#sorry I’m late to reply to this I was logged out of tumblr and didn’t realize 👍🏻
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✨🌈☀️send this to the people you’re happy to see every time they pop up on your dash🌟🌈💥
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/494bb45f4a68ad5ce1e30df7dca4d380/44821d8be05b9030-68/s400x600/2a13ff8494dc97f3405f701e8e71d375f7013798.jpg)
*aggressive blinking*
#you cutie !!!!!!!!!!#this is so sweet thank you :(((#sorry I’m late to reply to this I was logged out of tumblr and didn’t realize 👍🏻#moots#mutuals#mindy <3
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The “When Are You Updating?” Ask
I should say up front that this isn’t in response to anything I received. This topic came up in a Discord server that I’m in and another friend of mine got a similar ask shortly after.
I’ve alluded to the fact that this Tumblr isn’t my first account and that I’ve written for other fandoms previously. What I haven’t talked about is why I’m taking an extended hiatus from that fandom or why the majority of my work in this one has been one shots.
Historically, I’ve been a long fic writer. On my other pen name, I posted a long fic that had a fairly decent following in that particular corner of fandom. I’m a slow writer under normal circumstances but when the pandemic hit, I started having more trouble writing and my updates slowed a lot. I worked in a public facing role and the stress I was experiencing was unlike anything I’d ever dealt with before. About a year into the pandemic, I got pregnant.
To sum it up: I was pregnant, which put me at a higher risk for developing complications from Covid. I was working in a public facing role, which increased my risk of catching Covid and had the added factor of people being aggressive about not complying with mask mandates. Because of my pregnancy, I was not able to take critical medications, which then negatively affected my focus and energy levels. I was dealing with other chronic illnesses that were exacerbated or changed by pregnancy, as well as the physical symptoms of pregnancy itself. Then there was also the delivery, which had complications, as well as adjusting to life with a newborn and then going back to work.
I was upfront about all of this. I said that my fics weren’t abandoned, but that I didn’t know when the next update would be because I was dealing with a lot.
I still got asks asking why hadn’t I updated yet.
I knew that these asks came from a good, well-intentioned place. I loved that people were so excited about my writing that they wanted to read more. I loved that they cared so deeply about my characters. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful for their enthusiasm or their support, nor did I want to initiate a pile on with a snarky reply or make someone feel bad for asking a genuine question. I often struggled with how to word my replies, to find a way to be grateful for their enthusiasm while also reiterating that I had a lot on my plate and that I would write more someday, but that I didn’t know when someday was.
It didn’t seem to matter, though. No matter how many times I said the same thing, the asks still kept coming. The worst ones were the ones that scolded me for taking so long because the sender didn’t know how long they would be in this fandom or the ones that included the phrase “I know you had a baby but…” Those hurt. Those made me feel like people saw me as a content creation machine and not like a person.
Eventually, this started to negatively impact my desire to interact with that community, as well as my desire to write that story. When you log in and you know that there’s a good chance your inbox is going to have one of those notes, it’s hard to feel enthusiastic about logging in at all.
So I decided that I needed to take a break. I still check that pen name every so often and I still intend to finish those other fics, but I need some time. This pen name was created out of a desire to give myself the space to write on my own terms, and I’m grateful for all the people here who have let me do that.
And honestly? If you want a writer to update, it is far, far more effective to talk about what you love about their fic. There are so many times when I’ve been pulled out of a writing slump by a comment or reblog where someone talked about what they enjoyed about my fic. That kind of engagement is more motivating than a request for an update could ever be.
There’s that one post going around with the compilation of crazy AO3 author’s notes—the ones that are like “sorry this chapter is a day late, I spent the night in federal prison lmao.” It’s a great post and I love that there are people like that. I admire people who can create art despite their circumstances. But for every writer like that, there’s someone like me who’s going through some shit and doesn’t have the time or energy to write the same way that she does when things are going okay. I wish people would remember that.
TLDR: be kind.
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I’ve never kept a diary, but I guess if I had, the entry for today would run something like this… September 5, 2024. It is summer again. Did summer actually ever leave? 21C and not a cloud in sight (teeny fib, the late afternoon turned hazy, but still warm). Shorts and T-shirt. Short socks in sneakers :D No response from real estate agent on web query. Wrote direct email re next possible viewing. Yay, a fast response! Viewing planned for today. In two hours time… find bus route and get there on time. Arrived on time, no agent in sight. Wait. Wait. Ah, eff it, I take a stroll around the property to get my bearings and make use of MY TIME! Apple trees, red and blackcurrant bushes. Nice. Pick up Newtonian apple (allowed!). Take a bite. Soft… pick a few red and blacks (don’t tell!). WHERE IS THE EFFIN AGENT??????? call agent. Auto response: can’t talk right now. What? Text agent: where are you, I’m here!!!! Out of town? Misunderstanding? Oh. Well yeah you didn’t spell that word right did you, but I also did not read that word properly. Next week you say. Okay. Fuck. (sneaks off the property hoping no one saw me). Now what? Stroll down the high street. Check out the local shops and dining places. Quaint, my final verdict of this village. Check bus time table, last bus an hour away. Hungry. Take aim at the local pizza place. 45 minutes later I roll out of the pizza place, one calzone and a beer lining my stomach. Buy orange fizz for desert (why? There wasn’t any coke!). Take last bus back home. Same driver as before. He recognised me… Get off bus, walk for 30 mins to get home, plus stopping off at the local grocery store. Note to self: always bring two bags for groceries. One bag makes life just so much harder. Arrived home. Sweating like a roasting pig. Huffing. Puffing. Watch warns me my pulse is too high for a sedentary position. Fuck #2. Feel stuffed two hours after pizza. Too much mozzarella I reckon. Also, too little tomato sauce. TV time. Watch TV. Time passes. The sun sets. Nice. Takes photo and posts to tumblr. TV. TV. Bang. Darkness. Power gone. Look out the window and realise the whole neighbourhood is dark. Get candles. Light candles. Get phone. Wait for cell service to be restored. Check power company website. Planned work? Power restored in 6 hours! The text to mum contains too many expletives to mention, but how the fuck can EON (electricity company) be allowed to run planned maintenance without telling their customers. Getting annoyed. Write complaint email to EON using even more colourful language. Press send. Feel no remorse. Fuck. (#3) I was supposed to enlist in the next uni course today. Today. The last day. But the power is off… I can access the computer with all the docs. Fuck (#3 still echoing in my head). Get phone out. 30% battery left. Might just work… Log on to Uni. Select course. Enlist. Proceed. Sorry? What? The online system can’t determine how much I’m supposed to pay cuz I’ve moved… BUT I DONT NEED TO PAY TODAY!!!!!! Contact Uni using web form. Write long explanations but try to ignore the frustration from the power fucking company idiot still bouncing in my head. Press send. Get automated reply immediately. Okay, that seemed to have gone to the wrong department. Try again. Contact student support. Sigh. Repeat the same info, adding a few extras and further queries. Press send. Fuck it. Walk to fridge. Open door. Get beer. Drink beer. Sigh. Gawd, I just feel the urge to whinge, into the void where no one can hear me. Huh, I know — Tumblr.
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the way ‘a taste of her own medicine’ got me out of a reading slump is unmatched… i’m obsessed with the idea of loser!hoon snapping and letting everything pent up take over him so to see you portray that so perfectly got my heart racinggg AND ITS YOUR DEBUT????!? YOU GOT MY JAW ON THE FLOOR AND EVERYTHING cupid i’m sooo going to be looking forward to all your future works!!! 🌟
OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I’M SORRY FOR SUCH A LATE REPLY
tumblr terminated my main blog and i couldn’t access this blog until today and tumblr didn’t even reply to my emails to tell me it was reinstated so who knows if i could’ve logged in earlier ugh
and yes i love the concept of loser!younghoon with slightly yandere tendencies and i’ve read a few fics on here with similar concepts. there’s one that i particular loved, from a writer who’s since deactivated their acc, where hoon’s the nice bff type until he shows his true colours to the reader and there’s this other one, whose author i can’t remember rn, but in that fic younghoon acts shy and clueless but then turns really yandere once outside forces try to break apart his relationship with the reader.
and tbh i think younghoon irl is the type that even tho he’s nice and quiet most of the time, in the end he doesn’t take shit from anyone so i think that’s why i love the concept so much since it’s kind of a more dramatic version of him
and your words mean so much to me, thank you again and i hope i can continue impressing you with my future works!!
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I’m saying this in anon bc I’m scared irl friends or followers will see this but I like the pro-ship community.
I’m new to it, and while I don’t have any kind of ships that anti’s usually hate (minor/adult, family/family, etc.) I do have a lot of age gap ships and one ships that’s especially problematic.
My super problematic one I use for coping, and I want to talk about and share and stuff, but I’m worried people will send threats or call me things like an abuser bc I like this certain ship.
It sucks that I can’t just talk about my problematic ship, but the pro-ship community makes it better. I just wish there was a way to make sure only pro-shippers see my toxic/coping ship posts, and not anyone else like anti’s or irl friends lol.
I’m not really sure what the point of this was, so I’m sorry if this was annoying, I just like your blog and wanted to just say that I appreciate pro-shippers :)
Everything is /g
You’re not being annoying, no worries! I’m glad you’re having a nice time in the community! (Also thank you, I appreciate you taking time to tell me you like my blog! That’s really sweet! Sorry I took so long to respond, I had a very early night lol.)
Someone put Howl’s Moving Castle on a list of “problematic media” because for the majority of it Sophie is cursed to be a 90yo woman and Howl is in his late 20s. Both the novel and the Ghibli movie had the romance as the subplot, but antis are still against it cuz age gap (also spoilers, she turns back to her original age of 18 at the end, so while the gap is still there it’s not even half as severe). But nooo, a gap is a gap so in it goes! Also, Tangled is problematic. Frozen. Zootopia. Disney as a whole is problematic “just” because “racist.” (While I won’t deny there are some very racist things in Disney media like SotS, the depiction of Native Americans in Peter Pan, the Siamese cats in both Lady and the Tramp AND Aristocats, and the company itself is capitalist asf, to condemn Disney based on “just” racism alone is a bit of a stretch.)
Haters gonna hate for the sake of hating. There’s a high chance it's not going to make a lick of sense to you because of the long leaps in logic to get to those conclusions. And that’s entirely a them problem. I’m actually really surprised When Marnie Was There didn’t make it on the list (iykyk!).
Anyway, back to you. There is a way for you to post freely about your ships here! Two ways, actually!
The first is to make a sideblog.
Pros:
great option if you’re lazy and don't want to log out
anonymity. no connection to your primary blog unless you link it (literally or if there’s enough info to reasonably ID you)
much like a vent blog, a writing blog, or an art blog, can be dedicated solely to one thing so you don’t have to clutter your primary/stuff won’t get buried if you want/need to find them later
can be as private or as public as you want
can get asks (anon or not) and submissions
can block people*
can send Tumblr DMs
*Blocking someone on mobile only applies to your primary blog. I don’t know if there’s a way to do so for sideblogs but if you’re on browser you’ll have go to to Settings > select the sideblog URL > scroll down and manually type in/copy-paste the URL of the person you want to block into the Blocked Tumblrs section. Which leads me to
Cons:
the blocking thing, as mentioned above. if you block from your primary account, you can’t see them, but they can still see your sideblog unless you block them there.
can’t send asks, reply, or follow from sideblog; all interactions will come from your primary
always the risk of posting content to the wrong blog so whether you’re on the web or on mobile, double-check and save as drafts just in case!
if you’re going by a different name/persona, you may need to be careful what headcanons/aus/ideas you put out there. this goes doubly so for artists
The second is to make a new account.
Pros:
brand new shiny clean fresh start! anonymity!
sending asks, following people, replying to posts, all the perks!
no worries about posting to the wrong blog
block to your heart’s content without jumping through hoops
again, can be as private or as public as you want
Cons:
a bit more work (emails and passwords and all that)
might feel trapped to just be about One Thing
same con as the sideblog if you’re going by another name/persona, in that very specific or niche hcs/ideas/aus/art could be used to ID you. or just go for it and pretend this really is another person who just happens to share your exact opinions on things. who’s going to know but you, ya know?
Whichever route you take, do what you need to keep yourself safe. You can’t stop idiots from seeking things out they don’t like (you’d think they just wouldn’t but antis aren't known for being logical, ironic they insist they are), which is why proper tagging is so important. Note the tags proshippers use and tag your posts with those. Pop into inboxes to say hello, a majority of us are friendly and chill! And regardless of what the antis say, you do belong in the main tags. People just need to learn to filter and block shit they don’t like, but that’s far more work than screaming at other people to a) block them first and b) not post things they worked hard on making.
If people call you an abuser for liking something in fiction, they need a serious reality check. Tell them to grab the fictional character’s hand with their real one and drag them away from the person harming them if they’re so concerned. Please. Don’t grab a plushie because that’s a doll and that's not alive. Don’t grab a body pillow because that’s a pillow and not alive. Don’t grab a drawing, that’s paper and not alive. Grab the real, living, breathing character who’s being abused and make it all better. Guaranteed they can’t.
How you cope is your business. You’re not self-harming unless you’re intentionally triggering yourself, and you’re not harming another living person if they happen to see something they don’t want to see. You are not responsible for their reactions. If it matters to them so much how you cope, if it offends them so much, they’re not worried about you, they want to control you. There's no one-size-fits-all approach for dealing with shit. Some people go to therapy, take medication, or both. Some people talk to friends, some people run, some project onto characters and draw vent art, write stories, or read those stories about characters suffering through their same problems to feel less alone in them. All are valid. It’s about what works for you. Not them. You. And if they can’t understand that, they also need help.
Happy shipping, friend! Take care of yourself!
#proship#proshipper safe#proshippers please interact#anti anti#antis dni#antis don’t interact#anti harassment#not Heathers
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Restart | 12
Fandom: Marvel
Pairing: Avengers x Male! Reader (romantically: multiple)
A/N: Missed y'all. I don't think I'm officially off of my hiatus, but I somehow managed to pull a chapter out of my ass after months of radio silence. I really did back myself into a corner with the last chapter, but hey, this is my story and I get to pace it however I want.
Sorry if things are worded weirdly, I'm writing them but they're going through one ear and out the other when it comes to comprehending what I actually wrote. No one will remember what happened, but that's okay. God, I really need a beta-reader... Anyways. Love y'all. XOXO.
Also, sorry if any of the formattings seems off. HTML doesn't really translate well over certain sites. (Tumblr, Quotev, Wattpad, and AO3 are now my main places for posting my works. Anywhere else, that's not me nor was it permitted by me.)
If you want a recap: You're in the process of jumpstarting Project Renaissance after realizing that you've just been doing basically nothing ever since you woke up in your old body. You've also taken to making video logs to report down your progress, and in the last chapter (that was in the POV of multiple video logs), it ended on a cliffhanger with Barnes being discovered and moved to a safe house.
This chapter takes place roughly after the last one.
If you're currently binge reading this story, this recap is only because last chapter was updated... Roughly more than 7 months before this chapter. So. Yeah. :D
Oh, and let's pretend that either A. Barnes doesn't have a tracking chip in his arm OR B. he did, but you got it out during the whole rescue-escapade. That's my bad, I straight up forgot about that possibility until I was like, close to 4000 words deep into this chapter. Now we're at roughly 8k+... Hehe. Whoops.
_______
You're not gonna call Barnes, Bucky.
There's a personal touch to the nickname that bothers you. How awful it sounds in your ears, to call the former husk of a man a name he no longer recognizes. There's history to that name, both on writing and in memory, though only in sparsity. Plus, it'll be difficult for you to associate Bucky to Barnes. A man with an identity to a man without.
So after the whole debacle of getting him out of the mini-Hulk playbox and into decent dry clothing, when he asks what his name is, you quietly debated to yourself what to tell him.
"... Your name is James Buchanan Barnes," you'd eventually reply.
He doesn't comment on the resignation in your tone, but you're confident that he certainly noticed it- surely, the ticks of being the Winter Soldier was still there, no matter how disoriented he must be. But whether courtesy was something that he hadn't forgotten whilst his brain was refried over and over like leftover KFC wings or he was simply too exhausted to ask, you didn't care.
Granted, for a man who should have a lot of questions on his mind, he's definitely proven himself to be a man of very few words.
An hour goes by, and in the midst of you trying your best to build a solid standing between the two of you, he's said so few words that you could probably count all of them on both of your hands.
If it weren't for the nods of affirmation, you'd think that his averted gaze from you would have meant that he wasn't paying attention at all, but honestly, you knew better than to judge him for that if he actually wasn't actually listening in the first place.
Hell, he could tear up the walls to the high heavens and you still wouldn't hold him against it, so you were just thankful that he was so docile, for someone who could snap your neck if he felt so inclined.
Though, as it turns out confusion and disorientation wasn't the actual reason why he was being so docile, you belatedly realize as you're stood in front of a blank-faced Barnes. You're in the middle of trying to give him a basic tour around the house when he quietly interrupted your monologuing.
"Mission parameters," you echoed his words, though mainly to yourself. He nods, and for once meets your eyes. There's neither confidence nor surrender in his eyes, and that makes your stomach churn. Chances are, he probably saw nothing wrong with asking such a thing.
"You want me to give you- mission parameters. Like- like your handlers would?" You laughed incredulously, but the humor was replaced with subdued hysterical horror.
You were aware of what they were. Aware of the types of hunts his Handlers- bastards- would sick him out on. Aware of what he did without a second thought. You saw those files, if only briefly. That was more than enough for you to see the type of expectations that came alongside "mission parameters".
He nods as if you were stating the obvious.
God.
You opened and closed your mouth, and for a split second, once you got past the horror of being asked to tell him what to do, a subtle realization crawled up your spine. In the midst of your impromptu introduction and briefing, you never really made a distinction as to what role you were supposed to play in all of this.
So it shouldn't be a surprise for Barnes to assume that you're his new- what? Handler? Caretaker? After all, as far as you can assume, that's probably all he knows; all he was conditioned to grow accustomed to, to expect his every move to be dictated by some outsider with no care to the wants or needs that Barnes has.
(Hell, if you were to make a reach right now, maybe Barnes thinks he doesn't have wants or needs. That he shouldn't.)
(In the background, a part of you simmer in silence.)
With your jaw clenched, you make an effort to make your voice as even as can be when you ask him, "You don't need mission parameters, Barnes. You're your own free man. You can- can make decisions on your own. You don't need me to tell you what you need to do."
Pray as you might, there's something about realizing that you said the wrong thing right after saying said words that make you wonder what you did to anger the higher powers that be to put yourself in the situation you're in right now.
Barnes doesn't say anything, but his eyes says it all. Confusion. Realization. Grief. Detachment. His metal hand clenches, and you're man enough to admit that it made your heart stutter in fear.
"I...", he mutters, "... don't understand."
You swallowed.
This...
This is gonna be tough.
_______
It's difficult to explain what self-autonomy and freedom meant to a man who is only capable of remembering being chained and held on a leash like a rabid dog.
Thankfully, it was your winter break, so you had a manageable excuse for being away from "home" for a few days, but you only had so long to try and establish to Barnes that you're not going to be able to be there with him as often as you are now (and even then, the time frame was too small to even make any sense of attachment).
You knew for sure you couldn't always be there for Barnes, so one thing was certain: he had to meet DAHLIA. And thankfully, since the whole safe house was yours, not even your father knew that DAHLIA, your own A.I., would be uploaded into the houses' built-in hardware.
(While the hardware was built with the intention of housing J.A.R.V.I.S. there as a standard, he ended up "moving out" the moment that the house became yours. Something about "not intruding on a teenager's privacy", but you're more than thankful for Tony's afterthought, even if you did end up taking slight advantage of his consideration.)
And surprisingly enough, Barnes wasn't really bothered by the concept of DAHLIA as much as you had initially expected. Of course, he didn't really talk to her, but it wasn't like he talked much in the first place.
(On a side note, it looks like DAHLIA seems to like the house, all things considered... So there's that.)
(The original DAHLIA was never installed here, instead she ended up "living" in a retirement house of sorts in a wooded area of New York. She never said anything about the house, so it's... Kind of endearing, to see that she actually might prefer this house instead. And mildly insulting, considering you personally decorated the other house.)
You ended up spending nearly the whole night trying to establish even the most basic of guidelines: use the bathroom whenever he needed to (you initially said phrased it as "wanted", but he promptly cut you off saying "The Asset does not have wants," which, rude, but also sad); whatever is in the kitchen is available for him to eat whenever, where ever; basic hygiene; and the most important one- if he had any questions, his first source would be you. And on the off-chance that you're not available, DAHLIA is always online and ready to help.
He gave a tentative nod, but you're somehow not confident that he might have interpreted it wrong. You're hoping he doesn't do anything to prove you right.
"Alright. So. Any questions?"
He stares at you for a beat too long before shaking his head.
He's still giving non-verbal answers for the most part, but it's better than nothing. You internally sighed and motioned him to follow you deeper into the safe house.
Considering that it was already pretty late by the time you managed to beat those guidelines into his head (maybe that should be worded better, but you never claimed to be a lyricist; it is what it is), he might be just as tired as you are from how long the day has been.
(Granted, this dude has been "asleep" for who knows how long, but it's the thought that counts.)
"You know where I'm taking you to?" you asked, not really expecting an answer from him.
"No," he responds from behind you. Color you surprised.
You turned into the hallway and stepped up to an unassuming door. You opened it to reveal an equally unassuming bedroom. Muted colors, modern design; it reeked Pepper's doing, knowing that Tony isn't as decoratively-inclined as she is.
Hah, bet she didn't expect that instead of housing you or your dad, it'll go to a super-solder that wasn't Steve instead.
(Not that Steve would ever have a reason to step foot in here, but in this line of work, you'd be stupid to be 100% sure about something.)
You motioned him to come into the room and tilted your head to the bed.
"This is your bedroom, pretty much where you'll be sleeping. There's a bathroom right over there," you motioned to the door adjacent to the entrance door, "and I'll be in the room right next to yours."
Barnes takes a second to process it all, and with a quick scan of the room with calculating eyes, he nods. You absentmindedly scratched the back of your neck.
"I mean, there's plenty of rooms here so if you don't like this one, just let me know and we'll probably move you to another room-" you rambled, secretly trying to get a move on so you'd finally get some shut-eye.
(What? You're not perfect, sleep is heavily slept on in this day and age. Hah.)
(God, you're definitely going to hell.)
"-and you know how to use a toilet, right?"
The raised eyebrow pointed at you definitely proves that that was a pretty stupid question, but hey, you can't take any chances. You shrugged, a tired smirk threatening to form on your lips.
"Well then. Can I leave it to you to settle down for the night, or...?" you left it open-ended.
He didn't say anything in response, only stared at the bed in front of him. There was a pregnant pause, but he nodded at you. There was a strange tilt to his eyes, but you didn't bother to think further into it as you were just thankful that you could finally rest.
"Well then, good night Barnes. I'll come by tomorrow morning and we'll continue to, er," you thought about it, "work, on your situation."
You made a swift exit out of his room and immediately into "your" room, which was literally right next to his. You immediately discarded your clothes and with a brisk shower and teeth brushing, you promptly dropped straight onto the bed with an audible grunt, wet hair soaking straight into the pillow.
Pulling the plush duvet to cover your body, you reached for your phone to check for any messages you might have gotten.
(3 from Tony; he asked where you were. You told him that you're staying at a safe house and that you needed a small break. It wasn't wrong, but definitely an omission of truth. A few days would be fine, right?)
(2 from Rhodey; it's a picture of a Goodwill's, and there's a silhouette in a nearby window of some guy. "This you?" he asks. "No ❤️," you sent back.)
(63 is from the group chat that the Avengers are in- ah, make that 64 and counting. It's just a bunch of nonsense from what you can gather, but you briefly scrolled through it anyways.)
Turning your phone off, you smushed your face into the pillow and sighed, a terrible knot forming at the pit of your stomach. With an open ear, you tried to hear any noise that could come from Barnes' room, but considering that the walls were reinforced and he was already quiet as it is, all you could hear was the AC running in the background.
"DAHLIA," you huffed, eyes drooping, "keep an eye on him, wake me up if anything happens."
"Got it," her voice echoes from the ceiling speakers.
You quietly tucked yourself in bed. As the exhaustion finally started settling in your body, the last thought that lingered in your head was "Man, I hope nothing bad happens tomorrow," before you drifted right off to dreamless slumber.
_______
The next day was, to say the least, a little disconcerting, but a bigger improvement to be sure.
Right after waking up, you begrudgingly put on some daytime appropriate clothes and stepped out into the hallway. You knocked on the door that was right next to yours, and gingerly opened it when you didn't hear much of a response.
"Good morning," you tentatively greeted. Barnes was sitting at the foot of the bed when you knocked on his door. He mumbled back a greeting and stands up to your eye level.
His clothes are still the same from last night, and judging by the clean state of his bed, he either woke up earlier than you expected or he was sat like that the whole night.
You're not too keen on finding out which was the case, but you had to.
"Sleep well?"
You stepped out of the doorway and motioned him to follow you. Briefly glancing down at your phone to see just a few messages waiting for you, you opted to ignore them for now.
"I slept."
He quietly stated from behind you. He avoided saying if he slept well or not, but at least the damn Terminator slept. You mentally deflated a little; the bar was set so low for him, you're not too sure who it's more insulting to- you or him.
(Of course, it's to him, that shouldn't be a question. Your feelings don't matter.)
"We're gonna have to wing this a little, but uh, here's the general gist of what's gonna happen."
Stepping into the kitchen, you're taken aback to last night as he tentatively stands across from you from the kitchen island. Really, you'd opt to go to the living room, but you both radiate too much nervous energy to really sit.
You opened the refrigerator and sighed when all that greeted you was water and non-perishables. Right. You just got here, it's not like there's gonna be freshly stocked food in here 24/7.
"DAHLIA, order some fresh food and get it delivered today. Charge it on my debit," you mumbled quietly.
DAHLIA doesn't say anything, but the refrigerator lights flicker a familiar green hue that keys you in that she heard you. You raised an impressed eyebrow; what an unnecessary feature for a refrigerator to have. You closed the door and turned around to face Barnes.
"I'm here to serve as, say, a guide for," you gestured to him, "your... rehabilitation, of sorts."
"For now, I can't really offer any... Professional help, on a technical level. I'm not- that's not my area of expertise. I'm an engineer at heart," actually, you really liked other things more than being an engineer, but your fate of becoming the CEO of SI was sealed the moment you decided to live with your dad, "so we're going to have to make a compromise on that."
You shook your head.
"If you were anyone else, I'd point you to a shrink," Barnes gives you a confused stare.
"Therapist," you clarified. He nods.
"But quite frankly," Zemo's face flashes in your memory, "I don't trust anyone to properly... Well, I don't trust anyone when it comes to the mental health of you, and the Avengers too, of course."
Pausing mid-rant, you raised an eyebrow at him.
"You... do know who the Avengers are, right?"
He nods and begins to rattle off a pre-scripted monologue. His eyes are blank as he started speaking.
"A group of top priority, compromised of highly skilled individuals, enhanced or otherwise specified. Threat priority ranges from 5 to 9. As of now, 6 active-duty members and 1 reserve member. The Asset is to not engage under any circumstance and reveal-"
"Alright alright, I get it- that's," you're a little offended that you're considered a "reserve member", but that's not technically wrong, "That's a lot to unpack there, but yeah. You- whew, you definitely know who the- we are."
(You've gotten into the habit of distancing yourself from the Avengers the moment that you had become CEO. You're still working on that, but the word "we" still feels wrong on your tongue.)
There's a little more life that came back to Barnes' eyes after you had snapped him out of it, and it's a bit surreal knowing that Barnes just kinda... runs on autopilot when prompted. The image of Barnes being strapped down in a chair and forced to learn and recite those kinds of things by heart is both horrifying and a little funny.
(Do you think they had a set curriculum he had to learn by?)
"So yeah. The Avengers gotta be careful when lookin' for shrinks, and so do you. There's just too many factors that go into gettin' a personal therapist. So for now," you shrugged, "you're stuck with me."
"What are they?"
"Hm?"
"The factors."
You shrugged.
"Well, for starters, you're- you were, HYDRA's prisoner," the muscle around his jaw visibly clenches when you mentioned HYDRA, but you powered through, "so they'll definitely be interested in getting their fight dog back. They're good at blending in and good at getting their musty little fingers into every nook and cranny. I wouldn't put it past them to have one of their agents go undercover as a therapist for hire. So that's one factor: trying to discern who is and isn't HYDRA."
You raised a finger.
"Then there's the fact that because you're such a... shall we say, top priority, er, asset," that word runs bitter on your tongue, "even if your shrink isn't HYDRA, they'll definitely be targeted by HYDRA if it ever came to light that they have a direct link to you. So there's reason number two: loose ends, and the risks that come with it."
You raised another finger. By now, Barnes has a hard but contemplative curl to his lips.
"And then not to mention how unique your case it. Barnes, you've been a POW for decades. Your brain- no offense buddy, but from what I can tell, it's been fried to hell and back. I don't even have to do any fancy brain scans to know. And that's not even including all the other stuff they probably did to you, only God knows."
You shook your head.
"There's too much at risk for you to get proper therapy right now. But. It's not impossible."
You think back to Shuri, and how she and the other Wakandan scientists were successful in both removing the trigger words and rehabilitating Barnes.
Well, you're not sure about the last part, since you never interacted with the Barnes of your time, but you'd assume that they did help with his subsequent mental health. You wouldn't really put it past them- T'Challa was a nice guy, from your limited interactions with him way into the future, and Shuri was buzzing with ideas and energy. If T'Challa's sympathy for Barnes wasn't enough, then Shuri's crave to help and experiment would supplement the balance plenty. Vice versa, too.
So yeah, future-Barnes' mental health was most likely addressed during his time in Wakanda. And it was almost guaranteed to have been a success.
So you're still gonna hold a torch for the possibility that Barnes' can come out of this as a relatively well-adjusted guy.
Not to mention B.A.R.F. As far as you know, the R&D team assigned to that was still progressing smoothly, but the only downside to that was that it wasn't going to be until a few more years before it's "perfected".
You were never really involved in any way with B.A.R.F. since you were both prepping for SI and finishing college. Your dad was definitely more involved in it than you were, but it's not like you could ask him to pull a few year's worths of experimentation and knowledge out of his ass and exponentially boost the rate of B.A.R.F.'s progress, so.
Helen Cho suddenly sprang to mind, but you quickly threw away that thought. Your- well, Barnes'- issue was neurological, Cho was all about cell regeneration and is a geneticist. So unless somehow the issue crosses over with Cho's line of work, she wasn't a possibility either. There was also Strange, but as far as you've heard the man was pretty... abrasive, even as a wizard. Hard to get a hold of, and very... Hard-headed.
Well, all of that was second hand since it came from Tony, but still. Maybe you could pull Tony in for some clout, but that'll just make him suspicious. God, maybe you shouldn't have kept the whole "I'm actually from the future" spiel a secret, otherwise you wouldn't have to be doing all this crap alone.
Oh well. In for a penny, out for a pound.
You sighed, already feeling the dull thump against your skull starting to form.
"So what now?" Barnes asks. He's less tentative than he was last night, but still soft-spoken when he talks.
"Well, you're stuck with me, bud. I'll do my best to get you prepped for the actual rehabilitation, but honestly, that might take a little longer than you'd expect. So, we'll just- well."
You eyed the outfit he was donning, which was literally your clothes- so it was a few sizes too small for him. He doesn't really seem bothered by it, and if it weren't for the fact that he's sort of proved himself to be neglectful of voicing his own preferences, you'd be a little more inclined to appreciate the view of one very, very beefy super-soldier.
But alas.
Life never really works in your favor, so.
"We'll need to get a few essential things out of the way. Food is already on its way, I assume you aren't allergic to anything?"
He pauses, and there goes that familiar glaze forming over his eyes. You sigh, knowing that he was probably searching through his mental "data-bases" for any allergies, but thankfully it's not long as he blinks back into attention.
"None."
"Yeah, I could'a figured, what with your super-soldier serum."
(You're pretty sure that also makes him immune to cancer, but maybe that's just you glorifying it.)
"So: the food situation is cleared. Now, we need to get you some new clothes because, uh, those don't look very comfortable."
"Comfort does not matter. I am adequately dressed."
You snorted. Maybe it's better that you don't tell Barnes that he's wearing a Sharknado tee and some sweats that have "Eat this!" printed on his behind.
(And maybe it's better that you didn't remember that yes, these are indeed still your clothes.)
"Comfort does matter, my guy. DAHLIA, take some quick measurements."
The kitchen light dims and brightens, shining lime green into the kitchen. It lingers and turns back into that white-blue that sometimes makes your eyes burn when you've been up for too late into the night.
"Seargent Barnes' measurements are now on file. You two want to see the available catalog?"
Right where the kitchen island was, a panel opens up to reveal a hologram of a bunch of articles of clothing, all of which has been adjusted to Barnes' size- or an approximate at least, since there's some that's labeled X or XL.
"Barnes? You got anything you want to do right now or...?"
You gestured to the hologram in front of you.
His face contorts a little, not too noticeable at a quick glance. He doesn't look uncomfortable per se, but judging by the downwards curl of his lips, he's definitely not excited to see the hologram.
You flicked your wrist and it disappeared just as quick as it appeared. Strangely enough, his expression doesn't loosen up as his eyes flicker upwards to yours.
"Hey, that's okay. If it's the hologram, that's no biggie, we'll just move over to the, uh, TV in the next room over. C'mon."
You jerked your head and motioned him to follow you. His face laxes and he walks behind you without a word.
_______
You two ended up getting a lot done all things considered.
Barnes seemed pretty bothered by how many clothing choices there are, but when you asked if he wanted you to just curate a list for him, he easily relented. He was hovering over you the whole time, but you weren't too bothered by it as you were too busy browsing for him.
You went from site to site searching for clothes that screamed "The Winter Soldier", but all that was coming up was clothes in fifty shades of black and with no pizzaz. You did pass by a few Avengers-related merch (especially yours), but he said nothing when you added two or three into your cart, so he probably doesn't care. You did show him a lot of clothes that you thought would fit him, and he nodded to pretty much all of them.
By the time you were done looking for clothes, the doorbell had rung.
("That was quick," you reminisced. DAHLIA was quick to respond.
"It came from a nearby Walmart."
"Huh.")
Barnes' head jerked as his eyes were trained on the entrance door. You patted his arm, and his eyes glance at you.
"Relax, it's just the food. DAHLIA ordered some groceries earlier."
You stood up to go answer the door, and Barnes followed suit. You raised an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't really seem like he's gonna back down anytime soon.
"You know... You can follow behind, but you're gonna have to be in the shadows or something 'cuz, you know... Just- if someone's still at the door, don't let them see you okay?"
He nods, almost mechanically so, and you turned around and walked to the entrance door.
Opening the door, you were greeted with a few big boxes. You raised an eyebrow and glanced out through the door; there are no cars nearby, and DAHLIA whispers in your ear that the clearing's safe- not a single life signature anywhere.
"Barnes, the coast's clear," you called out, already reaching down to grab one of the boxes. You grunt, adjusting your grip before you lifted and turned around.
Barnes, having already popped out of whatever dark corner he was in, is already a few feet behind you.
"Hey, you don't mind helping me bring in those boxes, will you?"
You were already walking past him, but you barely caught the briefest flash of furrowed eyebrows before you saw him walk over to the door. You mentally shrugged, but placed the box in the kitchen and went back over to the door to get the other one.
By the time you were done setting down the box, Barnes had already closed the door and was standing under the arch connecting the kitchen to the main hallway.
You motioned him over, and he complied.
"What is inside?"
You're almost proud that you didn't jump. He doesn't talk much, but when he does it always startles you.
"Groceries, but I don't know what specifically. DAHLIA chose all of it. And by the looks of it, she chose a lot. So. You're gonna help me unpack and we'll probably- well, I'll probably make some food. You can help if you want."
Your back was turned to him, and you started unloading the boxes and their contents. Barnes doesn't move for a hot moment, but he squats down next to you and starts unwrapping the smaller boxes that were inside it.
"You don't mind if I put on some music, right?"
You glanced at him.
"I... don't. Mind," he mumbles, tentatively glancing back at you. You gave him a brief thumbs up and turned your attention back to
"DAHLIA, play something chill. Low volume."
_______
Pretty much, the whole day consisted of unpacking all of the groceries that had been delivered. You ended up pausing, having gotten tired of being awake without food in your stomach, and made some food for the two of you.
You tried conversing with him, trying to get him to at least feel more comfortable, and it... kinda worked. There are a few touchy subjects that he doesn't really seem to like talking about (he doesn't really vocalize his discomfort, but his flinches, no matter how minute they were, spoke louder than words). HYDRA, obviously. Anything revolving the Avengers put him off as well, among other things.
Really, most of the eating consisted of small talk and eating noises, but at least some of the tension in his shoulders had lessened by the time that you two needed to get back to unpacking. Hell, by the time that was done, Barnes' clothes had arrived.
(Oh, the benefits of being insanely rich. Say it with me kids: Thank you, Tony!)
You're usually a little apprehensive about buying clothes online, but color you surprised when not only did all of them fit; Barnes didn't have a single problem with any of them.
"You like 'em?"
You whistled when Barnes came out of his bathroom, now back in your clothes that you had given him originally. He tried all of them on, and you ended up buying him so many clothes that a lot of time had passed by the time he was done. You just sat on his bed, slowly collecting all of the clothes and ripping off the tags, damned if he didn't like one of them; you'll just take it instead.
"They're adequate," he nodded. In his hand were the folded clothes (A camo tee and dark sweatpants), and he set them onto his bed with the other folded clothes.
"Did any of 'em uncomfortable? Too tight, any of the fabric feels wrong...?"
You left the question open-ended as you helped him dump it into a laundry bin. He doesn't respond right away as if he didn't hear you. His eyes flicker over to yours.
"... No. They- I..." the muscle under his eye spasms, "I liked them..."
You grinned, "Glad to hear that, guess we got lucky that none of these was a dud, huh?"
The ghost of a smile that was on his lips appeared briefly, but it was gone just as fast as it had appeared.
Really, that had basically been the peak of the day before things had started to mellow out a little bit. But that was okay, you took whatever it was that Barnes gave, and if it was just the smallest smile you've ever seen on a man, then so be it.
Afterward, the day somehow managed to blend together and pass along like an exhale. Not much happened, since you couldn't really- well, offer anything that could scientifically and medically help him. So you opted to just- try to get him up to date as much as possible.
Honestly, by the time that you had gotten through the first three decades (starting when he was born), it was already pretty late into the night.
(He had a lot of questions, and you really didn't blame him. Hell, most of the more personal information really came from DAHLIA, because as much as you sympathized with the man, you really didn't care to learn about his whole entire biography.
But, at least you answered most of the history related questions. If you had to go through a few history college classes back when you were in college, then you'll be damned if you didn't at least make an effort to learn and internalize them.)
Barnes didn't really show any signs of exhaustion if the casual leg bouncing wasn't enough, but you sure were pooped.
(What? Unlike your dad (and most of the Avengers) you actually had a normal internal clock. For the most part, anyway.)
"Well, as much as I liked talking about prehistoric times," you sounded sarcastic, but you actually did like it, "I gotta sleep, I don't run on super-soldier energy like you do bub."
You stood up, stretched, and saw that Barnes was now standing up as well.
"Should I...?"
Raising an eyebrow, you huffed in good nature, "Go to sleep? Yeah, probably. We're not done with the History101 crash course, and we'll probably be talking about other things tomorrow as well," especially about the fact that you're not gonna be at the safe house often soon, "so we both need the energy for that. So, go clean up and get some Z's, yeah?"
"Oh."
He looked a little lost but followed you back into your shared hallway. Stopping in your doorway, you turned your head to glance at Barnes.
"Good night, Barnes," you nodded, not waiting for a response as you headed into your room. It was quiet and almost inaudible, but you still heard it with your ears before you had closed the door shut.
"... Good night."
You stood in your room, a sudden wave of both exhaustion and dread flooding your body. You shook it off though; it was just the nervous jitters hitting you at an inopportune time.
But really, you trusted your guts almost as much as you trusted Tony.
So as you brushed your teeth and did your business in the bathroom, you tried to quell the anxiety that was building up in your chest.
"DAHLIA, keep an eye on him."
"Gotcha, doll."
You sighed, dropped onto your bed, and hoped that whatever it was that might happen, you'd be prepared for it.
_______
And lo and behold, it didn't even have to be the next morning before shit all hit the fan when DAHLIA wakes you up in the middle of the night (3 A.M., to be specific).
"-oll, wake up! Barnes is having a panic attack!"
It takes half a second to process the fear in DAHLIA's voice. It takes another to process her words.
Fuck.
Scrambling immediately out the bed, you thanked whatever higher being there is that you were sleeping with at least some sweatpants on as you booked it straight to your door and right through Barnes'.
(Maybe you should have joined the football team, because that would have been one wicked tackle. Ha, yeah right, you know nothing about football.)
The lights were on, most likely DAHLIA's doing, and his bedsheets were clearly mussed up. He's nowhere to be seen, so your eyes jump to the joined bathroom door, and lo and behold, there was light bleeding through the cracks.
You quickly approached the door and opened it, throwing away the worry that he might have been absolutely naked.
The good news was that he wasn't nude.
The bad news was that he was hunched over on the ground, right in front of the bathroom counter, and he's gripping his head so tightly you would have thought his skull would have caved in.
Terror shoots down your spine like a lightning bolt, and you immediately rushed to the curled over Barnes, adrenaline rushing through you as a million thoughts ran through your head.
"Barnes!"
He doesn't appear to hear you, groaning and panting as he further curled in on himself. His muscles spasm, hard, and you're at a loss at what to do. He's sickly pale, and the sheen on his skin makes you want to vomit. His panting is shallow, and if you weren't sure if the glint that shone in your eyes was the reflection off of the marble floors or a puddle of saliva coming from Barnes.
You're not sure if touching him right now is a good thing, but you'll be damned if he wasn't your responsibility now. You reach out to him, wrapping one arm around his hunched back and the other trying to pry at his wrists.
(Would you have touched him, if you didn't have the reassurance that DAHLIA has your back?)
(Shut up.)
Maybe you were tensing up for him to go all "Winter Soldier" mode on you, but he's the one that tenses, even more, when you touched him. Thankfully, he doesn't resist your pull as his arm is limp the moment you tried to pull it back, but it doesn't change the fact that he's shaking, badly, and your mind is frozen in limbo.
"DAHLIA, what-"
You're at a loss for words, but DAHLIA, sweet DAHLIA already knows what you were about to ask.
"Sergeant Barnes was displaying elevated levels of anxiety, however, it did not seem to warrant any mentions. I thought-"
She cuts herself off, almost as if she was worried that she had made a wrong call. You swallowed, knowing that despite being a baby A.I., she's never done wrong by you- both in the future and now.
"You thought what?"
You try to rub Barnes' back as if he was a dog that had needed soothing. He groans, but you're not sure if you should interpret that as a hurt groan or a relieved one. You paused and moved your hand away, hovering it just inches away from his back, and his breath hitches.
Your hand dropped onto his back once again, and you could feel the muscles on his muscles spasm a little; his whimpers aren't as loud and painful (though, they're still more than worrying).
So, on the very small bright side, back rubs don't seem to be hurting him either. It's a small win, but a win for sure.
"You- my visuals were clear in the conclusion that you saw it. His discomfort. Your body language and expression acknowledged it but you refrained from addressing it. I- acted under the assumption that it was all under control..."
Something in your mind pauses for a pregnant second before your eyes widened.
"What?"
DAHLIA doesn't even get the chance to reply as Barnes jerks his hands away from yours and pulls at his scalp again. You lurched forward.
"Hey! No!"
You bit back a growl as you grabbed his wrists once again. You yank them back down to his sides as his body jolts, a sob ripping through him. You placed a hand on his chest and tried to boost him back up so he'll have his back against the bathtub that's behind him.
He offers little to no resistance as his back makes contact with the bathtub, but he's slumped into himself. He pulls his knees forward and curls his head into them. For a super-soldier, it's almost cute how hard he's trying to take up as little space as possible if it weren't for the fact that your heart was absolutely breaking at the sight of him.
"Oh, Barnes..."
In shuddered breaths, he mumbles something incoherent.
"...-an't, I- I- I-.... -can't..."
He shakes his head, jolting as if someone had shocked him. You rubbed his arm, glancing down at what you can now confirm to be a puddle of saliva, and then over to the trash can right next to the toilet. You're not too sure if you should get it just in case he decides to vomit, but you're ready to lunge for it the moment Barnes shows any signs of gagging.
"DAHLIA," you spoke at a lower volume, "what- when was he, um, uncomfortable."
"Two nights ago, roughly 22:00, when you told Sargeant Barnes that he was his own free man. Yesterday morning, 08:00, when you asked if he wanted to do anything prior to browsing the available clothing catalog. Right after, he was also discomforted by the catalog, before you offered to buy clothes for him. At-"
"That's- that's enough," you breathlessly muttered. DAHLIA doesn't say anything else, but the air has suddenly become heavier than you remembered.
Your head was almost dizzy with not only how many instances Barnes had been anxious in such a short time, but also at how you remembered each and every instance with startling clarity.
Barnes was anxious at the idea of freedom, but you put it off and opted to just give him a nickel tour of the house.
Barnes was anxious when you asked if he wanted to do anything before looking at clothes, but looked too relieved when you brushed over it.
Barnes was anxious at the idea of shopping for fucking clothes but was okay after you took over for him.
The taste of stomach acid burned your tongue, as yesterday's dinner threaten to rise at the implication of all of this.
"DAHLIA," you mumbled, "the- the rest of those instances- do they..."
You trained your eyes on Barnes.
"Do they all- follow the same... The same- pattern?"
DAHLIA was always in tune with you, even after the time jump.
"... Yes," she lamented.
"God..."
Now, you're not sure who that trash can would be really for; you or Barnes.
"Barnes..."
You murmured quietly. He flinches, and his shaking hasn't gotten any better.
"What- what was it? Was it- was it all too much? God, I'm so sorry, it probably was, wasn't it? I should have- fuck, I should have taken it more slowly, I-"
Barnes shakes his head, stopping you in your rambling. You blinked rapidly.
"Then- was it..." you paused, "... Was it the choices?"
It's almost expected that he doesn't answer you straight away, but he nodded anyway.
"I... It was- it was too much- I couldn't- I don't know- I-"
His breath shuddered with each word as if it hurt him to just even speak right now. You shushed him, ignoring the intrusive thought that it was akin to shushing an animal.
"Hey, hey, it's- it's okay. You'll be okay."
It's not much, what you're saying to him, and it's no surprise that they didn't do much anyway.
Honestly, you didn't know what to say at this point. There didn't even seem to be any phrasing in the known English language that would be able to comfort a man with as much baggage on his shoulders as Barnes, and briefly, just briefly, you wished that you were literally anywhere in the world, but here.
You tried thinking about anything that came from your (albeit limited) interactions with him between the past days that would help ground him, before something jolts you from deep within.
("What are my mission parameters," Barnes asked from behind you.
You paused.
"Mission parameters?")
You didn't even realize that you had said that out loud, but Barnes had tensed up even more before you could even take it back. He held his breath, audibly swallowing.
("You don't need mission parameters, Barnes. You're your own free man. You can- can make decisions on your own. You don't need me to tell you what you need to do.")
("I... Don't understand...")
You spoke on impulse.
"You... You need them, don't you? Mission parameters."
Immediately, you regretted even speaking up just as those words left your mouth.
While every fiber in your being hoped that it wasn't true, there was a small inkling in your head that already knew the answer to your question. It was the only thing that was barely even logical enough to make sense.
His apprehension of making a choice.
How uncomfortable in his own skin he always appeared, despite it even being just a few days.
How relieved he always looks, when the choice was already made for him.
His body tenses underneath your hand, but it's the slight bob of his head that makes your stomach drop. You thought- what a fool you were- you thought he'd be okay without being ordered around, but that was nothing but wishful thinking.
(What was the saying? It's hard to teach an old dog a new trick, was it?)
(Yeah.)
Looking at how only a few days of what you had originally thought was Barnes' newfound freedom turned out to be much more of a nightmare for Barnes, it might just be better for the both of you to push aside your comfortability and start making an honest-to-God investment into Barnes' recovery, even if that means that you had to take a step backward.
A very, very risky step backward.
It was a shot in the dark, but it was the only thing that you could place your bets on for now.
You just hoped that your aim wouldn't fail you now.
"Okay, well... How about this, Barnes, here's your main- your main mission, okay? Become a free man. Hey, no, look at me," you swiveled his head so he could look at you. His eyes were panicked, crazed, and irredeemably sad, but you had to make sure nothing crossed through your face so he'd know that everything will be okay. Your grip on both sides of his face was firm as you pleaded with him.
"Your only 'mission' right now? Breathe," ironically, his breath hitched, "If not for your own sake, then for mine."
You swallowed, heart stuttering as you looked into his glassy eyes.
"Please," you let your desperate prayer lingered in the air.
Maybe it was being given a task to accomplish after days of trying to figure out what to do with his supposed new "freedom", or it was how non-labor intensive and just... simple, his new mission parameter was, but it was almost instantaneous how all of the tension in his body dissipated into thin air.
Witnessing the moment of mercy upon grief through Barnes, no matter how brief or temporary it may be, was almost cathartic.
Almost.
(Perhaps you shouldn't be looking for absolution vicariously. But you were never really a good person, were you?)
_______
A/N: I've read a lot of WinterIron fics. While I have read a lot of interpretations about how Barnes would have reacted when he was freshly freed from HYDRA, this is how I choose to interpret it- one that would best fit the story for now. Next chapter, since I couldn't fit it in this chapter, is a special, but it is very much important and related to the story, and Barnes as a character. If you're familiar with some WinterIron tropes, this won't be too foreign of an idea. Not too sure about other ships/ stories, but. Ah, I'm rambling. Anyways, see you next year lol.
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Masterlist
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Tagged: @unsolvetheheckoutofit @tonystanktheirondad @ludwigvonbaethoven @rspctot7 (if you’re not @/ fabledxmystery, so sorry for the mistag! LMK if it’s not you) @tolkoskott @klanceiscannon14 @deos-life (grr it won’t let me tag you) @kp1183 (kperla1183) @xyuriko-akamine (akabaneyuriko) @kettnerjanea @soldier-42 @daybreakmistakes @spnfanboy777 @crash-zite @jm-cy
#male reader#avengers x reader#avengers x male reader#Bucky Barnes#bucky barnes x male reader#bucky barnes x reader#restart#reader insert
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UNSPOKEN,, *todoroki x (f) reader
Genre : fanfic, smut *aged up* (shoto is imagined to be 21yo or something,, and reader as 19yo)
rating : explicit, NSFW, 17+
Warning : fingering, oral?? todo is pretty horny overall. starts w a pretty intense bg story, so you gotta read through all that to get to the good stuff. cool.
words?? idk, it’s pretty lengthy tho.
our todoboi is a pretty lovin’ bf in here.
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c33364ee43f2282da4ed59c4be9ec695/b944ffa0342359bc-df/s540x810/a4b1907387a034515fed94845bf0898088abb8ed.jpg)
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“I’m really sorry for yesterday, Y/N. I-I did’n-”
You clench your fists as you sit on the couch beside him, and interrupt, “Whatever it is- save it, I don’t blame you to begin with. I-I’m just mad. I’d spent almost a week for that chapter, to give justice and bring perfection in what I wanted to put across to the readers. Well- its not even about the time; I had thought through it so much, and atlas thought of typing it out yesterday- I mean- whatever crap that I had even written, I was proud of that- until,, your ignorant ass decided to show up in the room and fuckin’ switched off the computer assuming it’s already logged off, o-or whatever. You could’ve at-at least- fuck-” yup ya ass is livin’ in the worst nightmare of a writer, stay steady
You of course cried, and even threw a tantrum for an hour or so once you realized what had happened. But primarily, you were just mad- mad at yourself for not saving that damn file, and even at him cuz ofc.
Todoroki certainly didn’t take it well, since he is sad at present, and can’t even look in your eyes. He apologized multiple times since last night and had even prepared a breakfast for you before leaving for work; on the other hand, you haven’t even answered to his appeals yet with clarity.
Out of the blue you just cup his cheeks, making him instantly look up- at you, and then get up with an audible sigh, “Go get ready, I’ll prepare our dinner by then.” That gesture somehow took him aback.
He gets up instantly and blurts out in confusion, “I d-didn’t expect you to prepare a dinner for me, and on top of it- wait for me so we can have it together. You should’ve ate already, it’s almost midnight.”
You turn back to him, walking towards him to hold his hands, "I honestly don’t know what to reply. My heart- just thought it is the right thing to do that; one mistake isn’t enough to just hate you all of a sudden, Shoto. Moreover we are talking about this, it’s not like you’re being arrogant or things are left unsaid- and you’re genuinely sorry. I can see that in your eyes. I’m just- I don’t know. I’m depressed a bit- yes, but it can’t be helped now. I need some time to think, maybe.”
Little did you know that your kind words pricked him like thousands of tiny needles against his skin. He loves you, and however seemingly ‘small’ mistake this might be, he hates himself for hurting you- the person he loves so dearly. He thinks of his mother, his complicated family life- which had made him seemingly unemotional. You were one of the people to break through that forged cold wall. He had finally accepted you as his reality than his mere escapism and live with you, but here he is- bringing tears and fueling anger in you, like a good for nothing- just like his father.
After a slight pause, he just busts his arms open and pull you close to him, in his warm embrace, “What did I possibly do to deserve such an angel?” He almost whispers in his beautiful voice.
An angel?
“So talented, pretty, wonderful, real and warm. Remember. I love you. No matter what. I always will. And I respect you- your passion, interests, talent, likes and dislikes, freedom, strengths-weakness, your work, happiness- everything. Throw all the tantrums you want and cry all you want- more than just agreeing and being there for you- I’ll always make sure I understand you first. I’m sorry for being so ignorant lately.”
It may seem as if he’s crying, but he’s not. He said all that with a tough stance and gratefulness in his tone, a faint disbelief of having you as his significant other. While you just stood there, in surprise. You aren’t oblivious to his past and his journey through it. Is he blaming himself? or Is he again thinking that he doesn’t deserve happiness?- you’re at the loss of words and a mind fumbling all over the place. You simply subside the chaos, and hug him back.
“We’re definitely working, Todoroki. Understanding each other more than just being in love- something that many fail to do. Isn’t this great?” You at last blurt out.
“Yes. I guess,” he says as he detaches himself from you, “I’ll be right back- until then, read what I’ll send you as you have dinner. Gonna sound stupid of me- but I already had dinner at office. I assumed that you’d not prepare a meal for me and- would be asleep by now as well.”
“Wow icyhot, I’m mad at you even more now,” you say playfully as you walk towards the kitchen.
“I-”
“Save it. You would be saying that for the millionth time now,” you chuckle as you grab your phone, lying on the dinner table.
Before serving your food, you decide to see the text, only to find an attachment with a rather strange message- ‘Hey, here’s an headcanon for chapter 37, that I wrote. Enjoy.’
Wait-
Headcanon??
Wait did he- read your wattpad book? And moreover, came up with a theory to what might happen in the ne- next chapter.
Nice. jk. Ofc you lost your shit
For the sake of getting back to senses, you legit do the deep breathing shit- which your therapist always recommended you to do.
Now what?
You serve yourself some noodles instantly, since you don’t feel hungry anymore, rush to the dining table and start chomping on the cold noodles as you open the attachment.
What made you almost throw up was that the mention of word counts. Which is 3k by the way, though no where near how much you usually write.
Shoto is definitely not the kinda guy to have read any wattpad books, or more specifically even have come across the word 'headcanon’.
He probably noticed how you mention it as well at the end, but decided to put it in the beginning,, for god knows what reason?? Or, he did decide to go through the fanons- which your readers’ posts on tumblr. This eases your nervousness, you clearly urge for more.
You swipe down, reading furiously fast, yet scanning every word and sentence- atleast twice. The chapter, honestly, was mediocre. He had ideas but couldn’t put them across- with excessive repetition of words, but he is almost close to-
“Honey, are you done?” Todoroki’s voice almost scares you. You look at your bowl ready to grab another bite- but you had already finished the meal.
“Earth to Y/N. Don’t tell me my words were that mesmerizing,” he says with a smile as he rubs his hair with a towel.
“Let’s be honest, though you don’t have the talent of a writer, your idea was- kinda similar to mine. What I’m sayin is that you almost. GOT. IT. RIGHT. Well, kuro did spy on KAORI’S house that unfaithful night, and he didn’t have any sources as such, which does mean that he is hiding his real quirk- but, no- I’m not telling you more than that.”
“Since you already know that I read all your chapters, and did like the book- I certainly can’t wait to understand why KURO would possibly do that.”
You just smirk off his curiosity; “You gotta wait boy,” you say as you as you walk back to kitchen counter with your bowl. Todoroki marches behind you to grab the cleaning cloth to clean the table, as you do the dishes.
“Put that towel in the washing machine, please.”
“Yup,” you almost feel an ounce of happiness in his reply. After he closes the machine’s door, you at last ask, "So what are your thoughts?“ It has never been one of you expectations for the people to you read your books or even, praise you for writing, but a review wouldn’t hurt, would it?
"Uhh- well, I love how everything is now just coming together, as one can foreshadow that the book’s gonna end. The use of words was elegant, and the plot is bewitching. Has been a while since I even read anything in thriller, that too- this good. Fuck. Reading kaori’s point of view just the day before the murder was- unbelievable. And characters, they all are just great.”
That is indeed a Todoroki kinda explanation.
“Wow you did read all of tha-” but before you could complete your statement, shoto just grabbed your hips and stood tall behind you, now speaking in an extremely low tone, “And not to mention- the first sex between Kaori and Braun, it literally was like the depiction of ours. Except, they were awkward and slow, we weren’t.”
You pause. what took over him all of a sudden?
He continues, “That gave me a whole another perspective to what sex really means, and moreover what intimacy mean to you. It was.. surreal. Reading it, was as if- I’m living through that afternoon again, but with more emotions, and a bit more of you.”
“It’s not like I’ve explored much to actually wri-”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I’m not complaining, of course, but these are the moments I believe must be left to cherish and our intimate times just feel more- sacred to me like this??” Sigh, “Ugh. Now, how do I explain?” Well, that is true, even though Todo and you’ve dated for almost two years now, it was just four months ago that you lost your virginity with him, on your nineteenth birthday.
He had already lost his with the previous girl he was with. Though he never implied, it felt as if you were obliged to do it for him, due to your own insecurities. Once he got to know that, his reaction was nothing as what you had thought. He said that he loved you, and such things are nothing related to love; that sex is overrated, and continued on saying dorky yet adorable stuff like- cuddling was much better and what not. Since then, you had sex with him just thrice. None of you were really against this unspoken agreement, to not have-
Wait, an unspoken agreement?
Unspoken.
You instantly feel like an hypocrite, since you had just claimed to have nothing unspoken between you both.
Sudden a sharp pain in the skin of your neck brings you back to reality. Shoto is sucking on your skin, kissing ever so lightly. As if marking you.
An audible morn escape your parted lips as the bowl just falls on the kitchen sink. Todoroki leans forward and simply closes the tap and whispers, “So you do like to be 'submissive’, don’t you? Had this discovery while reading one of your books, 'Starless nights’.”
The exact book for which you had to watch vintage porn to make the chapters with intercourses more sensual and intresting.
Again, taking you by surprise, he simply turns you around as you continue stare at the ground with your hands wet, in front of you like dog’s pow.
“So I assume you liked my headcanon.”
“Yup; was much better than the crap I write, let’s go to-” but you’re interrupted-
“Now baby, we both know you’re the better writer, and that you just lied.”
“That was sarcas-” but he just pulls you closer and spanks you hard. You hiss as the pain spreads all over your butt cheeks.
“Never interfere, Y/N.” Wait wut-
Your immediate reaction was biting your lips- is he saying the words from the book? Not exactly inacting them but attempting to set a similar atmosphere, which you lowkey craved for in your wildest dreams.
“Since I’ve anyways taken this unspoken, unofficial oath of keeping you happy and stuff, now why not help you with some satisfaction- with all those juices flowing down your-”
You suddenly push him back and blurt while blushing hard, “Stop with this teasing and aw- awkward co- conversations todoroki! Fuckin’ juices, seriously? I’m not co- comfortable with-”
But then, you notice his right hand in your shorts. Or more like the sheer coldness against you clit, almost like there’s ice against it. When did his hand go in there? You end up clenching his T-shirt, as you jolt up on your toes.
“You. Clearly. Want. This. Don’t. You.” Suddenly, he pulls his hand out as he grabs your ass tight as he pulls you even further. Then, he brings his hand up to the height of you face and simply starts stares at the dampness on his fingers, “Wetter than I suspected."
Now behold the unbelievable.
He keeps staring at his fingers, opens his mouth as he places his fingers into them and suck it as you watch this piece of art in awe.
"Can’t believe that I had you like- just thrice before this. You do live up to what I usually call you, honey.” He continues, “I hope you’ve noticed my creativity as well, as i used my coldness to.. nudge it.”
“You’re being quite quirky today, aren’t you?” This statement just makes him go still, and the next second he’s found laughing. His deep voice, almost reverberating in the silent room. He steps back, brings one hand to his face as he looks down and continues to laugh. The mere sight of him in this way gives you so much warmth, this is the moment you realize that this is the true home. With him.
When he finally looks up, the mere sight of you blushing so hard makes him lose his composure again, but this time it’s a nervous laugh.
Approaching closer, you set your hands on his torso and continue, “That was quite execrable pun to chortle at, we were doing excellent just now-” but in reply, he simply cups his hand around your cheeks and say, “Shit y/n. You’re going to be the death to me,” and continues grinning like an airhead.
Why is he being annoying now? After so much sexual tension, how can he stop? In midst of you cursing yourself in your head, he leans at your height and kisses you.
Finally being out of patience, you look at the ground and stutter, “Ca-can we do i-it al-alrea-”
“Quite frankly, I’d like if you stay quiet, you shall take what I’ll give you, right?”
You look up immediately into his beautiful heterochromic eyes and say without any further doubts with a smirk, “Go ahead, Shoto, who am I to deny?”
“Sedective. umm, I like that.” he smirks too.
“Know that I love you,” and that’s it. Within one second, his hands are in your hair and his face is buried in your neck, digging deeper into you, as if uprooting releasing your soul from your body.
Skin glistening on your collar bone now and colours warming up on your cheeks, you whimper under his dominance, as he squeezes your waist and lightly nips against your shoulder. You shiver, with pretty evident goosebumps, in spite of the heat you both bear at this point.
Your breath gets hitched in your throat as he moves inwards below your collarbones. while his hands rest on your waist. You involuntarily climb a bit on him, intending to close the gap, but more to feel his manhood against you. Your hands firmly on his shoulders, almost pushing him back- maybe because it’s too much pleasure to feel at once.
At another rise of your hips, Todoroki places his hand on your waist and pushes you back down, “Easy, easy princess,” he mummers before getting back to fiercely kissing me. You run your fingers through his hair, as you body slowly commences to accept an indeed new experience bombarded at you.
Suddenly, you remember something. In heist, you shove him back and say, “Wait! We need to wash our hands- I- I mean we have just did chores. Well, at least partially and I need to wash myself- I mean I’m clean,” but then you stop to look at him just to find him in utter shock.
“Shoto! I mean I want this but hygiene is impor- fuck. I’m. Such. A. Boner. Killer. Ain’t I?”
“Point made.” Todoroki picks you up in bridal style and rushes towards the bathroom. for some reason i thought of adding this,, lmao
“Wait what-?”
“No time to waste.”
This makes you giggle a bit. You wash yourself while he as well washes his hands, and you practically pull him out of the bathroom, grab him by his collar and kiss him deeply as his hands slowly move up and down, feeling your torso- flesh untouched due to s mere knit.
His hand unapologetically moves to the hem of your sweater, and further inside; but within one move of his, you stood there shivering, exposed.
Immediately, you move forward in order to close the distance between you and shoto out of nervousness. His eyes drop down to your heaving chest and you’re painfully aware of that.
“Don’t. Don’t hide,” he mutters, grabbing a hold of your hands and locking them behind with one of his own for you to stay still; as he slides his other in your shorts. You feel his gentle hand running down the slit.
“Honey you’re dripping wet, what have i done to this innocence?” It seems that he expected a reply, but you didn’t. You just couldn’t. He then pulls the other hand to you face, diving in for yet another passionate kiss- accompanied by a battle of tongues this time. You are going breathless, but he refuses to move away.
The creasing in your folds level up to three fingers now,. He isn’t generous anymore, with aggressive circles in there, he finally commands, “Say my name.”
“Sho-shoto.” Your moans only fuel in his lust and desires, his want, an indeed selfish want to have you all for himself, to offer the utmost satisfaction.
He pushes a finger into you as you instinctively let out a small breath hold his busy arm with both of your hands. This makes him push you against the wall with his free hand.
“M-my legs, it’s going numb,” on hearing this, he removes his own shirt and slightly repositions himself, with one hand now on the waist and the other back in there. He kisses your forehead as you look down, unable to keep up with his pace.
That’s when the coldness returns.
“I- ah- can we ge-get to the bed first?” Your stuttered words only results in a widened smile from him. He is enjoying the sight, clearly in love with the effect he has on you. His head shakes, further sliding another finger inside you, “You can do it baby. You’re taking it all in without questioning.”
You nod quickly, as you start climb up a bit again. In return, he slowly curls his fingers- more and more with each passing second making you almost cry out this time, “Please n-no, this is too intense for me.”
“Yet my princess didn’t make Braun stop after that, I read in somewhere that Kaori secretly wished for him to not stop even if she said so. Just go on.”
You didn’t know how to come back at it, because it is true. You want your Shoto to push those limits you’ve set for himself, and you’d as well be fine if he simply throws off you cliff at this point.
“Now now, spread your legs y/n.”
Did he say something? You couldn’t listen. With eyes rolled back, you can’t comprehend anything to begin with.
“SPREAD YOU LEGS or else I won’t play nicely.” You’re eyes shoot up, and find his already searching for yours; before leaning in and gently kissing you. Your legs not being shut anymore, todo takes the opportunity, making his finger get stuffed deeper. His two digits start moving faster and harder, pounding against your walls- all while he feels you squirm to slow down.
“You can take it hun’,” he definitely knows what he’s doing, and you’re totally in for it. “Y-yes,” you moan softly. This is when he slides in a third finger, now really making you scream.
You attempt to gasp and struggle to stand, but then he says,”Stay,” as you unknowingly slide down the wall. Your nails dig in the skin of his back as you try to stable your stance on your tip toes yet eventually, your legs give out on you.
Suddenly, you feel him hit a spot which just pulls something inside your stomach. Todoroki on the other hand, notices your unusual hitched breath and starts hitting the SAME. EXACT. SPOT.
His free hand goes to the back and around your waist, holding you evermore tightly so that you won’t hurt yourself.
“I feel- like that- again-,” you manage to blurt.
“Like what?”
“Like pe-peeing, b-but different. Just like th-the last time we-”
He simply smirks, “We what?” He sighs and growls in your ear, “Is princess gonna squirt for me?”
Your body shudders against him as you moan his name, again and again, “Shoto, I-I-”
“That’s it. Squirt for me y/n,” with that he removes his hand entirely for one second, only to push two digits inside again, now thirsting harder and curling tighter; with his thumb against you slit. His hand grows even more colder, almost stinging down there, making you restless.
“Now.”
He watches you open your mouth and moan loudly, as his hand only gets wetter, feeling you squirt against his hand. You shake hard in his hold. He doesn’t let you go. A tear escapes you eyes, but simply doesn’t seem to care,”Shoto, for some reason I-I feel s-so great wi-with yo-,” but you are interrupted as he shoves you further against the wall , sliding down your shorts and undergarment, again with three fingers in.
“That’s my good girl,” he praises you while curling those fingers inside and then removing them together. He further continues, “seems like you’re ready,“ as he rubs the wetness inside the slit, giving special attention to your clit.
Saying that, he kneels down, now facing lower abdomen and plants a kiss over there. You simply look down at him, still struggling to balance, searching for even a slightest hint to know what is there to come.
Maybe he’ll stand up an carry you to the bed? or How about making him feel better this time?
But then, his face smashes his face on your dampness; almost attempting to bury in it as he holds you up and pushes. your legs apart. You clearly know where this is going, todoroki will be showing no mercy whatsoever.
"That wasn’t even the start honey,” he confesses in midst of you moans and begs for him to go slow. It doesn’t hurt anymore as much as it gives an unbearable form of pleasure.
You moan and whimper, yet he continues to suck in your clit. You can feel a finger inside, or maybe two, as they go in and out. Practically shattering you all at once while fusing you once for all.
Your hand travel its way to his hair. Ruffled enough to make the red and the white parts almost indistinguishable.
Oh dear.
Though your eyes are close, hands are fumbling around for support and legs are strictly held in place by Shoto, yet you can feel his tongue moving. As if in patterns, not that you could figure out. It either went in for an eight or just licked off entirely as one does while eating an icecream. You moan his name again and again, the same sensation building up block by block as he paves deeper and denser.
“I can’t take this anymor-”
“What makes you think that’s gonna stop me from eating this pussy.”
Little do you know that shoto can’t hold back anymore, it’s not just that he is in control but he has lost control. At the sight of your dark flushed red cheeks, delicacy and vulnerability, he only gets faster and tougher on you. His other fingers reach around and grips your ass, with his fingers slightly grazing across your unused hole.
That’s it, that was enough for you to go stagnant again, in your mind atleast. Your legs start shaking, with your mouth parted yet again. Shoto quickly stands up, with fingers still inside, to help you stay stood up. You feel yourself about to pass out, but in actuality are fully awake and aware. He kisses you, now moaning with you as well, as he fingers you until you cum.
His teeth take in your lower lip as your eyes flicker up at his unmatched ones.
Shoto, with one hand against the wall, halts for a minute. He stands tall in front of you, while holding you as you struggle to stand.
In midst of huffed breaths, you manage to say, “I- I, I mean- can I make you feel good as well?” On listening thise words, he goes still, “Baby, you can barely stand.”
“Still-” but again, before you could say anything, he picks you up in bridal style and dropping you on the bed; letting you lay back while he removed his left over garments.
This is when his erect manhood is finally exposed, refilling your memories of your first time when you had simply wondered how would you take all of that in. You did, though it was painful. But this time you refuse to be scared by the length, you know this is going to feel the best and you’re willing to take him in, deep inside you.
Shoto sighs and walks to the bed, “No-”
“Shoto?”
“Tonight is about you. Let ME explore you.”
“I wa-wanna hug you,” you blurt out.
He giggles, “sure, all that my y/n wants shall come true.”
But when you attempt to get up, your legs just fail to response. Even the slightest movement feels like a bolt of electricity run through you. At the sight of you falling back on the bed, Shoto simply smirks and says, “By the looks of it, I think I did a pretty good job at pushing your limits.”
“Don’t- I can’t even walk.”
“Wait,” he climbs on the bed beside you, sitting with back against the headboard while you lie against him, still breathless, still attempting to move.
“Don’t move princess,” saying this, he carefully pulls you up, with your head on his thigh. He helps you sit up slowly, while embracing your body against him, and finally hugs you, like a child clenching onto his teddy favourite bear.
“You are so beautiful,” he says as he gets up, while eyes glued on you. He moves to the end of the bed and pulls you towards him as he climbs in again. His two digits reenter your dampness, almost making you hiss at first but it’s soon replaced with moans.
Your back arcs as you mumble, “Sho-shoto, I’m very sensitive ri-right n-now. ah-”
While on his part, he receives it as a signal to level up to the next stage. He slowly penetrates in, soon pacing up. Warmth filled in your hearts and sweat glinting the lustre. He repostions you both a couple of times, giving you different forms of pleasures with each go.
You as well witness his fire quirk leaking out at times. He kisses you deeply and claims you as his own as he repeats the words, “I’ll never let you go.”
Now it’s past 3am, as your exhausted bodies lay next to each other; that’s when he whispers, “I love you.” Maybe he thinks you are already asleep, but you are not. He clearly can’t leave anything unspoken.
i hope this has left you baffled
#bnha smut#bnha#mha smut#mha#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#smut#smut headcanons#anime#anime smut#shoto todoroki#todoroki#todoroki x reader#bnha x reader#bnha x reader smut#shoto x reader#todoroki x reader smut#bnha imagines#bnha scenerio#bnha scenerios#bnha memes#boku no hero#icyhot#smut bnha
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zero o’clock [Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader]
“Hello, hello. I’m glad you survived the 2018 tumblr purge.
It’s been a long time since I sent in a request *cracks knuckles* Can you do #3 from the dialogue prompt for Oikawa or Kuroo (your choice) making a mistake? This gonna be gud.
#3: “How could you think that this wouldn’t hurt me?”
Requested by: @thenerdyrebel
Hello!! This is Kuroo’s version of the same prompt! I wanted to do both Kuroo and OIkawa for this prompt considering this came in so late huhu I hope this makes up for it! Thank you for your patience uwu
Warning: ANGSt angst but also a lot of fluff
***
Light flashes through the curtains of the window, illuminating the blanket that’s somewhat wrapped around your limbs entangled with Kuroo’s.
Thunder follows.
You feel him pull you closer to you, placing your head right on the curve of his chest, where you used to voluntarily nestle in during nights like this. Tonight was a different case. You hadn’t even considered sleeping in the same bed as him. Not after that huge argument that you just had with him. But as soon as the rain poured, there was no way that Kuroo was going to allow you to go someplace else by yourself. You didn’t even agree to his offer to drive you home, reasoning that it was going to slippery to safely drive.
He gave you the bed early on that night. He didn’t mind sleeping on the couch. That worked until the rain got stronger and thunder started to rattle the walls of your shared bedroom. You contemplated for a good minute or so, thinking if you should ask him to stay beside you until you fell asleep. But as soon as you cracked open the door to the living room, you found him awake, waiting for you to ask him to come inside.
No words were spoken. Only the rustling of sheets and the tired ruffling of his hair was heard from Kuroo. You briefly met with his hazel eyes in the darkness but he avoided from staring too long. No need for longing gazes that would give away everything. He didn’t want to know what this meant. Hoping would only mean that it would hurt more. All he focused on was the fact that you needed him tonight, and he would oblige.
Even if the very thought of you in the arms of someone else on a night like this clawed at him more viciously than he thought it would.
Sounds of each other’s erratic breathing filled the room. Sleep wasn’t going to come easy for either of you. The only thing that made sense at that moment was that the two of you savored the moment that the both of you were longing for in ages. So you hugged back, moving upwards to bury your face onto the crook of his neck instead. Your breaths tickled his neck while he moved to run his fingers through your hair, effectively causing your eyes to flutter shut momentarily, its last view being the red glare of the clock on the bedside reading 23:46.
The thunder no longer came, but he was still holding onto you for dear life.
Your eyes opened to see 00:00 blinking across the room. It was then that you decided to sit up. Both of you were calm enough, but not relaxed enough to be able to get some sleep. Although you wanted to stay in his arms forever, you knew that this wouldn’t fix any of the wounds that you both left on each other after fighting. Talking would. Understanding what you did wrong to make him say those things would.
You pulled yourself from his arms, propping yourself up on one of your elbows. You attempted to sit up, but you looked to see that Kuroo’s hand was wrapped around your other arm. You wanted to only glance at him, but his eyes held your gaze in place, seeming as if it were glowing in the darkness. It was glassy.
“Don’t leave. Me.” His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence. Maybe from disuse, but most likely because he was breaking. The view of you hovering over him despite your attention being somewhere else was piercing.
A sigh left you. You leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I won’t. I love you. I just want to talk.” The breath that he had been holding since you had moved was released. He slowly let go of your arm with the guidance of your hand. You untangled your legs from his and removed the blanket from your lap.
You finally sat up and hugged your legs and rested your chin on your knees. You weren’t completely facing him and instead stared at the clock that read 00:02. Kuroo was still lying on the bed, his eyes never leaving you, as you waited until 00:05 to muster up the courage to speak.
“I’m sorry I made you think that I was,” you paused. You couldn’t even say the words.
“Cheating on me.”
“Yeah.”
“I wouldn’t think that if you’d only tell me where you’ve been for the past two nights.” He responded quickly, shifting until he could lean against the headboard, his hands resting on his stomach. “Don’t even try to tell me that you were at work--”
“And if I was? You can look at how many hours I’ve logged in that stupid place.”
“Who the hell works until 11?” He retorted through gritted teeth.
“If you knew better you’d know that the answer was me.”
“I--God. I want to believe you but you’re making it so hard for me to do that.” You glanced at him again. He was curled away now, too. You then buried your face in your hands to try to stop yourself from sobbing, but you failed.
“I knew that I could handle this job as soon as I got it, I really did. Turns out I could handle it more than any intern ever could. But the only thing I couldn’t handle was this stupid jerk of a resident and I just--”
“Hey. hey, no,” he called as he removed your hands from your face to wipe away the tears that came. “Don’t cry, okay? It’s okay, we can fix this.” You calmed down and leaned into his touch, sniffling.
“I can go there first thing in the morning and talk to whoever this jerk is and--” you flinched away, causing him to stop midway.
“And ruin everything I worked so hard for? See, this is why I can’t tell you these kinds of things! You always immediately take it upon yourself to protect me like I’m a damsel in distress when I don’t need you to!”
“And you don’t hide everything from me and shoulder things like you have to do this all on your own?” That made you pause.
“Whether you realize it or not, we’re in a relationship. This works only if you talk to me. From there I’ll know how to help you, because you’re not alone, okay? I can and I will do this with you.”
“You just care so much don’t you?” You shot back, sarcasm dripping. “I don’t need your help with this. Half the time I’m stressing myself out trying to do my job and the other half I spend trying to not show you how stressed out I am because you always react like I want you to fix everything for me!”
He pulled away from you in disbelief, “I’m just trying to help you--”
“I’m telling you I don’t need you!” You replied, all the pent up stress and exhaustion for the past week shooting out all at once.
He tried to avert his gaze to hide the tears threatening to spill over, but he wasn’t quick enough.
“No, Tetsurou, I-I didn’t mean that, I swear.” You attempted to reach out to him, but it was like there was a barrier stopping you.
Cold ran throughout your veins, causing you to start shuddering. How do I take it back? How do I take everything back?
“Just like you didn’t mean to ignore my calls? My messages reminding you to eat your lunch? My asking you to eat one meal with me after you’ve locked yourself in this room for almost two days to ‘catch up’ on some reading?” His words were momentarily cut off with a bitter laugh, as if all of this was some sort of sick joke that he didn’t want to participate in.
“I know you don’t think you don’t need my help, but honestly? If I wasn’t hovering over you for the past month, you’d probably be stuck in the same hospital ward you spend so much time running around in, but you would be the patient instead.”
“I know how much you value your job and how much you overcame to even land it, but how could you think that you need to hide how much you were running yourself ragged, to me? You’re killing yourself over this job. You’re hurting yourself so much to prove that I don’t need to worry over you, but how could you think that this wouldn’t hurt me?”
You were rendered speechless. He was right. He was right-- you had no clue how much it hurt him to watch you neglect yourself, to watch how you neglected to let him take care of you even though he was well within his rights to act like he had been acting.
Kuroo no longer hid his face. He stared outside the window, his fists clutching hard on the blanket that laid on his lap to the point where it turned white. He almost knocked himself out to not choke on his own sobs, and still, one escaped, wrecking his frame.
You took it as a sign to wrap your arms around his middle, resting your forehead on his. You held him there, even if he didn’t move at all, except for the occasional hitching of his breath. The tension faded away and the silence that was once so testing morphed into one of comfort.
Eventually, his hands found its way to your face, reaching towards the back of your neck to tug you closer to him. Glad that he was finally holding you, the tear tracks on your face that were about to dry up suddenly dampened again.
“Thank you,” you managed to breathe out despite the lump in your throat becoming increasingly more difficult to swallow. “Thank you for taking care of me, Tetsurou.”
He didn’t respond, instead he only leaned back enough to see your face slightly illuminated by the street lights outside. He wiped your tears before he nestled his forehead against yours again, closing his eyes at the warmth that spread across his body from your touch.
“I’m sorry. I love you. I love you so much.” You took one of his hands and held it between yours, pressing his knuckles against your lips. It was one of your ways to show your affection to each other. Be it less intimate than a kiss, or a hug even, it showed that you appreciated the efforts that you made for each other. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner.”
“I know.”
“I’ll be better, I promise. I’ll take fewer shifts, I’ll even talk to the chief if I have to--”
“I know, I love you too.”
The thunder returned later on, waking you. But there was no need to think if you should ask him to stay beside you to fall asleep. He was right there beside you, awake and aware of your anxiousness. He wrapped himself around you almost instantly, covering your eyes by pulling you to his chest and covering your ears with his hands.
That night, you laid across him, instead of it being the other way around. Usually, it would be Kuroo who would put as much weight as he could on you without crushing you so he’d know when you’d leave his side in the morning. Tonight was a different case.
In the morning, Kuroo would finally wake up with you beside him. He would no longer have to frantically search for you in the house only for him to find that you had already gone to work.
***
Thank you for reading!
Hello!! How is everyone doing? I hope yall are healthy and safe!!
Special thanks to @capt-spangles and @sashimeh, I hope this cheers u up
Taglist:
@from-sejiou-to-the-stars @zephyrria
#Kuroo Tetsurou#kuroo tetsuro x reader#kuroo x reader#haikyuu kuroo#haikyuu!!#haikyuu#hq#hq!!#haikyuu angst#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu fluff#haikyuu imagines#haikyuu oneshot#one shot#angst
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Hi I just wanted to say I'm very happy for rose & kit ! I hope both she & the baby are healthy. I know you don't talk about their private lives & this may be offensive because it could be a breach of privacy, so ignore the question if you want but do you know the baby's birthdate? I mean even looking at the pics he might have been born a week or 2 earlier? Late jan or early feb? Any guess?
Hi ! I’m very happy for them as well ! :) Even though I hate pap pictures it’s good to know everyone seems to be doing really well. I don’t know when the baby was born but if I had to guess I would say late January.
(Also taking this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who is still checking out this Tumblr and sending asks, and sorry to the ones I didn’t reply to as I wasn’t often logging here and weirdly didn’t get any notifications so I missed most of them.)
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Fic Friday: Helping Hand
(As usual, you can find the AO3 version of all my uploads [and some things I don’t post here to tumblr] via my Masterlist blog page.)
This story feels like fan content-ception to me, as it spawned from some NSFW art I made featuring Izaya, which was made from doodles to start with. Still scheming, but a lot more simple than my other fics with Izaya. Leaving this one a little open-ended in case I came back to it for Izaya returning the favor as he suggested. Not currently decided for sure though. I recently got my first request for Izaya and am brewing that, though it could be some time before I can get something down. It should be pretty fun though and spicier than this. (Note: Apologies for no cut - I am not sure how I add a cut with the new editor :/) Summary Invited over to Izaya’s apartment, Reader arrives too early and interrupts the informant’s alone time. And unfortunately (or fortunately), Izaya has no qualms about asking for a little help. Tags/Warnings Blowjobs, Come Swallowing, Hand Jobs, Oral Sex, Reader-Insert, Shameless Smut
Helping Hand (F! Reader/Izaya Orihara)
Arriving at the non-descript door in the hall of the impressive-looking apartment building, you hesitated. A few quick glances confirmed the numbers by the door matched up with the information listed in your phone’s address book. A few times before you had been to the apartment, but you hadn’t memorized everything about the address. All things considered, it was surprising you weren’t late this time, as you had been each time in the past. Maybe you were improving a little.
You raised a fist and drummed it against the door, starting light and polite. Nothing. You rapped harder. Surely that was loud enough to be heard? Your assumption was disproved when all that met you was silence, leaving you alone still in the hallway. You frowned in frustration and impatience. You knocked a third time, waiting a minute, wondering if he was preoccupied or just enjoying making you wait. When all remained quiet again, your frown deepened.
You looked back down at your phone, silently navigating to the texting feature and typing you a message irritably.
(X:XX PM): I’m here. I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear it.
You didn’t need to wait more than fifteen seconds before your phone buzzed in reply. Two words met your gaze, followed after a moment by a second slightly longer message.
Izaya (X:XX PM): You’re early.
Izaya (X:XX PM): I’m a little busy right now.
You paused, your scowl becoming confusion, and you scrolled back up through the conversation. The log confirmed the time you had been told and the one in the corner of your phone matched. ‘ Early? Right. Don’t tell me Izaya of all people forgot.’
(X:XX PM): I checked and either I’m on time or you screwed up and sent me the wrong time.
Arguing with him wouldn’t do you any good one way or another; Izaya wasn’t one to genuinely apologize for any inconveniences he caused others. But correcting him made you feel a little better and somewhat less cross at least.
Izaya (X:XX PM): Oh, did I?
Izaya (X:XX PM): Well, if you don’t like waiting, you can just come in. Door’s unlocked.
Your face twisted again, now into a skeptical surprise. Izaya just left his door unlocked? Izaya Orihara, the man who had probably as many enemies as he had clients, decided it was smart to let whoever wanted to waltz right in. Yeah, that made sense. You wondered if he enjoyed the excitement of the potential danger.
(X:XX PM): Hardly seems like a good idea for YOU to leave your door unlocked, but whatever.
With a dismissive shrug, you tucked your phone into your pocket and reached for the knob. Pushing it open, you stepped inside quickly and closed it gently behind you. You took a step away before pausing, turning back and locking the door as an afterthought. Izaya could endanger himself all he wanted, but you would rather there be at least some kind of barrier between whatever messy trouble came looking for him.
Walking past the foyer, you expected to see him perched on his chair, clacking noisily away at his keyboard, fixed on the screens of his computers and cellphones or something of the sort. The chair was empty though, turned away from the screens. You scanned the area for the ever-frustrating information broker. Quickly, you noticed him tucked away in the corner of the dark-colored leather section, his back facing you. His head rested against the couch, one long arm lying curled over its back. For someone supposedly busy, Izaya looked pretty relaxed from where you were standing.
“You don’t look real busy to me,” you accused once you spotted him.
Izaya shifted, tilting his head further back to glance over his outstretched arm at you. “Oh, I am, I assure you.” He looked and sounded as collected as ever, as if nothing could or should trouble him. Except… was it just you, or did his face seem a bit red? “But I’ll be just a few minutes. Feel free to wait for me there,” Izaya suggested. There was something off as well about the quality of his voice you couldn’t place.
“Uh huh,” you said, unsure if you felt unsettled or just irritated still. Maybe a little of both.
He had told you to wait, yet your curiosity nagged at you viciously, demanding to see what exactly preoccupied him. Or maybe it was indignation needing to see what was so pressing he couldn’t remember the time he had told you. You took a few steps, intending to round the recessed floor area and the sectional to see what he was doing.
“You really should wait over there,” he warned you casually, the strange tone of his voice sounding stronger, but still indecipherable.
You scoffed, ignoring the warning and carrying on. When you swept around the corner of the area though, what you saw stopped you dead in your tracks, poised on the lip of the steps down. At first the strangled squeak that burst from your mouth didn’t quite register, nor did the immediate hot flush that fell across your face.
Izaya looked very comfortable where he sat, leaning back into the plush cushions. From the top-down, at first he looked perfectly normal, if a little flushed, one of his usual ‘v’-neck shirts tantalizing displaying a bit of his delicate-looking collarbones. Though the picture grew more suspect the further you went. The hem of his shirt was lifted, askew and higher on one side than the other, exposing his lean torso. That wasn’t nearly so scandalous though, as even further down.
He sat nude from the waist down, his pants and belt pooled around his ankles. His cock stood prominently between his splayed legs, a flushed tone to match the rosy tint in cheeks and leaking pre-cum. As if walking on Izaya with his pants literally down wasn’t mortifying enough, one hand was wrapped leisurely around his cock. Obviously he had been in the process of jerking off, and still was, having not bothered to stop even once you had caught him in the act.
What you were looking at hit you all at once, and a stream of half-finished sentences exploded out. “I’I’m sorry, I-- But what are you--? Why would let me come in if that’s what you’re busy doing?! You began in an apologetic voice, though your apology quickly turned to indignation at the fact Izaya’d had plenty of time to put himself away before you came in. Before he invited you, for example, and then before he greeted you.
“Well, I did warn you.” Izaya’s speech held no hint of apology. The shameless, steady stroke of his hand up and down confirmed he was not bothered whatsoever. “Besides, you’re the one who wanted to show up early and be nosy, darling.”
At last you recognized the tone in his voice you hadn’t been able to place before. Something husky and thick, a silky accent to his already smooth voice. You felt stupid not being able to put two-and-two together from his voice and face.
“I’m not early! I-it’s not my fault you told me the wrong time,” you tried to hide the shakiness in your voice with anger, though you knew Izaya was a master at seeing through masks.
You wanted to turn, to look away, but you found yours glued to the sight of him, stunned like a deer in headlights. Maybe it was his audacity that was truly so stunning. I’m just gonna go and come back later,” you ground out through teeth after you tore your eyes away from the enticingly lewd scene.
“Oh? But like I said, I’ll only be a little bit.” You nearly choked again from Izaya’s boldness. He really expected you to just wait around while he jacked off like it was nothing? For someone who claimed to love humans and all their emotions and behaviors so much, you really wondered how much he really understood them sometimes. “You know, if you wanted to lend a hand, it might be even sooner.”
You made another embarrassing noise, your eyes snapping back around and fixing on his own. The expression in his sharp brown eyes told you he wasn’t just you or making some inappropriate joke, not completely. Izaya was dead serious suggesting you ‘lend him a hand’ with his current ‘business’. You should have been mad. You should have been uncomfortable. You should have walked away then. But something else was creeping up and up, suppressing what you should have done, leaving behind the sense that you didn’t quite hate the idea.
You weren’t ready to give in completely, though, not yet. “Was that your plan when you invited me over?” You tried to deflect once more, but your angry speech was half-hearted.
He gave a small shrug, still languorously pumping his hand up and down, smearing a new bead of pre-cum along the head of his dick. You licked your lips, and you weren’t sure whether it was from nerves or hunger. “Who knows? Maybe, maybe not.” Of course Izaya would give you a nonsense answered that told you nothing.
“Can you just put your pants on, please?” You tried weakly, a last ditch effort to squish down the hot feeling suffusing you and to call his bluff. But Izaya wouldn’t be moved.
“Weren’t you leaving though?” He questioned calmly. “So why should I? Then I can’t take care of this.” You groaned mentally at his ‘logic’ that amounted to his typical games. “So, what’s stopping you?”
You didn’t speak, listening only to the slick sound of Izaya stroking himself, as if trying to come up with an appropriate excuse. But there was none. You were still there because you wanted to be. You sputtered some nonsense at first, before sighing in defeat.
“I...I just… fine,” you mumbled, unable to meet his cutting gaze when you agreed.
He didn’t seem bothered or surprised by your admission, and when you looked back up, he was smirking widely, as if he had expected you to crumble and play right into his hands. “Well, what are you waiting for then?”
You nearly scowled at the impatience of the question, but shook your head. You approached quickly, stopping once you stood in front of him. You licked your lips again and swallowed thickly, kneeling between his legs. Up close and personal with his cock, it you for real the favor you had submitted yourself to. It made your stomach twist in a way that was pleasantly hot, but with a nervous flutter. But even if he would probably let you, there was no back down now. You had dug your hole and you intended to stay in it.
Feeling Izaya’s eyes burning down onto you, you lifted a hand tentatively, more intimidated than you would have admitted. You nearly jumped when the hand he had been pleasuring himself with seized yours. Your face was on fire as he guided your hand over his shaft, helping you wrap it around the heated skin. He made a small sound in the back of his throat at the contact, his palm lingering over your hand. Gingerly, you shifted your hand up and down, mimicking him, the skin hot and velvety under your fingers.
“There, just like that,” Izaya cooed, his hips rocking up into your touch. His hand left yours to bury itself in the cushion beside him.
You chanced a subtle glance up, past his exposed torso and up his chest. His head lolled back against the sofa back, and his chest rose and fell deeply in more noticeable, pleasured breaths as you stroked. He seemed more than willing to sit back and fully indulge in your touch, apparently a far more exhilarating experience than his own.
“What a good girl,” he praised as your grip tightened you pumped his cock more surely, enjoying the noises that vibrated up his chest. They were low and smooth, containing all the richness of his speaking voice, yet none of the frustrating teasing or condescension. “Mmph, a little hard, don’t be shy,” he coaxed, giving a particularly eager buck of his hips, a new drop of pre-cum beading on the head of his dick.
You did as instructed, and the sound of his breathing deepened more, the small, pleasant sounds morphing into longer, bawdy groans. “How’s that?” you prompted, the confidence from watching him come slowly undone steadying your voice, the sheer arousal in it surprising you.
“Mm, good, keep going.”
You stuck to the steady rhythm you had set, your tongue wetting suddenly dry lips again as you alternated between watching Izaya’s blissful form above you and his throbbing cock in front of you. You moved your idle hand up, cradling his balls in your palm and rubbing gently, rewarded with even more erotic noises. You weren’t sure whether you were more turned on by the eroticism of the sounds themselves, or the fact you were hardly ever heard Izaya sound so unrestrained.
Your gaze stopped, lingering on his cock, and you decided if you were going to help out, you may as well have a little more fun, as well as satisfy the hunger building in you. You bent forward, your breath fanning over the head hotly, and you barely caught a shiver roll through Izaya. You leaned closer, opening your mouth and licking coyly at the flushed head, the bitter taste of pre-cum flooding your senses.
“ Oh .” The word was surprised, excited almost, made even more so by the breathiness that carried it. “I didn’t even have to ask you to do that.” Your faced burned with embarrassment you fought to ignore, letting your lips wrap around the head, swirling your tongue along the underside. “More eager than you let on, I see. But I’m not complaining.”
Izaya relaxed more limply against the cushions, save for the rhythmic roll of his hips meeting the hot, wet touch of your mouth. You sank down on his cock more, slowly, trying to account for the motion of his hips to not choke yourself on his length. Fortunately, though it was steady, his pace was languid, letting you adjust easily. You took as much as you could without inciting your gag reflex, shifting between dancing your tongue along his skin or pressing flat against the underside or teasing the head where it connected to his shaft.
Above you, Izaya’s dulcet chorus of groans and mumbled words escalated and his fingers met the top of your head. They curled loosely, massaging methodically, neither forcing you down or adjust to a new pace.
“Hmm, and they say I’ve got a talented tongue,” Izaya hummed huskily and you couldn’t stifle a low moan in answer, the sound shooting through Izaya and making his hips stutter. “Sure seems like you know to use yours though,” he praised again, and you could make out the teasing tone you were so used to among his lusty, strained voice.
Izaya fell silent for a time, or at least he fell wordless, panting and groaning his pleasure, the sounds accentuated by the wet noises you made while you sucked him off. But Izaya’s was a mouth that couldn’t stand staying silent for long. “You can take a little more, can’t you?” He asked insistently, his fingers tightening their loose hold. He thrust his hips more roughly into your mouth as you sank down again, as if punctuating his question.
Tears stung at your eyes for an instant as the tip of his dick touched your throat and you inhaled deeply to relax it. You took in even more of his cock, noticing the roll of his hips slow, as if accommodating you to take his length more easily. When you pulled back, his hand only let you go so far, effectively keeping you from pulling away. You indulged him, satisfied with the even more ragged breaths replacing his words and more of the salty fluid leaking from him.
Your jaw was beginning to ache, but you ached elsewhere as well, and it urged you to continue. With your mouth wrapped around him so intimately, you could tell Izaya was getting very close to cumming, from the increasing cant of his hips to the harsh pitch of his breath to the way his cock twitched, even more hard.
“Mm, that’s it. Almost there.” Izaya confirmed your suspicions, the lustiness of his tone adding to the urgency. “If you don’t want a mouthful, you might want to stop,” he warned you, surprisingly considerate in the moment.
Your eyes flickered up, but you didn’t stop, trying to hum your acknowledgement around a mouthful of his dick, working him even more eagerly.
“Oh, shit, you’re more obscene than I thought. If that’s how you want it,” His excitement pierced his arousal again, as if he hadn’t expected you to be so wrapped up in servicing him.
Thrusting into your mouth more desperately, his hips finally stuttered as he finished, filling your mouth with hot ropes of thick that you swallowed as soon as the bitter taste swept over your tongue. Several especially long, feral moans drifted from Izaya’s lips as you drank him down, until at last he was spent and there was nothing left for you to swallow. You drew away, wiping a smear of drool and some stray cum from your mouth with the back of your hand and resting back on your knees.
“There, that’s taken care of,” you said, your attempt to sound level and collected ruined by your own arousal making your voice overly breathy. “Now did you actually have a reason for inviting me over?”
Izaya laughed breathlessly, as if amused by your change of pace, lying boneless against the sectional. “Of course, my dear,” he answered when his laughter died, tipping his head forward to look at you. “I wouldn’t lie to your like that. Though, if you’d like, I can return the favor. It sounds like you need it.”
#izaya orihara#durarara!!#writing#fanfiction#ao3#archive of our own#reader-insert#fic friday#nsft#n/s/f/w/#drrr!!
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1180
The last time you washed your hair, did you use conditioner? Yeah, I’m pretty paranoid and always feel the need to use conditioner because of a bad rebonding job from like a decade ago that stiffened up my hair as soon as it would get wet. It lasted for around a year, so I formed the habit of always using conditioner every time I shower. I don’t think I’ve ever used just shampoo since then.
Do you prefer light or dark jeans? Dark, but I suppose it would be nice to start experimenting with lighter shades as well.
When you listen to music, do you generally sing along, or just listen? It depends if I know the lyrics or I’m feeling the song at the moment. Obviously with my new obsession with BTS I can’t really sing along to entire songs, but I do sing the few English lyrics they have per song, hahaha.
Do you have any of your exes as friends on Facebook? Yeah but she’s been muted for like half a year already, as is the rest of her family. I do have plans to unfriend her entirely; I’m just not sure when I would push through with it, and I already gave Angela permission to log onto my account one of these days to be the one to do the unfriending.
Who was your first love? Do you ever miss that person? Gabie. I miss the friendship sometimes; I don’t think I’ll have a friendship as deep and connected as the one we had, so I will always feel sorry about how that went to waste. But I don’t really think about our relationship anymore as I’m pretty good at blocking off certain memories, so I don’t miss her in that sense.
How many cars are parked at your house right now? Two.
Do you have any Italian ancestry? I highly doubt so. If anything there’s probably a tiny drop Spanish blood in there but that’s the most European I’ll ever get.
Do you prefer water to be ice cold or at room temperature? Like, drinking water? Ice cold, always. I hate warm water.
Has anyone ever told you you’re a control freak? Not to my face, but I know I’m one so I’m sure other people have said that about me at least behind my back.
Do you know anyone who has gone missing? If so, were they ever found? Yes, my friend Mik and one of my aunts. They were both found eventually.
What was the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten? Eating ghost pepper instant noodles was a pain I would never want to go through again...I threw that shit out after my first forkful, lmao.
Do you need to talk to someone? No, not in particular. In a more general sense I do wanna start gaining more friends though, so I’ve been meaning to expand my circle by creating a new Twitter account just for my BTS dump. In other words, I am a 23 year old with a stan Twitter HAHAHAHA
Is something confusing you at the moment? No, I’m good.
When was the last time you had a real deep chat? Maybe my conversation with Andi a couple of nights back. We were talking about a tricky situation with their ex-friend who turned out to be a real dick when they came out to him a year ago, and they just wanted to get my perspective on how I would handle it.
Who did you last see on webcam? The PR manager for one of our clients, who we all despise because he doesn’t know how to do his job. Thankfully he’s resigning soon so we’re all just waiting for him to leave and finally meet a much more competent replacement.
What’s your best friend’s pet’s name(s)? Angela has two dogs, Hailey and Kennedy. Andi had Apollo, who I wanted to meet so badly but sadly he passed away a week ago at 15.
Have you ever taken a picture while laying in the grass? There are photos of me sitting on grass, but not lying in it. I would imagine that would feel very prickly and uncomfortable.
Who’s your favorite Disney character? Baymax or Flynn Rider.
Have you ever deliberately tried to get someone drunk? I’ve made my friends chug drinks or down shots and it’s happened vice versa, but it was always in good fun and we never made each other harassed from it. It’s just your typical college rambunctiousness, and if anyone felt uncomfortable or iffy then we didn’t hesitate to move on.
When was the last time you used a pay phone and who were you calling? I’ve only ever seen those in my first school, when I was in kindergarten. I never got to use it and they also took them out not long after.
Do you like being kissed on the neck? Yessssssssss
Have you ever had sex with someone you weren’t dating (but had feelings for) in the hopes that they would ask you out later? Nope. I don’t think I would have sex with anyone I wasn’t dating.
What’s the most you would be willing to spend on a good bra? Probably a couple thousand bucks if I thought I looked good in it.
Do you have any of your teachers’ personal cell phone numbers saved in your contacts list? I don’t think so. I never tried getting close with any of them, and I always tried to stay hidden as much as possible. I was just in class to get good grades and pass.
Do you ever stalk peoples’ personal blogs, even if you don’t know them very well? I never really scroll through people’s Tumblrs anymore. That was more of a thing I did in like 2013, but these days going through my dashboard is enough.
What’s one thing about today’s generation that you just can’t stand? Some social media trends done for clout make me revolted, especially when it has anything to do with wasting food. I also hate when they do extreme pranks that I know I wouldn’t find funny if I were ever the victim, like tossing someone’s phone into the ocean.
Be honest: how do you feel about abortion? Pro-choice.
Is there anyone you currently want to reach out to? I would love to catch up with Katreen at some point, but I know we’re at different points in our lives now and it would probably never happen.
What is your favorite piece of art you own? I commissioned my sister to make an artwork of the 2D1N cast, and she did a great job making it! I haven’t gotten to use it or promote it yet, but I will soon. It’s really well-done.
What’s the one thing you apologized for this month? Replying late.
My favorite color is ______? Pastel pink.
I wish I had _____? Longer weekends.
What did you buy today? Nothing – I’d call that a success lmao, I’ve been spending money as if I had a million fucking bucks over the last week. I did have some packages arrive today though: my own copy of 2 Cool 4 Skool (my first physical BTS album!!!!!!); the official poster from their album BE; the Ivy Park sneakers I ordered earlier this month, and an Ivy Park bucket hat Bea had apparently gotten for me as a birthday present.
What has challenged your morals? Vices.
What made you pick up the last book you started reading? I had to read it in preparation for a one-on-one session with my employer’s CEO.
What about your life concerns you the most? Whether a stable future is in the cards for me.
What do you find particularly offensive? Would you say you’re easy or difficult to offend? Probably Filipino-American comedians or influencers who use stereotyping of Filipino accents and habits as a punchline; they do more harm to the culture than good. I can tell you not one Filipino who lives in the Philippines actually finds those funny, and Bretman Rock is probably the only personality who’s able to flaunt the culture in an entertaining and hilarious yet classy way.
When it comes to being offended, I guess it depends on the context. My humor can get pretty dark and low-blowy, but I would have a problem with someone who I know has genuinely problematic views.
What was the last series you finished watching? Do you have any plans to begin another? I think it may had still been Start-Up from last December. I’m not too big on Korean dramas since I find one episode waaaaaaayyyyyyy too long. I don’t think I’ll be starting on anything soon, Korean or otherwise.
What is one way in which you are different from a year ago? What is one way in which you are still the same? I’m single now, for the first time in technically six years. I also think I’m doing better and happier, breakup notwithstanding. OH and I love wasabi now, hahah. As for what’s unchanged, I still like taking surveys and I’m still stuck at home, though the latter’s not really in my control anymore.
If you could learn about anything without the stress of grades or cost, what kind of classes would you take? I’d just go back to UP for the free tuition. We also have the widest range of programs out of any university in the country, so it’s a damn good deal.
Name a song you’ve listened to today? Fly To My Room - BTS
When you were younger, did you have a swing set or a playhouse in your backyard? We didn’t; but one of our relatives that we’d regularly visit did have a playground that I’d use all the time. It’s still there, just very unmaintained since no one uses it anymore.
Is your mall nice? Which one? We have five different malls nearby lol. Mall culture here is on another level.
Do you have a Sonic near you? If so, what’s your favorite drink from there? No. I’m not so sure what they serve there, either. I’m guessing milkshakes?
Will you be voting in the presidential elections next time around? I’ll always exercise my right to vote.
How do you feel about chocolate-covered strawberries? I hate strawberries and I hate fruits, so even if you coat that shit in Nutella and cookie butter and chocolate syrup I still wouldn’t touch it.
Did you ever stop having feelings for someone and then started having those feelings again for them? No.
Do you hate the last guy you had a thing with? I’ve never had a thing with guys.
To whom did you last give the finger? I haven’t had to do that in a while.
What was the last musical instrument played in your presence? My sister’s keyboard.
Do you like sprinkles on your ice cream? Not particularly. They make things look cute, but they never taste like anything tbh so I never saw the point in paying extra just to have them on my desserts.
Honestly, have you ever crashed a party before? Nah. I cringe thinking about that.
Do you know how to do the moon walk? I don’t.
Has anybody ever told you that you have a good singing voice? Never gotten that specific compliment before because I know I don’t have one.
Onion rings or french fries? Onion rings.
Has anybody ever described you as a heart breaker? No.
Has anybody ever told you that you talk too fast? I don’t think so, but I know I have the tendency to do so occasionally, especially while I’m presenting a deck. Once I notice it I make an effort to pace myself.
Who is the best cook that you know? My dad and both my grandmas all deserve that title.
Which meal throughout the day do you skip the most? I literally never have lunch ever.
What’s the largest amount that you can juggle at one time? I can’t juggle.
What was your favorite thing to go on at the playground as a kid? Sandboxes, since I liked the texture; the sandboxes in school were also often empty, which worked well for my introvert self. I find that it’s carried over to today, since I still enjoy touching things like slime and kinetic sand.
Do you know how much you weighed at birth? How much? I think 5 or 6 lbs, I’m not exactly sure but it’s definitely somewhere in that small range.
Which aspect of your daily routine takes the most time? What do you do? Work, for sure. I work a normal 9–6 so that’s already 8 hours out of my day, but I also OT a lot after hours, and I work throughout my lunch break as well so that technically makes it 9 hours. I also like getting up earlier and starting some work before my shift so that I would have less tasks on my plate for the day.
Do you enjoy buying gifts for others, or could you do without this? I LOVE getting people gifts. Food is especially my love language, and I always get food delivery for my friends, family, and my team at work.
What is one thing you are expected to do, if anything? I mean, I have work deadlines tomorrow so there’s that.
How do you tend to view driving? Monotonous or entertaining? I love driving. I don’t think I ever complained about having to do it. It’s calming and relaxing when I’m doing it alone or with a partner; and it can be entertaining with the right set of people.
Do you enjoy talking about music with others? Not always. If I don’t listen to the artist then I can find the conversation quite boring, like if my friends would get into a full-blown discussion about Taylor Swift.
Is acting something you enjoy? No. It wouldn’t even be something I’d be interested in doing.
When do you feel most accomplished? Finishing a work day with no tasks left behind.
Do you think Manwich is amazing or completely gross? Idk what that is.
How many best friends do you have? Two.
Are you a smoker, drinker, pothead or none of the above? I drink sometimes. I also kinda smoke, I guess.
If you have your ears pierced, when did you get them pierced? My mom had them pierced when I was a month old.
Do you own any exercise machines? My mom has this rowing equipment thingy. I don’t have any of my own, though.
On Facebook, do you have people listed as your siblings who aren’t really your siblings? No.
Have you ever drawn or painted a self-portrait? I remember having to draw one as a school assignment, but I’m pretty sure I half-assed that because I couldn’t care less for art class back then.
Who was your last voicemail from? We don’t have voicemails.
Have you ever been falsely accused of something serious? I don’t think so. That’s the sort of situation that would stick out in my memory if ever.
Did you ever set up a lemonade stand when you were a kid? No, not a thing here.
When was the last time you spoke to someone in a different language? Around an hour ago when I went downstairs and chatted with my sister briefly.
Have you ever received an anonymous gift? Nope.
Have you ever camped out somewhere for an event the next day? Nope but I definitely still wouldn’t be opposed to doing that haha.
When were you the saddest in your life? 2016 was fucking miserable. < I’d have to agree. 2017 was also awful.
Do you know anyone, personally, who is in an abusive relationship? Are you? I used to know one but she got out of it. In a sense, I suppose I also was in one.
If you have siblings, have they moved out or do they still live with you? Well they’re younger, so they definitely still live here, with our parents. I’m the first one expected to move out, but I’m taking my time.
Have you ever gotten searched by the cops? No.
Do you like fried rice? Of course. I like any kind of rice.
What was the last thing you drank? Water.
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Heartstrings | Chapter XII | Shawn Mendes
“ ‘It’s like a best friend, but more. It’s the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It’s someone who makes you a better person, well, actually they don’t make you a better person… you do that yourself because they inspire you. A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever. It’s the one person who knew you, and accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens..you’ll always love them.’ - unknown”
“Shawn was a huge believer that the ‘soulmates’ situation’ was the most stupid thing on the planet, specially since it was such a rare thing to find someone with the same mark as you. He would do anything he could to prevent the so called 'destiny’ from happening, but could he?”
hi, i know there’s so much going on right now and i’m not going to take this too far cause this is not a political centered blog or anything, i just think somethings need to said. i just thought i might ask you guys to see what is going on, sign the petitions, vote and if you can, donate. you can find links on my blog and even all over tumblr, it won’t take you too long to do it. and please stay safe. and in the middle of it, i’m just posting this for you to have something to ease your minds a bit and keep you occupied for a few minutes during quarantine. anyway, i hope you like it, and please give me some feedback.
*Word Count: 2.6K+.
*Warnings: cursing, angst, drinking, mentions of car crash (in case that triggers).
*Posted: June 4th, 2020.
-*-
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c0786395e0c1a10862510bff77129475/70b2f2f76f66d526-f3/s540x810/3677fe0bdf98d5b07738b882f3abac1b1cd3efce.jpg)
It’s been almost a week since the last time a had an actual conversation with Shawn. I mean, even though he’s been dodging me like the plague, I wasn’t totally available as well, finals started and I was going insane. It’s no secret to anyone that I take my education pretty serious, so the whole week I’ve been studying like crazy. Mel likes to say I’ve been doing this more than ever to avoid the topic and the whole conversation with Shawn, I just like to think it’s just myself as in any end of semester. And he wasn’t ignoring me, he was just avoiding being alone with me, and according to Brian, he had been pretty off lately, and even though I really wanted to sit down with him and see what was actually happening, I didn’t have the time to, and if he wanted, he knew he could come to me.
The week went on pretty fast. Soon was Friday and I finally would have a night to myself to chill for a bit before my last week of finals started. Melissa took the opportunity to run to her boyfriend’s place, aka, Shawn’s condo, and the guys invited me over for a game night, but I told them I needed to just stay quiet and sleep. They ended up accepting it, especially cause this was no news for everyone.
So I ended up opening a bottle of wine and ordering some pizza. I took a long and warm shower, deciding to do some skin care and paint my nails nicely, and while I was doing that, I chose a random thing to let playing on my computer on Netflix to watch and just enjoy the whole night. The pizza arrived around nine and it was perfect, cause my nails were finally dry, so I went outside and grabbed it, paying and going back to my room. But ten minutes later, when I was finally eating my first slice, someone knocked on the door and it was weird, I wasn’t expecting anyone. But when I opened the door, I was just so shocked.
Shawn was standing there, looking completely lost with glassy eyes, his cheeks were pink, his hair was a mess and so were his clothes. He didn’t say anything, he just kept staring at me with a confused yet grateful expression. Shawn opened his mouth to speak but nothing came from it, so he closed it and tried speaking again, looking still like a lost puppy. I gave him some space and he just dragged himself inside, stumbling through the room and basically plopping down on the mattress, throwing his backpack on the floor and just looking straight ahead. I closed the door and walked to him, but he didn’t look up and I was starting to get worried about him, so I kneeled down in front of him, carefully placing a hand on his cheek, which caused him to immediately look down at me. I started lightly caressing his face and his eyes fluttered shut.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?” I asked and he nodded, but not a single word left his mouth “is it school related?” he shook his head “is it me?” he shrugged “It’s okay, have you been drinking?” and with that he nodded and I could literally see the tears forming on those gorgeous brown eyes “oh, Shawn”
I got up to my feet only to sit down beside him, quickly wrapping my arms around his torso as he nuzzled his face on my neck. I started rubbing circles on his back as he sobbed on me, pulling me tighter to his body. I’ve never seen him so broken before, at least not in a long while. Shawn was always the type that felt his emotions deeply but didn’t show, only to a few lucky people, that included his family, Brian and me, and yet, I’ve never seen him crying this bad before. He’s whole body was shaking and he was curled up seeming a lot smaller than he really is, and my heart was shattering at every little sound that left him, but I knew I couldn’t cry, even though my eyes were brimming with tears. I knew I had to be strong for him.
I kept on trying to coo him and mumble a few comforting and soothing words, but it was hard not knowing what made him feel like this. His breathing was starting to even out slowly and I was feeling a bit more relieved, and still, I didn’t stop trying to make him relax a bit, but gently playing with his curls, feeling him shiver and sigh against the sensitive skin of my neck. I placed a tender kiss on his hair and kept on playing with it. He slowly backed up a bit, his face a little bit red, with swollen and puffy honey eyes looking up at me like a little kid who’s afraid. I squeezed his hand softly to assure him that I was here for him.
“Do you want to take a warm shower?” I offered the first thing that I would like to do if I’m feeling sad and he nodded softly “it’s okay if you want to, maybe it’ll help you relax a bit”
“Okay” it was barely above a whisper but it was already enough.
“I’ll get the shower ready and-“ I was cut mid sentence by him grabbing my hand as I was standing up and keeping me by his side “come with me then, I just want to help, I’m not going anywhere, darling” I said placing my hand on his cheek and he leaned in on my touch “come on, baby”
He slowly got up, still holding my hand, and followed me to my bathroom with Mel, in which I turned on my fairy lights that I had hanging there and turned off the lights so he could have a chill environment. I turned on the hot water and back into the room to grab the backpack he brought with him, so I returned as he was taking off his pants, so I placed it there and left him to his own business. I went back to the room to kinda change the mood in there, by lightning up a candle and a few fairy lights, separating my wine and a glass for him and arranging the pizza and the bed for us in case he chose to stay.
Shawn left the bathroom with damp hair and dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, looking so so so cute, he rubbed his eyes to adjust to the light and when he focused on the room his shoulders dropped and suddenly I couldn’t breath. I didn’t want to make him feel worse, I just wanted to help.
“I’m sorry, everything can go back to normal if you want”
“It’s not that” he mumbled softly “this is perfect, you’re perfect”
“I’m not, I just figured you needed to relax a bit, want to lay on the bed? You arrived a bit after the pizza”
“‘M not hungry”
“I know, but you should eat a bit, there’s also wine” I offered with a tempting smile and he gave me the smallest one in return, but it enough to make my heart flutter.
“Kay”
“Do you want to spend the nigh? Mel is not coming back” I asked and he nodded coming to me and holding my hand, plopping down on my mattress and pulling me to him “wait, I’ll grab the pizza for us, want wine?”
“Yeah” he answered and I grabbed to glasses that were not wine appropriate and a slice of pizza for each of us.
I sat down beside him and gave him his stuff, quickly pulling up the covers and placing my notebook on my lap, quickly logging in on netflix and picking a romcom I knew he liked deep down. So we just drank a glass of wine each and ate few slices. We were just there watching and I decided to put on a face mask while the movie wasn’t over.
“What is it?”
“It’s a charcoal face mask, want to apply it too?”
“Is it good?”
“Yeah, you have to peel it off later”
“Okay, can you put it on me?”
“Sure” I said spreading the product over his face, careful with his hair, until I gave up and pulled his curls back with a headband, and cleaning my fingers on a towel I had there “done”
“I have to wait?”
“Yeah, until the movie is over”
“Okay” he replied and got back to watching the movie with me.
After another half an hour the movie was almost over and I turned a bit to look at Shawn, only to find him already looking at me with glassy eyes.
“Oh, Shawnie, what’s wrong?” I mumbled softly and he shook his head.
“Let’s take off these masks”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah”
“Okay, just peel it”
“How?”
“Like this” I said poking and end and starting to pull it.
“Holy shit, this hurts”
“Don’t be a whiny baby”
“You and I both know I am a whiny baby” he mumbled with a cute pout on his pink lips.
“Yeah, that’s true, just do it” I said holding back a laughter as I finished taking mine off.
“It hurts”
“Want me to do it?”
“Yeah” he answered and I peeled it as quickly as I could with him basically whisper-yelling “hey, you weren’t careful!”
“But now it’s over, it’s just like a band-aid”
“But all over your face”
“Yeah” I said reaching back for my moisturizer and applying a bit on his face, alongside with my lip balm “all done”
“Can I put this on your face?”
“Sure” I was honestly about to say he could do anything if that meant he would be feeling a bit better or at least distracted, just as he was right now, his tongue poking out in concentration and he softly placed the cream all over my face.
“I’m sorry for showing up out of nowhere” he said closing the lid and looking at it as if it was the best thing ever.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it if you’re not comfortable yet”
“But I feel like I owe you an explanation”
“You don’t”
“I do” he said sighing softly and I decided to just give him space to talk since he wanted.
“Okay”
“I- Mum was involved in a bad car crash yesterday”
“Oh God”
“I know, and no one told me ‘cause they were afraid of how I would react and if that would ‘cause me to not take the test I had today, and I got so pissed when I found out, I just wanted to punch something, and that’s when I noticed why they’re concerned about my reaction, I guess I’m explosive and that stopped them from telling me my mother was at the hospital unconscious. And then I went straight to the hospital to see her, and then I had to come back from home cause I have tests monday and the first thing I knew I was parked outside your dorm room and I- I’m scared, Y/N” Shawn struggled to finish his sentence as he got back into sobbing and crying.
“It’s okay to be scared, baby” I said pulling him into a hug and he nestled his head on my chest, sobbing into it, as I tried my best to coo him “Karen’s going to be okay, Shawn, she’s already getting medical help, okay? You just gotta be strong for her and for Liyah, and I’m here for you, just don’t forget to breath a bit”
“Mhmm” he mumbled into my chest and I started playing with his curls.
“I would get upset too if they didn’t tell me and I would’ve gone there, and probably would’ve come back to you too, so just know you didn’t do anything wrong” I placed a kiss on his forehead and cupped his jaw “you talked to her?”
“No, she was out due to the meds they’re giving to her”
“How was your dad?”
“He said she’s out of danger when I got there, but that didn’t help me much”
“Okay, that’s a good sign, you just need to let the info sink in, right?” I asked and he just shrugged as I tried drying his tear stained cheeks “it’s okay, sweetheart, she’s going to be alright, okay?”
“I love you” he mumbled placing his chin on my sternum “so much”
“I love you too, Shawn, I’ve always loved you”
“Thank you for being here for me, this means so much” he said with puffy eyes and blushed cheeks.
“It’s my job and I’ll always be here”
“I’m here for you too”
“I know that” I smiled at him and pushed his hair back before holding his face on both of my hands “but right now, you’re the one who needs to relax and to just let go a bit, okay?” and to that, Shawn just nodded.
So I got back to playing with his hair as he nuzzled his face deeper in my chest, basically laying on top of me, not that I mind or anything, it actually feels good. We just spent so much time in silence, just waiting for his heart rate and breathing to calm down a bit, and when it did, I was so sure he was asleep, but when I tried moving to reach for my bottle of water I heard his whine in protest, and his arms tightening around me. Shawn looked up at me with his eyes lids struggling to be open and pink tinted cheeks, with a small pout and I couldn’t even move, so instead of doing what I was meant to, I just pressed a light kiss on his curls.
“You want me to leave?”
“Of course not, just wanted to reach for my water bottle, thought you’re asleep”
“Sorry, I wasn’t”
“But you should try to, specially ‘cause we still have finals and stuff, how can I help you?”
“Just keep doing what you do, baby”
“What?”
“Just this, just being here”
“Okay, can we just get ready for bed, in case either of us end up falling asleep?”
“Sure” he mumbled but didn’t move a muscle.
“Shawn, sit down for a sec, buddy” I asked nicely and he groaned, but obeyed either way.
I quickly rearranged things around us so we could actually fall asleep in peace and grabbed an extra blanket for us just in case he stole mine, even though I feel like he sleeps like a log. When I was done, Shawn just laid back on the pillows and outstretched his arms to me, making grabby motions with his hands, and I ended chuckling but also ended giving in, and then he pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight against his body. He started pressing soft kisses all over my face as I kept on giggling like a school girl.
“Stop moving” he groaned as I kept on leaning away from his face”
“God, you’re needy”
“I’m just trying to give you some love”
“Okay, but you can give it to me tomorrow, you need to rest baby”
“But-“
“No buts, Mendes, sleep”
“Fine” he mumbled with a pout that I had to resist very badly not to kiss.
“Goodnight, Shawn”
“Goodnight, baby” he said placing a kiss on the tip of my nose as I resumed playing with his hair.
And then I fell asleep, wrapped on his warmth and hoping this wasn’t just a dream or that things would finally work out to be like they’re supposed to.
-*-
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*xoxo
-🌙
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I can’t thing of a title, sorry
Shirbert fic :D
a teeny tiny bit of angst (Anne gets angry at Gilbert)
happy ending because i can’t do sad stuff
sorry that i can’t do the keep reading thing, it doesn’t work on a mobile device and i don’t have another device i can use tumblr on
enjoy! :)
• • •
There were quite a few problems that came with Ms. Stacy being on a two week trip in Toronto. The first being that well... she wasn’t there. The second problem was that they had a substitute. But there was one more. There was nothing particularly wrong with said substitute, in fact, he was quite a fine teacher. While his ways were admittedly, a bit more conservative, his teaching methods weren’t too much unlike Ms. Stacy’s.
And he wasn’t cruel, not at all. He seemed to enjoy having an air of lightheartedness in the classroom, and would never dream of whipping a student.
He was quick to get to know his temporary pupils, and while he didn’t know a whole lot, it only took him a few hours to memorize names and take down notes. For example, the tall raven haired boy and the sharp little redhead were tied for top of the class. He knew to keep an eye on the slightly meaty brunette boy, but the gun he carried on his back gave that away immediately. And he was quick to notice that calling out the small girl in pink in front of the whole class would only result in tears. No, that wasn’t the problem either.
He was kind, witty, a wonderful teacher, and he seemed to truly enjoy his profession. That was not the issue.
And you can’t really blame him for the comment, he’d made a few similar ones in the past, and it resulted in giggles and a moment of red faces, before the classroom returned to normal. “Miss Pye, i would ask you to leave your note writing for after class, I’m sure Mister Andrews can wait 10 minutes.” That was fine. “Moody Spurgeon, while i don’t doubt that Miss Barry’s hair ribbon is very intriguing, I’d encourage you to focus on the lesson.” Once again, no problems.
The problem was, he hadn’t been there long enough to understand the... relationships between the students. He was well aware of Anne and Diana’s friendship, and the fact that Gilbert didn’t seem to be too close to the other boys, but those were the obvious things. Really, you can’t blame him, even Ms. Stacy was still trying to decipher the not so obvious things. But regardless, whoever the blame belonged to, you can’t turn back the clock.
It happened the Wednesday before his departure, a fine spring day. There’d been no incident, aside from Billy Andrews being 20 minutes late. There was less than an hour left and they were nearing the end of a geometry lesson, when he glanced up from the chalkboard.
He sighed quietly and cleared his throat, to no avail. “Mister Blythe, I’d kindly ask you to focus on the lesson, not the back of Miss Shirley’s head. He expected giggling, and for a swift return to their books, but he was sorely mistaken. There was no laughing, and for a moment it seemed Anne’s hair had fallen in front of her beet red face. This was nothing compared to Gilbert however, who had buried his flustered face in his geometry book as if he’d never seen a sphere in his whole life. A quick glance made it quite clear that not a single pupil was focused on geometry. He pinched the bridge of his nose and silently cursed at himself. Looking at the clock, he waved his hand, releasing the students 20 minutes early.
~~~
The flowers were in full bloom that morning, much to Anne’s delight. They were, by far, more interesting than the lesson. And she’d catch up fine, she always did.
She sighed and sank her chin further into her palms, a smile teasing at the edges of her lips. Finally breaking from her daydream, Anne turned to focus on the chalkboard. She’d grown to like the substitute. He wasn’t a kindred spirit like Ms. Stacy, but he’d do fine for two weeks.
She caught herself glancing over at a certain boy ever so often, but she didn’t like him. She was simply making sure he didn’t finish the problem before her. Nothing else. She turned back to her slate, determined not to look at him anymore, for the rest of the day.
And then it happened.
Geometry was not Anne’s finest subject, but she’d MUCH prefer it to this. And to think! She begun to like this man. She would’ve laughed at such a notion, had she not been more embarrassed than she ever had been or ever would be. This, she decided, was the pinnacle of mortification. She was just sure that Gilbert had been thinking of more creative insults based on her hair, because what else would’ve caused... that.
She didn’t notice the fact that she was staring, blank faced and red cheeked, at the front of the classroom. Nor did she notice the wave of the teacher’s hand, or Diana’s hand on her shoulder. But she had to stand up eventually. Or maybe she didn’t. Maybe if she sat there long enough, she’d realize it was all a stupid dream, a nightmare. She pinched herself roughly, about 3 times. Nope, even her wild imagination couldn’t conjure up this.
She’d stood up at some point, she knew that, but only because she was now standing in the coat room. She was vaguely aware of someone attempting to apologize, but she didn’t really hear it clearly.
“Anne?”
That, that was what broke her from her trance. That stupid voice, that sounded just too caring, just too kind. She narrowed her bright eyes up at him, failing to observe how incredibly pink his entire face was. “What.” She practically growled at him, gritting her teeth. “Thinking of more cruel ways to mock my hair?” She sneered at him, quick to mask the glimmer of hope begging to be noticed.
He seemed taken aback, surprised. “What?” He replied, as if offended by her accusation. “No, no of course not, I-“
“I don’t care.” Anne cut him off, hating the fact that she observed the sudden pain behind his eyes. He looked... hurt? No, crestfallen. She shook the thought away. Who was she to care about Gilbert Blythe’s emotions? She turned on her heel and marched out of the school, braids swinging angrily behind her.
Gilbert fought the sudden urge to shoot a glare at the substitute teacher, who was silently packing his things, but backed out to chase Anne down the path. “Anne!”
She sped up her pace, turning into the woods, painfully aware that he’d be beside her soon if she didn’t run. So she did just that. Despite his advantage height-wise, she was swift and nimble, and didn’t find it too difficult to stay ahead of him.
Gilbert gave up when she began running, he wanted desperately to explain, but didn’t think it wise to attempt to rationalize with Anne in this state. He sighed in defeat and began to trudge towards his house.
***
Spring was Gilbert’s favorite season at the moment. With not a single cloud in the sky, the sun was able to peek through the window and trace Anne’s fiery hair in a halo of gold.
Her expression was so intent, so focused, and some might even think it was due to the lesson. The grin she wore told Gilbert otherwise though. Her lips were upturned slightly, and pinker than usual, due to the numerous strawberries she’d eaten at lunch. He wondered if her lips tasted like strawberries. He also wondered how on Earth anyone’s hair could be so breathtaking. Like she’d been crafted from the crimson autumn leaves and wrapped in a snake of fire. Her freckled were like sprinklings of cinnamon, he loved cinnamon.
And he truly didn’t mean to get distracted, or to smile like that. He intended for a quick glance or two, but that failed. He really did blame himself for what the substitute said. The day would’ve gone over fine if he’d been able to focus on the area of a triangle instead. But her hair was so beautiful. And there were leftover petals in it, from the flower crown she’d been wearing that morning. This made him even more sure that she’d been molded from the sun and the sky and the stars that twinkled behind nighttime clouds.
And then he said it. God, why’d he have to say that.
He soon gave up on chasing her through the trees, he didn’t know the area like she did. And besides, Bash and Mary probably needed help with supper.
***
“And she thought i was making fun of her hair?!” Gilbert brought the knife in his hand down furiously, the large potato on the counter victim to his frustrations.
Bash raised his eyebrows. “And what exactly were you doing Blythe.”
Gilbert attempted in vain to seem calm, collected. “N-nothing!” He sputtered.
“So was your teacher suffering from hallucinations?”
“No!” It seemed he was trying to go through both the potato and the cutting board. “Or, yes, no! I had just been...”
“Searching for excuses?”
“Looking out the window! Anne sits very close to the window.”
“Riiight,” Bash mused, grinning. “You weren’t staring at all, not in the slightest.”
Gilbert ignored the comment and continued attacking the cutting board.
***
“The nerve of him!” Anne wasn’t totally sure if she was yelling about the teacher, or Gilbert. “My hair is not a laughing matter.” She decided on Gilbert. She swung her foot at a nearby rock and had the sudden urge to scream when she narrowly missed it. “Really?!” She almost expected the trees to answer her, but wasn’t too shocked when they didn’t.
With a highly dramatic huff, she sat down on a nearby log, splashing mud on her apron. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes but she blinked roughly until they were gone. A small part of her knew that Gilbert wouldn’t mock her hair again, but why else would he be staring at her?
“I’m not going back until that horrid substitute is gone!” She decided, sticking her chin in the air defiantly. “And I actually thought Gilbert was my friend.” She scoffed indignantly and crossed her thin arms over her chest.
“I thought so too.”
Anne leapt up from her spot and yelled in surprise. “What are you doing here!”
Gilbert scratched his neck nervously and focused his gaze on the ground. “Well I was uh, looking for you, to apologize.”
Anne turned until she was directly facing him, her small face rigid with fury. “I don’t need your pity,” she snapped.
“I-I know, I just felt bad-“
“You felt bad huh?” She attempted to gaze at him angrily without staring upwards, a feat which would prove impossible. Anne hated that he genuinely looked sorry, she couldn’t be mad when he was actually sorry.
And she hated how kind his stupid eyes looked. A warm, olive green with flecks of gold and silver, dancing through his irises like stars at twilight. Her face burned as she realized what she’d been doing, and she quickly shook away the thought.
“Yes...” He raised one eyebrow, waiting for the rest of her outburst.
“Well!” Anne hoped that he thought her pink cheeks were from anger, as his obviously were. “I- I don’t, I don’t, I...” She gave up and sank into the grass floor, not even caring enough to shoo away Gilbert as he sat beside her.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I know,” Anne sniffed quietly.
He looked shocked and fought back a chuckle. “You do?”
“Yea, I guess.” She buried her face further into her arms. “I just needed to blame it on someone, and the substitute is leaving soon.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Both of them had gotten used to silences. It wasn’t awkward though. It was peaceful, warm... safe. They both knew that it was okay to sit beside each other and not say anything, which was a blessing for Anne, who tended to say things she wished she hadn’t.
When her tears had dried and she could speak without a lump rising in her throat, Anne looked up from her position. “Why... Why were you looking at me?”
That was what made Gilbert’s pale skin turn a shade of red deeper than Anne’s hair. She fought the urge to laugh at the sight.
He stared down at his boots and mumbled something incoherently.
“What?”
All she got was more completely unintelligible muttering.
“Sorry.”
He looked up at her with the same stupid eyes he always used. The same stupid expression that made Anne’s stomach do somersaults. But she did not like Gilbert Blythe. At all. She hated how deep and passionate his eyes were. She despised his sharp jawline and his tender smile that for some reason, no one but her ever saw it. And she absolutely could not stand his intellect and his drive. And she was revolted by the way he made her feel. Like everything was right with the world, but also like her stomach was training to be a trapeze artist.
“No, it’s okay.” She didn’t know how long she’d been staring before he said that, and if anyone ever told her, she’d probably sit in that spot in the woods and never leave, due to sheer humiliation.
“Anne,” He breathed tentatively. “I was looking at you, because, because...”
“Because...?” Anne knew full well the answer she was hoping for, but it was purely poetic. She did not like Gilbert Blythe. Not one bit. It was for the sake of romance, not that she felt romantical about him. She just knew that it would make for good writing material. A tale of a terribly handsome but poor man admitting his feelings for the lovely Princess Cordelia and sinking into the depths of despair upon being horribly rejected. She made a note to attempt to make the character of the man absolutely hideous.
“Anne.” The way he said her name, like it truly was something special, so much better than Cordelia. He said it in a way no one ever had, as if it was the most beautiful word he’d ever hear. But she did not like Gilbert Blythe. Okay, maybe she did, but just as friends.
“Yes?” Anne was afraid to say anything else, afraid she’d say something wrong and scare him off, like she always did. A small part of her knew however, that he’d always come back.
“Anne, I was staring at you because... because...” His eyes searched her pale, freckled face. His eyes. They were so full of love that it could’ve come straight from a fairy tale.
And then it dawned on her. “Oh.” She hesitated, looking down at the ground. “Is this a prank?”
“What? Of- of course not!”
“It has to be. Why would anyone like me?!” She felt like crying, she knew Gilbert teased her, but she never thought he’d go this far. “I’m homely, and skinny and redheaded and freckled and I talk far too much and I talk to trees and, and flowers. And I’m far too outspoken, and I’m-“
“You’re beautiful.”
If she had been able to, Anne would’ve laughed.
Gilbert took a deep breath and gently turned Anne’s chin upwards, making eye contact. “And you’re smart, and creative, and yes you’re different, but that’s why I like you. That’s why I’ve liked you since the moment you smacked me with a slate.”
“That was almost 3 years ago.”
“I know.”
“But Ruby. You could have Ruby if you wanted to.”
“I don’t want to.”
“But she’s pretty and she can cook and she has nice clothes and she’s not... me.”
“Anne.”
“Gilbert.”
The sun was rapidly diving beneath the trees and they both knew it. Matthew and Marilla were probably preparing how to scold Anne when she finally got home, but for some reason, even that didn’t deter either of their gazes.
Anne melted into his eyes that she hated. She choked on salty tears and almost broke down when her raised his thumb to wipe them from her cheeks. Anne liked Gilbert Blythe.
“May I walk you home? Marilla’s probably worried sick.”
Anne nodded and stood up, her knees trembling slightly. She let Gilbert loop his arm through hers and almost began walking.
Why must the girl wait for the boy? If I wanted to kiss a boy, couldn’t I just... kiss him?
“Wait.”
Gilbert furrowed his ever expressive eyebrows in concern. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” Anne set herself into the ground, determined but more nervous than she’d been in her whole life.
Gilbert didn’t have time to laugh at her ridiculous expression before she’d grabbed his chin and pressed her lips against his. Strawberries.
Anne had always dreamed of kisses. She’d never had one and was sure they couldn’t live up to the books. But in that moment she realized that no book could describe this sensation. Maybe it was a universal thing. Maybe it was because it was Gilbert. But she felt so safe and warm and every worry she’d ever had melted away in an instant. She sank into the feeling, letting him pull her closer, resting one hand on his jawline and the other on the nape of his neck, his raven curls brushing against her knuckles. At first she was afraid she’d made a horrible mistake, but then he’d kissed her back and everything was more than ok.
When they finally pulled apart, neither was fully aware of how long it’d lasted. It could’ve been mere seconds, or perhaps years.
Gilbert traded his longing look for a smirk, and grabbed her slender hand, intertwining it with his own. “Good luck with Ruby.”
Anne winced, just now realizing that she’d have to deal with that. “Oh would you let me be happy for 5 seconds, please.”
“Deal.”
They made it to Green Gables far sooner than either would’ve liked and Anne almost let go of his hand to race up to the house, but he didn’t let go.
“I feel like I should explain to Matthew and Marilla.”
“And you think the first thing they want to see upon me returning home almost two hours late is you holding my hand?”
Gilbert chuckled and scratched his neck. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Well then, Bash and Mary are waiting.” She raised her eyebrows. “Gilbert.”
Before she could protest, he leaned down and gave her a quick, mischievous kiss, before waving and sauntering down the dirt road. “Gilbert!” She cried, trying to sound scandalized beneath her foolish grin.
Maybe that substitute wasn’t so bad after all.
#anne shirley#anne shirley cuthbert#anne with an e#awae#shirbert#gilbert blythe#awae fic#awae fanfic#shirbert fanfic#shirbert fic#gilbert blythe x anne shirley#shirbert one shot#shirbert oneshot
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Hey! I was looking for soulmate klaine fics but there aren’t any good ones to my liking like ones where their names are written on their wrists thanks!
I’m sorry you haven’t found a soulmate fic to your liking. Here are some recs for those where their soulmate’s name is etched somewhere on their body. If these are still not what you are looking for, you have two courses of action. You could send some details of a story you are interested in to @prompt-a-klainefic , and hope a writer picks it up, or you could write it yourself. A lot of authors (including me) start by writing something that they would like to read. - HKVoyage
The Writing on My Skin by @jayhawk-writes
*Filling this prompt by @silentpeaches on Tumblr: Whatever mark you get on your skin, your soulmate gets it, too. One day, you just kind of get a sharpie and start writing on your skin. You definitely didn’t expect to get a reply, but you did. Now it’s five in the morning, and you’re just about covered in ink; this will be a pain to wash off later.
**Soulmates, when the younger of the two turns 16, both get a unique mark somewhere on their skin that will have or has had some meaning to them. They can write to each other back and forth by writing on their skin. Kurt Hummel has been waiting for his soulmate to finally turn 16 so that he would have someone to talk to about all of the things he can’t tell his dad or other friends. Nobody really knows how bad the bullying has gotten at McKinley. He hopes that his soulmate can help him get through this tough time, but he has no way of knowing that Fate, and Noah Puckerman, will lead him right to his soulmate.
~~~~~
Believe I'm Yours (Believe You're Mine ) Verse by istytehcrawk
Three stories in the lives of Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, the world's first gay scripted pair (soulmates).
Note: You need to be logged into an AO3 account to access this series.
Noah Puckerman, will lead him right to his soulmate.
~~~~~
Thaw Out My Love, Make Me Shiver by AzzleDazzle
An accident when he was younger leaves sub Kurt unable to fully read his soulmark, a marking on the bottom of his foot that reveals the initials of his soulmate. When new student Blaine Anderson joins the ranks of McKinley, he sets out to make the icy Kurt his friend and eventually learns the why and how of one Kurt Hummel.
Note: You need to be logged into an AO3 account to access this fic BUT it is also available on FF.net. @klaineficspdfs also have it available to download as a PDF or EPUB here.
~~~~~
Connection of Souls by FanfictionGleeBabies
Kurt has known he was a dom since he was 5 y/o. He was taught all about how everyone has a destined soulmate whos name appears beneath a skin sheathed cuff at age 12. Having taken a few years off, Kurt begins college a few years late. But when he meets professor Andersons eyes, in 1 instant moment he feels a connection he never has before. D/s AU
Noah Puckerman, will lead him right to his soulmate.
~~~~~
What Our Colors Don't Show by @kurtswish
Since first getting his mark Kurt dreamed of finding someone to really connect with but years in New York have left him still yearning for that connection. Is it really possible that he could find his soulmate in a club where for once he can proclaim his dominant status for all to see? The colors show who you are, but what’s hidden by the symbol, that is supposed to be who you are for.
Noah Puckerman, will lead him right to his soulmate.
~~~~~
Soulmate Script by @sunshineoptimismandangels
Written for a Tumblr Prompt: “I wish you would write a soulmate fic for Klaine (there are loads of those already, but I’m sure you’d give it your very own unpredictable twist).”
Blaine and Kurt are best friends, living in New York and enjoying their lives. From the outside it looks like two good friends waiting to met their soulmates in the city of their dreams. The only problem is Blaine is in love with Kurt, who could never be Blaine’s soulmate. Kurt is waiting for the the person who’s name matches the script on his skin, waiting for someone other than Blaine.
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What are some of the tvd to fandoms greatest hits so to speak... I was only in it for a short time and then jumped out because I couldn't stand to
Oh, well allow me to be your guide. This will be under a read more because I already know, I’m gonna write a whole essay. Shout out to my ride or die @hellsbellschime.
I don’t think any overtly crazy happened during the good!TVD years. No wait, I’m lying.
The year the spin-off got announced, I believe it was tvguide, that posted an article with like info tidbits for currently airing shows. And one of them, was that Hayley was pregnant with Klaus’ kid. I remember this shit so clearly, man. Everyone was so confused. And then they were like SURPRISE, APRIL FOOLS. Because it was in fact April 1st. So ha-ha we all had a laugh, great. Fastforward to what, late April? Episode 4x20 airs, and it’s exactly what happened???
That whole day btw, the day the backdoor pilot for TO aired was just insanity. I’ll say that about a lot of days in this answer, but that day was really just something else. Like we were delirious, that’s the only way I can explain what happened on here. It was a nightmare but also one of the funniest night’s I’ve ever spent on here. I gotta go back for old time’s sake and reblog some of the shit from that night because we all snapped. And not in the good way.
The TVD 100th. Now, we knew Joseph was coming back for that episode so they hype was real. Because up until that point, we’d gotten a huge load of nothing in regards to Klaroline. They released a trailer, a short one, that’s still in my favorites folder on youtube to this day. I rewatch it all the time because it’s iconic. And there was literally .002 seconds of Klaroline. It’s Caroline standing and then Klaus says “hello, caroline” and everyone lost their shit so much when it dropped that ‘hello caroline’ trended ww on twitter.
THE DAY THE NETWORK THAT AIRED TVD IN AUSTRALIA AIRED A PROMO WITH THE KLAROLINE KISS IN 5X11. ICONIC. I literally woke up, logged on at around 11 AM my time, and my dashboard was on fire. It was the BEST. We didn’t know wtf to do, it was amazing.
Paleyfest. Ohhhh buddy, lemme tell ya. So TVD/TO got chosen to have the CW panel’s at Paleyfest that year. Everyone was on a bit of edge because TO to that point was what, almost done with S1 and Klaroline had been given the mega cold-shoulder despite being the very thing other than the Mikaelson’s that got used to lure people in? After the pregnancy plot from hell, everyone was ready to peace tf out, but we got halted because it was a ‘ohh of course it’s gonna continue’ then they tried to nip Klaroline in the bud with 5x11 and no one was having it. So Paleyfest was where we were gonna get some ANSWERS, DAMMIT. I live on the east coast and the festival was held in the west coast so I wasn’t awake when it was happening. I remember making a post about how ‘going to sleep, and hoping when I woke up the answers were good.’. So I went to sleep, woke up a few hours later like 2-3 AM my time, and checked my blog and the first message I had was ‘don’t wake up stephanie, everything is a mess, stay asleep where everything’s fine’ I—
The gist of that was, they basically set JoMo up to be the bad-cop in shutting down Klaroline. He gave this long answer that made absolutely zero sense. The girl who asked the question about Klaroline, who was like 13 at the time, got called a bully for even asking a question at an event she paid to be at. A mess. And JP was like NO CROSSOVERS, ORGANIC, BLAH BLAH. And Paul was sitting next to her going “why can’t the show’s just intersect”, he was right and he said it.
I can’t remember if this was S1 or S2, but somebody tweeted something and Carina replied ‘when you’re found dead in your basement with klaroline written on you this is why’ or something like that, that was a ~fun~ night. And then like half an hour later she was like “I’m sorry, I’ll never tweet about Klaroline again just leave me alone” if you’ve ever seen this fandom refer to ourselves as basement dwellers, this night is why.
NARDUCCI. Can’t forget him. Talk about a man who just didn’t get it. And I don’t mean Klaroline, he just didn’t get anything, nothing in his head has ever clicked, I’m convinced. He used to pick fights on twitter repeatedly. Admitted once that he missed his flight because he was on twitter…arguing with a fan. AND ONE DAY, he decided to just—snap. Went on this hours long tirade against the Klaroline fandom, essentially calling everyone stupid because no one was appreciating the ‘art’ of the show. So when I say it lasted hours, I mean that. Now, you’d think, that he would be done, right? WELL, apparently that wasn’t enough, so the next day, he continued. I remember because I was in this gc on whatsapp, and I remember Erika sending a message to the gc going “omg, Narducci vs KCers round 2″ when I tell you I screamed. The man went on a two-day rampage against this fandom and it was insane.
S6/S2 of TVD/TO was not a fun time. I can genuinely say it was borderline a chore to come on here during that time. It wasn’t fun, every day someone was in argument with someone from production on twitter. Truly the worst year of the fandom, imo. So S7/S3 rolls around and that’s where shit went nuclear.
Hillary and I, are minding our own damn business, when someone come’s to us with information regarding the new seasons. This was post-SDCC, so it’s like the lull of September, waiting for the seasons to start in October. And we get approached with information, talkin bout how Caroline’s gonna be pregnant with Alaric’s twins in S7. When I tell you we didn’t know wtf to do. And we had to like wait on confirmation about it but then we found out it was legit and we were pissed. Literally ask us if we wanted to be in the spoiler game, the answer is no tf we did not. And she and I basically spent two days complaining. LIKE UGHHHH WE DON’T WANNA DO THIS, BUT ALSO THIS IS DISGUSTING, WE CAN’T JUST LET THEM SPRING THIS ON EVERYONE, BUT AGHH WHY US. So we chose collectively, as a duo, because das my other half yo, to blab.
That went over as best as anyone could hope for it to go. Now, flashforward yet again, this time to around late Novemeber/December. I had been sent word that something was going down. TVD/TO lost their Thursday slots and got bumped to Friday’s, so a plan was going on, and they made one. We’d heard that they were rearranging something mid-season because they were gonna make a crossover work, publicly we found out it would be Paul and JoMo that crossover back-to-back. THEN ONE NIGHT—I call it black friday bc that day was a fucking mess—, a friend of mine was friends with an SCer, I wanna say, and she was hearing word that the crossover did have Klaus and Caroline interact via phone call, but that it was very definitively an ending. Because they spoke about Camille and Stefan, etc, etc. Like a closing of the book type thing. So okay, we were like devastated, everyone on twitter was losing their shit. Everyone was pissed, and @-ing the writers all these crazy, sad things, we were a wreck. Ask Hillary about this night because she, I remember, describes it as ‘logging on and reading what everyone else had and not understanding why tf everyone was mad about it’. It was the first and last time that our roles were reversed, and bless her for it.
SO WE’RE SITTING THERE, it’s Saturday, and we kept getting more information and we were like…something isn’t right here. So we did a bit of digging, spoke to a few people and waited it out. LO AND BEHOLD, everything we’d heard about the phone call was false. There was a phone call but the CKers and SCers were so mad about what was actually said in it, that a few of em, ring leaders of the feeble minded, made up a version and passed it around their fandoms as legit till it eventually worked it’s way over to us. So we all jumped the gun on fake information, lmfskdnknsks. Rumor has it, you can still hear Hillary yelling ‘I told you so’ at me through our group chat.
So all was well, I couldn’t tell everyone why not to panic, just that they didn’t need to. Until, this account popped up called tvdspoiler or something on twitter, also saying false information about the phone call. Sending everyone into a panic yet again. I remember this because I was at kmart with my mom, and the kmart by my house was in a basement so I had no cell service. I was able to send like a couple of messages, and was basically like ‘tell everyone to chill, I’ll clear it up when I get home’ did that in like a couple of hours cause then I had to leave to the midnight showing of the force awakens with my friends. So that day was chaotic, but fun. It was the first time I reached 99+ messages on my inbox, lmao.
So that all happened like a good while before we actually saw the episode. But cut to a few weeks later. I woke up at 1 AM my time to drink water, was on tumblr trying to go back to sleep. I checked my inbox and there was this bizarre message talking about ‘got some scoop’ and they were like ‘Finn dies in 3x17, Aurora gets put into some weird sleeping spell in 3x18, Camille and Davina die in 3x19, Lucien dies in 3x20′ and I quite literally laughed??? Literally who wouldn’t. Like who tf would ever believe TO had the balls to do all of that when they never killed anyone off. AND, WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE WOULD JUST STOP BY, SHARE IT AND LEAVE. So I sent a screenshot to Hillary and was like ‘yo did you get this because wtf’. We often got duplicate messages. And we often got messages of people who were pissed about the two previous times we, from the klaroline fandom of all places, had legit info that wound up being true, that they were just waiting for us to fuck up. So we used to get messages of people pretending they were sharing info, and it was just antis trying to make us look stupid.
SO, Hillary says ‘just answer it because it’s obviously fake’ top ten moments before disaster. I answer it and am like oh haha, and where did that info come from. And they came back like a minute later, saying ‘I have a source’ THEN THEY ELABORATED. They mentioned that Lucien drags Freya and Vincent to Mystic Falls to do this spell with some bullet and etc. So at that point we were like fUCK because that same day we’d found out was in 3x16, which ended with Lucien and this white-oak bullet, having kidnapped Freya. And that’s when we knew, that someone showed up in the middle of the night, spoiled the whole back-half of TO S3—and then left.
The back-half of S3 was so fun??? Every week the info just kept coming true. On the wikia everyone hated me, probably the most anti messages I ever had was during that time, honestly it was great, 10/10 would recommend.
THEN, at some point in our blog history, Hillary had been getting quite a few messages about PT. And she had this fucking line in one of the messages about Phoebe’s pronunciation with her accent for the show, or lack thereof. And she said “weeches and woves will always have a place in my heart” SO THEM PHOEBE TWEETED IT. THAT EXACT LINE, and we were like was she...? So we shrugged off okay. A few days later, she tweeted “hellsbellschime enough, there’s plenty of other things to watch on tv, I hear mad men’s great.” And I—
THIS WAS ON SOME RANDOM ASS SUNDAY. Like I was lounging around, waiting for the new episode of game of thrones and then WHAM, chaos. AND AS IF THAT WASNT ENOUGH, Leah joined in too. Putting a target on my friends back...about her blog that no one was making them read. You can’t make that shit up. And Jenn actually replied to Phoebe’s tweet and got a reply back, and she was all “you’re right, I’m sorry” and then deleted the original tweet, which I still have a screenshot of btw. And then Leah showed up in Hillary’s inbox with this ridiculous three part ask about how she shouldn’t criticize women in the acting industry because of how hard it is for women in that industry which is true, but it doesn’t make you exempt from criticism??? So not sure where she meant to go with that one.
SO THERE WE HAVE IT, our fandom’s greatest hits. I’m sure I can elaborate and insert more, but I’ve been typing for a good 40 minutes.
Told ya, I wrote a whole dissertation, lmaooo.
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unintentional; i just can’t stay by your side
You’ve worked hard for everything you’ve gotten and Mark Lee is a soft twist in your busy life, but you know hiding part of yourself eventually always bites anyone in the ass.
Word count: 19k - part 4/5
Reader x Mark Lee
(M)
masterlist // warnings
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3920bb2b36fd960770a8b8db0ab8133d/0d41d61b642a06a3-3f/s540x810/22e14f7a967a838ef4060cab9473b79d1c4dd168.jpg)
Mark hadn’t texted you back yet even once you woke up, sending you into a slight worry. The night shift had been hell and you were trying hard not to worry about Mark on his flight; you already had so much on your plate after your time spent away with him.
a/n: this chapter contains smut
You quickly logged onto Tumblr and tried to get some kind of update, blinking a bit when you saw nothing from searching his name and moved to Twitter. You were still met with nothing. The signs were both good and bad. No bad news, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was all good. You decided to text him again, but hoped you weren’t being too much. You’d already sent a few texts and you were scared to text the other members in fear that something bad had happened; you couldn’t handle if that was the truth.
Everything okay? Missing you :(
You sighed, tossing your phone to the side and staring at your ceiling, alone in your empty bed. It was the first time Mark had been away from your country since you met and you hated that you were feeling this way, but you couldn’t help it. You got up and tried to busy yourself by cleaning and taking your things from the spare room to set your decorations back up. You thought it would make you feel better to do so and to see things that reminded you of him, so you reorganized your memorabilia with no avail, trying to wait patiently for a response.
Mark was probably busy, you decided. Baekhyun had blown up his phone and he was back at home so maybe he was catching up, but you thought a text message wasn’t too much to get. Mark was normally good at responding, wonderful even. So, it was only a bit odd that you’d gotten nothing since his just landed! text that you’d gotten at 7pm the previous night. It had been about a day and a half since you dropped him off and the flight was almost 16 hours, so something didn’t feel right. It should’ve been nearing 1am at that point. You’d have to get used to the time difference, unfortunately.
You decided on cleaning your whole apartment to distract yourself and take a day off, calling the housecleaner off yet again. You needed to keep your mind busy until Mark would text you back. It took about an hour after you started your cleaning, but you finally got a response, gasping when you saw the name on your phone. You had to calm down for just a moment before opening it, smiling and trying to relax. It had been way too long for a response, but you were going to give him space.
Hey
You swallowed. He hadn’t ever texted you a greeting like that before, he always used emojis and overused exclamation points, so just the simple word bothered you. You tried to shake it off, texting him eagerly as always.
hey!! how is everything?
You hoped you’d get a better response, but you were left disappointed.
its okay i guess, i’m pretty busy.
You gulped, not liking the tension, but after all it was over text message, so you shouldn’t be as worried as you were. but something didn’t feel right. You tried to find the right words to respond but were cut short by the ellipsis followed by another text.
Can we like, talk?
Of course, you could talk to him. You shockingly weren’t busy, and you always made time for Mark.
yeah of course! you wanna call me? 💞
You tried to ease whatever was going on with your own sweetness, hoping it would be returned.
Not really.. I’m kind of in the middle of something, but I have to talk to you.
Oh no, there it was. Something was happening. You wanted to play the joke card to ease the tension because he always wanted to call you, he rarely didn’t call you for at least a minute when you asked, but you had to understand that he was back home and things would be different when he was there. It was much more dangerous. You watched the dots appear on your screen again, pausing your own thoughts for response.
Are you like, an nctzen?
Mark felt stupid for asking like that, but they were the only words he could come up with. You thought it was cute and you didn’t think anything of that message, which eased your concern a bit.
well yeah, dummy 😂 why wouldn’t I be?
More dots showed up, quicker this time.
No. That’s not what I mean.
You swallowed again.
Mark was sitting at home awake much too early with Taeyong sleeping, not really wanting to talk to him about the situation either. Taeyong didn’t seem like anything was wrong and that bothered Mark to no end. He sighed, typing a response again and he only saw the read receipt from you.
Like. Okay. Were you a fan of us, before all this happened? Like from the beginning. When you met me.
Your heart was beating fast, staring blankly at the message. Fuck, you should’ve told him by now. You had the time, you had the ability to tell him the whole time, you don’t know why you hadn’t. Of course, you knew that it was more of a possibility of him tossing you away that scared you into not telling him in the first place. You had every opportunity to come clean and you hadn’t. You feared his judgement and it swayed your truth. You sat in guilt on it for so long, hoping it would turn out to be fine and be something you laughed about later on, but it didn’t seem like that was how the conversation was going to go. At all. You were nervous, you wanted to deflect, buy some time. Maybe he was just asking to clear his own head and you were thinking too hard into it.
mark baby what’s this about?
You felt stupid for asking like that at the seriousness of the conversation, sighing and deciding on sending another message.
can you call me later? i can tell something is up, we can talk about it later if youre busy okay? focus on your work, i love you.
You had forgotten about the time again, just assuming that he was busy with other things. He did have extremely tight schedules after all.
I’ll call you later.
Okay, I’ll be here to answer, alright?
And like that, you got no further response, no I love you too, just a read receipt and a bad feeling in your gut. You sighed, checking on the time difference. Mark had to have been home in his dorm, lying awake either much too late or up too early and you knew how things got to him in the hours between night and morning. Maybe he needed to sleep whatever off, you would give him the space. You decided to try and busy yourself with cleaning again, but you found yourself obsessively checking on Tumblr, Twitter, and anywhere else you could think to find any information on what Mark had been up to. You knew it was wrong, but you thought your worries would be eased. What if he found your accounts? Maybe that was what this was about, but you didn’t think so. Mark wasn’t very big on social media in general, so you doubted he’d find you easily.
The feeling in your gut didn’t subside for a few hours, aimlessly wandering around your apartment and trying to straighten up even more, but everything was reminding you of the last week and the fact that Mark had just been there days ago and now he was back home questioning you over text message and nothing felt like it was making any sense. You didn’t know what exactly you did wrong, but there were so many ways he could have found out, you weren’t exactly sneaky, you just didn’t tell him the whole truth.
You sighed heavily, deciding to text your friends to figure out what was up. Irene was still pretty angry with you for ditching your responsibilities to follow a concert tour and you’d hardly seen her aside from in passing without questioning you, so you didn’t know what she’d think if you messaged her about Mark. She was off of the option list. Yeri seemed like a valid person to give decent feedback, so you shot her a message.
Yeri sweetie I’m freaking out I don’t know what to do
She was always quick to reply.
Oh god what’s happening are you okay
Not really, I think I fucked up with Mark and I don’t know what to do
Holy shit wait, are you still talking to him????
dude AM i?? We kinda made things official and he came to visit me a week ago shit im sorry I haven’t updated you
no fucking way dude I still have Lucas in my DMs… man what have we gotten ourselves into???
lucas??? in your DMs???
YES OMG but okay that doesn’t matter what’s happening with Marky Mark???
You’d return to the Lucas conversation at a later date, that didn’t matter right now. You wanted guidance and you knew Yeri wasn’t the best at advice, but she was great at listening and offering a helping hand as much as she could give you, so it was helpful.
okay so he texted me some cryptic stuff and I’m just really nervous that i messed something up
Alright stop freaking out lmao, I’m sure everything’s fine and you’re just being dramatic!! What did he say?
You sighed and screenshot the last bit of your conversation and sent it, hopefully trying to get a better answer. It felt wrong to share your conversations with him, but you felt it was the best way to help you and get a clearer answer. Yeri knew you had put up the charade in the first place and wasn’t too fond of the idea, but she’d never tell you that. She’d act oblivious as much as she could to stay on your side.
What could that be about?? Did someone get to him and try to make you look bad??
Yeri i literally have no idea, I’m freaking out trying to figure it out! It’s like 2am there and I don’t want to bother him again to talk
Okay sweetie well just let it ride out, see what he has to say and call him in the morning! Don’t freak out too much yet, I’m sure it’s fine!! i love you!!!
You sighed again, hoping that Yeri was right, she usually was, but Irene usually had a more practical answer. Irene wasn’t someone you could ask about this though, she’d be angry with you for trying to focus on someone instead of your work and you hadn’t even updated her on exactly what was going on, so she was out of the loop to begin with and telling another person didn’t seem like it was in the best interest of you or Mark. You frowned, hoping that you’d calm down a little more before going to sleep because it had gotten dark before you realized how fast time had flown by. Maybe you’d send him one last text, just to ease your own mind.
Hey, I know it’s late, but I’m worried I did something to upset you and that’s the last thing I want, can we talk as soon as possible?
Yeah, I’ll call you in the morning.
Goodnight.
Sleep well, okay?
He’d never been so short with you before, just hoping that it wasn’t an issue you created because you didn’t think you did anything for him to find out. Maybe someone else was speculating and it wasn’t on you at all. You tried to convince yourself that maybe someone had him paranoid instead of it being something you did. You were trying to be optimistic and hoped it would all just blow over. It would break your heart to have ruined it yourself because things were going so well, and it was so long since you’d been so happy before. You sat in your freshly made bed, hoping to relax a bit. A few hours passed, still trying to find things to ease your mind before it was getting late. Still no call from Mark and no other texts from him either. You checked the time, hoping it was getting to be around morning time for him. Maybe you’d get lucky and he needed to be up early.
Your hopes were answered when you received a text around 4pm.
Is now a good time?
Your heart was racing faster than you’d ever felt it, your stomach in knots.
-
Mark had the chance to talk to Taeyong, who had more of a difficult time talking to him than he thought possible, Taeyong’s nerves were shot and he spent his hardest time trying to defend you.
“So you knew about this, like, the whole time?”
“Well, no..” Taeyong sighed, scratching behind his ear nervously. “I only found out after we went bowling and Baekhyun-hyung had me come in the room with him and-“
“So you helped him go through the suitcase?”
“No, not at all, I-um- actually told him not to, but you know he’s very persistent and-“
“Taeyong, come on, please.” Mark nearly looked on the verge of tears. “You know I hate being lied to, I hate it so much, so why didn’t you tell me?” He pleaded with his leader, hoping to get a better answer than the upsetting one he was getting.
“I-“ Taeyong sighed. “I saw how happy you were, and I know that we all get a bit uncomfortable when we try to talk to someone and they’re a fan, and I-“ He tried to gather his words, earning a disappointing look from Mark. “I didn’t want you to make that mistake.” Taeyong was honest, he was pure at heart and only wished for the best in people. The last thing he wanted was for Mark to give up his chance of pursuing you because of the stigma around dating a fan, so he stayed quiet and it was biting him in the ass.
“Well, now I might have made another mistake because I’ve been lied to for the last, what? Few months?” Mark scoffed. “Does anyone else know? I mean come on, we’re all in a group chat with half of 127, you know how awkward that is that I literally introduced them to someone who possibly fucking idolizes them? That’s so weird dude!” Mark didn’t like the idea of putting Yuta, Jaehyun, Johnny, or anyone else in danger and it would be all his fault if something happened, the boys were weird and texted dumb things and private conversations, so it wasn’t a good look to have you knowing them all like that. Granted, they were adults and could have spoken up and denied being added, but Mark knew they all believed the best in people, which is why he made the chat in the first place.
Taeyong gulped again, trying to get Mark to calm down before he spoke again. “Nobody else knows.”
“Nobody?” Mark didn’t seem so sure.
“No, Baekhyun hasn’t told anyone either.” Taeyong was biting his nails, looking anywhere but in Mark’s eyes. He was almost sure that Baekhyun hadn’t told anyone because he seemed so adamant that the word shouldn’t get out, but Taeyong wasn’t entirely positive.
“You sure?” Mark asked, pleading for Taeyong to answer him honestly. Taeyong had a history of making sure everyone was always happy, so Mark had to make sure he wasn’t avoiding the truth just to please the boy.
“I’m positive, okay?” Taeyong nodded. He wasn’t, but it would put Mark at ease, but he was positive that even if Baekhyun had slipped up that he wouldn’t put them into even more danger by adding to the situation. EXO was known for being level-headed and under the radar, so he didn’t fear that you’d be exposed, not even a little bit. He thought a moment, blinking at Mark. Taeyong was going to make his statement. Maybe he wasn’t right in how he felt, but it felt like he was. “I don’t care, I think the two of you are good together and you make each other happy, so you shouldn’t care either!” Taeyong sighed softly. “Have you two talked?”
“Not yet, I’m, um, supposed to call later. I was supposed to call days ago, but I-I don’t know if I can.” He’d texted you, but he’d avoided calling you for days and you tried to be fine with him not talking to you even when he seemed like he had so much to say and clearly the conversation was important but the time never felt right and Mark was obviously avoiding the problem.
“Please talk, you guys have something special okay, I know it.” Taeyong offered a smile, trying to make sure Mark didn’t regret his decision just because of one small hiccup. Mark sighed again, his face in his hands. “You should be upfront and figure the whole thing out.”
“Okay, I’ll call, fine.” Mark grumbled, pressing his thumb and forefinger to his temples. “I seriously don’t know what to do, man.” He scoffed. Taeyong sighed softly, nodding his head.
“I mean, stand in that position, what if you decided not to talk at all just because you found out about the three of them were fans? I can’t exactly blame them in this situation. I can understand why they hid it from you, you probably would’ve backed away before it even started.” Taeyong tried his best to comfort Mark, but he could tell he was failing. He was disappointed in himself for failing to talk to Mark before Baekhyun got to him in the first place, he blamed himself more than anyone. It was a tough situation to be in in general, he understood both perspectives and just wanted everyone to be happy. Taeyong didn’t know what to do.
“But you could’ve warned me.”
“I don’t know that it would’ve helped..” Taeyong was probably more nervous than you, settling back down with biting his nails and he wasn’t even sure who he could talk to about his own nerves, not wanting to hurt Mark any further until you two settled what was going on. He hoped everything would be okay, Taeyong liked you. He thought you were wonderful, and he was so happy to meet you and see how radiant and excited Mark had been since becoming a trainee, he just hoped it would all be fine. He wanted Mark to be happy, he wanted you to be happy. He liked the friendship he’d made with you and checking to see how you were doing, always followed with happy text messages and even he wanted to message you before it blew up, but it didn’t feel right.
Taeyong wanted it to all be okay.
-
“Hey.” The voice on the other end of the speaker was almost terrifying. You had gasped when Mark finally called. It had been a while since you talked. Mark had done a good job ignoring you for way too long and you felt like you could pass out.
Your heart was pounding painfully in your chest. It was nearing 4pm your time because he’d clearly let it go on to the next day even after he and Taeyong’s conversation, but he had finally decided to call when he woke up, thoughts rushing around both your heads, but the biggest fear was whether or not Mark was alright. You had been so worried about you and where you stood with him, but once you heard his voice that was long forgotten, you just wanted him to be alright. That’s what mattered more than anything.
“Mark?” You questioned, voice coming out much shakier than you wanted it to.
“Hey,” He sighed through the speaker. You didn’t know if you were ready for the conversation even if you had so much time to prepare for what you’d hear, but you knew it was necessary to keep whatever was happening between the two of you at a decent standing. “I’ve got, um, a question.” He sounded confused and choked up.
“Okay, yeah, you can ask me anything.” You assured him, hoping to put him at ease. “Is this about what you texted me about?”
“Yeah,” Mark cleared his throat. “It is, um. So, like. Be real with me.” He sighed again. “Were you a fan of us before all this? Be honest with me, please. I-I-I asked the other day and you didn’t answer.”
You had half a mind to deflect again even after some serious thought, but you weren’t sure it was the right answer. “I-“ You sighed. “I knew about you.”
“That didn’t um, exactly answer my question.” His laugh sounded condescending and you felt like you could vomit. “How much did you know?” You sighed again.
“A good amount, I guess..” You trailed off, voice quieter.
The speaker was silent for a moment. “Please don’t lie to me, I really don’t like being lied to.” He was making it more and more obvious that you had really messed up, which was your biggest fear. You had messed up and there was going to be no way to avoid the conversation and go back to normal because you neglected to tell him in the first place. You avoided it on purpose and kept making excuses, but you were screwed. You messed up. It wasn’t someone projecting on him, he had been told the truth and you didn’t know how, but it didn’t matter. He knew and all you could do was confirm and come clean.
“Mark,” You sighed again, knowing it was finally time to fess up. You weren’t sure how to word it, but you finally had to tell him the truth even though it was too late. You had a feeling. “I was actually in the city for the SuperM concert with my friends and-“ You paused to calm yourself down. “I’ve been a fan of you for a while, yeah.”
“Me?” His voice was softer, obviously trying to get you to continue.
“Well-Like, all of you? I guess.” You said briefly, biting your lip. “I’ve kind of.. been a fan for a while.”
“And you didn’t think this was that big of a deal?” He asked with a scoff.
You paused for a moment, silence breaking waves in your head. You should have told him, and you had been purposefully avoiding it. You feared telling him and it felt like good reasoning until that moment. “I was scared, Mark.”
“Scared of what?” He asked, tone much more aggressive than you were used to. You felt sick to your stomach, lying on your bed and trying to finish the conversation without freaking out fully.
“Scared of you not wanting me anymore, I guess. Scared that you might not give me a chance.” You hoped that was the right answer. It was the truth and hopefully he would understand. Maybe it would all blow over.
“I wish you would’ve just said something because now it absolutely, like, feels like you’ve been hiding shit from me.” Mark had never raised his voice, he still was level-headed, but you knew he was correct in his feelings and he had every right to react that way. “I seriously hate being lied to more than anything in the damn world and you’ve been doing it to me for months, I just like people to just be, like, upfront with me, dude!” It was weird to hear him speaking like that especially since it was all so new to begin with, wishing you had never put him in the position to be angry with you.
Internally, Mark knew that he more than likely wouldn’t have given you a chance, but he didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to pretend that he wouldn’t have done that, but it wasn’t the truth and he knew it. He was pulled from his thoughts again when you spoke. “I-Mark, I-I’m really sorry, you’re right, I should’ve said something.”
“Yeah, you think?” He scoffed again. “This is like, exactly what happens to people in this industry.” His voice started to crack a bit and knowing you were the reason for his upset was more than heartbreaking. “We have such a hard time dating people because they get lied to, okay? I trusted you, I poured my heart out to you and every single time I thought you were just interested in me, it was all things you probably already knew, huh?” The bite in the last sentence was soul-crushing, your throat felt tight.
You didn’t know how to respond. You pulled yourself together, trying to ignore the blinding headache you were getting from having hurt him so badly. It was never your intention, but he was right. He was. “Yes.”
“You knew all that stuff. You knew our songs; you knew the members and here I was just thinking you had learned it all for me.” He spat, hurt in his tone. “I thought I was special, someone you wanted to get to know and it was stuff you already knew! You knew everything, didn’t you? Didn’t you?” He repeated more aggressively, but you didn’t want him to think you wouldn’t have done those things in the first place. If you had been in the position to get to know him from scratch, you would have learned those things about him, but knowing him was the reason you had connected and invited him to the party in the first place. He was special, but it wasn’t an authentic relationship and it killed you that you’d done something so stupid.
“You.. Are special, Mark.” You sighed, trying to ignore the tears begging to fall because he was right. “You didn’t deserve to be lied to, but Mark, I really like you. Not even just because you’re famous or my idol or anything, I really, really like you okay? I’m interested in continuing to get to know you and every moment I spent with you is a miracle and I just hope you feel the same way.” You were both quiet for a moment.
“I mean,” He huffed into the phone. You didn’t expect him to go off. “I thought I did, but how can I trust you? I had to find out from Baekhyun that you’d been lying to me! Not only me, but to Lucas, Taemin, everyone!” The words stung. “We let you in the chats, let you into our personal lives, and then we find out we probably fucked up big time? That’s low, it’s really fucked up looking at it. It puts us in danger, okay?” You gulped. He was right. He had every right to be mad because it was almost like you were invading his personal life by hiding part of yours. “I’m supposed to make the decision on if I want to take it anywhere with someone knowing who I am. I’m supposed to be the one to decide, not you!” It felt wrong. You felt wrong. You shared so much with Mark and he shared enough with you to get him into huge trouble, but you had ignored it for your own selfishness and continued to drag it on. “Do you see where I’m coming from?”
“Mark, I swear I’d never put you in danger.” And you wouldn’t. You’d never do anything to hurt him or anyone else but that didn’t matter in the conversation. You had avoided dating for the same reason, people searching for your money or to get what they wanted when you first got your name up, but you never expected to be in the opposite position. You didn’t need Mark for the money, but the validation of having someone more famous than you was probably an internal validation that you seeked. Maybe it was why you’d done it in the first place; having someone you looked up to interested in you felt good and it made you selfish.
The mention of Baekhyun didn’t raise any flags in your head at the time, it didn’t even cross your mind that it was why he’d been so dodgy with you and weird in the first place. You’d only met him twice in comparison to the others and both times he was sweet but guarded. The lines didn’t connect at the mention.
“So, you haven’t talked about this to anyone? Not on the internet or anything?” He scoffed, finding it hard to believe if your answer was no. You hadn’t told anyone and the people you did tell had met with them and weren’t in any position to speak out about it. Seulgi didn’t care and Yeri was talking to Lucas, so they weren’t a threat because they’d end up exposed too. However, Yeri was an open book and you were positive Lucas knew about her liking him anyway.
“No, I swear. I’ve only talked to the friends you met and they’re not stupid either, we’d never do that to you.” You answered honestly. “I haven’t told anyone, at all. Not even my assistant! They only know I’m talking to someone, what’s between us is private.” Mark knew who Irene was to you and the fact that you hadn’t told her didn’t seem close to believable in his state of mind.
“I just don’t know if I can trust that.” He had every right to feel that way, but you wanted to let him know that you cared, and you would never cross that line. You had to remind yourself that you’d never get Mark in trouble and that seemed to be what he was most worried about.
“I-“ You swallowed, sighing and trying to let him calm down. “Mark, I promise I’d never do that. I wouldn’t tell anybody because I know what would happen if the word got out, I-” he cut you off.
“I just-I don’t know what to do now.” If you were in fact being honest, Mark had to consider how he was feeling now that he knew the truth. It was all up to him to figure out what to further do.
“I-I know.” You did know, you did know the danger he could be in, but again, you’d never hurt him. You hadn’t said anything. You’d been truthful and didn’t even know how you wound up in that position, but you were definitely not going to ask. You weren’t lying about anything you’d confessed to at all, you only wanted the best for Mark, but you being with him was just too exciting to give up and you knew from the early in the beginning that you didn’t care who he was, you liked him for who he showed himself to be, you liked his authentic self. Maybe you should reiterate your feelings and the silence was killing you. “Mark, I promise I could care less about how famous or anything you are. I like you. I like you more than anyone I’ve ever dated or talked to, and yeah it’s exciting that you’re someone I used to idolize, but it’s all changed now. I know you deeper than that. You’re amazing and I love that you gave me a chance and I hope you can give me the opportunity to make it up to you and everyone else.” The line was quiet again for longer than you expected. You wish you knew if he was smiling, if he was feeling better, if all you were saying meant anything. “Mark?”
“I’m processing, okay?” He huffed over the phone again. “I just don’t know how I feel, okay?”
“I understand.” You did, you knew the tight spot you’d put him into, but you were going to own up to it.
“I’ll talk to you later.” You could hear the irritation in his voice. “Let me think.”
“I-“ You swallowed, wondering if you should even say it, but you wanted to remind him how you felt. “I love you.”
“Yeah.” The line went blank, he’d hung up. You hadn’t experienced a heartbreak like that; it was unsettling and crushing. You felt tears well up in your eyes and wondered how you went from being so wonderful to being such an issue in his life. That was the last thing you wanted, but deep down you knew that time would come. You just hoped you got lucky enough for him to be blind to it, but not everyone else was. The subject of Baekhyun finding out was starting to stand out in your head finally, furrowing your brows and you knew you should leave Mark alone, but you wanted to know exactly what he meant. You didn’t want to further bother him at all, but after a few minutes, it was eating you up and you knew you had to ask. You thought up a text to Mark, but quickly erased it. You decided to text Taeyong.
Yong?
You didn’t get an answer quickly, so you’d send another.
can i ask you something?
You got to thinking about everything Mark said and suddenly Baekhyun seemed to be an important part in the whole thing. Maybe that was why Baekhyun was so distant. Maybe he knew the whole time. The possibility was driving you crazy, but you had to remain calm and work it out the right way. It was your only hope of redemption and Taeyong was the most calm and friendly person you’d spoken to from the experience. You two had become decently close. Taemin and Ten didn’t seem comfortable enough with you yet and Lucas was unfortunately hopeless when it came to any issue at all, he was the biggest avoider in conflict and Mark had mentioned that he was timid when a situation arose, you noted, so you would definitely not bother him. You’d just have to wait it out for now.
No response from Taeyong. Maybe you’d messed that up too.
Days upon days had passed and you still hadn’t gotten a response or any kind of message from anybody. The weeks had passed and you tried your hardest to busy yourself with floor plans for weeks and working with contractors to get your other places set up, but even when busying yourself, your world was falling down. It was disheartening, but you couldn’t help but rethinking about the danger and terrible position you’d put them all in, so you were best to leave it alone until anyone felt ready to talk. You were constantly reminded online that 127 were off to Spain soon, then New York, so you knew everyone was more than busy, but you hoped that maybe you’d get a response before then.
You spent days in your head and after a long-going meeting about final calls, it was getting late, so you decided to head to the main restaurant location and hopefully get your mind off things. It wasn’t the most helpful, but you could only dream, assisting with food prep and listening carefully, catching up with the workers you hadn’t seen in a few days because you were so preoccupied with your own personal issues. You felt like you were letting them all down, but they assured you about how fine it all was. You’d done your job and adequately prepared them all for the journey, so you felt almost useless in the time being. For once you finally had everyone ready to deal without you being on location. It felt wrong. You still had a few store openings to work on, but your mind couldn’t focus in on that at the moment. You had been working at the cutting board for hours thinking, but were pulled from your thoughts in the mindless work.
“Everything okay? I got a call saying someone was here with their head in the cutting board again being awfully quiet.” You heard a familiar voice behind you, one that always made you feel a bit better. You turned around to see Irene with a bright smile, hands placed on her hips. You sighed of relief, smiling at her and dropping your knife on the table to walk over and hug her after tugging your gloves off to hug her. “What’s wrong sweet pea?” She offered, gently patting your back. “You’ve been out of it since your trip.” She was giggling and you felt yourself let go, tears rolling down your face as you tucked your head into her shoulder. She had been annoyed with you before, but she didn’t seem to be upset at all.
“It’s been a hard few weeks, ‘Rene.”
“I could tell, I could.” She consoled you, trying to bring you back down to earth before diving deeper into the real problem. “Just talk to me if you want to, okay? But I know when you willingly cut vegetables in here at night that you’ve got something going on.” You nodded, drying your face on her shirt. You stayed in her embrace for a while before pulling away.
“Your shoulder’s a little wet.” You laughed, wiping your eyes again with your sleeves.
“I’ve been used to that for years.” Irene teased, leaning against the counter and her voice was sincere. She cared about you more than you thought someone should. “Now tell me what’s actually going on.” And that’s when the dam broke.
-
“So that’s what you’ve been up to?” Irene was looking at the table in the empty restaurant and trying to process all the information she just got, eyes somewhere between disbelief and concern. You’d gone off on a tangent and confessed everything to her right there. In your heart you know you shouldn’t bring yet another person into the equation, but you had to go somewhere to get a decent opinion and Irene was the most level-headed person you knew. She was technically responsible for you after all, that’s what you paid her for, and she absolutely deserved a raise at that point. You’d make a mental note of that.
“Yeah.” You nodded, carding your fingers through your hair. “It’s pretty fucked up, isn’t it?” You scoffed, in disbelief that you’d gotten yourself into the situation at hand. You hated that you did that to anyone including yourself.
“I don’t think so.” Irene shook her head, sighing. “I understand why you did it, I really do, but I also see it from his perspective, maybe he just needs some space, you know?” Irene was always right, stirring her coffee and taking a sip. “Who knows, maybe it could all blow over if you really like each other, yeah?” She offered a sweet smile, hoping to get your hopes back up. You nodded in response. “If they’re coming here soon, why not go ahead and try to talk to him? You’ve got a conference in Jersey in a few weeks I could probably move up, and they’re pretty close, so maybe you could get a little leverage?” She shrugged, leaning back in the booth seat.
“Oh my god, shit. I completely forgot about that conference.” You sighed, groaning softly. “You think that’s a good idea? Just show up?”
“It’s the Macy’s Day Parade, it’s not like it’s some private event.” Irene snorted, shrugging. “Let me talk to the investors, I can try to see if they’ll move up to that weekend. I mean, come on, I can go with you.”
“You’d go with me?”
“You’re literally paying me to take care of you.” She snorted again, reminding you yet again that she was the greatest investment you’d made thus far. “Of course, I’ll go with you. Everyone here is fully capable of taking care of the place. You’re not stupid, you did a good job at hiring.” You rolled your eyes, smiling at her aggressive complimenting. “You’ve done your job which is why you find it hard to find something to do when you just show up here.” She snorted gain. “Which is also why your busy work consists of cutting vegetables when you’re upset.”
“I guess I should be less competent then, yeah?” You joked, seeing Irene roll her eyes playfully.
“That’s the opposite of what I’m saying, you workaholic.” She tapped the top of your hand playfully mimicking a smack. “Sometimes it’s good to let other people work for you, so you can go ahead and easily fuck around with people like Mark Lee.” She raised a brow, shaking her head. It was the first time she’d understood the depth of why you weren’t talking to her about what was happening. “Trust me, it’ll all be fine, promise.”
You were finally laughing; glad you had some outlet to let go of what you’ve been holding onto. You felt like you should have gone to her in the first place. Irene was honestly a lifesaver and you thanked her day in and day out for that amongst everything else she’s done for you. “So, I guess you’re going to see them with me?” You smiled awkwardly, knowing partially that it was a bad idea, but making a work trip wasn’t entirely a horrible excuse. Irene couldn’t care less about seeing the boys, she was in it for you to begin with and you were sure that’s how it would remain.
“I’m going for you and the Macy’s Day Parade, don’t get it twisted.” She teased, grinning wide. “I’m an emotional support assistant, not your love life therapist.”
“That’s fair.”
“At least you have a love life now, I’ve been waiting on you to get distracted since the first store opened. You deserved a little break and I don’t want one little hiccup to ruin that for you.” She was right and you knew it. “Now let’s go home and get some rest, alright?”
“But the vegetables!” You sighed, remembering that you’d started a job you wanted to finish. Irene groaned.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go finish the vegetables and you’re going home and drinking a glass of wine and going to sleep right after, okay?”
“Yes, mom.” You snorted, standing up and wiping the table clean before returning to the back, Irene gladly following to assist and make sure you weren’t there until ungodly hours of the night. It was already late, and she knew how you were, so she’d keep an eye on you to make sure you were in good standing and you appreciated it more than you could express. Everyone else had gone home after closing and you only had yourself to worry about.
“So, I got your conference moved up.” Irene offered after a few moments of silence. You hadn’t even seen her send an email. “You can thank me later.” She shrugged. “We’re flying out in two days, so be prepared.” You shook your head, smiling. You’d been prepared for the meeting for months now, filling every hole with explanation and you were more than ready to present, but seeing Mark again made it even more worthwhile.
“God, I love you.” You reminded Irene once again.
“Hm, I know.” She was confident, as she should be.
You got home and did exactly what she told you to do, got a glass of wine, showered, and got into your comfortable clothes to get a decent night’s rest. You were due at the restaurant in the morning to go over some new procedures, so your rest was important and thankfully, you slept like a baby.
You woke up to a missed call and a few texts, groaning at the full notification screen but decided to ignore it until you were coherent enough and had some water and coffee in your system for the day; it could wait. You forgot you had even been waiting on responses from anyone, you weren’t awake enough for that and you had work to tend to.
When you were finally at work, waiting for everyone to show up, you quickly read through your phone and glanced at the messages, one from Mark.
I’m ready to talk, call me when you can.
You also had a missed call and a text from Taeyong. It had been what? A few weeks or so since you texted him? You forgot you had even texted him, getting back into the swing of work had really distracted you from the passing days and you almost forgot what you sent him but were quickly reminded with a heavy beating heart and a deep breath as you looked the messages over.
Hey, I’m so sorry I’ve been so busy, is everything okay? I should have responded by now but I just got so distracted and didn’t know what to say 🥺 I know things went down with you and Mark and I hope you’re okay, I’m here if you need me, I promise. We just got finished up in Spain and we’re about to fly out so if I don’t answer then just hold on!!
Taeyong was always so sweet, making your heart pound heavily and hoping he wasn’t too stressed about the situation, he was always on edge with stress and from what you gathered he had the most overlapping schedules and you hated to add more to it. Taeyong didn’t want to go behind Mark’s back and talk to you about the situation until he had the time to say anything himself, so he went with his gut feeling for not responding immediately but when he was going through his messages after the awards show, he was hit with guilt for not talking back to you and he was sure you were freaking out across the world. He hoped his message would find you well.
You quickly typed up a text to Taeyong
Hey!! Don’t worry about it, I felt bad for dragging you into it anyway. Mark wants to talk to me, and I was just nervous, I didn’t know if you were near him or knew what was going on, but thank you for caring so much, I appreciate it and I hope your flight goes well!💛
Then it was time to text Mark back. It took a minute to draft up the perfect message, but you just said what felt right in the moment.
Hey, I’m really busy with work today, but you can call me when you’re ready and I’ll answer, okay? Take care of yourself and work, that’s what’s important
You thought your message was the right amount of distance, taking a deep breath after responding. You didn’t want to seem to eager and you definitely didn’t want to mention that you were going to see them, it could mess things up, but you also hadn’t factored in him wanting to talk as soon as he was heading back to the states.
Mark didn’t call you back. Taeyong didn’t text. You knew they still had to be on the plane and talking was rare when it came to flights, so you’d focus in on continued prepping for your meeting and getting everyone in the restaurant in check, including your newest manager. It pained you to think about what your job had gone through and your neglect had caused problems, so you were still nervous to take the trip, but you had to believe Irene when she told you that it was going to be fine.
You finished up your meeting and busied yourself with casual preparation as the day went on, getting nagged by Irene on the fact that you didn’t have to do this or that for every little task you put yourself on and you had perfectly capable workers to do it, but you honestly liked helping out and everyone there seemed to enjoy having you around. You loved creating a fun work environment and you kind of missed being a part of the kitchen staff. You sighed after a long day, sitting in your office to relax for a bit. Irene sauntered into the office after finishing up her own paperwork to smile at you.
“So,” She giggled, sitting on your desk. “You ready to go talk to your guy?” She teased.
“Maybe, yeah.” You nodded, grinning. You sighed again, shrugging. You hadn’t heard from anyone yet, but you were being patient. “Does he know you’re coming yet?”
“Nope, I guess I’ll tell him when we’re there.”
Irene snorted. “Of course, I figured you were going to say that.” And as soon as she spoke, you saw your phone vibrating on the desk. You gasped, looking over at Irene, who sent you a knowing look.
“Is that your guy?”
You swallowed, nodding. “Yeah, it is. Um, I-I’m nervous.” You sighed, picking it up and hesitating to answer. Irene quickly reached over to press the green button and grinned widely at you before mouthing a ‘good luck’ at you and then slipping out of the room, back behind her own office door.
You gulped. “H-hello?”
You heard a soft sigh on the phone, accompanied by some scattered voices in the background. “Hey!” Mark exclaimed. “We-we um, just touched down, we’re going through customs now.” He explained, his voice seemed a bit paced over the speaker, you hoped he was okay.
“How was the flight?” You asked quickly, trying to shift the subject to his importance. You hadn’t heard his voice since the big talk, but you’d try not to focus on how nice it was to hear him again.
“It was fine, yeah.” He spoke softer, voice calming down. “How are you?” He asked.
“I’m-I’m okay.” You answered honestly, but you couldn’t help the blush on your face or the heavy beating of your heart. “It’s been a long-ish day.”
“Yeah, same here.” He cleared his throat. He was quiet for a moment, so you assumed he was thinking on what to say. “So, um, I just wanted to apologize.” You were silent, shocked that he was the one apologizing. “I didn’t mean to get so angry with you.” He was speaking quieter, continuing to ramble on because you couldn’t quite find the words to say back. “I was just upset and didn’t know what to do.” You had to admit that you hated doing that kind of thing over the phone, texting was easier and in person was more personal, but if it was the way Mark wanted to have the conversation, you were fine with it.
“No, no trust me, you had every right to feel that way, I know how you-“ He cut you off.
“But listen, that’s not why I called.” Mark sighed again. “I wanted to see if you, um, had the possible time to meet up maybe, so I could get some clarity on how I feel or something. I’ve just been really stressed and, yeah.” He was quieter and you couldn’t stop the smile that spread along your face. “Sorry I haven’t messaged you..”
The last part didn’t really flow through your mind. You almost stopped listening after he said he wanted to meet with you. “Like, in New York?”
“Yeah, yeah, um, I know it’s last minute, but maybe we can meet somewhere before I fly out again, you know?” You sighed again, remembering that he still had other responsibilities, but he was still wanting to meet up. “I just think it could help, you know, whatever this is.” He sounded nervous, but confident in what he needed at the same time. It was a tone you weren’t used to. He knew exactly what he wanted for the first time since you met and that felt good. At least he was sure about it. You understood you hadn’t been together long, but you still cared about him and how he felt about it all, you just wanted him to be happy.
“We may be able to arrange something.” You hinted, smiling. “You’re there for two days?”
“Well, yeah. We sleep tonight and we’re here the next two nights, so I’ll be here.”
It was fortunate that you could easily get tickets had you not bought them beforehand. Maybe the relationship would be able to work out if the two of you stayed looping each other in, it wouldn’t be so hard.
“I’ll let you know, okay?” You sighed happily into the phone.
“Okay, cool, cool.” He laughed softly over the speaker. “I’ll, um, hopefully see you, just let me know.”
“I will, promise.” It was the most basic conversation the two of you had, as if it didn’t involve you flying across the country to see him yet again. You were shocked at how calm he seemed, hopefully he was feeling better about the situation. You sighed of relief.
“Cool, yeah.” Mark cleared his throat again. “I-um, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.” You nodded, sighing and not yet wanting to hang up. It was nice to hear his voice again. You were whipped and you knew it. “Well, um,” You grinned. “Bye, bye.” His giggle over the phone was cute.
“Bye.”
It wasn’t long before you got a text from Taeyong.
It sounds like you guys are going to work it out? 😃
You grinned at the message.
Yeah, I think so 🤞
-
“So, ready to go?” You heard a voice through your apartment, gasping loudly and not at all awake enough to function and hear someone in your house. It was late in the night and you had just woken up from a nap, you booked a 2am flight so you could easily make it for the morning, but you had a feeling you wouldn’t sleep at all on the plane because it was nearly midnight and you had taken a really good nap.
“Jesus, I really should take your house key away.” You groaned from your bedroom, popping your head out to see Irene at the front door, fully dressed and ready to go.
“And stop me from scaring you? I haven’t hardly seen you in weeks, so you have to deal with me for the next few days.” She laughed, walking into your kitchen to grab a glass of water. “God, your house is so clean, who are you?” She laughed, knowing that you’d definitely been keeping it straight for Mark and to busy your head. She knew you all too well.
“Okay, I didn’t sign up to be roasted, let me live.” You snorted, zipping up your suitcase and turning it to the wheels to get ready to leave. You pulled on your oversized coat and stepped into your boots, trying to prepare for the cold weather as you walked your bags down the stairs.
“Oh, okay someone’s looking nice.” She teased further, taking a sip from the glass. “It’s good to see you pulling yourself together, I ought to thank Mark myself.” You rolled your eyes at her, putting your bags at the door before putting your sunglasses on top of your head. “Ready?” You might’ve been dressed up to easily be ready for tomorrow and early check in at the hotel, so you didn’t have to worry about what you’d see Mark in. You needed to be dressed your very best for the situation.
“Ready!” You nodded, smiling at your friend.
You hadn’t talked to Mark much because he was clearly avoiding the full conversation you needed to settle and while you were anxious about it, you didn’t mind avoiding the conflict. You’d talked more to Taeyong, mostly about scheduling and he seemed rather excited to see you, much to your own surprise.. You definitely avoided the groupchats. You were trying your best to distance yourself, give Mark some space to decide what was going to happen between you two. You were an adult; you could handle that.
The flight was shorter than you thought it would be, spending most of your time emailing and scripting for the conference while Irene slept. She had taken an Ambien and absolutely hated plane rides, which shocked you because she was more often than not willing to go somewhere with you. When you finally landed, your adrenaline was high, and you were more than excited to walk around the city and explore. You’d never really spent much time in New York before and Jersey was only a short ride for the conference on Saturday. You were more excited to visit there than you thought you would be, and you hadn’t exactly told Mark you were officially coming yet, you’d leave the surprise up to him. You were there for business with the hope of excitement, so you were sure you couldn’t be too let down.
Thursday night was the official performance and thankfully you landed early enough to make it for the parade, excitedly checking Twitter eagerly to find out what parade float 127 was on. Thankfully your hotel was near the parade route, so you quickly headed out to see where everyone had been lining up. You easily found a good spot near the end of the parade, excitedly waiting to see the boys you’d been waiting to see. You still hadn’t met anyone in the 127 groupchat aside from Taeyong and Mark, so it was even more exciting to meet the other people you’d talked to in person.
You excitedly watched the parade because weirdly enough, you had always wanted to see it. You sighed happily, grinning wide with Irene at your side. She watched intently, noticing how excited you were, and even though you could tell she didn’t understand the hype, her being there with you meant the world. The whole parade was amazing, bright exciting colors all around and you felt like you were in heaven, bright skies felt like the whole world had meaning again and maybe it was just because you were tired, but things felt right. You sighed happily, glancing around the corner to finally see the gigantic Lego float and you gasped loudly.
“Irene! It’s them!” She whipped her head around, enjoying seeing you so happy so she was going to give into your excitements.
“And which one is Mark?” She snorted, grinning when you started jumping around excitedly, screams filling the people around you.
“The little one with the black hair!” You beamed, waving and hoping they saw you. You giggled excitedly, whipping out your phone to snap a picture of them to send to the 127 chat.
You guys look amazing!! congrats! I got a good view of the float and you all look so happy 🥰
You sent the message quickly, stuffing your phone back into your pocket before Irene spoke to you, checking out the float herself in the time being. You didn’t expect the next words to fall out of her mouth. “The tall one with the black hair is actually kind of hot.” She snorted, nodding with pursed lips. “Not bad.” Your eyes widened with slight shock, but you couldn’t exactly blame her for the comment.
“Yeah, that’s Johnny!” You giggled again, waving excitedly. Unfortunately, none of them looked in your direction, but you didn’t mind. You didn’t warn them beforehand so that they could look for you and you hoped you’d meet up with Mark and maybe the others later. Just seeing them made you feel better and the butterflies returned to your stomach at the thought that you were so close to the members you hadn’t seen before. You shook the thoughts away and tried to remember that some of them were your friends. You leaned into Irene’s ear to explain quickly to her. “Okay so Yuta is the one with long dark hair, Taeyong is the grey hair, Jaehyun is the-“
“I’m literally getting none of this.” Irene giggled, patting your back. You laughed in response, shaking your head and realized the explanation was hopeless. “Maybe we’ll meet with them later and it’ll all come to me.” She teased you further, shrugging and a buzz of excitement ran through you. Maybe you’d actually get to meet and see them all, your boyfriend’s friends and long-time idols, you could only hope. You wished more than anything you weren’t so excited to see them all in front of you because of who they were and that’s what got you into the mess with Mark, but you had to remind yourself that they were people and you didn’t know what of the situation they knew. Maybe it was best that they weren’t in the equation.
“Yeah, yeah I hope so.” You nodded, sighing happily as the float went further away from you.
You walked around after the parade ended, excited to see all the other sights and floats. It was a beautiful parade you had to admit, unable to stop the grin on your face. You loved the sight of New York, happy to possibly have a restaurant open near there that you could visit often. Even on your off moments, you liked thinking about new work opportunities because it would better help you plan your future. It felt like things were finally falling into place and you were excited about that. You hadn’t checked your phone in a while, so you pulled it out and gasped at the excited responses in the groupchat.
You’re here!! I didn’t think you’d come!! We should all go to dinner or something! Mark’s paying
Nevermind every man for himself Mark punched me
From Johnny. He always managed to make you laugh.
Oh gosh are we finally going to get to meet you?!
From Jaehyun
Glad you could make it ☺️
From Taeyong, who knew better than anybody that you’d probably show up. Taeyong could tell your potential and whimsical decision making from the second you became friends. Maybe it was for the better that you two were getting close.
And finally, from Yuta, a self-proclaimed self-enthusiast.
wow I really was living my best life huh? Look at my face😂😂 Hope you enjoyed the parade!
You definitely did enjoy the parade and were more than happy to see them as excited as you were. The boys seemed like children who were in a candy store on the float, so you knew they were having the times of their lives and loved being there. You hadn’t seen them so happy in a while and they all definitely didn’t look that excited in Spain except for when they were with Lizzo, so it was a good time for everyone. You loved seeing them so happy. You hadn’t received a text from Mark in the groupchat, but you missed a text in your personal ones, heart racing when you saw his name.
You came? Why didn’t you tell me! Did you want to meet up tonight?
You gulped, biting your lip and showing the text to Irene. “I want nothing to do with your love life.” She snorted, shaking her head and turning her attention to the street food she’d just gotten. It was a mess on a plate, but she seemed to thoroughly be enjoying it. “But go ahead, you’ve still got a whole day to screw around before we go to Jersey, nothing’s off limits.” She shrugged. “But I will be in the hotel sleeping in a few hours after the performance because I’m exhausted, so don’t get killed.” She teased further, smiling over at you with a mouth full of food.
“You think I should meet up with him?” You asked nervously, biting your lip and wondering how to respond to his text. He still had the performance that night, so you knew it would be late when you’d meet with him.
“I don’t see why not.” She shrugged, offering you a bite which you politely declined. You quickly typed up a text.
Well I actually ended up getting an investment meeting and I didn’t want to jinx anything, so yeah, I’m here if you wanna go for coffee tonight or something?
You didn’t want to seem too excited, but your brain was buzzing, too hopeful for meeting with the boy who had your heart wrapped around his finger. Mark quickly responded.
I’d like that, yeah!
We have the performance later and we’re about to start getting ready for it, so I’ll text you when I’m free?💚
You sighed happily, things were looking up. He seemed just as excited to meet up with you as well. It was a few weeks since you got into your argument and not long before that was the last time you’d seen him, so you feared slightly that things would still be awkward or messy, but you didn’t want to focus on that and thought that things might actually be okay. The fear still sat in the back of your mind, but you’d try your hardest to ignore it. Thankfully you were able to go drop by the hotel after walking around for a bit, maybe you did need just a little bit of a rest before the performance.
You got to the hotel and got settled in, changing your clothes to be a little warmer and layered and of course not at all to look nice for Mark. You checked yourself out in the mirror, grinning at the outfit you decided on. “How do I look?” You asked Irene, who was already chugging down a glass of wine from the minibar at the hotel.
“Looking good, yeah. Someone to impress?” She was teasing yet again, giggling and pouring herself another glass of wine.
“Shut up.” You laughed, grinning and pulling your coat on. “Are you coming to the performance with me?” you asked with a giggle.
“I’m pregaming for a reason aren’t I?” She cocked a brow, shrugging. You rolled your eyes. Irene didn’t drink much, but she had made sacrifices for you so you didn’t mind her drinking on the job.
“You’re always pregaming.” You snorted, slipping your feet into a nice pair of shoes. “Are you warm enough?”
“After this wine hits, I will be.” Irene grinned, walking over to grab her coat. She looked flawless as always and it made you sick, wearing a black turtleneck and khaki pants. She fixed her lipstick quickly in the mirror and pulled her coat on to easily go out. “Now let’s go get your boy back.” You groaned, cheeks heating up and grabbing your phone to make your way out of the door.
The concert stage was packed, as you expected, but shockingly to your surprise, when you got there, security walked the two of you to the front, not asking any further questions. It left you to assume that one of the boys had hooked the two of you up. You’d shown Irene to Mark and the others through various selfies, so you weren’t going to bite the hand that fed you just to get a better look at the boys on stage.
The performance went perfectly, grinning and watching them put on their best performance. You sighed happily, loving the feel in the air. The wind was chilly, but you were fully willing to endure it just for them. You caught all the boys from the 127 chat you were in glancing at you at least once and it made your heart race, but you were in perfect view and you were sure they were looking for you in the first place. That was even more exciting. The crowd dissipated after the small performance, leaving you and Irene to walk around aimlessly while you waited on Mark. Irene was getting a little grumpy, assuming the wine drunkeness had worn off and factoring in that you had flown through the night. “I’m ready to sleep my ass off.” She warned, groaning at the cold.
“You can go ahead to the hotel if you want.” You warned her, making sure she knew you could fend for yourself.
“And leave you here in the middle of New York?” Irene snorted. “You sign my paychecks so I’m definitely going to make sure you’re safe so that I get paid.” She was further teasing. She had a funny way of letting you know she cared about you. You walked around for about an hour and Irene happened upon a spiked hot chocolate from a street cart before you got a text from Mark
Where did you want to meet up? There’s a little coffee shop a couple blocks from our hotel that’s open late if you wanna go there?
the streets should be pretty clear by then because it’s dead cold out ya know🥴
You grinned ridiculously wide, quickly telling Irene what you’d been sent. “We’re gonna go meet at a coffee shop, you wanna walk me there?”
“Absolutely not, but I definitely will.” Irene laughed, tucking her phone and keys into her pocket along with her hands. “Let’s go.” You got the location from Mark, beginning to make your way there because you weren’t too far from it. You both ended up getting a taxi after two blocks at your expense to make up for Irene being in the cold for so long. You didn’t want to make her walk, but the ride wasn’t far, and you happily did it for her comfort after hearing her shiver and complain. You got to the location and you were surprised to see how empty it was, the two of you getting out and standing at the corner. You quickly pulled out a cigarette from your pocket and lit it up, earning a groan from Irene. She hated it, but she knew that wasn’t going to stop you.
You were shaking from nerves, but you were excited to see where the interaction was going to lead you. You and Irene were talking about some work developments when you heard a loud “Hellooooo” from behind you. You turned around, gasping when you saw Mark and Johnny both in masks and hats. You quickly took a drag of your half smoked cigarette and tossed it on the ground when you saw Mark eye it.
You had to admit you were a bit starstruck to see Johnny. He was huge, massive even and you glanced at Irene to see a cocked eyebrow on her face, clearly checking out the tall boy. You pulled yourself from your distraction, grinning at Mark who had his hands stuffed into his pockets.
“Hey.” Mark started, his eyes showing his smile above the mask. You got closer, the two of you embracing like your lives depended on it. You sighed softly, almost feeling tears well in your eyes as you held him tighter, never wanting to let go. His arms were around your waist, gently thumbing over your back through your coat. “it’s good to see you.” His voice was barely above a whisper, right by your ear. “You smell like cigarettes.” He giggled into your neck.
“Shut up, I’m sorry.” You laughed. “It’s good to see you too.” You spoke quietly, still in his embrace and you somehow pulled him tighter, eyes closing and it felt like an eternity. “Um, this is Irene.” You your head toward her and felt Mark lift his hand from your waist to give her a wave.
“You must be Mark.” She stated, shrugging her shoulders. “Heard a lot about you in the last two days.” Mark didn’t seem to mind or catch on that you’d told someone else about him, just thankful that you were with him.
“Um, so, I’m Johnny.” You heard loudly behind you, a laugh being pulled from both you and Mark as you let go of each other. Johnny was introducing himself to Irene, shaking her hand and the grin on her face looked unbelievably pleased. You shook your head, giggling at her before turning to Johnny yourself. He opened his arms wide to hug you, quickly running to his embrace. It was only a quick hug, him patting your back in a friendly manner before pulling away. “Nice to finally meet you!” He exclaimed; grin wide on his face under his mask as well. You turned back to Mark, who quickly grabbed your hand to tangle his fingers with yours.
“Johnny’s a hugger.” He warned with a small laugh. “He’s been practicing all day how to greet you.” Mark said with a hint of sarcasm and you saw Johnny’s face contort to glare at him.
“And Mark exaggerates everything.” Johnny came back confidently.
“So, we should go.” Irene shot her attention to Johnny, seeing him shrug with a nod at her statement before turning back to you. “Leave you two be, yeah?”
“I’m game.” Johnny agreed quickly with a shrug. You were a bit stunned to see Irene being so forward. “Did you need a ride to your hotel? I’ve got an Uber on the way and I’d hate for you to walk alone.” You were also stunned that Johnny was seeming to take to Irene that quickly from what you knew about him. You didn’t miss the flirtatious energy he had with the charm in his tone.
“We’ll see you two later.” Irene nodded, following behind Johnny. You had a weird feeling that the two of them would end up more than just going home even though Irene claimed to be so tired, but it wasn’t your business and they were adults, so you would leave it alone and let them do whatever they set out to do.
You heard Mark clear his throat. “So, uh.” You heard him laugh softly. “You wanna go inside or freeze to death?” He teased.
“I’d like to not freeze to death, please.” You both grinned, hand in hand as you both walked inside. You saw Mark look around, making sure that nobody in there was paying any attention to him. He had to make sure he was in extremely good standing when it came to being out in public in such a big city, especially this soon after a concert. He looked relieved, pulling you to a dimly lit corner of the shop. You both sat down with a sigh, seeing a much older waiter come to the table to greet the two of you. You both glanced over your menus and the silence was comforting. You both put in your orders before Mark slid his mask below his face after feeling comfortable enough. He looked so beautiful without makeup on like that, so relaxed, the soft shadow of his facial hair made your face warm.
“So, you finally got to meet Johnny.” He teased, seeing you roll your eyes and grinning wider at him. “How was that?”
“Yeah, it was great, we’re best friends now.” You joked, hearing Mark let out a hearty laugh. “I’ve heard ten words and he’s the greatest.” You both snorted.
“Good to know, good to know yeah.” He was giggling more, and you felt like your heart could burst. “So, um, how is everything?” he asked shyly, his hands placed gently in his lap.
“Well,” You shrugged. “Things are okay,” You cleared your throat again. “A lot is going on with work and I’m about to open a new store hopefully next year here if the meeting tomorrow goes well.”
“Ah, yeah, yeah, the meeting!” Mark nodded. “So, you came here for that?” He was asking with intent and it felt nice for him to be interested in you again like that again. It felt comfortable. “I was actually really shocked when you sent that picture, I couldn’t believe it and when I saw you in the audience I got really excited. I almost thought you were fucking with me and grabbed a picture off the internet or something.” He was blushing, a wide toothy grin on his face. “Johnny apparently told the security to let you and anyone you were with to the front, not my doing.” He snorted with a shrug.
“Ah, so Johnny is the master relationship specialist now isn’t he?” Mark couldn’t stifle his laugh when he took a sip of his coffee.
“Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that.” He snorted again, grinning. “He’s like the number one pusher when someone says they’re going to date so, it’s like, his thing.” He admitted with a shrug. “When I first told him about you his first reaction was like ‘An American? You have to do it, it’s the law if you’re my friend’ and got way too excited. He’s always trying to hook anyone up but never really finds someone for himself.” You thought back to him and Irene’s reaction to each other and stifled a snort.
“I mean, he’s taking my assistant home.”
“Yeah, I kinda caught that.” He was laughing again. It was nice to see him happy here, he always seemed excited when he was in the states anyway, so you were glad he enjoyed spending time with you too.
“Don’t worry, she’s the best.” You warned. “He’s in safe hands. She keeps me every day from making horrible life decisions.” Mark looked a bit confused at that but waived it off. “Some of them at least.”
“Well, that’s good yeah.” He cleared his throat, calling for the check. “So, you wanna get out of here?” His voice was slightly low, and you didn’t know what was up, but at that point you were willing to do anything for Mark. You’d only been there for a short time and only ordered coffee, so you were both fine with leaving so soon.
“Sure, let’s go.” You nodded, groaning a bit when Mark handed his credit card to the waiter to pay for the both of you. You learned quickly that it was just how he rolled, it didn’t matter if you could easily pay for yourself or not, he was definitely a sweetheart and liked treating you. The two of you strolled out back onto the sidewalk after he put his mask back on.
Mark was walking closely with you, not holding your hand or arm because he was still afraid of being caught in public and getting his reputation ruined. You’d both been so lucky to not get caught especially since the two of you were always in bigger cities where a disaster could easily strike. The small chatter of the light conversation had you feeling like things were definitely going to be okay and Mark seemed pleased, talking to you about the weather and how he thought he’d get sick soon if he kept having to change climates. You wished him the best and recommended vitamins that he just brushed off with a laugh. “Yeah, I’m hearing you I just know I’m not going to do it.” You both were giggling at that point and you both didn’t even know where you were going, just aimlessly walking along the street, coming on a dimly lit part of town. You both sighed, glancing at each other with soft grins. Nobody was in sight and he just looked so perfect. You stopped in your tracks which caused him to pause in place. “What’s up?” He asked, eyes full of wonder.
“Nothing.” You shrugged, sighing. You scooted closer, seeing Mark’s Adams apple bob in his throat. You reached up and gently pulled his mask down, biting your lip before leaning in and pressed your lips to his tenderly, your bottom lip slipping between his soft ones. For a moment, you forgot about your problems. A low noise left his throat and he eagerly kissed you back, his hands fumbling to come out of his pockets to reach one up and place it on the side of your face, pulling you in closer as his breath dusted your skin. His breathing was hitching, his other hand gently tangling in your hair and his lips got more aggressive, sweet noises being pulled from him. You were the first to break, eyes fluttering back open and glancing at him before he kissed you again, this time much more pressure and neediness before breaking off quickly.
“Your hotel or mine?” He spoke breathlessly.
“Find out where Johnny and Irene are.” You grinned, pecking him once more and he quickly whipped out his phone. You didn’t miss the bright blush on his face before he pulled his mask back up as he texted his friend. There was almost no time before Johnny responded back that he and Irene went ahead to a karaoke bar to meet up with Jungwoo and Jaehyun. You had no idea how or when everything had gotten so crazy, but all you heard out of that was that your hotel room was empty, and you wanted Mark as soon as possible. “My place is open, then.” You grabbed his arm and pulled up your directions, quickly calling for an Uber to bring you because somehow the two of you had ended up extremely far away in the cold and gotten caught up in the conversations.
When you both stepped into the Uber, Mark’s hands were on your thighs and you had to bite back the urge to have him right then and there because not only would it be uncomfortable, it was rude, and you liked your private time with Mark. You placed your hand on top of his and you saw the grin reach his eyes as he stared out of the window, sitting much too close to you in an empty back seat. The minute you pulled up at the hotel, Mark groaned and let out a quick, “Thank god.” You laughed in response, tugging him by the hand into the building and easily making your way into the elevator. The second you were inside with the doors closed, Mark couldn’t keep his hands off of you, harshly kissing your lips in the empty elevator with both hands on your face and your back pressed flush against the wall.
Mark wasn’t ever so needy, and you definitely didn’t mind. You detached and pulled him immediately to the hotel door, giggles pulling from his lips as you made your way inside, the two of you tossing your coats on the floor and went straight back to making out. His tongue easily found entrance to your mouth, moaning at the heat of the moment. It felt so good to kiss Mark, both letting out heavy breaths and as he pushed himself closer to you, you could feel his arousal pressed against your hip, the heat in your core throbbing. This was the least talkative you’d both been in the bedroom, but words didn’t seem necessary. You backed him over to the bed, laying him down and you loved how flushed he looked, like he was all yours as you sat in his lap, barely hovering his small frame. Mark groaned, hands finding your hips and you reached down to him, tossing his hat and mask off the bed.
“Damn, I could get used to this.” He giggled again with a dopey smile and his disheveled hair spoke volumes. You rolled your eyes, smiling before kissing him hard again, his hands reaching down to gently grope your ass, soft hands kneading over your bottoms and you couldn’t help but to giggle into his mouth. It was suddenly very warm in the room, much too warm for all the layers you both had on and you pulled away from him, panting and out of breath. Mark looked so beautiful and flushed that you could moan, sighing and pulling off the top layer of your shirt before working his off as well, leaving him in a white button up that was much too wrinkled. He looked so soft in white, you had to remind him of that later. You tossed your top away, the underlayer riding up and Mark slipped his hands up the fabric, groaning at the fact that you’d neglected to wear anything but shirts. His hand found your breast, kneading at the flesh as you gasped, grinding your hips down on his.
“Mark,” You sighed, eyes fluttering shut. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” He groaned as you leaned closer, slipping his other hand under your shirt and toying with a nipple, the two of you much too flustered to make any other commentary. He lifted his knee up to lean you back down, kissing harshly again and your hands worked their way down Mark’s shirt buttons, feeling his muscles tense under you along with his breaths. His hips moved up to get any kind of friction and you loved how much he wanted it. You didn’t question him, easily opening his shirt before going to his jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them slowly to tease him, his breathing got heavier with every move.
You moved your hips back a bit, settling more on his lap before slipping your hand into his boxers. He gasped at the coldness of your fingers, but he didn’t complain. Your hands were still cold from outside, but it seemed more like an exciting difference. Your fingertips danced along his length, feeling him bite at your lip sending you out of this world. “Want you, now.” He panted against your lips and you weren’t one to deny him. You quickly slipped back between his legs to tug your pants off as you let his arms fall back to his sides, but Mark couldn’t wait.
His hands were on you again, quickly tugging at the fabric and pulling them off of your legs with a fire in him you hadn’t seen before. He tossed them on the floor before hovering over you again. He tugged your underwear to the side and pulled his length out of his jeans. You sighed heavily as he pumped at himself a few times, eyes hooded. You caught his eyes, the two of your faces a complete mess. “Fuck,” You panted, earning a breathy laugh from him before pushing him back down on the bed to take slight control again. You sat with your clothed folds along his length, rubbing yourself with closed eyes and you felt him grasping at the bed sheets, panting at the feeling. “Condom?” You questioned, hearing him gulp and try to fish one out of his shirt pocket.
You giggled a bit at his anticipation, but you weren’t going to comment and embarrass him further. His face was already so red and spent when he handed the packet to you, a smirk playing on your face as you tore the foil open with your teeth. His hands were searching your body, slipping underneath you to lift your hips up. His fingers snuck under the fabric of your underwear and played in your arousal and you swear you heard him moan. You were a bit distracted as you fumbled with the rubber, his fingers dancing along your clit before slipping two inside, quickly quirking them forward toward himself and you hushed a moan, panting heavily as you tried to slip the condom on him, a mess of hands and sweat making you both see fog. You rocked down onto his fingers, wrapping your own around his length and jerking him off slowly, a sigh of relief leaving his lips.
His arousal was so evident with the redness of his cock and you were nearly dying to have it inside you. He slipped his fingers out of you when he couldn’t take it anymore, moving them to his own lips and you gasped when you saw him slip them inside of his mouth. You were quiet, just ready to have Mark again. You lifted your hips and watched him suck his fingers clean, lining him up with your entrance and the crotch of your underwear pushed to the side. The two of you hadn’t been so hasty or fumbling before, but it seemed oddly fitting.
You sunk down on him quickly, pulling a throaty groan from the boy underneath you, his head tipped back in ecstasy. You let out a noise of satisfaction, happy to finally have him inside again, enjoying it for a minute before he got eager, his hips moving himself inside of you just barely. “C-can’t take it anymore, need to feel you.” He panted out, his lips swollen and pouty as you grinned, rocking yourself down on him. You barely registered his warm hands on your sides again until he pulled you down, your clit grinding against his pelvic bone and you saw stars, whining a bit as you pushed your hips down against him again, the friction driving him wild and he was whining.
You didn’t expect those noises from him, but you couldn’t say you didn’t like it. He was panting more and more, and you were chasing your high, loving the way Mark filled you, sweet noises filling the hotel room and the wet sounds of skin on skin made your head spin. Mark’s breathing was heavier than you ever heard it before, and he was gasping. “Gonna-gonna come.” You were a little surprised, usually his stamina was good, but this time something was different. You heard him gasp loudly one last time, his eyes screwing shut and you felt him shake lightly underneath you. You stilled your hips, giggling at how out of it he was, and you let him ride it out, gently moving your hips until he couldn’t take it anymore. “Sit-sit on my face, please.” He pleaded with droopy eyes and you weren’t going to deny him.
You were hesitant at first, crawling over and hovering over his face, He pulled the crotch of your underwear and ripped slightly, then with full force tore the fabric open then all the way up and tossed it off to the floor, smirking below you and you gasped.
“Did you just-“
“Yep.” He cut you off with a grin, pulling you down by your thighs and pressed his tongue against you.
“Oh fuck.” You whined, feeling your knees get weak as he lapped at you, moaning as he sucked softly at your clit. You were lost for a bit, trying to bring yourself back down to earth when you heard your phone ring, gasping again when he slipped his tongue inside before pausing. He pulled away for just a moment.
“Answer it.” He smirked again before pulling you back down.
“It’s Johnny!” You whined, grinding down back onto his tongue. He shrugged underneath you and you hesitated, deciding to let it go to voicemail and Mark had the audacity to laugh. You quickly picked up your phone with shaky hands just to barely read a text message from the aforementioned person.
Since neither of you two are answering, I just wanted you to know I’m taking your friend back to our hotel, she’s tired and a bit plastered so I’m gonna let her crash there. Have fun you two 😂
It felt like a taunting message, waving it off and tossing your phone back somewhere else on the bed. You didn’t exactly care what Irene was doing at the moment, but she seemed safe with Johnny, so you ignored it. You sighed of relief when Mark nudged his nose against your clit, looking down to see his extremely hooded eyes and you could have burst right there. You moaned loudly, reaching down to gently grab his hair and the noise he made vibrated through you, his tongue flat against your clit and it threw you over the edge, pressing yourself hard into his face and the grip on your thighs tightened, his fingertips almost aching as they pressed into your skin. He continued to lazily lick through your high, pulling away to place soft kisses on your thighs when he figured you’d had enough, bright red blush still evident on his face. You glanced back to see he had discarded the condom and there was spurts of come glistening on his stomach, you flushed again, realizing he’d come from eating you out. Mark was going to be the death of you. You crawled off of his face, collapsing on the bed next to him, both of you panting.
“That was-“ He started.
“Yeah.” You both ended up laughing, Mark tossing his arm over his face in embarrassment. “I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard.” He let out a heavy breath.
“Please, say less.” You snorted, cuddling up to his side and realizing exactly how disgusting and intense the situation was, but you felt so satisfied it didn’t matter. You took an idea, smirking before reaching down to touch his stomach, dancing and teasing your fingertips in his come.
“D-don’t.” He groaned when you looked down to see his half-hard cock slightly twitch. “Give-give me a minute.” He pleaded. So you did, but it wasn’t going to be over just yet, you both knew that.
-
“The breakfast here is nice.” Mark was smiling shyly, sitting in the corner cafe with you. The place was relatively empty and you liked that Mark had to find places to easily hide from photographers, it gave you a bit more space from people in general, but the quietness of Mark was also a bit weird. He was smiling, but much more shy than before, but you assumed it was because of the situation you were in and he was a bit uncomfortable during the day anyway in a normal situation.
“Yeah, I love breakfast food.” You shrugged, taking a bite of your own food, enjoying the silence. You both were a bit sad because you were going to part ways that day, which seemed like another reason that Mark was being distant. You weren’t used to seeing him for only a minute and it felt weird to have only went on a date and slept with each other, so you sighed, seeing Mark pick at his food and eat in small bites. You frowned. “So, you guys heading out later?”
Mark nodded, shrugging before looking up at you. “Yeah, we’re headed back home after this, so.” He had a sad smile, looking up to catch your eyes. “I’m-um, sorry we didn’t get to hang out more.” He added shyly.
“No, no it’s fine, I’m just glad I got to see you.” Mark was smiling with his mouth full and it made you feel better. He was fidgety in his chair, probably from nerves.
“Yeah, I really am glad I got to see you too.” He nodded, sighing softly before taking a drink from his glass. “And Johnny and your friend seem to still be having a good time, they got breakfast this morning.” He snorted, wiping his mouth. “Everyone seems pretty happy.” He sighed again.
“You seem nervous.” You pointed out finally, settling your hands in your own lap.
“Yeah, I don’t really feel like leaving yet, it’s always a bummer when we go home.” You frowned, remembered how much happier he was in North America but it was interesting to hear him admit he didn’t want to go home at all. You felt bad that he had to leave, and you wished he could stay. Mark needed to be back at his hotel in an hour or so, so it was nice that he was spending his last bit of time with you. He said himself that he would’ve just been sitting in his room all night long probably, so the fun you guys had was at least worth it. “I hate coming here for like two days.” He frowned. You sighed and reached over the table to gently squeeze his hand. His smile was soft, but it was worth it. You both finished up your food and sheepishly made your way outside to head your way to his hotel.
When you pulled up, the taxi stopped at the corner and Mark looked at you with the softest eyes you’d ever seen. He sighed and squeezed your knee gently before wrapping your arms around you, hugging you tightly and relaxing into your neck. You both pulled away after a heartfelt embrace, frowning at the fact that you had to separate once again. “Text me?” You asked softly and got a warm nod before he pulled back to lean in for a kiss, his soft lips making your face feel hot. It was a tender kiss, one that longed for something more ,but you knew it was time. “I’ll see you later.” You got a grin back.
“Yeah, I’ll, um, see you soon, okay?” He giggled softly, opening the door and sighing as he stepped out, waving back at you as he made his way back into his hotel in the clothes he was still wearing the day before. You didn’t mind seeing him like that though, it reminded you that the two of you had your time together.
You saw Irene saunter out of the hotel, a grin plastered on her face and sunglasses covering her eyes. You shook your head in disbelief, snorting when she stumbled into the car, a cup of hotel coffee in her hands.
“So, it looks like your night was nice.” You teased, raising a brow at her.
“God, you don’t even know.” Irene was laughing. “My makeup is so messed up and yet I woke up to a gorgeous man making me hotel coffee in boxers and a white t-shirt and I still didn’t get his number.” She groaned, smile still painted on. “I literally never do anything like that, and I know you’re my boss but you have no room to judge me.” She shrugged again.
“Well, I’m not going to judge you, but I also have to mention that I do have that guy’s number.” You saw her mouth agape.
“Holy shit give it to me.” She was serious and you almost had to laugh. “He meant to last night, but we got, um, distracted.” She cleared her throat.
“Johnny right?” You giggled as you joked, scrolling through your contacts as the taxi made its way back to your hotel. “Yeah, it’s right here.” You showed your phone to her, seeing her excitedly type it into her own phone. “You’re not gonna like, text him right now are you?” You snorted, taking your phone back after she added it to her phone.
“Oh of course not, I’m going to wait it out and see if he asks you for mine, then I’ll have it for when he decides to hit me up.” She was always very forward, shrugging. It was actually extremely funny, but you wouldn’t push her forward. “But I also got hardly any sleep last night, so I want to take a nap before we head to Jersey.” You had actually forgotten that you were supposed to head out that night, but you figured it definitely was a good idea to go there tonight before the morning conference.
“Shit, I’ve still got to make prints.” You groaned.
“We’ll stop by a print shop on the way.” She was always thinking ahead, you were thankful, but you could definitely tell she needed some sleep and it wouldn’t hurt for you to get a nap in. You and Mark had practically been up all night anyway because of jet lag and other things, but you’d shut your mouth on that one. Irene was yawning, so you figured it was best to keep quiet.
You both took an equally satisfying nap, only a few hours passing by. Thankfully when you got up you were both easily ready to go, showering quickly and making your way out and wait for your Uber. You both decided it was the best and easiest way to get to Newark and it wasn’t at all long of a drive. Your mood was slightly down, still thinking about Mark and quickly realizing the two of you hadn’t actually talked about any of your issues. It left a sore spot in your heart and the rest of the ride felt a little weird. You stopped to make prints on the way and didn’t miss the stupid grin across Irene’s face.
“What’s up with you?” You asked, trying to ignore the feelings in your own chest.
“Johnny’s really cool.” She shrugged, sighing happily as she scrolled through her own phone. “I ended up texting him and he said thank god I got his number and you know I don’t normally do that.” She snorted. “Maybe we can both have some fun. How was Mark, dare I ask?”
You sighed heavily, a slight smile playing on your lips. “He was great, we, uh, didn’t talk really, so I’m kind of bummed, but I think it’ll be fine.” Irene frowned a bit, sighing.
“I mean maybe he got over it?” She offered help, but it didn’t really seem accurate. “Maybe he realized it doesn’t matter and you guys are going to be fine.” She nodded, giving you a wide smile before turning her attention back to her phone. “Johnny says they’re about to head out.” Her giggle made your eyes almost roll. You hadn’t heard from Mark at all, which made you worried, but you weren’t going to pry.
“Okay get this, he’s got a weird really bad tattoo on his ass that says I heart Chicago.” Irene was snorting and you felt your chest get tighter, trying your best to smile at her and act like it was all fine. “He’s really weird and I know it’s quick but I kinda like him, he’s cool.”
“I get it, I get it.” You snorted, almost trying to change the subject. You whipped out your phone to see no new messages. You sighed again. “So,they’re-“ You cleared your throat. “Theyre about to board?” You asked, biting your lip and knowing you shouldn’t ask questions.
“Yeah, John said he’s got on-flight wifi so we’re gonna play some dumb game tonight.” Irene reminded you, just making you even a little more upset. If Mark had on-flight wifi then why couldn’t he text you on the plane too? Or even before? Your head was swimming in thoughts and wondering what was going on, so you decided to send him a single text.
Fly safe!
He wouldn’t know that you meant it condescendingly, but you were just looking for a response at all. The only thing you really got from them at all was group messages, unfortunately from everyone but Mark. Even Jaehyun, who was the least active member of the groupchat, was being active, You didn’t understand why Mark wasn’t talking, but you began to feel like you were overthinking. You felt like banging your head against a wall, waiting for your prints to hurry up. The car was waiting outside and as soon as the last one printed, you tried to rush a laughing Irene out to it, but she wanted to review and invoice everything, so she was lagging. You needed some fresh air, standing outside. You lit up a cigarette, trying to relax. You were mad at yourself because you’d been really trying to lay off smoking, but when you weren’t around Mark and your anxiety was high, you needed it. You read over the messages you missed a couple times, they were mostly talking about how crazy America always was, but all you wished is that Mark’s name would pop up on your phone.
You were halfway down the cigarette when your phone buzzed, glancing down to see a simple, effortless text from Mark.
Thanks! I’ll let you know when we land
You felt like crying, but you needed to be strong. You never did get that text, still only getting responses in the groupchat and you knew Mark had to be fine because the rest of them were acting normal, but it pained you since he wasn’t very forward with his feelings. Taeyong hadn’t even messaged you so maybe Mark was fine, and that hurt more than anything. Maybe he was fine and perfectly content without you and you just had to hope that it was just your mind making that up.
The meeting went perfectly, thankfully. The city was clean and the two of you had a wonderful time walking around and discussing the proper real estate investments. You’d wanted to open a new location on the east coast for a while, but never took the steps to get it done and now the keys were almost literally in your hand. There was tons of work to do, but you knew you could get it done. Irene would be on campus there for the first 6 months after the building details were worked out and things seemed to be going well.
Except the fact that in your heart, nothing felt right. At the point when you got home, you still hadn’t heard from Mark or anyone else, but a gut feeling made you not want to ask. You were worried and only had small talk about Johnny with Irene and you hated the amount of jealousy you were feeling from not getting your own interest to talk to you. You were normally tough, you were normally the one to ghost people due to distractions, but you’d just seen Mark a few days ago and he was in your bed all night, so why hadn’t he messaged you aside from that one message? He was normally blowing up your phone prior to the entire incident with him finding out. Why wasn’t he worried about talking to you anymore? He seemed to really be getting along with you in the hotel room.
It made you sick to think about, how easily you two slept together after a big conversation and part of you felt a little used, slightly heartbroken and unresolved because it was so obvious that everything was falling apart, and you stayed hopeful when you shouldn’t have. You had a whole new store opening up and you should’ve been focused on work, but all you could think about was the fact that you were only getting one or two pathetic messages from him a day until they became days apart, only rarely getting a half-assed response from the group chats when he didn’t respond to you.
You missed Mark.
You felt sick. Things got harder, they did, and after about a month of suffering, you stopped responding all together, just hoping Mark would pick back up in talking to you on his own when the time got right, but you felt a bit hopeless and you were right. Mark was no longer making an effort and it had been about three weeks of smoking heavily and not talking to him at all. Your chest hurt when you saw him on your social media timelines. Your love for them felt so different and you almost felt sick each time you saw his smile. You heard about their new song coming out and you realized just how long it had been since you’d seen him. Time passed by so quickly and it was two days shy of two months and you tried not to cry, but you missed how things were and part of you knew this would happen, you just didn’t expect to take it so hard especially for so long.
You’d flown out east on location multiple times because due to how the meeting went, investors were pushing for opening sooner and you’d been successful at every single opening yet with immaculate concentration and precision. You felt nice to have the distraction of worrying about work, but each time you stepped into the crisp New York air, you were pelted with remembrance of your night with Mark and wondered what went wrong after you left him. Things looked perfect from the outside when you were there, but you wished you could’ve changed how it went. Maybe you did something wrong along the way that you weren’t picking up because Mark had been all over you and he was the one who pushed sleeping together, so you were left dumbfounded and trying to remember that the new location was important and you needed to ignore your feelings about the hurt in your heart from the last place you saw the person you called your boyfriend. You didn’t know where you stood anymore.
You hated that you got so wrapped up in the idea of Mark that you ended up ruining it all by fearing you’d ruin it. You were aching for him to call you, talk to you, anything because he still would be so close to you all year with promotions. Hell, you’d seen the SM Entertainment schedule for the whole year of 2020, and he’d be there in the states constantly especially with a new Neo City tour that stopped immediately in Los Angeles in June. Before you knew it, February had come up and you wished you could stop thinking about the fact that Mark would be in your state with SuperM in only a few days. You tried your hardest not to be hopeful, but you couldn’t help yourself.
You’d been staring at the StubHub app for 30 minutes now and SuperM tickets were going lower and lower by the day and they looked so pleasing, to maybe see him again and talk, maybe catch up, meet up, anything. You went over it a few times in your head and after a long day of work and a glass or so of wine, you made the horrible decision of buying tickets.
You swallowed after you pressed pay, leaning back in your bed and thinking about what you’d done, but it felt like the right choice. They were going to be there within the next two days and you had to chance it. Maybe you’d get your answer. You bought two tickets because the closest spot available only had two seats, so you sucked it up and decided to go for it. You didn’t even think about who could possibly accompany you until you gasped at realization. You opened your phone again to quickly call Irene, who was supposed to be at home by now.
She answered after the first ring.
“Hello sweetheart!” You hadn’t seen Irene much over the last couple weeks, the two of you busy with store arrangements and whatnot. She’d been interviewing for the new hires in Jersey as soon as the new year started, the two of you rarely crossing paths between flights, and she’d gotten back last week, so hearing her voice felt nice.
“Irene!” You had to take a breath.
“What’s the situation?” She snorted and you could hear her flipping through her keys in the background. “I’m just getting home so it better be good.” She was teasing, but you had to calm down before speaking to her properly.
“I just bought tickets to the SuperM San Diego show and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me.” You spoke much faster than anticipated but you heard a small pause over the speaker. “They’re performing there, and I want to see Mark but I think it was a bad choice because I’m freaking out. Help me, please.”
“I think I can do it.” She was giggling and you knew it was a good sign. “What day is it?”
“The 30th of January.” You groaned, realizing that it was only two days away and you’d have to travel there from Los Angeles, which wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t an extremely far ride either. You heard silence again before a sigh.
“You’re literally insane.” She snorted. “Yeah, I’m in.”
“God you’re a lifesaver.” You laughed, almost on the verge of tears. You wanted to see Mark, you had to. It felt like the only appropriate way to do it and your mind was still really fuzzy from missing him, but at least you had someone to indulge with you. She knew the two of you hadn’t spoken and the tension was touchy when you saw each other and tried to avoid bringing up the subject of your love life due to the unfortunate circumstances. Irene didn’t pry, she never did.
“Is Johnny going to be there?” She giggled softly and you tried your hardest not to roll your eyes.
Of course, Irene was lucky and had kept contact with him and you were at home for weeks moping about the one you were sure you had lost. You sighed. “No, he’s not in that group, ‘Rene.” You snorted a little, shaking your head. “But he’ll be here in June if you guys are still a thing.”
“Ugh, the things I do for you.” She sighed heavily, but you could tell it wasn’t serious. “Yeah, I’ll come, we leave Friday morning?”
“What about Thursday evening?” You bit your lip, hoping that maybe you’d get a chance to see them when they landed, maybe you’d get the gumption to text Mark and handle everything and you’d both be fine again. Realistically you knew that that was a low probability, but you had to try. Maybe Ten and Taemin could help you out again. They were the main ones who got you into that mess in the first place, maybe their presence would help. You were freaking out in your head and you didn’t even register that you were still on the phone until you heard your name getting yelled at you. “Uh, s-sorry I got distracted, what were you saying?”
“I said it’s fine but you’re booking the hotel.” She was laughing again. “You gonna actually hang out with Mark, not just sleep together? Are you gonna talk?” You groaned in response, not really wanting to tell her what you were up to, but you wanted to fill her in at least a little. You fibbed a tiny bit.
“We haven’t talked in a week, I thought I’d surprise him.” You bit your lip and hoped Irene was nice enough to understand.
“Perfect, it seems to be a habit of pulling up on him, yeah?”
“I guess so.” You sighed again. Maybe you should text him, maybe he was more relaxed since he was soon to be in the states and was going to go to his hometown soon. Maybe he’d be in a better spot to respond to you. You tried to reason in your head that the possible reason that you two didn’t talk much was specifically because he was out of the country again. You were trying to remain hopeful.
“Okay, well you seem distracted, so I’ll call you later?” You knew she was right; you couldn’t even hold a conversation.
“Okay, love you.” You sighed again, biting your lip and wondering what had brought you to the point in your life where you were showing up randomly to see a guy. You never thought you’d be in that position to like anyone so much before.
“Love you too! I’m gonna go home and pack. Get some rest tonight!” You definitely needed the rest. It had been a few weeks since you really got a decent night’s sleep, so you hoped her blessing meant something. You sighed and hung up, shaking your head to try and pull yourself back together. You opened your phone back up, scrolling through social media to steady your mind, which happened to end up the opposite when you found an update that very clearly stated that the members were in LAX that morning, literally miles away from your home and you blinked in shock. They were there already? You tried to steady your breathing. It was a sign, you needed to speak to Mark soon. You had no idea where he was or what he was doing at the moment, but being so close to you had to mean something.
#nct#nct smut#mark lee smut#mark lee#nct imagines#nct fluff#nct angst#superm#tommowrites#nctfic#unintentional
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