thoughts passing through his brain in what must only be a second, because then the clock ticks down to Zero and Isaiah turns and sees empty space where he was standing next to her, and then looks down, and—

He can see the moment of comprehension on her face, the instant her mouth drops open the tiniest bit and her eyes begin to shine and he hasn’t even said anything before she’s dropped to the floor too and she’s saying “Yes, yes,” over and over and is it really the new year? Because it feels like time has stopped right now, like his heart is waiting in breathless anticipation for the next chance it has to beat, and it still feels like a daze, not like a dream because he is too viscerally here. The little details are popping out at him like they never have before— Isaiah still hasn’t taken her scarf off and the end trails on the floor, but she doesn’t care, because that’s an old scarf that has been through the years with her, and he can feel every single point where the velvet of the ring box makes contact with his hand, and when he takes the ring— gold, slim, beautiful without being ostentatious— out of the box and hands it to her so she can put it on, he feels the cold relief of the metal, how it warms up almost instantly when he touches it, and he can hardly believe this is happening but at the same time it feels like it was fated to happen, like it couldn’t not happen. 

But instead of saying all that, because he’s not sure he could make it make sense out loud even if he wanted it to, he says, “I love you so much,” and then he says, “Happy New Year.”

[commander-rahrah]

RESIDENCY (AN OPEN HEART FIC): PART TWELVE

Pairing: MC (Jordynne Holland) X Ethan Ramsey X Bryce Lahela; MC X Bryce; MC X Ethan

Masterlist: Click Here

Chapter Rating: T (Swearing, Jealousy, Kissing, Nudity)

Word Count: 2500+ 

Description: Bryce tries to calm his anxiety while Jordynne is in Miami and what they are. Jordynne does her best to avoid Ethan and Miami altogether - but some days are easier than others. 

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Jordynne’s background is my own creation, based loosely off of MC in-game’s personality and provided with more details.

Author’s Note: Man oh man, I don’t know why but I just got stuck with this chapter. I wanted more Bryce, but I wanted more detail for what happens post-Miami with Ethan too. This is a shorter update, but I have plans for the next one! Thank you thank you to emilymay100 for helping me with my writer’s block and giving me a prompt! <3 

All comments, likes and reblogs are extremely appreciated. If you would like to be tagged in future updates please reply on here or DM me! :) 

Taglist: @drakewalkerfantasy @owleyes374 @professorortegasstudent @mindlessdreaminxo @mayar-mahdy @paisleylovergirl @nicquix @emilymay100 @octobereighth @jenp02cutie-blog @llamasgrl @timmagicktoad @lilyofchoices @msjpuddleduck @mfackenthal @paulfwesley

Previous Updates: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven

PART TWELVE: 

He stared anxiously at his phone — scrolling through his previous texts.

Jordy: Hey, landed in Miami! sent at 12:42pm

Bryce: Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do 😉 sent at 12:50pm

Bryce: How’s it going? sent at 4:05pm

Bryce: Don’t tell me you’re letting your hair down without me. sent at 10:13pm

Bryce: What’s on the agenda today? sent at 9:24am

She usually replied so fast to him — unless she was at work. Why wasn’t she replying now?

Bryce ran his fingers through his long hair, messing it up nervously. Jordynne hadn’t replied to him since she texted to tell him she arrived in Miami for the conference with Dr. Ramsey.

He had no reason to worry — she had gotten there safe, that’s all that mattered.

And technically, she wasn’t his to worry about. She was — but she wasn’t. Not really.

It was a work conference. Nothing would happen.

He did recall some of the Attendings gossiping about the conference in the cafeteria from the other day — talking about the antics they had gotten into from previous years, the parties and drinks…

Shaking his head at himself, Bryce threw his phone away. It bounced on the fabric of his couch cushion — out of his reach. Jordynne wouldn’t get wrapped up in that — he knew her. Besides, she was with Ramsey — Dr. No Fun Allowed. It would be fine.

Right?

Why was he so worried? He wasn’t the clingy type. It drove his ex’s insane before — how nonchalant he was, how he never got jealous. They said it was like he didn’t care. But he did.

And boy, did he care with Jordynne. Almost too much. He barely knew the girl for a six hours before he was kissing her in that supply closet like his life depended on it.

He let out a sigh of relief as he heard his text tone. Stretching over quickly, he grabbed onto his phone and swiped up. A giant smile spread across his face as he saw her name and the tiny photo of her next to it.

Jordy: Hey! Sorry, it was a jam-packed two days. sent at 4:15pm

                Just got back to the hospital for my shift. sent at 4:15pm

Bryce: Did you have any fun? Or did Dr. Terminator ruin everything for you? sent at 4:17 pm

Jordy: I learned a lot. Go to go, drinks tonight usual spot? x sent at 4:20 pm

Quickly typing out another text, he agreed with a winky face. His white teeth bit his lip to try and stop the stupid grin spreading across his face.

_______________________________________________________________________

She did her best to avoid him.

At the hospital — in the hallways, the cafeteria, the elevator. She took the long way past his office. She waited until she knew where he was before she went to check on Dr. Banerji.

Outside the hospital — taking her friends into the back booth at Donahue’s, staying over at Bryce’s constantly, skipping espresso roman’s in the morning, jogging in the opposite direction of his apartment complex.

A few days later, Jordynne had risked it that morning — walking past the cafe in the hopes of grabbing a bite to eat and some coffee before her shift. But she had noticed him through the window — sitting in a leather chair, nursing a paper cup in one hand and a book open in the other. She felt a knot develop in the pit of her stomach as she watched Ethan — his hair perfectly quaffed, the top two buttons of his dress shirt undone. He was wearing his glasses too. Gulping, she started walking again — picking up the pace.

She didn’t get it. What caused him to change his mind so fast? It had been so amazing — their kiss, the way he put his hands on her, the things he had said… It made her feel guilty to admit it, but she had imagined it so many times. And when it had finally happened…

No. Don’t you think of him. Jordynne said to herself, somehow walking even faster. She shoved her tight fists into her jacket pocket and headed towards the hospital.

_______________________________________________________________________

Inches.

That’s how far away Ethan was from Jordynne’s face. She gulped as she felt his lips brush against her palm — her hand clasped around his mouth to stop him from talking as they hid in the supply closet.

His steely blue eyes met her green ones, and she swore she saw them soften slightly. But before she could do anything else, they snapped back, his eyebrows furrowing. She felt his strong fingers grab onto her wrist, pulling her hand away from his mouth.

“We’re going to have to work on our boundaries.” He growled, eyeing the small space left between their bodies.

She glared at him, “Definitely. I’ll do that right after I help you break into this hospital facility, right?”

Raising his eyebrows, he replied, “Touché.”

Jordynne’s breath hitched as he leaned towards her, his arm grazing her side. What was he — She cut off her thoughts as he reached passed her and she heard the rattle of glass test tubes.

“We’ll need these.” He waved them in front of her, but she didn’t miss the swallow in his throat.

The pair stepped into lab afterward, and they let out a sigh of relief as they realized it was empty. “I think we’re in the clear for now, but we should hurry before Dr. Wen comes back.”

Ethan instructed her on what to do with the sample tubes, before turning around to boot up the computer. A loud thud caused her shoulders to tense up.

Spinning around she watched him smacking the side of the slowly rebooting computer. “Dammit! Work, you piece of —“

“What’s wrong?”

“It froze up on me. I’ll have to reboot the whole thing before we can continue.”

The loading bar started to slowly creep forward. Crossing her arms across her chest, Jordynne let out a sigh. “Looks like this might take a while…”

“Time that we don’t have. We’re risking too much just by…” He grabbed onto the bridge of his nose, pinching it before matching her sigh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t take this out on you.”

She blinked at him, shaking her head, “I’ve got thicker skin than you think. It’s gonna take more than your temper to scare me off.”

“I appreciate that, but still…” His blue eyes betrayed him for a moment, “I can’t afford to push away the one person I can trust with this.”

She felt her stomach twist into a knot — she was that one person. “Have you ever done anything like this before?” This was the most that she had spoken to him all week.

“Not exactly. But I’ve bent the rules before.” His dark brows furrowed, “I’ve been a thorn in the side of many administrators. Things are… more complicated now that the chief is someone I actually respect. But I can’t give up. I owe Naveen everything.” His eyebrows furrowed, “I can’t lose him. I won’t lose him.”

She couldn’t help herself. “Dr. Ramsey… We’ll find a way.” Jordynne licked her pink lips, “And I’ll be right by your side every step of the way.”

His eyes studied hers, watching carefully. His lips twitched, turning up slightly into a smile. “You’re not like the usual interns, Rookie.”

“You’ve said that before.” She said quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek.

The sound of the computer turning back on alerted him. He turned around, keying into the computer. “Are those samples ready? We need to be quick.”

The pair worked in silence, filling the analyzer and placing them into the machine.

“And now we wait.” He murmured, staring at the machine spinning and swirling the blood around.

Jordynne let out an exasperated sigh, “Can this be any slower?”

He scoffed, “Spoken like someone who’s never monitored an M.R.I.”

The machines humming stopped as it finished analyzing the blood. It spat out a piece of paper with the results. Ethan grabbed it, but his face fell immediately as read it.

Jordynne pushed herself off of the counter, noticing his reaction, “What’s wrong?”

“His erythrocyte sedimentation rate is elevated. Whatever his infection is, it’s still there… But what’s most troubling is his glomerular filtration rate.” He held the report out for her to take.

“It’s down to sixteen. His kidneys could fail. What do we do?” She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“We keep trying everything we can think of. We have to find the source of his infection… I have some research to do. Go back to Naveen and update him. Leave nothing out. He’ll know if you’re hiding something.” Ethan instructed her, his voice monotone.

“Yes, Doctor.” She said politely. Turning on her heel, she went to leave before Ethan’s voice caused her to stop.

“Jordynne, wait…” It was the tone — it was different from before.

“Yeah?” She turned around, facing him.

“I just wanted to say… thank you.” His eyes fell to the floor, “I suppose I’m in your debt, now.”

“I don’t need you in my debt, Dr. Ramsey.” She swallowed, her eyebrows knitted together. “But I need some honesty.”

His eyes flashed up, “What do you mean?”

Licking her lips, Jordynne played with her fingers, “Be honest about us.”

“I’m… I’m not sure what you mean.” He wavered.

She let out an exasperated sigh, “I think you know exactly what I mean.”

He turned his back to her, resting his hands onto the countertop. Against her better judgment, Jordynne walked up to him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder — her fingers could feel the knots in his strong muscles.

She watched him relax at her touch at first, leaning into it, “Please, Jordynne. This is hard enough already.”

“Then why keep fighting it?” She asked breathlessly, “We both want this. We both feel this. It almost seems…. inevitable.”

God, she could smell his cologne from here.

Turning around his blue eyes finally met hers. She studied them, trying to decipher the look he was giving her — want, confusion, pain.

He reached up, his fingers gently stroking her freckled cheek. “We’re doctors, Jordynne. Fighting the inevitable is our job description.”

She grabbed onto his fingers, holding them to her face, “Don’t pretend like it didn’t mean anything to you. I was there. I saw the way you looked at me.”

“I —,” He hesitated, “I never said it didn’t mean anything to me. It just can’t happen again.” He took his hand away from her, deep lines burrowing in between his brow and forehead.

“Ethan, talk to—“ Her words trailed off as she watched him walk away, her stomach tightening with the familiar feeling she had long gotten used to since Miami. She felt her heart suddenly raise up in her throat, and water well up in her eyes. She wasn’t sure why — from how hurt she felt, the frustration or the anger.

She was not going to have that same conversation again. Not a chance.

Shaking her head at herself, Jordynne marched out of the room with one person in mind.

She needed to go find her distraction.

_______________________________________________________________________

We have to keep this casual.

Jordynne’s voice echoed in Bryce’s mind as he laid in her bed, his fingers curled into her damp hair as her head rested on his chest. He dared a glance down at her face — her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful as he massaged her head.

No strings. Fine by me.

Why had he said that? That was his chance, to make it more than casual, more than just pent up nights outside of the hospital, more than just… whatever this was.

What was this?

Because it didn’t feel casual. Legs intertwined in her bed, spending the night for the third time in a row? Her stealing his hoodies when they had movie nights at his house on rainy Saturdays? The looks they gave each other in the candid photos they got tagged in on Pictogram? Kissing while skydiving? Amazing sex in the shower?

Sienna had told him about her ex Brooks. Was that why? Did she want to distance herself because she was scared of getting hurt? Maybe the commitment was too much — two full-time doctors with shift work would be a hard relationship to manage.

He shouldn’t complain. Any time he got to spend with her was incredible — she was incredible.

Jordynne stirred under his hand, moving her face to look up at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” He replied breathlessly, “I’m great.”

She let out a sigh, moving her head back onto his chest.

“Are you?” He asked, his brow furrowing slightly as her expression changed.

“I’m — There’s just a lot going on, you know.” Her voice was quiet.

His chest vibrated as he agreed with a hum.

“The competition, and how to deal with Jackie, and figuring out how to help Mrs. Martinez, and Miami…” She looked back up to him, a deep line furrowing in her brow.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Bryce kissed her forehead, “It will all be good.”

She licked her lips, “How can you be so sure?”

“Cause it’s you.” Reaching down, he pressed his lips to her pink ones. “If anyone’s going to do it, it’s gonna be you Jordynne.”

She kept her eyes closed for a moment longer than him after the kiss, her mouth twitching slightly.

“Why would Miami be bothering you though?”

She snapped her green eyes open, suddenly looking anxious again, “Huh?”

“You mentioned Miami before… Did something happen?”

“No!” She said too fast, her eyes turning wide. “Of course not, it was just a conference. Lectures and swag.”

Bryce’s dark brown eyes studied hers — he didn’t believe her. Tucking a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, he spoke again, “You know you can tell me anything right?”

“Mhm.” She said quietly, moving her head back onto her pillow instead of his chest.

He furrowed his brow at the action, letting this hand fall back on his bare chest. The pair laid in silence for a moment, before Bryce felt his heart flutter.

Jordynne’s long fingers had reached out to him, digging for his hand through the sheets. She wrapped her fingers around his tan wrist, pulling her into him. Their naked bodies wrapped around each other easily — her warm body settling into the divots of his hips and his chest. Bryce put his face into the crook of her neck — breathing in the orange blossom shampoo in her hair, the vanilla perfume that still lingered on her skin, his lips settling onto the soft skin of her neck into a gentle kiss.

She let out a soft moan, pushing her hips into Bryce. “Just —,” Her voice faltered as his lips brushed her shoulders now, “Just don’t go anywhere, ok?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Jordy.” He replied breathlessly, burying his face into her hair again as he wrapped her into a tight hug.

“Good,” She muttered, before turning on her side to crash her lips back onto his — deepening the kiss as her fingers knotted into his long hair.

Part Thirteen

[inyournightmares97]

The Selfish Conscience (1/2)

Part 2

Bambam has always been reckless, impulsive and let his heart guide him instead of his brain. That was how he got involved with the mafia, that was how he rescued you from a human trafficking racket. Despite his vast criminal record and skewed sense of morality, he’s always been clear about one thing: 

Keeping the ones you love safe is more important than vague notions of justice or freedom.

Warnings: Strong language, dark,  mentions of human trafficking, being trapped and traumatic experiences. Not for the weak. 

Word Count: 6.4k

(This is part of a series (read: The Mafia Masterlist) and therefore you MUST at least read Yugyeom’s and Jaebum’s stories first to be able to understand what is going on here.) 

The club was dark, crowded and noisy, as it inevitably was on Saturday nights.

You weaved your way through groups of drunken patrons while carefully balancing a tray of drinks and snacks in your hands. It had taken multiple accidents and weeks of experience before you were able to navigate your way amongst clumsy and horny men without dropping anything. You were still traumatized from the time you’d knocked over an extremely expensive bottle of whisky. It was lucky that the club’s owner, Jackson Wang, didn’t care enough to take it out of your paycheck; he was simultaneously both a wonderful employer as well as a rather careless one.

“Your drinks, gentlemen,” you announced softly as you reached one of the private VIP rooms at the front end of the club. It was the special room; one that was permanently reserved for Jackson Wang and his guests. Jackson hadn’t arrived yet but he’d sent word ahead for his guests to be taken care of. The two men were well-dressed and carried a large briefcase with them. It was clearly a business deal. “One whisky and one rum with coke. Is there anything else I can assist you gentlemen with? Perhaps you would like some of our hostesses to keep you company?”

One of the men looked up at you. “No thank you, we prefer to be alone. Do you know when Mr. Wang will arrive?”

“He usually comes by at eleven pm, sir. If you would like, I can call and enquire for you.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

“Please do not hesitate to press the buzzer in case you require anything else. I hope you enjoy your drinks,” you told them, before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind you. You let out a deep sigh and slumped against the wall for a moment. Dealing with Jackson’s high-profile guests always made you a little nervous. Even a small mess-up could have consequences for the entire gang in such delicate matters.

As you folded the tray under your arm, your phone buzzed in your pocket and you checked it quickly. It was a text from Bambam and you smiled to yourself as you opened it.

Bammie <3: You doing okay at the club, babe?? I miss you.

You smiled to yourself. It had been a few days since you’d seen Bambam. He had gone on a small trip with Yugyeom to stake out some stolen goods dealers a few towns away. Ever since Im Jaebum’s arrest and subsequent release on bail, the mafia leader had been trusting his younger members with more important responsibilities, sending them to places he couldn’t go himself because the law enforcement authorities were keeping a constant eye on him. You were proud that Bambam was climbing the ranks at GotSeven, but you hated whenever he had to leave. You typed a response quickly.

You: It’s a typical Saturday night, I guess. I miss you too. Aren’t you back yet?

Bammie <3: Yeah, just reached. I’m going to go meet Jackson-hyung and then we’ll come straight to the club. I’m dying to see you. The weekend alone with Yugyeom was torture. L

You: I’m sure it was. For him.

Bammie <3: Noooooo, don’t be mean to me when I haven’t seen you in five days!

You: Okay, okay. Tell Jackson his guests have arrived. I tried to keep them busy with strippers but they refused. They seem kind of impatient

Bammie <3: Ahh, those must be the guys from Macau. They’re smuggling foreign currency. Really dull stuff. I’ll tell Jackson. We’ll be there in an hour max.

You: Okay. Love you.

Bammie <3: Love you too!

You tucked your phone under your apron and went back to the bar. The other waitresses were busy and the bartender had his hands full as well. You stood silently in a corner, keeping an eye on the customers that were getting progressively drunk as the night wore on and the strippers who were up on stage. Candy was dancing at the moment. She was new, extremely popular, and all eyes were on her and her breasts. You sighed and turned to check on one of the tables when you suddenly noticed a woman standing behind you.

“Hi,” she greeted you lightly. “May I have a word with you?”

Your eyes widened in surprise. You’d never seen this woman before and she was dressed immaculately; in a white blouse, a formal grey pencil skirt and a pair of moderate heels. Something about the sight of her set off alarm bells in your mind. She didn’t look like she belonged in a strip club and that was enough to make you nervous.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” you asked.

She cleared her throat and looked uncomfortable. “I’d love to tell you but I was wondering if we could go somewhere more private to discuss it? Surely there’s some place in this club that isn’t filled with rowdy men or naked women.”

You bit your lip and took a deep breath. You still remembered the terrible incident from a few weeks ago. A pair of men had come to the club looking for Im Jaebum and you’d foolishly pointed them to the VIP room where Jaebum was having a meeting with some clients. You only found out a day or two later that those men had been police officers and that they’d arrested Jaebum on false charges of human trafficking later that night. Both Jackson and Bambam had reassured you that it was not your fault and that Jaebum would have been arrested eventually, but you refused to make such a foolish blunder again.

“I’m sorry, unless you can tell me exactly who you are and what you want, I’m going to have to ask you to leave…”

The woman looked a little irritated but she reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card that she offered to you. You squinted in the dim club lighting to read it. It had her name (one that sounded oddly familiar) and the address of some corporate law firm. She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m Im Jaebum’s lawyer. You can relax, I’m on your side. I assume you know all about how he was framed by BTS as part of a human trafficking scheme?”

Your throat felt dry. “You’re the one who got him out on bail? His ex-girlfriend?”

“Yes, that’s me. Do you need me to call Jaebum to verify my identity?”

“No, I believe you,” you replied, handing her business card back to her. You glanced around the club to make sure that nobody was watching both of you before lowering your voice. “If you’re looking for Jackson then he and Bambam will be here in an hour. None of the other members are scheduled to come by tonight-“

“I want to talk to you.”

“Me?”

The woman looked a little bit annoyed at your slowness and you straightened up slightly. Maybe it would be better to let her speak first. You tucked your tray under the bar and told one of the other waitresses that you were going on a break, before leading the woman towards the head of the club once more. You unlocked one of the spare VIP rooms and shut the door behind the both of you, blocking out the noise and distraction of the club. Only soft music played on the speakers above your head.

“These VIP rooms are safe, Jackson often conducts meetings here,” you explained. “What can I help you with?”

The woman sat down and crossed one leg over the other before she looked at you with sharp eyes. There was something eerily mature about her, yet she seemed like she carried a large weight on her mind. “Please sit down. I learned from Jaebum recently that you were a victim of BTS’ human trafficking ring. You’re one of a small group of girls who managed to escape their custody?”

Your heart sank at the memory. “I-I mean… yeah. We were rescued.”

“By Yugyeom and Bambam, the younger members of GotSeven,” she finished for you. You merely nodded as she continued. “Jaebum tells me that you’re in a romantic relationship with Bambam so I assume you know exactly what’s been happening these last few weeks. BTS tried to lay low on the whole trafficking ring for a year or two after you escaped. But they started up again recently and they’ve been leaving evidence everywhere. The police created a special task force to keep watch on them, which is why they attempted to frame Im Jaebum in a moment of panic.”

You bit your lip. “I heard.”

“Luckily, things haven’t been going too badly. The police arrested some of the top leaders of BTS earlier today.”

Your eyes widened. “What? Does everyone else know about this-“

“It’s extremely confidential information,” the woman told you firmly. “I only know because I’ve been regularly communicating with one of the officers on the organized crime task force. They’re going to be brought before a judge tomorrow and there’s no question of them getting out on bail. The evidence is far too strong. But BTS is rich and they’ll have the best defense lawyers on this case. We need a trump card, something that they won’t be expecting us to throw at them.”

You stared at her. “I don’t understand…”

“I thought it would be fairly obvious. I’m asking you to testify in court.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the thought. For the last few years you had been trying your hardest to forget the time that you spent in BTS’ custody. The experience had left you traumatized for life and you had scars that would never disappear. In those cold, damp basements trapped along with so many other girls, crying and screaming every time one of you would be dragged away never to return and not knowing what lie in wait for you, only able to imagine the worst…

You had never dared to think that you might escape and live a normal life like you were now, working as a waitress at a high-end strip club and living with your loving boyfriend. Bambam had fallen into your life like an angel and rescued you from a pathetic future. Even though it had been years since you’d escaped that vile place, the thought and mention of BTS still sent shivers down your spine. You had always been afraid that they would find you, that they would drag you back there.

“I- I can’t,” you told her.

The woman nodded calmly. She seemed to have been expecting such an answer. “I understand. I’m sure that having to talk about the time you spent as a hostage with BTS must be extremely difficult for you-“

“You have no idea,” you whispered furiously. Your hands were trembling. “I was there for months. They would take the girls away one by one and nobody ever knew where they took them or who was next. They would beat us if we were too loud and they only ever fed us enough to make sure we survived. They didn’t want us strong enough to escape or resist them. Even after Bambam rescued me I couldn’t sleep for months, I kept thinking that they would find me and take me back, that they would kill me or sell me, I-I…”

The woman sat and watched as you breathed heavily. You squeezed your eyes shut and took deep breaths to calm yourself down while she waited silently. You were almost relieved that she didn’t attempt to comfort you. After you had regained your composure, you looked up at her.

“It’s not just that I don’t want to talk about it,” you added. You felt a little weak for breaking down in front of this woman and you wanted to explain yourself. “I was a runaway. I ran away from home and that’s why BTS found it so easy to trap me. All of those girls were runaways, they were girls whom nobody was looking for. And BTS took away what little we had. So I don’t have anything to prove my identity or documentation, I’ve been living off the grid. It was too risky for me to apply for anything like that because BTS could find me using it. That’s why I’ve been working at Jackson’s club; no other place of employment would take me without so much as an identity card. What court would accept me as a witness?”

The woman looked at you for a long moment. “If you were willing to testify… the police would help you with that. Once BTS are convicted then the police would surely issue you a new identity. You wouldn’t have to live off the grid. You could work somewhere better than this shithole.”

You gave her a long look. “And if they’re not convicted?”

She was silent.

“That’s what I thought,” you replied with a scoff. “I’m done living in fear. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. I’m only just starting to feel safe again and I won’t put that in jeopardy for anything.”

“If BTS aren’t convicted this time then none of us will be safe,” she told you quietly. She wasn’t looking at you anymore, her eyes had dropped to the floor. “Not me, not GotSeven, not the police officers who have been tracking them down. The point is to try as hard as we can to make sure that they do go to prison for a very long time. But if everyone is too scared to speak, because of what might happen to them if BTS go free, then that’s exactly what will happen.”

You didn’t know what to say to that. Her words made you feel extremely small.

“Right,” you whispered.

She stood up and smoothed down her skirt before pulling out the same business card that she’d handed you earlier. She took out a small pen from a pocket in her skirt and scribbled a number on the backside. Before you could speak, she handed it to you. “You can call me on my personal number on front if you change your mind and want to discuss this,” she explained. “Or, if you want to talk to somebody more trustworthy then you can call the number on the backside. It will take you to one of the police officers that is heading the organized crime task force. She’s been dedicated to taking BTS down for years. The choice is yours.”

You bit your lip and tucked the business card into your apron pocket. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Thank you for your time,” she replied as she walked out of the room. You stayed there for a few moments, hands trembling as you closed your eyes and thought about what you should do.

--

The basement smelled terrible.

You weren’t sure how long you had been in there. There was a small bathroom in the corner that all six of the girls shared and sometimes you were all sent soap so that you could clean yourselves. But what you wanted wasn’t soap or clean clothes or for a nice smell, you wanted answers. One of the guards had come down and taken another girl with them yesterday; you had cried and screamed and tried to stop them but they merely shoved you aside and took her anyway.

She hadn’t returned. They never did.

“I can hear footsteps,” one of the younger girls whispered. She crawled over to you and wrapped her arms around you tightly, burying her face in your shoulder. You were the oldest girl here, the only one who wasn’t crying for her parents. You were the only one that had tried to stand up to the guards. But no matter how much the girls looked up to you, there was nothing you could do for them or yourself. A sense of despair was setting in. There was nothing you could even use to kill yourself. They’d removed the mirror from the bathroom after a girl tried to slit her own throat last month.

“Shh,” you told her quietly. “It’ll be okay.”

“It won’t,” she sobbed. “What if they take me next? Where do they take the girls?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted.

“Do they take them somewhere worse?”

You bit your lip and closed your eyes. You didn’t know exactly where they took the girls but you were positive that it wasn’t anywhere better than this place. Maybe they were harvesting organs, maybe they were selling them into prostitution. But the girl who was sobbing into your shoulder was too young to understand those things and you weren’t about to tell her. You forced a smile despite your racing heartbeat. You could hear the footsteps too and now voices as well. Maybe it was the guards coming to give you food, but they might also take another one of the girls away. There was no way of telling and you squeezed onto the girl tightly. “Shh, don’t cry,” you whispered to her. “Let’s not attract their attention, don't cry. You’ll be fine.”

The voices grew louder and you finally heard the click of a key and the creaking of the door opening. Most of the girls hid in corners and cowered, but you looked straight up at the large figures that entered while talking loudly.

“-lot of locks on those doors, do you think this is where they keep the diamonds? I’m serious, Yugyeom, if we find those fucking diamonds then I don’t even know what…”

He trailed off. There were two boys standing in front of you, both of them looking no older than yourself despite being extremely tall. They were in school uniforms and you gaped at them as they looked around the room in complete silence. The smiles had dropped from their faces as they looked at the cowering girls in the dirty basement and you felt your own heartbeat thud. They were not the usual guards. But they had the keys, so they had to be with the people that had trapped you.

“What is this?” one of the boys whispered. “Who are you? Why are you locked in here?”

The other boy grabbed his arm. “Bambam, I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all-“

“Shut up, Yugyeom.” The boy turned to look at you and you flinched when he took a step closer. You were the only girl that was looking at him. The rest of them had curled up and hidden their faces in fear. You tried not to tremble as he walked up to you and the girl in your arms sobbed harder. “I want to find out what they’re doing here. Why are you girls locked up here?” he demanded.

“I-I don’t know,” you whispered.

The other boy grabbed his arm. “You’re scaring her. Bambam, we have to get out of here. Jungkook could be back any minute, you know he would freak out if he realizes I took his keys-“

Bambam whirled on his friend. “Do you think he KNOWS that they have girls down here?”

“I don’t know, Bambam. Let’s go, please, this wasn’t what we planned…”

There was a loud, thudding noise from above the basement and the two boys exchanged terrified looks as they ran back to the door. Just before they shut it behind them, however, the shorter boy turned and looked straight at you. You saw a pair of soft, kind dark eyes that seemed torn. But there was a promise in those eyes, a promise that he would return.

You didn’t know who these boys were but for the first time in weeks, you felt a glimmer of hope.

--

“Hey beautiful,” Bambam whispered into your ear.

You jumped, startled. It took you a few seconds to realize it was only your boyfriend and you whirled around to face him with a huge smile. Bambam was beaming too. His handsome, childlike grin looked even more attractive now that you hadn’t seen it in days. You let out a cheerful giggle and launched yourself at him suddenly, causing him to let out a small oof! before he wrapped his own arms around your waist. The two of you never held back when it came to hugs. It was a competition of who could squeeze the other tighter and currently, both of you were winning.

“Hi,” you breathed out against his neck. “I missed you so much, Bambam.”

He chuckled and pressed his face into your hair. “I missed you too, baby. How have you been?”

“Awful,” you whined, snuggling against him more tightly. “I worked multiple shifts every day that you were gone because the apartment was too lonely without you. Can’t you take me with you next time? I always get worried when you go out on trips alone with Yugyeom. You’re both such idiots that I dream about you going and getting yourselves killed.”

Bambam sounded amused. “Yes, thank you for your faith in me, darling.”

You pulled away from him and pouted. “Am I wrong?”

“Not at all,” he reassured you. You closed your eyes as Bambam leaned forward and pecked you on the lips. Bambam’s kisses in public were always sweet and innocent so you cherished them, because that was not how he kissed you when you were alone. His mind seemed to be travelling in a similar direction because he lingered near your lips and then kissed you again, softly. “Isn’t your shift over? Come on, let’s go back home.”

You placed a hand on his chest and glanced back at the bar. “I still have ten minutes left-“

“Please? Nobody will notice. Jackson went in to talk to those guys from Macau. I doubt something serious is going to take place in those ten minutes,” he insisted, entwining your hands together. His kissable lips were pouting as his thumb stroked the back of your hand. “Let’s just leave. My car is outside. We can swipe some wine from the bar and take it home-“

You placed your hand over his mouth with a soft giggle. “Bambam! We can’t keep stealing wine from Jackson’s club!” you scolded him in a whisper.

Bambam’s eyes twinkled as he bit your hand playfully and then smiled once you dropped it from his face. “What are you afraid of? He would never fire you, he likes both of us too much. And you’re probably the only employee here that doesn’t do it. I’ve seen the strippers making off with bottles of whisky and champagne-“

“But it’s still stealing-“

“It’s all stealing,” Bambam reminded you with a laugh. He found it adorable how you never seemed to mind that he went and conducted negotiations with high-profile criminals and smuggled various illegal goods in and out of the country, but somehow your moral compass wouldn’t let him swipe a bottle of wine from his friend’s club or a pack of cigarettes from the convenience store. “Babe, this club was built on stolen money, okay? Jackson set it up with his share of the loot that they got from a casino robbery back before you and I had anything to do with the gang. Now go and pick up that bottle of wine-which by the way, Jackson would probably just give us for free if we asked- so that we can go home and get into bed.”

You pouted at him and pushed him away lightly. “Fine.”

“That’s my baby girl.”

You went over to the bar and casually mentioned to the bartender that your shift was over and that you were leaving. He merely nodded, too busy serving a pair of customers that were demanding his attention. You made a slight show of depositing your nametag and notepad underneath the counter as you quickly closed your fist around the first bottle of wine you saw. You tucked it underneath your apron and then hurried back out, shooting Bambam a grin.

“Go, go, go,” you whispered to him, one hand holding the bottle steady under your apron while the other hand gripped Bambam’s. He chuckled and followed you, both half-racing out of the club and into the parking lot. You waited until you were both safely inside of Bambam’s car before you took the bottle of wine out and handed it to him, laughing.

“Nice choice,” he complimented, tossing the bottle into the backseat as he leaned over to kiss you. You kissed him back, breathless from the running. Bambam’s lips slanted over yours hungrily as his hands slid into your hair. You loved how Bambam always let loose the moment you were both alone, never holding back from showing you exactly what he wanted. You had to push him away gently and giggle.

“Come on, let’s make it home first?”

“Do we have to?” he whined, his lips trailing down your jaw.

“I am not having sex in the car, Bambam. Don’t tell me you made me swipe that wine for nothing.”

He smiled and finally released you, turning his key in the ignition and starting the car. You hurried to put on your seatbelt as Bambam peeled out of the parking lot. You reached behind you to untie your apron and pull it off. You were just balling it up in your hands when you heard the crinkling sound of paper. Heart suddenly sinking, your hand slid into the apron and fingers closed around the small business card the woman had given you earlier.

You glanced at Bambam. His eyes were fixed on the road, trying to get you both home as soon as possible as he swerved through traffic.

You slowly pulled the card out and tucked it into the pocket of your pants, before throwing the balled-up apron into the backseat.

Maybe you’d think about it when you had more time.

--

The boys returned two days later.

Another girl had been taken away in the meantime and there were only six of you left now. There was very little crying. The time for tears had disappeared and had been replaced by something worse; a sick, creeping feeling in your stomach that made you feel empty. There was no hope left. The constant fear of what would happen was exhausting and the little food they supplied not enough to keep any of you strong or healthy. You couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps death would be better than wherever they were taking the girls.

The door had creaked open and the two boys had stepped inside. You blinked up at them silently. Part of you had begun to wonder if perhaps you’d imagined them the whole time, if maybe weeks of being locked up here with little food was leading you to hallucinations. But they were here again, their faces more grim and serious than the last time. The taller one had turned green and looked as though he might throw up as he looked at you and the other girls.

Bambam kneeled next to you instantly. You seemed to be the oldest out of the girls and you were the only one who hadn’t buried her head into her knees in fear. You looked up at him, at those familiar, dark eyes that held both compassion and a sense of desperation. You hadn’t seen such kind eyes in a long time. It made you shudder.

“Hey. I need you to talk to me,” he whispered.

You nodded silently.

“I want some answers. How long have you girls been locked up here? Who are you? What are they planning to do with you?” Bambam demanded. He looked nervous and his friend stayed near the door, apparently keeping watch in case someone came by.  “Are you from around here? How old are you? Do you have homes to go back to?”

He shot the questions at you so quickly that your head began to spin. Your lower lip trembled as you looked at this boy in front of you. Could it be real? Could he possibly be trying to help you or was this some sort of trap? You lifted a trembling hand to indicate that he should shut up and he fell silent instantly.

“I-I don’t know what they plan to do with us,” you whispered, your voice hoarse. “They just come and take away a girl every few days. They don’t tell us where they go or why. Most of these girls are little children. Some have been kidnapped, some tricked into coming here but they’re all terrified.”

“Fuck,” Bambam cursed, staring at you.

“Who are you?” you asked. “Are you with them?”

“Not anymore.”

“Please help us,” you whispered. You reached out to grab his hand and he stayed still, not even flinching as you wrapped your fingers desperately around his own. He was warm and for the first time, you felt lighter in your heart. There was a dangerous spark of hope. “Please. I’m begging you. Please get help.”

Bambam’s face hardened as he looked down at you. He had never seen anyone so desperate to cling onto a small hope, had never had someone look at him as though he was the first ray of sunshine she’d ever seen. Bambam knew in that moment that he would help you get out or he would die trying.

. “I will,” he promised. “I’ll get you out of here. Tomorrow, same time. Be ready to run.”

--

You awoke to the sound of a phone ringing.

You opened your eyes drowsily and reached for your phone under your pillow, but it was not vibrating. Bambam was fast asleep beside you. He was lying naked on his back, breathing heavily in his deep slumber and letting out soft snores. One of his legs hung off the bed slightly. You reached over to pull it back onto the mattress. Bambam let out a soft grunting noise but his eyes never opened.

It was his phone that was ringing and you had to reach across him to grab it. You normally never answered Bambam’s phone and you only intended to turn it off but the caller ID read Yugyeom, so you picked it up sleepily. Yugyeom had better have a good reason for calling at 6 am.

“Hello, Yugyeom,” you answered sleepily.

Yugyeom’s voice sounded excited. “Hey. Isn’t Bambam around?”

“It’s 6 am, he’s in dreamland. We drank a little too much wine last night so I doubt he’ll be up soon,” you explained, although you could slowly feel the blurry cloud of sleep lifting off your mind. Yugyeom wouldn’t call at a time like this for absolutely no reason. “Is it something important? Should I wake him up?”

“I think you need to. Tell him to get dressed and come down to headquarters. Everyone’s meeting there in half an hour.”

You immediately turned to Bambam and began gently shaking him awake. He let out another grunt and tied to swat your hand away but you persisted as you spoke into the phone. “Don’t worry, I’ll send him down as soon as I can. Is everything okay, though? Should I tell him something?”

Yugyeom took a deep breath. “Yeah, I suppose you should know. The police have arrested the ringleaders of BTS.”

You froze. “Oh.”

“Just send him over quickly, please.”

--

Bambam took a while to wake up but once he did, he was completely alert. He rushed into the bathroom and you could hear him brushing his teeth furiously. You went into the kitchen, your heartbeat thudding as you made two cups of coffee. What did GotSeven plan to do about BTS’ arrest? Were they going to get involved or were they going to let it play out silently and hope that all went well? You couldn’t even begin to imagine the consequences that the arrest of a huge and powerful gang like BTS would have on the entire mafia.

“I made coffee,” you told Bambam as he emerged from the bedroom, struggling to button his shirt. You handed him the mug and gestured for him to drink while you took over the buttons on his shirt. Bambam gulped down the coffee gratefully. His hair was still a bit of a mess and you reached up to smooth it down just as he placed a soft kiss on your lips. He tasted like coffee and you closed your eyes as his arms wrapped around you.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Should I come too?” you asked nervously. Bambam didn’t mind taking you down to headquarters with him occasionally, as long as there wasn’t anything too dangerous going on. “Can I come?”

Bambam bristled. “Absolutely not.”

“But why-“

He took a deep breath and cupped your face gently with both his hands. You looked up into his dark, loving eyes and realized that he was worried. Bambam had never been able to hide his emotions well. This should have been a happy moment and Bambam should have been excited the way Yugyeom was, but all you could see in his eyes was fear. “Babe, I need you trust me. Just… lay low for a while until this whole thing with BTS’ arrest gets resolved, okay?”

“Lay low, what does that mean?” you wondered.

“I mean don’t talk to anyone. About the time you spent as a hostage with BTS, or anything you know about BTS at all. Not even the other GotSeven members. Don’t tell them anything about what you experienced.”

“Why not?” you whispered.

“Because right now things are tense. All everyone will care about is making sure that BTS gets convicted. That woman, Jaebum-hyung’s lawyer? She put her entire career on the line and she’s going to make sure that BTS goes to jail. So are the police officers heading the organized crime task force. They all have only one goal in mind and they’re just desperate to get people like you and me who know too much about BTS to talk.”

You placed your hands over Bambam’s. “Then maybe we should talk.”

“They’ll find someone. I don’t want you to go through that. I’m not letting them put you on a witness stand and force you to relive your experiences because they made an arrest without sufficient evidence. If any of the BTS members end up acquitted of their crimes…”

You bit your lip. “They’ll come for us.”

“Exactly.” Bambam leaned forward and kissed you again, his thumb stroking your cheek. “Jaebum-hyung saved us last time but now things are too big even for him to handle. Please don’t talk to anyone about anything, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” you whispered.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

--

You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen the stars.

The rooftop was small but there was a cool breeze and you felt free. The other girls were all asleep, cuddled up on the floor of Yugyeom’s brother’s apartment. There had been nowhere else for you all to go and Yugyeom had brought you back to his brother’s house. But the brother would be returning from a college trip in a few days and you couldn’t stay here forever.

To be perfectly honest, BTS was much more likely to find you before Yugyeom’s brother.

Bambam sat beside you silently. His arm was in a cast that you’d clumsily bandaged yourself, using a first aid kit that you found in the apartment. One of the guards had tried to interrupt the escape operation and both Bambam and Yugyeom had suffered blows in the fight before they could take him down and tie him up. It had all been a rush of adrenaline, an exciting run and a thrilling show of bravery. But now it was all over. Now you sat silently in the dead of the night and watched as Bambam wrapped his arms around his knees and tried to keep himself together.

“They’re going to find us,” he whispered quietly.

You knew that he was right. The other girls were happy in the thought that Bambam and Yugyeom were their saviors and that these handsome boys had rescued them from that terrible place. But Bambam had confessed to you that things were not so easy. BTS was an enormous mafia group, much bigger than you could ever have imagined. They would find you. If not now then in a few days, or even in a few weeks. They wouldn’t give up, not after the stunt you all had pulled.  

“They have men on the inside among the police but you should still give it a shot and go to the cops,” Bambam told you quietly. “Yugyeom and I can’t come with you. We’ve been dealing drugs for BTS for a few weeks now, we’ll surely get arrested if we go anywhere near a police station. But there’s no other way. I can’t keep you girls safe. I-I don’t even have a place where you could all live. I should have thought about things but I didn’t, I just wanted to get you out of there because you looked so miserable but I didn’t think about what I would do once I managed it…”

You reached over and placed your hand on Bambam’s shoulder gently. “Thank you,” you whispered.

He scoffed and looked down at his own hands. “For what? For all I know, they’ll catch us all and things will become twice as bad.”

“But you tried,” you whispered.

“A pathetic attempt, really,” Bambam mumbled. “They’re probably scouring the streets for us now. I can’t even imagine what would happen to any of us if we stepped into a public place and were spotted.”

You squeezed his hand and looked at him. There was something passionate and reckless about this boy who sat beside you, this mysterious boy who had a heart of gold. You could see the pain in his eyes. You could see that he wanted to do more for you, that he wanted to keep you safe and that it angered him how he couldn’t. You looked into those dark, passionate, kind eyes and smiled.

“I don’t care. I’m happy right now.”

“Are you really?” he whispered.

You nodded and leaned back with a smile, tilting your head up to the sky. “I got to see the stars again.”

Bambam looked at you for a long moment, before he finally chuckled and tilted his own head back with a sigh. He followed your gaze up to the star-filled sky. “It makes you feel rather small, doesn’t it?”

“It reminds me that there’s beauty in this world.”

“There is. Lots of it.”

You looked at the boy sitting beside you and wondered if he realized how beautiful he was.

[hcneymilkks]

24K Jinhong | The Purge

REPOSTED FROM WATTPAD! 

next

[ALL P.O.V's THAT HAVE NO NAME ON TOP BEFORE THE SENTENCE STARTS IS Y/N's WORDS AND THOUGHTS.]

[ALSO, SOME OF THE DESCRIPTION IS FROM 24K's MV "STILL 24K" AND "BINGO". THE SAME MEMBERS IN THOSE MV's WILL BE USED HERE. CREDITS TO THE TRAILER OF "THE PURGE" AS INSPIRATION FOR THIS IMAGINE.]

[STARS (***) WILL REPRESENT NEW P.O.V's WHILE DASHES (---) WILL REPRESENT CONTINUING P.O.V.'s]

[Y/N means your name and Y/F/N means your friend's name.]

The poster flapped vigorously in the wind, one corner already peeling off. In bright red letters painted to look like streaks of blood, it said 'On October 13th, 2018, all crime will be legal for twelve hours, starting at midnight. Be prepared, for you don't know what's coming for you.'

News stations around the city were announcing this very important yet dangerous day, encouraging us fellow citizens to lock our doors and hide. As if it would help. People in this century know how to pick locks, or even easier, blow up the whole front door.

Once the twelve hours end, all citizens are to resume their daily lives like normal, only some may have lost valuables, doors, and even people. No one can report the crime, for the criminals are safe under the law, The Purge Law.

"The Purge Law states that any crime, whether small or extreme is legal. Any persons killed are given a regular funeral, no compensation may be given. All weapons used are granted permission by the government to be registered yet the files will be destroyed after twenty-four hours. No one is protected, everyone is vulnerable on this day." The newscaster read, making me chuckle.

History has shown that The Purge has been going on for one hundred years, starting in 1918 when the Ku Klux Klan in the United States had reformed. Their goal was to use violence against Blacks, Roman Catholics, Immigrants, and anyone who supported giving minority groups equality rights. Their vision was to have a White Christian supremacy, just like how Hitler in World War Two wanted Germans to be the Master Race.

But now, people have used it just to reduce the population, or to get revenge on a family member or friend, or anyone who just doesn't fit in society.

Coming from Japan, where little to no crime happens, I wanted to see it in action. Yes, I wanted to leave myself as vulnerable as I can, even if it means I'm asking for a death wish.

***

[JinHong]

October 10th, 2018

11:09 PM

JeongUk's garage was filled to the brim with boxes on each side, a couch in the middle, and a table with weapons.

Hui was using a cloth to wipe down a simple handgun, one of his favorites.

"So," Cory, the appointed leader started. "Does anyone have a specific person in mind to target?"

"Just anyone who gets in my way," Kisu says, twirling a dagger around his fingers with careful yet fast movements.

JeongUk nods in agreement.

"Changsun, Hongseob?"

"I mean, I want to steal rather than kill because you can sell the valuable items in exchange for money and maybe invent something new," Changsun says shyly.

"That's a good idea," Hongseob says and uses the computer. "According to Google Maps, there are many jewelry places in Portland so it's either we can split up or go altogether."

Cory puts a hand under his chin. That signifies he is thinking of a plan. "I believe it's best to go in all together. That way if anyone tries to attack, we all protect one another."

"But doesn't the law state that all of us are vulnerable no matter what? It's like saying not to trust in one another and only focus on ourselves." Changsun explains.

"What? Do you think we are going to just abandon one another? Or are you the one who's going to abandon us?" Kisu says angrily and Changsun gulps in fear, probably regretting speaking up.

"Easy now Kisu, I need you to save that energy for tomorrow," Cory says. He turns to Changsun. "Changsun, there's no need to worry, we are all in this together okay? We will protect one another."

"Let's go till the end." Changsun mumbles.

Cory turns to me. "JinHong, usually you're the most talkative. What? Cat's got your tongue?"

I playfully smirk. "Nope. I just wanted everyone to have a chance to speak what they want to."

"Now they have. So, what specific person do you want to target?

"Well, remember when I joined this gang group for one reason only?" I ask.

Cory nodded. "You said your parents died in The Purge when you were only nine."

"I found the people responsible for my parent's death."

"But the law states that-" Changsun started but I interrupted him.

"I know. The law states that you can't press charges or throw them in jail or something like that. But that's not it. I saw in old records that in 2008 they moved to Japan and stayed there until they died."

"So...if they died, who are you targeting?" Kisu asks, clearly annoyed.

I smirk. "They were husband and wife, and from reading many books, couples want to have children. The wife gave birth to a daughter, who they both kept their secret from her. But, she's here, and I want her. I want her to know the truth of what her parents have done. I want her to know how it feels to have your heart ripped out and your breath stuck in your throat. I want her to die a slow and painful death."

---

"Hey baby," Chun-Li kisses me on the lips. I feel Kisu shooting glares at me but I ignore it.

"What's up? Anything new with the girl?" I ask her. Along with Hongseob, Chun-Li is an expert of hacking and tracking down people.

"Not much. All I know is her name, how old she is, what city she lives in, and her hobbies."

"Spill," I said.

"Her name is Ji Y/N. She's nineteen years old, she currently resides in Portland, Oregon and loves to read and write."

I smirk and kiss Chun-Li on the lips happily. "Get ready baby, for the 13th will be the best day of your life!" I pick her up and bring her inside one of JeongUk's many rooms, with her laughing.

***

October 12th, 2018

3:34 PM

I walked along the streets of Portland, letting the cool air surround my skin. It was like giving me an extra layer of protection from the harsh rays of the sun and from the scorching heat. Many people smiled and laughed as they walked, but it was a shame to see that all of this would be gone in less than twenty-four hours.

The bookstore was calling me so I entered roamed around. Fairy tales, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Murder, Romance and many more genres swarmed around my eyes. Oh, how I wanted to have all of them. I smirked. Stealing books was the one thing I have been dying to do since I've heard about The Purge.

At the corner of my eye, I saw a speck of black. Craning my neck to where it came from, my eyes immediately land on a blank black cover. No title, no author. I pick it up and flip to a random page. Nothing. I look at the back to see if there is a price tag. Nothing.

I put the book down and go back to looking around but my feet indistinctively went back to the same place where the book was.

Although The Purge started tomorrow, I couldn't help myself and tucked the book into my bag, walking away and praying that no alarms will go off. Once I pushed the door and walked out, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

---

6:50 PM

Unlocking the door, I walk in but step on my own foot causing me to lose my balance and almost faceplant into the hardwood floor.

"Woah girl did you drink? Why are you walking all tipsy?" My friend Y/F/N asks.

"No. You know how clumsy I am. I legit just stepped on my own foot. You know how saddening if would have been if I dropped my bubble tea? I paid six dollars and thirty cents for it."

She starts to laugh. "This is why you should stay in the house during The Purge. It's either you are going to run away from the person and fall in the middle of it, or you are gonna talk so much that the person can't be bothered with you. So it's a fifty-fifty chance you make it out alive."

"Are you dissing me or offending me?"

She smiles evilly. "Whatever you think it is."

"I hate you."

"You know you love me."

---

That night, we watched a lot of action and defense movies "in order to protect ourselves if we get in that kind of situation" as how Y/F/N described it.

We moved to the basement and sat on the floor cross-legged, each of us having a knife and a handgun.

It's now eleven fifty-seven pm and at any given moment, our phones are supposed to go off. At least that's what they said.

"Y/N?" Y/F/N asked.

"Hmmm?" I responded.

"You won't betray me, right? We will survive this together right?"

I nodded. "After my parents died I had no one. You took me in because we looked like twins. Over the past few months, we did a lot together. I wanna continue it. I can't lose you."

She started crying and I saw her phone screen light up. One minute. I hugged her back.

"I love you, my twin."

12:00 AM

Beeps came from our phone, signaling a text alert.

'ATTENTION! THE PURGE HAS NOW STARTED. THE BILL OF RIGHTS HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY TAKEN DOWN AND BEEN REPLACED BY THE PURGE LAW. YOU HAVE TWELVE HOURS TO COMMIT A CRIME IF CHOSEN TO. OTHERWISE, BRACE YOURSELVES, FOR YOU WON'T COME OUT THE SAME WHEN YOU FIRST CAME IN.'

Muffled sobs came from Y/F/N's mouth and I whispered soothing words into her ear, trying to keep her voice down.

It was quiet, too quiet.

"Why does the government have this Purge thing going on every year?" I whisper.

She opened her mouth to say something until a crash was heard upstairs. She buried her face in my shoulder and I rubbed circles on her back.

Loud steps, not one, not two, more like eight people were walking. I heard fabric being ripped, glass shattering. I pictured the whole living room a mess.

"Stay here," I whispered. "Go hide in the hidden closet. I will come back once everything is fine upstairs."

I was about to leave until Y/F/N grabbed my wrist.

"You said you wouldn't leave me. Please stay."

I pried her hand off my wrist and tears were in her eyes. "I can't, if we both want to live, one of us has to go up there. Just trust me. If I'm not back here in thirty minutes, stay hidden and don't make a sound." She nodded and I trudged up the stairs, using my phone as a small flashlight to guide me.

When I turned at the stairs I immediately closed my phone, trying to force my eyes to adjust to the dark as quickly as they can.

"There's no one here." One person says.

"Do you think she left?"

"That's not possible, there's still a bowl of fresh popcorn on the coffee table." Another one says.

Wait, how can they see that? It's pitch black outside and they didn't even open any of the lights.

I quietly went up the stairs and took out my knife. If I can get close to one of them then I can-"OUCH!" I covered up my mouth.

"Who's there!" One took out their flashlight and I tried to run away but I bumped into something, wait no scratch that. I bumped into someone.

The person took out their phone and shone their light on me, revealing a boy who looks my age with silver hair wearing a black bandana as a mask.

"HONGSEOB, CHUN-LI! IS THIS HER?" The boy yells and another one comes and puts a device to my face.

"JinHong, it is." the boy says and the silver-haired boy who I presume is JinHong pulls down his mask and smirks.

"Ji Y/N, you're coming with me." and I felt something heavy hit the back of my head, the last thing on my mind was if Y/F/N was going to be okay.

MASTERLIST

[fallen-imagine-angel]

Come Back To Me (Part 2) - Peter Parker x Reader

Notes: Hey guys, so I finally finished Come Back To Me part 2! It took a little bit, but I think it makes up for it by being so long. Oh, and Chapter 13 of the HP AU should be up by tomorrow or the next day, hopefully. I’m planning on posting it one of those days. Tag List is open for anything, too! Have a great rest of the day :) 

Summary: Part 2 to Come Back To Me, where you live in the Avengers compound to find a way back to the love of your life.

Come Back To Me - Part 2

Peter Parker x Reader

Requested?: Yes, by @soniasalvatore1 “Can you please make a part 2 to “Come back to me” I really liked it and just want to see what else would happen in the story”

Word Count: 5,190

Warnings: mentions of suicide & depression!! don’t read if those trigger you!! also, FLUFF and ANGST!!! 

Two years. It’s been two years since Tony recruited you, and three since Peter disappeared. Everything has changed.

You spend your days training with Natasha and your nights in the lab with Tony and Shuri. Shuri’s your best friend now, but the term is loose. Both of you are too distraught to really do ‘best friend’ things. The compound isn’t happy, just as you expected. Everyone has lost someone, and it’s taking its toll. 

Steve keeps to himself all day, only coming out of his room to train occasionally. You hardly see Rhodey, but when you do, he’s with Tony and Pepper. Valkyrie and Thor usually spend time with each other, and Valkyrie drinks a lot. You occasionally talk to Thor since he knows what it’s like to lose someone to something other than the dust. Clint mostly spends time with Natasha, so you see him occasionally before or after you train. Bruce stays to himself, beating himself up about how he couldn’t hulk out in time. Okoye and Shuri talk a lot about T’Challa, becoming almost a sisterly duo. You wish you could join, but it wouldn’t fit. You didn’t know T’Challa. Rocket and Nebula, on the other hand, bicker all the time about random things. And then there’s you. 

“Are you ladies almost done training for today? I need my lab assistant.” Tony walks into the training room to find you and Nat battling it out.

“She’s a natural born fighter, Tony. How come you didn’t bring her in here before two years ago? She’s almost as good as I am now.” Natasha tries for a smile. You appreciate her efforts to make you feel better.

“Well, I did learn from the best.” You get in a jab to her side.

“That you did.” Nat nods affirmatively.

“Okay, can you two be done? I’ve got some tech that needs working on, (Y/n), and you’ve already been training for...what is it? Five thirty? Yeah, you’ve been training for eleven and a half hours. It’s my turn.” Tony grabs your arm and drags you away from Natasha. 

You have a system between the two, they each get eleven and a half hours, and then you get an hour of sleep. They don’t know about most of the system, just that Tony gets you in the lab at 5:30 pm sharp. What he doesn’t know is that you’re in the lab until five every morning. Pepper usually forces him to go to bed around midnight or one, two which he makes you promise to go to bed no later than an hour after he does. You always promise, but never actually keep it.

“What are we working on tonight?” You ask, taking off the boxer’s tape on your hands.

“Whatever you were working on last night. You haven’t finished it yet, have you?” He asks you as you continue to walk toward the lab.

“Nope. I’m close, though. I think I can have it finished by tonight. Is Shuri already in there?” You yawn. Tony eyes you suspiciously as you yawn.

“Yes, she is. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?” He frowns.

“Of course. Just tired from eleven hours of training.” You grin at him. He nods, not all the way convinced by your answer. You step into the lab, being greeted by Shuri.

“(Y/n), I made a few modifications to your invention but I didn’t get to finish them, so here’s the list. I’ll let you work on them now. Meanwhile, I’m going to finish upgrades on my brother’s suit.” She gives you a quick hug before walking to the other side of the lab. You mentioned nothing of the fact that her brother turned to dust because you know she would only get upset. She’s set on bringing her brother back just like you’re set on bringing Peter back. You’d made web formula modifications for him, so why can’t she do the same for her brother’s suit? You won’t spoil her dreams, because that would be spoiling your own in the process.

“Thanks, Shuri.” You give her a small smile before getting back to work on your invention. It’s an invention that can locate a person no matter what dimension they’re in.

~+~

Hours later, after Tony and Shuri have already gone to bed, you’re still working in the lab. It’s about three in the morning now, and you’re so close to being finished with your device. If you get it finished soon, then you can maybe call it quits and turn in early for the night.

“(Y/n)?” You hear a groggy voice from the doorway. You look over to see Tony standing there with a confused look on his face.

“Morning.” You wave your hand dismissively, getting back to work.

“Why are you working this late? You need sleep.” Tony walks toward you, trying to take the device from you.

“I’m almost finished. I don’t stay up this late all the time.” You jerk your hands away from him, continuing to work.

“Really? The security footage begs to differ.” Tony points to a camera in the corner, making you sigh. Then your device starts to whir.

“It’s working! Quick, give me a person to locate!” You snap at him. 

“Thor?” He rubs his eyes, yawning again.

“He’s in his room! Ha! It works! Who’s another person who isn’t in this compound?” You ask, suddenly very awake.

“Uh, there’s this guy named Ant-Man who fought my team when Cap and I were...not on good terms. Can you find him? I haven’t seen him in a while.” He suggests.

“Ant-Man? What’s his name?” You ask, typing in some stuff to the device.

“Scott Lang.” He answers.

“Hm...it says he’s in something called the Quantum Realm? No idea what that is, I hope he’s okay. Probably just on a mission of his. Anyway, it works! Now to try it to do it on Peter!” You rush to type in some other things, trying to locate Peter. It beeps, signaling it can’t find him.

“What’s the problem?” Tony looks at it, seeing it light up red.

“It can’t find him!” You yell in frustration, trying to find everyone you know that turned to dust. No dice.

“It can’t find anyone? So it can find every dimension except the one that we’re trying to find? Unless...” Tony trails off, guilt lacing his voice.

“They’re not dead, Tony. Don’t even think of that. No, we’ve just got to try again,” You try it again, to no avail, “Ugh!” You throw the device into the trash, not seeing Tony picking it up and putting it away for future use.

“Hey, hey, kid, just go to bed. We’ll figure it out tomorrow after your training.” Tony lays a hand on your shoulder. An idea pops into your head.

“What if we didn’t have to wait anymore?” You grin, grabbing multiple pieces of technology from everywhere.

“What are you getting at?”

“Time travel! We could go back in time to save them!” You grab his shoulders excitedly.

“Kid, get some sleep. You’re only nineteen. This isn’t healthy.” He shakes his head, sighing.

“We just have to make a portal, then we could go back in time and save all of them! We can save Peter!” You ignore his comment completely.

“(Y/n), listen to yourself! Okay, say we go back in time. We save them. Peter is sixteen years old. Do you really think you can date a sixteen-year-old kid Peter? He would still be in high school.” Tony growls, trying to knock some sense into you.

“Plenty of people date with age differences, Tony.” You point out.

“It would be illegal!” He yells, causing you to fall silent.

“Tony...I’m not looking to date him. It’s not about having him as my boyfriend, it’s about having him back. My Peter. My best friend. Sure, I’m in love with him, but I would be fine getting him back and just being his best friend. I just want my best friend back. Please.” You sniff, a tear slipping out of your eye.

“Oh, (Y/n)...” Tony pulls you in for a hug as more tears slip from your eyes. You bury your face into his shoulder.

Then it hits you.

“What if...what if we didn’t go back in time to get them, but we went back to stop the snap from happening? What if we went to The Collector and got the Reality stone, then got the Time stone from Dr. Strange, and the Space stone from Loki, and had Wanda destroy them all.” You offer, your brain going a thousand miles a minute trying to process everything.

“That’s...that’s actually not a bad idea. We’ll get to work on that tomorrow, though. As of now, we both need to get some rest.” Tony pushes you out of the lab. You groan and trudge to your room, flopping on your bed and finally getting some much-needed rest.

~+~

The next morning, you jump out of bed and run to the training room, finding Clint already in there talking to Natasha. 

“Hey, Clint. Nat.” You give them both happy smiles, something you’ve never done in your two years here. They both seem taken back by the happiness you’re radiating.

“What happened to you?” Nat asks.

“Tony and I may have figured out a way to get the others back.” You grin. Both of their eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“You’re...serious?” Clint asks with a hint of hope in his voice.

“Maybe. It’s a really good possibility, though. We’re working on time travel.” You nod. Clint gives you a smile, the first you’ve ever seen from him. The rest of your training is spent working hard.

~+~

Eleven and a half hours later, like clockwork, Tony saunters into the training room.

“Let’s go!” He yells, and he doesn’t have to ask twice. You’re saying goodbye to Natasha and heading to the lab.

When you reach the lab, you realize that the outline of a portal has already been started in the center, and Shuri is tinkering with it.

“You guys started without me? Traitor.” You punch Tony in the shoulder. 

“I never said I wouldn’t.” He shrugs, giving you a smile. You jump right in, getting to work beside him and Shuri. Bruce even comes in for a couple of hours to help you guys work. For once, you don’t feel hopeless.

~+~ 

A few weeks later, you’re finally finished. There’s a portal sitting in the center of the lab, and you’ve tested it to make sure it works.

“We have to figure out who will go.” Tony frowns, scanning the portal one more time for any possible malfunctions.

“I know who will go.” You give him a look. He nods, having the same people in mind as you.

“So what’s the news?” Everyone else shows up in the lab, filing in through the door one by one.

“We found a way to get the others back.” Tony drops the news, and everyone’s faces go into shock. Except Clint and Natasha’s, of course. 

“You’re serious?” Steve asks.

“How?” Nebula asks skeptically.

“Even the ones who didn’t turn to dust?” Thor steps up, his fingers crackling with untamed electricity.

“Yes, even Loki. Even Gamora. Everyone. Because….we’re going back in time.” You answer their questions.

“Back in time?” Rocket yells.

“Yes, back in time, rabbit. Did you not hear them?” Thor beams, now in a much better mood.

“I heard them.” Rocket growls, but he doesn’t seem that angry at Thor. He seems to have a soft spot for the god.

“When are we leaving?” Steve asks.

“Now.” You bite your lip, looking through the Avengers and Co.

“Who’s going?” Nebula asks, narrowing her eyes at you and Tony. Shuri and Bruce are off to the side, already positive that they’re not going. Bruce doesn’t want to fail again, and Shuri isn’t sure she’s ready to see her brother again, since he left her in her lab when he was off fighting and ultimately, dying.

“Me, Steve, Thor, Nebula, and Natasha will go,” Tony answers, and you clear your throat.

“And me.” You add. Tony turn to give you a look, but you glare at him and make him shut up.

“So...we’re just stepping through the portal? Where...when are we going first?” Thor asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Your ship. Before Thanos arrived. We’re getting the Space stone from Loki first.” You smile at him. He nods. 

“And, we’ve got a remote for the portal so we can open it anywhere to any time and send something through or walk through. That’s why we need Bruce and Shuri here, to keep track of what and who comes back through the portal.” Tony informs everyone.

Everyone who was picked for the mission steps forward and the rest take a step back. Shuri turns on the portal and the team steps through. You feel like you’re submerged in water.

~+~

When you arrive on the other side of the portal, it’s like getting a fresh breath of air. You take a deep breath and look around the ship, seeing everyone happy and talking. You spot Loki amidst the crowd.

“Brother!” Thor bellows, grinning and running over to him. He envelops him into a large hug, which Loki is very confused at.

“I swear you were just in the other room.” Loki mumbles.

“I am from the future! We have come to rescue you!” Thor sweeps his hand toward the rest of the team, including you, and you wave slightly. You were trying not to fangirl. Of course, you’ve heard of all of these heroes, but you’ve never met any of them. And true, Loki isn’t a hero, but he’s an anti-hero, and he tried to save his planet and his brother in the end, so he’s a hero to you.

“Right...look, we’re about to head to Earth, so I’ll see your...team...there.” Loki rolls his eyes at his brother's antics, probably thinking he’s playing a trick on him.

“Look, Reindeer Games, we need you to hand us the Tesseract. And come with us. You’re going to die if you don’t, I promise you that.” Tony steps forward, holding out his hand to Loki.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. No. I don’t even have the Tesseract.” Loki huffs, crossing his arms.

“Do not lie to me, brother! I told you, I’m from the future. Any moment now, Thanos will show up and steal it. Then he will...destroy everyone. Do you think we can take Heimdall, too?” Thor turns to Tony.

“We can’t take all of your people, Thor, but I will allow Loki and Heimdall.” Tony begrudgingly agrees.

“C’mon, trickster, we need the stone. If you don’t hand it to us, we’ll be forced to take it from you.” You frown.

“You said Thanos is coming any moment now, yes?”Loki hums, glancing at the front of the ship anxiously. 

“Yes. Come with us, brother. Please.” Thor practically begs. Loki reaches into thin air and flips the Tesseract to Tony, who of course catches it with ease.

“Where are we going?” Loki asks, narrowing his eyes at you and Nebula in particular since he’s never seen the two of you.

“We’re not going to the same place as you. You’re going back to the compound, three years in the future. We’ve got some unfinished business in other places.” You answer him. He nods, seeming to deem you worthy of answering his questions.

“Okay.” He agrees, surprisingly.

“Okay.” Tony nods and clicks the remote, opening the portal. Loki, without hesitation, steps through to the other side. Thor gets Heimdall, gives your group a smile, and steps through the portal with Heimdall to get some much needed time with his brother and Heimdall back. Tony closes the portal and opens up another one.

“To Knowhere, pre-Thanos.” You smile at them and step through.

~+~

Another breath of fresh air and you’re in the middle of the Collector’s Museum on Knowhere. 

“Collector!” Tony yells, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“How can I be of service?” He appears behind your group, cocking an eyebrow at everyone.

“Give us the Reality stone.” Nebula’s now at his throat with one of her many weapons.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Shouldn’t we ask nicely first?” Steve asks, putting a hand on Nebula’s shoulder. She shrugs him off and presses the knife harder against The Collector’s throat.

“He wouldn’t react well to asking nicely.” She growls.

“She’s right. Why should I give you the Reality stone?” He narrows his eyes at her.

“Because if you don’t, there will be consequences. Half of the universe will die. That means half of your clientele. And you, of course. You’ll die.” You smile sweetly at him. He glares at you.

“And why should I believe you?” He sneers.

“Because in about thirty seconds, Thanos is going to barge in here and take this from you no matter what, and he won’t spare you. I suggest you give us the stone and run so he doesn’t get to you next.” Natasha speaks up, instead of just giving her signature intimidating look that she’s been giving this entire trip so far.

“Fine. Take the stone.” The Collector gives Nebula the Reality stone once he realizes you’re telling the truth.

“Another down. Let’s go.” Tony opens another portal, and everyone steps through.

~+~

You’re now standing on Vormir, right behind the purple thumb and his daughter, Gamora. Everyone looks at each other apprehensively.

“I’ll grab my sister. Tony, open the portal as soon as I’ve got her because we’re both going through as soon as I do. Then, you guys go wherever you need to go.” Nebula instructs. Tony nods. Nebula sneaks forward and taps Gamora’s shoulder. She spins around, ready to fight until she sees Nebula. She relaxes a little bit and willingly walks through the portal with Nebula without her having to explain anything.

As Thanos drones on about his big plan, Tony opens another portal and everyone walks through unnoticed. 

Disaster averted.

~+~

You, Tony, Natasha, and Steve step into Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum. 

“I know why you’re here, you don’t have to tell me. Why do you need the Time Stone?” Dr. Strange appears from nowhere, giving your group a look.

“If you’re so all-knowing, then you should already know the answer to that question.” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“You’re right, I do. You want it to possibly save half the universe. Look, I’m tasked with keeping this stone at all times so I do not think I will hand it over to the likes of you.” He shakes his head.

“Then you also understand that you handed it over to Thanos when he tried to kill me.” Tony crosses his arms.

“Now why would I do such a thing?” Dr. Strange hums, flipping through one of his books absentmindedly.

“We don’t know. But you should give it to us because you and everyone you love will most likely die if you don’t.” You growl.

“So, if I give you the Time stone, you will save the world?” He asks, snapping the book shut and returning it to its place on the shelf. 

“Yes. Please, just give it to us. You’ll get it back three years from now, I promise. But it won’t actually be gone three years since we’ll only have it for about ten minutes.” Tony explains. Dr. Strange nods and opens the necklace, handing the Time stone to Tony. You thank him and step through another portal to your last destination. 

~+~

You arrive in Wakanda, in Shuri’s lab, next. You see Wanda standing there with Vision.

“Wanda, we need your help.” Steve steps forward.

“With what?” She asks, narrowing her eyes at you since you’re the only person she doesn’t recognize.

“We need you to destroy these stones.” You say as Tony lays them out on a table for her. She nods, a little hesitant, but seems to understand what’s at stake since you’re obviously not the regular Tony, (Y/n), Steve, and Natasha. Even though she wouldn’t know what you’re normally like.

She starts to use her power to destroy them.

A few minutes later, they all shatter, causing a massive burst of energy to throw everyone off their feet and into the nearest wall. 

“Ugh...time to go, guys.” Tony groans and opens a portal. Everyone climbs through, leaving a confused Wanda behind.

~+~

When you arrive back in your time, everything is different. No one is in the lab besides Shuri, Bruce, Thor, Loki, Heimdall, Nebula, and Gamora. 

“What happened?” Natasha asks.

“The rest didn’t know when you would come back, so we waited. For three years.” Shuri explains.

“We’ve been gone three years?” You furrow your eyebrows.

“Time travel. We don’t know how it works yet, we just figured out how to do it. It’s the same time as when you left, and the same place, but as soon as you destroyed the stones, everyone started appearing again. It’s been three years in their minds. They’ve been living here for the past three years and Thanos is only a distant memory to them. They remember the other timeline, but it’s more like a dream to them.” Bruce shrugs.

“Interesting. Well, I guess it’s better to be gone for three years than them be gone for the rest of our lives.” Tony racks his brain for explanations, but you don’t care.

“Where’s Peter?” You ask.

“Probably in his room.” Shuri gives you a small smile. Without warning, you and Tony rush out of the lab and find your way to Peter’s room. Tony had shown it to you a long time ago, and you had memorized the route from every room you had been to, so you get there a split second before Tony does.

“(Y/n)-” Tony stops you, putting an arm in front of the door. 

“What? I need to see him, Tony.” You try to shove him out of the way, to no avail.

“I need to talk to him first. Please. Let me. You can talk to him right after. I promise.” He begs you, giving you his puppy dog eyes that rarely many people got to see. You frown, sighing. 

“Fine. You have five minutes.” You begrudgingly let the billionaire go first. He’s a father figure to Peter, so it makes sense. You’re just the best friend.

~+~

During those long five minutes, you get a call. From your mom.

“Honey?” Your mom asks.

“Yeah, mom. It’s me.” You nod.

“Oh, good. Are you coming home for dinner tonight?” She asks simply, and you smile, a tear slipping down your cheek. It’s been so long since you last heard your mother’s voice.

“Yeah, I’ll be home. I gotta go now, but I’ll call you later, okay? I love you.” You hear her say a soft “I love you” back before you hang up, biting your lip to keep from crying already.

She’s okay. Everyone’s okay.

~+~

A few minutes later, as promised, Tony walks out of the room and closes it softly.

“You can go in now. You’ll thank me later.” He pats your back and walks off, leaving you slightly confused and nervous now. You’re not sure if you want to go in yet, after what Tony just said. Why will you thank him later?

Cautiously, you open the door. Peter is sitting on his bed, staring at his phone, crying. You hear a distinct voice playing on the phone.

“Uh, take care. I love you.” Your voice. Your voicemails. He’s listening to your voicemails.

“You weren’t supposed to hear those. How did you get that? I would’ve thought that- after...after the time change, your voicemails would’ve changed, too. Maybe disappeared.” You mutter, your heart rate picking up rapidly.

“Tony had my phone...he was never on it, it was to kinda...preserve my memory in a way, but he had it in his pocket at all times. Probably hoping that he’d give it back to me one day…” Peter trails off, not even looking up at you. Is this what Tony meant when he said you’d thank him later? He was wrong.

“I’ll just go.” You tear up, not from being with your best friend, but from not being able to have a happy moment with your best friend once he’s back.

“No, don’t. Please stay.” Peter grabs your hand and pulls you back to him, hugging you harder than you’ve ever been hugged before.

“Shuri says that dying is a distant memory for you. Almost like a dream. Do you remember it?” You whisper, letting your tears flow.

“Yeah, I do. Not vividly, just kinda the overview of things. I know I disintegrated, but I can’t remember much after that.” He admits, pulling you closer to him. You let out a sigh of relief.

“I remember everything. I remember being without you for a year. I remember being without May, Ned, or MJ for a year, too. And...without my dad for half a year.” You take a deep breath and pull back from Peter to get a good look at him. He doesn’t look much different besides being slightly older. Nineteen suits him well.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/n).” He brushes a hair behind your ear and your breath hitches in your throat.

“I should go. I’ve got a dinner with my family, and-” Peter cuts you off mid-sentence.

“Aunt May and I, and your family should do dinner together tonight! It would be a great way to catch up again, especially after everything. Shuri explained to me that regular civilians have a different perception of what happened than us...heroes. They don’t think that you, Tony, Steve, and Natasha have been gone for three years. Your mom has lived like you’ve been here the entire time, for some reason. I’m not sure why.” He explains quickly, making you slightly confused but more understanding why your mom wasn’t completely freaking out that you answered the phone.

“Okay. I think dinner with everyone would be good.” You nod in agreement.

“Great. And...before we go, there’s something I need to do.” Peter scratches the back of his neck anxiously.

“And what-” You’re about to ask what that would be, but before you can get the sentence finished, Peter’s kissing you. You’re surprised, to say the least, but not in a bad way. Your hands make their way to his hair, pulling at the disheveled curls as you kiss back. You’ve been waiting for this for too long.

Maybe you would thank Tony later.

“That’s what I had to do. I’ve been waiting to do that for...forever.” Peter grins once you pull away. Then, he kisses you again. And again. And again.

“Peter, as much as I absolutely love kissing you, we should get to our apartments. My parents will be wondering where I am.” You grin and take his hand, pulling him out of his room and into your car that Tony had gotten you a little while ago for your birthday.

~+~

When you’re finally back at your apartment building, you run up the stairs to see your parents. Peter has been able to see Aunt May for three years, but you haven’t seen your parents since the day your mom disintegrated and your dad committed suicide.

You knock loudly on the door to your apartment, Aunt May and Peter behind you, waiting anxiously. Aunt May knew of why you were so excited, she also had a distant memory of what happened, since she wasn’t necessarily a superhero, but she was involved in the life of one.

“Hi, honey!” Your mother hugs you and you hug back tightly.

“Mom! Where’s dad?” You look behind her. She gives you a concerned and sad look.

“Where’s…(Y/n), your dad...your dad committed suicide two years ago. How could you forget that?” Your mother places her hand on your forehead to check your temperature.

You go numb.

“He...what? Why?” You mumble, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. Everything was supposed to be okay again.

“Well, he said he didn’t feel quite right. Like something was off. He kept complaining about it for half a year until...he killed himself. A year before he did, he was fine. Nothing was wrong. But then, six months later...he wasn’t himself anymore. He said he felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there like nothing felt quite real anymore. I don’t know what he was going on about, but he couldn’t bear to live with it any longer. Are you sure you’re okay? How come you don’t remember this? You were distraught and went to stay with Peter for a little bit.” Your mom pulls the three of you inside and goes to get a thermometer for you.

“He’s...he’s gone. For real. I’ll never get to see him again.” You mumble, not really able to contemplate anything else at the moment.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/n).” Aunt May and Peter hug you, trying their best to comfort you in the best way they could. Peter especially, since he knows what it’s like to lose a father.

“Honey, take your temperature.” Your mom hands you a thermometer and you put it in your mouth, not paying much attention to it. You hear a beep and your mom takes it out of your mouth.

“No fever...weird.” She frowns and goes to put it away. She then serves dinner and everyone eats silently. An awkward tension grows over the table.

“So, uh...me and (Y/n) have an announcement. We’re dating.” Peter smiles, trying to take your mind off your father. He laces your fingers together and holds your hands up for your mom and Aunt May to see.

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that! You know, (Y/n), I knew you two would get together ever since you started hanging out when you were kids.” Your mother gushes. “I saw it, too! Did you see the way they would look at each other in middle school? Totally crushing on each other, but never even noticed it! I’m surprised it took them this long!” Aunt May joins, making you smile. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all. Sure, you don’t have your father, but you had adjusted to life without him before. It shouldn’t be so hard this time, especially with everyone else by your side.

“Did someone call for a party!?” Ned and MJ suddenly burst through your apartment door, hugging you and Peter tightly.

“Oh my gosh, you guys! I texted you, like, fifteen times this morning! How come neither of you answered?” MJ punches your arm lightly. So, she’s like your mom. No clue about anything.

“MJ!” Ned yells, pointing at your intertwined hands. MJ raises her eyebrows and looks at you, winking.

“Now I think I know why you weren’t answering.” She smirks.

“MJ!” Both you and Peter yell, heat rising to your cheeks. You bite your lip to keep a smile from forming. If only she knew.

“Okay, okay. The adults are here, right. So, what’s for dinner?” MJ grins and they sit down and start eating your mother’s homemade food. You smile to yourself.

Maybe this can be your new little happy family.

[boredzoomerpire]

Found a nice ask meme on questionslisting, good.

Get to know me

1. Name: Lucian Michaelis

2. Age: 21

3. City that you live in: Won't say the city, but it's California.

4. What do most people not know about you? I'm not American by birth. Oh yeah, also the vampire thing. But I figure more people know that, bizarre as that is to think about.

5. What do most people know you for? I dunno. Being the baby-faced guy with two cats who doesn't go out in the sun. You'd have to ask my neighbors.

6. Hobbies: Gaming, writing, reading, singing. Dancing, somewhat.

7. What are your passions? Writing poetry and tending to cats. Music in general.

8. What do you search for in a significant other? A big heart and a sweet smile. Nice figure would be a plus, but ah well.

7. What are you most proud of? My poetry.

8. When was the last time you had a significant conversation with someone you love? I spent hours talking to my cats last night. Unless you mean love in *that* sense. Forgot that one.

9. Have you ever collected anything? What was it? I collect video games.

10. List 10 things off of your bucket list. See the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids, write dialog for a video game, find the love of my life, find a way to eat something again, can't think of more.

11. What was the last thing you learned? How to post something on this blasted website.

12. How many relationships have you been in? Three.

13. Turn ons: Bright eyes, sweet smile, sense of humor, so on.

14. Turn offs: An empty cranium or an empty conscience.

15. Favorite food: none

16. Favorite drink: take a guess.

17. What is the best birthday gift you have ever received? A puppet show

18. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Quite optimistic.

19. Do you sleep during class? Yes.

20. What is the most expensive thing you own? My computer. I pieced it together, but it can't be less than a few grand.

21. What is the cheapest yet most useful thing you own? Old flip phone. Worthless now, but it still works well and so I can keep an Italian number so my grandparents in Europe can call.

22. How many times a day on average do you check your phone? A lot.

23. Text or call? Text.

24. Opinion on long distance? Not sure.

25. What is your definition of success? Being happy to wake up.

26. Favorite song? Too many to list

27. Favorite artist? Possibly Abney Park, not sure though.

28. Celebrity crush/crushes? None.

29. When was the last time you read for fun? Today.

30. Favorite flower? Peonies and roses.

31. What is the best gift you could receive right now? A car. My Honda is as old as I am.

32. Any guilty pleasures? Corny pop songs.

33. What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? I'd love to look slightly less like a kid.

34. What do you search for in a friend? I dunno. What happens happens.

35. How many times have you said "I love you" in the past month? Didn't keep count.

36. Where did you last go other than your room/home? Work.

37. Why do bad things happen to good people? Destiny has no morals.

38. In your opinion, what hurts more? Being left out or being stabbed in the eye? I can probably regenerate my eye better than my heart.

39. How many green shirts do you own? None. Green isn't my cup of tea.

40. Do you like anime? Sorta.

41. What do you invest the most time in? Gaming.

42. What was the name of the last book you read? The Book Thief. Brilliant.

43. What's the difference between loving and liking someone? You like someone's superficial manners and appearance, and love someone's flaws.

44. Where are you most productive? At my desk with some music in my ears.

45. List 3 things you enjoy doing with friends. Talking, drinking tea, gaming.

46. List 3 things you enjoy doing alone. Reading, listening to music, gaming.

47. Do you believe world peace will ever exist? Sure, when everyone's either dead or too tired of this shit.

48. Do you have any allergies? I used to be allergic to mosquitoes. No really. It wasn't fun. Oh yeah, and wasps.

49. When was the last time you cussed at someone? I cussed at Diane a couple hours ago. Coffins aren't scratching posts. Neither are arms

50. What was the last promise you made? I promised a friend I'd babysit their dog.

51. What was your last dream about? Waking up in a morgue. Fuck that nightmare.

52. If you won a trip to Hawaii and you could take 5 people with you, who would those 5 people be? Not sure.

53. How many countries have you visited? Italy, the United States, Scotland--that makes 3.

54. What is your favorite medium of art? (Music, dance, painting, etc.) Writing.

56. When was the last time somebody complimented you? Yesterday Tommy said my outfit looked nice.

56. If you switched bodies with someone, how would you recognize yourself? I'm the one with the over the top sense of style.

57. Do you consider yourself mature? No.

58. How many days in your life do you think you have wasted on tumblr? None. Yet.

59. What is your favorite quote? None in particular.

60. If you started a new religion and you had to create 3 rules or commandments for your new followers to live by, what would those 3 rules be? Don't hurt cats, don't be an ass, gift me an article of clothing at least once.

61. What is your greatest accomplishment? Getting Diane to tolerate Sardine.

62. Do you believe in the death penalty? Not really.

63. What are your goals for life? To find love and travel the Earth

64. What do you think your soulmate is doing right now? Not even sure I am

65. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? The place can be in an imaginary, fantasy, or the real world. | Not sure, truth be told. Possibly Vivec City from The Elder Scrolls. Dunno why, it seems cool.

66. What were you like in 2013? 8 years ago... oh god, I was a 13-year-old. 8th grade. Detentions on the daily, my stupid eggy ass saw confrontation as the "MaNlY" thing to do. Fucking hell, why did you have to dig that up? Nobody deserves to hear tales of stupid little boy Lucian.

67. Do you have a job? Yep. Graveyard shift at the nearby pharmacy. Dull, but I've got to have it.

68. Tell us a story about your childhood best friend. Ah yes, guy named Tommy. He's trying to break into acting now and starting to see some results. When we were kids, he and his sister staged a whole-ass puppet show for my birthday. Didn't tell me. I smile to this day when I think about it

69. If you could change one thing about society, what would it be? Making people more open-minded, that's for sure.

70. How many all-nighters have you pulled before? ...I've been pulling all-nighters every day for months now.

71. Is tumblr your favorite website? If not, then what is your favorite website? Spotify does it for my favorite website. Lots of music.

72. What is the craziest thing you would do for a million dollars? I don't much care for a million dollars. So long as I can pay rent and packs, I'm fine.

73. Does money equal happiness? Nah. I'm about ten times happier now scraping by than I was when I lived with my family and had all the money in the world.

74. How many times have you experienced true happiness in your lifetime? Often, but I don't really keep count.

75. How many times have you experienced true sadness in your lifetime? I haven't kept count of that either. Often. I'm an emotional guy.

76. What is the funniest joke you have ever been told? An Italian joke about the Last Supper.

77. When was the last time you looked at the news? This morning. Yay on the US being first in the medal rankings of the Olympics. Slightly less yay on Italy being 10th

78. If you could say one thing to the world, what would you say? "Good afternoon!" Everything past that sounds like too much of a hassle.

79. What is your favorite animal? Cats and bats.

80. If you could earn a million dollars by pretending to be dead for 3 years, would you do it? Ask someone who isn't dead.

81. What is one thing that everyone is bad at? Dunno.

82. What time do you normally sleep? How many hours of sleep do you usually get? I used to sleep pretty regularly, midnight to seven or eleven to six. The vampire thing isn't helping my sleep schedule any, though. I'm awake past 3 PM, and don't usually get over 5 hours of sleep.

83. Does age necessarily equal maturity? Nah, I've met some old idiots.

84. What is your favorite clothing store? There's a little clothing shop near where I live. I'd never wanna leave.

85. In the winter- beanies or gloves? Don't know, can't feel the cold (though contrary to popular belief, it gets cold in California)

86. Would you rather have wings or a fish tail? A fish tail. People weren't made to fly. Says the one who *can* fly, but I don't like it.

87. If you had the power to erase one person from the world so that nobody remembered him or her except you, would you do it? I don't know, I don't think I care enough.

88. What do you fear the most? Destruction.

89. How many digits of pi can you recite? 3.14. Yep, that's it.

90. If you could travel back to one year and relive it again, which year would it be? 2019, probably. No pandemic, stuff in my life started falling into place...

91. Describe yourself in one word. Restless

92. Describe your last victory. I beat a friend of mine at Pokemon Platinum. Nobody expects bug types.

93. What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen? I've seen a few. Couple UFOs.

94. What is something you will never forget? The stars. Shit, the stars. You simply don't forget the first time you see them with eyes like mine.

95. Would you rather forget all of the past or remember everything in vivid detail? I've already got a treasonous overly-vivid memory. Wouldn't trade it for forgetfulness.

96. Have you ever broken a bone before? Well, yes, I think I broke my arm a few weeks ago. Not entirely sure because I can't exactly go to a doctor, but pretty sure. I can say this: regenerating bone sucks even with a regenerating power.

97. Is it harder to love or to hate somebody? Meh. I tend to keep it to "like" and "dislike".

98. Coffee or tea? Tea's tastier, but coffee's more effective.

99. What are some little things that you do that have changed your life in a positive way? Funnily enough, lately I've definitely decided to work on my life. I've been taking care to brush my hair more, and to enjoy the small things more.

100. How many hours have you spend on tumblr today? Hell if I know.

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 8-14

DAY EIGHT [JAN 8]

9:00 AM - Wake up still feeling full from yesterday’s black bean burgers. Make a chemex and start working. I have a performance evaluation today and as well as an after-work happy hour so I want to try to get everything done before the review and then workout after before HH.

10:30 AM - Eat a banana

12:30 PM - Have a short break before my performance review. Make a Greek-ish salad and drink a Seltzer before my quarterly performance review which I am slightly nervous for since I was very slow in both November & December.

3:00 PM - Performance review went well. No criticism from my boss, though I should’ve known. She is the most direct supervisor I’ve ever had so I always know where I stand. Eat some grapes. I’m not super sore today but there’s something in me that’s saying to take a breather from exercising today (probably my “reward” for a good performance review), so I slowly finish my work for today.

4:00 PM - My best friend (let’s call her T) from high school calls and we catch up for 45 minutes. Pour a mezcal soda while we chat. I let her go attend Happy Hour and realize this after work HH thing isn’t happening. Today is David Bowie’s bday and I get sentimental about the annual David Bowie Nights I would do with H (I never gave him a name in my last diary, but we’ve remained pals over the years and he will probably come up more this time around). I FaceTime H kinda drunkenly and he goes to the corner store and joins me with a bottle of wine. I pour a second mezcal soda. We chat until 7:45 and I lowkey make dinner towards the end.

8:00 PM - K and I eat veggie sandwiches with potatoes for dinner. He slinks off to work more and I facetime another friend, J to chat about H’s latest drama. 

10:00 PM - Go out on the couch to find K already falling asleep. I’m kind of drunk anyways and there’s no point staying up so we decide to turn in.

DAY EIGHT TOTAL: $0

DAY NINE

2:00 AM - Wake up sweating. This is my new hangover thing and has been happening throughout quar. Drink some water, turn on the fan, and stay up for an extra 30 minutes until I pass out again.

9:15 AM - Wake up feeling ok! Make a chemex and watch the latest episode of Dessert Person on YouTube.

10:30 AM - Get started on blog stuff for the day. I have a stacked list of stuff I want to shoot this weekend. I’m only one ingredient spread in before I start to feel light-headed from last night’s alcohol, so I break to make breakfast – tofu/egg scramble tacos with soyrizo. I still feel a little weird after so I drink a nuun and things start to improve.

3:30 PM - I shoot thousand island dressing, Russian dressing, cauliflower leek soup, and the first half of seitan corned beef. Tomorrow I’ll finish that, and shoot rubens, italian dressing and a greek salad. I don’t usually shoot 7 recipes in one weekend, but I’m very much out of content. 

4:30 PM - Finish shooting for the day and eat a small bowl of cauliflower leek soup. 

6:00 PM - Working out on the weekends is always hard because of lack of routine / structure, but I suck it up and do a barre live stream. Shower and watch the last of the Suns game and import photos. 

7:45 PM - Make veggie sandwiches with miso butter green beans for dinner. This is the last of our veggie sandwiches which is sad. I love them so much! Spend the rest of the evening with K. We watch part of the 76ers game where they only had 7 players, a few episodes of Letterkenny, and then I read Remain in Love while he played RocketLeague.

DAY NINE TOTAL: $0

DAY TEN

8:45 AM - Doomscroll in bed for a bit and finally make myself a chemex. Put on an old episode of The Challenge. Buy a very belated birthday present for a friend - mamafuku seasoned salts. $34.95

10:30 AM - Pump myself up for shooting for the rest of the day. I have to finish the seitan, then shoot a greek dressing, a greek salad, and reuben sandwiches. None of these things should take too long but I also shot all day yesterday so I’m dragging ass. 

3:15 PM - Finially finish! I ended up also taking a decent break to chat with my sister on the phone part way through. I think everything looks alright though. 

4:00 PM - Import photos, eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup with a La Croix, watch an episode of The Challenge, try to hype myself up to exercise but by the time I am ready to play DDR, K says we’ll be zooming with his parents in just a short while.

5:30 PM - Drink the last of the wine in the house – a true bummer – on zoom with K’s parents. Cook dinner after – reubens with miso butter broccoli with more La Croix. We watch some Letterkenney and then K plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love / zone out on fone. 

9:00 PM - K finishes playing and I assume the DDR position. My tracking has already improved quite a bit since Tuesday. I play most of the tracks on standard and close my Apple Watch rings after 30 minutes. Rinse off, put the Challenge back on and edit photos of Russian Dressing. 

DAY TEN TOTAL: $34.95

DAY ELEVEN

8:30 AM - Ugh Monday. I actually have a lot to do already today. Make a chemex and do the dishes leftover from yesterday’s cooking adventures. Pure barre charge comes through. $15

9:45 AM - I have a giant stack of packages and mail in the house from the past few weeks. Open up one of them and it contains a phone case I bought from a “tech company” that is probably just a fancy version of Wish. Slap it on my phone. I honestly can’t believe I went over a month without a case without cracking anything. I’m amazing.

10:00 AM - Missed a call on Friday afternoon from an appraiser scheduler, so I call them back to get something on the calendar for next week after MLK day so I have the 3-day weekend to clean. Eat yogurt for breakfast.

12:00 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. It’s really good but not very filling. I have a feeling today is going to have a heavy snack vibe.

2:00 PM - Eat a handful of pretzels. 

3:00 PM - Eat 2 clementines

4:00 PM - Eat a handful of tortilla chips. Start thinking about dinner. Don’t want to do reubens and burritos sound really nice so I start the process of making chile de arbol salsa and instant pot refried beans.

5:30 PM - Do a Pure Barre livestream. My focus is a little better than Saturday, so I’ll take it!

7:00 PM - Make rice on the stove while I clear some dishes and make burritos for din. Spend the rest of the eve watching random YouTube videos with K. He falls asleep at some point on and I turn on The Challenge. 

11:00 PM - Gently wake K up and we head to bed. Put on the Suns game from earlier and cuddle up. By the end of the first quarter, I’m asleep.

DAY ELEVEN TOTAL $15

DAY TWELVE

8:30 AM - Wake up to find a couple of weird charge notifications. One is from Instacart for the exact amount of my last order – a duplicate charge. And the other is an auto-ship from Thrive market but it was supposed to charge my mom. I text her to let her know she owes me $20. I won’t include either of these charges since I’ll get reimbursed / refunded. The autoship also reminds me to look at the account and cancel my next one with Thrive.

9:00 AM - Get the stuff sorted out with Instacart. They’re going to email my sister (we share this account) the deets and she’ll forward to me. Make a chemex and make my way through the stack of paper mail before starting my workday. One of them is a confirmation of my credit score – 749. Sign a bunch of papers and put them in a giant envelope to send back to the loan company.

10:00 AM - Eat plant yogurt for breakfast and try to focus on the outstanding tasks I have this AM which is surprisingly kind of a lot.

11:45 AM - H texts me saying he forgot his wallet to buy lunch and asks me to place an order at Chipotle that he can pick up. Always happy to help! Place the order online and it’s $10.43. He PayPals me $10 for the damage. $0.43

12:45 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. This salad has like 5 calories since the dressing is oil-free and leaves me wanting more. 

1:00 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels. 

3:00 PM - Heat up a small bowl of cauliflower lentil soup. Officially done snacking until din.

5:15 PM - Done with workie. Make a nuun and do barre live stream. The class recording this time is actually “easy” which is nice – my body must be adjusting to the new moves. Make leftover bean cheeze and rice burritos for din.

7:00 PM - K and I watch King of the Hill for a bit and then he plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love and then work on a post for Russian dressing. Watch some of the Challenge in the background.

DAY TWELVE TOTAL: $0.43

DAY THIRTEEN

8:30 AM - Good morning to me! See a charge come in from Blueland for soap & dishwasher tablets. Kind of a bummer because I don’t need them at all right now. Move my next delivery date to November 1 and put a note on my calendar a week before to check my stock. Note that the Instacart charge is gone. Hooray! Make a chemex, do the dishes and spray down the counters. $25.19

9:30 AM - Not sure what it is about today, but my calendar is clear and I know tomorrow is going to suck with meetings, so I really take my time and ease into the day. I don’t feel super confident posting the Russian dressing all over the interweb and would rather stage it as a thousand island vs Russian dressing kind of thing, so I just decide to post on Insta, Pinterest, and one Reddit forum before deciding that’s good enough. 

10:00 AM - Eat a yogurt. These Oui ones are really too sweet for me, but I’m at the mercy of whatever is on sale because honestly yogurt is a giant rip off. I should learn how to make my own.

12:30 PM - Make another greek salad with La Croix for lunch. Fully prepared to snack again since this guy is just not very filling. 

1:20 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels

2:30 PM - Eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup. I’m actually caught up on work for once which is nice. Looking forward to knocking out barre before 7 PM - hah. We’re still a week out from needing groceries, but it takes a while to plan/prep. With the appraisal on Tuesday, I know it’s not going to be a fun weekend so I start thinking about what I want to make for the rest of the month.

3:30 PM - Find a bougie polenta recipe I want to give a go as well as shoot oil-free instant pot refried beans and nacho cheese with potatoes and carrots. And use all of that to make sheet pan nachos. Should be a fun weekend of shooting there. Eat grapes. 

4:30 PM - I can’t hang with how hungry I am. Eat tortilla chips and salsa. Do a barre live stream and do a peloton 10 minute low impact ride. 

8:00 PM - K isn’t hungry for dinner so I heat up a Philly burrito and eat it with more tortilla chips and Sweedish Fish for “dessert.” I watch some of The Challenge and then K and I play Mario Kart and watch Letterkenny before turning in.

DAY THIRTEEN TOTAL: $25.19

DAY FOURTEEN

8:30 AM - I hate 9 AM meetings. Get my shit together enough to make a chemex before I have to be on the call.

10:00 AM - I can’t handle how many snacks I keep eating throughout the day. Toast a bagel for breakfast with Earth Balance, everything but the bagel seasoning, nooch, and salt. Eat some Sweedish Fish while I wait for the bagel to toast.

12:30 PM - Make the same greek salad with a lemon La Croix. I eat quickly as I have to present at 1 so I eat quickly in prep for that.

2:50 PM - It’s over! It went well and got good compliments on my presentation skills by all parties. AND I’m not starving. A win for all! I realize half the lights in my bedroom & bathroom are out which is a bad scene for appraisal. Buy some replacements on Amazon. $27.98

3:10 PM - Start building the grocery order for next Wednesday. I realize I’m doing this really far in advance, but I’m worried I won’t have the gusto for it this weekend. 

4:30 PM - Heat up a small cup of cauliflower leek soup for a snack. Debate to myself about whether or not I want to do barre and for whatever reason an hour of it sounds boring. DDR sounds fun though so I go for that instead. Get a good cal burn and even AA Kind Lady on Heavy. It’s coming back baby!

6:00 PM - Rinse off and make dinner – we’re doing Reubens tonight with roasted potatoes. Really really delicious dang. 

8:30 PM - Drink a yellow chartreuse with Lagunitas Hop Water and play Mario Kart with K. Then edit photos of cauliflower lentil soup for my blog.

DAY FOURTEEN TOTAL: $27.98