#sorry i did way more sweeping genre i get bad at naming and listing things when asked sdkfhjd

[lesbianherald]

what kinda stuff do you like to read??? do you have any favorite books/series/authors?

oooh. I love reading so much as I've mentioned - sadly a lot of the reading I've done over the past year or two has been on a specific subject related to my masters degree that I came in knowing very little about and have thus been reading to try and compensate haha.

I love historical fiction and nonfiction. I love fantasy but have to be in such a good headspace re:adhd for it. I also love books about science/scientific topics that help people like me who can't always comprehend studies understand things. I also love going back to some classics unfortunately as much as this betrays my ancestors there is some 18th and 19th century British lit I particularly enjoy. Love poetry too and short stories.

Picture of Dorian Gray, Tenant of Wildfell hall, Just read this book called Medieval Bodies which was sick, Bad Gays was also great, The Raven Cycle is the most goated YA ever.

Currently reading The Priory and The Orange Tree no thoughts yet because i'm still early on

[daemour]

Pairing: bae jinyoung x tutor! f! yn

Word Count: 1976

Warnings: cursing, mentions of alcohol consumption and drugs, mentions of sex, kissing

Genre: Angst, fluff, f2l au, college au, m for mature

Summary: You're popular, pretty, top of your class. It's no surprise you've ended up tutoring Bae Jinyoung, your opposite in many ways. But your feelings for him grew out of your control and you try to find him at the biggest end of year party

-

this is for the jackson wang party fic collab finished with @mingsolo (hella good), @flurrys-creativity (Pygalgia, Effervescent, and Abience), and @sanjoongie (trouble) ^^ this was supposed to have smut but i couldn't get it out im sorry :') you can just imagine it in ur head pls

and ignore the difference in wc from this and my san one :') i did not have the energy to write another 10k so this ones short and sweet lol

Also the banner was made like 2 username changes ago lol

You can read the San one here (No Hesitation)

-

It’s late…at least for you. Judging from the people milling about with ease, they’re a lot more accustomed to being awake at unholy hours of the night. A couple of them even cast curious glances at you, unused to seeing you at a party. And you can’t blame them either. You’re the college’s well-known “good girl”, volleyball captain and top of your college batch. You’ve been to exactly one party your entire four years here and it was because your roommate, Yeseul, threw it without telling you.

She’s not at this party, too embarrassed to show her face after being dumped by the school playboy, San. You’d feel bad but she kinda deserved it after bragging to everyone how she bagged him. And if she went with you, she’d make it such a huge deal when you want to lay low. You came to this party for one reason after all…to find Bae Jinyoung.

Once again, something you never thought you’d be doing. Jinyoung is the complete opposite of you in every way. Always partying, and getting high, his list of cons goes on and on. But when you were paired up with him to tutor in a last-ditch effort to not get expelled, you didn’t expect to grow so close to him. And maybe you’ve grown to have a soft spot for him.

He had to retake his final exam due to a stomach bug (he was hungover, but you decided not to let his professor know that fact) and you were told his test results early. He had passed after months of hard work, and you were too excited to keep it from him. 

You called him first, and he picked up, but he was clearly drunk, living it up at what you heard was the last party of the year. And against your better judgement, you decided to go tell him the good news in person, perhaps after getting him a little more sober. And you’re maybe a little stupid, hoping he would come sweep you off your feet and kiss you senseless, but a girl can dream. Maybe when you tell him the good news, he’ll lift you and swing you around just like in all your romance books and fall in love.

You’re once again reminded of just how out of place you are as you weave through the crowd. As you look around, you can’t help but be amused at how you must look so lost. You’re not looking where you’re going properly and you bump into a broad chest.

When you look up, you’re met with the furrowed brows of the other Jinyoung of the college, Park Jinyoung, recognisable from his stone-cold features and his signature turtleneck. The only thing he shares with your Jinyoung is the name. Whereas your Jinyoung was mixed up in all sorts of trouble, ranging from drugs to drinking to sex, Park Jinyoung kept to himself, except for this one girl he seemed to have conflicted feelings for. You’ve seen him look at her like she made the stars, only to push her away when she turns her attention towards him. And case in point, when you mutter out a sorry he barely pays attention to you, muttering her name under his breath. Looks like you’re not the only one looking for someone tonight.

You try and ask around a bit, and while some classmates do their best to narrow down Bae Jinyoung’s location for you despite their inebriated state, most of them are just too shell-shocked to see you here and they can’t mask their confusion.

“YN? I didn’t expect to see you here.” A familiar voice catches your attention and you turn to see Choi San standing before you, his hair ruffled and his signature smile on his face. There’s a hint of sadness in his eyes, but you don’t know him well enough to enquire about it.

“Ah, hello, San. I hope you’re doing well after…all that’s happened.” It’s no secret that San broke up with Yeseul because of his roommate. To your credit, you manage to hold back your curiosity and instead just ask him a question pertaining a bit more to your own dilemma. “Have you seen Jinyoung? Bae, not Park.”

San shrugs. “I’m doing well, yes. I can’t stay long, but I think I saw Jinyoung near the living room. It’s through there, you can’t miss it. Lots of couches…and lots of people kissing.”

You absolutely miss the warning tone in his voice, but your heart is already beating a little too fast for your own good at the idea of seeing Jinyoung again. “All right, thanks San!” You start walking the other way, but something nags at you and you spin around, calling out his name before he steps away. “And San…I want to apologise for Yeseul. You should go for your friend. She looks at you the same way.”

There’s a moment’s pause, then San quirks his lips at you. “Thanks, YN. I think I will. Good luck with Jinyoung.”

You laugh and salute him before turning back to continue on your way. With each step, you can feel excitement rush past your ears. You know it’s a horrible idea, but you’ve grown fond of Jinyoung. Maybe it was how all the rumours surrounding him were less than satisfactory, but he never showed you anything but kindness and quietness when you tutored him. Maybe it was the way he leapt at any chance to talk about football to you, and how his smile would light up any room.

And maybe it was when he finally convinced you to let loose and take a study break with him, you found out he kisses gently, large hands cupping your face as his breath puffs over your lips. His touches are soft, ghosting over your waist as you sit beside him, and you feel special.

“Jinyoung–” you call out, entering the room San had pointed out to you, but you stop dead in your tracks. You’ve found him. Bae Jinyoung, sitting on the couch, a girl in his lap and his tongue deep in her mouth. It’s not nearly as sweetly as he kissed you, and yet your stomach drops. It’s stupid to be hurt, you remind yourself. You stare for a moment longer, eyes glued to how the girl is grinding on him so well and you feel a tightness in your throat you can’t seem to dislodge.

And it’s almost like slow motion when Jinyoung turns his head and makes direct eye contact with you. His mouth drops open, more than it was before and like the coward, you turn tail and run right back out of the room.

You push through the people crowding you and out one of the back doors. In the distance, you can see a figure floundering in the lake, soaking wet, but you can’t be bothered to be curious about the sight. You should’ve known this was going to happen. You catch feelings, and Jinyoung doesn’t, and you make a fool of yourself. How could you be so dumb? It’s clear what happened. You were just another conquest, another prize for him to win.

“YN!” You can hear Jinyoung’s familiar cadence float from the house and you glance back, seeing him try and get to you through the people milling about. “YN wait!”

There’s desperation in his voice, but your brain does not register it and you just turn away, heading towards the line of cars parked far into the grass. You didn’t park there, but it should give you enough cover as you make your way to the next street over where your car actually is.

Your eyes are trained forward, and you refuse to look back even as Jinyoung’s panicked footsteps get closer and closer to you. “YN, please!” You hesitate just for a moment, but it’s long enough for him to catch up to you and grab your arm gently. “Please look at me, YN.”

You turn around, but keep your eyes trained on the ground lest you cry, especially after seeing his face. “What’s up?” It’s almost sick how sweetly your voice sounds as it breaks.

“YN, I’m sorry.” The desperation has not left Jinyoung’s voice, and his hands move to your shoulders, gripping them tightly as if that would convince you he meant no harm. And maybe he didn’t. But it’s not his fault you’ve fallen in love with an unobtainable thought.

“Why are you sorry?” you respond, trying your hardest to keep your voice level, although it tremours just a bit when Jinyoung sucks in a breath. “I can’t stop you from…parties, and kissing. I’m just a nobody.”

Jinyoung shakes his head, his long hair falling in his eyes but he makes no move to brush it away. “You’re anything but a nobody, YN. You’re pretty and perfect, and you have so much going for you. You have a job already lined up, you have plans for your future. I’m the one who’s a nobody.”

You laugh. “We could go around in circles, Jinyoung. You’re not a nobody, not to me. And not to that girl. It’s okay that I’m not who you want me to be. I can only kiss you sweetly, I can’t desire you in the same carnal way she does, no matter how much I want to. And there’s no way you want to waste time teaching me how to not be dumb and innocent.”

Jinyoung frowns, just as pretty as his smile is. “I do, YN. I do, more than you can know. I want to take you on dates and kiss you on the beach. I want to have coffee in the morning with you. I just want to hold you. And I love it when you’re innocent and sweet.”

“But that girl–”

“Screw that girl!” You flinch a little at his volume and Jinyoung pauses, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “We were drunk, and I was just missing you a little too much. It was a mistake. I should’ve have tried to run from my problems. I– when you called me, I should’ve dropped everything and gone to find you, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to let myself want you. But I do.”

You breathe in sharply through your nose. “I don’t want to make you change…” you start to protest carefully, although your resolve is breaking by the second.

Jinyoung shakes his head, leaning in so his face is mere breaths away from yours. “I want to change, YN. So please, let me.”

“I–” Against your better judgement, you look him in the eyes, noticing the shaking wateriness of them. “Okay.”

The tension in Jinyoung’s face pinches before finally dissipating, easing the lines in the skin. “Okay,” he copies you. “Okay. YN, can I kiss you?”

His question comes so suddenly, you swear your heart stopped beating for a moment. You barely get a yes out before Jinyoung’s lips capture yours again. And if you thought your first kiss was sweet, this is a million times sweeter. His hands find their way to the small of your back this time and push you closer to him, your arms naturally finding their way around his lithe shoulders. The movement makes the kiss deepen as his mouth presses eagerly against yours.

“I missed you,” he hums against your lips and you sigh happily.

“Must’ve been hard, benign away from me for a whole five days,” you can’t help but tease and Jinyoung groans good-naturedly.

“Man, you’re so mean to me. What happened to being all nice and innocent?” With a smile, you shove your face into Jinyoung’s neck. Jinyoung bends down to press a kiss to your temple. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I think we’re long overdue a talk.”

You sigh. “We are.”

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 37

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 5k

; Warnings: Discussions of IVF, sperm donation

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: Thank you for the reception to the last chapter! :D I think that was the most comments/feedback in a long time for Flower haha. It means a lot to me to have your comments like that <3333 I hope you enjoy this one, perhaps it’s not really what you were expecting. I changed the last few around and the characters had decided this was the way they wanted to go! (it might sound silly but honestly, characters have a life of their own!)

; Flower Masterpost

-

“Meeps!” Hoseok’s calls from the hallway, catching your attention from where you’d lined up all your baking ingredients on the counter. “I’m heading out.”

Placing the glass bowl down carefully, you wipe your hands clean before heading out and smiling at him brightly. He’s got a dark denim jacket on alongside his new favourite black leather biker style boots, looking suitably rocker and even more sexy. Maybe you had a thing for those boots.

You don’t let him know this though, just watching as he pats his pockets to check he has his phone and wallet before a concerned expression takes over his face. Chuckling, you reach out to tap his hand, revealing the car keys he’s panicking over and causing his cheeks to fluff a pretty rose.

“Thanks. Do you want me to bring you anything back later? I can swing by the store on my way back home once we’re done?” Shaking your head at him, you squeeze at the hand you’re still touching and give him a thankful smile.

“No, I’m good. We’re going to order in later. Maybe that Japanese place that we ordered from the other week or something. Thank you, though. Enjoy yourself, okay? Text me when you’re going to set off.” Hoseok nods before leaning forward, giving you a quick kiss before he’s out of the door. 

Standing for a moment, you overhear the sound of his car starting up before turning around and heading back into the kitchen. Grabbing your phone, your fingers tap at the screen as you let the girl’s know that the door is open for them to just walk in. Almost as soon as you’ve sent the message into your group chat, you’re distracted away by the bark from Ciri at your feet.

She’s still pretty small, only a little bigger than she’d been three months ago when Hoseok had proposed, but you think that just makes her look cuter. Thankfully, she’s been very easy to train so far and she’s currently sat so prettily as she looks up at you, big eyes staring intently at your hands.

Another short, sharp bark makes you laugh as you glance at the stuff you’d gotten out to bake with. Crouching down, you stroke her fur and make baby noises to her until her tail is sweeping the floor rapidly.

“Ciri-billy, I haven’t even started yet! You can’t eat them as they are now. Have some patience my darling.” You don’t know why you call your pets the nicknames that you do, or even where the names come. They just tend to pop out of your mouth when you’re talking to them and you just roll with it.

It’s caused Hoseok to laugh more than once to hear you call Kasumi your chicken or Ciri your little pudding. Particularly given you don’t call him by many pet names, instead just using his name or Hobi. Occasionally he’ll get a ‘babe’ or a ‘sweetheart’ but it’s not too often.

“Soon my bub.” Giggling, you give her a final stroke before standing back up and facing the counter. Quickly opening Spotify and beginning the playlist of your favourite songs, you keep your phone within easy reaching distance while looking over the recipe you’d printed out earlier in the day.

It takes only minutes for you to become entranced in what you’re doing; careful measuring of ingredients and the delicate balance of mixing them to create a wonderful treat. Only what you’re making today isn’t for yourself, or even your best friends.

No, they’re for Ciri. You’d found a recipe for grain-free dog treats and you’d decided to try making them. Part of you couldn’t quite believe what you were doing, particularly for a dog, but you would enjoy seeing Ciri enjoy them all. It wouldn’t surprise you if Hoseok decided to try and eat one himself.

You’re so involved with baking and singing along to the music that plays through the Bluetooth connected speakers in the kitchen, obviously something that Hoseok had bought because you’d considered it pointless, that you don’t hear the front door opening. It’s only when you turn to put some of the finished treats onto the wire trays that you’ve lined up that you realise when Chungha is suddenly standing in front of you.

Shrieking, you jump and have to battle to not drop all the freshly baked goods onto the floor while cursing up a storm. Almost immediately she moves to help you, apologising profusely as she yelps when grabbing a falling dog treat, her face twisting as it burns her fingers.

“Oh fuck! Chungha, shit. Are you okay? Oh my god, come over here.” Tugging her to the sink, you turn on the cold water and shove her hand under it, ignoring her whine of pain as the cold water interacts with her burn. The two of you focus on making sure it’s okay, even resulting in you going to grab the first aid kit Hoseok had bought a year ago when a sudden voice interrupts.

“What is going on here?” Two sides of wide eyes turn to Soyeon, letting her see the medical stuff you’ve haphazardly thrown on the side as you’ve looked for the burn ointment you could have sworn was in here. A glance at the treats causes a small ‘o’ to form on her pretty lips before she leans against the counter, elbows on the top.

“Ooh, baking mishap?” Teasing you with a grin and a wiggle of her brows, you nod before handing Chungha the tube you’d finally found. She gives you a smile of gratitude and applies some to her hand, her lips pursed into an adorable pout as she concentrates. You’re so busy concentrating on watching her that you almost miss Soyeon’s hand as it reaches out to the wire trays.

“No!” Shouting, the word causes her to jerk in surprise as she snaps her hand back with almost obscenely wide eyes. Cringing, you realised that you’d perhaps been a little bit too loud and give her an apologetic wince.

“Sorry. I just...they’re not for us. They’re for Ciri! I found a recipe to make some treats for her so I thought I’d give it a go. Think I made enough for her?” Brow raising, you chuckle while gesturing to the ridiculous amount. Perhaps you’d bought a little too many ingredients and gotten just a little excited in it.

There’s no way you could feed Ciri all this before they went off. She’d end up getting sick, and you hated having to clean that up. Which meant you couldn’t because then Hoseok would have to clean it up and you know he’d whine and pout the whole time.

“I can take some back for Mandu?” Soyeon offers, referring to the cute golden labrador that Jungkook and her had adopted two months ago. They’d gotten her from a shelter as a puppy and Jungkook had been the one to pick her name, unsurprisingly choosing something food-related given mandu was Korean-style dumplings.

“Sure, I’ll make sure you can take some back for Eevee too,” Glancing to Chungha, you gesture over to the box on the other counter. “For us though, I did make us some triple chocolate cookies! Not entirely sure how many are left because Hoseok was being a locust.”

That gets a snort from them all as you separate the dog treats so that all three dogs will get an equal amount before washing your hands. Chungha puts the kit away and takes out two glasses from a cupboard before handing one over to Soyeon. The two take a glance inside the fridge before filling them up with fizzy lemonade.

As far as you knew, that was just what Hoseok liked to drink with one of his alcohols. It made it more like a soft drink or something.

Grabbing the box of cookies, you head into the living room and sit on the couch with a leg curled up beneath you. Your best friends follow and sit as well, looking over at the television where Netflix has been paused in the show you’d been watching. One of what was considered to be your worst traits was that you took far too long to watch the ‘popular’ shows, which is why you’d finally started watching Breaking Bad way too late.

Hoseok had been bugging you to try and watch it for years now but you’d just never been interested.

“Ooh, you’re getting to a good bit.” Chungha comments, reaching forward to grab one of the cookies out of the box and munching on it. A soft noise of happiness leaves her as she chews, her butt wiggling as the flavours melt on her tongue.

“Shh, I already have to put up with Hoseok doing that. I don’t need you doing it too,” Pursing your lip into a pout, you cross your legs and grab the sleeping Pikachu cushion from your side before hugging it. “I’m going, to be honest with you as well, I don’t really like this. I don’t get the hype.”

As expected, both of them look at you with shocked faces that make you want to laugh. You don’t know what it is about going against the grain but the reactions you got never ceased to amaze you.

“Are you kidding? Breaking Bad is like...television perfection! The character arcs are just...urgh, exquisite.” Brow raising, you watch as Chungha continues to wax poetic about the show while Soyeon nods along and interjects now and again in support.

“Well, I think it’s pretty boring. And I don’t like Walter. He’s an asshole.” More shocked looks cause you to reach out and take the PS4 controller, exiting the show and moving on to look through the large list of shows and films Netflix had on offer. Without any input from either of them, you settle on The Umbrella Academy.

You’d already watched both seasons but it was something easy to have on in the background while you all probably talked instead. 

“How’s wedding planning?” The question comes from Soyeon, who lets her head drop onto the back of the couch. Kasumi is laid out next to her, probably purring contentedly as her soft fur is stroked and she gets all the scratches and love. Ciri is currently curled up between Chungha and you, her tail hitting your thigh gently.

“Good, good. We’ve chosen a date and booked the venue so...we’re going to get the invites done as soon as we can. Before we get onto picking stuff for the actual ceremony and all that, we’re going to book the honeymoon. Priorities, you know. I think we’re leaning towards Argentina for two weeks at the minute but that might change.” You were adamant on exploring the world with Hoseok and Argentina would be your first foray into South America.

Which wasn’t much really considering you’d only ever visited Italy and Thailand so far. But still, when the opportunity arose then you would grasp it firmly.

Chungha finishes off her cookie before brushing at her mouth delicately, “Have you bought one of those wedding planner’s? Where it lists out all the stuff for you to plan and add in ideas and stuff?”

Nodding, you smile at her before gesturing over to the bookcase to the right. Alongside the books, video games, figurines and plushies that had accumulated over time was the binder that you’d purchased only days after getting engaged. Part of you was still trying to get your head around the fact that you no longer had a boyfriend but a fiancé. 

And in a couple of months then you’d have a husband. It was odd to think about.

“Ah, it’s all exciting to think about.”

“It is, but I don’t have much more to tell you at the minute, to be honest. We haven’t decided much more apart from that and I haven’t looked into anything else. I’m trying not to overwhelm myself, you know? Go slow.” That gets them both nodding in acknowledgement before they look around.

“Where’s Hoseok gone today?”

“Oh, he’s gone to a concert with Taehyung and Yoongi. Some...weird prog-rock band or something. He’s been playing some of the songs lately and they sound odd but he’s into it so,” You shrug with a wry twist to your lips, causing them to snort. “I doubt he’ll be home before midnight, to be honest, so...we have the house to ourselves, ladies!”

“I mean...I’m pretty sure the most exciting thing we’re going to do is just eat food or something. Which is probably all we ever do when we’re together. You guys are not good for my waistline.” Soyeon groans, patting her flat stomach and you give her a droll stare.

“Really?”

“Yeah?” Chungha backs you up and you can’t help but laugh in amusement, giving her an equally amused stare. She’s just as skinny as Soyeon is but you can’t bring yourself to argue with either of them. Everyone has their issues going on after all.

That thought makes you frown and you reach out to Soyeon, clasping her hand tightly as you watch her with concern. Your sudden change in demeanour causes her brow to lower, gaze skittering away from yours given how intense it was.

“You’re okay, right? There’s nothing wrong or anything you’d wanna talk about?” The sincerity in your voice makes her smile softly, her free hand coming to rest against your own and squeezing it gently.

“I’m okay, I promise. It was just a joke, honestly.” Twisting your lips slightly, you stare deeply into her eyes before nodding slowly in acceptance. After spending so long hating yourself, you didn’t want to let your friends feel even an iota of the self-hatred you had. Especially when they were so pretty anyway.

“So err...while we’re still talking about moderately serious stuff, I have something to ask both of you. I mean...well it’s kinda weird that I’m asking you both but I figure I should ask you to get your permission before asking them.” Chungha is babbling and you tilt your head in question, brow creasing as you wonder what on earth she’s trying to get at. She seems nervous given the way her fingers play with themselves and her eyes skitter away from your direction.

“Dahyun was supposed to be here, you know that, but she’s ended up having to go see her grandparents as her grandma is sick right now. Otherwise, she’d be here too. So...we’ve decided that we want a kid. And we’re looking to adopt, we’ve put our names down and everything but it takes a while to even get approved for that. But we also would like to have a baby as well. Like...one of ours. I know Dahyun, in particular, is quite eager to get to experience pregnancy because she’d always dreamed of having a baby but as you can guess, being lesbians we don’t have the option of getting pregnant so easily.” Now your eyebrows have lifted high, probably almost to your hairline as you listen to Chungha’s nervous words.

It doesn’t surprise you that they’re wanting to have kids now. They’ve been together for a while as well, and you know that they’ve been considering whether or not to get married. For the moment though, they’d just registered themselves in a civil partnership, unsure whether they wanted to go through the whole wedding thing just yet. Though you did not doubt that they would eventually go for it.

Kids were the next logical choice for them, and you felt excitement bubbling in your stomach at the thought of Chungha being a mommy. Even if you didn’t like kids, it didn’t mean that you weren’t excited for your friends when they wanted to have them.

You could imagine that it was a bit more stressful for Chungha and Dahyun as a lesbian couple, as compared to a heterosexual couple. The more you thought about that actually, the more unfair it seemed. People were getting pregnant all the time by accident, but your best friend had to go through so much effort to get the same result.

“So, we’ve looked into IVF and all that stuff. There’s not just IVF, there are other methods too. But if we’re spending money on it then we’d rather have the best chance of success, you know? I’m not explaining it very well but I’m not a scientist either, we’ve researched it a lot and had a preliminary appointment either way. I just...have something potentially awkward to ask.” She pauses at that, her face twisting into a picture of nerves and hesitation.

A glance at Soyeon has you catching eye contact, but neither of you says anything and decide to let Chungha go at her own pace. You have an idea as to where she’s going with this, but you feel that she should at least be allowed to get there on her own.

“So, we can use sperm from a sperm bank, right? It’s all checked over and vetted, but it’s really expensive. And I know that sounds rich considering we’re wanting to have a baby and the last thing they are is cheap, but we’re trying to look at all our options for the moment. What I’m trying to ask in a long-winded way is would either of you be okay if we asked Hoseok or Jungkook to maybe donate? I know it sounds awkward given we know them and you’re both dating them but they can get everything tested and I’d feel a little easier if we knew the sperm donor, you know?” A grimace takes over her mouth, causing you to frown as you reach out and squeeze her leg in reassurance.

“Hey, there’s no need to apologise. I think we’ve all been friends for long enough that something like this can be discussed without ridicule or negative emotions, right?” Looking to Soyeon, you feel relief as she smiles and nods in agreement. “I’m excited for you to start a family! You know I’m not one for kids so I can’t say I understand the whole process you’re going through but I can assure you that I’ll support you and Dahyun the whole way. In terms of a donation...well it’s up to you, Soyeon, and Jungkook. Hoseok literally can’t.”

Glancing between them both, you make a scissors gesture and watch in amusement as both their eyebrows rise in realisation. It wasn’t something you’d discussed with them before, even if Hoseok had been fine about it, mainly because you’d felt Hoseok’s health and your sex life weren’t things to casually talk about. But you felt it important at this moment to make sure Chungha knew that you weren’t being callous.

“Oh? That makes sense though, you’ve never wanted kids and it doesn’t surprise me that Hoseok doesn’t want them either then. So that leaves Jungkook, huh?” Soyeon chuckles, leaning back against the couch and stroking at Kasumi’s ears gently. You wonder what she’ll say, given it’d mean her best friend having Jungkook’s baby before she does. 

Some women wouldn’t be on board with that, and you suppose it’s a sign of how much Chungha loves and trusts you both that she’s querying you both with this. On the other hand, you have complete confidence that if you both turned her down then she wouldn’t be offended and they would instead use a sperm bank as she’d said.

Chungha turns more to Soyeon, playing with her hands as her nerves ramp up. It must be affecting Ciri because the dog sits up, tilting her head and staring almost in concern at your friend. Smiling, you scoop Ciri into your lap and scratch behind her ears until her back leg is going.

“You can say no, I won’t be offended. Nor would Dahyun, if she could be here. We don’t expect anything. I just wanted to ask you both first because I felt it’d be rude of me to just go to him instead of querying with you two. You’re my best friends and they are your boyfriends after all. Also, Jungkook can definitely say no too. Once again, we don’t expect him to agree if he’s not comfortable with it. I just...wanted to ask, you know? We kinda considered all of Hoseok’s friends because neither of us has many male friends and we’d love to be able to have a better idea of the donor’s personality, a more detailed medical history and everything. Plus, with us having to do everything medically then it helps to make it a little more ‘normal’ for us. He doesn’t have to be involved in the baby’s life if he doesn’t want to be, otherwise, I’d just like for him to be known as an uncle. In the future, we’d tell them who their sperm donor was if Jungkook was okay with it and they wanted to know.” You find yourself nodding, appreciating the fact that Chungha and Dahyun have thought this through.

While Soyeon might agree to let them ask Jungkook, there was every chance that Jungkook might not want to agree anyway. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of another woman having his baby, even if he won’t have any rights to it. Some people didn’t like things like that. Or maybe he just didn’t want to, for whatever reason.

The fact that she was making it clear that Jungkook and Soyeon were both allowed, even encouraged, to say no if they felt uncomfortable at any moment settled you. You didn’t want to think that your friends were being forced or coerced into something just because they felt that they had to do it.

“Would it be cheaper though? I mean, I’m assuming they’d have to do tests and stuff to make sure he’s not got any diseases or genetic things that they ideally don’t want to pass on? Doesn’t that cost a lot?” Chungha sighs and nods, her lips turning down slightly.

“We would, but the difference is that I doubt we’d have to do those tests often. So if he agreed then we’d have the tests done but then after that, we don’t pay anything else. The sperm bank that was recommended to us is $1000 for just one vial of sperm. So if that doesn’t work then we have to pay out again. And I’m not saying we wouldn’t pay Jungkook, we’re both willing to offer but the idea of being stung for that much for a tiny vial is painful.” The price makes your eyes bulge while Soyeon’s jaw drops.

“Holy shit! A thousand dollars for something he just washes away? Fucking hell, he’s wasting thousands every time he jacks off. Oh my god, that must be the most expensive thing I’ve ever had in my mouth then.” Snorting, you bite your lip in amusement as you consider how many times Hoseok had ejaculated with you. Though you doubted the man was getting anywhere near a thousand dollars, it was still mind-boggling to know that the price tag on a cumshot.

“It’s ridiculous, right? I mean, okay it’s not really because obviously, they have to do all those tests and stuff. But still! You can understand why we were shocked. Either way, if you or Jungkook says no then we’re going to go that way. I want you to know that we’re not laying all our eggs in one basket. No pun intended there.” That makes all of you chuckle, the mood lightening up as you do so.

Reaching forward to the box you’d placed on the coffee table, you grab another cookie before handing more out to the two of them. Each takes one with a grateful smile before biting into it.

“I’m okay with it. I’m not sure whether I want kids or not and I think we’re just taking it as an ‘if it happens then it happens’ approach. So, to me, I’m not bothered if Jungkook says yes. Plus, you’re my best friend and I’d much rather you have a baby where you know the dad and can get more information from him. And oh my god, Jungkook would make such good babies. They’d be adorable and he has the sweetest personality!” Soyeon squeals, shaking the cookie around in excitement as she imagines his metaphorical children.

For a moment, you imagine it as well and can’t help but smile. You certainly hoped that his babies would all get his big, emotive eyes alongside his endearing personality. Before you can comment on it though, Soyeon continues.

“I will make it clear though, that he doesn’t have to say yes. He might not be comfortable with the idea of having someone he knows having his kid. Or he might not like the idea of not being involved in their lives in a father kind of way. On the other hand, he might turn around and say that he isn’t bothered at all and will give you as much as you want. But I want it to be up to him. Thankfully, I’m not a hugely possessive person so I’m not bothered by the idea of his kids with someone else.”

Watching Chungha’s face carefully, you can’t help but smile at the palpable relief that spreads over it upon Soyeon’s words. That smile vanishes though when you see her eyes glisten, the unshed tears forming fast and causing you to gently put Ciri onto the floor before you’re scooting over to her. Wrapping your arms around her, you make reassuring noises.

You’re not one to get emotional, nor can you handle other people’s emotions, but your best friends are different. They’ve been in your life for long enough by now that you feel the urge to care for them, to listen to their worries and soothe their fears. Seeing Chungha, who is normally so strong, starting to cry at Soyeon’s words makes your stomach hurt.

“Hey, hey!” Soyeon gushes, rushing over to the other side of Chungha until you’re all in some kind of weird cuddle fest. It just makes Chungha let out a laughing sob, the sound thick as the tears slowly start to fall.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know if I was doing the right thing asking you both this. I know it’s something so big and important. You might have told me to fuck off and got angry with me at even thinking of it and I was so scared that you’d be annoyed by it. I mean, how many other people are going to ask their friends if they can have some of their boyfriends’ sperm to knock up their partner?” Wiping at her tears, you tut softly as you try to erase the eyeliner and mascara that’s begun to smear as well.

“I mean, it is a slightly odd ask. I think we can both agree with that,” Soyeon nods in agreement, running her fingers through Chungha’s hair. “But we’re your best friends. You didn’t demand this from us, you gave us a choice and made it clear we can deny it. I’ll be honest, if Hoseok hadn’t got the snip then I would’ve said no. I’m not personally comfortable with the idea of someone else having his baby. But I know that you would have accepted that choice and not tried to push me. Same as you’ll accept whatever decision Jungkook makes.”

“Yeah, she’s right. We love you, and we know you love us which is why you felt you could ask this of us. I’m more than happy to help my best friend start her family and I know that Dahyun has made you happier than anyone else has over the years. If everything works out then I’m going to be the coolest aunt ever.” Grinning brightly, Soyeon manages to succeed in making Chungha laugh softly.

Getting up, you rush off to the bathroom before coming back and handing her some tissue and make-up remover wipes to clean up her face. A brief smile of gratitude is given to you before she proceeds to scrub at her face.

“You’ll both be great auntie’s. Even if you’re not going to be hugely into the whole thing.” She’s looking at you then, wry amusement in her eyes as her lips twist slightly. Feeling heat spread in embarrassment at her words, you shrug and murmur an apology.

“Don’t worry, we won’t push anything on you. That is, even if it manages to happen. Who knows, maybe we’ll get approved for adoption super quick and we go through that first instead? I have no idea what’s going to happen.” At that moment, Ciri decides to make her presence annoy with a shrill yap.

Looking down at the floor, you chuckle at the sight of her annoyed face that she got pushed off the couch. Reaching out, she jumps up and wiggles herself so that she’s half on Chungha and half on you.

“Okay, I think we’ve had enough emotional and in-depth talks for today. Or at least, for this hour. How about we put on YouTube and just start watching animals being funny? Cheer us all up.” Reaching out for the controller, you exit Netflix as Soyeon nods.

The conversation isn’t quite over, you can tell that much, but you know that for now it’s just being put onto the back burner. You don’t have much more participation you can give the whole thing given you’re not being involved in it, but you’re sure that Chungha and Soyeon will talk everything out much more in-depth before Soyeon asks Jungkook.

It’s an important topic but given Chungha’s emotional nature right now, you don’t want to push it any further just yet. Instead, you figure it’s time to lighten the mood a little before any more serious talk can be had.

“Find one of those TikTok compilations, they’re so funny.” This comes from Soyeon as she points at the screen.

“What? No way, you have to watch like 20 TikTok’s to find one funny one. Vine was so much better.”

“Those are fighting words.”

[mini-moongi]

For Rent || Jin

Genre: Fluff, angst, comedy(?), Jin x asexual!reader

Warnings: mentions sexy times and multiple funky fresh sex themes but no actual frisky actions cause I ain’t about that,,

Summary: Bts is a line of men who can be rented for various sexual activities. One night, Kim Seokjin hits the jackpot of being rented for a whole month. When he shows up with all of his “gear”, the last thing he expects is to become a live-in fiancé with a girl who isn’t into sex.

This is a Fem!reader 

A/N: This was supposed to be a quick oneshot drabble, but it’s 3.6k words..... anyways, Happy Birthday @ahgassok​ !! this is for you :)

────── ☽. ✧₊∘ ──────

Seokjin get’s called into the office after his latest gig. He walks in, still dressed up in a suit and tie because his client requested it, and takes a seat across from his boss.

 “Seokjin, you’re really moving up the ladder these days, aren’t you?” His boss smiles warmly at all of the attention Jin has been getting. Seokjin does have to admit though, he wasn’t a popular choice on the roster when he first joined, but that doesn’t quite mean his ranks have been smooth sailing either. “I have very exciting news for you, kid.”

“What is it, Boss?” Seokjin questions. This could go in two very different directions. He was either getting promoted, or he was being sold to a bigger company. 

“A client wants to rent you out for a whole month.” The big boss man is beaming to high heavens when he announces it to Seokjin. Jin’s eyes widen at the thought of someone wanting him for a whole month, let alone the sheer thought of how much that costed them was enough to send shivers down his spine. 

“...what?” Jin responds as an afterthought. Most people would rent by the hour with him. This was the most common and usual source of income; Clients want a one night with no guilty conscience of the other party, and that was fine. Being rented for a few days or even a week, however, was a big deal within the group. Seokjin hadn’t ever had a client for a whole week, but his much more popular and younger coworkers had. He remembers the story Jungkook told him about being rented out to a sorority group for a week, and then being called back by them for another fun weekend in Miami.

But being rented for a whole month? And it wasn’t an already existing client, it was someone entirely new to him. The Head Honcho gives him a rundown of company manners, and Jin can only nod dumbly as he tries to soak up all of the new information. He receives the client’s list of likes and dislikes, and in a blink of an eye, he finds himself walking back out the way he came.

Taehyung is the first to approach him; it’s the next day when Jin is packing all of his clothes from the company dorms. “I heard the big news, Hyung!” Taehyung exclaims. Out of all of the members, Taehyung was the only one who’d get rented out by the months. People requested odd jobs from him. Once, he got called in to model for a magazine company and then have sex immediately afterwords with the manager. “I’m so proud,” Taehyung feigns a sob-like expression,” My Kim Seokjin is finally getting the kind of work he deserves.”

“How do you do it, Taehyung?” Seokjin continues to fold his clothes neatly into a suitcase. “I don’t even know who I’m going to be spending all of this time with. What if.. what if they turn out to be some secret trafficking network? What if I get thrown into an underground mafia cult?”

“You’ll be fine,” He pats Jin on the shoulder. “Our company holds strict regulations and runs background checks on every client. I do admit, though,” Taehyung lulls his head to one side,” clients like these are always unpredictable.”

A good night’s rest and suddenly he finds himself standing in front of the client’s door. He didn’t really know what kinds of sex toys to pack since their form was answered in the most unconventional way possible. Instead of a list of kinks and turn ons, there were written-in answers, so he only knew that she:

1. really enjoyed baking, but isn’t very good at it. He wasn’t sure if this person had a sweets kink or something, but he wasn’t going to complain about whipped cream foreplay. 

2. liked a more domestic approach to love. Want’s to be called Love, Honey, sweetie, baby, etc.

and that was it. Other than her name, age, and birthday, that was it. It did say that she wasn’t a virgin, but maybe she wanted to have the “first time” experience with someone again? Jin decided to pack more normal toys, vibrators, dildos, condoms, and whatnot. Taking a deep breath, he knocks on the door.

When it opens, he sees the girl from the profile picture he was given. The reality was closing in on him that he was really going to spend a month with her. “..uh, hello, my name is Kim Seokjin, and I--” He’s caught off guard when she wordlessly takes his hand and gently pulls him inside.

Her home is relatively small, but it’s so minimalistic and clean that it looks like it came straight out of ikea. “Your profile said that you majored in acting, right?” his client asks him, and he’s suddenly scrambling to make a good impression.

“Yeah, I... I was an acting major.” He smiles at her.

She doesn’t say anything else, so he comes up to the kitchen island. Jin watches as she busies herself in the kitchen, making a milk tea of sorts. Your initial impression on him was calm and collected: you seemed neat and organized like your living space. What he notices however, is the way her hands are trembling ever so slightly as she pours the drink into two glasses. He realizes that even as sweet and pretty as she was, there wasn’t a smile. You were biting the inside of your cheek, and trying to take subtle deep breaths.

“Your name is y/n, right?” He waits for you to nod before he continues. “I don’t want to overstep any boundaries here, but,” Jin looks into y/n’s eyes,”....is there something bothering you?”

Immediately, the illusion that y/n worked really hard on started to crumble. All of the composure she had completely left her body in one shaky sigh. “I’m.. I’m so sorry I have to drag you into this.” She slides him one of the drinks as she perches herself on a nearby stool. “I know you’re supposed to be like my sexy fun time man, but I’m ace, so that’s kind of out of the question.” Y/n stares into her cup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“....Then why am I here?” Jin wonders aloud. He doesn’t mind the fact that you’re not into intercourse like he is, but then again, doing the do is kind of his job.

“My dad,” y/n swallows the lump forming in her throat. “he’s started bothering me with questions about my love life. I felt bad, being in my late twenties and all, so I told him that I was engaged. Last week, he told me he wanted to meet my fiancé and that he was going to stay here for a few weeks starting next week.”

Jin stares at her in disbelief, what has he gotten himself into? “And you’re telling me that I’m.... I’m the fiancé?” 

A dry laugh escapes her lips, and if it weren’t for the absurdity of the situation, Jin would tell her how pretty she was. “Yeah,” She looks at him, finally letting herself take in his features. An oversized hoodie was draped over his large body with black ripped skinny jeans hugging his legs for dear life. There isn’t a hint of anger written on his face, only a comforting (albeit a little shocked) smile. “My dad owns a pretty big company, and he recently had a near death experience. Ever since then, everyone’s been breathing down my neck making sure I was stable in every way possible. And I mean every single fucking way. ”

“Why?” Jin quips. He takes a sip out of her concoction, praying that she didn’t slip him a drug of any sort. Holy shit, it was the best thing he ever came across since discovering Jungkook’s fursona. It takes everything in him to not make some weird howl of pleasure at the utter euphoria his tastebuds were experiencing.

“So, when he inevitably passes,” she grimaces,” I’ll be able to take over. I love my old man, and I was hoping that he could retire before I see him drop dead in the middle of his office one day. He always tells me it’s harder to fall in love after people learn about what position you’re in. Hence this weird must-already-have-a-fiancé rule.” A smile barely ghosts her lips before she takes a sip of her drink,” Sorry; I’ll understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with my soap opera-esque situation.”

He quietly sips his drink, lost in this pool of new information. Surprisingly, he’s been calm this whole entire time. If he’d been thrusted into this situation years ago, he’d have flipped out in a not so good way. Thank god he found his big boy pants before this; he genuinely wanted to help y/n. She seemed to be really considerate, and he wanted to stay. At the very least, she’d probably be able to make a killer margarita with drink skills like these. “Out of the whole line-up, why’d you choose me?”

She’s stunned for a moment before replying,”Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s just,” Jin swirls the drink with his straw,” I’m sure I wasn’t the first name to pop up on our page.”

“Oh,” Y/n tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. A light blush sweeps across her cheeks, and she clears her throat. “..Is it weird you somehow fit my ideal type? I guess if I had to pick something, it’d be the way you smile.”

The reply was so simple, and yet it struck a chord with him. Usually when he asks, they say they like his plump lips or his feet, and if he was unlucky enough, they’d tell him he was convenient. Jin chuckles,” Y/n, are you trying to flirt with me? I’m already yours, but knock yourself out, baby.”

The first few days were awkward, to say the least. Jin on the job, but not doing his job, was hard to get used to. He’d often wake up and wonder where he was, only to remember the agreement he made days ago that started it all. This morning was much like the other ones: brief seconds of confusion followed by acceptance. Y/n’s house was nice, but after his conversation, she grew a little distant; the house felt emptier when she didn’t talk to him.

Jin rolls out of his bed, and trudged into the kitchen. This morning, he woke up earlier than her. Deciding that if he was hired to be a fiancé, he was going to be the best damned fiancé that she’d ever have. 

That morning was different from your usual mornings. You woke up to a sweet smell lingering in the air. In the early morning haze, you half dress yourself and wander into the kitchen area. The low sizzle of the pan greeted your ears, and Jin’s broad shoulders stood hunched over the stove. He notices your presence, and turns around with a smile, the pan still in his hands. 

“Good morning, sweetheart.” He says.

“...good morning?” Your brain is still trying to wake up and process what’s happening. “Am I dreaming right now?”

The response is just lighthearted chuckle. “I’ve made pancakes, do you want some?”

You nod without hesitation. The smell had your mouth watering, and the thought of its taste was like music to your ears. He slides a plate in front of you and pulls the syrup from the fridge. You both dig in, savoring the fluffy taste of pancakes. 

“You know, I’ve got to ask,” Seokjin starts,” what about the rings? We’re supposed to wear some, right?”

If you weren’t awake earlier, that question really woke your stupor. “oh.” was all that came out of you for a painfully long time. “...So you’re really okay with this?”

“It might be the weirdest job I’ve taken on, but yeah. I’m ready to fuck around if you are--- but not literally, I promise. I know how to keep my dick in my pants.” He laughs.

You’re relieved that he’s actually okay with this. The past few days, you were waiting for your proposition to sink in and see him leave whilst waving around a middle finger in the air. A breath you’ve been holding in finally came out. “Okay, I’ll go get the rings. I’ll be back in a sec.”

When you return, he’s still sitting there at the counter, patiently waiting for you. A part of you wished your past lovers were like this in real life: someone who’s this patient and kind can only be bought, you suppose. You open up the velvet box, revealing the two rings that were a part of your elaborate plan. 

“May I?” Seokjin breathes out. You nod and watch him carefully pick up the ring meant for you. He stifles a laugh and clears his throat. “Miss Y/n L/n, will you marry me for like, a month?”

“Yeah,” you smile. He slips the ring onto your finger, feeling the cool metal against your skin. It’s shiny and beautiful; it’s the perfect wedding ring. Of course, you did pick it out yourself and vividly recalling sweating bullets when asked any questions regarding your marriage. 

You pick up his ring and giggle a little to yourself; by Monday, you’d have to play the biggest game of pretend in your life. “Mr. Kim Seokjin, will you marry me for a month?” He gasps and fakes a shedded tear.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

------

You go on multiple dates and try to fabricate your story before Monday arrives. He’s much funnier than you anticipated him being, and he’s really good company to be around. “I almost choked Jimin out for not cleaning my fucking dildos. Like, who does that to a guy who lets you borrow them in the first place?” 

Your stomach hurts so bad from how much you’re laughing. Shrek 2 is playing, but it’s long forgotten as it turns into background noise. Jin relays his very bad experiences on the job, and his stories are so outlandish that you sometimes question the validity of it. “Are you kidding me? Remind me to never let him borrow my socks. I don’t trust him after everything you’ve told me.” 

Jin his desperately holding back his laughter, but the dam breaks soon enough. Monday morning arrives, and exactly at 10 in the morning, the doorbell rings. You make eye contact with Jin,”It’s show time.” You whisper.

You open the door and greet your father. “Y/n! I’ve missed you so much,” he hugs you closer than before, and you can’t help but smile at your dad’s affection. 

“Dad, this is my fiancé that I’ve told you about, his name is Kim Seokjin.” You watch as your old man’s face lights up, and he eagerly rushes over to him. Your father takes JIn’s hand in his and shakes it with enthusiasm. “You’ll have plenty of time to say hello.” You giggle.

After you and Jin get your father’s things settled into the guest bedroom, everything starts to sink in a little too well. Earlier you agreed that it’d “be weird if you didn’t sleep in the same bed together” and so, all of Jin’s items moved into your room, sex tools included. “What should we do about dinner? I feel like it might get weird at the table together.” He whisper-yells to you. Fear gripped onto his body,”What if I accidentally talk about Yoongi’s butt plug accident?”

It takes everything in you to not bust out in giggles right there in the guest room. “You’ll be fine, Jin,” You set the last of his things by the bedside table. “Just please, watch your mouth.”

Just as you both suspected, dinner was very awkward. “So, how did you meet my daughter?” Your dad asks as he picks away at his food.

“Oh, uh,” Jin glances over at you. There was no way to really know what you were thinking, but a subtle thumbs up soothed his worries a little. “We met at a mutual friend’s party. Yeah,” he smiles,” It was at Namjoon’s book club celebration when we first met.”

“You should’ve seen it dad. I’d have never thought that book clubs were so wild before,” you absolutely sell it to the big guy. Your elaborate stories and too accurate to be fake details worked. 

The rest of dinner went smoothly, in fact, the rest of your dad’s stay was absolutely fucking perfect. Jin was able to use his PG 13 humor (re: dad puns) and fortunately, your dad likes stale jokes. Everything was going great, and you’d even convinced your dad that retirement was a good idea.... that is, until today.

“....but didn’t you say that you met at a book club?”

You looked over at Jin like a deer caught in the headlights. Crap, you just told that you two met online. Jin notices your panicked expression. If this mission fails, Jin will have been royally fucked sideways like a sock puppet. “We first talked online, but we met in person during the book club meeting!!” He stammers out.

The tension built up inside of you faded away, and you make a note to remind yourself to tell Jin how big-brained he is. You don’t really know what’s happened to you and Jin, but all morning there have been slip-up after slip-up after slip-up. (after yet another slip-up.) 

Your father isn’t fully convinced though, and you fear that he’s caught on. “...I don’t know if I believe you right now.” uh oh. He squints at the two of you as you both sweat profusely with nervous smiles upon your faces. “Seokjin, why do you want to marry my daughter?”

Jin looks at you, but your dad keeps pressing on. “How can I be sure that you love her, and this isn’t some big ruse to run away with all of our money? I can see that y/n loves you to death, but for some unknown reason,” He stops to cross his arms. “I just feel like there’s something you’re not telling me. I don’t want to have to do a background check on you, so your best bet is to come clean.”

Jin takes a deep breath. “Sir, with all due respect, I think that if we told you how we’d actually met, you wouldn’t take our relationship seriously. I love y/n, I love her absolutely to the moon and back.” Jin grabs your hand firmly in his and gives it a gently squeeze. He looks at you and the soothing words part from his lips. “Even after you fly back home, I plan to spend my life with her, regardless of what you say.”

At this point you’re not sure where he’s going with this. The longer he talks, the more it sounds like the words are directed at you. “The truth is, we aren’t really married.” Jin looks back at your dad, who furrows his brow at the complex lie he was told the past month. “--But if this is what it’s like to be married to y/n, I think it might actually happen.”

“What? Jin I--” You’re unbelievably shocked. He just revealed to your dad that no, sorry pops, your only child isn’t married to a super cool guy. The possibility of actually being married to Jin perplexed you, though. Is this still the actor in him talking, or is he saying the truth? 

“Look,” your father sighs,” I don’t know what situation you’ve put yourself in to pretend you’re married, but damn it all to hell if you don’t actually marry this boy.” Your dad breaks out into a grin, signifying that Jin has passed the test. “If you don’t make him my son-in-law, I’ll find a way to do it myself.”

You’re still paralyzed as you watch your dad engulf Seokjin in a hug. Your dad looks happy to have met Seokjin, and vise versa. They get along better than peas in a pod, you realized. When this mission is over though, will you ever see Jin again? Already you’ve begun to miss his laughter. The way he sings in the shower, the way he pushes up his glasses while he’s reading, the way he says I love you; you’re going to miss it. All of it.

Like a final curtain call, the deal is over. You hand Seokjin an envelope containing the cash you owe him for his service. He takes it, and he places it onto his packed suitcase. Your eyes never leave his figure, and you watch as he gets up to be more leveled with you. “Y/n,” He says. “I meant what I said the other day; we may not be married now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t propose in the future.”

“This is your job talking right?” You laugh, but it lacks the usual give of happiness. “Don’t think it’s going to give you a bonus, hot stuff.”

“I’m serious.” He looks at you tenderly,” I actually really like you, you know. Hoseok regularly fucks a big corporate guy, so I have discounts at every Starbucks location if you wanna go out somewhere.” His thumb glides over the ring on your finger, lost in thought for a moment. “Call me a pool noodle and ride me backwards, but I think I’m going to miss you too much to actually leave.” 

“...Besides, I think the ring on my finger is stuck so--” he drawls out.

You snort in surprise, giggles bubbling from inside of you. Genuine ones this time. “I was going to miss you too, but I won’t have to if you’re not leaving.”

“I never really planned on it, sweetheart.”

────── ☽. ✧₊∘ ──────

A/N: my brain..... ‘tis empty...

[yoongi-sugaglider]

The story of a Goddess and a Demi God,star crossed lovers whose story was lost to the complexity of history. The truth is they were wronged. All because of the jealousy of a brother. Can they escape their fate in a modern age? Can reincarnation allow her to finally reunite with the ones who loved her?

genre: angst ; reincarnation/Greek mythology au ; werewolf au

pairing: Yoongi x reader; ot7 x reader ; ft: Ateez

warnings: abusive relationship, physical abuse towards reader, vengeful ot7, inaccurate description of Ateez as aggressive (they’re sweet babies I swear! But Eomma needed a bad guy), fighting, character death, of age drinking (more to be added mayhaps?)

word count: 3548

tag list : @w1tchcraftt 

“Apollo!” 

The sun god glanced up from the arrows he’d been inspecting, grinning brightly as he watched his twin dance along the path leading away from the shoreline. Barely breathing heavily the young woman collapsed to his side, leaning her head against his thigh and smiling up at him as she watched his deft fingers wrap the stone arrow tips with the golden strands of his hair.

“I swear you’re going to go bald one day if you keep that up.”

He scoffed, nudging her side with his thigh and shoving her away as he held up a glowing arrow. “These are the strongest and most deadly arrows in all of Olympus. Surely one would want the most unbreakable of string in order to ensure and maintain that title?”

Artemis cocked an eyebrow at him, leaning back on her hands as she eyed the arrow waving in her face. “And that involves your hair how?”

“Why the hair of a god is the mightiest of mighty!” Apollo puffed out his chest causing the sun to radiate even brighter in response as he peacocked in front of his sister.

“I stand by my statement Apollo. Bald does not suit you. Surely there are others you could harvest string from?”

Apollo strugged, tucking the completed arrow into the ever filling quiver at his side before beginning his work anew. “Tell me sister dear, it is rare for you to visit the shore. Surely you’re off on another hunt?”

Artemis smiled, her gaze softening as she glanced towards the sky. The sun hung high in the sky above them, shining it’s life giving light upon the world. Just above the horizon hung the moon, barely a spot in the sky and yet seeming to seek out the light of her brother.

“We were resting. The hunt begins tonight, but Orion wanted to visit his brothers and swim in the sea.”

“You’re too soft on him Artemis. Allowing a half blood man to accompany you. The other Gods won’t take kindly to it if you continue this any longer.” Apollo frowned, eyes following his fingers as he wove feathers into one end of his current project. All the while though he watched his sister, watched the way her face fell at the mention of the other Gods.

“They can all rot. With the amount of women Zeus alone takes to bed I doubt my hunting companion has any bearing on whether I perform my duties or not.” The moon Goddess sighed, standing to her feet and brushing away the dirt and dust on her leather skirts.

“And what about me?” Apollo barely spoke above a whisper but Artemis caught the words nonetheless.

“We used to hunt together all the time Artemis. I am your twin am I not?” Apollo glanced up at his sister, eyes filled with a pain she’d not seen in him before, and another emotion, one she hoped she was misunderstanding.

“Brother dear.” Crouching before the golden God she cupped his cheeks in her hands, sending him a soft smile as she spoke.

“Nothing can ever change how I feel about you. Favored human or not you will always be my favorite hunting partner.” Her eyes danced between his, hoping he could hear the sincerity in her voice. “You will always be my brother.”

The strange emotion intensified,causing a moment of fear to wash over Artemis. Apollo stood, arrow gripped tightly in his hand as his gaze moved from her to a tiny black spot bobbing in the far off ocean waves.

“It’s not enough.” The golden God muttered. A rage filled him, tinged green on the edges as he raised the arrow before him.

Artemis stood quickly, eyes wide and panic causing her voice to waver. “Apollo?”

“I’ll not allow a human, demi or otherwise to come between us.” A golden light washed over them as Apollo plucked his brilliant golden bow from the rays of the sun. The arrow in his hand shimmered, turning to pure silver as he allowed the jealousy in his heart to take hold.

Drawing the string on his bow he knocked his arrow, shoving a screaming Artemis to the side and letting the arrow fly free.

In an instant the arrow found its mark and the black dot floating in the sea sank from view.

***

 “Hyung, your phone’s ringing.” Tae darted over to the cd player, cutting the audio and plunging the dance practice room into relative silence besides the sound of 7 heavily breathing men and the melodic tones of Yoongi’s own piano playing as it spilled from the speakers of his phone.

Yoongi shuffled past the collapsed forms of Namjoon and Jimin, choosing to ignore their weary and somehow grateful expressions as he snatched his phone up and held it up to his ear.

“Y/n?”

“Hi Yoongi, I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

Yoongi couldn’t help the wistful smile that teased at his lips. “No, we were just finishing up dance practice. Did you need something?”

“I kind of do actually. But if you’re busy I can call back later?”

A chorus of no’s resounded through the room. Despite him not having the phone on speaker the others had heard her no problem. She giggled on the other end, not paying it much mind as this was so very typical of them.

“Alright boys, sorry to interrupt dance practice. But I’ve got business to discuss with Min Genius. I’ll be borrowing him for about an hour or two.” 

The room went from a series of relieved sighs to cheering in a matter of moments. Yoongi smiled, hanging up the call after confirming the details of their meeting place, a coffee shop the two liked to frequent.

“Hyung!” Jungkook jogged over. A towel dangled loosely from his grip as he watched Yoongi pack his practice gear away.

“What is it Kookie?” Yoongi paused in his movements, giving the younger man his full attention.

“Just, I know what you’re thinking, and I just hope that you go a bit easier on her this time around.”

Yoongi shrugged, draping his gym bag over his shoulder and sweeping the blonde locks out of his eyes. “I can’t keep coddling this Kookie. If we don’t do something…”

“Hyung, we aren’t running out of any kind of time. I know it feels like it whenever a new lifetime begins but… we have the ability to be patient. It was bred into the 6 of us. I know it’s harder for you and I know you feel like the stakes are higher for you. And maybe they are. But we all love her.” Jungkook sighed, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. “Just…”

Shaking his head Jungkook turned away, obviously irritated with himself for not being able to express himself properly. Yoongi reached out, gripping his shoulder gently and turning Jungkook to face him.

“I know. I get it.” He gave his brother a soft smile, eyes creasing as he pulled him in for a hug. “I’ll try, okay? For all of us.”

***

The coffee shop was a crowded mess of humans and smells. Fresh brewing coffee and pastries warming beneath the heated lamps in the display cases. Yoongi chose a seat at the back, close enough to the rear exist to provide an easy escape and yet aligned perfectly to give him full view of the large front window and entrance.

He didn’t have to wait long though. The faint sound of the front doorbell jingling sounded over the dull murmur of the cafe’s patrons, drawing his attention to the radiant form striding towards his table. 

“Yoongi hi! Thanks for meeting me.” Pulling her messenger bag over her head she took her seat. No matter how many times he saw her, her brilliant smile never failed to leave him stunned for words.

“Your hair…” His whispered words barely reached her over the barista shouting out his order number.

Excusing himself quickly from the table he moved to the counter, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. She’d cut her hair, something she’d never have done before. He glanced back at her as he balanced the tray filled with their drinks and her favorite pastry. It now barely reached to her shoulders and the sight of it set off all sorts of alarms in his mind. Coupled with the sunglasses she had yet to take off despite the overcast sky outside and the fact that they were indoors set his thoughts racing and his blood boiling.

“Aish, thank the stars for you Yoongi.” She wiggled her fingers towards him as he walked back to the table,her fingers grabbing at the air like a child as he chuckled warm heartedly at her antics.

Taking her drink off the tray he handed it to her. She accepted graciously, inhaling the steam coming from the mug and releasing a purr like hum of pleasure . “Mmm.”

Passing off her pastry he placed his own order on the table before returning the tray and coming to sit across from her. “So, you needed to talk to me about something?”

“Ah, that’s right!” Dabbing her lips with a napkin she reached into her bag, pulling out a manila envelope and passing it over to Yoongi.

Delicate fingers flipped open the copper prongs, a smile lighting his face as he pulled out a sheaf of papers all stapled together with her name and the title of her latest book printed on the front page.

“You finished it!” He grinned, flipping through the pages and admiring her latest handy work as she looked on with pride and an unbridled joy.

“I managed to finish typing up the last chapter this morning.”

“So my advice worked? The writer’s block is gone huh?” He paused in scanning over the ending, eyes seeking out her own and finding her mouth full of pastry and a bashful look of embarrassment in her eyes at being caught stuffing her face.

Yoongi waited patiently as she chewed, smiling when she nodded and finally swallowed.

“Yeah! I didn’t even know binaural beats were a thing until you brought them up.”

He shrugged, carefully returning the pages to their folder and placing them on the table so that he could enjoy his coffee while it was still hot.

“Most people can’t handle them honestly. The tones can make them dizzy or nauseous if they don’t know what they’re getting into. But I figured you’d be able to handle it.” as he spoke his eyes glanced towards the entrance, always aware of the number of people entering and leaving the establishment and their proximity to himself and the woman sitting across from him.

As y/n continued to rave over her newfound writing aid he allowed his eyes to wander over her form. She still had yet to remove the sunglasses and despite the relative comfort of the temperature in the cafe, her long winter coat remained in place. His mind took note the beads of sweat forming on her nose, the way she winced when one particular hand movement caused  her arm to knock into the wall beside her and the way she flinched and allowed her body to tense up from the contact and what he could only assume were bruises on her arm that she was trying to hide.

He reached out, subconsciously seeking out her wrist and watching in rising anger as she jerked her hand away from the contact. The two stared down at his open hand on the table top, his gaze intense and burning and hers guilty and almost fearful.

“Yoongi I…”

“He’s been hurting you again hasn’t he?” His tone wasn’t accusatory. On the contrary his voice was soft, words gentle as he closed his hand into a fist and slowly allowed it to fall into his lap.

She lowered her head, focus pinpointed on her lap as her mind seemed to race for something to say.

“I…I um…it was an accident. He was angry and I really shouldn’t have pushed him. I just…”

“Y/n please.” He reached for her again, grateful when she didn’t flinch away from him this time and allowed him to carefully hold her hand in his loose grip. “You’ve got to see this is wrong. That what he’s doing to you is awful and that you deserve so much better than this.”

Whispered words followed her, a broken cacophony of lyrics spinning through her mind as she attempted to make sense of what was going on before her.

Yoongi watched her mind work, knowing that what he’d just said would either turn her against him or guide her back to the joyful woman he’d fallen in love with so many eons before.

“Y/n? Talk to me…please?”

She shook her head, eyes clenched shut as if not seeing him could drown out his words.

“No Yoongi…not this time. Not right now…I…I have to go…”

Standing quickly she grabbed her bag, flinching as the chair scraped loudly against the linoleum floor. She grabbed her folder and shoved it hastily into the bag, mumbling an apology and stepping away from the table, away from him. She threw him one last pain filled glance before she disappeared into the crowd and out the door.

He stared in despondence at the empty chair she’d just occupied. Once again she’d pushed him away. Once again she’d refused to hear the truth of her own reality. What would it take to get through to her? What would it take for her to see that he was only trying to save her from her own mistakes? From something that was basically killing her.

A growl escaped him, feral as the wolf within him. Fists clenched against cold unfeeling wood, claws threatening to break free and puncture the delicate skin of his palm.

He snapped to reality when the server came over, asking him to leave before his display of aggression chased away the timid customers around him. 

A nasty comment thrown over his shoulder later and he stood once more in the cold, unfeeling rain outside. Flipping the collar of his jacket up against the dripping wetness he turned towards his home, knowing the questions that would be launched at him, knowing the concern that would fill his brothers’ eyes as he told them that once more he’d failed to convince her. That once more he might have been moments away from losing her forever thanks to her hard headed determination to escape his unending concern.

“Hyung?” Jimin’s voice broke through the perpetual storm of his rage.

He glanced around, only just realizing that he’d made it home and now sat on the massive wrap around sofa in the living room of his dorm.

“Hyung did you hear me?” Jimin reached out a hand, eyes filled with sorrow for the stewing rage flowing off of Yoongi in waves.

Yoongi sighed, having to physically restrain himself from snapping at the young pup.

“Sorry Jimin. No, I didn’t hear you.”

“Ah..w…well the others are all at dance practice but…I could feel you were hurting and well I came home to sit with you…if…if you want?” The dancer reached his hand out, eyes seeming to plead with Yoongi to accept the invitation for a listening ear.

The wolf within retreated, gaining Yoongi a clear head that allowed him to reach for and clasp Jimin’s hand in his own.

“I…yeah. I’m sorry Jimin. I know how much practice means to you, I just…”

“She didn’t want to hear it again?”

Yoongi nodded, eyes closing as he leaned his head against the back of the couch. “I swear it’s like she enjoys living with all of that pain.”

“Now I highly doubt that.” Jimin chidded, lips pursed as he frowned at his weary elder. “She’s afraid hyung. Probably too afraid of what it could mean to be happy. Of what it could mean to finally be free.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Yoongi raised his free hand to clench at the blonde hair swept over his forehead. “I mean who doesn’t want to be happy?”

Jimin patted his hand, mulling over his words for a moment.

“Well. She spent her whole life in pain. Even before she met us she’d rarely ever smiled, let alone had a moment where she could just exist and be a person right? At least that’s what I understood from what she told you.”

Yoongi nodded, tilting his head to the side to watch Jimin from half opened eyes. “Her childhood was fucked, teen years were trash, young adult years were shitty. Hell even now her life is a burning dumpster fire. That’s why I don’t get why she won’t let me help her?”

“Hyung… okay.” Jimin slid forward, eyes bright as a thought came to mind. “Do you remember 70 years ago when that cult invaded our territory and no matter what we did to kick them out they just kept throwing themselves at our claws?”

Yoongi grunted, not quite following Jimin but deciding to play along anyway. “Yeah, those religious freaks even had Joon baffled.”

Jimin nodded, a slight grimace coming over him as he continued. “The problem with them was that they’d been brainwashed right?” Yoongi nodded. “They’d been basically forced to live and work and act a certain way until they basically didn’t know anything else other than what their leader told them was the truth.”

“Yeah, I remember. That sick fuck had them convinced we were demons come to eat their babies or some shit so we ended up having to wipe them all out because they just kept coming back with new recruits n shit.”

“Yeah…well basically she’s going through the same thing.”

“What?? There’s no way. I’d know if she had joined a cult!”

“Hyung, focus here.” Jimin chuckled, patting his elder on the shoulder as he’d sat up in a rage and was now squeezing the blood flow from Jimin’s hand.

“I don’t mean she’s joined a cult. Okay look. When she was a kid you said her mom used to beat the crap out of her right? Not to mention the fucked up shit her ex did to her right?”

Yoongi growled at the memory of her telling him that exact story, remembering the deadness in her eyes as she told it as if it’d happened to someone else and not her.

“Who the fuck does that to their girlfriend??” Yoongi jumped up from the couch, tugging at his hair as he began to pace restlessly.

“She told you what her mom would do right? Telling her she wasn’t allowed to think of herself as pretty, not allowed to be selfish by asking for things and always being forced to put her younger brother and sister before her own needs right?” Jimin watched Yoongi’s restless movements, noticing the shadow of his tail and ears beginning to form.

“Yeah. And then when she got with that dumb shit from podunk nowhere he did the same shit to her, beating her and calling her all kinds of names and putting her down all the time…”

“She’s been hearing her whole life she’s not worth it. Not worth the joy, not worthy of being happy. Hyung…hyung!” Jimin had to shout to regain his elder’s attention. Yoongi’s head snapped to him, eyes glowing a golden honey as his canines sharpened and his claws began to twist and bend his fingers into strange shapes.

“She was brainwashed. Just like those cult followers her psyche was warped and twisted to believe these lies to the point that anything else that’s actually the truth sounds like some made up fantasy that could threaten her very wellbeing.”

As the truth began to dawn on Yoongi his form began to waver, melting back into the soft human form of a dejected man trying his best to understand and save his best friend, the love of his life…his soulmate.

“I…fuck…” He collapsed back onto the couch beside Jimin, eyes glazed as he stared up at the ceiling. “I…how did I never realize?”

“Because you were so busy being angry for her that you didn’t take the time to see the bigger picture, the whole picture.”

“J..Jimin…what do I do?”

Jimin’s heart twisted at the sound of Yoongi’s voice. The sound of a broken man searching for a way out of this pit of despair.

“If this were a human I’d tell you to give up on her and move on but…”

“You know I can’t. You know who she is…who she was…”

“I know hyung. And we all feel it, just as much as you do. But…well she found you first. It’s always been that way.” Jimin reached for Yoongi’s hand, pulling it into his lap and rubbing his thumbs gently over the elder man’s knuckles.

“We’ll figure this out hyung. Knowing what we know now I bet Namjoon hyung has an idea of what we can do to help her. We just gotta be patient okay?”

Though the newfound knowledge weighed heavily on his mind he nodded along to Jimin’s words, finding himself far too exhausted to think, let alone argue any further.

                                                       Chapter 2

[birbleafs]

[fic] Strange Creatures

Series: Artemis Fowl Rating: G Genre: Friendship & Humour, Post-series Character(s): Beckett Fowl, Myles Fowl, Mulch Diggums, Juliet Butler, Holly Short and Artemis Fowl II Summary: Mulch Diggums finds himself abruptly enlisted by the Fowl twins, Myles and Beckett, to create the best Eldest Brother’s Day gift for Artemis, much to Holly and Juliet’s amusement. A/N: Here’s my full piece for the Artemis Fowl Fanzine: A Fowl Mood! It was really fun to be part of this project - many thanks to the mods & fellow contributors for all their hard work. Thanks also to my bro Digi for being a wonderful beta ♥  There are still some leftover merch for sale if anyone’s interested. This fic is set a few years after The Last Guardian, without taking into account the events in The Fowl Twins (as I’d finished writing it last July). Fic can also be read on AO3. _______

“What strange creatures brothers are!” -Jane Austen- ~.*.~ Mulch Diggums was once again on the run and back to his old habits of skulking among dastardly rich Mud Men, pilfering trinkets and valuables from their homes. And once again, word of his not-quite-earnest—or legal, for that matter—endeavours soon reached the LEP’s ears. In fact, his current whereabouts had turned up as a flashing blip on Foaly’s screens when the centaur had been running one of his routine surveillance sweeps of the surface. That, however, is another story altogether, one that Foaly would happily indulge in if you let him. But Captain Holly Short is a busy elf—short on time and even shorter with patience. So alas, Foaly’s tale would have to be shelved. For now, at least.

So it was that Mulch found himself abruptly cornered by an LEP Retrieval squad in his own home—well, he was house-sitting at the moment, but hey, same difference—just as he was settling into a nice, warm mud bath. That’s the thing about the LEP. Always with the atrociously bad timing, never an ounce of tact. So much for being role models, upstanding fairies of the People. The last thing Mulch saw and heard was a deafening blast as the bathroom door burst wide open, and the zipping sound of a fabric-like netting whirling tight around him. There was a flurry of movement as he struggled in the velvet darkness enclosing him, before he found himself promptly hauled back to Haven City and into the dimly-lit interior of a drab holding room, sitting once again before Captain Short. “Holly! Mon chéri… Compadre!” Mulch cooed, tuning his natural dwarfish charm up a notch. “How’s my favourite elfin lady today?” “Cut the chatter, Mulch. I’m sure you know exactly why you’ve been detained.” Truthfully, Holly didn’t have any hard evidence for Mulch’s arrest this time—not yet, at least. But Mulch had hardly ever been innocent, even when he wasn’t actively committing a crime, so it wasn’t too difficult for her to pretend the LEP knew of his most recent of illegal endeavours (which they didn’t). Besides, she’d lost a stupid bet during a party several weekends ago, and—well. You reap what you sow. Holly made a mental note to never take another sip of a certain centaur’s home concoction of sim-alcohol, recreational study or not. Anyway, back to the plot: She had lost a bet and now she had to pull this dumb prank on Mulch in return for a favour for a certain Mud Boy’s family. Holly could almost hear said Mud Boy’s tired sigh of disapproval upon hearing of his friends’ latest shenanigans. Still, she’d also promised Artemis she would visit the twins soon and she figured this was a nifty way to kill two birds with one stone. Technically, it would be two Fowls and a dwarf. Holly chuckled at her own joke, certain that Artemis wouldn’t have appreciated that quip at all, figurative murder or not. Before Mulch had a chance to explain his innocence this time, Holly began listing down the years he’d have to serve, the cell block they had carefully picked out for him this time, the terribly cold draft they had made sure would pass into said cell every night. And just as Mulch was about to get suspicious, Holly shifted gears and offered a compromise instead. Even though he was still confused and rightfully wary of the sudden turn of events, Mulch tentatively accepted Holly’s deal. And soon, he found himself whisked away on a shuttle topside, piloted by the Captain herself. “So where are we headed?” Mulch asked once he’d settled comfortably into his seat. “Now that it’s just you and me, Captain… I’m allowed to be privy to the details of said ‘deal’, right?” Holly was tempted to reveal the truth then, but she figured it’d be funnier if she let the dwarf discover it for himself. Mulch was a crafty one, after all—it wouldn’t take him too long to realise what was really going on. She only gave him a knowing smirk and murmured ominously, “All things in good time, Mulch.” * From the E1 shuttle port at Tara, it was a quick jaunt to the Fowl Manor. Holly could already hear the voices of the twins drifting over the wind as they made their way past the last cluster of Artemis’ fairy roses and to where the twins and their nanny Juliet Butler were seated by the fountain in the courtyard. Seven-year-old Beckett Fowl was the first to glance their way; Holly could’ve sworn the child had canine-like senses, what with the way he had whirled around at their near-silent approach. He was the very picture of innocence as he bounced up to them, his radiant curls and bright-eyed stare reminiscent of an eager golden retriever puppy. “Holly’s here! And S’Mulch Dinggus!” Beckett squealed happily as he launched himself at her. Holly embraced him warmly, before waving a greeting to Juliet who stood patiently behind the boy. The dwarf tutted, unimpressed at the butchering of his name. “We’ve been through this the last time, little Mudskipper. It’s Mulch Diggums.” “That’s what I said,” Beckett giggled, turning back to look at Juliet. “S’Mulch Dinggus. Funny he can’t remember his own name.” Before Mulch could get a protest in edgewise, he was interrupted by a small, polite cough. He turned and saw a bespectacled, raven-haired Mud Child appearing by Beckett’s side. Myles Fowl had the same piercing blue eyes as his free-spirited twin, but unlike his twin, he was the seemingly more precocious and finicky of the two. He looked every bit the likeness of his eldest brother, Mulch noted humorously—from the meticulously pressed suit and tie to the neatly-combed dark hair. Heck, the kid had even perfected the infamous Fowl glare to an art form, crystalline and frigid as an Arctic winter. “You’re finally here as summoned, Mister Mulch,” Myles greeted solemnly. He ignored the wet, icky sounds of Beckett blowing raspberries beside him. “Took you long enough.” “Summoned?” Mulch frowned, before a thought struck him. He grinned toothily at Holly. “So that’s what this is about, eh, Captain Short? ‘Detained’, my hairy as—” “Language, Mulch,” Holly said, stepping on the dwarf’s toes all while matching his grin with a serene, innocent smile of her own. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry I had a Retrieval squad jump you back there in the house. But it’s not like you were likely to be agreeable and come quietly if you knew the Fowl twins had extended an invitation and personally requested for your…er, assistance.” “Is not invitatitions,” Beckett chirped as he chewed on a piece of purple beeswax crayon. “Arty said summons would do in the tongue of magicks, so we summons S’Mulch!” He gave a sagely nod, his mouth stained and flecked with purple now. Mulch gave Holly a look of disappointment. “Frankly, I’m hurt you think I’d even pass up the chance to humiliate my favourite Mud Boy, and what’s more, by teaming up with his own cute brethren. Okay then, little Fowl nuggets. What dwarfish advice would you need this time?” “First of all, we’re not nuggets,” Myles said coldly, just as Beckett clucked like a gleeful hen and made flapping motions with his arms. “I assure you that we are still one-hundred percent Homo sapiens, even if Beck has gotten very good at animal mimicry of late.” “I see this one’s got a great sense of humour,” Mulch observed drily. “Definitely Artemis’ brother.” “A-hem. As I was saying...” Myles scowled at the interruption, and Mulch held up a placating hand in apology. “Secondly, Beck and I, we thought it through for many weeks—Well, I did anyway. However, we weren’t able to make any significant progress in the lab even with Professor Primate’s expertise—” “Not quite sure where you’re going with this riveting story, kiddo,” Mulch muttered. “But I’m still listening, if that helps.” “—and after several failed attempts, we have conceded that we need help from someone with the right skills. Skills we do not yet possess.” Myles paused, his young face pinched with doubt. But his hesitation was fleeting, and he met both Mulch and Holly’s curious expressions with a determined gaze once more. “We want to throw Arty the best surprise Eldest Brother’s Day when he gets back,” the boy said. “So, would you please honour us, Mister Mulch, and teach us how best to make—” “Flatulence!” Beckett crowed as if on cue, punching a fist victoriously into the air. “Please, brother. Not this again.” Myles groaned. “You boys want me to teach you how to let a mighty rip?” Mulch asked, incredulous. “No, that’s not it!” Myles cried, exasperated. “Beck has gotten it all muddled! He means the fettling process used in pottery, not the crude effusion of intestinal gas!” He tugged frantically at Beckett’s sleeve, trying to stop his twin from belting out his favourite self-composed tune called A Song of Gas and Fire, to no avail. For two whole minutes, the group was forced to listen to Beckett’s high-pitched singing of “Pbbthh, pbbthh, rattle-boom! Gas and fire, gas and fire! Heave-ho, the window’s blown!” “Thanks, little Mudskipper, for that, uh, delightful performance,” said Mulch, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes once Beckett had finished his song. “I gotta say, you sure are a natural. But there’s still something I don’t really get. Why would you need my help for the surprise? Like don’t get me wrong, kiddos, I like you two enough. But what’s wrong with Holly or Juliet here, or even Butler himself? If anything, they’re better suited at picking out the mushy gifts...” He trailed off, thinking hard. “Well, I trust the Big Man’s taste for the sentimental, at least.” “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Mulch,” Juliet deadpanned, with only the slightest roll of her eyes. “It’s true Butler had some good suggestions for gifts, but this is a Fowl twins initiative, so we figured we’d let the kids decide on their own. Besides, Beck had other ideas.” “My ideas the best ideas!” Beckett chanted, beaming brightly. “We decided that we want to make Arty a sculpture for Eldest Brother’s Day.” Myles supplied, glancing at Mulch once again. “We know that Mister Mulch is highly attuned to the necessities of good clay work by virtue of his biological make-up— “S’Mulch is good with muds and gas! I wanna learn how to blast clay backwards too!” “—therefore, you are best suited to teach us how to sculpt and—” “And flatulence!” Mulch tried his best, he really did, but he couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. He didn’t know which was funnier: the thought of the twins gifting Artemis Fowl, ex-criminal virtuoso and menace of the People, a squishy caricature blob of his miniature being or Beckett performing a pompous and fartastical symphony of A Song of Gas and Fire for his dear eldest brother. Either way, he was rightfully tickled and the twins were in luck. Unbeknownst to many, Mulch had spent some time dabbling in pottery and sculpting with clay when he’d lived amongst the celebrity Mud Men; he had chalked it up as weird hobby of sorts.  “You Mud twins are hilarious,” he said, once his laughter had subsided and he’d managed to straighten himself up again. “All right, I’m sold on this crazy venture. I’ll help with the sculpting of a masterpiece for ol’ Arty-boy.” From the corner of his eye, he caught a glance of Juliet’s smug expression. Her lips were curved into a wide Cheshire grin as she tapped Holly’s shoulder expectantly. The elf only groaned, before she reached into her back pocket to fish out a single gold coin and slipped it into Juliet’s fingers. Mulch frowned at the exchange, throwing them his best hurt-puppy look. “Running a betting pool on me and for only a single gold coin? I’m affronted, ladies.” “You only wish your crooked mug is worth half a penny,” Holly shrugged. “I’m being generous because Juliet’s a friend.” “Aww, I knew you were a big old softie inside!” Juliet sighed happily, reaching forward to teasingly pinch the side of Mulch’s face. “Now that that’s settled, someone can finally knead clay with the kids and get some work done before Artemis gets home from his conference this weekend.” She quickly stepped away, disappearing into the nearby garage for several minutes before she returned carrying a craft box packed with an assortment of smaller items inside. “These rascals had me running to art stores all over Dublin the past two weeks looking for all kinds of overpriced play-dohs, and yet hardly asked if I could help them to sculpt!” She grumbled, not quite unkindly, as she shook the items out from the box, laying them out on a patch of grass before them. Holly looked over at Juliet in surprise. “I didn’t know you were into sculpting.” She thought of all the hours the young woman had spent whooping over her favourite wrestling matches on TV as a teen. “Never pegged you as the artistic type.” Juliet snorted. “Pfft, me? Nah, I don’t sculpt. That’s more a pretentious Artemis thing.” “Why would you expect the twins to ask you to teach them, then?” “Well, I’d like to be asked first, at least! I took the time to buy all these fancy play-dohs for them, didn’t I?” Mulch leaned forward in interest, looking over the packets of “play-dohs”. He spotted several labelled as Creative Paperclay—at least Juliet managed to get some of the good stuff. He grinned toothily as he rolled up his sleeves, feeling a spark of excitement at getting to work with clay again. “Okay then, kiddos. Let’s get cracking and moulding.” * “What’s this Eldest Brother’s Day thing you Mud Men celebrate like anyway?” Mulch asked. They’d made their way from the courtyard into the Manor basement where Artemis had set up a work space for Myles’ messier experiments and tinkering projects. The group stood now before the large experiment bench. Juliet covered the top with a large plastic mat, and turning the craft box over, shook packets of Creative Paperclay and several plastic and wooden crafting tools out on the bench. At Mulch’s question, she turned and gave him a strange look, brows furrowed. Then she let out a short laugh when she realised he was actually being serious. “Silly fairy,” she snickered, glancing over the top of Myles and Beckett’s heads before she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper: “There’s no such thing as Eldest Brother’s Day. It’s just something the twins came up with but I’m not going to ruin it for them and tell them it isn’t actually a thing. I’m not a monster, you know.” “We know it, Juliet,” Beckett said suddenly, blinking up at her with those large blue eyes filled with mischief and daring. “But Artemis’ a simple-toon—” Myles giggled at his twin’s use of their brother’s old nickname, even as he fought to keep his expression stoic. “—and simple-toons need Eldest Brother’s Day. So we celebrate.” Beckett finished with a nod, as though he’d just gifted both his human and fairy nannies with his brand of enlightenment. “Riiiight,” Mulch said, shaking his head. He figured some things were best left unasked and unexplained, especially when dealing with incorrigibly irreverent Fowl children. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for that impromptu alliteration (it was the playwright blooming within him, he was sure of it) and turned back to the project at hand. The twins had already decided early-on the sort of sculpture they had wanted to create. After ruminating over it weeks before, Myles had settled on recreating a 5-inch figure of Jayjay the silky sifaka, the fluffy white lemur whose whimsical escapades were often included in the bedtime stories Artemis read them. Beckett, on the other hand, had chosen to fashion an honorary tribute to Artemis’ late Syrian hamster, Lady Maeve, poised upright on her hind feet in an impassioned stance, gnawing away at a two-headed wyrm. Once the twins had sketched out their preferred designs on paper, Juliet pinned the sketches up on the cork board on the wall for easy reference. Then they got to work. Mulch placed two cups of water on the bench, and proceeded to show the twins how to gauge the amount they needed for their sculptures and how to knead the clay to warm it up and make it more malleable. “It’s a bit like baking extravagant pastries,” he said as he cut a block of clay into various-sized pieces. “You roll the individual shapes out like this and then stick them together to form a whole creature. Like an animal jigsaw puzzle, so to speak.” “They aren’t edible or taste any good though, not like pastries,” Holly added quickly when she noticed Beckett staring a little too longingly at the piece he’d been kneading. She tapped his fingers away just as the boy lifted the clay to his mouth for a quick nibble. “No tasting?” Beckett asked mournfully. “No tasting.” The elf shook her head. “But I do have some special treacle and espresso power bars from Haven City. It’s much better than consuming bland clay. I’ll let you have a bite later when we finish sculpting Lady Maeve, okay?” It seemed like a good bargain, so Beckett closed his mouth and chewed at his lower lip instead, rolling his clay pieces under his palms with renewed fervour. They continued shaping their pieces. Mulch showed the twins how to score the ends of the individual pieces they’d made for the limbs with a plastic knife. Then they connected the scored ends of the limbs to the body, blending the seams and smoothing it down carefully with their fingers and dabs of water. They continued in a similar fashion for the heads, noses, ears, and tails. Once the twins were satisfied with their sculptures, Mulch carefully placed the pieces on a cool, clean shelf to gradually dry and set over the next 24-hours. When they returned later to check on their work, the twins found the dried sculptures were now off-white and grainy to touch, quite unlike the squishy beige blobs they had been pinching and moulding with their hands the day before. “And now for a good splash of colour to make your pieces really pop,” Mulch said, dumping several tubes of acrylic paints and brushes on the bench with much more flair than necessary. He had a paint brush stuck behind one of his hairy ears—it helped him feel attuned with the art connoisseur in him. “Jayjay has a mostly pure-white coat,” Myles mused as he picked out a few choice colours, “but I think a gold accent to his fur tips, ears and tails would bring out his features more.” “Gold, huh?” Mulch looked over the boy’s chosen colour scheme with approval. “Good aesthetic you got there, Mudling.” “A very Fowl aesthetic for sure.” Holly couldn’t help the quip, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Artemis would certainly appreciate the touch. “Lady Maeve wants to be purple like rain,” Beckett declared solemnly, having been uncharacteristically silent for five whole minutes. “Purple? But Beck, Lady Maeve was a golden long-haired Syrian.” Myles tilted his head towards his twin. “If you paint her fur purple, Arty might not recognize her.” Beckett’s attention, however, seemed to be two steps ahead of the conversation. He’d already dipped his brush with paint and was dabbing streaks of purple all over the hamster’s body. “The Lady requests a cloak of purple rain, so purple she shall be.” The adults could barely stifle their chuckles while Myles groaned once again in defeat. He decided it was probably for the best and turned his attention back to painting his lemur. It was nearly noon when the twins added the last dabs of paint, after which Mulch proceeded to spray a coat of clear acrylic varnish over the sculptures to preserve and seal the colours. Then, he stepped several paces back from the bench to marvel at the fruits of their labour. “We have finished at last.” Myles’ voice was soft, awe pooling in his eyes. Hesitantly, he turned to Juliet and Holly, and then glanced back at the dwarf, searching for reassurance. “What do you think, Mister Mulch? Will Artemis like it?” Mulch rubbed at his beard thoughtfully. Both sculptures looked very much like what you would expect of two seven-year-olds’ valiant attempts at artisanal clay work. “Hmm.” He clicked his tongue lightly as he paced around the work bench, reaching into his inner art critic for the right words. “Now, Myles: Despite the crooked tail, you did a fairly good job at carving the fur textures on your lemur. Plus, adding gold accents to the white fur is very innovative and makes Jayjay glow nicely under the light. A very regal and classic touch overall.” Mulch came to a dignified pause before the second sculpture, rubbing his palms together as if in deep thought. “As for Beckett’s recreation of Lady Maeve: It seems far more… robust than the original, almost challenging anatomy and even physics itself. But the bright mixes of purple and gold contrasts nicely with the green and gore of the flailing wyrm, adding a surprising dynamism to the entire piece. All in all, two very good attempts, my young apprentices.” Holly and Juliet were already sighing halfway through Mulch’s needlessly opulent commentary, but even they agreed with the dwarf’s final assessment, much to the relief and delight of Myles and Beckett Fowl. * When Artemis Fowl the Second arrived home from his two-week long conference on Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation, he was surprised to be greeted only by an unusually silent living room, devoid of the typical sounds of playful bellowing and childish laughter. Leaving Butler to unload his luggage from the Bentley, Artemis wondered briefly at the absence of his two brothers and Juliet, their sitter, before he noticed a strange sort of rumbling noise and vibration coming from somewhere below him. Curious, he headed for the basement, moving cautiously towards the noise. It was there that he found the twins asleep and cuddled around a familiar rotund shape sprawled upon an old velvet sofa. The fairy had his head thrown back against the cushion and was snoring rather noisily. “Ah,” Artemis said, eloquent as ever. He steepled his fingers together, taking a moment to process the scene before him. “Arty…? Oh, you’re finally back.” Holly’s soft voice broke him out of his reverie. He turned to see his old friend curled up on a second sofa, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “Welcome home,” she yawned a greeting. “Juliet’s in the kitchen fixing up some snacks, I think.” “Hello, Holly. It’s good to be back among familiar faces again. It seems that I’ve missed quite a party while I was away…” Artemis trailed off when he caught sight of the strange creatures placed on Myles’ experiment bench. “They’re supposed to be a surprise for you when you returned. For Eldest Brother’s Day.” Holly explained when Artemis raised a delicate eyebrow. He lifted up one of the sculptures for a closer inspection, his forehead creased in confusion at what looked to be a purple rodent gnawing on a plump string of green linguine—Beckett’s. “Eldest Brother’s Day?” Artemis echoed. He reached for the second sculpture—Myles’ lemur—before walking over to take a seat beside Holly on the sofa. Holly stretched her arms as she sat upright. “It’s kind of a long story.” “I expect so. Do enlighten me, if you will.” “Well, let’s see...” Holly began, brushing the side of her cheek with a finger. “Once upon a time, there were a pair of twins who, Frond only knows why, admired and looked up to their chaotically unhinged older brother greatly.” Artemis gave her a slightly wounded look, pressing a hand to his chest in a show of mock offense. “I’m appalled, Holly. You of all people know I prefer calculating to chaotic. There is a method to my madness, after all.” “Ever the theatrical misunderstood genius, aren’t you?” Holly rolled her eyes, even if she couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped her lips. She nudged his shoulder playfully with her own, a show of affection. “Myles and Beckett adore you immensely—you know that, right?” Artemis beamed, warmed by Holly’s laughter and the comfort of being close to friends and family once more. He watched his sleeping brothers, curled closely towards each other much like two peas in a pod, before he turned his gaze back to the sculptures in his hands. “I know,” he said softly, still marvelling at the twins’ recreations of Jayjay and Lady Maeve. And for the barest of moments, in the quiet that stretch comfortably between them, Artemis Fowl knew that this may only be the start of the first (of many) Eldest Brother’s Day he would experience, but it was already a very good day nonetheless. And he was content. —End—

[so-hoseok]

The New Kid (5)

genre: fluff

words: 2.5K

Previous Chapters: 1 2 3 4

The next few days sneaking around with Jungkook were the best days of my life so far. We had a tradition where every time it turned 1:30am we’d leave the house and go wherever the world was taking up. We’d sometimes end up at this ice cream place that’s open 24/7, sometimes we went into the city and looked at the lights, but my favorite of all was when one of us were stressed or upset we’d go to the hill we went to during our first date and just lay there and talk things through. He honestly has changed my life for the better, I just wish we wouldn’t have to be sneaking around. I want him to come over and watch movies on my couch while cuddling, or go on dates when the sun was out and more to do. We both knew it couldn’t be that way because of my issue with Veronica and his issue with his parents. If they knew he was sneaking out late at a night with a girl, they’d take away his college funds and everything. We made a pact that we would never tell anyone about anything we were doing to make 100% sure nothing came out. As well as, everytime the date would be over (sometimes around like 6am before we had to leave for school at 7am) he would always play the same song, Sam Smith’s “Way to Good At Goodbyes” as i opened the door and walked to my front door. He was super a nerd, he would have a frown on his face and wave goodbye slowly as he started to fake cry. He made me so happy, a different kind of happy no one else could make me. We still hadn’t put a label on what we were which was okay with me, kind of. I mean, I liked doing what we had been doing but it would be nice to be called “his girlfriend” from time to time. I opened my front door as I heard Jungkook’s daily goodbye song fade away behind me as he went to pull around to his house. I slowly shut the door and walked to the living room as quietly as I could since my mother would probably still be sleeping. I peeked into her room and saw that it was empty, my heart sunk. What if she had been watching Jungkook and me from the moment we left the neighborhood to just now when we parted ways. I shut her door and walked into the kitchen noticing a single light from the living room was on.

“Hey honey, why are you up so early?” My mother said. She was sitting on the couch with some coffee and a book she was reading.

“Why are you awake?” I ask back trying to sound like I had just woken up.

“I couldn’t sleep, for some reason, I felt really anxious. I went to your room to see if I could sleep with you but you weren’t there.” She says with a stern tone in her voice. I hadn’t heard her speak like that since before dad died. My heart started racing and my hands were getting sweaty, was this the first time I was going to get really bad in trouble? I had never gotten in trouble before besides the occasional mishap here and there that she handled calmly and didn’t punish me.

“I...I... went for a jog.” I said.

“You went for a jog at 4am?” She said confused.

“Yeah, I woke up and suddenly got the urge to get out of the house and I didn’t want to wake you up so I left without notice,” I said, if I was going to get in trouble, I’d want it to be a small reason and not running around with a boy.

“Oh, okay. I guess that’s fine then. But make sure I know next time, I don’t care if you wake me up. I’d rather be woken up by you then an ambulance saying you’re dead.” She says taking a sip of her coffee.

“Yes, of course, I’m sorry,” I said smiling at her before making my way back to my room to rush and get ready for school. I sat at my vanity wondering if I should even put on makeup. I looked like hell but I was too tired that the thought of doing so made me wanna scream and cry. All of a sudden this light started flashing towards my window directly into my eyes. I looked out the window and saw Jungkook sitting near his window with his flashlight. I went to text him but he started flashing the light even more to get my attention. He put down his flashlight and grabbed a piece of paper and a marker. He sat there for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out which way to write the words so that I could read them because the whole trying to write things backward is pretty challenging. He finally finished and held his paper up to the window.

“My dad saw me come in the house and took my phone away, this will have to do for communication.” The note read. I felt sorry for him, that was the one thing he did not want to happen and it did. His parents must’ve been furious at him. I quickly searched my room for a paper and pen and started to write my response to him.

“We can be like Taylor Swift and that random guy in her music video.” I wrote back. Jungkook started laughing as he was writing down something else.

“I’m sorry but I don’t think we can do these dates anymore, at least for the time being.” He wrote back. My heart shattered, I wouldn’t get to spend alone time with Jungkook anymore. For the past 4 days, that’s all I’ve ever thought about and what made me happy. But I guess I understand, I’d want him to understand the situation if the same thing were to happen to me.

“I understand, we can stick to talking this way if that’ll be better.” I wrote back. His face lit up from happiness. Before he could write Yoongi walked into his room. He stood there for a few seconds talking to Jungkook, they looked like they were having a fight. Yoongi kept making eye contact with me and pointing in my direction and Jungkook was flailing his arms around angrily. I decided to let them have their privacy and closed my blinds. I wondered what they were fighting about but most likely it was just normal brotherly fighting. I quickly took a shower and got ready for school as the exhaustion hit me. I couldn’t pick up my shampoo I was so tired. I had to get to school to see who made the team but I knew I couldn’t last all day without crashing in the middle of the hallway. After my shower, I did all the normal steps to getting ready and went downstairs.

“Hey mom, is it okay if I leave school a little early today? I’m just not feeling well.” I asked my mom.

“Do you feel sick?” She asked as she put some food on my plate for breakfast.

“No, I’m just really exhausted and feel burned out,” I told her. Which wasn’t a total lie, I was really exhausted from being out so late every night but she didn’t have to know that.

“Yeah, I guess it’s all right. Just make sure you don’t have any tests or anything coming up you’d need to be there for.” She said smiling at me. I ran over to her and gave her a thank you kiss on the cheek as I grabbed my waffle and ran out the door. I had left the house pretty early so I pulled out my phone and went to call Veronica to see if I could just come over for a little bit.

“Hey..” I looked up from my phone and saw Yoongi sitting on the edge of my porch like he had been waiting for me.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked confused, why would he wait for me to talk to me when he had my number.

“I just wanted to ask you something, are you and my brother a thing?” He said. My blood rushed out of me from those words. I instantly got cold, if Jungkook had told him everything I’m going to be so angry at him. We promised each other it was going to be a secret.

“Why?” I asked.

“I saw that Jungkook had gotten home pretty late and heard my mom yelling at him. When I went to go ask him what happened I saw you guys talking through the windows.” He said looking down at the ground like he was upset or something.

“It was nothing honestly, I went out for a run and got lost and needed him to come to get me.” I lied.

“Oh okay, I guess that’s okay. Just be careful with my brother, he’s known to hurt girls and I don’t want you to do experience that.” He said back. I suddenly got angry, why would Yoongi say this about Jungkook. Sure he’s his brother and knows a lot more but he hasn’t seen the side of him like I have.

“You’re lying,” I said laughing at him angrily. Before Yoongi could respond, Veronica honked at me notifying me that she was here. I waved goodbye to Yoongi before running to the car and getting in.

“What was that about?” Amanda said.

“Nothing, I was helping him study and he needed a few last minute reviews before his test today.” I lied again. When did my life become one huge lie? Amanda nodded and turned back around as Veronica pressed on the gas. Halfway to school my phone vibrated killing the jam out session we were having since my phone was on the AUX.

Yoongi: I’m serious, be careful.

I ignored the message. He’s playing a game with me and I’m not here for it at all. I enjoy my time with Jungkook, he makes me feel like I’m the only girl in the world and that someone actually cares for me. I’m not going to listen to an outsider who doesn’t know what he is truly like. We get to school and all of us instantly run to the corkboard to see who had made the team. I knew I was going to make it so I wasn’t as nervous, It was tomorrow that I was nervous about. The day I find out if I made captain or not. By the time we had made it to the board, there was a whole group of girls standing in front of it. You heard an abundance of screams and tears as some made it and some did not. Veronica and Amanda grabbed my arm and pushed through the crowd to get to the front.

“OH, MY GOD!” Veronica yelled.

“HOLY SHIT!” Amanda screamed right behind her. I looked up to the board and scrolled through the names on the list, and did not see my name. My heart dropped and I felt tears coming on. What the hell did I do? I had made team for the past 2 years and now I’m getting kicked off, right when scouts are going to be looking at me at the games. I did one more sweep through the list of names going all the way down and there I was.

Emily Davis- Captain

I instantly screamed along with Veronica and Amanda. We all formed a big three person hug and were jumping up and down. I started to cry tears of joy. I wanted to basically run around the whole school jumping and screaming for joy. I had worked so hard for this opportunity and everything was falling into place in my life. I was captain of the team, my grades were better than ever, Jungkook and I were together. Life was amazing at this point. The bell rang signaling all of us to go to class, I did not want to. I wanted to run back home and celebrate with my mom or better yet, find Jungkook. We all parted our ways to go to class as I ran around the school trying to catch Jungkook before he went to his homeroom. I saw Yoongi walking into the school and immediately ran to him.

“Yoongi!! I got captain!!” I yelled jumping into his arms. I did not care if we weren’t friends at this point or that this was probably super awkward for him but I was so excited I needed to hug literally everyone.

“Oh my god Emily that’s amazing!!” He said back smiling super big.

“Where’s Jungkook, I have to tell him too,” I said looking behind him thinking Jungkook would be walking in as well.

“He went over to the soccer field to get in a few more goals before the first game this weekend, but Emily..”

“Thank you, I have to go tell him, I’ll see you tonight for another study session okay?” I said before running off to the field. I had 5 minutes before I had to get to class but I did not care at all, all I wanted was to see Jungkook and tell him the good news. By the time I had made it to the field, no one was there. I walked around the edge of the field thinking that I had missed him and would have to wait till later on in the day to tell him, but I couldn’t wait. I took one more look all around and saw someone leaning up against the entrance to the school. Maybe it was him. I ran over to the entrance and sure enough, it was him...and Sarah...with her hands in his hair… laughing and smiling. My heart dropped. This isn’t real, it’s probably not even him. Before I could say anything, Sarah noticed me.

“Oh hey, Emily! Congrats on captain! I guess we’ll be together a lot this season since I’m captain for JV.” She said causing the boy to turn around suddenly at the hearing of my name. Sure enough, it was Jungkook. He looked shocked and sad as he connected his eyes with mine.

“T...Thanks, I..uh...I better get going.” I said fast walking past them. I heard Jungkook call my name from behind me but I kept walking and ignoring it. I could feel the tears wanting to escape my eyes with every step I took. I finally decided to make my way to the bathroom instead of first period to let out all of my emotions in the privacy of a stall. Before I could turn the corner, my arm was jerked back which forced me to turn around. Jungkook had caught up with me.

“It’s not what it looked like.” He said looking down at me.

“No, I get it honestly. You got tired of sneaking around with me and decided you wanted something real. I understand.” I said trying to escape his hold. It only got tighter.

“You’re an amazing girl Emily and you know..”

“Just stop it okay? Save yourself the embarrassment.” I said escaping his hold finally and making my way around the corner, back on my path to the bathroom.

“Emily…” I heard from behind me. I turned around and saw Veronica standing where I was before with Jungkook. Oh shit.

“Hey..” I said walking towards her. She looked angry and sad all at once, I hadn’t seen her like this since she was dumped by her ex-boyfriend last year.

“Sneaking around…” She said shaking her head at me as a single tear fell from her eyes.

“V I can explain,” I said running over to her. She put her hand out to signal me to stop.

“No, let me explain. We made a promise, dibs is dibs and nothing changes that. You lied to me, you lied to Amanda. That’s not what friends do.” She said as more tears started flowing out. I started to cry as well, I never meant for any of this to be the way it was. I never wanted any of this to happen. Today was suppose to be a good day, the best day of the year. Before I could say anything, Veronica turned around and started walking away from me. It was like every step she took shattered my heart even more than how it already was. I really screwed things up. Jungkook, Veronica, Amanda, hell maybe even my own mother. These were all things that weren’t supposed to happen and they did and it doesn’t even feel real. This feels like it’s all something I’m dreaming of. I can’t just wake up from this, this isn’t a dream. It’s reality.

[a7xlizardqueen]

A Life to Remember

TITLE: A Life to Remember CHAPTER NUMBER: 5/? AUTHOR: a7xlizardqueen GENRE: DRAMA/ROMANCE FIC SUMMARY: A woman is found alongside Captain America in Antarctica. Who, and what, she is is a mystery. RATINGS: M (violence, language, eventual sex) WARNINGS: None

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4 Chapter Five

"So this Poison Ivy uses toxins from plants to incapacitate her enemies?" Sylvie confirmed with Tony and Bruce. They each nodded their heads, "You know, that's actually not a bad idea."

"Gosh, I'm really liking you," Tony said. "But get your feet off my desk."

"Sorry," Sylvie muttered, taking her bare feet off the desk Tony was working at. As soon as she'd decided to stay in the lab with Bruce and Tony she'd shed her shoes and jacket, leaving her in a thin white cotton button-up. "Do you think Fury could get me access to seeds from all around the world?"

"I don't see why not," Bruce answered, "He seems to have access to anything he wants."

"What kind of plants we talking here?" Tony asked.

"Oh there are several that can cause severe abdominal discomfort, seizures, and depending on the dose, death. Cicuta maculata, atropa belladona, ricinus communis."

"And you lost me," Tony said.

"Um, water hemlock, nightshade, and castor bean. All very poisonous if ingested. There is also the manchineel tree, whose sap, when touched, can cause severe blistering of the skin."

"How do you know so much about these plants?" Bruce asked curiously.

Sylvie shrugged, "I know of every plant and animal on this Earth. I always have."

"Tell me something, Miss De La Mer, are you nervous?" Tony asked suddenly.

"No," Sylvie frowned. "Why?"

"You keep pulling on the collar of your shirt. Kind of the same way Bruce rubs his hands together."

"Oh, that, well, I'm not exactly comfortable. But I'm not nervous."

"Why aren't you comfortable?" Tony asked. Apparently he needed something to keep him entertained while he waited for his encryption to finish. "Is it because of Bruce?"

Bruce raised his head to look over at them at the sound of his name.

"Bruce doesn't make me nervous. That's an odd thing to say. Far from it, I find him rather fascinating."

"Fascinating," Tony repeated, mulling over the word, "Hmm. So why are you uncomfortable, then?"

"For all S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts in finding me suitable clothing, I just don't feel right wearing them."

"Then why do you?"

"Because Steve has informed me that it is not proper to be nude in public."

Tony snorted, "What does he know, he's been frozen for seventy years."

Sylvie gasped, "It wouldn't bother you?"

"We're all human," Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, Tony, you're amazing!" Sylvie cried, promptly removing her white shirt and jeans. "This feels so much better."

"Wait, wait, wait a second," Bruce tried to interrupt but Sylvie hadn't been listening. She stretched her arms above her head, savouring the feeling of the air soothing her skin. She hadn't had to wear clothing for that long of a period of time since she'd woken from the ice. It felt wonderful to be herself around other people.

Sylvie pulled one of the seeds from her pocket and allowed the Morning Glory vine to grow up her arm, down her chest and up into her hair. She took her seat again between Tony and Bruce, ready to watch their work, and she idly braided the vines through her hair. It wasn't for another few moments that she realized neither of the men were working. Tony was staring openly at her and Bruce was trying his best not to.

Tony smirked, "Yep. Just what I needed."

Sylvie rolled her eyes and then looked at Bruce expectantly. He finally looked over at her, his eyes glazed over.

He gulped slowly, "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Sylvie smiled and upon noticing Bruce's watch beeping steadily faster drew another seed from her pocket. The lavender bloomed brightly and it's fragrant scent calmed him. Slowly the men went back to working and Sylvie returned to watching them.

-X-X-X-

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury bellowed as he rushed in to the lab.

Tony was seated on the desk, Bruce standing behind him, both still nice and calm from the effects of the lavender. Sylvie lounged behind them on a chair. Tony's encryption was done, and Bruce had finally finished his equation to track down the Cube. They were now going through various files on the S.H.I.E.L.D. database and had just come across one named Phase 2.

"Kind of been wondering the same about you," Tony replied.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now." Bruce said. "When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile."

"Yeah, then you'll get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss." Tony added. "What's Phase 2?"

A loud thud echoed from the other end of the room as Steve appeared, with what seemed to be a large weapon. "Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons. Sylvie, why are you naked?"

Sylvie rushed to hide herself behind Bruce who quickly raised his hands in the air.

"Sorry, Steve, I didn't know you were coming back right away," she apologized, grabbing her discarded shirt and jeans and quickly pulling them on, "Tony said it was okay."

Steve sighed and glared at Tony, "Sylvie, some men will say that with the express purpose of seeing you naked."

Sylvie smirked at Tony who did nothing to hide the fact that Steve's statement was true.

"Tony, all you had to do was ask."

"I really like this girl," Tony quipped.

"Any way," Steve said, getting back on track, "Computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making -"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony said, pulling up the Phase 2 file, showing blue prints for various types of weaponry, "What were you lying?"

"I was wrong Director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve said as Thor and Natasha joined them.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" she suggested.

"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed."

"Loki is manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you."

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," Fury finally answered, pointing at Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked, confused.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"But you aren't the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the Cube?" Steve asked.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor said. "It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Fury exclaimed. "You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms everything right down." Tony quipped.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep -" Steve began to say before he was interrupted by Tony.

"Hold on, how is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor butt in.

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury retorted.

"You treat your champions with such mistrust."

"Are you boys really that naive?" Natasha interrupted. "S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors potential threats."

"Captain America's on threat watch?" Bruce snorted.

"We all are," Natasha replied.

"Wait, you're on that list?" Tony asked Steve, "Are you above or below angry bees?"

"Stark, so help me God if you make one more wisecrack," Steve warned.

"Threat!" Tony exclaimed. "Verbal threat. I feel threatened."

"Show some respect."

"Respect what?"

Sylvie watched as each person in the room continued to argue. The room seemed to buzz with tension. Why didn't she feel angry? Perhaps it had something to do with her plants still snaked around her, or the lavender that was still in the air.

"Everybody calm down!" Sylvie tried to call out but the noise created by their voices speaking over one another was too great.

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor said.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce pointed out. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

Sylvie stiffened as she realized Bruce was creeping closer to the sceptre. He wasn't calming down and if he got his hands on the sceptre, who knew what he would do.

"You need to step away," Fury stated.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve batted him away, "You know damn well why. Back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire."

Steve smiled, "Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds."

Sylvie rushed forward, placing herself in between the two men. "Stop. Both of you. Can't you realize that the sceptre is twisting your minds? Steve, you would never speak this way to anyone."

"You people are so petty and tiny," Thor chuckled.

"Yeah, this is a team," Sylvie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his -"

"Where? You rented my room," Banner scoffed.

"The cell was just in case -"

"In case you needed to kill me. But you can't. I know, I've tried."

The room became utterly silent after Bruce's confession. Sylvie felt an ache in her heart at the thought of Bruce hating himself so much that he would try to end his life.

"I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk." Bruce's hand reached out for the sceptre. "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?"

Bruce's fingers closed around the sceptre and began to bring it in front of him. Sylvie noticed both Fury and Natasha unlock their gun holsters. Before anything else could happen she slowly stepped forward, shrugged off Steve's attempt to hold her back and had a fresh lavender bloom on her shoulder.

"Bruce," she said softly, bringing his attention to her. This time his eyes didn't glaze over with what Sylvie was sure was lust, he remained angry. "Put down the sceptre."

And with just those four words the trance on Bruce was gone. He looked down at his hand in confusion, wondering when and how the sceptre had gotten there. His computer chimed, signalling that the Tesseract had been found. Slowly and carefully, Bruce set the sceptre back down on the table.

"I got it," he said, moving towards the computer screens, "Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

"You located the Tesseract?" Natasha asked, following him.

"I could get there fastest," Tony announced.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it." Thor declared.

Steve grabbed Tony's arm when he attempted to depart. "You're not going alone."

"You're gonna stop me?"

"Put on the suit, let's find out."

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"Put on the suit."

"Boys, come on!" Sylvie yelled, frustrated.

"Oh, my God," Bruce exclaimed just before a blast ripped in to the helicarrier, sending a stream of fire up from under their feet, scattering them all apart.

When Sylvie looked up she was sprawled out between Tony and Steve. They looked at each other over her head and for a moment she was afraid they would start bickering again.

"Put on the suit," Steve said scrambling to his feet.

"Yeah," Tony agreed.

Steve held on to one of Sylvie's arms to help keep her steady. She grabbed her jacket, throwing it over her shoulders and followed them through the maze of hallways.

"There's an engine down. I need to get to it outside. Care to give me a hand, Cap?"

Steve nodded.

"I don't think I'll be much help," Sylvie said, "I'll go see if I can find Natasha and Bruce."

"Be careful," Steve said.

With a grin Sylvie reached up to snake her fingers behind Steve's neck. She pulled him down towards her so fast he had no time to react. Her lips met his in a hungry kiss. When she pulled away Steve had a far-off look on his face.

"What was that for?" he smirked.

"Well, seeing as I can't remember whether I've kissed anyone or not, I figured I'd do it now. You know, just in case I die today."

"You're not dying today, Sylvie," Steve said.

"That means you can't die today, either, soldier," Sylvie said before jogging off in search of the fiery red head and her favourite scientist.

Sylvie found Natasha staring in to a giant hole in a wall. She checked to make sure Natasha was all right before she peered through. On the other side was Thor battling Hulk in the cargo hold. Nothing could have prepared Sylvie for seeing Bruce as Hulk, whether she had her memories or not. He stood at least a foot taller than Thor. Thor was trying his best not to be squashed by Hulk's massive fist. Sylvie watched in awe and fright as Hulk's other fist came crashing in to Thor's side, sending him flying back in to several large crates. Without a second thought Sylvie raced forwards just as Thor burst from the crates. Thor smiled and held his hand out. Sylvie could see Hulk running towards them at full speed.

"Thor?" she called warily, "Please tell me you have a plan."

Hulk was getting closer, and Sylvie didn't know what to do. Why hadn't she taken Natasha to get medical aid, why had she jumped in here, without any training whatsoever in combat? Well, none that she could remember. She was strong, yes, but to go against this massive creature of rage was surely beyond her ken.

Finally Thor's plan came to fruition by the appearance of his hammer. With one great swipe of Mjolnir Thor hit Hulk in the jaw. Hulk landed on a jet. Fury wouldn't be happy about that. Thor and Sylvie ran forward as Hulk tore the wing off the jet, sending it straight for their heads. They dodged it easily, Thor threw the hammer, Hulk caught it, and as he was stuck to the ground Sylvie rushed forward, dodging Hulk's fists to clench her thighs around Hulk's neck. She forced a lavender bloom, hoping that it would calm him. Of course it didn't, and as Hulk thrashed about sending Sylvie flying, Thor jumped up to hit him in the face with his knee. Upon landing he picked up Mjolnir and took Sylvie's place on Hulk's back, trying to choke him with the hammer.

Hulk jumped and Sylvie grabbed on to his foot. They came up through the ceiling in to a research lab. The breath had been knocked out of her and Sylvie gasped as Hulk grabbed her around the midsection, Thor in the other hand. He threw Sylvie in to a wall and smashed Thor in to the floor. The he grabbed Sylvie again and punched her in the face before sending her across the room. He picked up Thor and threw him against her. Sylvie heard the rain of bullets rather than saw them, her face was buried in Thor's chest. A very nice chest, she noted. Thor easily and strategically moved them to the side of the room where they would hopefully be out of the way of the gunfire. Hulk roared and before she knew what had happened Hulk had thrown himself out of the helicarrier and on to the jet.

"Are you all right, Lady Sylvie?" Thor asked, his golden hair tickling her face.

Sylvie threw her arms around him and pulled him in to a sloppy, yet completely satisfying kiss. She pulled away and took a deep breath, smiling, "I'm great now."

Thor chuckled and helped her to her feet, "You are a most formidable warrior."

"I dunno about that," Sylvie scoffed, "But apparently I don't hurt too easily."

"No, you wouldn't," Thor smiled.

"Seriously, do you and Loki know me, or what?"

Thor's face fell, "Loki."

They ran out of the lab, heading for Loki's cage. Surely they would have helped him to escape by now. But no, he was still in the cage when they arrived. The door was only just being opened. Thor ran forward with a yell, intending on tackling Loki back in to the cage. He threw himself at Loki who disintegrated around him, sending Thor alone in to the cage. The door shut behind him.

"Thor!" Sylvie cried, rushing forward.

Loki appeared behind her, wrapping an arm around her chest, pining her arms to her side, and pulling her back flush against his chest. He buried his nose in her hair, taking a long sniff.

Loki sighed and then addressed Thor, "Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

Thor bashed his hammer against the glass wall of the cage.

"No!" she cried, but Loki wrapped his long, cool fingers around her throat, silencing her.

The cage rattled, causing Thor to pause. Loki chuckled.

"The humans think us immortal," Loki said cheerily, moving towards the control panel for the cage, "Should we test that?"

They heard Loki's henchman gasp and fall to the floor. Agent Coulson stood behind him with a large, loaded weapon.

"Move away, please."

Sylvie took her moment to elbow Loki in the ribs and slam her heel down on his toes, but he recovered quickly. He grabbed the hand she had sent towards his face and threw her towards Coulson as if she were a feather. She fell on to the ground with a thud between them. Loki backed away from the control panel.

"You like this?" Coulson asked, stepping towards Loki.

Loki himself moved forward a few steps, hands raised at his waistline.

"We started working on the prototype after you sent the destroyer. Even I don't know what it does."

Coulson engaged the weapon and it began to glow a reddish-gold, very similar to fire. Sylvie could do nothing but watch from the ground as the two men came closer and closer together. She wanted to tell Coulson to move away, that he was no match for Loki, but she couldn't speak.

"Do you want to find out?" Coulson asked.

Then suddenly Loki was behind Coulson, not in front of him. Sylvie screamed at the sound of the sceptre punching through Coulson's suit, and then his skin.

"No!" Thor yelled, slamming himself against the glass of the cage.

The Loki that was still standing in front of Coulson disappeared in a golden light and Coulson fell back against the wall, still clutching the weapon. Loki stepped past him without so much as a glance. He grabbed Sylvie by a fistful of hair and dragged her back towards the control panel. She scrambled after him on hands on knees, desperately, impossibly trying to pry his fingers from her.

Loki looked at Thor with a chuckle before opening the case that covered the button to send the cage down. In one last futile attempt Sylvie sent her fists flying at Loki but he released her hair and kicked her to the floor, resting the sceptre on her neck. Sylvie felt Coulson's blood dripping from the sceptre down on to her chest. She watched helplessly as Loki opened the hatch. He seemed, for a moment, to hesitate, his hand shaking over the button that would release Thor. But whatever was causing him to be this way won. He slammed his fingers on to the red button and the cage, with Thor inside, was sent plummeting.

Loki watched for a few seconds before he grabbed Sylvie, gasping on the floor, and began to make his way from the room.

"You're going to lose," Coulson's voice came from behind them.

Loki turned, "Am I?"

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered," Loki said, taking a step towards Coulson. "Your floating fortress falls from the sky." A few more steps. "Where is my disadvantage?" A few more steps.

"You lack conviction."

"I don't think I'm -"

Coulson fired the gun suddenly, sending Loki flying back. His hold on Sylvie was still strong and she found herself pushed back with him. They tore through the side of the room, rolling in to a hall. Loki's hold on Sylvie was gone, she sprung up, facing him with her hands up, ready for a fight. She felt adrenaline rushing through her veins. Loki smirked and slowly got to his feet.

Before he could make a move on her Sylvie swung her leg out in a high-arching kick. Her body seemed to know how to fight before her brain could even register that she should. Loki dodged but Sylvie moved in again, her fist landing in his stomach. Loki smiled appreciatively before he swung around, narrowly missing her neck with the sceptre. She kicked it out of the way, jumping and getting him in the side of the head with her other foot.

Loki clenched his jaw, looking irritated. When Sylvie went to swing her fist forward she found it stopped. Loki was now behind her, and in front of her. Normally she would have found this intriguing, but under current circumstances, not so much. Loki grabbed her leg when she tried to swing around and slammed her head against the wall. Black spots began to appear in the edges of Sylvie's vision.

"You're no match for me," Loki whispered in her ear, "No matter who you were before, I still have more experience than you. You've no idea the things you could be capable of. I could show you. You could be my queen."

"Va te faire foutre," Sylvie hissed.

Loki slammed her head against the wall again and Sylvie lost consciousness.

-X-X-X-

Va te faire foutre - Fuck off

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter