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bangchanshehe · 4 years ago

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Bodyguard Lee Pt. 2

You met a kind stranger wandering the streets of Athens who was willing to go out of his way to help you. But across the globe weeks later you cross paths with him again. Could having this many unexpected meetings be a happy coincidence or an ill-fated destiny?

word count:2k

Three days later you were back in Seoul and unpacking your luggage. It had been the most exhausting and chaotic week of your life and you were happy that you were finally able to at least get back to your normal routines. And while things weren’t going to slow down for you any time soon you at least had more of a sense of normalcy.

You smiled to yourself as you unpacked all of your trinkets and threw your used clothes into the laundry. But most of all you were excited to see your mom and share with her the necklace that you had found for her while you were out looking for souvenirs. You thought back on that night and smiled to yourself.

The man that had helped you in Greece gave you such a good impression of the city that was so miserable for you so far. As the two of you drove past historical buildings and prominent locations he explained their significance. And any place that you wanted to go to he took you there with a smile on his face. by the end of the night you felt like the two of you had been friends who had met each other for the first time in a while as opposed to the strangers that you were. The two of you talked amongst yourselves and you found out that he was a Korean national who was working in Greece. Most importantly there was no pressure to act a certain way in front of him because of who you were, everything was completely natural instead. If it wasn’t for his assistance you would have gone back to your hotel empty handed and upset that you weren’t able to find anything to bring back. And In the end you weren’t able to get his last name to give him a proper thank you or even find him on social media but you would always remember his first name. Taemin.

“shit” you screeched out as the sound of your ringtone startled you out of your fond memories.

You pulled out your phone and took a deep breath before you answered the call from your manager. You couldn’t go a single hour without someone from your company trying to contact you about something. you had just gotten dropped off outside of your apartment less than 30 minutes ago, and you were happy that you were able to be in your own space once more. But now you were back to being the busy entertainer once more.

“hello?” you asked bitterly, not even bothering to conceal the disappointment and frustration in your voice.

“y/n, tomorrow morning the company wants to recruit some new security team members to travel with us while you go on tour. I’ve sent you their resumes so take a look and let me know who your top three are. They want to hire the new members as soon as possible so they can start their training.” Your manager quickly barked out before she hung up on you.

You pulled the phone away from your face and double checked that she really hung up on you, and the moment you confirmed you scoffed. What the hell… you thought to yourself. I guess she needs the time off as much as I do too.

You quickly opened up your email and looked at the recently received message and scowled. You had never hired someone before and you didn’t know what to look for in a resume to make an educated decision on who to hire. And you honestly didn’t care who would end up being on your security team as long as they would protect you and were professional.

You clicked on the message and opened the attachments to see ten resumes in total. You let out a sigh and meticulously went through each persons accomplishments and previous employment. Each one of them had a lot of strong accomplishments and experience that would make them valuable members. And you were completely at a loss as to who to choose until you looked at the last resume. He was last employed by the Korean ambassador who was stationed in Greece, he had lost of merits and rewards and he seemed to be very professional.

You grinned to yourself and mentally congratulated the man for being in the running. You scrolled up to see his name and information and your eyes almost jumped out of your head when you saw his application headshot.

“Taemin?” you asked out loud in complete disbelief.

The chances of this happening was slim to none. No, it was less than that. It was almost impossible.

But if his resume didn’t already speak for itself his helpfulness and courtesy of helping you in Greece did. You didn’t really care who the other two members would be, but you knew for a fact that you wanted Taemin as one of your members. It was the last thing that you could do for him since you weren’t ever able to properly thank him.

You immediately emailed your manager back that you didn’t care who the other two were but you absolutely wanted Taemin on your team, and then shut down your laptop. You were excited to see Taemin once more and congratulate him on getting the job. You imagined how shocked he would be to see you once more but this time as a prominent entertainer.

The next morning you got up with a smile. It felt good to sleep a normal amount of time and in your own bed again. You took your time enjoying your morning coffee and you relaxed as you got ready. You had opted to wear something more casual and comfortable for the day since you had worn such heavy and extreme clothes during your shoot.

when your manager had finally arrived at your apartment she gave you a call and you quickly grabbed your belongings and met her in your van.

“good morning” she said chipperly

“morning” you replied back

“today your schedule is a little tight” your manager said with a sorry tone “this morning we have a photoshoot for promotions, then you have a vocal and choreography training session. After a short lunch break you have an interview and then in the evening you have a meeting with the producers and event coordinators.”

You leaned forward towards your managers seat “will we have time to see the candidates for the security team?” you asked her hopeful that you would be able to greet Taemin on the team personally

Your manager hummed and looked at the clock “im not too sure what time their final interview is but with your schedule today its pretty unlikely.” She said

You sat back in your seat and let out a small sigh. It was too bad that you wouldn’t be able to see Taemin, but this was your life. Constantly missing out on the things that you want to do.

The time was currently 7pm and you were staring at the sunset as your day finally came to an end. You were waiting for your manager to pull your car around in the garage when you had made eye contact with someone who you didn’t expect to see.

“y/n-ssi” one of the directors called out to you.

You had immediately turned to him with a professional smile and bowed in greeting but inside you were dying. You had hoped that he was going to simply pass by you but instead he had stopped right next to you.

“I wanted to introduce you to the newest members of your security team.” He said holding a hand out towards the three men that were behind him.

Your eyes immediately widened and your attention was heightened. You didn’t think that seeing taemin would be possible today but you were gladly proven wrong.

“this is Seonghwa, Minho, and Kai” the director stated their names

As soon as you saw the faces of each of the new members your smile immediately turned into a frown. You had looked at each of the men and then up to the company director. Sure you had seen each of the men’s resumes and they were highly qualified, but if you had met any of them on the side of the road and asked for help you were sure that none of them could give you the same treatment as Taemin gave you in Greece.

“director, may I speak to you for a minute?” you asked him and he gave you a gesture to walk a distance away to speak. Once the two of you were a few yards away from the gentlemen you whispered your questions. “what happened to Taemin-ssi?” you asked “I really liked his resume and thought that he would be really good for the job.”

The director gave you a smile before he answered “we did too. His resume and previous employment was quite impressive. However, he wasn’t interested in a job that required leaving the country. He is interested in more of a regular full-time job in Korea.” He answered

You lowered your head and let out a small sigh. Although you were hopeful to run into him again it was understandable that he would want to stay in Korea since he had been in Greece for a while. And you couldn’t blame him for that. He probably also had a family in Korea that he missed dearly.

“I understand” you said to the director

The two of you shared a mutual look of agreement before you approached the new men once more.

“congratulations on joining the team.” You said to the men giving them a smile “ill be off now. have a good night”

The men politely bowed and responded with goodnight and get home safely. You had bowed back politely and then retreated to the parking garage where your manager would pick you up.

You hadn’t received a message from your manager yet that she had arrived but you wanted to get out of the building as quickly as possible. Your hopes of having taemin joining your team was a bummer, but you were more upset that you wouldn’t see him again more than anything.

It had felt like for the first time in a long time you were able to make a friend who wasn’t under any sort of impression or had expectations based on what your career was. And maybe you were reading too much into that night in Greece, but you really did feel like Taemin had become a friend. Or maybe it was just your brain creating a scenario out of nothing since you needed companionship so badly.

You had felt a tap on your shoulder and you had turned around without looking at the person. You were looking down at your feet when you had asked “can we stop at the convenience store before you drop me off at home?”

“sure. What do you need?” you heard a man’s voice asking back

You had immediately snapped your head up when you heard the voice that was so unfamiliar to you. You looked up at the mans face and was unable to recognize him past his black hat and mask that hid his facial features.

“im sorry, you must have the wrong person.” You said quietly and hid your face hoping that you could simply back away from the situation and wait inside for your manager.

“no, ive got the right person” he man said and his eyes crinkled in a smile

You looked him up and down and red flags went off and alarm bells rang in your head. The man pulled out a box cutter just far enough out of his jacket pocket for you to see as he pushed the blade out all the way.

“quietly, I want you to get into the car.” The man said in a scattered and panicked voice

You put your hands up and you began to take small shaky steps towards his car door. As you got closer the man circled around so he was no approaching you instead of you stepping towards him. When you opened the car door and sat down inside he began barking commands at you.

“put the ankle cuffs and handcuffs on.”

You nodded your head and you began to place the cuffs around your feet. But as tears sprung to your eyes and your hands began to shake you weren’t able to put on the cuffs as quickly as the man wanted you to.

“faster!” the man yelled and you began to sob

You tried to calm yourself down as you blinked away your tears and tried to focus. But the fear that swept through your body only made things worse.

How had no one seen you on the security cameras and come to help. What was taking your manager so long that she wasn’t here already. And why was this happening to you?

You had finally snapped the handcuffs on when you had heard a loud crunch and a body had hit the pavement next to you outside of the car. You looked down at the man who was now lying still and let out a loud sob when you saw the mans mask. When you realized that the danger was finally gone you looked up to who had saved you, and you completely lost control of your emotions.

Of all people who you had hoped would help you never did you imagine that it would be Taemin to your rescue.

#kpop #kpop series #kpop scenarios #kpop fanfic #kpop imagines #kpop smut #kpop fanfiction #shinee #shinee taemin #taemin #lee taemin #taemin series #taemin smut #taemin scenarios #taemin imagine #taemin fanfiction

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liannyeong · 4 years ago

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Crimson (Chapter 3)

Summary: Jaebeom tours Yujin around the mansion, and the start of the wedding preparations.

Word count: 2463

Pairing: Jaebeom X OC

Warning(s): None

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

A/N: Phew! Managed to get this done in time! And it’s a longer chapter too :D Do support my works by buying me a coffee! Follow me on Twitter for updates ~ See you next week! ^^

Jaebeom takes Yujin to the garden first. Standing a few steps away from the garden arch, pink flowers decorating the iron base. The vibrant petals contrast against the surrounding plain green hedges. Jaebeom doesn't bring her into the garden though. Instead, he briefly explains that it's more of a maze instead of an actual garden.

"What's in the middle of the maze then?" Yujin asks, looking beyond the arch. Interestingly, the sun is bright overhead, but the garden pathway is rather dark, and there seems to be a kind of fog clouding it, giving a mysterious aura.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a water fountain, that's all," Jaebeom responds, bringing her attention to the mansion instead. Yujin slightly frowns. Why does the fae seem rather dismissive?

"The mansion has an east wing and a west wing," Jaebeom gestures to the rectangular blocks that emerge from the centre of the mansion. "And there are three floors. The first floor is a common area, where the kitchen and the dining hall are located in the west wing. The east wing is where the servants' quarters are located."

"The second floor is made up of sleeping quarters for the rest of the household. That one, however," Jaebeom points out at the balcony just above the front door to the mansion, "is the ballroom. The third floor is the library in its entirety."

Next, Jaebeom brings her back inside the mansion. They step into the kitchen first, where Chan -- the one who served them earlier -- is focused on cooking a dish. There are two other faes busily moving about in the kitchen. None of them seem to be affected by their presence. Yujin catches the greenish glint in their eyes.

"Does your household employ different elemental faes?" Yujin asks when they exit the kitchen.

"Elemental faes prefer to stick to their own kind. But here, it's different. We don't follow the general notion."

"What about Jinyoung? He's your brother but he's not a Fire fae."

Jaebeom smiles ruefully. "That's because he's my half-brother."

Yujin expects him to go on, but he doesn't. He leaves the conversation as it is. The next room over is the dining hall, but having been there during breakfast, Jaebeom skips to the servants' quarters.

"This is where the servants stay. If you need anything, you can approach them. Preferably, you should approach me though," Jaebeom murmurs the last sentence to himself but the silence in the house makes it loud and clear to Yujin's ears.

They head up the stairs, to the second floor. Jaebeom shows Yujin the ballroom, pushing open the large wooden door. It's basically empty, the daylight streaming into the room through the glass doors, casting a glow onto the marble-tiled floor. Beyond the doors is the balcony that she saw from the garden arch.

"We shall hold our wedding here," Jaebeom suddenly says, a huge grin on his face. In an instant, Yujin feels her heart drop. The tour has made her temporarily forget the reason she was brought here.

"Well, let's continue on." The fae walks out of the room, Yujin trailing behind.

He goes past the stairs and to the start of the hallway of the west wing, pausing there. "At the very end is where my room is located," Jaebeom states. "If you ever need anything, you can find me there."

Then they go up to the third floor, where the library is. The stairs form a bridge-like structure that splits into two pathways. The library appears taller than the other two floors, thanks to the roof that is shaped like a dome. It is made of entirely glass, allowing for the steady stream of sunlight. With the vast space -- a result of the merging of the two wings into one -- Yujin guesses there could be thousands of books in total: there are aisles of books, and every wall is turned into a bookshelf too!

"All the books in the library are my personal collection," Jaebeom gestures at the aisles. “But you’re more than welcome to read them.”

Yujin stares at Jaebeom, mouth gaping at him. She has always wanted to read new books but never had the chance, considering the financial situation of her family. They only have enough to sustain their survival, rarely anything more to purchase new things. Only once did her father gift her a novel that she has read multiple times throughout the years.

"Thank you, I’d like that a lot," Yujin can’t help but return a smile, genuinely grateful and happy. This seems to please the fae, for he looks at her as if she’s never smiled before.

"Well, uh--" Jaebeom clears his throat, “Come this way.”

Moving past rows of bookshelves, right at the very end, there is an arched glass window, with cushioned seats lined on the windowsill. Looking out, Yujin gets a bird's eye view of the mansion grounds, including the garden maze. She spots a fountain in the center, true to what Jaebeom said.

“It's nice, isn't it?” Jaebeom comments.

Definitely, Yujin thinks to herself.

“Well, that’s all there is in this mansion,” Jaebeom concludes. "I hope you’re more comfortable and familiar here."

“Yes, thank you for showing me around."

“Anything for you,” Jaebeom replies, eyes rather fond. "Ah yes, you’ll be fitted for your dress today, in the late afternoon. Yeri will remind you again."

“I shall leave you to yourself then,” he says, bowing politely and making his way out.

Yujin redirects her attention to the view outside. How advantageous is this, she realizes. Having a view from this angle will allow her to monitor the movements around the mansion.

She might have just arrived here and so far, no one has tried to harm her. Still, she can't get complacent. She can't let her guard down. There's a lot of things she doesn't know, questions that remain unanswered. But it's better she doesn't delve too much into it, she muses. The fae are skilled in deluding people, she reminds herself. It's better that she focuses on finding a way out of this place. She shouldn’t stay here any longer than necessary.

---

Yujin is woken by a shake on her shoulder, her eyes still heavy. She peeks an eye, the sun already casting slanted shadows through the windows. Yeri is standing next to the bed, reminding her of the dress fitting. Yujin quickly freshens herself up before following the servant lady to a guest room situated in the west wing of the mansion.

“Why couldn’t we do the fitting in my own room?” Yujin wonders aloud.

“It’s Master Im’s orders, Lady Shin,” Yeri responds as calm and dignified as usual. Then, she comes a little closer, and whispers, “Master Im doesn’t want anyone near or in your room.” She lets out a small giggle.

Yujin frowns. In an instant, the fae immediately reverts back to her composed self, as if she's done something wrong. Her sudden shift in mood has Yujin letting out a small laugh. Yeri smiles at her sheepishly.

The guestroom is as large as her room in the east wing. Seeing no one else in the room, Yujin decides to take her place at the loveseat. She’s rather thankful to have borrowed a book from the library and brought it along. She was reading it to pass time, but accidentally fell asleep until Yeri came. Basking in the silence of the room, Yujin flips open the book and continues on the page she left off.

She didn’t keep track of the time. She was nose deep into the novel when the door swings open and a commotion follows. Looking up, Yujin sees a male fae entering the room in the longest strides she has ever seen. He stands in the middle of the room, leaning his weight onto one foot. His legs are long, Yujin notices, and his cheekbones are visible beneath his slightly tanned skin. The next thing Yujin notices is the fae’s blue-colored eyes -- a sign that he is a Water fae. Yujin slowly rises to her feet.

“You must be the Shin Yujin,” the fae says with a subtle accent, looking her up and down. Perhaps elemental faes have different cultures and slightly different languages, much like human races.

“I’m Bam, your couturier,” he introduces himself. Before Yujin can even respond, he waves his hand and a mannequin appears in front of him, at the empty space between the guest bed and the loveseat. Bam steps forward, moving his right arm in a fluid motion and a measuring tape slides smoothly down his arm and into his hand. If Yujin had blinked, she might not have even noticed it.

“Measure her, please,” the male instructs and it’s like the measuring tape comes to life. Similar to water, the tape flows from the fae’s hand and slithers its way towards Yujin. It coils around her ankle, then spreads to her hip before covering her entire body like a tight-fit suit. It measures the littlest of details, leaving no skin untouched. Once done, it flows back down to the floor, creeping up to the mannequin. The mannequin morphs to be an exact replica of Yujin’s body.

“Alright, let’s see,” Bam goes. He crosses his arms, fingers underneath his chin, brows furrowed in thought. He tilts his head to the side, humming to himself. Then in the next moment, he suggests, “Perhaps a basic dress?”

Bam snaps his fingers and what appears to be snowflakes starts falling above the mannequin, to reveal a long simple dress. It is plain white, no design apart from the lace on the cap sleeves. The material hugs at the waist and tapers to her thighs, accentuating the Yujin’s curves. The tail fans out at the bottom, forming a smooth circle on the floor.

“What do you think?” the fae asks, glancing at Yujin. She doesn’t even get a chance to form her opinion, let alone open her mouth as Bam waves his hand, shaking his head. “On second thought, never mind. Let’s try another… I think… You’ll go better with an off-shoulder dress.”

Another snap and the basic dress moulds itself into an off-shoulder dress. The sleeves are long and tight to skin. There’s a dip in the middle, towards the cleavage but it’s not too low that it is racy. Around the waist is a rose gold embroidery, and the skirt flows loosely, multiple layers of light chiffon.

“What do you think?” Bam asks again, looking rather proud at his design. This time, Yujin has the time to step forward and feel the material.

The dress is beautiful, Yujin must admit, though she wonders if it suits her.

Just then, Jaebeom barges in, door slamming against the wall, his expression sour. “Bam!” he bellows.

“Oh, hello, Jaebeom,” the Water fae greets. “I think I’m just about done here--”

“How dare you make my bride wait!” Jaebeom raises his voice at the other, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Is this how you treat your clientele? Showing up late?”

Bam cowers. Yujin feels the temperature plummet. Watching the scene warily, she notices the candles around the room dimmed low, almost extinguished.

“I chose you as our couturier and yet, you treat my bride like a fool?”

“I’m sorry, Jaebeom, I had other business to attend to--”

“Excuses!” the Fire fae roars.

“Jaebeom--” Yujin intervenes, though her voice is small. Her own heart pounds in her ears. She definitely doesn’t want to be at the receiving end of Jaebeom’s wrath, but she feels the urge to defend Bam. The Water fae has his head hung low, avoiding any form of eye contact with the other fae. Yujin doesn’t know where she got the courage to move forward, such that she touches Jaebeom’s elbow. “It’s fine. It wasn’t a long wait -- not with a book to keep me company.”

Jaebeom looks over his shoulder. His anger seems to dissipate almost instantly. Out of the corner of her eye, Yujin notices the fires are back to normal. “Are you sure? I can punish him, if you’d like.”

“That won’t be ideal, would it? We need his service for our wedding,” she placates the male.

Jaebeom exhales steadily. Then he turns back to Bam, who is still looking down at his feet. Jaebeom jabs his finger into his chest once more, and spits, “You should be thankful to the mercy of my bride. Else, you’d be dead by now.”

The Fire fae faces Yujin once more, gently tapping her shoulder, a smile on his lips. His hand slides down her arm to hold her hand up between them. “If there’s anything you are displeased with, don’t hesitate to call me.” He brings up the hand higher, pressing his lips to her knuckles. Gently letting her go, Jaebeom turns on his heels and leaves the room. Yujin can’t help but notice how Bam immediately relaxes.

“Thank you for saving my life,” the couturier expresses his gratitude with a slight bow, a relieved expression on his face.

Yujin offers a kind smile. “I don’t think I did anything but you’re welcome.”

“Such amazing ability, you have,” Bam says. “I can’t believe that it’s true.”

Yujin cocks her head to the side. “What is?”

“Well,” Bam starts rather hesitantly. “Jaebeom has always been a hot-headed person, much worse than what you saw earlier. But his temper has mostly died down ever since he moved to this mansion, you see. Occasionally, he does get angry when it comes to important matters. But the fact that he was furious at me for being late and that you calmed him real quick… You really have Jaebeom wrapped around your finger.”

Yujin got reminded of Jinyoung, who said the same words. She shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe he doesn’t like truancy.”

Bam shakes his head. “I’ve known him all my life. And I’ve never seen him like this.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “You must mean a lot to him, considering that he’s protective of you.”

Yujin doubts so. There must be another reason for Jaebeom to behave in such a manner. Even if he is protective of me, it's because he needs me for something. But I wonder what...

“Ah!” Bam’s face suddenly lights up. He whips around and snaps his fingers at the mannequin. The sleeves are gone, and thin straps are added instead. Then, just slightly above the chest, a gold jewelry wraps around the mannequin. Magic flows downward, constructing a long chiffon cape that drapes all the way down, almost touching the floor.

“How do you find this?” Bam presents it to Yujin, his blue eyes gleam with pride.

“It’s-- Majestic.” Yujin finds herself amazed by the elegance it holds.

Bam grins wide. “Perfect for the bride of the Im house.”

#got7 #got7 scenarios #got7 jaebeom #got7 im jaebeom #got7 jaebeom scenarios #got7 im jaebeom scenarios #jaebeom #im jaebeom #im jaebeom scenarios #jaebeom scenarios #got7 fanfic #got7 imagines

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intheweedsx · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 2: The MET Gala

Chapter 2: The Met Gala

The night before the MET Gala Calvin was supposed to arrive tom after his 3 month tour and she couldn’t be more excited

“honey im here” shouted Calvin from downstairs

Taylor quickly applied her lipstick and looked in the mirror as she just wore a black lace bra and panties. She decided to slip on a see through shirt and she headed down stairs to greet Calvin.

Taylor ran to Calvin and embraced him in a longing hug. It felt like forever since they had seen each granted it had been three months.

“hey babe” taylor said

“hey I’ve missed you” Calvin said groggily as he yawned

“hey love I’m going to go to bed early I’m so exhausted after the fourteen hour flight.

“yea sure babe. The bed is already made and if there is anything you need I’ll be down here”

“hey Calvin do you want me to unpack your things so you don’t have to do it in the morning”

“yea sure thank you so much”

Taylor took his 2 suitcases and started to unzip them when a pair of dark purple panties fell out. They seemed to have fallen out of Calvin’s suit along with an empty condom wrapper.

Taylor’s heart shattered as she knew that Calvin had cheated in the past but that was in the beginning of their relationship and she had thought they had worked it out and he promised her wouldn’t do it anymore. Taylor started tearing up knowing that their relationship was done. Taylor knew she couldn’t let him keep cheating on me not when I wanted to start a family with him.

“calvin can you come here” taylor said wearily

Calvin slowly came down the stair as he had just gotten out of bed

“can you explain this” as she held the panties and condom up

“you swore you wouldn’t cheat on me anymore and this is what you bring home. The filth of your mistress. I can’t believe you Calvin I really trusted you. And the worse part is she definitely wasn’t the only woman you fucked on your 3 month tour. We are done. Please get your shit out of here”

“Babe I promise it won’t do it again I was just so desperate for some action after not being with you for months”

Taylor looked like she was going to explode

“How dare you blame my lack of presence for you cheating. I did not have the urge to cheat while you were gone even though I missed physical contact so much I sucked it up because I knew how import this relationship was to me and how I could never hurt you like that. But it seems it was quite easy for you to throw what we had all to waste. Please get of this house right now”

Calvin turned around and headed up the stairs to gather his things because he knew that the relationship was over and there was no going back.

Calvin came back down with his stuff packed

“she was better than you anyway” Calvin said as he left slamming the door.

Taylor broke down crying knowing she would have to tell her family and the whole world that yet again she could not make a relationship work.

All of a sudden Taylor heard her phone buzzing. She went to go check who was texting her and it was Joe. She was confused as to why he was texting her cause she hasn’t spoken to him since the night after she got black out drunk

“hey Taylor I know we haven’t spoken in a while but I was wondering if you were going to the MET. I kinda assumed because you are a high profile celeb and all that fancy stuff. Anyway get back to me when you xo”

“hi Joe I am going hope to see you there :)”

Well that was strange she thought but alas its time to wallow with some well deserved chocolate ice cream.

-The day of the MET Gala-

“Hey Tree, is it really necessary that I go to the MET Gala especially with all the Calvin stuff”

The news had not broke yet about Calvin and Taylor ending their relationship but Taylor was still very upset about the breakup and needed time.

“Taylor everyone already knows that you are going you need to make an appearance at least for an hour”

“ok ill see you then bye”

A few hours passed by and it was already time to get ready.

Taylor went through her closet and found the silver robot looking dress that she was given to wear. When she slipped it on Taylor realized it wasn’t as pretty as she remember but it has to do because there is nothing else I could wear. She freshened up her red lipstick and called John to pick me up.

Once Taylor arrived at the MET gala she was bombarded with tons of paparazzi asking “where is calvin” “will he be coming later” Taylor didn’t know what to say so she just shrugged off the questions. Even if we were together Taylor doubted hhe would want to come anyway he always thinks he is too good for these frivolous events.

Taylor made my way into the main dining hall where she saw Gigi and Karlie

“Hey guys how are you”

“we are pretty good” they chimed in while they seemed to be looking in the other direction

“guyyyss what are you looking at” Taylor trying to follow their gaze

“remember that guy from the bar back in April look he is here, I may go say hi” Selena said as she started walking towards him

Taylor had not told her friends that she had kept in brief contact with Joe or that she may have cheated on Calvin with Joe, that was not certain but she was pretty sure she did. Taylor started to walk over behind Karlie and Sel

“hey Joe” Selena drunkly shouted

Joe looked up confused and then look relieved once he spotted Taylor hiding behind Sel and Karlie

“Hey guys I haven’t seen you guys in forever how are you”

The three girls nodded in unison saying they were good

The group chatted for a few minutes and then Taylor was interrupted by a tall handsome man

“hey Taylor” a British accent said

Taylor looked up and noticed it was Tom

Taylor and Tom had met a few days before the MET Gala and had hit it off. Taylor found him incredibly charming and really handsome.

“heyy tom, do you want to go sit down over there”

“bye Joe it was nice seeing you again”

Joe saw Taylor walk away with another man which pained him but he knew that to Taylor Joe will always be the man she met in the bar and nothing more.

Tom snaked him arm around Taylor’s waist which caused Taylor’s stomach to fill with butterflies. As they approached the table Tom pulled out the chair and Taylor graciously sat down.

“so tom how have you been since we last say each other”

“great I have been a bit busy with casting for the upcoming marvel movie but other than that it has been great to be in the states”

“hey tom let’s go dance no one else is dancing right now”

Taylor and tom started dancing and soon enough more people joined them on the dance floor

Joe saw Tom and Taylor dance from the other side of the room and was instantly jealous of the beautiful pair

Taylor looked into Tom’s eyes and then Tom twirled her around and brought her back closer to him almost hugging her then he spun her out again. Taylor was having the time of her life dancing away the thought of Calvin.

However, Taylor noticed that everyone was looking that and then she realized that the general public still thought she was with Calvin.

“hey Tom, I’m going to go to the bathroom to freshen up okay?”

“ya that fine meet me back here when you are done” tom said as he winked as her which brought Taylor to a smile.

Taylor started to rush to the bathroom because she did not want anyone to ask her any questions as to why she was dancing so feverishly with Tom

Joe saw Taylor running to the bathroom and he thought something was wrong and he followed her

When Taylor got to the bathroom she locked the door and started to break down crying because with all the events of the last 24 hours she was just done with being the center of everything and she needed a break from everything. All of a sudden to heard a knock at the door

“hold on I’ll be right out” Taylor shouted

“hey tay it’s Joe are you are okay?” Joe asks softly

Taylor rolls her eyes thinking why is following her she just needs to be alone

“hey Joe do you mind leaving me alone for a bit”

“are you sure you are okay love”

Taylor thought it might not be bad to have some company and she opened the door and let Joe in

“hey Joe” Taylor said while wiping away the tears on her cheek

Joe looked at Taylor sympathetically and brushed his thumb on her cheek hoping to wipe away the tears

“thank you” taylor said wearily and she held back her tears

“love whats wrong”

“I just can’t do it anymore, yesterday I broke up with Calvin because I found out he was cheating and today I’m dancing with Tom hoping to put yesterday behind me but all the memories came flooding back when we were dancing and I just can’t do it anymore Joe” Taylor said while crying into his shoulder

Joe started to rub Taylors back and tell her that everything was going to be okay that she didn’t have to worry

Taylor then realized that she had been in the bathroom for a while and that Tom will probably be worried

“Joe I’m going to need to leave Tom is probably worried about me” Taylor said as she looked into the mirror wiping away the tears

Joe let her go and Taylor looked around and mouthed thank you

Taylor knew in that moment that Joe was going to be a very special person in her life that she could hopefully count on in him in the future

Taylor and Tom danced the night away and later that night left together and went to Taylor’s home in new york

Tom and Taylor snuck in through the back entrance

“Tom stop it” Taylor giggled as tom started kissing the back of Taylor’s neck

“do you really want me to stop” as tom twirled Taylor so she was facing tom

Taylor shook her head no and tom leaned in to kiss her

Soon enough Taylor’s dress was on the floor and she was left in just her black panties and push up bra. Tom similarly only had his pants on while showing off his set of abs.

“hey tom do you want to go upstairs” as Taylor smirked

Tom smiled and hoisted Taylor up so she was straddling him while he was carrying her up the stairs.

When he got to the top of the stairs he found the bedroom and laid Taylor down on her bed

Tom quickly slid his pants off and he was left in just his boxers with his throbbing member showing

Tom started to climb on the bed and he started leaving trails of kisses from Taylor’s thighs all the way up to her breasts

Tom unclasped Taylor’s lace bra and started to leave kisses around her next and eventually on her breasts

Taylor was getting impatient and started to reach down for tom’s boxers when he stopped her and pinned her hands above her head

Tom made his way down to Taylor’s hips and slowly started to take off her black lace panties. He slid his fingers into taylor and started thrusting which elicited several moans from taylor. At that point taylor was getting impatient and just wanted Tom inside of her

Tom saw that taylor was getting impatient and he took his throbbing length and slowly inserted it into taylor to which taylor let out a moan. Tom slowly thrusted himself in and out of taylor having her feel every inch of him

towards the end when both of them were reaching their climax tom lifted Taylor’s leg up and started to thrust in and out faster and faster until both of them came together

Both tom and taylor laid on on top of each other for five minutes before they could regain themselves.

“thanks tom” taylor whispered gratefully as that was some of the best sex she has had in a while

“welcome love” tom added

After an hour of cuddling Tom started to redress himself as he had to leave because he had an early day tomorrow

“bye love call me whenever you are free” tom added

“bye bye see you later” taylor said as tom left her bedroom and she heard him leave through the back door

Taylor did not have a problem with tom leaving because usually when she has a one night type stand like this she doesn’t expect anyone to stay over

After a few minutes taylor slowly fell asleep.

#taylor swift #joe alwyn #taylor and joe #fancfiction #evermore #folklore

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years ago

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The Most Dramatic Season Ever - Week 6

Summary: It’s your time now! You are ABC’s new Bachelorette and this is your journey! All these men (including our fav BoRhap boys and then some) are competing for your heart! Will you find love? Will you get engaged at the end? Or will you end up heartbroken? Find out, on the most dramatic season ever!

Word Count: 10.1k (this one’s a DOOZY)

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @the-moving-finger-writes, @assembledherethevolunteers, @rose-writes-prose, @queenlover05, @moon-stars-soul, @danadeacon, @deacyblues, @thesundrop, @cupidben, @lostlittlenerd, @delilahmay39, @timmvrphy, @queenmylovely, @loveandbeloved29, @free-pool-trash, @fairestkillerqueenofall, @local-troubled-writer, @babyalienfairy, @littlecarowrites, @allthethingsicant, @im-an-adult-ish, @mirkwoodshewolf, @squishy-gay-astronaut, @sherlollydramoine, @butlegendsneverdie, @dogmom2014, @rocketrhap917, @26-7-49, @lelifesaver, @frozenhuntress67 If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: A note on the names in this chapter! So, I went with Ben’s family name being Hardy since we all know him with that name. I understand that in reality, his parents would be Mr. and Mrs. Jones. And with Rami’s sister, I couldn’t get a confirmation on whether her name is spelled Jasmine or Yasmine so I went with the J spelling because that was what I saw first.

Warning(s): Mentions of racism.

Night 1 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5

Week 6 here we go!!!

Your first hometown date was with Ben in Sherborne, UK. You met him at the center of the town, which was small and quaint. But you liked it. Especially once you saw Ben walking over to you. You ran to him and leaped into his arms. He caught you with a laugh and a sweet kiss.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, shaking his head. “In Sherborne.”

“I can’t believe it either,” you replied. “But I’m so happy that I am!”

“Me too,” he agreed as he set you down. “I thought I’d just give you a bit of a tour so you can see where I grew up before we head to my parents, yeah?”

“Sounds perfect!”

He took your hand and started down the road. At the end of the street was a vintage car. It was a black convertible, like you’d seen in old movies. It looked glamorous.

“This,” Ben said, walking up to the car. “Is our ride for the day.”

“Are you serious?!” you cried. “Oh my God!”

“Glad you like it,” he chuckled.

“I love it!” you told him.

He opened the passenger side door for you and you slid in. Then he walked around to the driver’s side and got in beside you. He looked at you, smirked, and then started the engine. He looked so sexy behind the wheel you had to turn your attention to the road so he wouldn’t see you blushing.

He drove slowly. There wasn’t much traffic, anyway, so you really could see all the places he was pointing out to you. He showed you the church he attended as a kid. Where he went to primary school. The tree under which he had his first kiss. It was all so sweet. It was all so Ben.

“I wish you could be here in October sometime,” he said. “We’ve got the Pack Monday Fair, which is always a great time.”

He told you about the fair and all his fondest memories, especially attending with his father. You were melting.

“So, how often do you get here to visit your family?” you wondered.

“As often as I can,” he said. “I’m all the way in London, and it’s not like I’ve got weekends off. But I definitely get here for special occasions and holidays.”

“Do you think you’d want to settle down here?” you asked. “When you’re ready to start a family?”

“As much as I love it here, I’d rather stay in London,” he said. “There’s more opportunity there and more diversity, which is something I want my children to experience. But believe me, they’ll be coming here to visit Nan as often as possible. My mum can’t wait for me to have kids, so she’ll be all over them.”

You giggled. “I like that. I want an involved family.”

“You might regret saying that one day,” he joked.

You drove on, and by the end, you felt you had seen almost the entire town. You stopped at the store to pick up a bottle of wine and some flowers for his mother, before at last going to the house. It was a cozy little home, and it looked inviting. You took a deep breath before starting up the driveway.

“Nervous?” Ben asked.

“A bit,” you admitted.

“Don’t be,” he said and kissed your cheek. “They’re gonna love you.”

Before you could argue, he reached out and opened the door, allowing you inside first.

“Hello!” Ben called.

Seconds after his voice rang out, a swarm of people were upon you. All rushing to hug Ben and get a glimpse of you. He introduced you to his mother and father, and then to his aunts and uncles who were there. His grandmother remained seated on the couch, so you all made your way back to her so Ben could say hello.

“These are for you,” you said to Mrs. Hardy, handing her the wine and flowers.

“Oh, thank you, darling,” she replied. “They’re beautiful!”

You smiled as she disappeared into the kitchen to put them in a vase. Then Ben’s father approached you. You smiled and shook hands again.

“Y/N, right?” he asked.

“Yep, that’s right,” you told him.

“Come on, let’s get you a drink,” he said.

“Won’t say no to that,” you replied.

You followed him into the kitchen. Mrs. Hardy had already set out the flowers on the counter, and she was fussing around the food, which was evidently almost ready. Mr. Hardy poured you a glass of wine and handed it to you.

“Thank you,” you said.

Ben’s parents were surprisingly easy to talk to. You offered to help his mother with dinner, but she insisted you just relax. His father was a lot like Ben. A bit reserved, but friendly. So you chatted with them for a bit while Ben got caught up with the rest of his family.

When dinner was ready, you all sat around the dining room table. Mrs. Hardy served up a delicious meal, and then told you all to “tuck in.” You had a great time during the meal. His family was funny and warm. They welcomed you with open arms. You felt comfortable with them immediately.

“So, Y/N, can we have a chat?” asked Mrs. Hardy once the plates were clear.

“Of course,” you agreed.

You followed her to the sitting room. You sat together on the couch, and she gave your knee a maternal pat.

“How’s it all going?” she asked. “With Ben, that is.”

You smiled. “Ben and I have something really special,” you told her. “He told me that he’s falling in love with me, and I feel the same. Which I’ve told him.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said. “Has he told you that he’s never been in love before?”

“He has,” you said. “And I’m still a little worried about that.”

“Worried? Why?” she asked.

“Well, because I don’t want him to feel like there’s more out there,” you said. “Or to get confused. I don’t want him to wake up say, ten years from now and wonder if he made a mistake because he didn’t really know what he was doing.”

“I don’t think you need worry about that,” she said. “Ben is...a unique man. He’s struggled to find love because he’s quite aware of his feelings. He has told me about girls he’s gone with and expressed things like ‘Mum, I liked her, but I don’t think she’s the one,’ or ‘Mum, she’s beautiful, but I can’t go forward just because we’re attracted to each other.’ If he’s falling in love with you, then he means it. He isn’t confused.”

“That’s a relief to hear you say that,” you said. “Because I just wasn’t really sure if he knew. But you’re right, Ben is a self-aware person, and I have faith that what he’s telling me is true. I did promise him I’d never doubt him.”

You explained to her what Luke had once said about him.

“That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed. “Ben’s honest and kind. And, Y/N...he’s ready. He’s ready to find his partner and settle down.”

“I think he’d be a wonderful husband,” you told her. “And I suppose I have you to thank for that.”

She giggled and took your hand. You smiled at each other.

Meanwhile, Ben was talking to his father. They stood out on the back patio, each smoking a cigarette. You didn’t like that Ben smoked, but he did it pretty rarely since he was an athlete. And he also told you it was his goal to quit by the time he had children.

“So, Benny,” Mr. Hardy said. “How’re you feeling?”

“It hasn’t been easy,” Ben said. “I’ve...well, I’ve fallen in love with her.”

“Has she fallen in love with you?” Mr. Hardy wondered.

“She says she’s getting there,” Ben told him. “But there are still three other guys.”

“They good blokes?”

“Yeah, actually, I like them a lot. Consider them friends, even.”

“That’s good, it shows she’s got taste,” Mr. Hardy joked.

Ben chuckled. “Yeah. I’m just worried. I want to tell her that I love her. But I don’t want to get my heart broken.”

“There’s no way to fall in love without taking that risk,” Mr. Hardy said. “If you love her, love her with everything you’ve got. Pursue her. Let her know why she should choose you.”

Ben smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

You switched parents, so Ben went to speak to his mother, and you went to speak to his father. You looked at Mr. Hardy and saw Ben’s features in his face. It was like looking through time and seeing Ben as an older man. Only, Mr. Hardy had brown eyes. Ben got his eyes from his mother.

“Can I ask you how you feel about Ben?” Mr. Hardy asked.

“I care a lot about him,” you said. “He’s probably the sweetest person I’ve ever met and...well, I’m falling in love with him.”

“He’s not hard to look at, either,” he joked.

“Well, he gets it from somewhere,” you returned, pointing at him.

He laughed.

“You seem like a nice girl,” he said. “I think you’d be a good wife to Ben, if that’s what you both want. I’m just happy if he’s happy. And he seems quite happy with you.”

You looked at Ben through the window, where he was sitting with his mom.

“You guys must miss him a lot,” you said.

“Terribly,” Mr. Hardy said. “But once again, he’s happy.”

“I’ve so appreciated you welcoming me into your home,” you said. “A home as loving as this shows me what I can expect from Ben. Thank you.”

He opened his arms to you, and you gladly accepted them.

Inside, Ben was telling his mother exactly what he’d told his father. That he was in love with you and was nervous about telling you.

“I agree with Dad, darling,” Mrs. Hardy said. “I think if that’s what you’re feeling, you should be honest with her.”

“It’s just scary since...well, I’ve never done it before,” he said. “How do I…” he trailed off with a sigh.

“Do you think it matters to her how you say it?” she asked.

“No, I think she just wants me to be honest,” he returned.

“Then there you have it, love,” she said.

The night wound down and it was time for you to go. You said fond goodbyes to Ben’s family and he walked you out to the van already waiting for you.

“Today was such a great day,” he said. “They really seemed to like you.”

“I really like them,” you told him. “You have a great family, Ben.”

“I hope you come back,” he said.

“Me too,” you replied.

A beat passed. Ben pulled you into a tight hug. Then he lowered his lips to your ear.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

You wrapped your arms around his waist and gave a small squeeze.

“It means so much to hear you say that,” you said.

You desperately wanted to tell him that you loved him too. Because you did. But you knew it was a bad idea. All you could do was convey how you felt through the embrace. And then when he kissed you...it was nothing like the way he’d kissed you before. This was something else entirely. It felt more like a promise.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he said.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” you told him.

With that, he opened the car door for you. You slid into the back seat and smiled at him once more before he closed it. He stood on the street and watched you go, feeling like you were taking his heart with you.

Your next hometown date was with Gwilym. Like Ben, he currently lived in London, but his hometown was Sutton Coldfield, where much of his family still resided. Gwilym had told you a little bit about his hometown, so you were excited to see it in person. You met him at Sutton Park.

He looked dashing where he stood waiting for you, despite only wearing a sweater and jeans. You ran up to him and he caught you in his arms. He planted a warm and welcoming kiss on your lips. You held him a little tighter.

“I’m so glad you’re here, cariad,” he said as you parted.

“I’m glad to be here,” you replied.

“I figured I’d show you Sutton Park,” he said. “It’s a staple of the town and quite lovely on a day like today when we’ve got nice weather. Fancy a walk?”

“Sounds perfect,” you agreed.

He offered you his arm, which you took. It really was a pleasant day, with a rare bit of sunshine. As you walked, he told you who you would be meeting that day. His family kept it small, so it would just be his parents and siblings. Gwilym was the youngest. It was difficult for you to picture him the youngest sibling, since he always struck you as mature and grown up. He assured you that his childhood was normal, and that he and his siblings were very close now that they were all adults.

You walked together in the park for about an hour. Then he told you there was another stop to make before going to his parents’ home. You emerged from the park, walked another fifteen minutes or so, and then you saw it - a library.

“Since you saw my personal collection, I thought I’d show you where I first gained an appreciation for literature,” he said. “Right here at the Sutton Coldfield Library.”

“I can’t wait,” you told him.

He smiled, took your hand, and led you inside. The library looked fairly typical. It wasn’t grand or beautiful, but it had some charm to it. You tried to imagine young Gwilym poring over the books, trying to decide the one he’d like best. You smiled at the thought.

You were just about to tell him so when a distraction in the shape of a little girl came hurtling over, throwing her arms around Gwilym’s legs. She was maybe six years old. Her blonde ringlets settled against her face.

“Mr. Gwilym, you’re back!” she cried, clutching a handful of his jeans. “We’ve missed you!”

You blinked, shocked at the sudden appearance of the girl, but even more surprised that she knew Gwilym and was comfortable enough to hug him so tightly.

“Hello, Rosie,” Gwilym replied, patting her head. “I’ve missed you all too.”

Suddenly, more children emerged from a section you saw was the children’s library. Their little faces lit up at the sight of Gwilym, and they all followed Rosie’s example of throwing themselves on him. He laughed and then saw your bemused expression.

“I come home twice a month to read to the kids,” he told you. “To give back to this place.”

A little boy had clamored onto Gwilym’s back.

“Where’ve you been, Mr. Gwilym?” he wondered with a pout.

“Well, you see, children,” Gwilym said, nodding toward you. “I’ve met someone very special.”

In a swarm, they detached themselves from him and walked over to you, staring. You bit back a laugh.

“Hey, kids,” you said kindly. “I’m sorry for keeping Mr. Gwilym away.”

“You’re pretty,” Rosie said. “Are you Mr. Gwilym’s girlfriend?”

“I am,” you told her.

“Are you gonna get married?” asked another girl beside you.

“Maybe!” you said.

You met Gwilym’s gaze as the children demanded more information and you did your best to answer them. A future with him was suddenly much clearer.

“Alright, everyone leave Mr. Gwilym and his friend alone,” said the librarian, an elderly woman with her silver hair in a long braid down her back.

“Hello, Joan,” Gwilym said warmly, bending down to kiss the woman’s cheek.

Joan smiled at you as Gwil introduced you and she asked how everything was going. You told her it was all wonderful, and Gwilym agreed. Then Rosie returned and tugged on Gwilym’s pant leg.

“What are you going to read for us today?” she asked.

“Oh, Rosie, I’m sorry, we just popped over to say hello,” he told her. “We don’t have a story today.”

Tears shone in her big, blue eyes and you nearly started crying yourself.

“Please,” Rosie begged.

“Please!” the other children echoed.

“Read them a story, you monster,” you teased, punching his arm lightly.

“Alright, I’ll read you a story,” Gwilym said. “If Miss Y/N reads it with me.”

“Please, Miss Y/N!” they cried.

You laughed. “Alright, then,” you agreed. “Story time it is.”

They all cheered, returned to the children’s library, and settled into the back corner. It was a cozy little set up, with bean bag chairs and cushions and stuffed animals everywhere. A wide bench was placed under the window, where the reader would sit. The kids picked out a story while you and Gwilym took your places.

He started off the story, and his enthusiasm was not something you had seen him yet. He did voices, he made faces, anything to amuse the children. They giggled and snickered, enjoying themselves to the fullest, and totally riveted by him. You were too. You knew you were reading the words and doing your best to be convincing, but your mind was on Gwilym and how impressed you were with him. It showed you how much he valued learning, and the kind of father he might be.

When the story was over, you had to say goodbye and head to the Lee household. The kids were sorry to see you go, but their parents were arriving to pick them up. Gwilym even knew their parents, and said quick hellos before guiding you out and down the street.

“That was….” you trailed off. “So amazing. I feel like every time we’re together, you show me a new side of you. And I think that one is my favorite.”

He chuckled. “I just want to give back to the next generation,” he said. “Maybe they’ll go on to be great writers or professors. Maybe they won’t. But no matter what, they’ll support their local library.”

“You’re the actual sweetest, you know that?” you said.

He only laughed before throwing his arm over your shoulder and leading you away.

For the evening, you went to his parents’ home. It was a bit larger than what you were used to seeing in the UK, but looked inviting. You met Gwilym outside, and he hugged you tightly. You did your best to return it with the flowers and wine in your hands.

“Are you ready, love?” he asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” you replied.

“Let’s go in.”

Together, you walked across the threshold as Gwilym called out to his family. The first person to round the corner was his father, who wrapped his son up in the friendliest bear hug. His brothers and sister were not far behind. His mother approached you first.

“Hello, dear,” she said kindly. “I’m Ceinwen. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” you replied. “I’m Y/N.”

Gwilym introduced to his father, Tom, his brothers, Geraint and Owen, and his sister, Rhiannon. They were all very friendly and gave you hugs as they met you. You followed them into the kitchen, and as you walked, you observed your surroundings. This family was undeniably Welsh, and proud of it. Gwilym told you that both his parents were from Wales, and he connected strongly to that heritage. Seeing the home, you understood why. You envied that connection a little bit.

“You have such a lovely home,” you said to Ceinwen. “Thank you for having me.”

“We’re glad to have you,” she replied. “Come, sit down for dinner.”

It was already on the table when you arrived, so she said you had perfect timing.

“I’m relieved,” Gwilym said. “We got a bit delayed at the library.”

“Oh, did you take her to see the children?” Ceinwen asked.

“I did,” he told her. “We had a wonderful time with them, didn’t we?”

He looked over at you and took your hand. You beamed.

“We really did,” you said.

They asked how your day was overall, and you were excited to tell them that it was great. You always felt like you could gush about Gwilym. His family exchanged happy glances at your every word.

After dinner, Rhiannon asked to speak to you. You happily agreed and followed her into the sitting room. You each took a seat on the couch.

“How’s this whole process been for you?” she asked.

“It hasn’t been easy,” you told her. “I’ve had to make really difficult decisions, but I’m just following my heart the best I can.”

“How many men are left?” she wondered.

“Including Gwilym, there are four,” you said.

“And how are you feeling about him as compared to the other three?” she pressed.

You swallowed. “That’s difficult to say. I sort of have to compartmentalize each relationship and evaluate it on its own strengths or weaknesses. I know that Gwilym and I have been strong since the beginning. He’s really opened up to me, as I have to him, and we’re falling steadily in love.”

“And has Gwil expressed his feelings for you?”

“He’s told me that he’s falling in love with me,” you said. “Which made me so happy because I’m falling in love with him too.”

“Have you told him that?”

You shook your head. “I haven’t. But I plan on letting him know soon.”

“As long as you’re honest with him, he’ll be honest with you,” she said with a smile. “Gwilym’s reserved, but not afraid of the truth.”

“I definitely see that about him,” you agreed. “We’ve always been totally honest with each other.”

You smiled at each other. You spoke to his parents next. His mother sat on the couch beside you and his father in a chair across the coffee table.

“Can I just start by saying what a wonderful man you have raised?” you began. “Honestly, Gwilym has been such a dream and completely unafraid of the risk involved in this. He’s great.”

They both grinned.

“Thank you,” Tom said. “We hope that means you’re feeling strongly for him.”

“I am,” you assured him. “I told Rhiannon that I’m falling in love with him.”

“That’s wonderful,” Ceinwen said. “He told us the same about you.”

“Now, there are still other people involved in this,” Tom said.

“I know,” you said. “But believe me. I care so deeply for Gwilym. The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt him.”

“You must understand,” his mother said. “As his parents, that’s our worst fear. After he lost his fiance, he was a wreck. I don’t want him to return to that.”

“I understand,” you assured her. “I will do what I can to keep him from that. But please understand my position as well. I can’t make any promises right now.”

“Right, of course,” Tom said.

You chatted a little longer, and you once again told them how much you admired Gwilym. Meanwhile, he was talking to his siblings.

“So, how are you feeling about her?” asked Owen.

“I’m falling in love with her, for sure,” Gwilym answered. “I really could see her being my wife.”

“But you’re not completely in love?” questioned Geraint.

“I dunno if I could say that with other men involved,” Gwilym replied. “I want to be down on one knee before I give myself that completely.”

“She seems like a great girl, Gwil,” Rhiannon added. “You two seem compatible. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. But are you sure you could propose after just a few weeks?”

Gwilym looked at his wine glass and swirled the deep purple liquid around, just for something to do while he considered this question.

“You all know how seriously I would take an engagement,” he began. “I think, if within the coming weeks, Y/N and I find ourselves at that point, then yes. I could see myself proposing.”

The siblings all exchanged a look. If he was that serious about you, they would support him.

Overall, Gwilym’s hometown went well. It wasn’t as smooth as Ben’s, but given Gwilym’s history, you understood his family’s skepticism. Even so, they seemed genuinely happy for him. As Gwilym led you out, you swung your clasped hands with joy. He smiled at you.

“Gwilym,” you said. “You told me back in London that you’re falling in love with me.”

“Yes, I remember,” he said.

“Well, I just wanted to tell you that….I’m falling in love with you too,” you said. “Hard and fast.”

His smile widened.

“I’m happy to hear it, cariad,” he replied.

With that, he turned you toward him and pulled you in for a kiss. His lips pressed into yours with a need you had not felt from him before. His gratitude for your validation was deeper than you thought. Perhaps his feelings were as well.

When you broke apart, you coiled your arms around his neck and held him close. You stood there for what felt like hours. Despite everything you had been through with him, and the beauty of that moment on the London Eye, this was the most romantic moment you felt with Gwilym. Just you and him. Outside his childhood home, knowing each other without even speaking.

“You need to get going,” he finally said.

“I wish I didn’t,” you replied.

“I do too,” he agreed. “But there’s more to this journey.”

You stood on your toes and kissed him again.

“I’ll see you soon,” you whispered.

“I can’t wait,” he replied.

He walked you to the car and opened the door for you. With one last kiss, you got in. As you drove away, you felt your heart breaking without him.

After Gwilym’s hometown, it was time to leave the UK and head back to the states. Your first stop was in New York for Joe’s hometown. He was from Hyde Park, which you knew nothing about. You were excited to see it though and understand Joe better.

You arrived at Hyde Park and met Joe on what appeared to be a random street. You sprinted to him, eager to be in his arms. You had missed him desperately while you were apart. He caught you and spun you around with a laugh before he kissed you.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby,” he said.

“I’ve missed you more,” you returned.

“Wanna bet?” he shot back.

You laughed. “What are you going to show me today?”

“Hyde Park isn’t exactly known for tourism,” he said. “We’ve got the Vanderbilt Mansion, sure, but other than that we’re just your average town.”

“So, are we going to see the mansion?” you wondered.

“Actually, I thought we’d do something better,” he said. “Come with me.”

He took your hand and began to lead you down the street. This community was clearly close-knit, as several people stopped Joe to talk to him and catch up. He introduced you as his girlfriend and they all smiled happily for him. Finally, you stopped outside a restaurant. The name on it was Mazzello’s. You grinned.

“Your family’s restaurant!” you cried. “I’m gonna get to see it?!”

“Absolutely!” he returned. “My brother, John, has been handling things since I’ve been away, so he’ll be the first family member you meet.”

“I can’t wait!”

You followed him inside. A wave of voices overtook you as Joe walked through the door. It seemed his whole family had surprised even him by showing up at the restaurant. His mother was there, as were his brother and sister. His nieces and nephews raced to hug him and he miraculously scooped all of them into his arms.

There were hugs all around. The Mazzellos had spared no one in coming to meet you. Joe’s grandparents were there. His aunts and uncles. Family friends. Even restaurant regulars. It showed you how well Joe was loved in his community. It made you love him even more.

Joe introduced you first to his mother, Virginia, his sister, Mary, and then his brother, John. They were all thrilled to meet you. As you made your way through the crowd to meet everyone else, you felt there was a missing piece. When you looked over at the counter you realized what it was. A picture of Joe’s father hung behind the register.

You turned your eyes to Joe and saw that he was looking at it too. He shook his head and then looked at you.

“Come on,” he said with a small smile. “Let me show you the kitchen.”

“Alrighty,” you agreed.

You walked with him behind the counter and into the back of the restaurant. The kitchen was huge, with everything you could ever need to make Italian food. And it was authentic. Joe showed you where they made dough, how they turned it into noodles or pizza crust. The massive cooler for all the fresh vegetables. They also had a garden behind the restaurant where they grew their own herbs.

“Joe, this is incredible,” you said, still looking around in awe.

“My dad was dedicated to being authentic,” he said. “So we’ve kept it the way he started it.”

“You shouldn’t change a thing,” you told him.

You were alone together in the kitchen, so he took this opportunity to pull you into his arms. He held you for a long moment, and you felt him shake as he released a breath. You wrapped your arms around him and squeezed him gently.

“Thanks,” he sniffled. “Being back is just bringing up a lot of emotions.”

“I’m here, baby,” you said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Come on,” he said. “I’ve gotta show you how to make all this.”

“We’re gonna cook?” you asked, surprised.

“Course,” he said with a wink. He tossed you an apron. “You gotta learn if you’re gonna be a part of the family.”

You smirked. Then you tied the apron on, rolled up your sleeves, and got to work. His family joined you to help out as well, and Joe took every moment he could to flirt with you. When he showed you something, he stood behind you and put his arms around your waist. If he helped you get something, he reached over you, putting his chest to your face. If he was passing you and no one was around, he gave you a light pat on your ass. You had never had so much fun.

Together, you and the Mazzellos prepared a huge meal for everyone there to see Joe and meet you. Joe’s family was just as fun as he was. They poked fun at him - in the most loving way possible - and welcomed you warmly. As you all sat down to eat, Joe said a quick prayer. Then you dug in to the food.

“Oh my God,” you moaned as you took the first bite. “This is delicious!”

They laughed with you. Sharing a meal with them was like nothing you had ever experienced. Everyone at the table got a say in any discussion, even the children. In fact, Joe frequently consulted them. It seemed that Uncle Joe was a popular person. Many people had questions for you, and Virginia made a special effort to make you feel included. Not that she had to try too hard. You already felt like one of them.

After your meal, they opened a bottle of wine. When the glasses were distributed, you made a toast. Then, Virginia pulled you aside. You followed her to one of the small tables on the patio and sat across from her.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said. “Joe’s been talking about you since he got home and we were all so anxious.”

“I’m glad I don’t disappoint,” you replied.

“Never,” she said. “All I want is for Joe to be happy. He’s been burned in the past and I just want to protect him.”

“Of course you do,” you returned. “You’re an amazing mother. I can’t promise you that Joe and I will end up together because I’m not sure how this will go yet.”

“How do you feel about Joe?” she asked.

You took a moment to form a response. There were so many things you admired about Joe. His humor, his wit, his good heart. The way he made you feel understood and loved. The way you could rely on him. Tears suddenly stung your eyes.

“Oh!” Virginia gasped when she noticed. “Well, then. That tells me all I need to know.”

“I love him,” you choked out anyway.

It felt good to say it to someone. You were in love with Joe. But he hadn’t said it to you, so you weren’t sure about saying it to him.

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said graciously.

She paused a moment before continuing.

“It’s funny, seeing you two together,” she said. “I’m reminded of myself and Mr. Mazzello. The way you seem so at ease with one another and have fun. But behind all of it...I see the depth of what you feel. I know you’d be there for him when things got rough, just as he would be there for you.”

“Joe has been the most solid connection I’ve had,” you said. “He’s never let me down. Truly, Mrs. Mazzello, I see a future with him. Especially after today.” You took a moment to take a breath since your emotion was threatening to overwhelm you again. “I see it so clearly.”

“I’m touched that he means so much to you,” she said, opening her arms. “Come here, Y/N.”

You melted into her and let out a small sob. It hit you so suddenly how much you loved Joe and it had caught you off guard. When you settled down, she wiped your cheeks before kissing them. You beamed at each other.

Joe spoke to his mother next, while you went to chat with his siblings. Virginia took her son in her arms and held him for a quick moment before they sat down together.

“So, how’d it go with Y/N?” he asked.

“Wonderful,” she replied. “She cares for you, Joe.”

“I hope so,” he said with a chuckle.

“No, listen to me, honey,” she said. “I asked her point blank how she felt about you. And she started to cry. You mean a great deal to her.”

Joe flushed, both pleased and distressed by his mother’s words. He hated that you had gotten upset, but he was also touched by the sentiment. He had confessed that he was falling in love with you. Was now the time to tell you that he was there? He was so madly in love with you that he’d do anything in the world for you?

Inside, you had begun talking to Joe’s siblings, but his nieces and nephew quickly interjected.

“What’s your favorite thing about Uncle Joe?” you asked them.

“He’s fun!” his oldest nephew cried. “He always plays with us when the grown ups are being boring.”

“What’s your favorite game to play with him?” you asked.

“Tickle monster!” they all agreed.

“Do you want him to get married?” you wondered.

“Yes!” said his niece eagerly. “That way he can have babies too, and we’ll have even more cousins to play with!”

“Do you wanna have babies with Uncle Joe?” asked his other nephew.

You blinked, a bit taken aback. Then you smiled.

“Very much.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw John and Mary grin at one another.

All too soon, the sun went down and it was time for you to go. You said warm goodbyes to everyone before Joe led you out to the car that was waiting for you.

“What a great day,” he said, before leaning forward and kissing your forehead.

“It was wonderful,” you said. “Do you think if we asked nicely, they’d let us do it again?”

He chuckled. “Afraid not, babe. But hey, I’ll see you again soon.”

You looked into his eyes. He felt the brutal urge to tell you now that he was fully in love with you. He opened his mouth to let it out, but then closed it again. Something in his heart was telling him to wait.

Your brow furrowed. You were hoping Joe would say “I love you.” When he didn’t you were a bit disappointed.

“Everything okay?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said absentmindedly. “Yeah, I just...I had such a good time today and I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too,” you said.

You rested your head against his chest, not ready to let him go. You got a sudden burst of bravery.

“Joe, I -”

You stopped yourself. Why were you hesitating?

“Yes?” he pressed.

“I...I really am gonna miss you.”

His face fell, and you felt terrible. Why was this so hard to say? Perhaps because it meant so much.

“I’ll see you at the rose ceremony,” he said with a smile.

He kissed you once more. Then he opened the car door and you slid inside. You whispered a tearful goodbye to him, which he returned. Then he closed the door. The driver started down the street. You hung your head in your hands.

“That was stupid,” you said to the camera. “I should have just told him.”

Little did you know, Joe was giving himself the exact same lecture. His only regret in the journey so far was not telling you just then that he loved you. He hoped it didn’t cost him a rose.

From New York, you flew back to Los Angeles for Rami’s hometown. The first three had gone so well, you had high hopes for the last. Rami’s family lived in Sherman Oaks. Most of his extended family was in Egypt, so - like Gwilym’s hometown - you would just be meeting his parents and his siblings. You were a bit nervous going in, since he had mentioned that his sister was protective.

All nerves melted away when you saw him. You surged forward to get to him and planted an enthusiastic kiss on him. He laughed into it, and held you tight.

“I’m so glad to see you,” he said.

“I’m glad to see you too!” you returned.

“I know you’re familiar with Los Angeles, so I wasn’t sure what we could do today,” he said. “But I thought of just a tour of where I grew up.”

“That’s perfect,” you said. “The whole idea is to get to know you better.”

“Awesome, let’s get started!”

For your tour of Rami’s corner of Los Angeles, you had scooters. They were ridiculously fun, even though frightening at first. Rami took you all over Sherman Oaks. He showed you his high school, where a few big name actors had also attended. He took you around his neighborhood, pointing out houses where his friends once lived, and the times they had together. You stopped at a park, where you got some ice cream and sat on a bench together.

“So, it seems like you enjoyed growing up here,” you said.

“I did,” he replied hesitantly.

You frowned. “What is it?”

“Y’know, growing up here was amazing,” he said. “But after 9/11, things changed. People say California is so progressive and welcoming, but after that happened, my family was treated differently, even here.”

“I’m so sorry,” you said, taking his hand. “That’s terrible.”

“We stopped speaking Arabic in public,” he said. “We tried even harder to assimilate. My father took down the Egyptian flag we used to hang outside. Even though we aren’t Muslim...or from the country that attacked that day...we were Middle Eastern enough for people to suddenly suspect us.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” you told him. “That’s just...horrible. And so brutally unfair.”

“It is,” he said. “Eventually, things settled down again, and our neighbors warmed back up. But it was never really the same. In school, I always felt like I was struggling. Having to tell people how to pronounce my name, only to have them butcher it or say it with some offensive accent. It wasn’t easy.”

He took a deep breath.

“But I’m really proud of my heritage,” he said. “I am Egyptian. No matter the generation or where I grew up. It’s part of me.”

“That’s beautiful, Rami,” you said. “You should be proud.”

“Thanks, Y/N,” he replied. “I just wanted to tell you this because my hometown isn’t all great memories. Parts of growing up were very difficult for me. And I wanted you to understand.”

“Believe me, I’m glad to listen to every part of how you grew up,” you said. “The good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to support you and help you through it.”

“You’re amazing,” he said.

“You’re even more so,” you returned.

You kissed him with a smile.

You didn’t stay out too much longer before you headed to his parents’ home. It was a decent sized suburban house, and you hoped his mother would appreciate the flowers. Rami told you to skip the wine because his parents didn’t drink. Out of respect for their home, you decided you would not partake while there. Rami told you how much he appreciated it.

When you walked up to the door, you gulped. You were always nervous right before meeting them. Then Rami kissed your cheek swiftly before opening the door.

As soon as you were into the foyer, Rami’s brother crashed into him.

“Rami!” he cried, engulfing him into a hug.

Though he and his brother were twins, they had their distinctions. Rami was slimmer and just an inch or two shorter. Sami was broader with a more relaxed air about him.

“Oh, this must be Y/N,” Sami said as he released his brother. “I’m Sami. It’s nice to meet you.”

You shook his hand. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Sami, are they -” Rami’s sister, Jasmine, came into the hall and stopped herself. “They are!”

She went to Rami and hugged him similarly to Sami. His parents appeared behind their daughter and grinned at the sight. You went over to them and offered the flowers.

“For you, Mrs. Malek,” you said.

She grinned. “Thank you, Y/N.”

His father also shook your hand before calling his children back with him to the kitchen. Mrs. Malek, whose name was Nelly, put the flowers into a vase. Mr. Malek, whose name was Said, checked on something in the oven which smelled delicious. You told him so and they thanked you.

“So, how’s it been so far?” Sami asked. “Been anywhere exciting?”

“We’ve been to Asheville, North Carolina,” Rami said. “Then we went to London.”

“Oh, I love London,” Jasmine interjected.

“It was amazing,” Rami told her. “And after that we went to Killarney, Ireland.”

“How fun!” Nelly said.

“We had a great time in Killarney,” you said, looking fondly at Rami and recalling your magical one on one date.

“It was beautiful,” Rami agreed. “Especially the company.”

He put his arm around your shoulders and squeezed you as you giggled. You caught a disgusted look on Jasmine’s face, which discouraged you. You had the sense that she would take a while to warm up to you. Unfortunately, you only had one evening to change her mind.

Rami’s parents were incredibly kind. His mother was already teaching you some Arabic as you helped her prepare more food. It was just simple words here and there, but she told you that you were doing a great job. Meanwhile, Rami spoke to his siblings in the living room.

“Rami, I hate to be the wet blanket here,” Jasmine said. “But what are you doing?”

“Enjoying an evening with my girlfriend and family,” he replied. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve known this girl barely two months,” she continued. “All while she’s been dating thirty other men.”

“I know what I signed up for,” he said.

“I still don’t understand why you even signed up,” she snapped.

“Hey, calm down,” Sami said. “Love happens in crazy ways. Who's to say this isn’t how it’s meant to work out for Rami?”

“Because it’s ridiculous,” Jasmine said. “How can she really love you if she is also falling in love elsewhere? And what about your career?”

“What about it?” Rami demanded.

“Don’t you think you should wait for marriage and a family until you’ve established yourself more as an actor?” she wondered. “This is a huge commitment.”

“We’ve talked about it,” he said. “She knows that we could balance it.”

“Probably not the way she’s thinking,” she said. “I saw her on the last season. This girl is ready to settle down properly. Is that something you want?”

“We can talk more about it,” Rami said. “Right now, all I need for you to do is be my sister and support me.”

“I am doing that,” she said. “And one day, you’ll see just how much.”

With that, she swept from the room. Rami scowled.

“She’s making some good points, Rami,” Sami said.

“No, she isn’t,” Rami argued. “This is something Y/N and I have already discussed and worked out.”

Sami sighed. “Alright then.”

Dinner was ready within the next few minutes. It went smoothly. You liked Rami’s family and the way they interacted. Teasing and fun, but with lots of love. Rami was clearly the apple of his mother’s eye especially.

When dinner was over, Jasmine asked to speak to you. You were glad for the chance because you wanted to be close to her if it was you and Rami at the end of this. Together, you went out to the back porch and took seats on the cushioned wicker furniture.

“Y/N, I want to start by saying that I don’t have a problem with you personally, but this process makes no sense to me,” she began.

“I understand that,” you said. “It’s difficult for lots of people to understand unless you’re in it. But it’s just a way for people to find love. Like any dating app or even the traditional stuff. It just happens to be on TV as well.”

“But the expectation is not traditional,” Jasmine said. “The idea is to get engaged after just two months.”

“It seems fast, but believe me, the feelings are real,” you told her. “What I feel for Rami...that’s real. Whether other people understand it or not.”

“But you also have real feelings for three other men,” she pointed out.

That stung. You understood why the families were concerned about this. They didn’t want their loved one to be the one to get hurt. But this was the process that you all signed up for, and you were growing tired of this being thrown in your face.

“I do,” you said. “But every relationship is different.”

“So, tell me what you and Rami have discussed about life outside of this,” she said. “You know he wants to be an actor.”

“He already is an actor,” you replied. “We’ve talked about how we would balance schedules with each other and if we have children.”

Jasmine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she looked at you, a hard expression in her eyes.

“Rami is ambitious about his acting career,” she said. “Now isn’t the time for him to be getting married and starting a family.”

You wanted to flare up and scream at her, but you held back.

“Don’t you think that’s something Rami should decide for himself?” you countered.

“Y/N, listen to me,” she said. “I’m not saying this to be a bitch. I’m saying this for both your sakes. Let’s say this goes well and you and Rami get engaged. If you have to wait for his acting career to take off before you can be a mother, you are going to resent him. If he sacrifices his aspirations in order to stay where he is and be with you, he is going to resent you. He’s not ready.”

“Why would he come on this show if he’s not ready?” you challenged, trying not to let her words take root in your heart. But you couldn’t deny the truth of them.

“Probably because - like anyone - he does want love,” she said. “But he’s not ready for the commitment you want from him.”

You let that sink in. Tears welled up in your eyes. You were still falling in love with Rami, and hated the thought of saying goodbye to him.

“Excuse me,” you said, getting up from your seat.

You walked out into the yard and around the side of the house, sniffling. A tear slid down your cheek. This was the last thing you expected from his family. For them to tell you that even if you and Rami love each other, these things would get in the way. It hurt so much to hear because Jasmine was right. You were afraid of resentment building if either of you had to wait for your dreams.

“Hey.”

You turned and saw Rami standing there, a little winded and looking concerned.

“What did she say?” he demanded when he saw you crying.

You broke down and told him. He heaved a sigh and pulled you into his arms.

“Y/N, don’t listen to that,” he said. “We can figure out how to plan our lives after an engagement. We don’t have to get married and have kids right away, we’ve got a lot of time.”

You pushed him away.

“Is that what you think I want?” you asked. “To just be indefinitely engaged? Without a plan? To basically be dating each other after this?”

“No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I understand you want a serious commitment, and I’m willing to give that to you if I have to.”

“If you have to?” you questioned. “Rami, I need someone who really, really wants that. I’m upset because I think Jasmine is right. We don’t want the same things going back into the world after all this.”

His eyes filled with tears too. “I want you, Y/N. I love you.”

You blinked and looked at the ground. “I don’t know if that’s enough.”

He sucked in a sharp breath at your words, and you couldn’t look at him.

“So...what do we do?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” you whispered.

You stood there a brief moment, wondering where to go from here.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye,” you said.

“I’m not either,” he said.

“At least we can agree on that,” you said with a humorless laugh.

Another beat passed.

“I need to go,” you said. “I have a lot to think about.”

“Y/N, please…” he trailed off.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I just have to go.”

With that, you walked out to the front of the house. You couldn’t say goodbye to his family like this, not when you were falling apart. Alone, you went to the car that was waiting for you and climbed into the back seat, closing the door behind you. As you pulled away, you looked into the camera.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” you said. “I really just don’t know.”

The next day, you woke still conflicted. You had a rose ceremony that night, and you had to decide who to send home. Rami’s hometown date had been the least successful, but it opened your eyes to what might happen if you went down this road with him. But you also felt confused about Joe because of the moment before you left and he didn’t tell you he loved you. But Gwilym hadn’t either. The only one you were sure was getting a rose so far was Ben. His family was sweet, and you had no doubts about where you stood with him. You were absolutely ready to move forward with that relationship. The others...you had to consider and weigh your options.

You were meeting the men back at the Bachelor Mansion, where the journey began. Chris stood out front, where you had been night one to meet the men. The remaining four were arriving one by one before going into the rose ceremony.

Joe was the first to arrive. He smiled at Chris as he walked up to shake his hand.

“Joe, how are you?” Chris asked politely.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Joe answered. “I think my hometown could have ended better, but I hope that’s not enough to lose a rose tonight.”

“Well, good luck, my friend,” Chris said. “Go ahead inside.”

“Thanks,” Joe replied.

He walked through the house and into the courtyard. He stood to one side and looked at the little table with just three roses on it.

Rami arrived next. He couldn’t smile just yet.

“Rami, how’re you doing?” Chris asked.

“I’m anxious,” Rami said. “Things didn’t go well on the hometown date and I...I wish I had more time to talk to her before all this.”

“If the connection is there, she knows how to move forward,” Chris said. “Go ahead inside and good luck.”

“Thank you, Chris,” Rami said.

He followed Joe’s path. He finally grinned when he saw Joe and the two embraced. Then Rami spotted the roses and swallowed, wondering if he would get one.

Ben was third to arrive. He had a wide smile on his face.

“What’s up, buddy?” Chris asked as they shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulder. “You look happy.”

“I am happy,” Ben said. “I think things went really well, so I’m feeling confident about tonight.”

“That’s great to hear,” Chris said. “Go ahead inside and best of luck to you.”

“Thank you,” Ben replied.

He walked into the courtyard and he was pleased to see Joe and Rami already there. He gave them both quick hugs before taking his place in line.

Finally, Gwilym arrived. He straightened his tie as he stepped out of the limo and approached Chris.

“Gwilym, how are you?” Chris asked as they shook hands.

“I’m nervous,” Gwil admitted. “But I think everything went well enough. I just hope she feels the same way I do.”

“I hope so too,” Chris said. “Go ahead in and good luck.”

“Thank you so much,” Gwilym returned.

He too made his way to the courtyard, where the other three men stood. They all embraced him when he arrived, but quickly resumed their spots. Things had changed between them now that it was more serious. They all considered each other friends, and they respected one another, but there was some tension now. They waited.

You were the last one to get there. As you walked into the courtyard in your gown, you took a deep breath. You had made up your mind, but now you had to go through with it. You were going to hurt someone you cared a lot about - someone you loved - and that was never easy.

“Hi,” you said meekly as you looked at the four men before you. “Thank you all for being so gracious and allowing me to meet the important people in your life. I felt truly honored. I got a glimpse into what the future would be like with each of you, and it really helped me see who has the most potential to be my husband.”

Rami hung his head at these words. Then he looked at you again as you picked up the first rose.

“Ben,” you said.

He let out a sigh and walked up to you.

“Ben, will you accept this rose?” you asked.

“I will,” he replied.

You pinned it to his jacket. You picked up the second.

“Gwilym,” you called.

His body relaxed at the sound of his name and then he approached you.

“Gwilym, will you accept this rose?”

“Of course I will.”

You pinned it on and he kissed your cheek before returning to his spot. Your heart began to pound inside your chest. Chris came out and put a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Y/N, gentlemen,” he said. “This is the final rose tonight. Whenever you’re ready.”

He let go and you inhaled deeply. The exhale was slow and shaky. With a trembling hand, you picked up the last rose. You looked at Rami and you looked at Joe. Your eyes watered.

“Joe,” you choked out.

Joe’s relief was written all over his face as he walked over to you.

“Joe, will you accept this rose?” you asked, trying to keep your voice even.

“I will, Y/N, thank you,” he replied.

He had to help you put it on since your hands were so unsteady. Then he gave you a quick hug before returning to his spot.

“Rami, I’m sorry,” Chris said. “Take a moment, say your goodbyes.”

Rami was shaken. He had hoped that you could move past what Jasmine said and work through those issues together. Especially since you told him you weren’t ready to say goodbye. And here you were, saying it anyway.

He gave short hugs to the remaining men, who all whispered some words of comfort to him. Then he slowly walked to you. You had tears streaming steadily down your face. You tried to inhale, but you were short of breath.

“Can I - can I walk you out?” you asked through a sob.

“Yeah,” he said gently.

You took his hand and started back inside the mansion to exit through the front door. When you got to the driveway, you stopped and sat him down on a bench.

“I’m so sorry, Rami,” you whimpered. “I just...I don’t ever want to hold you back. You’re so talented and you’ve got so much to give, and I never want to stand in your way.”

“I don’t think you would…” he said.

Rami was numb. He still could hardly believe it was ending.

“I would,” you sobbed. “I want to settle down and have someone who comes home every night to me and the kids, y’know? And with what you want out of your life, that could never be us. As much as I care about you…”

He blinked and you saw a tear roll down his cheek slowly.

“I love you, Y/N,” he said.

“I love you too, Rami,” you replied. “But that kind of love isn’t enough to have a successful marriage between people as different as we are.”

A beat passed and you sniffled again.

“I want you to know that you’re amazing,” you said. “My feelings for you are so deep and so real, and that’s why this hurts so much. You deserve a successful career and someone who can be there for you through it. But that’s just not me.”

“I understand,” he said.

He began to move, as if suddenly gaining feeling back in his limbs.

“This is where we say goodbye, then,” he said.

“Goodbye, Rami,” you returned.

He hugged you. You held him for a moment, but you knew you had to let him go.

“When you win an Oscar, I’ll be cheering for you,” you teased, forcing a smile through your tears.

He chuckled halfheartedly. “Thanks. Bye, Y/N.”

“Bye,” you breathed.

With that, he opened the door and climbed in. You closed it and watched the tail lights disappear through the gate. You let out one final sob and dabbed at your eyes.

Rami, once inside the car, put his head in his hands and tried to breathe. He released a small whine, but kept his face covered. Then he took a deep breath and moved his hands to wipe his face.

“God,” he sighed. “I’m...I hate this. I really wanted to be with her and I hate that she couldn’t see a future anymore. F**k.”

He paused.

“I still love her.”

Back at the mansion, you had your makeup touched up before returning to the three men you had left. Your nose still ran and bit, and your eyes were still red and puffy, but you went to them anyway. They offered sympathetic smiles as you walked up.

“So, um,” you began, voice shaking again. “That was really difficult. But, I really am happy to be moving forward with all of you.”

Joe handed you a glass of champagne. They all already held one.

“Next week is a big week,” you said. “It’s fantasy suites, and where we’re going really is a fantasy.”

“Where is it?” wondered Ben.

“Gentlemen, we are going to New Zealand!”

They cheered and toasted to that. You hoped you were ready for the overnight dates. But you looked at the faces of each of these men and smiled. You were ready. You absolutely trusted them with your heart.

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ivyuns · 5 years ago

Text

after hours ❆ ✰

han jisung

genre: angst and fluff

word count: 1.6k

warnings: language + self harm

A/N: since you guys asked for it, heres part two of moral of the story (: repost

listen to after hours by the weeknd

part one | part two

masterlist

thought i almost died in my dream again.

right after you left changbin’s embrace to hop onto your plane back to korea, he was furious. he didnt even knew jisung was cheating on you. as a cousin, he went to yell at your ex lover.

“han fucking jisung.” changbin muttered out. the younger one lifted his eyes and saw his hyung. quickly wiping his tears and waits for changbin to continue speaking. “did i just witnessed y/n catching you cheating on her? are you serious jisung? after everything she done for you, for us, and you did this in return!?” changbin ran his fingers through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

“i wont hurt you or anything, just at least talk to y/n and fix some things alright?” jisung immediately nodded as changbin left the room. jisung got up and changed into a casual outfit and met up with his manager to talk about some things.

without you, don't wanna sleep. cause my heart belongs to you.

after meeting up with his manager and convincing to continue the tour without him, he finally agreed. jisung dashes through the hallway, into his hotel room and gathers his stuff and gets his belongings then heads to the airport.

handing in his ticket and sitting in his seat in the plane, he pulls our your promise ring that you threw at him a few hours ago and remembers your pained face the moment you saw him cheat on you. the way the tears fell onto your cheeks. the way you wanted to hold back your tears but couldnt. jisung kicks the seat in front of him and starts bawling his eyes out, earning a groan from the elder who he kicked, immediately starting to apologize to the boomer.

wanting to fall asleep so time can pass by, only to have nightmares of you, taking your own life of his yet another stupid mistake. forcing himself to stay awake by looking back at all the memories you two shared.

baby where are you now when I need you most? i'd give it all just to hold you close.

after the plane has landed, he made his way out of the gate and hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of your apartment. few minutes pass by and jisung looks up and sees his destination. thanking the driver and giving them money and tip, he gets his stuff and unlocks your door. everything looked normal. you had to be here. quickly going to each room to see where you were, you were unseen.

memories start flooding in his mind and sees the first fight you two had. seeing your pale body on the bathroom floor. bunch of tubes connected to your body to regain the nutrients needed. he ran his hands through his hair and yelled, not caring about the neighbors. he needed to find you before his nightmare in the plane could actually happen.

i know it's all my fault, made you put down your guard.

he ran to the dorm, thankful you decided to live a few blocks away from them. taking out his keys to unlock the door and smells a familiar scent, knowing you came here recently. he goes to his room to see a box on his bed and the pictures hung up of you two hidden in his drawer.

seeing the note placed on the box made him feel even more worse. he let out another scream and pulled out his phone, seeing if you still share your location with him.

entering the passcode for his phone and opening his friends locator app. he searches for your name only to find only you can see his location. he threw his phone on the bed and fell on the ground. not knowing where you could be. who knows if youre in the streets all alone.

knowing if youre upsetting at something, jisung always knew you wouldnt have the appetite to eat and ruin your healthy life. even if you came back to korea a few hours ago, your body could make you sick, especially since you didnt eat anything before you left for japan.

i know i made you fall, they said you were wrong for me

remembering how you acted towards him after telling stays about your relationship with him made him guilty. he knew how insecure you felt since the beginning of high school. after the mean comments stays made about you, you felt everyone was coming at you and that you didnt deserve jisung.

until jisung stepped in and defended you. he brought in the light when you fell into the darkest time. even til before he cheated on you, whenever you would fall into a dark time, he would be your knight in shining armor and bring you back to light.

i lied to you, i lied to you, i lied to you. Can't hide the truth, I stayed with her in spite of you.

he knew he shouldnt had cheated on you. but something that jiseo gave him made him fall harder for her and started cheating behind your back. the times he cancelled the dates and plans was only to hang out with jiseo. with the excuses he used was just he needed to practice more or make a new song. all the lies he said to you. all the unsaid i love you.

you did some things that you regret, still ride for you. cause this house is not a home.

currently on the bridge you were sitting at, with the han river under your dangling legs and with park near the bridge, where you two met when you were a little kid. with a blade in your hand, you rolled up your over-sized button up flannel to reveal a fresh canvas to place the scars. each memory and tear that fell, you would cut into your flesh. you promised yourself you would never cut youself or try to harm you, but you felt weak and nobody was there to help.

jisung, who was running around trying to look at the places you would always go to relieve some stress or just for fun. remembering you would always go to the park next to the han river always made you feel so calm since it was the place you and him landed eyes on each other. running to the park, only to find nobody. looking up afar, he sees a figure. a very familiar figure. noticing the same flannel you would always wear.

making his way to the bridge, he hears the sobs which pains him. going up to you, he sees blood coming out of your fore arm. widening his eyes as he approaches you, he takes the blade and throws it in the river and hugs your trembling body.

“its okay y/n” he tries to make you calm. slowly sinking into the hug, relaxing. you then remember what happened. with your shaking body, you push jisung back to where he isnt hugging you anymore and falls on his side. “how can you say that as i caught you cheating on me?!” you yelled out, which you shouldnt have, making you see more than one jisung.

“y/n, let me explain!” due to lots of blood loss, you fainted. having jisung to press on your wounds and take you to the hospital. “please y/n, not again. please i cant lose you again.”

jisung waited in the waiting room with his elbows on his knees and bloody hands on his hand. as the doctor was walking towards him with papers in his hands, he stood up. “ah so jisung. y/n is fine but due to the lost of blood she lost which was almost half a gallon, she will be having blood transmitting to her body. you can go to her room now” jisung thanks the doctor as he pats jisungs back.

walking to your room, only to see you looking at the window. jisung grabs a chair and places it next to your bed. jisung grabs your hand and starts speaking.

“im sorry y/n. i-i shouldnt have cheated on you. if i didnt, we wouldnt have to be in this situation. i dont know why i did it in the first place but after seeing you hurt, it just made me feel so guilty. i didnt return you the love you gave me and seeing your pained face, i just felt my heart shatter. and after having to keep stray kids continuing their tour without me and coming back here to talk to you. just because i love you and i dont know what life ill be doing without you.”

you turn your head to see jisungs face full of regret of what he did in the hotel room. you smiled after hearing ‘i love you’ after months. “i love you too jisung”. he lifts up his head and sees you smile. he gets up and hugs you. “if you do this again jisung, i wont hesitate and break up with you.” and kiss jisung on his lips. he sits back down and grabs your left hand. “i believe you need to put this on again, sunshine.” and slides in the promise ring you threw at him.

and finally, he goes on his knees and pulls out the small black velvet box you found earlier. without jisung even asking, you immediately say yes. “baby i didnt even ask you” jisung laughs.

“i dont care, yes is my answer.”

jisung smiles and puts the engagement ring on your ring finger.

“thank you for this second chance baby”

sorry that i broke your heart, your heart. and I said, baby, i’ll treat you better than i did before, i'll hold you down and not let you go, this time i won't break your heart, your heart, no.

END <3

a repost since first try didnt show up in the tags but ty for reading

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elopez7228 · 5 years ago

Text

Scenic Route 8/47

Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

***

After finishing her cheese burger, (No, please, no more refills) Rey called Jessica. She had to lie about the details of her setbacks and the circumstances that had led her to haul a dog on a 3,500 kilometer road trip. She explained that she had loaned a car and was improvising from there. Yes, she was doing better. Yes, morale was high for now. No, she hadn’t run into any guns or cowboys (yet), but she had seen buffalos (from afar) and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Alright, she would send pictures.

Placing the phone in front of her, she smiled as innocently as possible at the front camera and hit “send” on the photo.

Everything was fine on Betterton Street according to Jessica. Finn and Poe had been talking the talk, they apparently spent an entire afternoon discussing Rey-drunk-in-the-street and Ben-the-tall-dark-mystery-man. They unanimously wanted to know: who was this guy and what was the nature of their relationship ?

Rey rolled her eyes. He wasn’t anyone in particular. He was a random fellow from Denver who was both attractive and repulsive, but in his defense they had started off on the wrong foot, that’s all.

“No, Jess, I didn’t sleep with him. But if you think it’s hilarious that Finn believes I did, go ahead and have fun with it. You can tell him that I spent a night of passion with Ben Solo, rockstar and lead singer of KYLO & THE KNIGHTS OF REN. That way he’ll realize that I don’t miss him and that I’m doing just fine without him. And if he gets jealous—even better. Ask him how he thought I felt when I imagined him in bed with Poe.”

She ended the call there.

She finished her fries, covering the top of her glass with her palm to stop the waitress from refilling it again (had they gone mad here?) as she scrolled through her phone lazily. She was feeling nice and comfy in this 50s style greasy spoon—with its abundance of zinc, black and white tiled floors and red and pink neon signs. There was WiFi and air conditioning, and she balked at the idea of returning to her oven of a car.

Her finger traced over the selfie she had just taken. Her cheeks were rosy and her eye bags less prominent, how many days had she managed without crying? In the background sat a tall blonde woman in a buzz cut, looking straight in her direction.

Photobomb, Rey thought glumly. But the woman’s piercing blue gaze was locked onto the camera, as if by design. As if they were both looking at the same thing. Rey turned around to see if she was still there. She wasn’t.

A family of four were helping themselves to a small basket of nuggets. At the counter, a lone diner in jeans and a tank top sipped on a drink.

Shrugging, she pocketed her phone and tapped her palms against her thighs to get BB8’s attention. BB was also taking advantage of the air conditioning as she layed stretched out underneath the table. She got up clumsily once Rey gently tugged on her collar.

It was time to hit the road again, they could manage a few hundred kilometers by nightfall. The vast land sprawled in front of Rey’s eyes once more, set to the particular rock rhythm of Kylo & the Knights. Little by little, their surroundings transformed into the desert. Yellow earth littered with spiny shrubs and cacti.

She passed Rock Springs at 2:30 PM, taken by the frankly apocalyptic view.

Columns of smoke billowed overhead, likely from mines or factories. Rusted trucks rolled by. It was a sprawling urban hellscape straight out of Mad Max. The empty mountain side inspired a certain sort of fantasy—it gave new meaning to “the hills have eyes”.

A few more kilometers to the west and she would have hit Utah. But Rey deviated to the north. As she approached the crest of the hill, she was stupefied. She had stumbled upon Eden Valley, surrounded by forest and freshwater rivers. Rey was slack-jawed. She hadn’t seen this much green since she left England. The feeling was almost spiritual and she could feel her eyes watering.

A few hours later, after two bathroom breaks for the dog and a mini-walk, they crossed city limits into Jackson Hole. It was a ski resort town. Nestled at the foot of the green slopes, the town was the perfect summertime spot for hiking tours, hunters, and weary Yellowstone travelers. The hotels were pricey and the food was mediocre at best but it didn’t seem to matter.

She obtained a camping spot just outside the city at Curtis Canyon Campground. BB8 wandered as Rey set up the tent and her mattress for the night. Having unloaded the bulk of her belongings from the car, she was finally able to notice an inscription on the mat lining the boot: “MILLENIUM FALCON”. She smiled. Didn’t all pilots give their baby a name? This old hunk of junk had just won her over.

And so Rey piloted the re-baptized Millennium Falcon into the city in search of dinner. She parked the car in the heart of town, taking a selfie in front of a massive wooden archway decorated solely with deer antlers, then made her way into a noisy yet poorly-lit bar.

Seated at the counter, she ordered a light beer and a Caesar salad while she texted Jessica. She attached the selfie she snapped in the adjoining room.

And then she saw the shadow. What the hell?

She zoomed in on her screen, heart pounding. A blurry silhouette stood a few meters behind her—the same woman with cropped blonde hair.

No way, I must be seeing things.

Rey looked up from her phone and scanned her surroundings. Any second now, she would see the mysterious woman in the room. But she didn’t.

I must be imagining all this.

But the doubt crept in. She did her best to bottle the anxiety, to think of something else. But the question remained—who was this woman? Was this just a coincidence? After all, she had followed the typical route from Denver to Yellowstone and Penny’s Diner had been pretty much exactly in the middle of the way...other travelers could have stopped there for lunch too, it was totally plausible.

She scarfed down her salad, still deep in though. A woman offered to buy her a drink but she politely declined.

Afterwards, she placed some cash on the bar-top and thanked the bartender. Her heart was pounding again as she went out onto the street, there was a gut feeling she just couldn’t shake. She turned the corner to get to the car and—

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

A tall woman, the same one with the short blonde hair, was leaning over her car door and tugging at the handle. She jumped at Rey’s tone, scrambling away.

Rey felt icy beads of sweat slide down her spine. She hadn’t been imagining anything, she knew something was off. So much for coincidence. Furious, she marched over to the woman and raised her voice even more:

"Are you trying to break into my car? I'm going to call the police!"

The woman held her hands up in the universal gesture of innocence. "Well excuse me, I just thought it was mine. There's no need to make a big deal," she said simply.

" Really ? You also happen to have a dingy 1977 Oldsmobile with handpainted brown paneling on the front? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Screaming like a fury helped Rey cover up her insecurity. Why was this woman following her? What was she up to?

BB8 was barking furiously at the woman too, and Rey noted to congratulate her later. She had caught on very quickly.

The woman rolled her eyes and turned on her heels, turning the corner and disappearing into the street. Rey followed her, red-faced, before deciding to let her go.

She reconsidered calling the police as she held her phone once more. Who would believe her story? Some girl from Britain being chased by a mystery woman for 800 kilometers, a futile attempt to steal a car that didn't leave a scratch? They would surely laugh at her. She was wasting time. She had to move on by herself.

All those who bore witness to this altercation in the town square quickly turned away. They avoided the seething girl with the English accent and hastily took their leave.

Rey, heart racing and temples pulsing, bent down to pet BB8 in praise. BB was still in attack mode--growling and baring her teeth.

"Bravo, BB8. You did it, you protected me, good girl. That's a good girl,"

BB yelped and licked her nose.

"Come on, let's go. But first, I'll have to buy you a treat."

Google indicated there was an Albertson's grocery store that closed at midnight on Buffalo Way. There, she bought fried chicken bites for BB8 and cookies for herself. For breakfast...and dessert. Okay, she bought two packets of them. It was high time for some comfort food.

Something on the bulletin board just outside the store (boasting public service announcements and local yard sales) caught Rey's eye. It was a flyer that she read twice to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

KYLO & THE KNIGHTS OF REN

WEST TOUR

A sticker on the flyer displayed upcoming show dates at Jackson Hole.

The Mangy Moose, July 5th

She grimaced. She was driving around randomly in an area that was roughly 10 million kilometers squared, populated by about 325 million people. But she kept running into the same man in one small town or another. It was infuriating.

It was the third of July. She decided not to linger around Jackson Hole, she wanted to put as much distance as possible between herself and the blonde madwoman. Too bad for the concert.

It's not like she wanted to go anyway, she didn't want to run into Ben Solo again at all. Nor did she want to see the look on his face when he saw her out in public again.

Who are you trying to convince?

She waved away the pesky whispering voice in her head. It was time to go to bed.

On the way back to camp, she fed BB the fried chicken bites. She took down her tent and instead set up her sleeping gear in the back of the car. She didn't have as much legroom, but at least no one would be able to get away with breaking in unannounced.

Her phone was at eight percent battery. She had to recharge immediately. There was no way she would spend the night alone in a camp with no phone. She wouldn't live to see the day.

She slipped into her jacket and left BB8 to guard mothership-Millenium-Falcon while she headed to the camp entrance. Everything was closed, with the exception of an ill-lit vending machine. She found an outlet and sat on the floor to wait for her phone to finish charging. She was there for at least half an hour.

She couldn't stop thinking about why anyone would want that car. What was so special about it?

Her fingers trembled as she dialed Leia Skywalker--if anyone would know it would be her.

970-571-3350

There was no dial tone. Just a robotic voice informing her that the phone number you have dialed is not available . Rey was immediately taken aback. What the hell? She had certainly dialed this number before.

She tried again. Same number, same error message.

Her hands became unsteady. Unavailable? She had called that number barely a couple days ago. She had met Leia Skywalker in the flesh--ate with her and slept at her house. What did this mean? Was Leia using a burner phone to keep in touch with Rose, was this deliberate? But to what end?

The long-term implications of such machinations were beyond Rey, who was already battling anxious thoughts. What was it, what did they want?

Suddenly, she remembered the existence of Luke Skywalker. She had his number too, it was literally engraved into the dog's collar tag.

She dialed it shakily.

909-667-5721

The phone number you have dialed is not available.

Rey let out a scream and threw her phone down. It clattered against the damp floor.

She got up, heart racing and head pounding. Her breath was short and her hands were freezing.

Who could she talk to? Jessica?

Apart from worrying the living daylights out of her, there was nothing to be done. Rey had Leia's physical address since she had texted it to Jessica, but what was she going to do with it? Call the police to report the car? Tell them about the cute dog and the impressive change of number? It was ridiculous. No one would be able to help.

What were her other options?

She had to take the dog to the address in San Francisco, an address she hoped still existed, because the corresponding telephone number was clearly garbage.

Could she back out? She still had to get to San Francisco by the 15th. How was she supposed to change plans if she didn't have plans in the first place? She had mentioned Yellowstone to Leia but not much else.

Abandon the dog? No, the poor animal had no way to fend for herself. Abandon the car? She could hardly continue on foot. She looked down.

Her phone case had been partially damaged due to the fall.

She bent down gingerly to pick it up. Examining it to make sure that the phone itself was intact, she noticed a slip of paper sticking out between the case and the phone itself. Her eyes widened as she pulled it out with her fingertips. She turned it over to read the back:

Ben

970-663-8876

#reylo #fanfiction #scenic route #modern AU

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nights-pdf · 4 years ago

Text

a/n: this is my first time writing something and feeling good enough to post it. id appreciate any and all constructive criticism. ik im not the best writer and i want to get better so pls share and help me out. ty. i hope you enjoy.

warnings: depression & anxiety are both mentioned. i dont think i went too far into detail but pls be aware for your mental health. also kinda angsty.

roses: a.i.

Ashton and I have never been one for secrets, or at least I didn’t think we were, but things have been different. He has been ignoring me for almost three weeks now, only talking to me when I show up at his house, demanding to at least see him. To see that physically he’s okay. Mike and Luke will only talk to me if I don’t bring him up. As soon as I mention Ashton they suddenly ‘have to go’ and hurry to hang up. Cal will continue to talk to me but he totally ignores whatever questions I ask about him.

I was on Instagram and I saw Ashton on Luke’s story, the first time I’ve seen him in a week and a half. That’s how I ended up on Luke’s porch, working up the courage to ring the damn bell. He hasn’t left you with any options. He’s ignoring you, your other friends aren’t hanging out with you, he brought this on himself.

I press the doorbell, listening to the soft chime echoing in the house and I hear fast approaching footsteps. “Coming!” A voice calls out and within seconds the door is pulled open and I catch Sierra’s bright smile.

“Dee, I- hi.” She says, her smile faulting and my heart breaks. I was hoping she wasn’t here. I was praying that she didn’t listen to me cry about my fear of losing Ashton and then play board games with him the next day. But she was.

“This was stupid.” I mumble quickly, fighting off the tears that are threatening to spill and Sierra reaches out for my hand.

“No, no, it’s not stupid.” She consoles and I shake my head, yanking my hand out of reach.

“I’ll leave you guys to yourselves. Just, um, just tell him that I’m sorry— for whatever I did.” I tell her with a tight smile.

“Si! What are you doing, it’s your turn?!” Ashton shouts from deeper in the house.

“Give me a minute!” She says quickly, stepping out onto the porch with me and closing the door. “I’m so sorry, I wish I could’ve explained it all to you, but it wasn’t my place. I tried literally parent trapping you and Ashton but he always canceled and I— it’s no excuse, but I’m sorry.” She says, her brown eyes softening and I shake my head.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I just—“ I take a deep breath, calming my anxiety while I make an arguably regrettable decision that’ll change my life in mere seconds. “I’m not gonna be in LA much longer and I thought it was insensitive to just drop that in the group chat or something.” I tell her and her eyes widen.

“What? You’re— you’re leaving?” She asks and I nod. “What about the boys? The band— I mean you’ve been a crew member forever.” She adds and I shake my head.

“It’s hard working with a band that won’t talk to you, Si.” I tell her softly and the front door opens. Si and I both turn to see all four boys stuffed in the doorway.

“Dee.” Luke says, clearing his throat and elbowing Calum, who’s beside him, in the stomach.

“Hey, Dee.” Cal says and I smile softly.

“Hey, I was— I was just leaving.” I tell them, turning around and someone catches my wrist. I turn to face Sierra and she drops my hand.

“You tell them.” She says and I shake my head.

“Tell us what?” Michael ask and she quirks an eyebrow.

“I’m taking my friends offer to go on tour with her.” I tell them, turning to face the boys and my eyes catch Ashton’s. “She’s based in New York City, so I’m moving out there.” I add and Luke is the first to speak.

“You’re leaving? When?” He asks and I shrug.

“Probably by the end of the month.” I tell him and Ashton shakes his head.

“You’re just gonna leave? Forget the past what— six years?” He asks and I shake my head.

“You have no right to be mad at me. You haven’t spoken to me in almost three weeks. I only know you’re okay because I see you in their stories. You want to walk away? Fine, but don’t be mad because I’m walking away too.” I tell him, brushing away the tears and he shakes his head.

“You think I don’t miss you?” He asks softly and I shake my head.

“Then why did you leave?! You said you’d never leave! You’d never do what they did to me! You said you’d never hurt me and I fucking believed you!” I let the tears stream down my face, not caring about anything anymore.

“Please, I’m sorry.” He says, his eyes softening at the sight of my tears and he steps closer.

“No,” I step back, “No, you lost that. You lost the right to be mad at me, or to console me, you all have. You could’ve been fucking honest and you all chose to lie to me and ignore me.”

“Dee, come on, we’ve all made mistakes—”

“You don’t accidentally lie to your friend for weeks. You accidentally spill milk, or touch a hot pan, you don’t— you chose to lie to me, you chose to push me away. That’s not a mistake.” I cut Cal off and I shake my head.

“I’m gonna go. I’m sorry for ruining your game night.” I tell them, turning around and walking down the porch stairs, I walk over to my car, everything silent except for the heel of my boots hitting the cement. I reach my car, unlocking it and slipping it. My gaze travels to the porch, looking at the people I had grown to love like family and my eyes stop on Ashton. Luke’s arm is around his shoulder, clearly saying something to him and Ashton’s eyes meet mine. My heart breaks at his expression, the truth setting in that I had hurt him the same way he hurt me.

The thought makes my stomach turn but I don’t have the strength to step out of my car. Instead I open spotify and start playing anything to fill the void. I pull out of the driveway, turning up the volume and trying to silence the deafening thoughts running through my mind.

I’ve been packing for two weeks, and fielding calls from the boys and their management. Well all the boys except one. The one I really want to hear from. The one that would say “stay,” and I would drop everything for.

Maybe it’s good that I’m leaving. I mean, falling in love with your best friend is a bad idea already and although I wasn’t sure of it before I am now. I loved Ashton, in the most inconvenient way possible, so maybe this space will be good for me.

Or at least that’s what I try to convince myself when I feel empty. When the anxiety and depression wins and I wake up in the middle of the night on the floor— typically the bathroom floor— with an empty stomach and pounding headache.

Then I remember Ashton always being there. Picking me up, taking care of me, loving me in the way I never thought I deserved and the thoughts send me spiraling and walking up on the floor again.

I finish applying my lipstick, biting back the tears that I know will inevitably be shed by the end of the night, and step away from the mirror. I grab my clutch, checking for my phone, keys and wallet before strapping on my shoes and heading downstairs.

Everyone had insisted that we had one last night out, a final goodbye and send off before I leave tomorrow morning and I had agreed. I walk out to my car and quickly start the ride to the restaurant. I focus on the music, never giving myself enough time to get lost in my thoughts and I get to the restaurant faster than expected.

I step out of my car and spot Calum almost immediately. He’s turned around, preoccupied with something and I run up behind him, placing my hands over his eyes and he laughs softly.

“You’re a child.” He mumbles, spinning around to face me and I drop my arms.

“You love me.” I tell him with a smile and he opens his arms for a hug. I step into his embrace, squeezing him tightly and he does the same.

“You look beautiful.” He says, stepping back and I smile softly.

“Thank you.” I tuck my hair behind my ear, the curls already getting in my way and he smiles sadly. “You wanted to talk before dinner?” I prompt and he nods.

“Yeah, I have a gift for you and a few things to say.” He says with a smile. “First, I wanted to apologize. I never should’ve lied to you and I shouldn’t have let Ashton. I was so blinded by the thought of protecting my brother that I didn’t think to protect my best friend.” He says and I shake my head.

“It’s okay, I get it, and I don’t blame any of you guys. I seriously don’t.”

“With that being said, I also wanted to congratulate you. I wish you didn’t have to leave but I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself and doing what felt right to you, no matter what. You deserve the world, Dee, but you have to take it.” He says with a soft smile and I wipe at the single tear that’s escaped.

“This is from us— all of us— to you. No matter what happens, what you do, we’ll always be cheering you on and we will always love you.” He says, pulling a velvet box out of his pocket and handing it to me. I carefully take it, giving him my clutch to hold and opening the box to see a delicate, silver necklace, a beautiful rose hanging off it and I smile warmly. It’s almost an exact replica of Ashton’s tattoo and I don’t know if they did it on purpose, but I want to believe they did.

I can see Ashton pointing out the necklace with a smile, fully knowing how similar it is to his tattoo and the rest of the group agreeing, simply because of my love of roses. I brush away the invisible tears at the thought, choosing that no matter what the story actually is, that’s what it’ll mean to me.

“Cal,” I whisper softly, looking up to meet his eyes and he smiles despite the tears filling his eyes.

“You like it?” He asks and I nod.

“I love it.”

“Here, let me put it on you.” He suggests and I nod. We trade off once again and I spin around, pulling my hair up with one hand and he slips it around my neck. “Done.” He whispers when he clasps it and I let my hair fall. I spin back around with a bright smile and he nods.

“Thank you.” I tell him, toying with the small rose and he nods.

“It was a group thing but everyone agreed that they’d cry like babies so it was decided that I’d give it to you.” He says with a smile and I giggle. “Ready to head in?” He asks, opening his hand for me to take and I nod slowly.

“I just— is he in there?” I ask him, unsure of what answer I’m hoping for and he slowly shakes his head.

“Luke, Mike and I all tried to get him to come but he wouldn’t.” He says and I nod slowly. I place my hand in his, giving him a tight squeeze before nodding again, this time with more confidence.

“Let’s go.” I tell him and he nods. We both walk into the restaurant, being led straight to our table after Calum gave the hostess his name.

“Dee! You look so good!” Sierra says as soon as she sees me and I embrace her in a tight hug.

“Thank you.” I whisper, holding her tight and she does the same. After we separate, I go around the table, hugging everyone and finally I sit down. There’s an empty seat at the end of the table— the seat that had been saved for Ashton— and the sight breaks my heart. Every time Michael or Crystal address me I have to fight my hardest to not look at the seat and break out into tears.

Despite the nagging reminder that Ashton isn’t there, dinner is amazing and after bidding my goodbyes, I step outside and feel a few drops of rain. I step back, underneath the overhang provided by the restaurant and Calum appears next to me. With almost impeccable timing a crack of thunder is heard and it starts pouring.

“How many times is this gonna happen to us?” Calum asks, shrugging off his jacket and lifting it over our heads.

“I’m starting to think this is just gonna be Our Thing™.” I joke and he laughs loudly.

“Ready?” He asks and I shake my head.

“Let me take off my heels.” I tell him and he nods. He offers his arm as stability and I start working my heels off.

“Good idea.” He mumbles. I eventually get both heels off and with my clutch and heels in hand and Calum’s jacket over us we run off into the rain. “Are you gonna get home safe?” Calum asks as we reach my car.

“I’ll be okay.” I tell him and he nods.

“Text me.” He mumbles quickly as I open my door. He presses a quick kiss to my cheek before running off and I get into my car. I start the ride to my house, driving slower this time because of the rain and finally, in the peace of my own car, I let go and feel the tears falling.

I couldn’t tell you if I’m crying because I’m leaving or Ashton not showing up. Or maybe it’s because the talk Calum and I had before dinner. Or the fact that I always run when things get difficult. I don’t know what it is, but once the tears start they don’t stop and when I stop in front of my house I don’t bother pulling into the driveway. Instead I keep driving, finding myself heading towards the hills and I calm down at the prospect of fixing everything.

I just have to be honest. Honest about everything and maybe, even if things aren’t the same, they’ll be better. I just have to tell him the truth. I just have to tell him that I love him.

I run out of my car as soon as it’s in park, sprinting up the unnecessary long path to his front door and I ring the doorbell, feeling a surge of confidence, anxiety and impatience all at once. I fold my arms over my chest, trying my best to warm up but it’s nearly impossible when my dress and hair are absolutely soaked. I try the doorbell again, the confidence waning and anxiety and impatience doubling.

“C’mon, Irwin. Please.” I mumble under my breath, reaching into my clutch to grab my phone and I quickly dial his number. Unshockingly it goes right to voicemail and I groan loudly. “Irwin, stop being a dick, it’s pouring and I’m freezing.” I mumble, stuffing my phone back in my clutch and ringing the doorbell again. And again, and again, until he finally pulls the door open.

“I told you I’m not fuckin—” The words die on his tongue when his eyes land on mine.

“Dee? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at dinner?” He asks, snapping out of his thoughts and I take in the details of his face. The bags under his eyes are more prominent then they’ve probably ever been and my heart breaks at the thought. His eyes look a bit darker, like they always did when he was upset and I shake my head, pulling myself out of those thoughts.

“I, um, I needed to talk to you.” I tell him and he quirks an eyebrow.

“You didn’t get it all out before?” He bites and I shake my head.

“I’m here to apologize, okay? I’m sorry for whatever I did, I’m sorry for whatever made you hate me and if I could I would go back and fix it all but I can’t. All I can do is apologize and pray to whoever will listen that you won’t hate me for the rest of your life.

“I’m sorry if I pushed you too hard or asked for too much from you. I’m sorry that I was selfish because I was. I took and took and took from you because it was easy, because you made me feel loved and I never felt that before. I’m sorry if I loved too hard or I made things difficult. I’m sorry for every possible thing I did that would have pushed you away.

“But I’m not sorry for loving you. I’m not sorry for giving you everything I could. I wish things could’ve ended differently but I’m not sorry for falling in love with you. I won’t ever apologize for that, Ashton, because I did, I loved you in the most unconventional way possible and I loved every second of it too.” I tell him, not caring about the tears that escaped and I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders.

“That’s all I had to say: I’m sorry, and I love you.” I tell him finally happy after weeks of feeling miserable. Happy because I spoke my truth and no matter what happens next, I know I tried and that’ll have to be enough. I spin on the heels of my feet, walking away from his door and almost halfway to my car I feel a tug on my hand. Ashton spins me around, his hands coming up to my cheeks and his lips are on mine.

Once the shock wears off, my hands cup his cheeks, pulling him impossibly closer as I kiss him back. His tongue runs over my sealed lips and I don’t hesitate to let him in. My hands slip into his hair, tangling into the rain-soaked knots and he slowly pulls away. “Come inside,” He breathes into the air between us and I nod.

“Okay.” I whisper and he smiles softly.

“I love you too, darling. I always have.” He whispers and I press my lips to his once more.

#ashton irwin oneshot #ashton irwin writing #ashton oneshot #ashton 5sos oneshot #ashton irwin 5sos

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moonlit-imagines · 5 years ago

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Apprentice

Peter Maximoff x reader

warnings:

a/n: oof lets see how i do. im gonna make this set around apocalypse bc dark phoenix was a shit show

prompt: @dadnetooo: “Peter Maximoff x Young Apprentice Mutant of Erik?”

Your mentor, Erik, was a stern man. He wanted you to gain control over your powers, but you didn’t know if it was possible at this point. Pyrokinesis was your mutation, burning city blocks was your unintentional art. Erik was a man of forgiveness, in the right setting. He took you in and taught you control.

You decided you wanted to get out in the world, which Erik understood. He gave you the information for Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and told you to start there. You followed his instructions and started your travels to New York.

Upon arrival, you approached the door and let yourself in. It is a school, after all. No need to knock. After a few steps in, you were greeted by a man in a wheelchair.

“Hello and welcome, what brings you here?” He asked you.

“You must be the Professor,” you shook his hand, “I’m y/n, my mentor sent me here.” You explained. He nodded along with what you told him. “I need some extra help with my mutation.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place. Right this way.” He led you to his office. “I’d just love to speak to you for one moment, then I’ll have someone give you a tour and show you to your quarters.” Charles informed you.

“It’s that simple?” You asked him in a tone of disbelief. He answered with a simple “indeed” and brought you into his office. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

“Please, sit down.” Charles instructed and you complied. “Okay, so your name is y/n, correct? And last name?”

“L/N.”

“Okay, good. And your mutation?” He questioned.

“Pyrokinesis.” You answered.

“Splendid! And you mentioned a mentor, may I ask of their name?” He looked up from the paper, staring and waiting for a response.

“Oh...” you hesitated. “His name is...Erik. Erik Lehnsherr.” Charles stared blankly at you, then set down his pen.

“Ah, yes, Erik. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the good man.” He picked his pen and wrote something down on a separate piece of paper, then closed his eyes, probably to do some telekinetic thing. “This will only take an second.” Charles put two fingers to his temple. Suddenly, a man appeared. Silver hair, kind of pale, band shirt, flannnel, tight pants. “Y/N, this is Peter Maximoff. He’s going to give you the tour.” He handed the paper to Peter. “Their room number is on here, at the end of the tour, would you bring them there?” Peter saluted and stuck his hand out for you to shake.

“Nice to meet you, y/n.” Peter pulled you from your seat.

“Likewise, Maximoff.” You followed him out of the office and back through the hallways. He pointed out every specific detail, even introduced you to a few people. He spoke about himself and his experiences at the school, how Charles turned him into a “better man” and he loves being an X-Man.

“Tell me a bit about yourself, y/n. Where are you from, how do your powers work, what brought you here?” He berated you with questions, to which you replied honestly and bluntly.

“I’m from all over, I make fire, my mentor told me to come here.” You replied to his curiosity.

“Interesting, interesting. Please don’t burn me.” He joked, and you laughed with him. It felt good to laugh, Erik and you had your fun moments, but he liked to focus on your mutation overall. “So, this mentor, tell me about them. Mutation? Name?” He really was curious, hm.

“His mutation is metal manipulation,” Peter’s interest piqued with that information, “he’s quite strong, taught me a lot about how to love my mutation.” You demonstrated your fire, which he watched in delight.

“So, your mentor, he’s Erik Lehnsherr, right?” He questioned.

“Yes, he is,” You responded, “some even say he’s famous.” You chuckled, and he joined in.

“Yeah, I met him some years back when he was in prison. Good times.” He casually dropped.

“So I’ve heard, he told me he met a speedster after they broke him out of jail on the suspicion that he killed the President.” You shrugged.

“He talked about me?” His jaw dropped slightly.

“Yeah, I mean, he told me about all the different mutants he’s met, how there are good and bad mutants, but he also said all non-mutants are bad. I have mixed feelings on his teachings.” You tilted your head slightly. “But overall, he was a great guy, and he was happy that I was taking my next step in life. I’ll be seeing him soon.”

“You should take me with you!” He exclaimed. You giggled.

“And why’s that?” You asked.

“You’re not gonna believe me, and you have to keep this a secret,” you furrowed your eyebrows and nodded, “I know I just met you, but you’re close to him. This could be my last chance. Erik is...he’s my biological father.” Your eyes widened at his statement.

“He...he didn’t have any family besides the currently deceased wife and child. There’s no way...”

“He and my mom weren’t a thing for long, she never even got tell him about me, sad, I know. But I wanna officially meet him, you know?” He was hyper, you admitted. You didn’t know how to respond to his request.

“I’ll see what I can do.” You told him.

“Awesome, thanks!” He hugged you. You weren’t used to physical gratitude, but you accepted it. You’d have to grow accustomed to what the people here did. Like it or not. You wanted this to be your new home.

#peter maximoff x reader #peter maximoff imagine #peter maximoff #quicksilver imagine #quicksilver x reader #quicksilver #xmen apocalyse imagine #xmen days of future past imagine #xmen x reader #xmen imagine #xmen days of future past #xmen apocalypse #dark phoenix x reader #dark phoenix imagine #dark phoenix #erik lehnsherr #charles xavier #professor x #magneto

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jinxthequeergirl · 5 years ago

Text

In The Night

Werewolf Muriel x Monster hunter reader (werewolf Au)

Summary: your first visit to the city of Vesuvia on a job call and things go wack.

Requested by: @asylummint

Song to listen too: "love bites" by Ice nine kills

Warning: swearing, Like body horror ig? Mention of blood etc. Kinda angsty

Ahahaha this was a pain in my ASS to write BUT i did it. AND I LOATH IT. ALSO YEA I USED HARRY POTTER WERWOLF LOGIC WHAT ABOUT IT???

~~~~~~~

The city of vesuvia was calm on a night like tonight. The moon was just barely full and hung high in the sky illuminating the streets where the lights of shops and houses didn't reach.

You let out a content breath as you continued to the palace hoping to reach it before it was to late into the night. luckily for you you did so and the palace staff was ready to welcome you. “Y/N!” You where stopped abruptly and trapped in a tight hug as you stepped into the palace. “Portia! It’s Good to see you! How is your brother?” the shorter red headed girl pulled away looking up at you with hope filled eyes. “he’s doing much better! thanks to you! have you received any of his letters?” you smiled and followed her down the hall.

“yes I have. Thank you for encouraging him to write in order to keep me posted it’s very helpful.” she seemed to beam up at you after you said that. you stopped in front of the guest room where you were now accustomed to staying in.

“let Nadia know of my arrival in the morning?” Portia smiled and nodded shutting the door after you stepped inside. you groaned throwing your bag across the room and then flopping face first.

you had worked for the Countess years ago, and after proving yourself to her she set you free to work as a monster hunter/witch of sorts. you had a knack for it.

you ended up getting moved around the world in order to help towns deal with there monster issues. Nadia was your best customer now having returned back to the palace for the the second time just this month.

the first event being on the account of Portia brother being turned to a vampire. you found a way to help him with out the normal bloody details. now you where called back once again for a reason far to urgent to have Nadia explain.

but you where to exhausted at this point to care at the moment. you had gotten up to change into something other that your travailing clothes. you crossed the room to the window to shut it stopping to hear a howl from somewhere in the city below. without a second thought you shut the window and pulled the curtains before returning to bed for the night.

by the time you woke up you where instantly threw into the task you where called for. “werewolf.” Nadia explained as soon as you sat at the table.

“what?”

“the issue i called you here for It’s a werewolf.”

“good morning to you as well, countess...what seems to be causing the issue?”

“many farm animals have been found slaughtered, people have been found dead on the out skirts of town near the forest.”

you frowned. “certain it’s a wolf?” she nodded and took a bite of her food. you huffed grabbing a roll and leaving the table to go out to the woods.

the morning was crisp and clean as you stepped into the woods and dew still sat fresh on most of the plants and grass, getting the tip of tour boots wet.

you mumbled to yourself as you stared at the ground looking for tracks of some sort eventually finding wolf prints along side boot prints. you followed them until you hit something sturdy falling back. you looked up unable to see do to the suns harsh rays until something moved in front of it looking down on you. “who are you?” they said gruffly.

you opened your mouth to speak but stopped fully looking at the persons features. he was tall, well built and by the looks of it scared on almost every inch of his body.

“well?”

you continued to look at him and helped yourself up. “y/n. im here on businesses from the palace.”

“in the woods?”

“yes.” you saw something moving by his legs you glanced down and saw a wolf prowling around. “well that explains that...”the man stood staring at you with furrowed brows. “what are you doing out here?” you asked now following him deeper into the woods.he said nothing and continued the wolf followed along looking at you. you followed him still asking things and still getting no answers.

it was late late afternoon by the time you reached a small house. you stopped outside as both him and the wolf entered. “well are you gonna come in?”

“what?”

“you’ve been following me all day...do you wanna come in?”

you stared at him wanting to say no and turn back to find this wolf. but you shrugged. “tell me your name?” he seemed taken aback at first.

“Muriel.”

“pleasure.” you said curtly ducking into the hut. You spent the rest of the late afternoon with him he cooked up some food and made small talk. Soon enough the night had hit and you where ready to return to the palace for the night.

"Stay. It's dangerous out there at night."

"Oh no....I couldn't..."

"Please I insist." You thought for a moment and then agreed what was the worst that could happen?

Muriel had retired for the evening while you sat by the fire looking over some of your notes you had collected over the years. You had list track of the time still not feeling the need to sleep on well the pile of bedding and suck in the corner of the room.

But as you sat there you had an eerie feeling over come your senses and you heard a loud thud and bang from the room muriel went to. You grabbed your dagged from beside you and stood up approaching the door cautiously. "Uhh Muriel?....everything alright in there?"

"Go away!" He shouted. You stumbled back but caught the strange tone to his vouce that made his voice seem unlike his. There was more crashing and banging and groans of pain.

"Fuck it, I'm coming in!" You kicked the door a few times until it cracked open and you stepped inside. You found him crowded in the corner of the room fur appeating on his back in patches as his body formed to that if a dogs. "It was you..." Yoh mumbled.

"I said go away!" He slyelled again this time turni g to face you. His face was now contorted into a snarl and his eyes where yellow. "Muriel just calm down!"

He let out a yell that firmed to a howl before he faced you fully wolf now.

"Muriel!" The wolf charged at you haphazardly but you quickly mived rolling across the floor. "Muriel! This is enough! I'm not going to hu-"

You cut yourself of when he turned around to face you again slashing at your arm. You growled angrily and kicked him in the snout stopping him from his next attack.

You dove on the other side of the bed pulling it over on its side as a sheild cornering yourself. He jumped and pawed at you in an attempt to catch you but failed.

"Alright, fine! You wanna play hard ball! Lets play!" You kicked the bed forward with full fource knocking him back before getting up and boosting yourself out the window. Just as you fell out onto the damp grass he juslmped out scratching the side of the house unable to catch you again.

You huffed and gathered yourself. "Ok...umm think, think..." Suddenly you had an idea you held out your hands and muttered a few words,reapeating them until the commotion from inside died down. You waited a few more minutes before proceeding back inside. Finding him laying in the center if the floor.

"Hey big guy..." He lifted his head and growled at you. "Hey it's nothing to worry about just a simple little relax spell you're fine...i'm fine...it's all good..."

He continued to growl but easied into your touch when you patted his head. "Good...good ok just relax..." You reached into your bag and pulled something out.

He growled again. "Hey wow! Look!" You held up the candy bar in defense. He sniffred it before slowly taking a bite from it and chowing down. "Good...that should help you a little..." You sat next to him as he eate the rest of the chocolate, once he finished he huffed and rested his head on your lap. "Oof...ok we'll talk in the morning." You stroked his fur until you yourself fell asleep.

By the time you woke up the sun was beaming through the window stiring you from your sleep. You found the absents of a particular wolf and resorted to panic. "Oh god....muriel...MURIEL?" you git up hadtily and headed for the door but once again collided with someon falling back.

"Oh thank gid you're ok!" You leaped up hugging him. "Uh yes...thanks to you!" He said. You smiled warmly. "It's not an issue...i'm here to help you through this until you back to yourself ag-" you where once again cut off by muriel this time hugging you tightly enough to lift you off the ground.

"Thank you..."

"No problem big guy...no problem..."

#muriel x reader #the arcana #the arcana x reader

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vantekay · 6 years ago

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valentine ||jhs

word count: 3.2k

estimated reading time: like 10 ish minutes, maybe? I haven’t been timing these sksks I’m sorry I will eventually come back and time it

genre(s): fluff fluff fluff and more fluff also a scene where you stargaze because I’m self indulgent and like every fic of mine that has a date scene includes stargazing sksksk sorry

warning(s): none

“throughout all the seasons, in this transition of winter-spring you've been here beside me with the sweet nothings you're whispering”

hoseok has always called you his rock because you kept him grounded whenever he needed it, reminding him in times of hardships that he was more than enough and that those bouts of feeling like he wasn’t enough would pass. he also called you his rock because you had been in his life for as long as he could remember, literally. you had known hoseok since you guys were kids. teeny tiny tots playing together at the daycare your mothers had both decided were good enough to watch you while they were busy. it all started because you, a very shy kid who kept to themselves in the corner, was crying and you immediately caught hoseok’s attention. you had come to find very quickly that he was the literal embodiment of sunshine and rainbows and everything else that could possibly bring you joy. he had been the only kid to approach you in the daycare since you arrived, and he made it his mission to make you happy. he had introduced himself to you as hobi, and from that day on it was hobi and y/n against the world. as you grew older, you had found that hoseok actually lived in the same neighborhood as you and this led to you and him growing closer as you aged. enter your tween and teen years and you were pretty much bound at the hip, doing anything and everything you could together. you had begun going to the others family gatherings, parties and other special events together and there came a time when both of your families had begun teasing you both about being an item. this would always prompt your cheeks to turn a deep rose color as hoseok denied any chances of getting together with you, claiming you were more like a sister to him. this had hurt you a bit the first few times he had said it, seeing as you had feelings for hoseok that were definitely not brotherly and you had always silently hoped he felt the same but you learned to quickly push those feelings down and laugh along with him whenever family members brought it up. this continued for a couple years until one drunken high school party where you had confessed your feelings for him and, to your surprise, he felt the same. the next day was spent soberly clearing things up and properly confessing, marking the beginning of your new relationship with hoseok. he learned very quickly that you were supportive of him. you always had been, but now that you proudly wore the title of girlfriend it had been enhanced ten fold and it made hoseok's day. whether it was cheering him on at his tennis games or during his swim meets, you never failed to bring a smile to his face when he caught you waving at him from the sidelines, the widest of grins on your face as you showed him how proud you were. you’re praises never stopped on the field though, no, hoseok would hear them the entire way back to your homes, and if you were spending the night at his then you would continue to praise him there too. when he had finished getting ready to relax and you were waiting for him on his bed with open arms, he would happily clamber into bed with you and accept your cuddles, you held him close to your chest as you ran your hand through his hair and continued to talk about how proud you were of him, how amazing he did during the game and so forth, until finally his eyes would flutter closed and the smile on his lips stretched wider.

“you're a lovable, angelic piece of perfect and anything i do for you is worth it times a million and a half”

it should come as no surprise that hoseok loves to do for other people, especially for you. whatever it was you needed him to do he would do it in a heartbeat. you needed a new pair of pants because you spilled coffee on your old ones? hoseok was already on his way to the mall as soon as you told him. you had a really bad day at work and you wanted takeout and a movie night in? hoseok has your favorite takeout place on speed dial and your order memorized and could make it to your apartment in 10 minutes flat with your favorite movie. you were his angel, his world, and he loved doing things for you. hoseok always made it known that you could count on him, constantly telling you that it didn’t matter how busy he was or what he was doing. reminding you that he would always drop whatever it was and help you in any way he could. this made touring a little difficult for him, seeing as how he wouldn’t be able to stop in the middle of a show to help you if you needed him but you knew he would help you as soon as he could. there was one time, however, where in the middle of a show he had gotten a message from your coworker telling him that you had fallen at work and were rushed to the hospital. it wasn’t anything major, just a preemptive trip to make sure you didn’t break any bones from the fall but it was still enough to plant that seed of worry in hoseok. what made this worse was the fact that he was in the middle of a show, in between songs and getting a quick change when he had heard the news from a staff member. they tried to reassure him that you were okay and that you weren’t actually hurt that badly, that your coworker just wanted to make sure you hadn’t broken any bones but it was still enough to drive hoseok mad. he tried to brush it off for the rest of the show and not worry ARMY but you were all he could think about. of course he immediately thought of all the worst case scenarios he could, like you being stuck at the hospital all by yourself because your friend had to leave, or you having broken every bone in your body and having to be put in a full body cast for a couple of months and many other unlikely scenarios. as soon as the show had ended, he rushed off stage to video call you, not even bothering with a text to make sure you were still up. his heart was relieved for a split second when you answered on the second ring, and he didn’t even let you speak before he was already blubbering off his concerns.

“oh god angel I’m glad you answered, I got the text from your coworker saying you were in the hospital as we were in the middle of the show and I was so worried about you. are you okay? did you break anything? do I need to sue your company for the fall? psychological damage that you may have suffered? god baby I’m so sorry I’m not there to sit with you in the hospital right now and- wait, are you at home?” hoseok furrowed his eyebrows and squinted down at his phone screen as you leaned your head back to let out a loud laugh. he backs away from his intense staring with his lips down in a frown and a pout on his face, waiting for you to explain.

“I got out of the hospital like, an hour ago love. it was just a trip to make sure I didn’t break anything, which I didn’t, I just twisted my ankle s’all.” as you spoke you could watch the worry physically drain itself from hobi’s face, his heart shaped smile beginning to form itself on his lips at the thought of you being okay.

“oh thank god, y/n I couldn’t even begin to tell you how worried I was about you, I was starting to wonder if management would let me fly home to see you in case you had been put in a full body cast or something.” now you both laughed, hoseok blushing slightly at how ridiculous he sounded but you assured him that you loved it, loved him for caring so much about you and being ready to do whatever he needed to take care of you. you meant a lot to him, and he would be willing to give you his heart in a split second if you needed it, that’s how much he loved you.

“cause i love you and i'd like to spend forever in the subtle warmth inside your arms”

hoseok’s favorite thing to do with you has to without a doubt be cuddling. he loves it when you cuddle him or he cuddles you, he doesn’t mind either position as long as he can feel the warmth radiating off of your body and onto his. he loves holding you close, head pressed up against his chest so you can hear his heartbeat while his hand runs through your hair as he talks to you about his day and you talk to him about yours. hoseok always wants to be touching you in some way whether it be hugging or cuddling or holding hands, he always wants to feel your warmth. whenever you go out in public he is holding your hand, if you have to separate for whatever reason he always makes sure you part with a hug and if you guys are just spending time at the dorm or at your apartment you better believe you’re cuddled up on the couch together. hoseok loves it the most when he wakes up with you in his arms, the way you’re always wrapped up in his embrace like you haven’t moved since you fell asleep in the same position. he loves it when it’s raining really heavily and you beg him to sit out in the living room with you, huddled up on the couch with your favorite blanket and a movie on the tv, drowned out by the sound of the rain hitting the glass of your window. he loves it when you rest your head on his shoulder while gazing at something, whether it be your phone or whatever else may be holding your attention and he just enjoys being close to you, and he never wants to let you go.

“i'll keep on creating for you until my final days, dancing in the living room and smooching while the vinyl plays”

one of hoseok’s favorite memories with you is whenever he had a day off and you insisted on dancing with him, since he would continue to practice even if he was meant to be relaxing. the day usually goes something like this, you begin by sitting in the living room and watching him dance, then he insists on teaching you some of the moves so now you’re up and dancing with him and then eventually you convince him to do some kind of slow dance with you as a cool down from earlier. he would never admit it but he loves it when his days off go like this, getting some practice in and then ending it with you and him slow dancing while your bluetooth speaker plays whatever love song you have in your playlist. he loves holding you by the waist, watching as you lean your head forward on his chest while you dance, hands intertwined and the soft sounds of your breath mingling as you sway together in the living room. hoseok will begin his kiss attacks with simple smooches to you hair, and then gradually makes his way down to your face after you’ve removed it from the warmth of his chest to look up at him. he starts his descent at your forehead, leaving a kiss there before travelling to your nose, and then both cheeks, your chin, the corners of your mouth and then finally landing on your lips. the kiss is always soft and sweet and makes butterflies erupt in your stomach and you can’t get enough of him which leads into a makeout session. hoseok’s hands grip your waist a little tighter as your hands move to play with the hairs at the nape of his neck, not once breaking apart for air. you continue like that for what feels like hours, just holding each other and sharing kisses under the dim lighting in your living room until hoseok’s stomach begins to growl louder than the music playing in the background and you break apart with a laugh, walking into the kitchen together to prepare a meal.

“cause we can both hear the compliments coming in from these pals of mine and I've been wondering if you would be my valentine”

hoseok remembers back in highschool, when you had just started dating, and valentine’s day approaching faster than he would have liked. he was nervous seeing as it was the first holiday you would be spending together as a couple and he wanted it to be perfect. his friends had encouraged him, telling him they would help him with any planning or preparations he had. what he really wanted to do was take you out for a picnic date at the park you really liked that was a bit of a drive out of town and then watch the stars with you. he tells his friends about his plan in hopes that they will get the hint to leave him alone, but something about the way they smile at him after he’s done speaking tells him otherwise. brushing it off, he waits for you in the school’s parking lot and gets ready to put his plan into action. when you get into his car, he starts to drive towards the location of the park which is on the opposite side of town where you both live. you’re confused, and look over to ask him what he’s doing to which you only get a “you’ll see” out of him. you sit back and enjoy the ride, wondering what he could possibly have planned for today. when you arrive at the park the sun has begun its descent and hobi is quick to pull you out of his car and towards the location of the picnic dinner he has had set up for the past few hours. you laugh at his enthusiasm only to be wowed by the location for which he has picked out. the spot he found has a perfect overview of the horizon ahead, and it perfectly shows off the current setting sun and all of the orange pink and purple hues stemming from it. you stand there in awe, mouth hung open as you watch the sun set and hoseok can’t help but take a couple photos of you, some from a few feet behind you showing off both the setting sun and your silhouetted frame. he smiles down at the photos before walking up behind you and wrapping you up in a hug, head placed on your shoulder as he places soft kisses into the crook of your neck. you giggle before attempting to get away from him, claiming that his shows of affection tickle and that you want to eat. he leads you back over to the blanket and begins to pull out the food he had prepared. to your surprise, he pulls out a bunch of fruits and what looks to be kimchi made from scratch. you look up at him in awe while a blush blossoms on his cheeks. he dishes out the servings of food between the two of you before starting to eat, striking up conversation with you about school that day and what plans you had for the weekend. after you both finish eating and the sun has promptly set, he asks you to lay down with him on the blanket to stargaze for a little. it takes you by surprise, seeing as hoseok has never addressed the idea of finding stargazing particularly interesting but you assume that maybe he had seen posts about it on twitter or instagram pertaining to how it was a cute date idea. you lay hand in hand and watch the stars for about an hour before you pack up to go home, the cold air beginning to nip at your skin and creating goosebumps. once you’re back inside his car hoseok pulls out one last surprise gift for you. you assume it’s a ring, considering the box he occupies in his hands is too small to contain a necklace or bracelet and you feel your heartbeat begin to pick up. hoseok smiles before opening the case and showing off a beautiful gold promise ring set, one for you and one for him. he takes the one meant for you out and begins to place it on your ring finger as he speaks softly.

“I got these because even though we just started dating, we’ve known each other our whole lives and I can’t imagine the rest of my life being with anyone else but you. I want to continue making memories with you and I want to build my future with you, y/n. so I want us to make a promise that we will always be there for each other.” hoseok looks back up from your hand with a smile on his face as he finishes talking and you quickly lean forward to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “of course I want to spend the rest of my life with you hobi, I promise.” you extend your pinky finger for him to latch onto and he does so with a small laugh, leaning forward to kiss you again. it isn’t until you hear whooping and hollering from outside that you pull away, looking around quickly to spot the source of the noise. hoseok rolls his eyes and leans his head back until it hits the headrest, promptly bringing his hands up to run down his face with a groan. “I knew they were going to follow us here.” he mumbles before his friends arrive at the driver’s side window, smirks plastered on their faces as they show hoseok a big thumbs up. when he turns to unlock the door their expressions all drop, quickly running off into the direction of their own cars in order to escape hoseok’s wrath. you laugh from the passenger's seat as you watch him chase his friends around the parking lot, yelling about how they “need to respect his privacy” and “can’t you guys get your own girlfriend instead of living vicariously through me?!”

when he finally gets them to leave and has returned to his spot behind the wheel he turns to apologize to you, “as you can see, they were very excited for our valentines plans, and they wanted to see if you would turn me down or something I’m not too sure what they were expecting.” but all you can do is laugh some more and tell him that you didn’t mind, that you thought it was cute his friends wanted to see how things would turn out, and maybe they would finally listen to hobi and stop living as though you were their girlfriend as well.

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peachesforjae · 6 years ago

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Neocity in Vancouver

Hey so I wanted to write a little “the vibe I got and what actually went down” for each of the boys from the vancity show! No one asked for this but my extra ass wants to do it anyways so enjoy!! Also it’s a given but all of this could be false so please don’t come for me.

TAEIL

this mans vocals oooooof i mean we been knew but hearing it live ?????? 10/10 confirmed that this man really has been blessed by an angelic voice. probably the most stable voice i’ve ever heard live

his singing voice and talking voice are the same irl, same with visuals (there was this one part were he was trying to be sexy and lemme tell u that my heart started beating faster and i started s w e a t i n g)

he didn’t talk much during the ments (i really wished he did, even if it was in korean) and i personally felt like he didn’t get as much cheers as the other boys (NCTZENS YOU COWARDS HOW DARE YOU 😤)

would sell my soul to have a mini taeil in my pocket. i can tell that he has the sweetest heart and is the most humble guy, he would be the greatest husband ever u can’t fight me on it

JOHNNY

looking for the embodiment of the word flirt?? well look no further. he is really out here thinking our lives are a joke acting like your typical boy next door crush saying all the things that make your heart MELT

he is a tol boi (even tho i was sitting far away I could still tell that he is a giant) he probably was a sequoia tree in his past life or something idk but he is mr.tall and big

i haven’t seen anyone talk about this but his voice was a higher pitch irl,,,,,, like the videos will never catch it but it’s not as deep and omg his little lisp is QT. singing/rapping voice (sm give him more lines u hoes) was the same and his visuals were ever better

he did a body roll at one point and everyone LOST IT (i for real started crying) he is so handsome and ugh every time he came on screen/talked he got the loudest cheers (next to mark) he is such a genuine and heartwarming person i wish he could just be my friend that’s all i want in life

TAEYONG

no surprises with this amazing person he really is THAT beautiful HIS EYES AND SMILE AND FACE I DIED and is a rap god. it was a little surreal seeing him standing there talking cuz like is he even real ???? was he actually a hologram ????? WHO KNOWS MAN WHO KNOWS

he is one of the best performers ive ever laid my eyes on. the charisma and aura that he has stunned everybody and all i had to say was woooooow, he left me shooketh. sm really hit the jackpot with him. he is one of the pillars that nct stands on and im thankful for it

voice and rap voice were the same irl nothing surprising of course we already know that he’s talented but the crowd did love and cheer for him lots. he started the show strong and ended it strong (also let us see his shoulders thank you sir)

when he wasn’t performing he stood back more to let the other members shine and do their thing (ooooof what a leader) but I did wish that he talked a little more during the ments that’s all i could’ve asked for. he gave me a chill but nervous(?) vibe idk how to explain it

DOYOUNG

this man is GORGEOUS irl his eyes were so mesmerizing and sparkly,,,,,,,he had the cutest smile ever and the vibe he gave off to me was a little intimidating but definitely confident. he knows that he’s talented and isn’t afraid to show it

like taeil his voice was the same irl and he is a vocal powerhouse too. stable and clean. really blessed my ears and soul whenever his mouth opened. his falsetto is NOT to be messed with👀 im not saying that he is a male version of ariana but that’s exactly what I’m saying

he really interacted with the fans during the ments and he was so funny (at one point he said something and we missed it and he started laughing and then said it again so we could scream for him,,,,,,,,,,,his ego im- skskskskskshd)

most iconic thing he said was that he wanted to keep going and going and going and that he didn’t want to leave like BOI JUST STAY THEN i can buy you a house and you can just stay in Canada sksksksj i wouldnt mind if he was my neighbor

YUTA

my fellow scorpi(h)o(e) birthday buddy loml person *insert gif of me crying* he really has a resting bitch face (same here) BUT HAS THE SWEETEST HEART AND SMILE i was falling so hard and fast for him. he would probably be my best friend if i ever met him

he was honestly like a little kid,,,,had so much energy and was laughing and jumping and acting all crazy, he joked around with us so much. but then when he performed it was all ✖️🔪☠️✖️💀 and I was feeling like 527273 emotions at once i didn’t know what to do

his voice sounded a little different irl but singing voice was beautiful *cough* sm give him more lines or i will come for you *cough* and his dancing is off the charts you can really tell he puts so much effort in to be an amazing performer. i’d say hes the next best dancer next to taeyong/haechan/mark

yall this boy deadass wore a toque and said that he looked like a canadian university student and kept saying “didn’t you guys know???” with the cutest little expression ever im DEAD INSIDE and ugh he is so caring for the other members and went to mark so many times during the show

JAEHYUN

ok yall know he’s my bias and can I just say that i died, went to highway to heaven, and came back every time he did ANYTHING ????? like anything. im a whipped bitch phew. my deadly crush on him got even bigger after this - bc he really is just a 21 y/o hot dude that i would fall for irl if i met him on the streets skdhcgljsdfg

singing voice ???? perfect. visuals ???? astonishing. hotel???? trivago. skskskks stop me. anyways lemme just say that this man goes HARD when he performs i was so concerned for him like pls chill a little. he kept milly rockin and pointing to the cameras and doing shoulder/body rolls and being a lil hoe (aka this was the best day of my life)

his smile is something to die for, there is a charm to it. also he is flirt no.2 after johnny. he knew EXACTLY what to say to get the attention and everyone gave him what he asked for. he kept on saying how he loved vancouver and had a crush on it. also called us HOT a few times😪

anytime he talked and came on screen he got loud cheers and he would soak it all in (meanwhile I was having a mental breakdown,,,,,the girl behind me kept looking at me every time like sis just let me die sheesh). he gives off chill but confident vibe - i would be terrified to approach him irl. really is a people pleaser and does things to earn him attention and love

JUNGWOO

babyboy.com ......... he really is the CUTEST member all I wanted to do was hold him and pat his lil head and tel him that everything was gonna be ok. he seemed really nervous but did an amazing job performing nonetheless but i do hope that he becomes more confident in himself when he’s on stage cuz he’d get more attention than he already does

they way he talks and acts is actually baby boy culture but i can tell that that’s just a mask to hide his true side, whatever that maybe, all i know is that we aint prepared for it. his eyes sparkled every time he talked and i know this is annoying but he really is snoopy. i won’t take it back.

like taeil, he didn’t talk much during the ments but still received lots of love and cheers when he did. i personally feel like he could be ncts secret weapon in some way but that is tbd. his vocals, voice, and visuals were the same irl he really couldn’t be anymore perfect.

he tried his best to talk in english and i want to thank him for it, IT WAS SO CUTEEEE. he started crying a little at one point when he was talking about touring and performing and my HEART BROKE like no bb come here I’ll just hug you and everything will be ok.

MARK

canadas boy. canadas treasure. canadas pride. canadas ass👀 and nctzens everything. he got the loudest cheers (obvi) and i swear every time he started to talk/rap/exist everyone would loose it and it made him flustered. he felt really touched by this show and im glad that we were able to make him feel like that

he gives off that typical high school boy crush vibe. he’s really THAT awkward young adult that has it all and doesn’t know what to do with it (you’ve definitely met someone just like him) he seemed a little nervous for the show which was a given and was so clueless when we started chanting his name😂 jaehyun had to take his in-ear thingy out and his face when he realized what we were saying KILLED me

his voice is the same irl but i personally felt like his looks stood out more. he looks more mature (?) in person. his eyes also SPARKLED like he really holds galaxies in his eyes. his smile and laugh really brought joy to my heart. i just wanna thank his parents for creating such a beautiful human being. also cheek bones

he talked about his day in vancouver and started to go down memory lane and was taking about how his school was closed on the day sm was holding auditions and how it’s been a decade since he’s come back (SM LET HIM VISIT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) he also told us that he’s proud to be a canadian and that we’re lucky to live in such a beautiful place😭❤️ i- someone come hold me

HAECHAN

babyboy numero 2. he has the babiest face out of all of them but the SOFTEST voice legit sounds like an angel i assume. his hair and skin were flawless and people better stop wh*tewashing him LET HIS BEAUTY SHINE THROUGH PEOPLE

vocals sounded the same but the pitch of his talking voice is a little different. his smile got my heart racing and he has the cutest cheeks i wanna squishem so bad. he seemed a little shy and didn’t talk a lot during the ments. his stage presence really surprised me i legit started screaming “heee heee its haechan jackson” ksksksksks i hate myself

after they performed jet lag he straight up -no warning given- went “doesn’t it feel like we just went on a date?” LIKE BOI DO I LOOK- if you think I cried you’re absolutely right. he’s definitely johnnys son he’s LEARNING from the master of flirting. but he flirts in the most adorable way possible like how ????????

i would 12/10 die for him and also wouldn’t mind having a mini version of him around for emotional support and love. sm also hit the jackpot with haechan and i also feel like he’s another secret weapon in the group watch out yall i keep forgetting that he’s so young and that the best years are still ahead of him i can’t wait to see what the future has in store for such a talented person

Other Comments

i could really sense the exhaustion from the boys. they’ve been go go go from the beginning and i truly hope that they get a well deserved rest. nonetheless they put on a great show, hyped up the crowd, and made us fall in love with them even more. also they performed jet lag for us and lemme tell you that it was a B O P. i wanna say that i died when jaehyun called out the fake fans bc they didn’t know the album release date i LOVE his savage and petty ass😘, this was my first ever kpop concert and im so blessed to have seen nct127, as Johnny said, i can’t wait to see what our journey together has in store for us. im so glad they enjoyed their time in Canada (they kept saying how beautiful it was and how they want to come back to more cities hekwishehsos catch ur girl dying over here).

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stereksecretsanta · 6 years ago

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Merry Christmas, @outtoshatter!

A/N: My giftee’s requests were fluff, action, adventure, AUs, magic, and 5+1. What I offered were: single parents, daemons / familiars, tattoos, and military (which kinda became a police force, I don’t know). I only got 5 in here, there’s no +1, and I already cut out parts, but in the end, I still went waaaaaaaaay over the max words.

To my giftee, I hope you like it. I tried to smush together as much tropes as I could. *huggles*

Summary: Derek is a police officer, just recently moved to Beacon Hills, and possibly nursing a crush on the really hot, really powerful doctor with the twin sons.

Read on AO3

*****

Wild and Free

ONE.

“Beacon Hills is a hell of a lot smaller than NYC, but we’re not any less busy here. We’ve got the best arrest rate this side of the county and the best officers, i.e. me.” Erica grinned proudly, hands on her hips. “You’re lucky I’m showing you the ropes, newbie wolfie.”

Derek raised an amused eyebrow. Erica was young, passionate, and enthusiast ic… modest, too.

Isaac snorted, Boyd rolled his eyes, while Jordan chuckled.

“How can you be the best officer, Erica?” Isaac shot back. “We’re all new here.”

“I’ll be the best then,” Erica said confidently.

“And Erica, don’t call Captain Hale a newbie,” Jordan said. “He’s going to be Captain of your unit, and he’s new to town, but he’s not new to the job.”

Erica scoffed. “Same thing.”

Derek cleared his throat. “I’m not really worried about becoming bored, Erica. And I know better than to underestimate the crime rate in any town, big or small… or underestimate its capable officers.”

“Good to hear, Captain Newbie.” Erica patted him on the arm. “Now, let’s go!” She marched off, with Boyd following silently and Isaac continuing to harp on her.

“She’s not lacking in enthusiasm at least.” Jordan grinned as they followed at a more sedate pace. “I don’t even have to play tour guide anymore.”

Derek looked up at the sign: Beacon Hills Interspecies Memorial Hospital.

“You need to familiarize yourself with how the town works,” Erica said. “I know FAITH New York has a network of spies, but at good ole Beacon, a big part of our network is the hospital.” She dragged Derek in, unabashed in her excitement and strong even without using her werewolf strength.

Isaac grinned at Derek. “Fun fact: the hospital was built around a grove of Nemeton trees, one of the largest groves in the country.”

Derek followed along obediently. He liked Erica. Her exuberance was helping him put a lid on his nervousness. Isaac’s snark was amusing too. Add in Boyd’s silent demeanor, and Derek was feeling pretty good so far about his new unit.

FAITH was an interspecies organization established to monitor and police magical activity. Derek had worked for FAITH New York since he graduated police academy more than a decade ago and having to start over especially when he was already over thirty wasn’t easy.

“Welcome to Beacon Hills Memorial!” Erica motioned grandly towards the lobby.

Derek looked around, feeling the zing of magic in the air. He could see just what Isaac meant. An immense Nemeton was the centerpiece of the lobby reaching high up into the ceiling, which had strategic holes for the branches and leaves. Some of the low hanging branches were strung through with lights and signs, while a few select ones had dryads, avians, and a few fairies perched on them, talking to the attendants and medical staff below them or waiting for their appointments. The floor was a mix of tiles and forest floor, with pathways marked alongside some of the thick protruding tree roots.

Jordan waved a hand. “Like Erica said, it’s important we maintain a good relationship with the people here. We have a medical team back at HQ, but the experts here give us a lot of insights on our cases–”

“–not to mention how often we have to patch you all up after a hard day’s work.”

“Stiles!” Isaac and Erica exclaimed. Erica bodily threw herself on top of someone. Interestingly, the man didn’t even buckle under her force or weight. Boyd simply raised a hand in greeting.

“Hey, wolfies, what’s kicking?” He was dark-haired, brown-eyed, covered in moles, and had an upturned nose and a wide grin, decked out in a band t-shirt, black jeans, and obnoxious purple sneakers, topped off with a doctor’s coat.

“Your patients still are, you genius.” Erica grinned, hugging him around the waist.

Jordan motioned to the man. “Captain Derek Hale, this is Doctor Stiles Stilinski, Chief of Interspecies Medicine and Head Medical Liaison for FAITH–”

“And vice versa. It’s too long to say it all again,” Isaac said. “And note, it’s Doctor ‘redacted’ Stiles Stilinski.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. Stiles looked to be around twenty-seven, maybe eight? For someone that young to be Chief of IM and a FAITH Liaison was really impressive.

“Redacted?” he asked instead. Stiles laughed.

“Because no one knows his first name, and he’s supposed to be all mysterious and a genius, even though everybody knows he’s a dork,” Erica said.

“It’s hard to pronounce, that’s all.” Stiles gave Derek a warm smile. “And Captain Hale, eh? I’ve heard about you.”

“I assume from Sheriff Stilinski. You must be his son, then.”

Sheriff Stilinski had been kind and welcoming to Derek. He was human, but exuded a certain aura that made Derek’s wolf stand to attention. Even Erica and Isaac kept themselves in check around him.

Stiles checked his watch. “Sorry I can’t give you the tour now, but I’m actually on my way to a consultation for a family of dwarves. Jordan will do a bang-up job anyway. I just came by to greet you because I sensed you guys were coming.”

Stiles glanced at Derek and Derek felt his wolf perk in attention.

Oh.

Apparently, Sheriff Stilinski’s son wasn’t human like his father.

“And of course, I have gifts for the new officers.” Stiles grinned and pulled out a few chocolate bars from his pocket.

Erica squealed and grabbed hers, placing a large kiss on the doctor’s cheek. Isaac grabbed the rest and handed them out. Boyd simply nodded in thanks.

“Thanks, Stiles,” Jordan said.

Derek took the one Isaac handed to him. “Um, thank you.”

Stiles grinned. “See you around, Captain. Hope the town treats you well.”

Derek reached forward to shake Stiles’ hand and was surprised when he felt a little jolt. Stiles didn’t react. He waved before turning the corner.

Derek’s wolf was still tilting its head in interest.

“That’s Stiles.” Erica already had one end of the treat unwrapped. “He’s a genius and I’m not saying that just because he’s my chocolate enabler.”

“We were all kind-of classmates back in high school,” Isaac explained. “But he only went there a few times a week to get credits. He was already taking classes at the college by then.”

Jordan nodded. “Stiles is pretty playful, but he’s an expert in his field. There’s a reason he’s Chief of IM and a FAITH Liaison.”

“I’ll keep an eye out then,” Derek said.

“Now, come on. I’ll introduce you to Mrs. McCall and all the other nurses,” Jordan said.

TWO.

“You okay, Captain?”

Derek looked up, one eye still swollen shut and forehead stinging. He wasn’t sure he wiped all the blood off, but by the look on the Sheriff’s face, he probably hadn’t.

“I’m good.” He grinned through a split lip. “Didn’t expect a duel to be my introduction to major county crimes though.”

John smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Yeah, well, if you’re still standing and you can still laugh about it, then you’ll be able to face everything else.” He looked a bit worse for wear himself. His left sleeve had blood on it and he was limping.

Nobody really got off scot-free after this mess. Derek had been doing paperwork when the call for backup came, and he was pretty thankful Erica, Isaac, and Boyd had already timed out and didn’t have to deal with this. Derek had experience under his belt. Those three were good, but still too new to get involved in a high-stakes duel.

“Dad!”

“Stiles.” John’s shoulder sagged immediately in relief.

Stiles approached, face serious and steps purposeful. He was wearing his doctor’s coat and purple sneakers. There was a heavy aura in the air around him, contained energy that made Derek’s wolf, tired though it was, twitch.

“I’m good and lucky, son. Nothing serious,” John said when Stiles lunged at him in a hug and checked him down for any serious injuries. After another squeeze, Stiles turned to Derek.

“Hey, Captain,” He paused. “Uh-oh, that doesn’t look good. Kira!”

Derek turned his head, lone eye sighting a petite woman in a similar white coat toting a large medical bag, and behind her was… was that an honest-to-god deer?

He was probably hallucinating.

Stiles knelt in front of him, staring at Derek’s other eye and the cut on his forehead.

“May I?” He waited until Derek grunted a yes. He pressed the tips of his fingers to Derek’s temple and a warm tingle went through him. “K, give me an anti-D and a red leaf.”

“Got it, boss-man,” Kira said, handing over a thumb-sized blue vial and a red leaf. The deer was taller than her and leaned its head on the top of hers, watching Derek with brown eyes.

Stiles stuck the leaf on Derek’s forehead and handed the vial over. “Drink this. It’s an antidote. It’ll stop the swelling and the bleeding.”

The vial was so small, but it felt like cold water flowed down Derek’s throat. He immediately felt pressure in his head ease.

“Thanks,” he sighed in relief.

“We need the leaf to soak up some,” Stiles said, smiling. “Give me five minutes then I can get to that.” He turned to John. He straightened, posture more formal than earlier.

“Sheriff Stilinski.”

John nodded, lip twitching. “Chief Stilinski, thanks for coming. I’ll keep it short.” He waved a hand at the warehouse, the lot of officers, and the suspects held behind a ring of mountain ash. “We got a tipoff a few days ago about a shipment of oxyhexfaro coming into town. We finally got a lead and a warrant to search the place, turns out we walked in on a suppliers’ auction.”

“Lucky and unlucky.” Stiles bit his lip, looking around.

“You’re telling me,” John said. “The initial ops team suffered the brunt of the duel. They managed to call backup before the whole mess escalated. We rounded up most of them, save for two that got away, the head of the operation and his right hand.”

“Aww. Damn,” Stiles muttered.

“We’ve got three officers seriously injured, but your first responders already took them to the hospital. Forensics is here, so aside from staying out of their way, you’re free to check on everyone.”

“Copy, thank you. We’ll coordinate with Danny. We’ll set up a debriefing after.” Stiles nodded. He clasped John’s forearm tight, one last show of affection, before returning to his professional demeanor. “Kira, get a 3-heat pack for the Sheriff’s hip, make him drink a bluebell to avoid infections, and wrap up anything bleeding, especially the arachne’s claws on his back – don’t think I didn’t see that, Sheriff.”

Kira nodded, pulling out a white heat pack. Derek watched in fascination as her fingers sparked and the pack slowly turned green. His wolf awoke and through red eyes, Derek could see the outline of a kitsune behind her form.

“Foxfire,” Kira suddenly said, smiling at him. “I’m a lightning kitsune. Wish we’d met under better conditions, Captain Hale. Welcome to Beacon Hills.” She immediately led the Sheriff to one side.

Derek nodded dazedly.

“Ok, let’s get you checked out, Captain.” Stiles turned back to him. Behind the doctor, the deer Derek had been hallucinating was still looking at him. “You got hit by a pretty nasty he–”

“Deer.”

Stiles paused. “Huh?”

It was probably better to admit it to the doctor. “I’m hallucinating.”

Stiles looked confused. “Hallucinating? That’s not a side effect of–” He noticed Derek’s gaze behind him. “Oh, you mean, that deer?” His face turned bashful. “Sorry, Cap. It’s been a while since I’ve met new people who don’t know her. Sira is a familiar.”

In response, the deer, doe actually, Sira, let out a snort.

Derek was a little stunned. He felt a bit guilty peeking at Stiles’ police file, but Erica had confirmed his suspicion that Stiles wasn’t human. Apparently he was a spark – a spark powerful enough to sense other people’s presence from miles away… and powerful enough to have a familiar.

Familiars were formed by those who had the ability to bind their magic into a corporeal form. They are sentient, though their full range of capabilities and intelligence depended largely on just how powerful their caster was. They served as companions and partners, but powerful casters also created familiars because they had too much magic to contain in their bodies alone.

While Derek was busy parsing that thought out, Stiles was getting to work. He pulled two more vials and replaced the red leaf on his forehead. He placed the other one in a bag.

“The red leaf is a reader, shows us what black magic hit you and keeps a record for both the hospital and FAITH. You got hit with a progressive curse. The first vial was a stabilizing agent, makes sure your system is working fine and stops blood loss, and these two will stop it from spreading and help you purge it. We’ll have to monitor you for either a spike in adrenaline or a fever. Don’t worry though. Everything I’m giving you is werewolf-friendly.”

Stiles spoke slowly, professional but warm and calming. Derek actually felt comforted as he drank down the medicine.

“Got it. Thank you, Chief.”

“Just Stiles is fine.” He grinned. “The rest are easy enough for your werewolf to heal. I’ll have someone load you into the ambulance, okay? And while you wait, Sira will keep you company, Derek.” He winked, making Derek chuckle.

He squeezed Derek’s shoulder and walked off to attend to the other officers. As he said, Sira walked up to Derek. The doe regarded Derek with a steely gaze before settling down close to him, folding her legs delicately under her.

It was bad manners to touch a familiar without permission, so Derek settled for a nod.

“Thank you.”

THREE.

Erica made a face at the body on the examination table. “Oh, god. The smell is nauseating.”

Boyd sighed. “It’s a troll, Erica. That’s kind of a given.”

Erica stuck her tongue out at him. “Boyd, you can be such a bi–”

“Cut the chatter,” Derek interrupted them before the squabbling could begin. “It won’t kill you all to be a bit more professional.”

Erica stuck her tongue out at Boyd, only to make a face when she realized the smell was putrid enough to taste.

“How come you aren’t gagging at the smell, Captain?” Danny, their FAITH forensics expert, asked from the other side of the troll.

“I’ve dealt with trolls back in New York,” Derek said. “You never get used to it, but once you smell it a dozen times, it doesn’t hit you as hard.”

Trolls were definitely quite a sight… and smell. Their skin was a coarse grey, thick as an animal’s hide, and they were tall, with long arms, and large yet agile feet. They have sharp eyes and ears, but close to no sense of smell, which was why they often lived in the oddest places. This one was about seven feet tall, with a hooked nose, and green splotches across his skin.

Isaac turned to Stiles. “And how come you aren’t… why am I even asking you? You probably have a not-smell spell.”

Stiles chuckled, snapping on a pair of gloves. “I don’t. I need to smell it as part of my examination. And hard to believe, but I’ve smelt worse.” From the corner of the room, Sira let out a whinny as if in agreement.

“No, you haven’t.” Erica moved behind Boyd despite their earlier tiff. “Because that is just awful. I’m going to throw up.”

“You’re such a baby,” Stiles said. “You’re lucky I always bring some candy.”

Some of them – Erica and Isaac – perked up. “Candy?”

“Not that kind of candy, though this is actually lemon-flavored.” Stiles motioned to Sira, who had the medical bag strapped to her back. “It’s a candy that dulls the senses for fifteen minutes. The lemon one dulls your sense of smell. It’s all-species friendly, so don’t worry about allergies.”

Isaac and Erica each took one… two. Derek pretended not to see. He and Boyd passed on.

Danny took one too. “This troll’s been stinking up the lab far too long.”

Stiles clapped his hands. “So Danny-boy, give us the lowdown on our unfortunate friend here.”

Danny handed him a file. “Found dead at the basement of a local brewery by the fae owner. Nobody even knew he was living there. We found traces of some kind of booster, but mixed in with everything he’d been taking, including the brew samples, we needed to do a lot of testing on his internal chemistry. Results don’t come in until Tuesday, but we thought you might have a clue what it could be. Save us some time.”

“Sorry to call you on your day off,” Derek added.

Stiles shrugged. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I’m used to it. My days off are never really days off.” He clapped his hands. “Ok then. Let’s see this. We’ll need a–” He paused and looked towards the door. Sira let out a huff.

Derek was immediately on alert, but when he turned around, someone was peeking through the round window on the door.

Stiles waved a hand. Derek smelled the ozone of magic before the partition curtain suddenly slid sideways on its own covering the body, just in time before someone pushed the door open.

In came a… stag.

After a beat, Derek realized it was another familiar mostly because he already knew Sira and the stag’s immense antlers couldn’t have possibly fit through the door or through the hallway if they weren’t magical. Sira let out a bellow, to which the stag responded.

Sitting on the stag’s back were two little boys, probably three or four years old. They were both dark, curly-haired, chubby-cheeked, and completely identical down to their and shirts, pants, and purple sneakers, save for the fact one had blue eyes and the other had brown eyes and dimples.

“Enzo! Levi! Hello, babies!” Erica squealed and ran to them.

“We’re not babies!” the brown-eyed boy whined, but accepted cheek kisses and nuzzles. The blue-eyed boy only poked Erica on the cheek and giggled.

“Hey, I didn’t know the kits were here,” Danny said, waving a hand. “Hey, boys.”

“Hi, Uncle Danny!” again, the brown eyed boy replied. Apparently his twin was the quieter one. “Hi, Uncle ‘Zac! Hi, Uncle Boyd! Hi…” he paused at Derek. “…erm, Mister.”

“That’s Captain Derek,” Stiles said. “You remember the new officer I mentioned?”

Both boys nodded and waved at Derek shyly. Derek waved back.

“Now.” Stiles had his arms crossed over his chest. “Boys, what did I say?”

The brown-eyed boy’s face scrunched up. “But it smelled.”

“That wasn’t my question,” Stiles said. “And instead of getting away from the smell, you decided to go see what it was?”

Both boys grinned widely.

Stiles sighed, but fondness radiated clearly. “Back to the waiting room, please. Sio, I expected you to be the mature one.”

The stag actually looked offended. He huffed.

“Go back please, or else we’re not going to the aquarium.”

“Can I come with them?” Erica immediately asked.

“To the aquarium or to the waiting room?” Stiles teased.

“Erica this is part of your training,” Derek sighed.

Erica whined. “But it smells. I don’t think the candy is working.”

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. At this rate, they were never going to finish this examination. “Fine. Go on then. But I expect you to be the one to get the results of the lab tests next week and do the report on that.”

“Fiiiine.” Erica waved a hand. She beamed at the boys. “Come on, kittens. Let’s go play and leave your Dada to his spellwork.”

“We’re not kittens, Auntie Erica,” was the last thing they heard before twins, stag, and woman left.

“You do know Erica’s going to bully Isaac to do that for her,” Boyd said.

Isaac protested. “Hey! I’m not going to do it for her!”

Derek ignored them and turned to Stiles, realization coming to him. “They’re your kids?”

It wasn’t as if Derek was actively thinking of asking Stiles out, but they’d seen each other a handful of times around town and in the field… and Derek… well, he had been interested. Stiles was interesting, funny, and incredibly intelligent. He was charismatic, charming, mysterious, and fun. And Derek never saw a ring or heard of a boyfriend or smelled a significant other.

But apparently, Stiles was off limits.

Stiles grinned, proud. “Yep, those two brats are mine.” He glanced at Derek. “Adopted, though.”

…maybe not so off limits then?

“We were on our way to the aquarium, but then you called me so…” Stiles trailed off.

There was a pause and Derek studiously ignored Danny’s smirk, Isaac’s intent gaze, or the fact that Boyd actually looked curious instead of his usual passiveness.

“Anyway, going back… Danny boy, let’s get back to this.” Stiles shook off the awkwardness. “I’d still wait for the results to be sure, but sure you want my opinion on this?”

Danny nodded. “Yes, please. Because we all know your best guess is more often than not an accurate one.”

Stiles nodded and got to work.

Derek watched him, thoughts whirling. He liked children and he had a good opinion of Stiles so far and it seemed, maybe, possibly, Stiles also thought well of him. It seemed Derek just had to adjust his plans a little.

FOUR.

“Living in the big city is fine and it took a while for me to make the decision,” Derek said, watching over the playground. “But my wolf and I have always preferred living somewhere quiet and smaller.”

“Why Beacon Hills, though?” Stiles asked, legs and purple sneakers bobbing up and down as he jiggled his leg. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you picked this place out of everywhere else,” he blushed lightly, which Derek adored, “But I’m surprised you found this off the map.”

“My family went on a road trip once and passed this place,” Derek said. “I always remembered it, and when I was thinking of where to go, this place came to mind. Guess I was drawn here.”

“Beacon Hills has a pretty good energy,” Stiles said. “And we’re pretty all-species friendly, so I’m glad you decided to stay here.” He scratched his nose, awkward and endearing all at the same time. At times like these, Derek saw the man underneath, not just the powerful and intelligent spark.

“So your family,” Stiles mused. “That’s your parents, two sets of grandparents, your six siblings, plus all your parents’ siblings and their families, and all your cousins and so on and so forth. That’s a lot.”

“Hence me moving away,” Derek said, chuckling.

There was a loud shout and they both turned to the playground immediately. It was fine though. Enzo was screeching as Sio chased him around. In comparison, Levi was in the sandbox making a sandcastle as Sira dozed on the grass nearby.

“My immediate family is smaller in comparison,” Stiles said. “Just me, my Dad, and those two kits.”

Stiles had opened up over the past few weeks they’d been seeing each other. Levi and Enzo were found by a fae scout team close to their borders when they were only a month old. The twins were left in a fruit crate with a letter that explained that the babies were ‘payment’ for some life debt the parents owed.

Derek had seen red at that, even his wolf had growled angrily.

The Fae Queen informed FAITH of the matter and an investigation was immediately launched. However the faes could not relinquish the children easily. They would never trade the life of innocent newborns for another, but they took life debts seriously. The parents’ offering, morbid as it was, had already evoked a magical barter. Unless another payment was provided equal to what was owed, not even the Queen could stop the magic from taking the twins’ lives. They had six months.

As a show of faith, the Queen allowed a Fae Friend – a non-fae with ties to the fae people– to guard the twins in the meantime. She chose Stiles, because if the man wasn’t already impressive enough, Stiles happened to be good friends with the Fae Queen – something that definitely boggled Derek’s mind, because how? – Stiles was also approved by FAITH – a doctor, affiliated with the police, lived at a secure neighborhood, and powerful enough to protect the children.

It became even more of a mess when, at three months old, the twins’ orientation manifested.

They weren’t just kids, but kits – twin kitsunes, a rare combination, which was probably why those horrible people taught they would be ‘suitable payment.’

The life debt, realizing how valuable they were, shortened the window to three months.

Stiles said that FAITH, the faes, and him had never found the parents – which Derek knew was a bold-faced lie, even though Stiles’ heartbeat and scent never once wavered – but they managed to find a way to pay the life debt with time to spare.

By the time the twins were five months old, Stiles had applied to be their legal guardian. Two months and an accelerated process later, Stiles had children – Dylan Levi and Tyler Enzo Stilinski.

“Enzo, get down from there!” Stiles called. Enzo was standing on tiptoes on Sio’s back, an arm threaded through the stag’s antlers and the other reaching for a succulent-looking, low-hanging fruit.

“Excuse me,” Stiles said to Derek, and walked off towards his mischievous son.

Derek watched Stiles help Enzo reach the fruit, mounting Sio’s back, and then lifting the toddler up to the tree. Derek stood up and decided to head over to the other Stilinski twin.

“Hello, Levi,” Derek said to the quieter, shyer twin. “Your sand castle looks lovely. May I join you?”

Levi looked up at him through curly locks. He looked unsure and Derek hesitated. He knew he tended to look rough and unfriendly, but he gave the boy a small smile. Levi looked at Sira, who let out a snort. He then turned to Derek and slowly nodded, even handing Derek a toy shovel as he sat down.

They worked side-by-side silently, adding towers to make Levi’s castle bigger. For a child, he had quite good engineering skills. Derek felt Stiles look their way and smelled the sweet dew of fondness. He kept his head down, embarrassed yet pleased.

Enzo’s voice rang out. “How come Levi’s playin’ with Cap’n Hale? I wan’ play too!”

Levi turned to his twin and made a motion with his hands. Enzo let out a whoop and wiggled until Stiles let him down. Enzo started crawling around on hands and knees, looking for whatever it was Levi signed at him.

Derek watched them curiously, but kept on working on the sand castle. He wasn’t quite sure if Levi was mute, but it was obvious that he preferred talking with his hands and face. It wasn’t ASL, because Derek knew that, so he wasn’t quite sure how the twins communicated, though they seemed to understand each other perfectly well, so did Stiles.

Stiles plopped down beside Levi and pressed a kiss atop his curly head. Levi beamed at his Da and waved his hand.

Stiles nodded at whatever that was. “Of course, kid.”

Suddenly, there was a howl and then a loud, distressed cry.

Derek whipped around, a growl of his own already forming.

There was a werewolf stalking out from the tree line.

And he was bloody.

He was stumbling fast on unsteady steps, dripping blood from head to toe, headed right for Enzo seated on the grass. The stranger howled again, making Enzo cry.

“Enzo!” Stiles stumbled to his feet. “Sio, get Enzo!”

Derek was instantly in motion, rushing towards the approaching stranger. Thankfully, Sio was fast, easily approaching the frozen and wide-eyed kit and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt before retreating to safety. Derek cast a passing glance at the kit dangling from the stag’s snout and ran straight for the other werewolf. He pressed the emergency button on the walkie-talkie he kept with him at all times.

“Stiles, go and get help!”

Derek recognized the man, light hair, broad shouldered, and a cleft chin. This was one of the two men that got away during the oxyhexfaro bust months ago – Carson, the righthand man. His business had collapsed following the bust and he had been on the run since. All nearby counties had been on alert, but FAITH certainly didn’t expect him to come back here to Beacon Hills where he had the most chances of being captured.

Derek faced Carson. The wolf seemed to be bleeding from multiple cuts all over his body, one eye was swollen shut, and he didn’t even have all his claws in his hands and feet. His eyes looked crazed and a fine tremor was running through his entire body. A sniff of the air gave Derek the scent of slowly burning flesh, as well as the sharp, underlying stench of drugs.

Derek wasn’t sure which end the wolf was tilting towards; if the wolf had hurt himself in his… Withdrawal? Overdose?

“Carson, my name is Captain Derek Hale of FAITH,” Derek spoke slowly, raising his arms, no claws out, nonthreatening. “Do you require assistance?”

Carson growled and dropped on all fours. Derek hesitated. As far as their information went, Carson couldn’t do a full-alpha shift, but considering the man was drugged, he was unpredictable.

Carson didn’t attack though. He switched between whining and growling, shaking his head from side to side.

“Carson, can you talk? Can you understand me?” Derek tried to get through to him. “If you can understand me, I need you to look at me right now.”

Carson trembled. After a minute, he raised his head at Derek. He looked at Derek with a red eye full of… fear.

“…help …me …”

“Okay, okay.” Derek stepped forward. “Carson, I can–”

The next thing Derek knew, Carson was barreling straight for him.

Instinct took over and Derek let out his wolf’s half-shift. He stepped back just in time to avoid Carson’s claws, but before he could blink, the wolf managed to get a swipe at Derek’s shoulder. Derek roared and swung his arm, managing to graze the man’s face. Carson jumped back, hissing and spitting.

Derek rolled his shoulder. It was a shallow cut, but damn the man was fast and he seemed far stronger than their information on him suggested. If Derek had to guess, the drugs were taking effect.

Before Derek could figure out how to stop him, Carson’s movements suddenly stopped.

Derek looked up and Stiles was there. He had his arms out, a rope of violet magic around one arm leading right for Carson, wrapped around the werewolf’s jaws, around his arms, waist, and legs to hold him back. Stiles tugged and Carson stepped back, roaring but unable to move. Stiles held out his free hand, palm out, and when his fingers curled into a fist, Carson dropped into a ball, the ropes of magic wrapping around him like a cocoon.

Derek stumbled back, taking a deep breath. He glanced at Stiles, who looked back worriedly, looking Derek over for injuries. Derek was relieved this hadn’t led to a full-fledged fight.

“What happened to him?”

“As of now, I’m not sure.” Stiles slowly edged towards the bound wolf. “Possible overdose, but we still don’t know why he’s bleed–”

Stiles paused and Derek let out a shout when Stiles suddenly cried out, falling to his knees, a rope of deep green magic appearing around his neck. Before Derek could help him, Derek felt the sizzle of magic so strong it made his wolf howl.

He remembered now. Two escaped that police bust, Carson and the other one was… Merle, the leader, a warlock.

Derek turned. Merle was behind them. He had long, dark hair and a hooked nose. Similar to Carson, he was almost as bloody, but the difference was that Merle didn’t smell as strongly of drugs and the blood Merle was covered with wasn’t his, but Carson’s.

Merle had his arms out towards Stiles, the tattoos on his arms flashing a deep green. “Give me back my wolf, spark,” he hissed, eyes flashing and hair standing on end. “It’s mine.”

“You used drugs and blood magic on him!” Stiles growled in anger, but the green magic held fast. “He’s a person, you sicko!”

Merle scoffed and made to reply, until his eyes landed on Derek.

“I know you… Captain Hale of FAITH…” he said, voice grating and tilting his head to the side. His face broke into a wide, maniacal grin. “I think… maybe… you’d make a better subject.”

He swung a hand and next thing Derek knew, a similar rope of green was wrapped around his neck. He cried out. He now knew how Stiles felt, because it seemed like he had on a collar of nails.

Merle glanced at Carson who remained crumpled on the ground, eyes glazed, and wheezing with every breath.

“I don’t need that useless thing anymore.” Merle’s eyes flashed, and Stiles screamed as Carson’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell, unmoving.

Stiles stood up, the magic around his neck and Derek’s splintering like glass. He swung a fist in the air, sending something like sharp violet lightning shooting off. Merle was caught in the arm and he screeched something unholy. Stiles swung his other fist, but Merle countered, sending green spikes flying at Stiles. The next thing he and Derek knew, Sio had appeared, acting as a barrier. Merle’s magic shattered as it hit the stag’s skin, not even leaving a mark.

“Sio!” Derek looked back. Sira was standing far away but still in sight, and he could easily pick out two tiny kits on the doe’s back.

Stiles’ face paled in fear. “Sira! Get back!”

Merle followed their line of sight, but before he could see the kits, Derek growled and ran right for him. The warlock noticed him, but before he could attack, Sio seized the opportunity and also charged, antlers pointed right at the man. Stiles waved his arms, trapping Merle’s arms against his sides, making the warlock scream bloody murder.

Derek punched him right on the chest and Sio swung his great head, antlers clipping Merle’s side and sending him sailing to the trees. Merle was crafty though and the man spun a rope, lassoing Derek’s arm and pulling him along. He cackled loudly and sunk green claws into Derek’s arm. Derek was jarred even more by the impact they made against a tree.

“Derek!”

Stiles was suddenly there, physically wresting Merle off of Derek. Before Derek could help, Merle sunk the claws of his other hand into Stiles’ left side.

“Stiles!”

Sio roared and charged.

Derek was an Alpha too, but while it wasn’t a secret, not many people knew he could do a full-alpha wolf shift. Guess now was the time. Derek left his wolf out completely and felt the shift envelop him, skin covered by fur, limbs cracking and lengthening, face morphing.

Between an Alpha wolf, and an angry, overprotective stag, the warlock didn’t stand a chance.

FIVE.

So apparently, Sio and Sira weren’t Stiles’ familiars.

Derek wrapped an arm around Stiles’ shoulders as they leaned back on the porch swing. It had been a few days since the attack and the frenzy had finally died down. Stiles felt it was time to let Derek in on the family secret.

“Remember when you asked me about the deer? And I said Sira was a familiar. I never said she was mine.” Stiles chuckled, leaning against Derek’s chest. “I’m not that powerful, to be honest. My spark’s not bad, but I consider my brains my real superpower.”

He tangled the fingers of one hand with one of Derek’s, playing with them idly. “I don’t know who’s whose. After I adopted the kits, the familiars just appeared and one of them started following me around, probably as protection or to watch over me. People started talking, said my spark must’ve evolved or something when I became a Dad, just rumors and stuff like that. My Dad and I thought it was better than to reveal just how much potential the kits had.”

“Not to mention it’s a good boost for someone’s reputation,” Derek teased, poking Stiles at his ticklish side and sending the doctor flailing about like a fish.

Derek laughed. Stiles pouted, but accepted Derek’s soft kiss. It stretched on for a time, close-mouthed, warm, and sweet in a way Derek had never been with another person. He felt the curve of Stiles’ grin against his and pressed one more chaste kiss before pulling back. Stiles smiled at him, eyes bright and face flushed and Derek had never felt more at peace and in love.

“Everybody decent out there?”

“Dad, you’re embarrassing me,” Stiles whined.

“You do enough of that yourself, dear,” Derek said. Stiles turned to him with a harrumph and lunged, trying to tickle Derek.

John stepped out, only to sigh. “Oh, stop it, you two. We’re back from the store.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But, er… We picked up something along the way.”

Stiles groaned. “Daaad, did you get the kits the sweet cereal again?” He tugged at Derek’s hand and tangled their fingers easily as they followed John inside. “You know Melissa told us we need to cut… down… Oh my god!”

Gathered in the living room were two, trouble-making kitsunes and what was supposed to be two, but now were three deers. Levi and Enzo were hiding behind Sio and Sira, their stubby kitsune tails fanning out and twitching like they knew they were in trouble. A third deer was curled up beside them. At a glance, Derek saw she was shorter and slimmer than the other two.

“Kits! You made another familiar?” Stiles gaped. “Wha– How– You–”

John sat down on his chair, sighing. “She knocked on the car window, almost gave me a heart attack and almost tilted the pickup over with three darn deers squeezed in at the back.”

Stiles kept gaping at his sons while Derek just grinned.

“Think of how in awe everyone will be that apparently you have three–”

Stiles covered his mouth with a palm and glared lightly at him.

“Sona.”

Derek froze and he felt Stiles did too. John looked intrigued. Derek turned to Levi. Levi was looking right at him, not at his father or grandfather.

Stiles kept digging a pointy elbow at Derek’s side. Derek pinched his hip before crouching down in front of the kit.

“Is that her name, Levi?”

Levi nodded. Despite his silence, his voice wasn’t grating or rough from disuse, but his was softer and quieter than Enzo’s exuberant tone.

“Sona, hello.” Derek waved a hand at the deer, who nodded her head with a soft cry. “Now, you and Enzo and your Da can have one of each.”

Levi and Enzo giggled, sounds so sweet that Derek immediately committed them to memory.

“Sona is ours!” Enzo said.

“So Sio is yours,” Levi added.

Derek felt like the breath was taken out of his lungs. “W-What do you mean?”

Stiles fell to his knees beside Derek. He made a motion with his hands, to which Levi replied with some hand-waving of his own before pointing a finger around.

“Sira for Dada. Sona for me, Zo and Grampa. And Sio for Derek.” He paused, suddenly looking at Derek nervously. “…Right?”

And Derek knew what that meant, the gravity of the question a child was asking – if Derek was here to stay, if he was going to accept this incredibly generous and personal gift, if he cared about them all enough to stay forever…

The other two Stilinskis waited on Derek with bated breath.

Derek reached out and Levi trustfully lifted his arms for Derek to pick him up and cuddle him on his lap.

“That would be perfect.”

Levi smiled, so did Enzo who immediately scrambled up to squeeze himself onto Derek’s lap too. Derek fell back, but Stiles was there, arms wrapping around all three of them and pressing a kiss to Derek’s mouth. His eyes were bright and his smile was almost bursting.

“Well, then. Welcome to the family, Captain.” John grinned, pleased.

Derek pressed a kiss to the kits’ heads and one on Stiles’ cheek.

A spark, twins, and three deers – moving here was the best decision he had ever made in his life.

#outtoshatter #stereksanta18 #*fic18 #*gifts18

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