#sorry i just reminded myself that that bugged me
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I am... ALL the way here for Leo's short little dark turn. HELLO?
[All of 2012 Leo in his "foot clan" outfit. A black eye mask with scrap wear armour pieces on his limbs, extra straps, fish net like gloves and sleeves, black shoulder/knee pads and foot wraps]
[IDs from alt: 1. No visible irises, sword in both hands, ready to fight. Brothers behind him. 2. Action shot, striking a Footbot with his fist. 3. Sitting with his head in his hand, looking troubled. April standing behind him. 4. Crouched on his knees, looking furious, enemies behind him.
END ID]
LIKE HE JOINED A GOTH GIRL GANG??
[Features Karai, an armour wearing teen with red eye and lip makeup and short black hair with a bleached uncut. And Shinigami, Shini for short, a teen with a witchy hat and black corset and cape outfit. Long black hair with a widows peak, and bold purple make up]
[IDs from alt: 1. In a room with money and fine art. Leo and Karai stand to either side, Shini kneels and celebrates the riches. 2. Shini sits in foreground, chin in her hands, smiling. Karai in background, legs crossed on a throne. 3. Shini, hat on, holding up a large, handle-less crescent blade, hair over one eye. Red clad ninja on either side of her. 4. Karai standing, wearing her metal half mask. Shini crouched, brim of her hat covers her eyes. Battle ready and surrounded by their ninja mercenaries.
END ID]
less aesthetic but for the full picture sake
[IDs from alt: Full body Leo standing from the front, you can see more of the outfit at once. He's got one spikey pauldron, and one with bolts. Shin guards, one clearly from a can, other darker and less distinct. A seat belt acting as a shoulder strap. Plates of metal at his hips, and wraps and chains on the upper thighs. 2. Leo sitting from the back, he has is swords hanging from the hip, and his black mask tails reach down to his belt, worn and blue at the ends.
END ID]
^last bits like thematic huh... like the blue isnt all gone but was just kinda hidden from view. also he dip dyed his hair : }
#some shit#turbles...#SORRY FOR WHAT IM ABOUT TO SAY ITS NONSENSE FOR MYSELF#[on one knee holding up a crown] leo can i offer u this. our highest honour. trans fem turtle#itsssss not myyy fault hes. DOING HOT GIRL SHIT. WITH COOL GOTH GIRLS#and YES theres still the weird romance vague underpining with karai whose kinda his sister. WHATEVER. IGNORING IT.#its like... leo what are u hiding from ur family...... its the gender babes.........#sorry sorry for any time i think the turtles are extra cool looking call that pretty girl moments....#is goth inhernetly gnc? is being gnc inhernetly trans? what does it even mean for a mutant turtle living in the sewer to BE gnc???#i will not be answering any of that their doing HOT GIRL SHIT#part of whats happening i think is it just reminds me of jennys metal band look from. whichever comic that was.#also this outfit is based on comics when leo goes. evil brainwashed dark side but LITERALLY.#in this ep he just feels like he should be helping/keeping an eye on karai. cause hes worried/feels responsible/looks for control#SO ITS COMPLETELY. VOLUNARLY GOTH GRUNGE. JUST FOR FUN. SHITS AND GIGGLES. Mutants dont got hot topics its ALLLL diy babey.#let it be noted the ep after this is a raph bug phobia one and he also looked real pretty in that. theyre upping their lighting game.....#OKAY BYE. SLEEP.#turtle fashion digest#<- so excited to have more of this (and rememeber my tag correctly on the first try yup definitely)
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Trouvaille - Chapter Seventeen (M)
Pairing(s); BTS OT7 x Reader
Genre/Themes; Hybrid!AU, themes of the supernatural and the occult, religious themes, violence, hurt/comfort, horror, romance
Rated; 18+ for swearing, violence/gore, future sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised.
Word Count; 25.k (đč)
Trouvaille Masterlist
Trouvaille playlist
Updates on the 7th of each month
My laptop is going to burst in flames after this LMAO. HIII besties! Welcome to the angst train of Chapter Seventeen! Hold onto your hats because there are a lot of emotions going on in this update. Along with angst, we have fluff to balance it out, of course! Expect spooky/scary paranormal happenings, and dirty disgusting smut I have to stop writing when I ovulate BUT I sincerely hope you all love this extra long, on time (for once!) chapter! Love from Dana and can't wait to hear what you all think đ
As an additional warning/reminder, for the smut: the scene is explicit, and is only intended to be read by those over the age of 18. Please practice safe sex, and readers please have discretion!
Previous Chapter // Next Chapter
Blinking, not sure if she heard correctly, Y/N sat unceremoniously on Namjoonâs arm rest, nudging his hand off the laptop keyboard. Pressing the back button and slamming down on the space bar, she moved before Namjoon could stop her.Â
âY/Nââ
âTo kill you, whorish witch.â Came from the speakers again, making Namjoon flinch and grunt, like the statement was disgusting in his ears. She played it a third time, then a forth, Namjoon uncomfortably squirming beside her. About to listen a fifth, Namjoon swore, placing a hand over hers and pulling it away from the laptop.
âThatâs enough,â the wolf hybrid said gently, eyes scanning her face, searching Y/Nâs blank expression thoroughly. âIâm sorry you had to hear that, I really didnât want to show you.â
âJeongguk was right to tell you to. Now I know that Iâm going to have to bulk up on my protection magic,â Y/N responded distantly, honestly still shocked by what the entity said to her. It was something her brain didnât necessarily know how to processâ that an unseen force had a murderous intent towards her. Namjoon, making a feral noise in the back of his throat, narrowed his eyes.Â
âY/N, Iâm not saying I doubt your abilities, but this feels wrong. I donât think you should go back to that house. If you write up a ritual for us to do, we can execute it together and youâll be here, safe,â Namjoon shook his head as he spoke, ears flat against his skull. Y/Nâs eyes went wide, caught between swooning and stiffening.Â
âYou want to kick me off the case? No way, absolutely not, especially after hearing that recording. Iâd walk into traffic before letting you two go there alone,â Y/N watched a muscle in Namjoonâs jaw tick, sucking his cheeks in and leveling her a challenging look. âIâm going. This changes nothing but how urgently we need to cleanse the property.â
âY/N, itâs a bad idea. Jeongguk is experienced with shit like this,â Namjoon pressed, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. âWe both want to do another investigation before we decide how to tackle getting rid of the infestation.â
âI donât care, Namjoon, Iâm going to be with you every step in this case. You canât get rid of me,â Y/N stood, annoyed, and feeling undermined, she walked over to the bookcase in his room.
Sliding a finger along the spines of his and her combined book collection, searching for one in particular about protection magic, Y/N ignored the rumbles coming from Namjoonâs chest. When she turned, his head was in his hands, elbows leaning on the desk, dismayed. âJoon Bug, I know youâre worried, but itâll be okay. I promise.â
âIf anything happens to you, how will I reconcile that with myself? Knowing I just let you walk into a situation like that,â Namjoon muttered, seemingly to himself, making Y/Nâs heart stop dead in her ribcage for a second.Â
âNamjoon,â Y/N sighed, returning to his side with the book she needed, hooking her chin over his shoulder from behind, some of the tension dissolving from his tense upper back. âIâll be safe. I have you.â
She wound her arms around his shoulders for a hug, Namjoon still pressing his face into his hands. Clearly, he was more concerned for her well-being than she ever could have imagined, Y/N squeezing him tightly to comfort him. Truthfully, she was frightened of whatever threatened her in Julieâs room, hearing its voice out loud bone-chilling, but she had promised that family that the three of them would help them. Besides, she had banished something malevolent before with success, and she was fairly confident she could do it againâ as long as Namjoon and Jeongguk were by her side, working as a team.Â
âBug, why donât you help me gather up some materials and maybe start brainstorming how we should clear the spirits from the house, hmm? I could use your help,â Y/N attempted to perk him up, his gloom filling the room, Namjoon making a noncommittal noise in response. âPlease?â
Finally, Namjoon lifted his face from his palms, turning his face sideways to glance at her behind him, corners of his lips turned downwards.Â
âIn the van?â Namjoon relented, contrary to his clear disapproval, letting her hold him for the longest time he ever had, and his musky honey scent made her mouth water, shamefully.Â
âUh-huh! Itâs our headquarters, after all,â Y/N giggled, lightening the mood even more, before she grew serious. âThank you for worrying about me.â
With that, Y/N leaned forward, testing the waters and pecking his cheek lightly, Namjoon going rigid in her embrace with the press of her lips, nuzzling into him in hopes that she hadnât crossed a line and heâd relax. Brain catching up with reality, Namjoon cleared his throat, blood rushing to the tips of his ears, melting backwards into her. And to her astonishment, the wolf hybrid turned his face even more, burying the tip of his nose into the crook of Y/Nâs neck, breathing in deeply.Â
âI said it at the club, Y/N,â Namjoonâs voice took on a mellifluous quality, his breath against her throat causing the hairs on her nape to stand on end. âYouâre a handful, youâre lucky Iâm with you.â
âThatâs right,â Y/Nâs voice came out like silk, letting him nudge the tip of his nose against her collarbone, feeling a little light-headed. âI thank the stars.â
Chuckling at the corny reply and drawing away from her, Namjoon made a motion to get to his feet, twirling the keys to his van around a long fingertip. Finally, he was smiling, his perfect teeth and dimples on display, Y/N completely dazzled. With a twitch to his bitten ear, he nodded towards his bedroom door so they could exit together. To surprise her even further, Namjoon grabbed his denim and sherpa jacket from his bed, offering it to Y/N without hesitation and without looking at her, Y/N woodenly taking it from him.Â
âSince you seem to like wearing this so much, bundle up,â Namjoon commented, Y/N realizing that her scent was probably all over the garment from when she wore it to confront Yoongi many moons ago. âLetâs go.â
Namjoon left the room before she could shrug on the jacket, the wolf hybrid foregoing any sort of coat himself and simply pushing down the rolled-up sleeves of his cable knit sweater, expecting Y/N to follow. Blindly, she did, pulling his cozy jacket tight across her body with her heart racing in her chest.Â
Taking a deep, calming breath, Y/N rang the doorbell to her parentâs house, preparing herself for what might come out of her motherâs mouth. She had told her mother about the investigations her, Jeongguk, and Namjoon were starting to take control over, but there was no doubt that Judyâ one of her motherâs very good friends, not just Y/Nâs bossâ had dished out dirty details. Behind the great oak door, she heard someone shuffling towards her in slippers, Y/N grateful she didnât bring any of her hybrids with her for once.Â
âHi honey, come on in while the teaâs hot,â her father, in a bright tracksuit and his house slippers, answered the door, Y/N giggling at his appearance. Gone were the days of her sharply dressed father, the doctor. Now he dressed like an extra on the set of Seinfeld. âYou look well!â
Despite the fact that Y/N had a murderous demon after her blood, Y/N was in good spirits. She was always well fed thanks to Seokjin and Yoongi, there was never a day Hoseok didnât brighten it with his humor, and she was finally doing something with her life that had her excited to jump out of bed in the morning. Giving her father a squeeze, she mumbled a thank you into his tracksuit, following him into the kitchen where her mother was audibly tinkering away on the stove.Â
âYour grandparents are napping, Iâm not sure if youâll get to see them before you leave today,â her father informed her, returning to where he was sitting at the kitchen table prior to Y/Nâs arrival. âHopefully whatever you wanted to discuss doesnât involve getting your grandmotherâs advice.â
âOh, no. Just stuff you guys can handle,â Y/N waved a hand, plopping down next to him and eyeing the Italian cookies on the table. She never had a taste for them, but her father loved them to bits. âOkay. So first order of business that Iâm hoping you can help me out with, dad! I need to get my boys a doctor and schedule yearly physicals. A dentist, too.â
âYep, I can handle that,â her father accepted a cup of a strongly scented herbal tea without question, draining it in one go and handing it back to her mother.Â
Her mother, dressed in her typical drapey dresses and âshawl of the dayâ, distractedly squeezed Y/Nâs shoulder in hello as she read the tea leaves at the bottom of her fatherâs teacup. Humming in satisfaction, she placed the cup in the sink, dialing into the conversation.Â
âYour luck is good today, dear,â her mother told her father, Y/N stifling a chuckle by biting down on the inside of her cheek. âHow about David? Y/N, our dear friend is a general practitioner, a hybrid doctor. Dr. Rocha is his name!â
âI can make a call,â her father fumbled for his phone on the table, holding it far from his face so he could read the screen while he went through his contacts. âYou can just bring your hybrids to your dentist, she takes on hybrid clients. I can schedule all of the appointments for you, honey, I know how busy you are.â
âThanks, dad,â Y/N leaned her cheek into her fatherâs shoulder, relieved that something was being taken off of her plate for her. âHowâs the book club going mom?â
âSame as always! Weâre reading Kafka these next few weeks. Your boys have been such a wonderful addition to the club, Namjoon has always been the leader type. Seokjin has really been opening up lately!âÂ
âMm, has he?â The mention of Seokjin had heat pooling in her cheeksâ Y/N hadnât disclosed to her parents that she was romantically involved with both Seokjin and Yoongi, and she dreaded the day, to be honest. âThatâs good! Heâs come a long way with getting out of his shell.â
âSo, what is it that you need to ask me, dear,â her mother saw through the small talk, and likely had some kind of premonition about what Y/N was needing her counsel on.Â
âWe have to go back to the house weâre trying to cleanse and do a secondary investigation before we can tackle the actual cleansing. The spirits are⊠aggressive. I wanted to know if you had any ideas on how to up the protection for the three of us.â
Y/N, much like she wasnât disclosing that she was dating two out of seven of her hybrids, wasnât about to share that an entity was targeting her specifically as well. Not wanting to concern her father, and knowing that if her mother found out what the spirit actually said to her, sheâd agree with Namjoon and want her to stay home.Â
âHave you tried the tourmaline necklaces?â her mother stirred sugar into her tea, humming when Y/N nodded in response. âIâll give you some dragonâs blood incense, burn that while youâre in the house. Teach Namjoon and Jeongguk how to put up spiritual shieldsâ theyâre both smart boys so theyâll get it quick. Also, carry some selenite and citrine on you in addition to the tourmaline. Selenite will allow your spirit guides to better protect you and citrine combats negative energy.â
âThat will be pretty bulletproof, right?â Y/N asked, grateful her parents were humans and couldnât sense her nerves rising.Â
âShould be, my dear! Unless youâre dealing with something extremely powerful, doing all that should keep you safe,â her mother smiled, reaching across the table to grasp onto Y/Nâs hand. âIâm so glad we can talk about things like this together again. I canât tell you how excited I am for you and your two young boys.â
âOh,â Y/N squeaked, taken aback, emotions welling up in her as her motherâs smile grew wider, squeezing her hand once before she stood from the table. âI love you, mom.â
âLove you too, honey. Iâll gather up the incense and the crystals, okay? I think I have some hematite rings somewhere in my storage tooâŠâ distractedly, Y/Nâs mother ambled away further into the recesses of the home, her father chuckling with her disappearance.
âI booked the doctorâs visits for you, Dr. Rocha suggested doing two appointments per day so youâre not in the office for seven hours all at once. Theyâre in mid-March,â her father announced, ruffling Y/Nâs hair. âStill waiting to hear from the dentist, but I think thereâs enough techs to get all seven of them done in an afternoon. Sounds good?â
âSounds perfect, thank you so much, dad,â Y/N checked her watch, noting that it was time for her to scramble home and pick up Jimin for an errand they had to run. âShoot, I have to go.â
âHere you are, honey!â Y/Nâs mother reappeared as her father walked her to the front door, a gift bag filled with the protection items in hand. âOh, before you go, have you heard the whispers?â
âWhispers?â Y/N repeated, confused.Â
âThereâs rumors about some new laws being passed, regarding hybrids,â she informed her, excitement clear as day on her face, so Y/N assumed they were good laws. âAdopted hybrids might be able to seek legal employment soon. Iâve heard that universities, too, are going to start offering classes for hybrid students. Isnât that wonderful?â
Y/N paused, not expecting such a bombshell. If the rumors were true, her boys would be one step closer to living a more normal, human life, they wouldnât have to stay at home all day, and they could make their own money to buy whatever they pleased. Additionally, if her mother was right, apparently the wheel of progress was speeding up. All Y/N could think about, though, is how the government should be thinking about banning hybrid sport hunting before all of that, but progress was progress and she didnât want to rain on her motherâs parade.Â
âThat would be amazing if that actually happens,â Y/N breathed, her mother handing over the gift bag with a grin. âI do want to hold off on mentioning it to the boys for now, though. I donât want to get their hopes up if thatâs just a rumor.â
âOf course,â her mother made a zipping motion over her lips, meaning she wouldnât spill the beans to Namjoon or Seokjin at the book club. âIâve been lighting candles for a week to try and move things along.â
âHmm, influencing government affairs now, mom?â Y/N snorted, hugging her before she reached for the door. âMaybe Iâll light one too.â
âBring the boys here Friday night for dinner! Weâre going to make a big feast to celebrate Ostara coming up!âÂ
âOstara isnât for another couple weeks!â Y/N replied, eyebrows furrowed. âYou just want to see everyone, donât you?â
âBring them around 7, alright? Tell Yoongi to make those delicious mashed potatoes,â her mother ignored her accusation, waving at her from the front door as Y/N started down the street to her own house.Â
Back at the house, shivering, she found Jimin in the sunroom, where he had begun to nurse seedlings for their garden in the spring. She dropped off the bag of items her mother gave her in Namjoonâs room before she searched for the coyote hybrid, the wolf hybridâs bedroom empty and telling her that he was probably holed up in the van. Jimin was in his trademark blue jeans and a cozy-looking beige sweater, using a little mister to dampen the trays of seedlings. The room smelled earthy-sweet and was bathed with early afternoon sunlight, most of the brick floors completely covered with all of the seedlings she and Jimin planted days prior.Â
âHey, anything sprouting yet?â Y/N tiptoed around a pile of carefully swept soil, squinting at the trays.Â
âNot quite. Weâre going to have to be patient,â Jimin sent a gorgeous smile her way in greeting, peeling off his gardening gloves and setting them aside. In the corner of the room was a small stack of books pertaining to plants and growing produce that Namjoon dug out of the oven in his van for her, a couple of old tin watering cans, and Jiminâs phone on top of the books, playing soft rock in the background. âI labeled everything with tape and markers. Looks okay?â
âLooks awesome. Meticulous as always, Jimin!â Y/N made a motion to water some of the other house plants around the room, but apparently the coyote hybrid had beaten her to the punch judging by the damp soil. âIâm so excited for spring. Itâs been such a gross winter.â
âItâll be here before you know it,â Jimin reminded her, looking down at his clothing to make sure soil wasnât clinging to the fabrics. âWeâre still heading out today, right?â
âHow could I forget? I already put the third row in the Land Cruiser down so we can jam everything we buy in the trunk,â Y/N teased, dangling her hand in front of his face to help him up. His palm was rough from years of manual labor, but gentle and sure. With a swish of his tail, he rose to his feet, still smiling like an angel. âIâm ready when you are. Maybe we can get some lunch on the way back, if youâre up for it!â
âOkay, let me just get my jacket,â Jimin let go of her hand, which she didnât even realize he was still holding, Y/N casting one more look at the perfectly labeled trays of seedlings, smiling at his neat handwriting. âWant me to drive?â
âSure!â Y/N followed Jimin to the car once he slipped on his jacket and boots, calling out to the others in various areas of the house to let them know where they were heading.Â
âI saw that you updated the list of things weâre looking for,â Jimin commented after a few moments of comfortable silence in the car, Y/N scrolling through said list on her phone.Â
âI want to have the nicest backyard on the block! Itâs been looking like a mess up until you started clearing things up,â Y/N replied enthusiastically. âWant to find a cute bird bath and a bunch of feeders, those ceramic outdoor lights you stick in the dirt and look like mushrooms⊠comfortable cushions for us to sit on, a fun sprinkler to run through when itâs hot.â
Jimin, as always, listened intently and quietly, Y/N watching the corners of his mouth curl upwards as she spoke.
âYou sound like the woman talking about her dream house in The Notebook,â Jimin commented, Y/N blinking before she remembered she had made all of the boys watch the film during the afternoon on Valentineâs day. She could still hear Jeonggukâs gagging from the leather reclinerâ although, he did end up watching the entire thing without her having to strap him down. âAllie, right?â
âYeah, thatâs right! I believe you were the only one who ended up liking that movie,â Y/N giggled, though the comment had butterflies soaring in her stomach. âNow that I think about it, youâre like Noah. Doing all the hard work to make the house pretty!â
The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them, and immediately, mortification washed over her. With her being Allie and him being Noah, she was pretty much implying that they were star-crossed loversâ since he was helping her fix up the house in the way she wanted precisely. Considering using her window breaker and climbing out onto the freeway, Y/N tried to come up with a way to stuff the words back down her throat. All she managed to come up with was staring at Jimin with obvious alarm, his ears twitching.Â
Sensing her panic, Jimin surprised her by clearing his throat and chuckling, Y/N realizing his ears were twitching out of amusement. Still gaping at him, Jiminâs eyes turned into crescents while he laughed, shaking his head.Â
âI guess that is true,â Jimin coughed once he recovered from laughter, Y/N hiding her embarrassment by returning to the list on her phone. âYou do your fair share of the hard work too, Y/N.â
She could have kissed Jimin for not teasing her. If it had been any of the others she had said that to besides he or Namjoon, sheâd never hear the end of it. Once she finally regained mental facilities, she continued to talk about her plans for the backyard as if she hadnât said anything.Â
âWe can get some wind chimes, new umbrellas, Oh! I saw this thing online that looks like a mini picnic table, you use it as a squirrel feeder. If we find that at the store, weâre so getting it!â
âWhatever you want, Y/N. If there are things you want to get that donât fit in the car, weâll have it shipped,â Jimin pulled into the strip mall where The Home Depot was, pushing a hand through his blonde hair and still wearing an expression of merriment.Â
The coyote hybrid refused to let her push the flatbed cart around the store, which left Y/N to pick out everything she had on her list and more. Halfway through the trip, she had to abandon Jimin and get a normal cart for smaller items, Jimin laughing at her when she stacked boxes of the light-up mushrooms into the basket.Â
âI think thatâs plenty of bird seed,â Jimin was leaning on his elbows on the cart, eyebrows raised and ears perky and alert, watching Y/N haul a bag of seed off of a shelf.Â
âThis isnât bird seed, itâs for critters. Squirrels and rabbits!â Y/N defended herself, tossing the bag into the cart and ignoring Jiminâs snickers. âOkay⊠I think we just need to get the fertilizer now, and itâs at the opposite side of the store.â
Y/N eyed the houseplant section as they passed by it, Jimin giving her a knowing but warning look, yellow eyes narrowing playfully. Huffing, she pushed ahead, and while she was pretending to be annoyed, she was really enjoying her one-on-one time with Jimin. The domestic activity had thoroughly distracted her from the Sandersâ case that was weighing heavily on her mind. While Jimin was hefting a bag of fertilizer onto his flatbed, Y/N gawked at the corded muscles of his back beneath his sweater, the coyote hybrid oblivious as his tail swished contentedly. Before she could get too carried away with checking him out, Jimin somehow read her deeper thoughts, appearing to brace himself.Â
âY/N, can I ask you something?â Jimin licked his lips, growing serious.
âOf course,â Y/N replied, suddenly nervous and on guard.Â
âThe past few days Iâve noticed a change in Namjoonâs behavior. He seems really worried about you. Does it have anything to do with that case youâre working on with him and Jeongguk?âÂ
Mouth opening and closing, she wasnât sure how to respond. As per usual, it wasnât like she could lie to Jimin and pretend everything was rainbows and butterflies. So, Y/N did what she always tried to do with her hybridsâ be honest, but try to prevent them from being overly concerned about her.Â
âYeah, the spirits are very nasty. Heâs worried Iâll get hurt, but I swung by my momâs earlier today for extra protection items. I keep telling him Iâll be fine, but you know how he is,â Y/N answered nonchalantly, Jimin frowning.Â
âHe told me you guys captured audio that specifically threatened you,â Jimin said flatly, his ears turning downwards. Damn Namjoon, and damn she wasnât getting out of that by being a slippery truth-bender. âWhat did the audio say?â
Y/N cringed, not wanting to repeat the disgusting statement at all, but Jimin was staring at her so intensely she knew they werenât budging from that home improvement store until she told him.Â
âThe thing in one of the childrenâs bedrooms threatened to kill me,â Y/N answered simply, shrugging. âI guess weâll just have to exorcize the house before it gets the chance.â
Y/N resumed perusing the fertilizer in order to break the intense eye-contact Jimin was giving her, one of the first times he genuinely made her skin break out into goosebumps. Unfortunately, she was peering back up into those hardened butterscotch eyes when a roughened hand grabbed onto her wrist.Â
âY/N, donât just shrug that off like itâs nothing. You have to tell everyone else,â Jiminâs voice was gruff, firm, and Y/N was blinking at him stupidly.Â
âWhy? Jimin, I donât want you all fussing over me. Namjoon is already enough to deal with, he doesnât even want me to go back to the house,â Y/N furrowed her eyebrows, picturing a range of reactions from the other hybrids in response to the audio.Â
âWhy? Y/N, donât you realize if something happens to you, it will seriously affect us all?â Jimin gaped, as if she was being totally ridiculous. Suddenly, she felt immensely guilty, and justifiably so. âThink about Yoongi and Seokjin, at least. They would be devastated.â
Y/Nâs throat was closing up, now imagining Seokjinâs tears and heartbreak, Yoongiâs miseryâ it was absolutely unbearable. Swallowing, she nodded at Jimin, who softened when he scented the emotions that came from her.Â
âIâm sorry, Jimin. I should have considered that, keeping it from you all would be so selfish of me. Iâll⊠have Namjoon show you guys the audio tonight,â Y/N apologized, a tad watery, all of the reproach on Jiminâs face disappearing.Â
âItâs alright, Y/N. I know youâre just trying to put on a brave face, but you can lean on us a little, you know? Weâre supposed to worry about each other,â Jimin let go of her wrist, patting her shoulder gently.Â
âYouâre right,â Y/N looked at the floor, glum. Jimin, humming, kept patting her shoulder until she looked at him again. âAgain, Iâm sorryâŠâ
Jimin shook his head, his normally easy-going air returning, giving her shoulder a squeeze.Â
âAll good, Y/N. We can talk about it more, later. I think you should hear everyone out before you decide whether or not to go back to that house,â Jimin returned to the flatbed he was pushing, Y/N not looking forward to that conversation at all. âWe have everything, right? Want to head to the registers? I can bring the car around while you check out so we can load everything up, then we can get some lunch.â
Y/N followed her coyote hybrid to the register, still dwelling over Seokjin and Yoongi. She wondered, if she was seriously hurt or even killed, how they would process that. Hannah mentioned that if Seokjinâs heart was broken one more time, he might not survive it. Would Yoongi survive her disappearing from his world again? Guilt festered away her very being, and she couldnât believe she hadnât even considered confiding in either both of them. Nauseous, she started robotically placing items on the conveyor belt, Jimin leaving her there to get the car.Â
Waiting by the door, she painted a smile on her face when she watched him pull up, helping him place everything into the trunk. With her stomach still turning and a half-hour ride back to the house, Y/N poked Jimin in the back.Â
âIâm going to run back in to use the bathroom, okay? Iâll meet you back out here in a few,â Y/N announced, Jimin waving her away as he slid yet another box of light-up mushrooms into the stuffed-full trunk.Â
Chewing her lip, Y/N searched for the sign for the restrooms, trying her best to hurry and not keep Jimin waiting. However, as she passed by the houseplant section again, she pausedâ before grabbing another cart and selecting seven different plants.Â
âHoly shit, do you think you bought enough crap?â Jeongguk grunted as he collapsed into the breakfast nook, wiping sweat from his brow. Y/N enlisted his help in getting everything out of the car along with Jimin, and he had carried the stone birdbath she picked out about halfway across the yard while muttering expletives the whole time.Â
âItâs your fault for being the first one I spotted when we pulled in. Blame your smoke breaks, not me,â Y/N flicked his sweaty forehead, his dark eyes flashing. She had yet to discuss the audio with him specifically, and she had the feeling he was avoiding the subject entirelyâ besides, he had been holed up in his room for days, fiddling with his cameras. âNeed help with dinner, angel?â
Y/N spun on her heel, spotting Yoongi by the fridge, putting a tub of ricotta cheese away. His hair, longer than ever, was tied up, and he was dressed in a slouchy hoodie, one that she wanted to get inside with him. Approaching, she looked around the island, and it appeared that he didnât really need help with anything at all; a large garden salad sitting in a wooden bowl tossed and ready to go, a covered casserole dish with spicy spaghetti, and when she looked at the stove, there were several skillets going with pork chops searing away.Â
âWow, chef, itâs like you donât even need your sous anymore,â Y/N pouted, wiggling her fingers against his ribs and reaching up to give his ears a scratch. Yoongi had gotten used to her stroking through the glossy fur, so he only jolted about a centimeter.Â
âMy sous is Seokjin now. Youâre like chef de partie,â Yoongi teased, and to both her delight and slight embarrassment, turned his head and ducked it, capturing her lips in a sweet, simple kiss hello.Â
Eyes fluttering shut, she let herself melt into his taste, completely ignoring Jeonggukâs gagging behind them. Squeezing the side of his waist, she made a small noise of disappointment when his lips slid from hers, opting to plant one more kiss on her forehead before returning to his pork chops.Â
âGet a room,â Jeongguk muttered, scrolling through his phone with his nose wrinkled.Â
âGet a life,â Yoongi replied blandly, using tongs to turn over one of the pork chops. Offering the leopard hybrid a kiss of her own with a quiet snicker, one on the tip of his nose, she concluded that Yoongi was perfectly fine on his own. Which meant she had no excuse to avoid finding Namjoon and telling him to get the audio ready to play after dinner.Â
Trudging into the hall, she heard Jiminâs shower turn on, the pipes in the walls clanging. Despite the fact that Jimin had that stern talking-to with her in the store, lunch at a diner and the ride back home was pleasant, even though she had returned from the âbathroomâ with seven additional purchases. She followed her ears, the tinny sounds of folk tapes playing from Namjoonâs room. Knocking twice on his ajar bedroom door, the wolf hybrid was reading on his window seat, chewing on the end of a pen with a sharpened incisor.Â
âHey,â Y/N began, glancing at her laptop sitting on his desk, scribbled notes and crumpled paper littered around the device. âI need a favor.â
Namjoon looked up from his book, the crease that had been between his eyebrows since he analyzed the audio deepening when he saw her leaning against his doorframe. The wolf hybrid slid a bookmark in place, squaring his shoulders so he could face her.Â
âA favor,â Namjoon repeated, eyes skimming her from head to toe as if to search for anything awry. âWhat do you need?â
âIâm going to play that audio for everyone after dinner. Itâs only fair, Jimin pointed that out to me. I agree with him,â Y/N said, the fur on Namjoonâs tail standing on end and his normally sharp eyes going round.Â
âDo you really think thatâs wise?â Namjoon exclaimed, getting to his feet and knocking his book off of the window seat.Â
âYeah, I do. If something happens and they didnât know about itâŠâÂ
âNothing is going to happen,â Namjoon cut her off sternly, his gaze becoming analytical again. âIf you want to show them, go ahead. But nothing is going to happen to you.â
Y/N swallowed at the resolution in his tone, still not quite used to how protective Namjoon had become of her. Nodding meekly, she gestured towards the laptop.Â
âIâll play it for them after dinner. I donât think a demon calling me a whore is a very good appetizer,â Y/N whispered, hoping that Namjoon was the only one who could hear her at that moment. Namjoon flinched, hissing, his face becoming stormy.Â
âYou shouldnât joke about it, Y/N.â
âHumor is how I cope. Ask Hoseok, he does the same thing,â Y/N grouched, and she could tell Namjoon was getting even more pissed with that comment, so she changed the subject. âDid you look through that bag I left you? My mom gave me a bunch of good tips and materials for added layers of protection.â
âYeah, I looked through it,â Namjoon was definitely still irritated, his tail swishing back and forth angrily, though he paused when his phone chimed in his pocket. âDinnerâs ready.â
Namjoon brushed by her, not sparing her one last glance, Y/N sighing and mouthing âsorryâ to his retreating form. Starting to follow after him, she went rigid when she felt a pair of arms wrap snugly around her waist, squeezing tightly until she wheezed. It was only when she felt kisses showering over the side of her face that she knew who it was, going limp in his strong arms.Â
âHi, Jin,â Y/N giggled, the heaviness of her interaction with Namjoon dissolving with the tenderness Seokjin showered upon her. âHow was your day, honey?â
âSeverely lacking without you,â Seokjin admitted, an almost whine to his voice. âI missed you so much.â
âI missed you, too,â Y/ N hummed, relaxing backwards into his chest and placing her hands over his, resting on her stomach. âItâs your turn to pick a movie or show tonight!â
âMm-hmm,â Seokjin returned, though she had a feeling he wasnât listening as he tucked his face in her neck from behind, planting tiny kisses on the exposed skin and his tail winding around her leg.Â
âCome on, you. Letâs eat,â Y/N tried to untangle herself from Seokjinâs ironclad grip around her middle, but he wouldnât ease up his hold until she murmured âI love youâ into his wavy hair. âBig kitty.â
Seokjin walked beside her, asking about her day as they returned to the kitchen. In her absence, Hoseok had bounced into the room, skin dewy from his evening run and positively glowing with endorphins. Shoving aside what they were having for dessertâ demonic threatsâ she began making herself a plate, Taehyung entering the room with his eyes glued to his phone. Y/N wasnât sure if he had downloaded a new interesting game over the past week, but he was thoroughly invested in whatever he was doing on the device. Shrugging, watching the Kodiak hybrid absently take a plate, she loaded up her own with salad and pasta.Â
Dinner passed by perfectly normally, other than the fact that Namjoon still wasnât very pleased with her and judging by the way Jeongguk was eyeing her carefully, the wolf hybrid had updated him on what was to come after they finished eating. While Taehyung helped her wash dishes, Namjoon disappeared. The kitchen was clean and everyone was still hanging out, digesting, before they inevitably moved to the parlor for a movie. Y/Nâs palms began to sweat when Namjoon returned with the laptop, Jimin making eye contact with her from across the room, nodding once with encouragement. Jeongguk was by the slider door to the backyard, the glass cracked open as he lit up a cigarette to smoke out of it.Â
Namjoon setting the laptop on the island somehow commanded attention, or perhaps it was the way he was carrying himself in that moment, grave and full of authority. Even Yoongi paused his wipe-down of the stove, his spotted ears perking up.Â
âHouse meeting,â Jeongguk announced dryly, staring out the window and flicking ash outside.Â
âHuh? New chore chart or something?â Hoseok was holding a popsicle, watching Namjoon set up the laptop, Y/N gritting her teeth, joining the wolf hybrid at the island, glancing up at the tall hybrid and searching for any kind of comfort. All he offered were drooped ears and his mouth set in a grim line.Â
âUh, no. Itâs about⊠you know the thing Namjoon, Jeongguk and I have been investigating for my job? The consults we do for haunted locations,â Y/N began, beating around the bush and feeling Namjoon trudge off to the corner of the room, at Jeonggukâs side. âThis first case, we captured some audio in one of the bedrooms. And⊠I think you guys should hear it, because it was about me.â
The room was completely quiet, Taehyung turning off the faucet and setting down the pan he was scrubbing, and Seokjin materializing beside her in half a heartbeat, worry all over his angelic face. No one said a word, Y/Nâs hands shaking as they hovered over the keyboard, and without further ado, she hammered down on the space bar to play the recording.Â
âWhat is your name?â
Static, and Seokjin holding his breath beside her.
âHow old are you?â
More static, Yoongi flanking her other side.
âWhy are you here?â
âWatching.âÂ
âHow many spirits are on this property? Are you alone?â
âMany are here.âÂ
Y/N didnât dare look up from the laptop as the audio crackled, the highlighted section labeled âJulieâs roomâ fast approaching, and she braced herself, eyes squeezing shut.
âWhy are you here?â
âTo kill you, whorish witch.â
Y/N expected an outcry of rage, but when the audio ended, the room was deathly quiet, the reedy, disturbing voice of the entity ringing out in the large kitchen eerily. She shut the laptop quickly, feeling her blood pressure rise at the lack of response. Then, all at once, chaos.
âThereâs no fucking way youâre going back, are youââ Yoongi started, gripping the granite counter top like he was going to pass out, Seokjinâs voice tangling with hisâ
âKill? Can a ghost actually do that? Jeonggukââ Seokjin was desperately holding on to Y/Nâs shoulders like she was about to be taken from him and ritually sacrificed, his expression more panicked than she had ever seen it.Â
Head spinning, she felt Seokjin shaking her shoulders, beside himself, Yoongi still cursing and telling Y/N she shouldnât go back, she canât go back. The beginnings of an anxiety attack clutched at her oxygen-starved lungs, Yoongi and Seokjin so distraught she hardly noticed how everyone else was faring.Â
âPlease, please, Y/N. You canât get hurt,â Seokjin begged, and she swore she saw tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Truly, the image she had conjured up in her head earlier at the home improvement store paled in comparison to reality; reality was absolutely hellish.Â
âCalm down, you two,â Jeongguk called from the slider, tossing his half-smoked cigarette into the outdoor ashtray. âGive her a few inches of space.â
Seokjin did not obey, but he loosened his hold on her shoulders, lips slamming shut. Yoongi stopped swearing, but his knuckles were white with how tightly he was holding onto the island. She tore her eyes from Seokjinâs watery ones, whipping her head towards the elk hybrid, who seemed determined and confident. Y/N supposed it wasnât exactly a shock to him, as he heard the audio before, and had probably dealt with entities like that in his past. Namjoon was standing beside him like a club bouncer, stony and aloof.Â
The others, however, were watching Yoongi and Seokjin with great surprise. Those two were usually the more calm and collected of the bunch, so to see them become slightly hysterical was definitely a shock. Jimin, at the breakfast nook, was white as a sheetâ Y/N hadnât disclosed the entityâs exact wording, and he looked like he was going to be sick. Hoseok, a statue by the refrigerator, had wide eyes and mango juice running down his wrist as his forgotten popsicle melted all over him.Â
âY/N, listen to me. Tell me youâre not planning on going back to that house,â Yoongi tried to compose himself, head down as he stared at her, Y/Nâs lower lip wobbling at the look on his face.Â
âIââ
âShe is,â Namjoon answered for her, bluntly and with deep resentment. âDonât even bother trying to talk her out of it.â
Yoongi sagged, head in hands, apparently the words striking home. Yoongi was well aware of Y/Nâs stubbornness, and that if she set her mind to accomplish something, nothing would tear her away from trying. Finally, Seokjinâs hands slid from her shoulders, turning his head sideways and using the back of his hand to swipe under his eyes, defeated.Â
âWait. This is fucking nuts. Youâre telling me you recorded a ghost saying that to you?â Hoseok dumped his half-melted popsicle in the sink, regaining motor function and scoffing, however, the green tint to his skin gave away the fact that the resident skeptic was starting to believe, at least a little.Â
âNo, it was the sound of the wind, dipshit,â Jeongguk rolled his eyes, but he crossed his arms over his chest and focused on Y/N. âY/N is a big girl. Sheâs stronger than you think. Let her make her own decisions.â
âYou didnât answer me. Can it actually kill her?â Seokjinâs tone was darker than ever, and he left her side to stalk over to Jeongguk. Growls came from the back of his throat, towering over Jeongguk at that moment, though the elk hybrid simply assessed Seokjin lazily.Â
âShort answer, yes,â Jeongguk answered honestly, Y/Nâs stomach dropping as she attempted to soothe Yoongi with a hand on his backâ only to find it shaking. âBut itâs rare. Usually happens during a demonic possession, and a possession takes weeks, sometimes months, to happen. Relax, jaguar, get out of my face. Weâve been monitoring her all week, the spirit didnât follow us home. It was probably threatening her because it knows she has the ability to banish it.â
Seokjin, again, did not listen to Jeongguk, baring his teeth at the elk hybrid with his tail violently thrashing behind him.Â
âI donât want her there, either. But like Jeongguk said, you have to let her make her own choices,â Namjoon cut in, putting a broad palm between Jeongguk and Seokjinâs chests. Sick of them talking about her like she wasnât in the room, Y/N removed her hand from Yoongiâs back, spinning around to glare at the three in the corner of the kitchen.Â
âI donât want this turning into a fight. Can we just talk like adults? I know itâs⊠startling to hear. But you all have to give me some credit, canât you? I mean, I was able to banish the demon from this house. I lived with the attachment for years prior to even knowing any of you, and was never physically harmed.â
âBut Y/Nââ Hoseok began, however, Y/N held her hand out to stop him.Â
âI promised the Sanders family I would help them. To back out on that promise out of fear is cowardly bullshit. There are children in that house, living with that thing. If thatâs how it threatened me, someone who had only been in the building twice, what is it saying about the kids?â
The room fell into silence again. Realizing she hadnât heard a peep from Taehyung, she looked around the room, each of her hybrids in various states of discomfort, anger, and distressâ the latter of which affecting Yoongi the most.Â
âI thinkâ I think I need some air,â Seokjin broke the silence, cracking open the slider even further and slipping outside, Y/Nâs heart breaking.Â
âY/N? Are you alright?â Y/N froze, Taehyungâs soulful, resonant voice came from behind her, making her flinch in surprise. Those days, he really didnât talk to her unless he had to, considering he was so glued to his phone or his camera it was nearly impossible to get his attention, so hearing him address her specifically had tingles shooting down her spine.Â
âIâm okay, Tae,â Y/N softened, his usual kind, trusting face appearing in front of her, reaching out to take her trembling hands. âAre you?â
âI believe in you,â he responded quietly, tugging her forward slightly to give her a brief hug, something she didnât realize she needed so bad. âIf you go, promise youâll come back.â
âOh, I promise,â Y/N mumbled into his shoulder, her hands fisting in the fabric of his sweater over his lower back. It was the most physical contact she had from Taehyung in a long while, and the fact that he offered her comfort while the others dissolved into pieces had her heart galloping in her chest. âEverything is going to be okay. Iâll come back to you all in one piece, I swear.â
Taehyung let her go, nodding once, taking her promise as an oath. Y/N bristled when Namjoon approached, swiping up the laptop, his iciness slightly dissipating when he noticed how much it affected her. Placing a palm on top of her head, somewhat awkwardly, Namjoon left the room with his bitten ear flickering and Jeongguk close behind. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she worried for Seokjin, outside in the cold without a coat, she worried for Yoongi, pale and hunched over beside her, and Hoseok and Jimin looked like neither of them could wrap their heads around the entire situation.Â
âUm⊠Iâm gonna try and get Jin to come back inside,â Hoseok cleared his throat after rinsing the melted mango popsicle off of his forearm and wrist, not bouncing back as quickly as he usually did after an uncomfortable situation. âJimin, set up the TV.â
Although the fox hybrid wasnât totally bouncing back just yet, Y/N suspected he was trying to grasp onto normalcy by not abandoning their nightly routine. Taehyung, sparing her one last meaningful look, whisked himself away to the parlor, and Y/N heard him shoving more logs into the fireplace distantly. Jimin, slowly, got up from his seat, heeding Hoseokâs suggestion and bringing his glass of whiskey along with him, leaving her and Yoongi alone. She had an inkling that they all left the room on purpose, for Y/N to attempt to soothe Yoongi, but she didnât know where to start. âYoongi, baby,â Y/N murmured, the leopard hybrid still leaning over the counter with his head in his hands. âLook at me.â
Yoongi didnât budge, but he began muttering to himself, far too quietly for Y/N to hear what he was saying. His tail was completely still, limp, ears drooped, and Y/N felt terrible for being responsible for his misery.Â
âPlease, look at me? Yoongi?â Y/N tried again, hesitantly placing a hand on his bicep, yelping when he straightened, immediately yanking Y/N into his chest, shoving his face into her neck and clawing at her back through her blouse. âO-oof. AngelâŠâ
At least he stopped shaking, hugging her so tight the breath was stolen from her lungs, the leopard hybrid manipulating her head so it similarly rested in the crook of his neck. She stopped speaking, letting him hold her silently, stroking her hands through his hairâ somehow, in all of the chaos, his elastic band came loose, his inky hair falling messily around his face.Â
âI canât lose you again,â Yoongi finally spoke, voice scratchy with emotion. âI canât.â
âYou wonât,â Y/N answered immediately, clutching him close, not even caring that his fingernails were scraping up the skin of her back. âNever again.â
âBaby,â Yoongi moved, cradling the back of her head so she was pressed against his chestâ and for once, he wasnât purring. âI wonât try to convince you not to go anymore, butâŠâ
âYou donât want me to,â Y/N finished for the leopard hybrid when he trailed off, pressing a kiss to his chest through his hoodie.Â
âGoes without saying,â Yoongi held her so tight, she thought he would never let go. âBut I know you. I need you to be careful, Y/N.â
Y/N had no response. She simply held onto Yoongi, smoothing her hands up and down his back, blinking away tears. While everyoneâs reactions had her worried, if anything, it made her even more determined to not only banish the spirits in the Sandersâ home, but also come back perfectly whole and triumphant.Â
âI love you, Y/N. Please be careful,â Yoongi whispered after a few moments, kissing the top of her head, easing up on his hold on her. She returned the sentiment, a palm on one of his cheeks, pressing her forehead to his. âCome back to me.â
Y/N shushed him, a tear tracking down her cheek, by kissing him gently, his lower lip between hers as they held onto each other like lifelines. She didnât deepen the kiss any further, the chaste lock of their lips more like a promise than anything else, and when Yoongi pulled away, he released her from his embrace. He wiped the tear running down her cheek with a thumb, a crooked smile on his face, despite the heavy mood.Â
âOnly you can bring Seokjin inside, go rescue Foxy,â Yoongi grunted, nodding towards the door. Moving towards the glass, she paused, looking over her shoulder.Â
âI love you, Yoongi.â
It had taken her thirty whole minutes to get Seokjin back inside. Hoseok had scrambled away as soon as she was out on the patio with them, Seokjin sitting on a lawn chair staring despondently into the distance. In the end, it was her thorough explanation of all of the protective tools sheâd be using, how sheâd leave the house at the first sign of danger, and pinky-swearing that sheâd call him as soon as they concluded the second investigation that got him to budge. That night, Seokjin insisted on sleeping with her, tucking her under his chin and clinging to her like glue.Â
In the days that followed, Y/N started to get a little annoyed by how everyone was tip-toeing around her, as if she was going to burst into flames at any moment. She put her focus on Namjoon and Jeongguk, teaching them how to create an energy shield for themselves, which as her mother predicted, was incredibly easy for them to pick up. Jeonggukâ and Taehyung, when he was aroundâ seemed like the only two who werenât staring at her with puppy dog eyes, pleading for her to reconsider following through on the investigation. No matter how cute Jimin was, Y/N wasnât budging.Â
It was the day before the second investigation, a Tuesday and the last day of February, and Y/N was packing her overnight bag in her room. Tucking a first-aid kit into the pocket of the bag, Y/N hoped she wouldnât have to use it. Yoongi and Seokjin had been up her ass the entire day, and she finally caught a break when Yoongi took one of the cars to Benâs for Daisyâs piano lesson, and Seokjin had managed to peel himself from her long enough to help Jimin drag the completed garden beds out of the stable.Â
Pushing a hand through her hair, she packed an extra sweatshirtâ one of Yoongiâs, just in case she got cold or needed the comfort of his scent, and Seokjin gave her his stuffed alpaca to bring as a companion, a âprotectorâ, as he worded it. She was about ready to take her evening shower and nod off, considering sheâd be up the entire night the next day, when a knock came to her bedroom door. Thinking it was Seokjin, she pressed a palm to her forehead and prayed for patience.Â
âComing,â she called, hastily zipping her bag and tossing it by the foot of her bed. However, when she swung the door open, the hybrid standing there wasnât Seokjin, it was Hoseok, his hands shoved in the pockets of his sweats and his ears drooping to either side of his head.Â
âHey, Hoseok, how was practice?â Y/N asked, eyes on his semi-damp wavy locks from his post-practice shower. âBeat any records today?â
Hoseok shook his head, the crewneck sweatshirt he was wearing hugging his lean frame just so. Hoseok wasnât one to typically drop by her room, if he needed her, heâd usually text or video call and sheâd join him in the basement to hang out. Stepping aside wordlessly, Y/N motioned for him to come in, noticing how quiet he was.Â
âWhatâs up? Want to do some yoga with me or something? I could use some meditation before tomorrow,â Y/N flopped down onto her bed, Hoseok imperceptibly flinching at the mention of the following day.Â
âActually, I wanted to talk to you about your plans for tomorrow,â Hoseok scratched his chin, slowly lowering himself beside her on the bed and resting his palms on his knees.Â
âYeah?âÂ
âYeah. I wondered if I could be the one to talk you out of it, if anybody,â Hoseok confessed, a reluctant look on his face.Â
Puzzled, Y/N stared at him, waiting for him to continue, but all he did was seemingly collect his thoughts, twiddling his thumbs together. Opening her mouth, she was about to repeat the speech she had given each of them at least a half dozen times already, but Hoseok cleared his throat and stalled her.Â
âHear me out darling?â Hoseok grimaced, his jaw tensing. âJust for a minute.â
âIâm listening,â Y/N conceded, knowing that when Hoseok was that serious and the golden light left his eyes, he had something important to say.Â
âYou know I donât really believe in that hocus-pocus crap you, the wolf, and Jeongguk do. Even back in August⊠I played along when they did that weird ritual on you, but honestly I thought you just had a little bit too much to drink and fell in the hallway,â he began, glancing at Y/Nâs vanity, which now held various materials for her practice such as dried herbs and bells. âI donât like things I canât explain. I canât explain what I heard on that recording, and Y/N⊠I have a bad feeling.â
Y/N didnât take the first half of Hoseokâs statement offensively. She was familiar enough with Hoseok to know that while he wasnât exactly a believer in the supernatural, he respected her practice and humored her whenever she offered him cleansing bath salts or asked to waft rosemary smoke around his bedroom. She wasnât the kind of person to force her beliefs on anyone else, so she was totally fine with the fact that Hoseok didnât believe in what went bump in the night.Â
âA bad feeling, just like everyone else?â Y/N half-smiled, nudging Hoseok in the ribs. Unlike Namjoon or Jimin, Hoseok didnât mind her trying to find a semblance of humor in the situationâ if she didnât, sheâd crumble into a nervous wreck.Â
âI get it, youâre probably sick to the back teeth of hearing everyone telling you that you should stay here. For once, I agree with them,â Hoseok nudged her back, mirroring her half-smile. âIf what you recorded really was⊠something paranormal or whatever, I donât like that itâs targeting you.â
âWell, remember what Jeongguk said? It probably only said that to me because I was the one conducting the EVP session, and it could sense that I know how to banish evil spirits. Sure, itâs a scary thing to hear about oneself, though.â
âYeah, well, I donât really care what the elk has to say. Heâs self-serving,â Hoseok hissed, the mood shifting suddenly, Y/N surprised that Hoseok sounded so aggravated.Â
âThatâs not fair, Hoseok,â Y/N scolded gently, the fox hybrid standing from her bed and staring out of the window into the back yard. âJeongguk cares. Heâs experienced, too. With him there, you should feel better, not worse.â
âHeâs self-serving,â Hoseok repeated, making Y/N roll her eyes. Hoseok was like her twin; stubborn, and once he formulated an opinion, it was hard for him to let it go or see it change. âWhat are the chances I can convince you to stay?â
âSlim-to-none,â Y/N got up as well, joining the fox hybrid by her window, peering up at him curiously. His expression was stormy, his lips pressed into a thin line, and it made Y/N shiver.Â
âFantastic,â Hoseok replied flatly, narrowing his eyes at Y/N. The humor had evaporated the room at that point, Y/Nâs half-smile disappearing.Â
âHoseok,â Y/N groaned, tired of having the same conversation over and over again. âYou donât even believe in this stuff. Iâll be perfectly fine, okay?â
âOkay? And what if youâre wrong?â Hoseok shot back, hands on hips and cornering her against a wall, staring down at her beneath his nose. âWhat then?â
âWell, I guess youâll have a new reason to believe, then,â Y/N grit her teeth, entirely over the whole debate. She didnât know how many times she would have to repeat that sheâs fine, sheâll be fine, and that theyâre all suffocating her with worry. However, her usually well-received sarcasm, at least by Hoseok, did not land gracefully that time. Â
âDonât say that,â Hoseokâs voice was all gravel and menace, anger flashing in his eyes, turning the irises from caramel to mocha.Â
âSorry,â Y/N immediately apologized, her spine now flush with the wall beside her bed, Hoseok trapping her there. âIt was just a joke, I didnât mean it seriously.â
âIâm aware that we have the kind of relationship where we can joke around, but not about your safety, Y/N,â Hoseokâs tone softened, but there was a dangerous edge to it, his eyes skimming her from head to toe as she cowered in front of him, chastised. âOn my birthday. The only reason why I agreed to go to a club was because I knew all seven pairs of our eyes would be on you. You only have Namjoon and Jeongguk this time.â
âHoseokâŠâ Y/N sobered, the fox hybrid so close to her, she was drowning in his fresh, woodsy cologne. âI promised Iâd come back in one piece. For you, for all of you. I take my promises seriously.â
Hoseok paused, considering, using a forefinger and thumb to pinch the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath, one that had his rib cage expanding quite a bit, Y/N chewing on her lip and placing a hand on the side of his neck tenderly, feeling his erratic pulse under her thumb.Â
âFighting with youâŠâ Hoseokâs throat bobbed, his shoulders sagging. âSucks. It really fuckinâ sucks.â
âThen letâs not fight. Trust me Hoseok, hmm? We still have so many places to go, you and I. Our road trip this spring to New York, going to Disney World eventually, remember? Iâm not about to let a skanky ghost prevent us from traveling the world together,â Y/N attempted to brighten the mood, stroking through the silky short-cropped hair on the nape of his neck.Â
âNo matter what, youâre always a ray of sunshine, arenât you, darling,â Hoseok chuckled, making Y/N sigh with relief, reaching up to pinch Hoseokâs cheek.Â
âNo, thatâs you,â Y/N tugged the flesh of his cheek back and forth, making him shake his head, his whole body shuddering with her touch. To her surprise, Hoseok removed her hand from his face, holding onto her wrist, his eyes skimming over the veins that mapped through the skin. âWhatâs the matter?â
Hoseok said nothing, his thumb brushing over the sensitive area, ears fluttering when Y/Nâs heart stuttered in her chest. Not realizing how close they had gotten, Hoseok essentially caging her in, Y/N murmured his name considering he was basically stuck in a trance holding her wrist.Â
âCan I?â Hoseokâs ears turned back, eyes flicking to hers, pressing his thumb firmly into her delicate wrist. âPlease. Itâll make me feel better.â
âUh-huh,â Y/N watched Hoseokâs free hand press against the wall beside her face, crowding her against the surface, leveling her a meaningful look.
âI wonât be so rough this time,â Hoseok remarked, absently, Y/N ashamed that she was somewhat disappointed by that statement. âHold onto me if you wantâŠâ
Y/N had no qualms doing so. She snaked her free arm around Hoseokâs trim waist, grabbing a fistful of his sweatshirt, watching him turn her wrist in his palm carefully. Her breath caught when he brought it to his lips, his eyes never breaking from hers when he laid a gentle kiss on her palm, Y/Nâs stomach doing somersaults. Ears twitching, catching the intake of breath she made, the corner of his mouth curled up, littering a few more kisses along the length of her wrist. Hoseok paused when goosebumps rose on her forearm when his lips brushed against a particular stretch of skin.Â
With one last butterfly wing kiss, Hoseok sunk his incisors into her wrist, Y/N wincing at the razor-sharp sensation, though she was instantly soothed when Hoseokâs free hand moved to curl around her hip, squeezing comfortingly. The sting was gone as swift as it came, Hoseokâs eyes fluttering shut as his teeth pierced her flesh, and the mind-numbing euphoria that came when her hybrids scented her had Y/Nâs head nodding into Hoseokâs toned chest. Humming from the back of his throat, he let her lean on him while he bit her, tongue peaking out to catch a droplet of blood leaking from the mark.Â
Y/N wasnât sure whether or not she was murmuring Hoseokâs name deliriously into his chest, eyes rolling to the back of her head when she felt his teeth pull out of her skin, tongue laving over the bleeding wounds methodically. Hoseok was effectively holding her up now, his arm supporting her lower back while he cleaned up his mess, cauterizing the wound as gently as he could. In stark contrast to how aggressively he scented her many months ago, this time around, he was calm, tender, and almost loving, Y/N let herself believe.Â
Before her knees could buckle and she dropped to the floor, Hoseok let go of her wrist, using two hands on her hips to hoist her up, Y/N not even making a noise of surprise as he carried her to her bed and set her down gingerly.Â
âHowâs your head? Fuzzy?â Hoseok questioned, Y/Nâs eyes heavy and lidded as she admired the new mark he gave her, already bruising but entirely painlessâ and when she prodded at it, the site tingled strangely.Â
âHuh?â Y/N didnât actually hear Hoseok, too doped up, considering postponing her shower in favor of just crawling into bed and passing out after all of that. âMy what?â
âNevermind, darling. That answers that,â Hoseok snickered, and he seemed way less jittery than he had when he first came into her bedroom, so Y/N counted that as a bonus. âWant me to have Yoongi bring your dinner in here? You look like youâre about to knock off.â
âOoh. Will you?â Y/N perked up, the fog in her brain clearing slowly, kicking off her slippers and wiggling beneath her quilt, Hoseokâs radiant smile spreading across his face. âThank you, Foxy.â
âYouâre lucky youâre cute,â Hoseok muttered to himself, and Y/N was still too fuzzy-brained to hear it. He started towards the door, knowing that Y/N would probably be asleep when Yoongi brought dinner around, her eyes almost shut completely, but something about her angelic expression had him stopping by the door and speaking up more loudly. âY/N.â
âYeah, honey?â Y/N peered at him from under her eyelashes, the fox hybrid turning a bit sly.Â
âYou owe me that trip to EPCOT, donât forget. Iâm not âdrinking around the worldâ without you, so you better come back.â
Y/Nâs eyes went wide out of pure shock, Hoseok back to his wiseass self, before she dissolved into a fit of giggles.Â
âIâm taking that as a threat. Donât come crying to me when weâre four drinks in and youâre all sunburnt.â
âI look forward to it, darling.â
Y/N pulled Yoongiâs hoodie over her head shortly after she, Jeongguk, and Namjoon entered the deserted Sandersâ home. The family themselves had been living in a hotel for the past few weeks as per Y/Nâs advice, the current state of the building uninhabitable with all of the spirits infesting it. The worn fabric, infused with Yoongiâs vanilla-and-cloves body wash, offered her somewhat of a lifeline, the home absolutely frigid and charged with thick, uncomfortable energy. Namjoon stuck close to her like an overzealous watchdog, Y/N feeling his sharp gaze on her near constantly as the two of them helped Jeongguk set up cameras. None of them spoke apart from the occasional direction from Jeongguk on where to place a piece of equipment.Â
Part of the âagreementâ Y/N had begrudgingly accepted was Namjoon taking over the EVP sessions and asking the spirits questions. Really, she was only there as some kind of equipment mule, which she supposed was more than she could ask for, at that point. At least Namjoon had taken her list of follow-up questions to use, while she monitored the computer as he asked them.Â
Burying her nose into the collar of Yoongiâs hoodie, letting his scent bathe her in comfort, she sat on one of the living room couches, in pitch-black darkness, waiting for the other two hybrids to finish setting up. The only sources of light, it being quarter past two in the morning, were the tiny lights on the cameras and the odd flash of eyeshine from one of the hybrids milling about with purpose.Â
âEverythingâs set. This was the last static night vision camera to go up,â Jeongguk broke the silence gruffly, Y/N hearing his combat boots clomping along the hardwood just a few feet away from her. âLetâs do some EVP. I donât want to be here longer than we have to; we already have plenty of evidence.â
Y/N flinched when she felt Namjoon collapse down beside her on the couch, the EVP device clutched in his hand, Y/N only able to make out the faintest shadow of his side profile. Clearing her throat, she booted up the digital audio workstation in preparation for recording, Jeongguk standing by the living room window where what the three of them called âThe Watcherâ lingered.Â
âGot the list? You two have your shields up, right?â Y/N mumbled to Namjoon, the room dropping a couple of degrees in temperature, as well as the wolf hybrid now staring daggers into the side of her face. Technically, she wasnât supposed to talk, but she wasnât about to be mute the entire time.Â
âStart up the recording, kiddo,â Jeongguk ignored her questions, his silhouette visible by the windowâ his antlers making him look like a supernatural creature, himself.Â
Sighing, shoving her face further into Yoongiâs hoodie, she did as she was told. The nickname Jeongguk used on her didnât have its usual affect, considering the elk hybrid explicitly told her and Namjoon not to use their names while in the house, for whatever reason. With a quiet grunt leaving her lips, indicating they were ready to go, Y/N clung to Namjoonâs side as close as she could as he began prattling off inquiries.Â
âWho are you watching?â After a series of unanswered questions, Namjoonâs tone was growing frustrated, his tail occasionally batting against Y/Nâs behind. Nothing was showing up on her digital audio workstation, either. Finally, however, there was a blip appearing on her computer, Y/N tensing as she actually heard the gritty response amongst the static the EVP detector was putting out.Â
âFamily.â
âWhy are you watching this family?â Namjoon brightened, shushing Jeongguk from across the room, who was tapping his foot impatiently. âHow did you get here?â
âPortal. Bedroom.â
Y/N was positive she was grinding her teeth into dust. She was dreading the EVP sessions in the bedrooms, and based on The Watcherâs response, the three of them would be heading up there sooner than she thought.Â
Namjoon asked a few more questions, but received no further responses. Sucking his teeth, Namjoon made a motion for Y/N to stop recording, switching off the device he was holding. The room was still heavy with icky energy, but quiet once Namjoon turned off the detector, Y/N expelling the breath she was holding.Â
âA portal. I should have known,â Jeongguk remarked, already dismantling a night vision camera to haul upstairs. âThatâs why thereâs so many entities here. Thereâs a portal that allows them to freely come and go, and my guess is itâs in one of the bedrooms.â
âOh! That means that I have a wayââ Y/N immediately clammed up when Namjoon pinched her thigh, whimpering at the sharpness of his fingernails. However, he was right to snap her out of itâ it wouldnât have been wise to announce that she had a way to close the portal while they were in the house.Â
With that, she silently helped the hybrids bring equipment up to the second floor, following Jeonggukâs direction to begin in Tommyâs bedroom, all while clutching onto the burning dragonâs blood incense like it was a flaming sword. Y/N had a sneaking suspicion that the portal was located in that specific bedroom due to the suffocating sensation she had in there weeks ago, one that had her head swimming and breath coming out shallowly. It was a great effort to keep her energetic shield up while in that room, imagining an impenetrable bright golden light surrounding her, and she could feel it taking a good chunk of her lucidity.Â
Stiffly, she stood by the door of the room, letting the hybrids take the lead, Jeongguk muttering something in Latinâ she assumed it was an expletive due to the acidic way he uttered it. Because she and Namjoon hadnât captured any audio in that room the last time, they focused on taking video, breaking out the thermometers, and sweeping the area for electromagnetic readings. To no oneâs surprise, the electromagnetic detector was going absolutely berserk in that room, specifically in the young boyâs closet. Jeongguk used his teeth to rip a piece of electrical tape to mark the area.Â
âI think itâs there,â he announced quietly, Namjoon taking pictures of the closet with flash, lighting up the dark room and making Y/N gnaw on her lip as she saw shadows all around her wolf hybrid. She prayed he was maintaining his shield, but she had spoken one too many times, so she couldnât mention the shadows curling around the room threateningly. âLetâs get through the girlâs room quickly and get out of here.â
Stomach turning sour, she curled her hands into fists, trying her best not to light her clothes on fire with the burning incense she was religiously replacing as soon as one stick got too low. Namjoon was too busy to hold her hand this time, so she trailed after him closely, feeling utterly sick when they entered Julieâs dark room. Y/N swore she heard growling coming from all angles, low and menacing, but if either of her hybrids noticed, they didnât say anything about it. Wafting the incense smoke around the space, Y/N concentrated on her shield, waiting for Jeongguk to prop up a single camera and Namjoon to begin the EVP session.Â
Turning, she could see outlines of her two hybrids working quickly, but what concerned her the most were the dark shadows now surrounding Jeongguk, too, not just Namjoon, and the density of the shadows were growing by the second. Perhaps Y/N didnât spend enough time teaching them how to maintain their defenses, or they had forgotten to tend to their shields in the urgency of it all. Before she could say anything, her hackles rising and sensing danger all of a sudden, Namjoon started recording audio and switched on the EVP.Â
âWho are you?â Namjoonâs first question rang out loudly, firmly, with an edge of anger to it. âWhat are you doing here?â
The shadows thickened even more, and it was getting even harder to see either of her hybrids from where she was standing, mere feet away. It was odd that something could be darker than night, like a void, but those shadows were proof in front of her. Queasy, she took a step forward, following the sound of the static coming from the EVP. She hadnât noticed that her stick of incense had gone out.Â
âDid you come from a portal within this home?â Namjoon pressed, clearly pissed he wasnât getting any answers.Â
Jeongguk was scribbling in his notebook furiously, a ballpoint pen scratching against the linen pages when the knocking on the walls started up. Icy fright washed over Y/N, but she tried to keep it together by clutching the selenite in her pocket. Just a few more minutes, a few more questions, and they could leave. And when they would return, it would be in the daylightâŠ
âGive me that shit,â Jeongguk suddenly cursed, snatching the EVP from the wolf hybrid. âAnswer us. You can threaten young girls without a problem, but youâre too much of a pussy to show yourself to us?â
Y/N stifled a gasp, definitely not prepared for Jeongguk to antagonize the entity, the shadows pressing down on him immediately in response. He didnât seem to realize that, though Namjoon certainly did, moving closer to Y/N and his eyes flashing in the darkness when the knocking on the wall turned to pounding.Â
âHybrid scum.â Came through the device Jeongguk was holding, a dry chuckle leaving Jeonggukâs lips.Â
âReal original. Iâve had old ladies at convenience stores call me worse,â Jeongguk taunted, Y/N dropping her stick of stubbed-out incense in shock. âGive me something to work with. Prove youâre here.â
The pounding on the walls cut off suddenly. All Y/N could hear besides radio static was the blood rushing in her ears. Shadows still curling around her two hybrids, Y/N really thought something was beginning to go wrong, especially with everything going quiet. Desperate to do anything of use, she squeezed her eyes shut, and with great effort, extended her mental energetic shield around not only herself, but her two hybrids as well. Picturing them in her mind, she felt something warm coasting down her face, ignoring it entirely while she focused on cloaking them all with protection.Â
âJudas,â Jeongguk barked, the camera he had set on the tripod knocked off its perch and launching clear across the room, smacking to the floor when the pounding on the walls started up again. Namjoon fumbled with a flashlight to illuminate the room.Â
âElkââ Namjoon sounded panicked, though distant, as Y/N was in a meditative trance focusing on the shield.Â
âShut up,â Jeongguk hissed, continuing with his questions. âWho the fuck are you? Tell us your name.â
Y/N had expended too much energy. It was too much; between attempting to shield three people at once, what felt like spiders crawling up her legs, and all of the noise around herâ her eyes snapped open and the shield was broken. At that same moment, two things happened.Â
âFuck!â Jeongguk shouted, pained, hunching over and dropping the EVP device. As the elk hybrid cried out, Y/Nâs knees failed her, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap, shakily and blindly trying to reach out for Jeongguk. âGet her out of here. Now.â
Y/N had tears gushing from her waterline, screaming when Namjoon sprung into action, scooping her up around the middle and hauling her over his shoulder.Â
âNooo! Jeongguk!â Y/N wailed, smacking Namjoonâs back desperately as he thundered down the stairs, through the living room, and outside into the night. âNamjoon put me DOWN! We canât leave him!â
Namjoon didnât say a word, taking her beating as she struck and pummeled his back, the wolf hybrid hastily yanking open the door to his van and carrying her inside. Fully sobbing by now, the strength she used to try and get herself out of Namjoonâs arms completely zapped, Namjoon quickly started the van to both heat and light it up. Crying brokenly, she went limp, the wolf hybrid moving to the booth in the back of the vehicle, manipulating her limbs so she sat securely on his lap, a forearm braced across her stomach to keep her in place.Â
âJ-Joon⊠Jeonggukâs hurt, why did we leave him?â Y/N whimpered, weakly trying to pry his arm off of her midsection. She might as well have been trying to pry off a metal bar on a roller coaster that was across her lap.Â
âHeâs just getting the equipment. Heâll be out in a minute,â Namjoon murmured in her ear, his free hand searching for something on the boothâs table.Â
âButââ
âHush,â Namjoon interrupted, using his thumb on her chin to tilt her head back, his eyebrows scrunched up in concern, something feathery and soft clutched in the remainder of his long fingers. âYour nose is bleeding.â
Hand trembling, Y/N touched her lips, her fingertips coming away wet and soaked with blood. Namjoonâs ears were flat when he began dabbing away at her face with the tissue, mopping up the blood first and having Y/N hold the tissue to her nose. Tears still streaming down her face, Namjoonâs chest rumbled, reaching across the table for another tissue before he began blotting those away as well.
âYou shouldnât have extended your shield to us like that. Youâre going to need a few days to recover,â Namjoon commented when Y/Nâs sobs slightly mellowed into pathetic blubbering. She was going to reply when a loud scrape against the van door had her shrieking.Â
âJust me, kiddo,â Jeongguk hauled himself into the van, his camera and the equipment bag in one hand, his complexion pale and sweaty as he dumped everything on the ground. âCameraâs fuckinâ toast. Demon prick.â
Turning into a puddle of relief against Namjoonâs chest, her eyes were watering again, thanking the moon and the stars that he made it back to the van. Somehow, the sight of the elk hybrid gave her a spark of revival, patting the back of Namjoonâs hand so heâd let her up. He did so, reluctantly, one hand on her waist as she stood.Â
âAre you okay?â Y/Nâs voice was scratchy and raw due to the screaming and crying, but Jeongguk simply nodded and looked behind her, right at Namjoon.Â
âStep on it, wolf. We need to leave, now,â Jeongguk ordered, Namjoon growling at the command but making his way to the driverâs seat anyways, releasing Y/Nâs waist in the process. âCall Seokjin, Y/N.â
âW-what?âÂ
âThe investigation is over. He told me he expects a call, so call him,â Jeongguk collapsed into the booth, wincing when his back hit the seat.Â
It dawned on her, turning her head to the kitchenette, where she left both her phone and Seokjinâs stuffed alpaca on the countertop to remind her whenever they finished. Grasping for both items, she sunk into the booth across from Jeongguk before Namjoon threw the van in drive and sped off down the street. Clutching the plushie to her chest, Seokjin picked up on the first ring.Â
âPretty girl? Is it over? What happened?â Seokjin blurted in quick succession.Â
âOn our way home,â Y/N sniffed, hugging the stuffed alpaca even closer to her chest, Seokjin releasing a shuddering exhale through the receiver.Â
âWere you crying? Love, are you hurt?â Seokjin continued, Y/N picturing his worried expression.Â
âNo, Iâm not hurt. Just shaken up, is all. But⊠Weâll be home in half an hour, so Iâll see you then and tell you all about it, honey?âÂ
There was a beat of silence on the other end of the call, Y/N feeling bad that she wasnât exactly Chatty Cathy, but Seokjin had always been understanding.Â
âIâll be waiting. Iâll make some tea, okay? I love you,â Seokjinâs smooth voice soothed her, wrapped her in warmth, and sooner than she thought she could, she smiled.Â
âThank you, I love you too, honey. And thank you for loaning me your plushie.â
She hung up from Seokjin, shooting a quick text to all of the others to give them her ETA, her fingers pausing over the keyboard when Jeongguk made an audible wince, shifting in his seat.Â
âSweets, are youâŠ?â
âY/N, get the camera, the one that has the flash,â Jeongguk was still pale, wiping sweat from his brow despite how cold it still was outside.
Eyebrow raised, she obeyed, fishing around for it in the hastily-packed equipment bag. When she turned, she squeaked; Jeongguk was in the middle of stripping his black turtleneck off, crumpling it into a ball once he untangled it from his antlers and holding it to cover his chest. Y/N stood there, stunned, both of his sleeves on display, his toned abs caved in as he slouched, biting down harshly on his lip ring.Â
âThereâs something on my back, take a picture of it,â Jeongguk, rigidly, turned in the booth, revealing the expanse of his bare back to Y/N frozen there like a garden gnome. âEvidence.â
Y/N, this time, could not stifle her gasp. It was the first time she saw the great black-and-white tattoo covering most of his back, but horrifyingly, the excitement of that was squashed by the three long, bleeding scratches across the flesh. The scratches appeared like they were made by an animal with talons, starting at one of his shoulders and ending at his opposite hip, red and inflamed, marring the elegant lines of the tattoo. Y/N couldnât even process what the tattoo depicted, her heart in her throat when she saw the scratches.Â
âHoly fuck, Jeongguk,â Y/N exclaimed, rooted to her spot behind him with the camera in one of her hands, forgotten.Â
âWhat? Whatâs wrong?â Namjoon called from the driverâs seat, trying to see what was going on by peering into the rearview mirror.Â
âJeongguk got scratched,â Y/N reported, her cadence wobbly from trying to swallow down more tears.Â
âTake the picture, Y/N,â Jeongguk spoke through his teeth, bracing his forearms on the boothâs table.Â
âJeongguk, watch your goddamn tone,â Namjoon warned, speeding onto the highway in the direction of their home. âStop ordering her around like a spoiled prince.â
For once, Jeongguk didnât have a snide remark, a bead of sweat rolling down his spine and mingling with the blood, the sting of it making him hiss and groan. Frantically, Y/N snapped several pictures from different angles, her heart clenching as she watched blood ooze from one of the deeper gashes.Â
âGood? You got them?â
âUh-huh,â Y/N said gravely, setting down the camera and reaching for her overnight bag. âNow itâs my turn to call the shots, you two. Jeongguk, youâre gonna sit still and let me bandage you, and Joon, youâre gonna slow down at least 15 miles per hour.â
She could have bet a fair sum that Namjoon chuckled from the front seat, but he heeded her request, lightly pressing the breaks and merging into the slowest lane on the highway. Jeongguk was still slouched, though uncharacteristically free of protests when Y/N sat directly behind him, setting her first-aid kit on the table with a solemn thunk.Â
âYou know, I hoped I wouldnât have to use thisâŠâ Y/N sighed, opening up the kit and rummaging through it for some alcohol wipes. Due to how long the three scratches were, sheâd probably need all of the wipes she had in the plastic box. âJeongguk, we promised Julie we wouldnât instigate the spirits. Why did you do that?â
âWe werenât going to get anywhere unless I did,â Jeongguk grunted while Y/N used her teeth to tear a wipe packet open, swiping it along his left shoulder where the scratches began.Â
âI⊠hmm. How do I put this,â Y/N methodically cleaned up Jeonggukâs wounds, starting to make out the image his tattoo depictedâ some kind of winged, cloaked figure. âI know you have lots of experience, Jeongguk. But I think, had I known that was where your thought process was leading, things could have gone a lot better. The element of surprise when it comes to these investigations, between teammates, is so, so, stupid and reckless.â
From the front seat, Namjoon hummed loudly in agreement. Jeongguk simply kept his mouth shut, Y/N not knowing whether or not he was giving her the silent treatment, jolting in his seat when she passed an alcohol wipe over a particularly deep scratch.Â
âSo next time, if you want to go Zak Bagans on the spirits, just run it by me first. Alright?â
Jeongguk grumbled in offense, Y/N too tired to scold him any further. Happy with how she cleaned the scratches, she tossed the last slightly-bloodied alcohol wipe on the table, pulling soothing and antibacterial ointment out of her kit. The cab of the van was quiet except for the folk tape Namjoon switched on, which was turned down low for ambience. Y/N had a suspicion he put it on for some comfort.Â
She had never been able to touch so much of Jeonggukâs skin. Of course, he ran hot like all of the other hybrids, Y/Nâs fingertips gingerly applying ointment to his scratches. Trying to be gentle, she cooed when Jeongguk flinched again as her fingers passed over his mid-back. As she worked, she admired not only the tattoo covering his back, but the ones wrapping around his triceps and elbows. Attempting to distract him from the pain, Y/N dared to ask him a question.Â
âSweets? Whatâs this tattoo on your back? Is it a fallen angel or something?â
âSaw it on the wall in the shop and liked it. I donât know, itâs some kind of winged grim reaper,â Jeonggukâs shoulders shrugged indifferently, Y/N taking a moment to sit back and really get a good look at it.Â
Indeed, the figure resembled a skeleton, cloaked in black, holding a scythe. Its large wings extended over Jeonggukâs shoulder blades, the tips of the wings nearly meeting at the nape of his neck, where Y/N had seen the tattoo peeking out from the backs of his shirts on one or two occasions. The tattoo was expertly done, the linework precise and bold, Y/N running a finger over one of the wings, Jeonggukâs muscles tensing.Â
âHow did you afford all of those tattoos and holes in your face and ears while on the run?â Namjoon asked, in a way that told Y/N that he had been holding onto that question for quite some time.Â
âI exorcized a tattoo shop in L.A. before I got out of that cesspool,â Jeongguk explained, Y/N resuming her task by cutting strips of gauze for his bandages. âIt was like one of my first âgigsâ or whatever. Anyways, the owner was so grateful, she pretty much gave me unlimited tattoos and piercings free of charge. And with the prices of these fucking thingsââ Jeongguk gestured to some of the ink on his biceps, âI took advantage of that free ticket.â
âThatâs a cool story,â Y/N remarked, realizing she didnât have a lot of information on Jeonggukâs past, other than how he came to Gerryâs shelter all those months ago. âThis one on your back is beautiful. She did such a nice job.â
âThanks,â Jeongguk began rubbing at his bicep, Y/N surprised he thanked her at all as she began taping gauze to his back.Â
âWhatâs this one?â Y/N poked his deltoid, unable to make it out, letting her eyes roam all over his arms indulgently. It was the first time she had an excuse to gawk at them.Â
âThatâs the moon, kiddo. What are you blind?â Jeongguk turned his face slightly, staring down at the tattoo on his shoulder, Y/N glancing at his side profile; the sharpness of his nose, the labret threaded through his eyebrow, the angle of his jaw.Â
âHow many do you think you have? Oh, it must be hard to count, considering theyâre sleeves. Do you have any on your legs? What was your most painful piercing?â Y/N rapid-fired, both unable to help herself and loving that the conversation was distracting her from the fact that her elk hybrid had gotten hurt under her watch.Â
âWhoa, slow down. What is this, twenty questions?â
âYou could at least do me the courtesy of answering one,â Y/N muttered resentfully, smoothing the last pieces of tape in place.Â
âIâm not going to tell you which piercing was the most painful, it depends on the person,â Jeongguk replied, an odd tone taking over his voiceâ awkwardness? âSo fine. No tattoos on my legs. Happy?â
âSatisfied,â Y/N confirmed, smirking. âAlright, youâre patched up. You should probably skip the salt bath until theyâre more healed. Iâll just waft some palo santo over you or something when we get home.â
Jeongguk shifted, sitting correctly in the booth now, this time not grimacing when his back hit the fabric of the booth. Y/Nâs eyes went to his black turtleneck, forgotten beside him, and before she could stop herself, her greedy gaze was on his chestâ and she was not prepared for what she saw.Â
Besides the fact that Jeongguk was well-muscled, almost like a dancer, his chest was free of any ink, but there was something that had her mouth dropping open when her eyes trailed upwards. Jeongguk had his nipples pierced, silver barbells threaded through them, which had Y/N positively reeling. She supposed she shouldnât have been so surprised, he had countless piercings in his ears and the two in his face, but the sight of the nipple piercings had her mouth watering and heat flooding her cheeks.Â
âWhat?â Jeongguk lifted his eyebrow, noticing her gaping fish mouth.Â
âNothing! Iâm gonna go sit up front!â Y/N blurted, stuffing the first-aid kit into her overnight bag and scrambling to the front of the vehicle, scooping up Seokjinâs plushie as she went.
Jeongguk snorted as she hobbled away, struggling back into his turtleneckâ even though Y/N ordered special ones that had stretchy necks to cater to hybrids with antlers, it was still a sort of gymnastics routine for him.Â
âHow are you doing?â Namjoon inquired once she buckled in beside him, never taking his eyes off the road.Â
âIâm better, but exhausted. Sorry for going postal on you. Is your back bruised?â
âPlease,â Namjoon scoffed, sucking his teeth. âIt was like someone throwing pebbles at me.â
âWay to stroke my ego, Joon Bug,â Y/N grouched, sinking into the oversized fabric of Yoongiâs sweatshirt with an exaggerated offended expression.Â
âWeâre almost back,â Namjoon commented, sneaking a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. âYou definitely need at least 10 hours of sleep. Doing what you did with the shieldââ
âWas idiotic?â Jeongguk offered from the back of the van, Y/N giving him the finger over the back of her headrest.Â
âNo, jackass. Unwise, I would say,â Namjoon bared his teeth at Jeongguk through the rearview mirror.Â
âI saw shadows around you two. I didnât know whether or not you guys were maintaining your own shields, thatâs why I did it. I only wanted to protect you,â Y/N defended her actions, pouting and cradling the alpaca plushie in her arms.Â
With that, the two hybrids stopped chiding her, the weight of her words having the both of them regretting saying anything at all. Namjoon cleared his throat, turning the volume up on his tape, Y/N giggling when she heard Jeongguk complain noisily.Â
âI get scratched by a fuckinâ demon, now I have to listen to some asshole play the spoons on a tape from 1955,â he groaned, Namjoon shaking his head while he pulled off of the highway, into their town. âI need a cigarette.â
âAre you bleeding? I can smell your blood,â Seokjin tackled her as soon as she stepped a singular toe into the foyer, a note of panic in his tone as he gathered her in his arms, frantically tracking his eyes all over her body for any sign of injury.Â
âI had a nosebleed on the way home. Iâm okay, honey,â Y/N sunk into Seokjinâs embrace, winding her arms around his neck. She was wilting with exhaustion, at that point, but she knew sheâd have to make the rounds to assure everyone she was unharmed. âI missed you bunches.â
Seokjin didnât respond with words, instead his chest vibrated with elated purrs that she was home, in his arms, safe and sound. Placing a gentle kiss between her eyebrows, Seokjin released her so she could greet everyone else lingering in the foyer, though he remained by her side. Y/N knew it would take a crowbar forged from diamonds to get the jaguar hybrid to remove himself from her proximity, at that point.Â
Jeongguk shouldered by her with the equipment bag, bidding her a goodnight, immediately blasting up the stairs to his room. Y/Nâs gaze followed him, and in consequence she caught sight of Taehyung, who was sitting on the landing with his palms on his knees. Blinking at her, she offered him a wave, one he returned timidly.Â
âCatch any ghosts?â Hoseok was leaning against the door to the basement, dark circles under his eyes from staying up so late. It was well past four in the morning, Y/N a little sheepish knowing everyone stayed awake waiting for her return.Â
âCaught more than ghosts,â Namjoon muttered from behind Y/N, rifling through her overnight bag to look for the bundles of rosemary to burn.Â
âYeah, not my department,â Hoseok shook his head, Y/N weakly snorting at the joke. âWelcome home, darling. Iâm gonna hit the hay, I can barely see you standing there.â
Jimin returned from behind the stairs where he was hanging up Y/Nâs coat in the closet, relief all over his face, seeing her very much intact and in front of him. All who was missing was Yoongi, who Y/N suspected was in the kitchen. Jimin bade her goodnight, as did Namjoon, who reminded her to cleanse herself with the rosemary before going to bed, and under her nose, Taehyung slipped away silently into his bedroom upstairs.Â
âLetâs get you some tea,â Seokjin grabbed her hand and herded her to the kitchen, Y/N wobbly on her feet as she clutched Seokjinâs plushie under her free arm. âThen youâre going to bed.â
âYes, sir,â Y/N chuckled tiredly, squeezing his palm as they entered the lowly-lit kitchen, Y/N finding her suspicion to be correctâ Yoongi was by the stove, using a pot holder to take the kettle off of the flame. âIâm backâŠâ
Yoongi turned, sparkles in his eyes as he took her in, a look of significance blossoming over his face. That time, she did come back to him.Â
âYou look like you got sucker punched,â Yoongi said, contrary to the meaningful telepathic interaction the two of them had. âWas it bad?â
âIt was pretty bad,â Y/N admitted, Seokjin humming sadly and sliding his hand down her back. âJeongguk got scratched.â
âNo shit,â Yoongiâs eyebrows shot up into his hairline, pouring her a cup of chamomile tea. âBut you werenât harmed, right?â
âNope, I just gave myself a nosebleed. Exerted too much energy,â Y/N replied, accepting the steamy mug of tea. Perhaps she should have found it odd, standing in the kitchen between two hybrids she was romantically involved with, but she found it natural instead. âI think I know how to get rid of the infestation now, though. That second investigation was necessary.â
She didnât expect Seokjin or Yoongi to reply, as the two of them werenât really into the paranormal, so she sipped her tea with a hum, watching Yoongi wash the kettle.Â
âWell, make a plan of attack later. You need to sleep,â Yoongi pointed out, his own face puffy with exhaustion. Seokjin agreed with him, already trying to drag her to her bedroom, Yoongi following close behind with some water and a packet of ibuprofen.Â
In her room, Seokjin started turning her bed down for her while Yoongi placed the water on her nightstand, Y/N shrugging and deciding to change into pajamas. Too drained to give a shit, she stripped down to her bra and panties, fishing around in her dresser for a suitable giant tee shirt to sleep in. A sharp gasp filled the room, Y/N lifting a brow and looking over her shoulder. Both of them were gawking at her state of undress, Seokjin with his hand clasped over his mouthâ probably the one that gasped, and Yoongi was frozen solid by her bed, staring at her ass. Perv.Â
âWhat? Nothing you two havenât seen,â Y/N muttered, cheeks ablaze when she shoved a shirt over her head, the material skimming the tops of her thighs.Â
Seokjinâs neck was red, averting his eyes from her scantily clothed figure in favor of straightening out her quilt. Yoongiâs ears fluttered playfully, tongue peeking out to moisten his lips, Y/N shaking her head at him.Â
âGonna brush my teeth. Want to chat for a little bit before I go to sleep?â Y/N changed the subject, addressing both of the hybrids, a small amount of shaky hope in her voice. She didnât really want to be left alone yet, truthfully. Seokjin picked up on the unsaid, nodding, and Yoongi simply collapsed heavily on her vanity chair.Â
After her teeth were brushed, she climbed into bed, Seokjin more than used to climbing in beside her, happily chattering away about his evening without her. Apparently, he and Yoongi made a new recipe for dinner, they watched a French movie Hoseok picked out, and polished off all of the ice cream. Yoongi remained seated at her vanity, occasionally joining the conversation, but Y/N could tell he was ready to pass out. She was just as ready, suddenly, Seokjinâs voice luring her into sleep, nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder.Â
âAlright, I need to sleep, sweetheart. Iâll see you in the morning, or afternoon, whenever you wake up,â Yoongi stood, running a hand through his mussed hair. Y/Nâs eyes snapped open, still tucked into Seokjinâs side, frowning deeply.Â
âJust stay here,â Y/N whined, Yoongi pausing in the doorway, looking from her to Seokjin. âThereâs room on my other side. Donât leave me.â
Yoongi appeared conflicted, weighing his options, but Y/Nâs pathetic pout is what won him over. Sighing, he rounded the bed, Seokjin helpfully scooching over, and after a few seconds, Y/N was happily sandwiched between her two feline hybrids.Â
âHope you donât talk in your sleep,â Seokjin possessively wound an arm around Y/Nâs middle while addressing Yoongi, turning on his side and pressing his chest to her back. âLike she does.â
âWhat?! I talk in my sleep?â Y/N squawked, scowling at Yoongiâs face scrunched up in laughter.Â
âYou do,â Yoongi admitted, brushing hair out of her face, his tail winding around one of her legs. She was surrounded on all sides, hiding her face in Yoongiâs neck out of embarrassmentâ and all she could think about was how much better Yoongiâs scent was straight from the source, rather than on the fabric of a hoodie. âLast time I heard you talk in your sleep, you were saying something about wanting a piña colada.â
âActually, you know what? You two can leave now,â Y/N grumbled into Yoongiâs skin, both of them snickering. Seokjin simply tightened his hold on her, planting a kiss on her nape, Yoongi tracing patterns over her arm as she clutched the front of his shirt. âGoodnight.â
Y/N closed her eyes, Yoongiâs and Seokjinâs purrs mingling together and comforting her immensely. Warm, protected, and safe, she drifted off to sleep at lightning speed, her two lovers holding her close.Â
âDo you wanna finish learning âBellaâs Lullabyâ or not?â Yoongi threatened, his toes curling as Y/N peppered the side of his face with tiny kisses. She was feeling particularly clingy that Friday, after all, she had spent several days after the investigation mostly laying on the couch like a limp tube sock, eating TV dinners and watching trash reality.Â
âNo, I wanna eat you whole,â Y/N teased, lightly nipping the apple of his cheek, Yoongi rolling his eyes and removing the arm he had around her. âUgh. Can you teach me something else? Something you composed, I wanna learn something written by the great Mr. Min.âÂ
âArenât I Mr. Y/L/N now? As of August of last year?â Yoongi shot back dryly, Y/N staring at him like he grew a second head. âYou didnât know that? We all have your last name now. Theyâre printed on our IDs and credit cards for Christâs sake, silly girl!â
âI never noticed,â Y/N squeaked, fanning herself. For some reason, finding that out had her heart growing three sizes. âDonât change the subject, angel. Teach me something of yours, please?â
She drew out the syllables of please, knowing that Yoongi had a weakness for her brand of begging. It had the effect she wanted, rosiness coloring his cheeks, rolling his wrists in preparation to play.Â
âWell, you already know how to play your song,â Yoongi mumbled, flipping through his book of sheet music contemplatively. He stilled when he got to a particular page, Y/N skimming over the hand-written score with a lip tucked in between her teeth. âThis oneâŠâ
âOne of yours, right?â Y/N confirmed, squinting at the sheet music, noticing tiny lyrics written on the measures in tight, unreadable cursive.Â
âOne of my firsts,â Yoongi replied. Sighing, he began to play a few bars, the melody simple but slow and jazzy, very different from the song he composed for Y/N. âI think youâll be able to play it.â
âI love it. Teach me,â Y/N bouncing on the bench beside him, enthused. Yoongi glanced at her side profile, something unreadable in his eyes, though he indulged her anyways and helped her through the first few verses.Â
âI wish I could read the lyrics, did you write those too?âÂ
âNo, baby,â Yoongi cleared his throat, twitching uncomfortably. Frowning, Y/N nudged him with her shoulder. âMy mom did.â
âOh,â Y/N stopped fiddling with the piano keys, recalling Yoongiâs profile from the hybrid databaseâ Yoongi was born naturally, unlike most hybrids who were created from labs, and Y/N remembered that on the profile, it mentioned that his mother had passed away. âSheâs musical like you?â
âShe was,â Yoongiâs mouth flattened into a line, a pit forming in Y/Nâs stomach. âShe was a singer. We used to perform together at The Black Lodge before she died.â
âIâm sorry, YoongiâŠâ Y/N whispered, covering the back of his hand with hers. âYou wrote this with her?â
âYeah, itâs called âMoonlight Loversâ. She would only want to perform it on nights with a full moon,â Yoongi half-smiled, his eyes going far away as he relived the memory. âI havenât played it in yearsâŠâ
âWhen⊠When did she pass away?â Y/N asked gently, tangling one of her hands with his, wanting to know a little bit more about the hybrid she loved, his history before she came to know him.Â
âA little bit over three years ago. She was in a bad car accident,â Yoongi screwed up his mouth, thumb brushing over the back of Y/Nâs hand. âDrunk driver hit her while she was in a cab. The cab driver didnât make it eitherâ the entire cab burst into flames because the drunk slammed into the engine just so.â
âOh my god,â blood was draining from Y/Nâs face, horrified, watching Yoongi bitterly grimace with his ears drooping. âWhat about the drunk driver?âÂ
âAlso dead at the scene. Thankfully, or I would have fucking killed him myself,â Yoongi wrapped an arm around Y/Nâs lower waist, kissing her temple when he could scent heavy sadness coming from her. âDonât be sad. My mom⊠she lived a full life, but wild. She knew, and deep down so did I, that it would end in smoke and flames.â
âWhat do you mean, angel?â Y/N frowned, unsure what he meant by that, Yoongi using his free hand to play an absent melody on the piano.Â
âWell, she had a taste for scum-of-the-earth men that would come into the bar. Sheâd leave for days on end, and I wouldnât see her until she had to sing on the weekends. More often than not, sheâd come back drunk and high on some sort of pharmaceutical cocktail,â Yoongi continued to play the melody as he spoke, holding Y/N close and soaking in her warmth. âDonât get me wrong. She was a great mom, I adored her. But her priorities were always messed up⊠I mean, I have no idea who my father was, and I donât think she did, either. The only time she really seemed grounded was when weâd perform the songs we composed together.â
It was a lot for Y/N to process at once. Yoongi simply hummed, tracing circles with his thumb on Y/Nâs waist under her shirt, letting all of that information sink in for her. Yoongi wasnât fond of sharing personal details of his past or himself in general. But sharing it with the woman he loved turned out to not be so bad, and if anything, a great weight was lifted off his chest. The hollow misery that would fill him whenever he thought of his mother turned into bittersweet nostalgia.Â
âShe raised you, so she must have been an amazing person.â
Y/Nâs simple response stunned Yoongi completely. Out of all of the things she could have chosen to say, it was something that not only praised his mother, but complimented Yoongiâs very character. Purring, he was entirely out of a reply, watching Y/N in a daze work her way through the first measure of âMoonlight Loversâ, his heart racing.Â
âYeah, she was,â Yoongi mumbled, pulling her closer to his side. âYou play it well. When I was a kid, I begged my mom to play this song for me on my birthday.â
âAnd would she?â
âMm-hmm. Every year.â
âEven if there wasnât a full moon on your birthday?â
âEven then.â
Y/N paused her playing, expression becoming thoughtful as she scanned Yoongiâs face. He smiled at her tenderly, leaning into her touch when she tucked some inky hair behind his ear.
âYour birthday is in a couple of weeks,â Y/N pointed out, cupping the side of his face with care. âI think Iâll have to practice this piece extra hard so I can play it for you then.â
Stunned again, Yoongiâs hazel eyes glittered, turning his head slightly to brush his lips against Y/Nâs palm.
âOkay, then you better get started, sweetheart,â Yoongi tapped the sheet music, even though he wanted to melt into a puddle. Y/N saluted him, launching into the piece straight away with a concentrated pout to her lips.Â
Y/N tried, as hard as she could, not to let the tempo falter when Yoongi began to sing, softly and quietly as she played. His deep, raspy voice was surprisingly melodic and velvety at the same time, and Y/N pictured the day of his birthday coming up. The two of them âperformingâ that piece, with him singing and her accompanying himâ the first time he would get to hear the song on his birthday in three years. Y/N couldnât really think of a better gift for Yoongi. Leaning into his shoulder, Yoongi launched into the chorus.Â
âAnd we met under the moonlit skyâŠâ
Saturday morning, dreary and rainy, had Y/N leisurely stirring cream into her second cup of coffee while her and the hybrids clumped around the TV in the parlor to catch a bit of morning news. Y/N tried her best to keep herself updated, but usually could only stomach about fifteen minutes of the news before one of the hybrids changed the station to something else. Hoseok, at her feet in front of the couch, was letting her absently twist and braid his wavy auburn hair while he snacked on a breakfast sausage.Â
Not having any plans for the day, Y/N resolved to do a whole lot of nothing by having an indulgent bath with oils and ordering her favorite Thai food for dinner. She knew that Sunday sheâd be cornered by Jeongguk and Namjoon, when theyâd try to figure out how to best close the portal in the Sandersâ house. But mercifully, the two of them allowed her a lazy Saturday before diving back into the unknown.Â
âOh great. More shitty weather next week,â Hoseok complained, because even though it was the very beginning of March, winter in Massachusetts was bitterer than ever. âThis is the longest winter of my life.â
âAlright, alright. Youâll be upset about the pollen count soon enough. You can change it now,â Y/N felt around her vicinity for the remote, her hand brushing up against Taehyungâs jean-clad thigh beside her.Â
Y/N was surprised that the Kodiak hybrid even sat next to her, he had been so absent lately that she had to constantly check he was even home. Granted, many times he wasnâtâ he had been taking one of the cars out quite often to apparently snap pictures of the Boston Common or pick up more film, but Y/N felt the distance between them the most when he had his eyes glued to the screen of his phone.Â
âSeen the remote, Tae?â Y/N asked, Jimin coming up empty on her other side, Taehyung evidently not hearing her as he scratched one of his rounded, fuzzy brown ears. âTaehyung.â
Repeating his name more loudly, Taehyungâs thumbs flying over his phone screen stilled abruptly, snapping his head towards her with alarm all over his face. Y/N lifted a brow, thinking there was no way that it was a phone game capturing his attention so thoroughly, Y/N had acid roiling in her gut.Â
âWhatâ?â
Taehyung, however, was interrupted by the loud ringing and bright flashes from the TV, indicating important breaking news, which had Seokjin flinching in the leather recliner and Y/N swearing colorfully.Â
âGood morning, America. Breaking news from Congress after lengthy discussions over the past several weeks. The rumors are confirmed; a major law surrounding the hybrid species has been passed. As of today, March 4th, 2023, legally adopted hybrids may be permitted to seek legal part-time employment and various establishments. This newly-passed law indeed includes another hot-button issue: many state universities will now begin the early stages of developing academic courses for adopted hybrids. Please bear with us as we continue to collect information from Congress, and stay tuned for an in-depth debriefing from The White House later this evening.âÂ
âHuh?!â Hoseok shot up from Y/Nâs feet like a rocket, shouting and pointing at the woman reporting the news on their flatscreen. âWhat the fuck?!â
âOh my god,â Y/N slapped a hand over her mouth, unable to believe her mother was right about the rumors floating around.Â
âWait, we can get jobs now? Legally?â Jeonggukâs voice was behind Y/N, hiking the volume up on the TVâ apparently, he was the one who was hoarding it the entire time.Â
Namjoon, who was shuffling his deck of Tarot cards on the table where he and Y/N usually played chess in front of the fireplace, was still as could be. The day Y/N adopted Namjoon in August, he had lamented the fact that he could never have legal employment, so the news came out of left field for him.Â
âDid she say universities are going to take hybrid students now, too?â Jimin piped up, that look of conflicting emotions he often had written all over his handsome face.Â
âThe lady said universities are coming up with programs for hybrids, coyote. Do you need to clean out your ears?â Jeongguk crossed his arms, standing beside the couch and staring at the television. âDoes this mean you want us filling out applications for McDonaldâs, Y/N?â
Y/N extended her leg, colliding her foot against his ass to shove Jeongguk away from her line of vision with great annoyance. She groaned when the elk hybrid didnât budge an inch.Â
âNo, you can do whatever you want. They just announced this, so we donât have all the details yet. But, if one of you wants to apply for some kind of part-time work or take a university course, itâs entirely up to you,â Y/N replied when she felt several of them waiting for her to agree with Jeongguk. âUnless you actually want to work at McDonaldâs, Jeongguk, then be my guest. Just make sure you bring me some nuggets home when you clock out.â
Jimin was snickering beside her, while Taehyung was gawking at the TV, his phone forgotten in his lap for the first time in a couple of weeks. Hoseok was amped, his tail wagging as he made laps around the room, Y/N able to see the gears turning in his head. Yoongi, who wasnât in the room when the announcement came on the screen, appeared from the kitchen, shooting Y/N a very specific lookâ one that read âIâm not leaving this house more than I already have toâ.Â
âJinnie, maybe you could get a job at a restaurant! Youâd make a good host with that pretty, pretty face,â Hoseok teased on his fourth lap of the room, poking the jaguar hybrid in the shoulder. However, Seokjin didnât seem interested, much like Yoongi, rolling his eyes into the back of his head.Â
Y/N was about to persuade Hoseok to sit back down before she got dizzy watching him pace before her phone chimed, Y/N figuring it was her mother gloating that she was right all along.Â
Judy: Iâm assuming you heard the news? Tell Namjoon and Jeongguk they are now officially employed by me, that is, if theyâre up for it đ«
Blinking at the message, she tucked it away for later, considering the room was full of overlapping conversations and excitement. It was good to know that Namjoon and Jeongguk would get paid for their hard working efforts after all, and considering Jeongguk got scratched on the job, a paycheck was the least he was due.
With that, Y/N spent much of the day clinging to the news station with the hybrids, contrary to her usual 15 minute limit. Between that, peering over Jiminâs shoulder to read the articles about hybrid academic courses he really seemed to be interested in, and finally managing to get Hoseok to sit and calm down, Y/N was dreaming of her end-of-day hot bath every time she shut her eyes to blink.Â
âOf course I heard the news, Al,â Y/N had her best friend on speaker, pouring various scented oils into her bathtub before running the tap. âHoseok already has an offer from the rec center, they want him to coach the junior track team. They contacted Yoongi, too, but I donât think heâll take them up on it.â
âOh my god. Theyâre gonna be coaching hybrid kids? Thatâs so adorable,â Alice squealed, Y/N agreeing with her.Â
âI think Taehyung got a call, too. Not overseeing the childrenâs classes, but to stay behind after his meetings and help develop pictures and organize. At least, thatâs what I could squeeze from him before he went out with Yoongi and Hoseok to get more information at the rec center.â
âStill being weird?â Aliceâs voice turned sympathetic, up-to-date on Taehyungâs strange behavior ever since they all went to the club for Hoseokâs birthday.
âYeah. I donât know whatâs going on with him. After Namjoon, Jeongguk and I wrap up the Sandersâ case, Iâm going to try and corner him for another chat. Even though the two of us royally suck at communication. I just wanna clear the air if heâs still annoyed with me or whatever.â
âOr find out whatâs keeping him so occupied on his phone,â Alice pointed out, making Y/N grunt.Â
âI guess Iâll find out soon enough. Iâm not gonna pry into his business, but I want to know why heâs been so here-but-not-there.â
âSo, where are your other boys?â Alice changed the subject, not wanting to upset her friend after such a long, crazy day.Â
âOh, uh⊠Jimin went with the other three. He seems to be more interested in the academia aspect of the newly passed law. The rec center has a bunch of pamphlets on what the universities are beginning to plan for hybrid students. Namjoon and Jeongguk went out, too. They need to replace a camera that broke during our second investigation.â
âAnd your newest beau?â Alice referred to Seokjin, since Y/N had told her about the shift in their relationship shortly after Valentineâs Day.Â
âMaking me dinner,â Y/N giggledâ Seokjin had been elated that everyone else had cleared out of the house, claiming that they could have their âsecond dateâ. âI was gonna order Thai, but he wanted to try and make it himself.â
âGod, is he romantic,â Alice swooned, happy for her best friend. âOh my god. I forgot to mention. I have a date tonight, too!â
âWhat?! Al, you didnât say you were talking to anyone! Spill!â
âWell, I wouldnât say I was talking to him. Remember me telling you about Jeremy, the guy who works at the newspaper with me? He asked me out last week. I almost died.â
Y/N cheered, considering Alice had finally scored a date with her longtime workplace crush, a young man with a preference for funky sweater vests and the tendency to show Alice videos of his cat at home. He was literally perfect for Alice.Â
âOf course I remember him! Oh my god, imagine you two fall in love? Heathcliff will have a new sibling!â Y/N thought of Aliceâs grouchy Maine Coon, snorting at the thought of having another cat in his household.Â
âNo, I know. Iâm so excited. I have to start getting ready, though, heâs picking me up at 7 and weâre going to dinner and a used bookstore.â
âSo heâs your soulmate,â Y/N gushed, ecstatic. Alice hadnât been in a relationship in years, so it was nice for her to seem so interested in pursuing one with Jeremy. âCall me tomorrow and tell me all about it, please.â
âOnly if you tell me about your stay-at-home date with Seokjin,â Alice replied, and with that, Y/N tossed her phone onto her bed with a grin.Â
Seokjin told her to take her time with her bath while he made dinner, so she did. Going all out, she lit candles, had Sade playing from the portable speaker, and relaxed in the silky hot water until it became lukewarm. Muscles loose and pliable, she sighed in bliss as she massaged lotion into her skin. Sniffing the air, the scent of lemongrass and savory sauce filling the room made her stomach growl. Y/N simply pulled on comfortable undergarments, tied the sash of her robe tightly around her waist, and slid on her slippers before she was shuffling out into the hall.Â
Both following her nose and her ears, hearing Seokjinâs voice sing along to a pop song playing on his phone, Y/N caught him sprinkling crushed peanuts over a couple of plates of homemade Pad Thai. So wrapped up in what he was doing, a satisfied smile on his face, he didnât realize Y/N was leaning against the coffee bar watching and listening.Â
âYou have such a pretty voice, Seokjinnie,â Y/N announced her arrival, Seokjin squeaking in surprise and turning on his heel to face her, sleek black tail going ramrod straight. Immediately, his neck colored red at the compliment, his eyes dropping to her bare legs, exposed by her short robe.Â
âT-thanks,â Seokjin managed, embarrassed. He promptly turned his music off, Y/N smirking wryly, approaching the breakfast nook where he set up their dinner for two. âUm, everythingâs ready. Are you hungry? How was your bath?â
âIâm starving! It was amazing, too. I needed some relaxation,â Y/N admitted, sliding into the booth, admiring the candle he lit, the perfectly set table, and the way he laid a napkin across her lap. âLook at this! Did you follow a recipe?â
Seokjin shook his head, rolling up the sleeves of his loose button down and sitting across from her, still looking bashful.Â
âNo, pretty girl, I just tried to recreate the one you always order. I kept tasting the sauce until it was right,â Seokjin smiled at her, Y/N unable to believe how romantic Seokjin truly wasâ it grew by the day. âI hope you like it.â
Instead of responding, Y/N picked up her chopsticks and dove in, not caring that Seokjin was studying her reaction carefully as she brought the noodles to her lips. Y/N was shockedâ not only had Seokjin completely nailed the sauce on the noodles, but something about it tasted even better than her tried and true order from her favorite restaurant in the center of town.Â
âHow is it?â Seokjin asked eagerly, picking up his own chopsticks and nervously prodding at a sprig of cilantro.Â
âUm, perfect. Better than the takeout I get,â Y/N could hardly answer him, stuffing more food into her mouth, so beyond caring whether or not she looked like a goober with noodles packed in her cheeks. âSeriously, itâs delicious! Try it!â
Seokjin brightened significantly, digging into his own plate, immensely pleased by Y/Nâs approval. The jaguar hybrid was the type to fully focus on the meal when he ate, so there was comfortable silence for a bit, Y/N trying her hardest not to moan and groan while tasting the delicious dish Seokjin cooked specifically for her. She felt spoiled beyond repair.Â
âSo, I take it youâre not interested in a part-time job?â Y/N broke the silence midway through the meal, taking a break from inhaling her food by taking a sip of chilled white wine Seokjin poured for her.Â
âNot particularly,â Seokjin answered after setting his own wine glass down, pursing his voluminous lips. âI like being here most of the time. The book club every week is enough for me⊠maybe if thereâs some sort of volunteer work this summer, Iâll look into that.â
Y/N was thrilled by that answer. Seokjin had made great progress with being more sure of himself, making his own decisions without Y/Nâs prompting.
âThereâs a farmerâs market that happens every weekend during the summer in the town square. Theyâre always looking for extra hands, maybe that would interest you?â
âWould you do it with me?âÂ
âAbsolutely. I usually volunteer anyways, but itâll be even better if I can do it with you.â
Seokjin nodded happily, returning to his dinner, Y/N more than okay with lapsing back into silence so he could focus on eating. Y/N finished her meal sooner than she thought, wanting to lick the plate, truthfully. When Seokjin was done, she whisked away the dirty plates, feeling Seokjin close behind her as she loaded up the dishwasher.Â
âHere you go,â the sound of a bottle cap being twisted off filled her ears, Y/Nâs empty wine glass appearing before her and Seokjin filling it, standing directly behind her. Humming, she wondered if Seokjin could feel the charged energy of the room, how enamored she was with him. âOh! I almost forgot!â
Y/N raised an eyebrow, taking a swig of her wine, Seokjin suddenly digging through the freezer for a tupperware she had never seen before. Fiddling with the sash of her robe, she took the opportunity to check him out; the billowy white button-down he was wearing hid his figure but still made him look like an off-duty model, tucked into a pair of dark jeans. Swallowing thickly, she composed herself when he turned again, presenting the tupperware proudly.Â
âWhatâs that, honey?â Y/N cocked her head, Seokjin prying the lid open and fumbling for the utensil drawer to pull out a couple of spoons.Â
âRemember that ice cream maker we found in the back of the pantry? I got it to work! I made some coconut ice cream this morning.â
Y/N stared, dumbfounded, at the ice cream. The buttery, rich scent of coconut and vanilla coming from the soft serve and making her mouth water, even if she did just gorge herself on a mountain of Pad Thai. She was gawking at the tupperware stupidly when Seokjin tapped her cheek with two fingers, Y/N finding his vibrant orange eyes focusing on her mouth.Â
âOpen up,â Seokjinâs tone turned playful, a spoonful of ice cream poised before her lips, Y/N automatically heeding his request. Mood shifting, the jaguar hybrid fed her the ice cream, the treat melting over her taste buds and cooling her rising temperature. Of course, it was luscious. âGood? I added some lime zest, andââ
Seokjin promptly shut up when Y/N was hoisting herself up onto the island, now eye-level with him, tongue passing over her lips. Gently, she took the spoon from Seokjin, scooping up some more ice cream and popping it into her mouth. Seokjin simply watched, overwhelmed; not able to decide where to look. The spoon in her mouth and the mischief in her eyes, the robe that was slipping over her shoulder, or her bare parted legs.Â
âWanna try some, Jin?â Her voice was soft, lilting, and Seokjin was melting like the ice cream. All he could do was nod.Â
Y/N took matters into her own hands, reaching out and grasping the loose collar of his shirt, yanking him forward and in between her legs. Startled, Seokjinâs pupils dilated, his hands finding purchase on the granite on either side of her thighs. Nonchalantly, Y/N scooped up another spoonful of ice cream, using her free hand to poise under Seokjinâs chin, mirroring his movements just moments ago.Â
âOpen up,â she repeated, quietly, Seokjinâs eyes flashing. Despite the strike of dominance that rocked through him, wanting to refuse to give into her demand, Seokjin found his lips parting, Y/N cooing and placing the spoon in his mouth.Â
There was a moment, brief, electric, and heavy, where all they did was stare at each other. The spell was broken when Y/N teasingly tugged at his shirt collar again, Seokjin tearing the spoon from his mouth and carelessly tossing it into the sink.Â
The jaguar hybrid crushed his lips to Y/Nâs, one hand gripping her jaw and the other resting heavily on the top of her thigh, a feral growl coming from his throat when he tasted sweet coconut on her tongue. Y/N reacted instantly, wrapping both her arms and legs around Seokjin, pulling him in close and pressing her body to his. Completely lax both from her hot bath and the delicious meal she was fed, Y/N could think of no better way to end her nightâ tangled up with Seokjin.Â
Seokjin was an amazing kisser. He tilted his head, allowing his lips to slot expertly against hers with just the right amount of pressure. Y/N released a guttural groan when his tongue was rolling into her mouth, exploring eagerly, the hand on her thigh squeezing. She tried to keep up, one hand clutching the back of his head, the other tangled in his shirt collar, wanting to close every single centimeter between the two of them.Â
Much to her displeasure, though, Seokjin released her lips with a pop, danger in his eyes. Transfixed, she observed him swipe an index finger through the container of ice cream, and holding onto her jaw again, he painted the melting dessert over her lower lip, pulling down on the flesh so he could slide the digit into the cavern of her mouth.Â
Dazzled and trapped beneath his turbulent gaze, Y/N tasted the ice cream clinging to his finger, using the tip of her tongue to clean it, a muscle in Seokjinâs jaw ticking when she hollowed out her cheeks, really laying it on thick. Some of the ice cream slipped down his wrist, Y/N whimpering when the cold droplets landed on her clavicle, a devilish grin appearing on his face when he pulled his finger from her mouth.Â
âAw, but you just got out of the bath,â Seokjin tutted, pushing the material of her robe off of her shoulders so it gathered around her biceps, assessing the mess.Â
âJinââ
The words were stolen from her when Seokjin ducked his head, tongue hot and heavy on her collarbone, collecting the cream that he spilled. Not expecting such a lewd, forward action, Y/Nâs head dropped back, a breathy whine leaving her throat, Seokjinâs hold on her waist tight. Squirming on the granite countertop, her eyes rolled back when Seokjin sucked a bruise into her skin, pressing harsh kisses to her throat while she let him have his way with her.Â
âSeokjin, oh,â Y/N clasped her ankles around his lower back, trying to press her hips into his. âThat feels so goodâŠâ
Seokjin preened at the praise, rewarding her with a nip to her earlobe, trailing his kisses along the length of her delicate jaw and back to her swollen lips. This time, she urgently met him halfway, flicking her tongue over his teeth and wanting to eat him alive. Lust was coursing through her veins with a vengeance, and she didnât care if he took her right there on the counter, at that point.Â
âYouâre too sweet,â Seokjin mumbled into her mouth, his voice strained, hands trailing to her lower back, making her spine arch into him. âI canât help myself.â
Shivering in his arms, Y/N thought she whimpered out a âpleaseâ, but she yelped when she felt his large hands gather her ass in his palms, hauling her weight onto his chest and effectively picking her up.Â
âBut S-seokjin, the ice cream!â Y/N cried when he started carrying her out of the kitchen, heat pooling in her core with the strength he demonstrated.Â
âFuck the ice cream,â Seokjin simply grunted, Y/N chuckling despite the heated mood. Busying herself while he transported her elsewhere, she pulled a few of Seokjinâs buttons loose to expose more of his chest.Â
Taking it upon herself to give Seokjin a few bites of her own, she hardly noticed him kicking her bedroom door shut and sitting on the bed with her straddling his lap. Fisting the material of his button down in her hands, she found a spot tucked beneath the curve of Seokjinâs jaw that had him tensing beneath her, Y/N grinning to herself and sucking the skin into her mouth harshly enough to bruise. Seokjin made a dark noise of pleasure, palms still resting on her ass, letting her mark him up as much as she pleased.Â
Y/N cried out when Seokjin forcibly pulled her hips down, her core meeting the hardness under his jeans. Purring, he tugged at the loose knot of her robe, which was hardly covering her up anymore, pulling the material off of her body and tossing it aside. Y/N wondered if Seokjin had some kind of thing for her being nearly naked while he was still fully clothed, but she could not deny that something about that was driving her crazy. Rocking her hips against him, Seokjin moaned, fingernails digging into the meat of her ass.Â
âWhat do you want?â Seokjin ground out, Y/N dragging her tongue underneath his jaw. Instead of answering, Y/N straightened up, biting his lower lip, relishing in the feral hiss he offered in response. âPretty girl.â
âMmm⊠what do I want?â Y/N feigned indecisiveness, trying not to tremble when Seokjinâs hands began to roam all over her exposed skin, fiddling with the straps of her bra. Staring at her gorgeous jaguar hybrid, his cheeks flushed and lips swollen, his obvious hardness pressing against her sodden underwear, she knew. âI really wanna suck you off.â
Seokjin paused, astounded by the forward response she offered, his cock throbbing beneath the rough material of his jeans. Smirking, Y/N yanked a few more buttons free on Seokjinâs shirt while he processed that, before his large hands grasped her wrists harshly.Â
âIs that right?â
âMm-hmm. Please? Can I?â Y/N nearly clawed his button down off of his broad shoulders, crumpling it into a ball and sending it sailing across the room. Lazily, she dragged her palms down the ripped expanse of his chest, the muscles tensing under her touch.Â
âYou can have anything you want, kitten,â Seokjinâs chest was heaving, unbearably turned on, hooking his hands under Y/Nâs arms so he could pull her backwards, the two of them now laying flat on her bed, Y/N on top of him. âGo ahead, take what you want.â
Nearly vibrating, Y/N leaned down for one last kiss, distractedly fumbling for the clasp of her bra. Once the pesky scrap of material was divested from her, she focused on trailing her lips down Seokjinâs body. She paid particular attention to the odd faint scar that was littered across his body, her kisses extra tender and sweet, Seokjin sighing gently and petting the top of her head.Â
âI love you,â Y/N murmured, lips skimming over the light trail of hair on his navel that led to the waistband of his jeans. Seokjinâs ears fluttered shyly, especially when she began to rid him of the denim pants, Y/N never breaking eye-contact.Â
Positioning herself between his legs, Y/Nâs gaze dropped to the intimidating bulge beneath his briefs. Surprisingly, there was a small wet patch darkening the gray fabric, something that went straight to her ego. Seokjin was patient with her, waiting for her to make the first move, no matter how badly he needed to be in her mouth. Tentatively, she cupped what she could over the fabric of his underwear, Seokjin unable to prevent his hips from jerking up to the touch with a sharp hiss.Â
âShit.â
âFeels good?â Y/N cocked her head, running her fingers over the length of him teasingly.Â
âDonât tease me,â Seokjin warned, lower lip caught between his teeth. Heeding his warning, Y/N lowered her head, mouthing over him indulgently. âF-fuckââ
There were two reasons Y/N didnât wait any longer; she was too eager, and Seokjin was pretty much bucking his hips into her face with a hard look in his eyes. Carelessly, she pulled his briefs off of his body, transfixed by the sight before her. Seokjin was achingly hard after just a bit of kissing and teasing, Y/N nearly going cross-eyed at the sheer size of himâ not that she had forgotten how blessed he was in that area.Â
âCome on, baby,â Seokjin urged her, diving his fingertips into her tresses, one hand gripping the base of his cock. âIsnât this what you wanted?â
Whimpering at the tone of dominance he was taking on, Y/N let him tap the tip of his cock against her lips, her tongue flicking out to taste the skin, making Seokjin shudder underneath her. With the size of him, her jaw would definitely be aching, but she didnât careâ only opening her mouth slowly, using a free hand to wrap around his girth, Seokjinâs touch returning to her hair.Â
Seokjin groaned when her lips wrapped around the tip of his cock, Y/Nâs mouth already feeling stuffed full, hollowing out her cheeks experimentally and watching Seokjinâs abs clench. So far gone, wanting to reduce him to a mess, Y/N let herself drool over him for more moisture, taking him deeper into her mouth and tracing a prominent vein with her tongue.Â
âYou look so pretty with your lips wrapped around me,â Seokjin commented offhand, a handful of her hair in his fist. âOhââ
Y/N was only egged on by his praise, twisting her wrist and jerking what she couldnât fit in her mouth, Seokjin beginning to whimper under her ministrations, his hips occasionally bucking up to meet her movements.Â
âF-fuck, kitten, youâre doing so well,â he gasped, Y/N taking a moment to come up for air, still steadily stroking him and kissing along his hip bones.Â
Once her lungs were filled with enough oxygen, she licked a stripe along the underside of his cock, fitting him back inside her mouth, ignoring the ache in her jaw. Whining at the taste of him, the sight of him, sweaty and flushed, eyes glassy, Y/N felt her panties sticking to her soaked folds and was itching to sneak a hand between her legs. Relaxing her throat, wanting Seokjin in her guts but wanting to pleasure him even more, Seokjin swore when she swallowed around him, yanking her hair and moaning brokenly.Â
âO-oh, just like that,â Seokjin encouraged, shallowly bucking his hips up into her, lodging his cock further down her throat and making her gag, the wet sound having his cock twitching. The scent of her arousal was thick in the room, heightening the speed at which he was hurtling towards his release, the tears streaming down her face as she stared up at him glittering in the low lamplight. âFilthy little mouth⊠fuck, Iâm gonna cum, kittenââ
Those words only determined Y/N further, momentarily pulling him from her mouth to speak, her throat raw and scraped up.Â
âCum, wanna taste you,â was all she said, and when she resumed her actions with renewed vigor, a free hand coming up to tweak one of her nipples, Seokjin was hurtling off the edge unexpectedly.Â
Y/N whimpered at his taste, Seokjin making similar noises as he came down her throat. Y/N tried her best not to choke at the volume of his release filling her mouth, slowing her movements when his hips began to jerk. Releasing him when he whined with oversensitivity, she licked her lips, satisfied she had effectively reduced him into a boneless puddle, kissing below his navel tenderly.Â
Before she could get her bearings, or perhaps massage her sore jaw, the world was turned upside-down, and suddenly her head was resting on her soft pillows and she was flat on her back, Seokjin above her. His lips were on her straight away, tongue in her mouth like he was trying to taste himself, Y/Nâs drenched panties dampening even further at that thought. His hands were all over her, heated, Y/N surprised that he was still so turned on after his release, arching into his touch with a whine.
âYouâre such a good girl,â Seokjin murmured into her ear, scraping his teeth over the bite he left on her collarbone before. âLove youâŠâ
Y/N was writhing under him, crying out when he littered kisses across her chest, his kiss-bitten lips closing around one of her erect nipples. Grappling for a hold on his biceps as he stroked patterns all over her body, Y/N pushed her chest into his face, Seokjin breathily chuckling through his nose as he laved his tongue over her sensitive nipple.Â
Wanting to worship her, but scenting her desperation for his touch and attention, Seokjin shushed her when she whined pathetically, rubbing her thighs together. Sponging kisses all over her torso, paying attention to every freckle, mole, and scar, Seokjin hooked a finger into the waistband of her panties, lovingly removing them from her body and kissing either of her hipbones.
âSeokjin⊠please, do something,â Y/N was melting into her mattress, between his hands roaming all over her skin and the hungry look in his eyes.
âSo polite,â Seokjin remarked, parting her thighs, lowly growling at the wetness that was clinging to the inside of them. âThis wet, just from sucking me off?â
âHnngh,â Y/N covered her face, embarrassed, Seokjin tapping on her thigh until she looked at him again. When she did, he was settled between her legs, Y/N reaching for one of his hands, interlocking their fingers desperately. âPlease!â
This time, Seokjin would let her order him around. Stamping a kiss over her pubic bone, he got comfortable, gliding his tongue through her slick folds and relishing in the strained moan she offered in return. Seokjin wasted no time, mouth watering at the taste of her pussy, collecting her essence on his tongue and holding her down by her hips when his lips brushed over her clit.Â
âO-oh my god,â Y/N could hardly bear it, Seokjin just as good at eating pussy as he was kissing, tears running down her face again when he used the flat of his tongue to level a harsh stripe against her clit. âJinââ
Humming, bringing a thumb to rub figure-eights on her sweet spot, his tongue dipped down to the fluttering entrance of her cunt, and when he plunged the appendage inside of her, it had her wailing, destroyed. Continuing to work her over, her juices steadily spilling into his mouth, Seokjin peered up at his lover, and surprisingly, he felt himself grow hard again at what he saw.Â
Y/N, her hair plastered over the pillows, was canting her hips into his face, and with the hand that wasnât captured by Seokjin, she was cradling one of her breasts, pulling on her sensitive bud, lips parted in bliss.Â
She felt herself humiliatingly close already, though it was hard not to be with the way Seokjin was fucking her with his tongue, relentlessly rubbing circles over her clit, and staring up at her with predatory eyes. Releasing her chest, she buried her hand in Seokjinâs hair, digging her fingertips into the base of one of his silky black ears, Seokjin groaning and grinding his hips against her mattress for friction. It was filthy, hedonistic, what they were caught in the middle ofâ neither of them could get enough.Â
âI-Iâm, ah! Gonnaââ spine contorting off of the mattress when Seokjin moaned against her cunt, she came with a wail, her legs shaking violently as stars formed in her eyes, heat reaching a boiling point in her lower abdomen.Â
Y/Nâs release didnât stop Seokjin, even when she was whining thinly from overstimulation. Instead, he switched things up, sliding two deft fingers into her spasming cunt, curling the digits up expertly and staring directly into Y/Nâs misty eyes.Â
âCome on, pretty girl, again. Cum again,â Seokjin cooed, Y/N shaking her head back and forth, saying something like she couldnâtâ but Seokjin knew she could. âOne more for me, alright, kitten?â
Dipping his head back down, Seokjin wrapped his lips around her overstimulated clit, and with a sharp suck and a well-timed curl of his fingers pistoning inside of her drenched pussy, Y/N was coming againâ this time with a silent scream. Seokjin swore, rising to his knees, gripping his cock in his fist as he continued to finger fuck Y/N through her high. Y/Nâs watery eyes went wide at the sight of him pleasuring himself, even as she continued to ride her high, gushing all over his fingers, and with a deep, feral groan, Seokjin came, hot ropes of his cum painting her lower stomach.Â
Y/N was out of body. She had never experienced something so goddamn sexy in all of her life, Seokjinâs chest heaving as he came down from his orgasm, Y/N gasping when he pulled his fingers from her cunt, spreading his cum over her skin with deep, predatory purrs. Twitching, overstimulated and reduced to a complete pile of mush, all she could do was attempt to catch her breath, Seokjin still admiring the mess he made on her stomach.Â
âPretty girl, fuck, youâre so sexy like this,â Seokjin heaved, sweat dripping down his temples, utterly spent. It was all he could do, reluctantly, to reach for a tissue on her nightstand, mopping up his cum on her abdomen. âSo perfect. I love you.â
Y/N hardly had the words to express what she was thinking. All she could do was limply lift her arms, inviting him into her embrace, Seokjin taking her up on that offer by landing heavily beside her, taking the quilt from the foot of her bed with him. She bonelessly let him manipulate her into his arms and tuck the quilt over her naked body, peppering kisses all over her sweaty, tear-stained face.Â
âYouâre gonna need another bath,â Seokjin commented, tracing her ribcage beneath the blanket, Y/N tucked under his chin.Â
âThatâs a tomorrow problem,â Y/N mumbled, knowing she wouldnât be able to move for at least a couple of hours. âI canât feel my legs.â
âNeither can I,â Seokjin snorted, shivering at the feeling of Y/Nâs eyelashes brushing against his sensitive, marked-up neck.Â
âAnother perfect date,â Y/N sighed happily, palm resting over Seokjinâs heart. âHot bath, a delicious dinner cooked by my perfect boyfriend, and two orgasms. What more can a girl ask for?â
Seokjin paused the tender tracing of her waist, registering that statement, before his chest had delirious laughter bubbling in it, shaking his head and nuzzling his nose into her hair.Â
âI think Iâve developed a thing for spoiling you,â Seokjin admitted, squeezing her waist.Â
âDonât stop anytime soon. Iâve grown accustomed to it,â Y/N shot back playfully, her words slightly warbled as she yawned. âI love you, Seokjinnie.â
Seokjin returned the sentiment quietly, seriously, pulling her even closer into his embrace if that was even possible, his tail winding around her thigh.Â
âTired? Letâs get some rest,â Seokjinâs siren-like voice always lulled her to sleep, so she was nodding sleepily against his chest like a three week old kitten.Â
âYouâre gonna take that bath with me in the morning,â Y/N slurred, Seokjin humming contentedly in response.Â
âAnything you want.â
Sunday had Y/N loading half of her witchy tools into Namjoonâs van, making trips back and forth with baskets of various herbs, incense, crystals, and whatnot. Namjoon and Jeongguk had already packed up all of the tapes and photographs the three of them collected during their two investigations, so they let Y/N select her own materials sheâd need to close the portal in the Sandersâ home. It was a sunny day, finally a bit warmer than it had been, spring definitely on the way. Songbirds began to make nests in the eaves of the roof of the house, and Yoongi had dragged the basketball hoop back outside for the nicer weather.Â
Singing a tune, Y/N organized the last bin of spell candles within Namjoonâs van, and when she was satisfied with how everything lookedâ she had brought in a few more pillows and blankets for their comfortâ Y/N hopped out of the vehicle and locked it up. Thinking of checking on Jimin in the stable, she was rounding the van in the driveway when she heard gravel crunching, the sound of a car pulling in. Turning, she saw her Land Cruiser being parked in its usual spot, Y/N unable to see who had taken it out that afternoon. Deciding to wait and greet whoever it was, she leaned against the dusty side of the van, tapping her foot.Â
The first thing she saw was a curly head of black hair as the driverâs door opened, Y/N smiling as she recognized the blue plaid flannel the hybrid was wearing. Taehyung must have gone out for more film or to shoot pictures in the park, Y/N watching as he slid his phone into his back pocket, still turned away from him.Â
âHey Tae! Youâre home!â Y/N called, the Kodiak hybrid flinching an inch into the air, her voice surprising him. He spun around, looking alarmed and like he was caught doing something he wasnât supposed to be.Â
Y/N waved him over, only able to see his head over the SUV, and Taehyung pushed a hand through his hair, squaring his shoulders. Lifting an eyebrow, about to ask what was wrong, she felt she was plunged into an icy lake when he stepped towards her.Â
Taehyung, his camera bag in his hand and eyes laser-sharp, had his clothes in disarray, and purple, splotchy love bites all over his neck.Â
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Pour Some Sugar On Me - Eddie Munson (Smut)
Author: @harringtonstilinskiâ Characters: Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader Word Count: 7,233 Warnings: fluff, squint super hard for angst, mentions of weed, using the hellfire club scene again bite me, trying to do more dirty talk so pls be gentle even though it's not much, Requested: no | yes; Smut (Minors DNI): no | yes, 18+; protected p in v, talks of masturbation, public, A/N: Hi, friends! The Upside Down doesn't exist in this. Also, the Party's in 8th grade, so no Hellfire members are mentioned except for Eddie. If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy đ
eddie munson masterlist
eddie munson playlist
âPlease?â
âNo.â
âPlease?
âNo.â
âSweetheart, please!â
Sighing, you stopped walking to turn and face your best friend, your books clutched to your chest. âWhy?â
âBecause we need you!â
âI donât know anything about D&D! Why would you make me torture myself with trying to learn how to play while you and the rest of Hellfire have been playing for literal years?â
Eddie went to open his mouth, but stopped short when he realized⊠you were right. He raised his brows with a frown on his face, an unimpressed look on his face as he agreed with you. âYouâre right. Thatâs fair.â When he looked back at your figure, he noticed⊠you werenât standing there at all, having walked away.
Following you, he exclaimed, âSweets!â Resting his hand gently on your arm as he caught up with you, he took a breath and said, âCome on! At least just sit in your chair. You can read or do homework or watch us play. You love doing one of those.â
It was true. You did love doing one of those three things while they played. If you read or did your homework, youâd pause and watch them for a moment, and sometimes while you actually watched them, youâd lean your head on Eddieâs shoulder when he wasnât being all dramatic to just rest your eyes for a moment.
He would never admit it, but that was Eddieâs favorite moment; your head leaned against his shoulder with your eyes closed, your breathing even as youâd fall asleep while he and the rest of Hellfire would play. As he looked at you, he was silently hoping that youâd do it again at this meeting.
As you sighed, you went to answer him, but your name being called had you looking towards the source, another sigh falling from your lips. âWhat, Steve?â
Jogging up to you, Steve smiled and asked, âHey, you gonna come to the game tonight?â
When you looked back at Eddie, you saw how uncomfortable he was, and it was then and there that you made your decision. Looking back at Steve, you answered, âI canât. Iâm going to Hellfire tonight. I kinda owe Eddie.â
Said boy looked at you, shock in his eyes as you stayed looking at Steve, the latter nodding his head and smiling softly.
âYeah, okay,â Steve said.
Resting your hand on his arm, you frowned, replying, âIâm sorry. Iâll come to the next game. Promise.â
He sighed, bringing you into a hug. âOkay, bug.â Kissing the top of your head, he sighed. Looking into your eyes, he reminded you to be good and not do anything he wouldnât do, which in turn made you laugh.
When you turned to look at Eddie, he still had that same look on his face that he had while you were talking to Steve. âWhat?â you chuckled.
âYouâre gonna come tonight?â he asked.
Starting your walk to your locker, Eddie followed as you replied, âWell, you wouldnât stop bugging me about it, soâŠâ
Eddie softly laughed behind you, taking quick strides to your side, putting his arm around your shoulders. âYou know you love it.â
You couldnât deny, you released a breath with a smile on your face as you answered, âYeah. I do.â
~~~
âItâs forced conformity,â Eddie said, walking back across the table.
âOh, my god, Eddie, get down,â you whispered, head hidden in your book.
He listened, but not like how you wanted. Instead, he jumped down and yelled, âThatâs whatâs killing the kids!â
Feeling totally embarrassed, you went back to reading and blocked out most of the events that happened after that, coming back to reality as he said, âAnd all you gotta do is get your Bo-Peepâs on and go and find one.â
When he took his seat back at the head of the table, you looked at him with furrowed brows, asking, âGet their Bo-Peepâs on?â
âYaâknow. Like Bo-Peep and her sheep?â
You looked at him for a moment before looking back at your book while saying, âYouâre so stupid.â
All Eddie could do was chuckle, reaching into his lunchbox to retrieve a pretzel, a smile present on his face. As he chewed his food, his smile fell as a thought raced his mind. âHey, sweetheart?â
âHm?â you hummed, eyes still on the page, but your attention fully on Eddie.
âI have this, uhm⊠thing after school⊠in the woods.â
Well, that grabbed your attention. âWhat? I thought we were hanging out before Hellfire like we always do?â
âAnd we will,â Eddie said, reaching to lightly touch your forearm, his brows raised. âI just, uhm⊠have to meet someone⊠in the woods.â He didnât want to admit to himself, but he loved touching you, within reason; your arm, your knee, your shoulder, grabbing your hand and kissing your knuckles like the romance movies. Honestly, he felt like he couldnât get enough.
You looked at him as he quickly eyed his lunchbox before looking back at you, never having moved his hand. Sighing, you closed your eyes, focusing on Eddieâs hand resting on your arm to ground you. Hating to admit it to yourself, you loved feeling his touch on you. You often thought about it when you were up late at night, unable to sleep, thinking about what it would feel like for him to touch you while you pleasured yourself.
Eddieâs hand lightly squeezed where it rested on your forearm. âI know you donât like itââ
âEddie, I donât just not like it,â you whispered. âI hate it.â Looking down, you couldn't help but feel emotional at the mention of his âside jobâ. When he had admitted to you one night that he had started selling weed, you got into a heated argument about it, your best friend telling you that he was doing it to help his Uncle Wayne.
You had understood his reasoning, but were more afraid of him getting caught selling it, or smoking it, or just having possession of it. He had assured you that he would get caught, and that heâd be safe with it. So far, so good.
âI know, sweetheart, I know.â Moving his hand to yours that was gripping your book, removing your hand to hold your fingers, almost like he was getting ready to kiss your knuckles like he did from time to time. Instead, he just held them, looking into your eyes. âI promise you, Iâll be done quickly. Just wait for me at the van, okay?â
Sighing, you nodded, closing your eyes. When you opened them back up, you looked Eddie straight in the eye and smirked before asking, âCan I sit in the back? With the doors open?â You knew he didnât care and would say yes. Hell, heâd let you sit on the goddamn roof if you wanted to.
Softly laughing, he lowered his head before bringing your hand towards his face, his lips ghosting over your fingers as he lifted his head and whispered, âAnything for you, mâlady,â before kissing your fingers, a giggle erupting from you.
The entire time the two of you had your moment, the rest of Hellfire looked on with annoyed looks on their faces, each of them wondering if the two of you were ever getting together.
~~~
When the bell rang after lunch and in between classes, you carried on with your day like normal, only your anxiety started to spike at the thought of Eddie in the woods with his damn lunchbox during last period, and just like he did every day, Eddie was waiting for you by the front doors of the school.
As he watched you approach him, he held his arm out for you to take, muttering a âMâlady,â with a smile on his face, making you laugh like he did every day. He walked you to his van, opening the back doors for you before helping you hop inside. Deciding to make a bold move, he placed himself between your legs, his hands on either side of your outer thighs. âIâll be right back, okay?â Shaking his head at you, he added quietly, âDonât go anywhere.â
Your breath hitched as he stood before you before you nodded your head, saying just as quietly, âI wonât.â Holding up your book, you added, âIâll just be sitting here reading.â When he leaned forward, you closed your eyes, feeling his lips on your forehead in a chaste kiss. Well, that was new.
He walked away, lunchbox in tow as he made his way towards the back of the school to the picnic table in the woods, where he met none other than Chrissy Cunningham. The entire time he was in the woods with her, he couldnât stop thinking about you, constantly looking off in the direction of the school, a worried look on his face that didnât go unnoticed by Chrissy.
âHey, are you okay?â she asked.
Quickly looking back at her, he raised his brows before furrowing them while nodding, answering, âYeah, yeah. Iâm fine. So, uhh⊠we gonna do this or what?â before his mind went back to you.
When you watched Eddie walk away, your facial expression went from one of nervousness to somewhat sadness. You were sad that he walked away from you to make a drug deal, moreso because he walked away. You wanted that moment with him to last, but as the universe would have it, you didnât get what you wanted.
So, you turned your back to the wall of the van and leaned against it, bringing your knees up as you rested your book on your thighs, already lost in the words on the pages, the world of the book sucking you in.
As your eyes scanned the words of the scene you were reading, your mind couldnât help but picture you and Eddie doing whatever the characters were doing, your bottom lip between your teeth.
You hadnât even noticed two figures walking up to the back of the van and leaning against the bumper.
âCan you please remove your lip from your teeth?â
Well, that had your attention as you jumped about 10 feet out of your skin. Holding your chest with one hand and your book with the other, you looked at your little brother and just glared. âWhat the fuck, Dustin Wade?â
Chucklin, Steve asked, âYour middle name is Wade?â
It was Dustinâs turn to use that Henderson glare on his older male friend, responding, âYes, it is. And whatâs yours? Clarence.â
âWorse,â he answered.
âItâs Anthony,â you said, hiding behind your book.
Steve looked at you, mouth opened. âHow dare you?â He said your middle name with such sarcasm, your face went from playful to annoyed.
âGo the fuck away.â
They both laughed, which in turn made you chuckle before you asked, âOkay, but seriously, what do you guys want?â
âWe came over to ask you if it was okay if I went to watch Steve play,â Dustin said. âHe saidââ
âI can take him home right after,â Steve agreed.
With a confused look, you asked, âDonât have to shower and celebrate with the team after?â
âHe can take me after he showers or just changes,â Dustin suggested. He looked at Steve and added, âHe can even shower at our house and stay the night.â
âYeah, yeah! I can do that!â Steve said.
Narrowing your eyes at Steve, you said, âYou better make sure he gets home, Harrington, or else I will spill your hair care routine to everyone in this godforsaken school, and maybe even the whole town.â
âYup, Iâll leave right after the game.â
âGood.â Looking at Dustin, you said, âPlease be good, no funny business, and tell mom to not wait up.â
âWhere are you going?â Dustin asked.
Sighing, you crossed your legs, resting your hands in the middle, one of your fingers still in the pages of your book. âIâm going to Hellfire with Eddie tonight. Heâs been working on this campaign forever and he wants me to be there.â
Both boys looked at each other, different expressions on each of their faces before Dustin turned to face you once more, saying, âFair enough. You be good. Donât make dumb choices.â
Chuckling, you uncrossed your legs, bringing your knees back up, saying, âYeah, okay. Love you.â
âLove you, too,â they both replied, a genuine laugh spilling from your lips as your eyes went back to the pages. You werenât sure how long youâd been reading for. The only thing you were sure of was the sun; it was high in the sky when you saw your brother and best friend, but had started to set when you thought Eddie wouldnât return.Â
So, you crawled more into the back, finding the pillows and blankets heâd left in there. You crawled back to the spot you were just previously occupying, placing the pillow where your butt had sat, laying horizontally with the blanket draped over your body, your eyes falling shut.Â
As you drifted off to sleep, you couldnât help but think about Eddie, a quiet âgoddammit,â falling from your lips as you realized⊠you liked your best friend.
~~~
His meeting with Chrissy took a little longer than he expected. It basically turned into an instruction session before turning into a therapy session. As he walked back to the parking lot, he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
Chrissy helped Eddie open his eyes at his feelings for you. Even though he didnât want to admit his feelings, he knew he would eventually have to. So, as he continued walking to his van, he ran a hand down his face, muttering a quiet, âgoddammit,â to himself before rounding the back of the van, stopping dead in his tracks as he spotted your sleeping form.
He couldnât help but watch as your shoulders and chest rose and fell with each breath you took. Sitting on the edge of the van, he reached out, lightly brushing a strand of hair away from your face causing you to stir.
When you opened your eyes, you looked at him and smiled a sleep smile in his direction before essentially⊠falling back asleep.
Eddie chuckled, resting his hand on your cheek, his thumb lightly rubbing along your cheekbone. âSweetheart,â he whispered, a quiet hum being your answer to him. As he smirked, he said, âItâs almost time for Hellfire, baby. You still gonna sit and watch?â
Slowly opening your eyes, you breathed in a breath, tilting your head into Eddieâs hand that was still resting on your cheek. âYeah,â you whispered. Sitting up, you let the blanket fall from your shoulder and bunch up at your waist. With furrowed brows, you looked at your best friend and asked, âWhat took so long?â
Sighing, Eddie moved to climb in the back of the van with you to retrieve his Hellfire bag. âChrissy turned the sale into a therapy session after I explained everything to her about⊠well, yaâknow.â
You nodded your head at the same time Eddie turned back around to face you.
âAnyway. Iâd probably still be out there if she hadn't noticed what time it was, seeing as she has to be at the game and all.â
âRight,â you whispered, looking down at your book. Picking it up, you muttered, âI thought I put you up,â before you grabbed your backpack to put the book back in. You pulled the blanket off of you and went to fold it when Eddieâs hand stopped you, a shiver running down your spine at the touch.
âDonât fold it yet,â he whispered.
âWhy?â
âBecause.â He wanted to say what was on his mind, but stopped himself, instead saying, âI know you get cold in the drama room. You can bring it to warm yourself up.â
A smile spread across your face as you tilted your head down, not wanting him to see the blush creeping on your cheeks. âOkay.â
After he jumped from the back of the van, he held his hand out to you, a smile on his face as he said, âMâlady?â
Chuckling, you slid off the back to your feet, hand still in his as you looked at him, saying, âYouâre so stupid.â
~~~
Once the boys had everything set up and were sitting in their spots, Eddie took his place at the head of the table on, what he liked to call, his throne. You sat next to Eddie, sighing while draping the blanket over your legs, bringing them up to bend at the knee and tilting them to the side, letting your knee rest against the arm rest.
Just as you opened your book to pick up where you left off, Eddie said something about hooded cultists chanting something about lord Vecna.
âThey turn to you, remove their hoods,â Eddie said, your eyes lifting to look at him from the corner of your eye. âYou recognize most of them from Makbar. But there is one you do not recognize, his skin shriveledââ
As Eddie spoke and started to stand, you lowered your book, his voice sucking you in like a damn vice. He looked at you as he whispered, âDesiccated,â making you jump a little.
âAnd something else,â he said, softly, turning to the rest of the group. âHe is not only missing his left arm, but his left eye!â After putting his left arm behind his back, he reached over his head with his right arm, covering his left eye.
The boys all protested while your brows scrunched in confusion as they started shouting their opinions from the last campaign.
âVecnaâs dead!â
âHe was killed by Kas!â
Eddie looked at you with a smirk as he sat down before going back into his Dungeon Master character, as he liked to call it. âSo it was thought, my friends, so it was thought.â Grabbing the Vecna playing piece, he stood and said, âBut Vecna lives!â before playing the piece on the board.
âWhat the fuck?â you whispered.
âYou are scared, youâre tired, you are injured,â Eddie said. âDo you flee Vecna and his cultists? Or do you stand your ground and fight?â He looked at you, leaning his hands on the table and asked, âWhat say you, princess? Do you think theyâll flee⊠or fight?â
You thought for a moment before shrugging, âIf theyâre not a bunch of pussies, thatâd fight.â
His eyes slightly widened, his cock twitching at the dirty words that came from your mouth⊠or what he considered to be dirty. Looking back at his friends, he said, âCome on.â
After a few moments, one of them said, âI say we fight. Do the death,â everyone else around the table giving their agreements.
You watched as Eddie chuckled, a warmth in your belly starting to form. Deciding not to wait another day, you started to quickly form a plan in your head as to how youâd show Eddie exactly how you feel.
Eddie sat back down, happy with the turn of events. He knew that if you have your opinion, the rest of the group would agree to it. On the nights you werenât there, they would lose the campaign and go home thinking of ways they couldâve won, as opposed to the nights you were there, theyâd win, going with the opinion you gave.
When he needed inspiration for his campaign, Eddie would come to your house or call you to have you come to his trailer, just to sit and enjoy your company. Youâd fall asleep half the time, but that didnât matter to him. Your company was all he needed.
As you sat next to Eddie, half watching and half reading, you couldnât help but think about the last few nights with him, sitting with him in his room while he wrote the campaign theyâre all playing. The way he would pace in front of his bed, stopping at his Sweetheart to strum her strings before going back to the task at hand.
You couldnât help but wonder what it would feel like to have his hands hold you, touch you, feel you the way he did his guitar. You also couldnât but wonder what his fingers would feel like, caressing your skin, tucking your hair behind your ear, lacing his fingers between yours. The third thing you couldnât but wonder about⊠was his mouth, and what it could do to you.
When one of the members called for a time-out, you were brought out of your thoughts, not realizing that you were just staring at nothing on the page in front of you. A hand on your knee caused you to jump, looking down at the ringed finger on your best friendâs hand.
Looking up at him, you noticed the crease between his eyebrows as he asked, âYou okay?â
Nodding, you took in a breath. âI guess I got lost in thought.â
âAbout what?â His hand was still there, on your knee.
You took a breath to reply, but stopped yourself from doing so as you furrowed your own brows, looking at the huddle at the other end of the table as you heard, âVecna just decimated us. We canât kill him with two players.â
Sighing heavily, you looked back at your book, your index finger between the pages to turn when you were ready. You could feel the eyes of the members on you as you read the words youâd read a million times that night before saying in a sing-song manner, âI wouldnât be a bunch of pussies, if I were you.â
âPussies? Really? âCause weâre not delusional?â
âDelusional? How about⊠not cowards?â you shrugged.
Eddieâs voice yelling out, âHey!â had your head quickly turning towards him, noticing he wasnât sitting in his chair, but sitting on the armrest furthest from you. âIf I may interject, gentlemenââ He looked at you with a smirk. âPrincess.â Looking back at the boys, he continued as he switched armrests, âWhilst I respect the passion, youâd be wise to take Gregory the Greatâs concern to heart. There is no shame in running. Donât try to be heroes. Not today, âkay?â
They all turned back around as you looked back down at your book, chuckling to yourself.
âWhatâs so funny?â Eddie asked, bumping his ribcage with your shoulder.
âNothing,â you said, a smile on your face. âItâs justââ You yawned, closing your book. â-nice to see you in your element.â Putting your book up, you felt like you couldnât keep your eyes open. When you leaned back against the back of the seat, you brought your knees back up, having placed your feet on the ground when reaching for your bag.
Leaning your head against the back of the chair, you felt the blanket being draped over your form, your eyes falling shut, but you werenât yet asleep when the boys came back to the table, standing at the end. You did, however, fall right asleep before they started to roll the 20 sided die, which was only a couple of minutes later.
Eddieâs sole focus was on that 20 sided die, he hadnât noticed you fell asleep, head slouched over more to the point where your hairline was almost touching his throne. When the die said 20, the club cheered loudly, Eddie saying, âWhat? What?â before clapping and looking at your sleeping form.
âThatâs why we play, princess,â he whispered. âThatâs why we play.â
~~~
You woke up to the unmistakable sound of Eddie putting on his jacket, opening your eyes to catch him pulling his hair from under the leather before you sat up and started stretching, a yawn escaping you.
Eddie turned at the sound of your yawn, sitting back down in his throne, resting a hand on your arm. âHey, sweetheart,â he said, a soft smile on his face. âHowâd you sleep?â
Shrugging, you softly replied, âAs good as you can in this chair,â before softly chuckling. âDid they win?â
He nodded, bringing his hand up to your face, brushing some hair from your face. âCrit hit.â
As you scrunched your brows, you tried to think of what the crit hit meant⊠and then it came to you. âCrit hit equals good thing.â
Proud that you remembered something he taught you, Eddie smiled a little bigger, nodding his head. âThatâs right, princess.â
With your eyes locked on his, and his on yours, you brought your foreheads together, closing your eyes while sighing. âEddie,â you whispered. âThereâs something I need to tell you, and I donât think I can wait much longer.â
He nodded against your forehead, his eyes having been closed. This was it, he thought to himself. Sheâs going to reject me. âI know, and itâs okay.â
Confused, you lifted your head while opening your eyes, looking at his crestfallen expression. âWhatâs okay?â
Eddie dropped his hand, letting out a heavy sigh while standing. He walked to the side of the table, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose while the other went to his hip, his back somewhat towards you. âThe rejection,â he whispered. Trying to compose himself, he turned towards you a little, resting his hands on the table, much like he did earlier in the night. Hanging his head, he said, âJust get it over with.â
You had stood when the word rejection came from his lips. âRejection? You think Iâm rejecting you? Eddie, that was the furthest thing from my mind.â Bringing your hand up to cup his cheek furthest from you, you turned his head to face you, his eyes not following. âEddie, look at me,â you whispered.
Sighing, he turned his eyes toward you, those chocolate brown eyes you loved so much staring back at you as your thumb moved across his cheek, gently stroking.
âWhat I was gonna sayâ,â you said, so softly. â-was that I really like you. Hell, I may even love you-â
âAs a friend,â he gritted through his teeth.
âAs more,â you said sternly. âEddie, listen. Iâve had a crush on you forever. Donât ask me when it started because I donât even fucking remember. Youâve introduced me to so much; metal, D&D, a world outside of popularity and basketball.â
It was true. You were considered popular just by knowing Steve Harrington, who was still your best friend in the entire world. Eddie was an added bonus. Though your popularity status went downhill after everyone found out you were hanging out with Eddie The Freak Munson, that didnât stop you from hanging out with him or Steve, the latter still calling you his best friend. You didnât care about your popularity status. All you cared about⊠was being around people that made you happy, and those people⊠were Eddie and Steve, respectfully. Your main focus right now being Eddie and his happiness.Â
âI love you for that,â you whispered.
With wide eyes, Eddie looked at you. âYou love me, then?â Looking at a spot on his denim vest, you thought it over for just a moment before smiling and looking back into those chocolate eyes, whispering, âYeah. I do.â
âThank God,â he whispered, pressing his lips to yours as he stood straighter.
It took you no time to kiss him back, your free hand coming up to cup his other cheek, your lips moving in sync as Eddieâs hands came to rest on your waist. His tongue traced your bottom lip, asking for entrance to your mouth, which you gladly accepted.
As if a magnet were in between the two of you, the both of you pulled each other closer, your hands going into his hair as his hands went to your back, gently rubbing wherever he could.
You pulled back first, needing some much needed air as you rested your forehead against his. âIâve thought about this for a really long time, Eds.â
âMe, too, baby.â
Sparking up an idea, you rested your hand on his chest, looking into his eyes. âDonât move,â you said, enthusiastically frisky.
When you walked toward the door, Eddieâs eyes followed your form, a mischievous grin on his face. âWhat are you doing, princess?â
âOh, you knowââ Click. âJust⊠locking the door.â You turned back to face him, back against the door for a moment, bottom lip trapped between your teeth with a smile as you looked at him.
Eddie knew he was in trouble just with that smile on your face. He felt his cock twitch his pants, the black denim growing uncomfortably tight as he looked at you. âAnd, why, pray tell, are you⊠locking the door?â
âSo that I can do this,â you said, making your way over to him.
As a confused look crossed his features as you walked up to him, he shook his head, his hair swaying with the motion as he went to ask, âWhaââ before your lips pressed to his. He was shocked, to say the least, but finally happy to have your lips on his.
Snaking your hands into his hair, you sighed happily as your lips moved in sync with Eddieâs, his tongue sneaking out to ask for entrance to your mouth, which you gladly accepted. The moment your tongues touched, a soft moan escaped you, Eddieâs dick growing even harder than what he thought was capable.
âDamn, princess,â he muttered, kissing the corner of your mouth and cheek until he got to your neck. âYou know how long Iâve been waiting for that?â
âMmmmm,â you hummed, hand lightly resting on the back of his head as his lips searched for that sweet spot. Once he found it, you gasped, whispering, âEddie! Right there.â
He went to work on your sweet spot, leaving a bruise there, licking at it to soothe it before kissing his way down to your collarbone, reaching with his hands to grab the hem of your shirt, lifting his head to look into your eyes, asking, âCan I take it off? If Iâm gonna do anything elseââ
âYes,â you breathed. âTake it off. Take it all off.â
Eddie chuckled and shook his head, lifting your shirt up and over your head, revealing⊠a plain black bra. âDamn, sweets.â
âItâs not special or anythingââ
âStill hot.â
âBecause itâs black?â you smirked.
He chuckled again, dipping his head to kiss at the tops of your breasts, snaking his hand behind your back to unclasp your bra, the straps falling from your shoulders. Once the material had slid down your arms, he looked at you, mouth watering. âDamn, babe,â he whispered.
Deciding to be a little daring, you lightly shimmied your chest, a small smile on your face as you did. âLike what you see, Eds?â
âOh, I very much like what I see,â he said, bringing his hand to the spot between your shoulder blades to pull you towards him, his lips descending to your nipple, wrapping around the bud.
As he licked and sucked, your hand found its purchase to the back of Eddieâs head again, leaving him there as moans and whimpers spilled from your lips. âOh, my god.â
Breathing out a soft laugh as he switched to your other breast, he whispered, âI knew youâd like that.â
âOh, you did, did you?â you asked, softly. Another moan made its way out of your throat at the feeling of his lips and fingers going to work on both of your nipples. âMmmmm,â you hummed.
Eddie pulled back, palming your breast as he looked at you as he said, âSure did, sweet thing. Iâve dreamt about this for a while.â
You rested your hands on his shoulders, looking him deep in his eyes before bringing a hand up to gently and softly cup his cheek, whispering, âSo have I.â
He dove right in, pressing his lips to yours in a searing kiss, a full on make out session as you moved your hands to his shoulders, sliding his leather jacket and denim vest off his shoulders, his Hellfire shirt on full display.Â
The only time the two of you broke apart was for you to remove his shirt, his chest tattoos on full display. You looked at them, tracing over them, even though it almost caused fear in you to trace the spider tattoo.
âDonât worry,â he whispered, putting his hand over yours. âItâs just a tattoo.â
When you looked at him, he was softly smiling, which caused you to softly smile. âI know. They just creep me out.â
âI know what arachnophobia is, babe.â He smiled bigger before a small chuckle came from him causing you to roll your eyes.
Giggling, you leaned forward, resting your head on his shoulder. â I know that, dork.â You slid your hands down his torso, making him breathe in a hiss before your fingers wrapped the top of his black jeans.
Eddie moved his hands to yours, bringing your hands to his belt. He never broke eye contact as he did. âUnbuckle it.â
You did as he asked, looking down to his belt, carefully undoing it and his button before sliding his zipper down.
He breathed out a deep breath, the pressure on his cock releasing a little.
Feeling brave, you decided to reach into his pants, wrapping his hardened length in your hand. âFuck. I can barely touch my fingertips.â You chuckled, looking up at him, a look of disappointment crossing his features. âDonât worry, babe. Thatâs a good thing. Means youâre big.â Biting your bottom lip between your teeth, you tried to be seductive, which worked because Eddie sucked in a breath. âI feel like youâre being submissive.â
âNah,â he said. âJust letting you take the reins for a moment, sweeâ fuck.â
Your hand moving up and down had a moan escaping Eddieâs throat, his head being thrown back.
âFuuuuuck, sweetheart. That feels amazing.â
Leaning forward, you placed your lips to his Adamâs apple, moving down his sternum and stopping where you couldnât reach anymore before looking back up at his face, an almost fucked out look crossing his features. âYou look so pretty,â you whispered.
âIâll show you pretty,â he said, squatting to pick you up, your legs wrapping around his waist. âGet ready, princess. Iâm gonna rock your fucking world.â
âWhaââ you asked, before gasping as your back met the table they had just played on, Eddieâs fingers grazing your sides before traveling down to the tops of your jeans. âJesus, Eddie.â
âWhat do you want, princess?â he asked, skimming his lips across your stomach down to your jeans. Looking up at you with mischievous eyes through his lashes, he smiled a little, hearing and seeing your soft breaths quicken. âTell me what you want. Tell me where you want me.â
âMmm, on me,â you whispered.
As he unbuttoned your jeans, he whispered, âWhere?â before kissing the imprint that the button left on your skin.Â
Letting out a breath, you looked down at him and whispered his name, your eyes full of pleading, as well as trying to tell him something. When it finally hit him after a couple of seconds looking at you, his eyes went a little wide as he picked his head back up.
âAre you a virââ
âNo,â you shook your head, swallowing your nerves. âIâve had sex before. Iâve just never⊠dirty talked before. The last guy didnât, either. Well, with me, at least.â
Eddie nodded softly before looking back down at your skin, placing another soft to it. âWell, you donât have to worry about that, baby.â Another kiss as he unzipped your jeans. âIâll take care of all that.â
When he tapped your outer thighs, you knew that was your queue to lift your hips, your nerves starting to show as you watched him remove your jeans, sliding them down your ankles⊠after sliding your shoes off, of course.
It was like he knew you wanted to close your knees, so before you could even think of doing it, he quickly placed his hands on the inner part of your knees, feeling your muscles tense. âPlease donât be shy, baby.â
He spread your legs a little further apart to slide his hands on the back part of your thighs, bringing them back around to your inner, essentially holding your thighs as he slowly dropped to his knees, bringing you further down the table.
âTell me,â Eddie said, kissing the inner part of your knee. âDid those other guys worship you?â He watched as you shook your head, another kiss placed a little further down your thigh. âWell, shame on them, then. Because Iâm gonna worship this pussyââ Kiss. â-like my lifeââ Kiss a little further down. â-depends on it.â
You went to say something, the words dying in your throat as a soft moan escaped your throat at the feeling of Eddieâs tongue licking a stripe up your core.
âDamn, sweetheart,â he whispered, licking another stripe, this time in between your lips. âYou taste incredible.â
âMmm, Eddie,â you whispered, bringing a hand to the top of his head, gently carding your fingers through the tendrils at the top of his head. âRight there.â
Eddie hummed, lapping at your core like a man starved. As he brought his lips to your clit, licking and sucking on it like it was his last meal, he let go of one of your thighs, bringing his fingers to your entrance. Releasing your clit, he gently rubbed it with his thumb, his fingers drawing big circles at your entrance. âYouâre so wet for me,â he rasped. âI made you this wet?â
You giggled, gently scratching at his scalp. âYouâre so stupid,â you whispered.
âThatâs my girl,â he smiled, licking at your clit once again. He elicited a moan from you, your tossing back at the feeling of his fingers entering you.Â
âHoly shit,â you all but whined. You could feel the stupid fucking smirk on his face as he pumped his fingers in and out of your core. âOh, my god, donât stop.â
That only egged him on further; his fingers moved faster, and it seemed like his tongue was moving faster as well. Eddie was in full concentration mode, your whimpers and moans sounding like heaven to him.
âOh, shit,â you moaned, looking down at him, seeing nothing but the mop of brown curls you loved so fucking much. âEddie, Iâm gonna cum.â
No words. Nothing came out of his mouth but his tongue licking at your clit relentlessly.
One⊠two⊠three more licks and quick pumps of his fingers and you were gone. Gripping his hair as hard as you knew he liked from the horseplay you two would find yourselves in, you came all over his fingers, his tongue wanting a taste.
Your back arched at the feeling of his tongue inside of you as far it could reach, your taste on his tongue.
When he was sure youâd ridden through your orgasm, he kissed his way back up your stomach and sternum, his nose brushing against your chin before his lips found yours, kissing you and letting you taste yourself.
Looking all over your beautiful features when he pulled away, you licked your lips as you slowly opened your eyes, those eyes he loved so much, you hummed and whispered, âYummy.â
âShit, princess,â he murmured, hissing when you reached back down to his length, his member still hard as ever. âGoddamn, I canât wait anymore.â
âThen fuck me, Eddie.â You guided him to your entrance, his hand coming up to hold yours on his length.
âI wonât be able to hold back, baby. Iâve been waiting for this day for a long time.â
Nodding your head as you brought your hand up to cup his cheek, you said, âThatâs okay. Give it to me, Eds.â
He kissed you as he pushed into you without warning, a loud gasp coming from your throat, your head tossing back as far as it could on the table.
âOh my god,â you groaned, loving the full feeling you were getting. âYouâre so fucking big.â
âYouâre so fucking tight,â he gritted, holding back so much.
âLet go, Eddie, itâs okay. I can take it.â
Pulling his hips back, he looked down at where the two of you were connected before snapping his hips back into yours, a cry of pleasure meeting his ears.
âFuck! Do it again.â
He didnât need to be told twice as he pulled his hips back, snapping them back with yours, repeating the motion. âYou feel so fucking good, baby. It was like this pussy was made just for me.â
âYep, whatever you say,â you replied, voice shaky from the bounces your body was taking with each thrust of Eddieâs hips. âShit, donât stop. Mmmm, Iâm almost there.âÂ
You went to touch your clit, a whimper escaping you at the feeling of Eddieâs finger circling your sensitive bud. âJust like that,â you breathed. âDonât fucking stop.â
âShit, Iâm not gonna last much longer,â Eddie groaned. âF-fuck.â
âCum, Eddie. Cum with me,â you cried out in pleasure.
âAre youââ
âIâm clean, Iâm on the pill, and Iâm sure, justââ Moan. âJust cum, Eddie, justâ oh, my god, donât stop, donât stop, donâtââ Another moan filled the air as your second orgasm shot through you, Eddieâs not far behind.
Not wanting to crush you, he rested his weight on his forearms by your head, his forehead resting on yours, both of your eyes closed and heavy breaths mingling. âThat⊠was⊠amazing.â
âSure as fuck was,â you agreed, releasing a breathy chuckle.
Eddieâs own breathy chuckle blew over your face before he sighed. Placing his lips on yours again, he took a breath through his nose before pulling slightly back with a small smack from yours lips disconnecting. âI have to pull out of you. Iâm kinda growing soft here.â
Giggling, you nodded your head, saying, âOkay,â before whining at the loss of him filling you up. âI miss him already.â
âWho?â
âYour dick.â
He looked at you, confused before bursting out in laughter, your own joining him.
When the two of you were dressed and looking a little fucked out, you helped with his campaign books, carrying them with your own book and his blanket in one arm, the rest of his D&D stuff in his own arm, his free one wrapped around your shoulders, your own free arm wrapped around the middle of his back.
As the two of you walked back to his van, you couldnât help but smile the whole time, happy that you finally got the boy youâve been dreaming of.
âSo,â Eddie said, after helping you into the passenger seat of his van. âWhat do you say to me getting high, and then us going to Bennyâs for a bite?â
âUhm, yes to the second as long as I meet my curfew, no to the first because you could actually get caught and I canât have that.â
âWhy not?â he asked, almost whining like a child.
âBecause I just got you. I canât risk losing you to something like weed.â
âBut⊠itâs how Iâmââ
âAble to help Wayne, and I adore you for that, but Eddie⊠itâs not smart to smoke and drive.â
âBut - but -â
âNo buts.â
Raising a brow at you, while turning his head slightly to the side, he said, âTheyâre for goats.â
You couldnât help but grab onto his jacket, pulling him closer to you to press your lips against his, but not before giggling, âYouâre so stupid.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N 2:Â Â hi, friends! let me know what you thought! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.
Additional Notes:Â i should've titled this you're so stupid 'cause they said it a lot, lol. so!, just know that if you come into my inbox and ask about you're so stupid, i will be referring to this fic, lol, unless i title another fic you're so stupid.
~~~
Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novakâ
If youâre tagged and didnât want to be, please let me know.
Italics wouldnât let me tag!
~~~
*Please donât post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinskiâ.
All characters, story lines, and plot aside from y/n and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of The Duffer Brothers.
*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.
No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Posted on March 29, 2024
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we'll be who he couldn't be.
pairing: fem!reader x dad!matt
synopsis: you see matt with your baby and it reminds you of your past
warnings: body image, eating, ANGST, fluff, daddy issues, use of y/n
a/n: this hits a bit close to home and i cried writing this so if it sucks im SORRY.
you were lying in bed with a tear soaked pillow, stuffy nose, and your thoughts. your anxiety washed over you like a wave. you hated this day, you hated everything about that day. wishing you were able to participate in this holiday.
scrolling through your phone on instagram, tiktok, twitter, snapchat, you name it. videos and pictures of your friends with their father smiling, looking happy, loved. something youâve always wanted.
"fuck fathers day" you thought.
from a young age you've always felt worthless, ashamed, disgusted in yourself. you've looked for love in other because you've couldn't find it in myself. you didn't know how to love yourself because the one person you looked up to didn't show it.
you lived in the same house but you feel like he didn't know you. he doesn't remember your favorite color, your favorite food.
you've learned to stop talking about yourself when you were around people in fear you'll be judged just like your dad used to do. felt the need to cover your body because either you were either eating too much or not enough.
hiding your tears from your mom so she wouldn't have to worry about how you're feeling because you think she has better things to worry about.
you thought your sister moving out would be exciting because you finally get your own room. but really you used that as an excuse so you can think of something other than your draining thoughts of being alone now. alone, in your room, crying because you wish you could have the father you've always dreamed on.
"y/n?" matt calls out softly as he rocks side to side with your baby girl in his hands.
"hm?"
"you okay sweetheart?" he asks concerned
you immediately burst into tears.
matt gently places your daughter in her crib and he comes rushing over. "hey, whats wrong? talk to me."
"just s-seeing you hold her and love her is making me think about a bunch of stuff, you know i-issues with my dad how he made me feel. and it reminded me of this specific moment." you sob into his chest.
"oh y/n, i know, love, i know" he whispers in my hair rubbing my back
"i just love you so much. you're already such a good dad and i know you'll never make her feel the way i felt growing up."
"look at me." he says "we'll be who he couldn't be. i will do everything to make sure she doesn't feel the way you felt. we both will. you laid on that hospital bed for 19 hours so she could be in our arms, you're amazing, and she is so lucky to have you as her mom. your past doesn't define you. your past is just a small part of how you became the amazing woman you are today.
you hug matt tighter than ever. "thank you matt"
"no need to thank me bug."
you both get up from your bed and stand over your babys crib and admire the little being you brought into this world.
"she's perfect." he says wrapping his arms around you from behind.
#elles works âïž#sturniolo triplets#chris sturniolo#matt sturniolo#nick sturniolo#nicolas sturniolo#matthew sturniolo#christopher sturniolo#matt sturniolo fanfiction#matt sturniolo fanfic#matt sturniolo angst#matt sturniolo fluff#dad!matt sturniolo
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The home of a Lilybug â ls.18
stepdad!Lance Stroll | series
word count: 1597
summary: After seeing her dad for the first time in a while, Lily canât wait to come back home.
âNo! I donât want to goâ Lily shouted running from her room.
Luckily for her mom, Lance had quick reflexes and was able to intercept the girl as she fled.
âWhere are you going, bug?â he asked throwing her on his shoulder.
She was half dress and with half her hair brushed, but that had never stopped her from walking around the house. And Lance was happy she fell so comfortable and free in their new home. Even if she still called it Lanceâs home.
âNot going!â she shouted again when she saw where Lance was taking her.
âLily, baby. I know you'd rather stay at home or with Lawrence, but your father has come to see you and you have to go with him. It'll just be a little while and then Lance and I will go find youâ her mom explained when they entered the room and Lance was painfully reminded of today date.
He had been sick to his stomach since the man called a few days ago letting them know that he will be picking Lily up on Saturday.
In the two years Lance had been officially dating his girlfriend, the man had only seen his daughter two times, both a few hours before he got tired of the five years old girl. However, it was the first time Lance had been there to see it happen.
The couple had argued the night before about it. Lance didn't understand why the girl had to go if she clearly didn't want to and his girlfriend didn't know how to make him understand that keeping the peace was the only way for the man not to threaten them again with asking for joint custody just to annoy them.
It sucked, clearly, and Lance couldn't wait for the day to end.
âBut I don't want to go!â the girl protested again, still kicking on Lance's shoulder. âTell him I don't want to go, Lancey.â
âI'm sorry, little bug. I promise we'll be there soon and you can call us whenever you want,â the driver reminded her, touching her little wrist.
Shortly after the move, Lance had found on one of his trips a trendy bracelet with which couples could send messages and had immediately bought some for themselves. It was perfect so that Lily would always know that Lance was there for her, even if he was away on the other hemisphere of the world.
However, hell broke loose when the doorbell rang, awakening the girl's tears and inconsolable crying.
âYou open it,â Lance asked, taking Lily in his arms to calm her, knowing that if he was the one who opened the door, the day would not end as well.
âLancey!â the girl begged in a pitiful cry.
âI'm sorry, little bug. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll come right away for you. I'm sorry,â he murmured over and over again as he rocked her, hating every second of that day too âBut you're going to have a great time, I'm sure. Are you going to tell me later what you did?â
Before the girl could answer her mom came to pick her up, dressing her up in a minute and a second later she was out and gone.
However, the tears were not gone as her mother started crying once the door was closed.
âYou don't know how much I hate myself for the father I gave herâ the woman confessed once Lance hugged her.
âLily is lucky to have you. It's not your fault that man doesn't know or want to be a good father. You've done what you had to do for herâ Lance confirmed. âYou are the best mother, loveâ.
Under other circumstances, the couple would have already found something to do without the girl, as they sometimes did when Lily stayed with Lawrence or Lance's mother. But that day no one did or proposed anything special. Much less seeing how their bracelet didn't stop lighting up with Lily's messages and the ones they send back.
âTomorrow we can go to the beach,â Lance said while they had lunch. âTake advantage of what's left of the heat.â
âYes. We could go to the restaurant you wanted on the way back,â the woman answered, but without any real emotion in her words.
It was only two hours into the girl's departure when the woman's phone rang. Regardless of the food on their plates, both ran to the driver's car.
âI bet he only took a photo with her for his mother and he's already tired of playing dadâ the woman complained, clearly furious.
And she was more or less right. She had been right in thinking that everything was a little act for the man's mother, but she had not thought that everything could be a surprise for the birthday of the woman, who had only seen the girl once before the couple separated when the man decided he didn't really want to be a father.
As if Lily was a gift that the woman could open and then forget with the rest of her handkerchiefs and bags.
âStay outsideâ asked the woman.
âI canât, love. Iâm sorry but this is me too. Thatâs my girl insideâ Lance answered stepping inside the restaurant.
âMom!â they heard as soon as they entered and soon enough a small body came crashing into the woman's legs, climbing her desperately.Â
âShe was bored,â the man explained, coming to where the couple had stopped. âShe said she'd rather go homeâ.
âYou said you were going for a walk!â the woman reproached him.
âIt was my mother's birthday, what did you want me to do? She hasn't seen her in a long time,â he explained, pointing to the group of older women who they obviously had wanted to impress with their happy family.
Lance knew little about the man, but he knew enough to know he hated him. He was a snob and a scumbag in his opinion. He had coaxed the woman with pretty but empty words. He had promised her the moon in exchange for a magazine family that he only wanted to show off in front of his co-workers, but that had quickly bored him behind closed doors.
A few months after Lily's birth, the man already had other new toys and his past life packed in boxes. Boxes that couldn't fit a woman he had promised to spend his entire life with or a girl he had only given a last name to.
Years latter, that girl only came to his mind when people asked about her or when his conscience knocked on his door again, which happened rarely.
Lance had put out with that for long enough. He knew that his girlfriend could take care of the man, he knew that she was the one who should do it, but how could he sit idly by when it was his girls who paid the price for a man as small and ridiculous as that? Lance had come across many men like him in his social circle and his father had taught him how to swallow them without even having to chew them.
Money and values did not always go hand in hand and for some that was the right choice. However Lance knew that that was the only way one could truly succeed. He was the clear example of that, since he would be the one to return home with them, wallet and heart full.
âThe next time you want to see her will be at our houseâ Lance said finally. âUnder her mother's supervision. You can call whenever you want, but it will be under her mother's supervision. I know you are a very good lawyer, but I can hire a hundred like you, so choose your battle well the next time you want to play the happy family. Understood?â
âWho are you to decide about my daughter?â the man said, facing the driver.
âThe man she calls when you screw up. And the man who can ruin your life if you screw up again.â Without sparing him another glance, Lance took the girl from his mother's arms, needing her weight in his arms, and grabbing the woman's hand, he headed back to the car.
He could apologize to her later for butting in, but from the way she was looking at him, Lance didn't think he had to.
âI want to go home, Lancey!â Lily called from his arms.
At that, Lance stopped abruptly in the middle of the street. The girl had buried her face in the driver's chest and she was clutching his shirt with both hands, as if she was afraid that he might leave at any moment.
Lance's heart stopped every time she called him that, but this time it had been something else that had made him stop in his tracks.
The driver forced himself to forget everything that had happened minutes before with that man in order to appreciate that moment purely.
âWhat did you say, Lilybug?â he asked with the sole intent of hearing it again.
âI want to go home, Lancey.â
âTo our home?â He asked again, looking at his girlfriend too.
That was the first time Lily had referred to that place as her home and not just Lance's home.
If Lance hadn't had his hands full he would have recorded that moment a thousand times so he could play it back every night before going to sleep.
âHomeâ the girl murmured.
âWe're going home, Lilybugâ Lance promised, kissing the girl's head.
note. sorry i've been missing for a while. i've been suuuuper busy. but i'm back now!
#f1#f1 fanfic#f1 fanfiction#formula 1#formula 1 fanfic#f1 angst#lance stroll fluff#lance stroll angst#lance stroll fanfic#lance stroll x reader#lance stroll imagine#lance stroll#ls18#ls18 x reader
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Hello! I just wanna say I really like your Disney Villain writings, they are funny and really cute! Can I request where the Disney villains are fighting over who is Y/Nâs favorite villain? I thought it would be funny
Oooh great idea! This one was so much fun to write! (Can you tell that Honest Johnâs my favorite?)
No, Iâm their favorite!!
ââââââââââââ
No one knows how the conversation subject was brought up, but it more than ruined the villians weekly poker night. Curses filled the air and sidekicks where used as meat shields.
âIâm easily (Y/N)âs favorite person out of all of us, no- this entire park!! No one is better friends than Gaston!!â The Frenchman boasted, loose hairâs flying around his face. âThey regularly compliment my physique, and they sneak me in special hair products!! Thereâs no room for argument!â
âOh please frenchie, (Y/N) isnât as daft as the other cast members. They have taste for more refined gentlemen. Like yours truly.â Captain Hook scoffed, ignoring the glares from the other villians. âMight I remind you how they gifted me the entire trilogy of âThe History of Piracyâ? Or how much they enjoy my culinary skills? They have supper with me every Tuesday.â Hook affirmed, more than confident he had bested the competition.
That was quickly interrupted by a swift *bonk* on Hooks head, Jafar looming over the ex- pirate with his staff in hand.
âWhile I agree with (Y/N)âs taste, it surely isnât a cowardly captain.â
âWhy you-â Hook started, only to be bonked on the head again.
âWhy me? Well thatâs easy, Iâm a very persuasive individual. Iâm able to⊠âcharmâ those in upper management to give (Y/N) longer breaks, or keep any unsavory park guests from harassing our dear caretaker. (Y/N) obviously favors someone who makes their job easier.â
âYour joking right? Didnât I see (Y/N) yell at you for 30 minutes straight because you were eyeing that princess Jasmine?â Hades chimes in, finally deciding to butt into the conversation after watching the other villians argue from the sidelines. Jafar stopped speaking, averting his eyes and mumbling.
âYeah. Thatâs what I thought. But câmon guys, you know itâs ya boy here whoâs (Y/N)âs number one pal.â Hades points his thumbs towards himself.
âI was one of the first people here who (Y/N) met, we knew each from day uno. I canât count the amount of times that theyâve kept my shit-ass sun god of a brother from bugging me. And they even made the most adorable altar for me, with pomegranates and the whole works!!â
âOh, so gauche. If it wasnât for my expertise (Y/N) wouldnât be half as stylish as they are. Not to mention our âgirls nightsâ. Iâve opened an entire new world of skincare for them!â Cruella hissed. (Actually remembering she had to pick up (Y/N) that special cream made from horseshoe crabs)
A threadbare glove raised amidst the crowd, Honest John appearing from seemingly nowhere
âIm sorry to disappoint you all, but itâs myself whoâs won (Y/N) heart. Theyâve fallen for my effortless charm lock, stock, and barrel! I mean, Iâve been their nap partner countless a times, they quite enjoy cozying up to my fur.â John preened, smiling back at the memories of warm afternoons snuggled up next to (Y/N).
âFur!? Why you little- Iâll skin you-â
âJust wait till (Y/N)-â
The poker room devolved into full out brawl, nearby cast members rushing into the room in attempt to break up the crowd. All the while, in an empty back room (Y/N) was sharing a sandwich with their guest.
âYâknow what, Ratigan?â They said between bites. âYour my best friend.â
The rat stared up at them, finishing his bite,
ââŠ. Ew.â
#self insert#disney villains#disney imagine#disney x reader#disney hades#disney gaston#disney jafar#disney captain hook#captain hook#padraic ratigan#ratigan#honest john#cruella de vil
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Imminent Threat: Baby Pictures Confirmed!
I was bitten by the inspiration bug and I do love this idea a lot, hehehâŠ
Wanna see what happens if HT!Sans catches a glimpse of your baby pictures?
(HT!Sans x Female!Reader)
(No warnings just be prepared for silly, fluff, and cute (aggression))
ââââââ
Sans twiddles his thumbs, watching you leave with the dishes into the kitchen. Your parents had forbidden him from doing the dishes.
âYou made us this wonderful meal! Itâs her turn on the chores anyway,â
âWhat! I come home to see you and youâre just making me do chores?â
âYes! Itâs to catch up on all the chores you missed these past few months! Hahahah!â
He turned to you and whispered a pathetic little âsorry,â but you waved him off.
âItâs ok, Iâm used to it. Might as well treat them since I canât cook like you, right? Keep them company.â
So here he was, sitting on the table, feeling like he was going to expel the meal he just ate, watching your parents wipe their lips with tissue like they were about to interrogate him.
âSo, howâs living with (Y/n) like?â
âgood.â no no. too fast. talk more. âsheâŠâŠ sheâs nice.â
nice? is that all i have to say about her?
âAh. Thatâs good to hear,â your dad replies, taking a sip of tea from a mug.
âŠ
i guess if i said the other things i thought of her, theyâd probably want to take her away from me.
âHey, I hope sheâs more active than how she used to be. She used to stay home for days, and weâd have to remind her to go outside and get some sun!â Your mom chortles, and Sans rubs the back of his neck.
âa⊠actually⊠sheâs the one that wants to leave the house now. i donât⊠like leaving. the house is nicer.â Sans forces a grin, but he canât tell if itâs coming off as awkward or spine-chillingly horrifying.
He canât gauge how your parents reacted. Your dad smirked, and your mom tilted her head. What does that mean? Do they not approve? Sans usually prides himself in being able to read people like a book- even after the head injury. But his skull is full of thoughts.
âI imagine youâd have to stay at home to hone that cooking skill, then?â Your mom offered, âthat stew was amazing! The blend of herbs and spices, the broth wasnât too thick or thin, and the meat was cooked to perfectionâŠâ
Your dad chuckles. âI donât know about cooking as much as my wife does, but Iâll tell you what, thatâs one hell of a stew youâve got. You could probably start a restaurant,â
âheh⊠heh you think?â His grin turns more genuine as his cheeks turn a tinge of dark blue.
âHow did you learn to cook so well, Sans? Did you go to culinary school?â Your mom pries.
âoh⊠no actually, i learnt it all myself,â Sans explains, âback in the underground we didnât have much to go on but we didnât want to eat something completely tasteless so i learnt how to make things taste good with what we hadâŠâ
Sans realizes too late that maybe he brought up the underground a bit too casually, because all of a sudden your mom looks stricken with guilt, and your dad looks awfully uncomfortable.
âO-oh, Iâm so sorry Sans, I didnât mean toâŠâ
âno no. i-i brought it up, you donât have to apologize,â
Is he smiling too much? Should he be frowning? Wait hold on heâs looking at your mom too much, he should look at your dad now. Oh heâs looking awayâŠ
Why was he so bad at this? Heâs relied on looking scary and stopping everyone from trying to talk to him. B-but he likes your parents, theyâre nice, some of the few humans that actually look past his scary face and see him as⊠sort of harmless?
Your dad broke the silence.
âYes, Iâve always tried to make the most of my meals. Like when I have crumbs Iâd toss them near the anthill we used to have in the backyard. Hahah, one time when (Y/n) was very little she saw me throw breadcrumbs and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was feeding the ants, and she must have been really impressed with that idea⊠because,â
Your dad got into a fit of giggles, and Sans perks up.
âTch⊠hih! Because the next day I found her standing in front of the anthill⊠with bread on top of it. Whole wheat, whole bread slice. I asked her what she was doing! And she said âIâm feeding the ants!â She looked so proud I had to take a picture of her! I think I have it on my phone,â
Sans mouth opens. He all but quaked in his chair, having to physically restrain from grabbing your dadâs phone.
âm-mâŠâ Sans coughs trying to regain composure, âmay i see it,â
âOn it, just⊠give me a secâŠâ Sans watched as your dad scrolled and scrolled, untilâŠ
âFound it,â
He turned his phone around.
There you were, no older than 3, in a little bucket hat, sleeveless shirt and shorts, with tiny flip flops. You had a bright, sunshine smile on your face, and humorously⊠a slice of bread sitting amidst the grass and dirt just a foot or two away from you.
Sansâ eyelights shrinks, his grin gone. Carefully, he takes the phone out of your dadâs hands and zooms in on your face. You had dimples in your cheeks, and they⊠they looked so plump like little squishballs. Your eyes were round and sparkled in the sun. His hands shook.
He mustâve looked unhinged.
âWhat do you think?â Your mom asked.
âshâŠâŠ sheâs so smallâŠâŠâ Sans breaths, then swallows, turning to your dad. âd⊠dâyou⊠do you have moreâŠ?â
Your dad snorts, his arms crossed. ââDo you have moreâ he says,â he scoffs. âKid, we have an entire baby album.â
****
You tuned out of the conversation in the kitchen, earphones plugging your ears, a tried and true âdish washingâ playlist playing as your background music. It was a nice break. Youâre happy to see your parents again, but they can be a bit overbearing at times⊠ask Sans odd questions about monsters, sometimes mention how tiny you look next to your boyfriend (which had Sans hiding his face⊠they thought he was offended but he was mortified, worried your parents were hinting at how he was like with you in private).
Though you certainly didnât miss doing chores back home, you did see it as a bit of a reprieve.
But then over the music, you heard laughter⊠loud laughter. It didnât sound like your dad. And Sans doesnât usually laugh that hard. It started soft at first but it got louder and louder, until you were sure that was Sans. What were they doing to him? It almost sounded like they found his most ticklish bone and was torturing him with him.
A laugh startled you so bad you almost dropped a clean plate onto the floor. You took off an earphone just in time for your mom to walk in.
âHi dear, this is your dadâs, heâs finished his tea. You donât have to wash it if you donât want toâŠâ
âYea, ok-â you say, distracted and looking over your momâs shoulder as if you could see what was causing all the ruckus. âWhat is happening???â
âOh,â your mom laughed, âSans is such a sweet, delightful monster. Your dadâs showing him your baby pictures-â
âExcuse me my WHAT?!!â
You threw the gloves onto the sink counter, washed your hands hastily, and yanked the other earphone off, tossing them haphazardly into a pocket. Tripping over your feet to sprint into the room, though you realize youâre too late.
Sans is vibrating on the sofa, having migrated from the table it seems. His eyelight was blown wide, the widest youâve seen it, glued to the open book in front of him. Your dad flipped a page, looking unaware of the murderous skeleton next to him.
âAnd here⊠oh this was on a trip to the beach. Sheâd gotten scared of water because of a wave too big had brought her out from shore and her legs couldnât reach the sand. It wasnât out to sea or anything, but when youâre that small it mustâve been scary. But the hotel had a pool and I couldnât have my daughter stay afraid of water⊠this was after a fun session of swimming in floaties and being swung into the pool.â
âah⊠HAHAHAH! bright⊠orangeâŠ!â
It was clear to you now. Sans wasnât laughing from something funny. He was overjoyed. So overjoyed he canât contain it in himself that he just bursts with it. His eyelights warbled. They looked like hearts shimmering under a running river.
You grabbed your head in despair. âNo, no no- what have you done!â
Your dad had looked up immediately, while Sansâ didnât, holding onto the album. Though⊠his grin had twisted into something dark.
Dad took a photo out, the one he was just explaining: a picture of you laughing in orange floaties, floral swimwear, carried by your dad in a clear blue pool, looking up at the camera. The sides of the picture were slightly yellow.
âDo you remember this, poppy? Itâs weird to think you were ever scared of water now⊠itâs hard to stop you from swimming, nowadays,â
You canât help but smile in your heart a little. It brought back happy memories of travelling with your parents when you were little.
Unfortunately, there are far more pressing matters at the moment.
âNo, wait, dad⊠what did you do?â
âWhat?â
âYou⊠you showed Sans my baby pictures?â
âBaby and toddler pictures,â your dad corrected. âAlso thereâs no need to be embarrassed, I feel like itâs a right of passage to have your baby pictures shown to your significant other by your parents.â
âNo, Iâm not embarrassed,â you shake your hands helplessly, âitâs just⊠Sans is gonna kill me,â
There was an incident, almost a year ago now. You were shuffling through some things you found in a box you never unpacked⊠at the bottom you found a polaroid of you rolled up in a baby blue blanket and, admittedly, looking pretty darned cute.
You showed it to Sans, innocently. Itâs cute, you can admit it, and you knew Sans would appreciate it.
Oh how naive you were.
He held the picture, stared at it. Was at a loss for words, though he kept trying to form them helplessly, bringing it close to his face like he couldnât believe what he was seeing. Then he muttered.
âb⊠babyâŠâŠ b⊠babyâŠâ
Then he went crazy. Picking you up, not listening to your protests- usually when Sans gets in a cuddly mood he ignores your complaints but that time, it was like he really couldnât hear you. His pupil was blown wide and constantly shifted from heart to circle. He squashed you in bed, smooshed your cheeks, kissed you until you were gasping for breath- you donât even think itâs a sexual thing, he was just overcome with cute aggression!
It wasnât a one time thing either. Carelessly, youâd leave the picture propped up on the window as a cute memento aesthetic⊠thing, maybe, but every time Sans looked at the picture too long, heâd get into his violent cuddly moods and kidnap you to the bedroom to squish you. Eventually you had to hide it to avoid inducing anymore âcute-induced murderous rageâ in him.
And your parents just opened pandoraâs box for you.
Your brows furrow in worry as Sans looks up from the album to you, his eyelight tightening into just a fraction of what it was before, zeroing in on you. His grin was wide and deranged. He chuckled, a low, threatening sound.
âheh heh⊠iâm going to crush you.â
#aka writing#ht!sans#sans x reader#i need to fix the x reader tags someday#jsdjggf#childhood stories are sourced from Me#disclaimer: no actual imminent threat#just get squashed by sans#lol
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Falling in love again (Christen Press x Reader)
Writers block is being a pain at the moment so sorry it's been a while since I posted. I'll be back to trying to write my list of requests in a few weeks when I'm back from holiday. This wasn't requested, just a random idea and probably not very good but I hope you like it!
Warnings: Death of a partner, grief. If you find anything else let me know and I'll add it!
Words: 4.3K
---
Almost two years had passed since I lost my person. The person I thought I would spend my life with, the person I loved more than I thought it was possible to love someone. Life was cruel like that, giving you a person who understood you, who loved you so deeply, only to rip it away in the worst way possible. The day the phone call came, telling me Talia had been in an accident that claimed her life was a blur. Honestly, at times it still felt like a dream. The overwhelming grief, disbelief and fear I felt that day still ever present if I thought back to it.Â
I had almost quit soccer for good after that, but I knew she wouldn't want me too. Talia loved watching me play, she knew how much I loved it, always encouraging me and supporting me in everything I did. So I kept going, every game I played, I played for her. The grief had faded since then. It was always there, it always would be, some days were worse than others, but it was bearable. It didn't consume me like it once had. Â
One of the things Talia used to love was colouring in my tattoos. Not that I would have admitted it to her, but once we started dating, my new tattoos were purely designed so she could colour them. Our spare time was often spent with her colouring them while I drew or did random stuff. It was something I found myself doing often, especially when I was missing her.
Someone sat down next to me as I slowly coloured in one of the many tattoos scattered over my body. I didn't pay them much attention, continuing colouring, "What are you doing?"
I shrugged, not looking up at Emily, "Colouring."
"Is she colouring in her tattoos again?" Kelley asked sitting across from us.
"Yup, we really need to get her paper or a colouring book."
"Have you ever noticed even when there's paper around she still does it? Look at how comfortable and peaceful she looks. It's like a built in stress relief." I fought the urge to chuckle at how they talked as if I wasn't there. To be fair I was only half listening.Â
"Why do you colour in your tattoos?"
I sighed, putting down the pen. The team had been bugging me for months now about it. These were some of the people I trusted most in the world, there was no reason to keep hiding it from them. "It reminds me of my wife. She would sit there for hours colouring in my tattoos while I drew. It became sort of a routine."
"You're married? You don't wear a ring."
I pulled the chain around my neck that held a simple black band and a silver band with a line of diamonds. "Mine and hers," I took a deep breath trying to control my emotions, "She died almost 2 years ago, I only take it off for games."
"God Y/n, I'm so sorry," Ali said, pulling me in for a quick hug.
Alex was the next to pull me into a tight hug, "How come we never knew? We've known you longer then two years?"
"No one knew except our close friends and family. At the time we weren't as close as we are now and I guess I couldn't bring myself to mention it after. We never specifically hid it, just didn't put it out there. She never wanted to the world to know who she was. Never wanted who she was with to impact her kids."
"She had kids?"
"She was a teacher at a school for kids with disabilities. They meant the world to her, she would do anything for them. It was always a worry that her suddenly being known would affect her job in some way."
"It sounds like she was an amazing person. I'm sad we never got to meet her."
"You did, you just never knew who she was to me."
"Talia? I remember you mentioning that she passed away and that's why you took that break," Alyssa asked.
"Yup, we had been married 4 years the day you met her."
"That's why you completely disappeared that day then wouldn't tell us why."
A small smile appeared on my face remembering that day. We had booked a hotel room, ordered way to much room service, gave each other massages, then had a bath and watched movies. It was simple, but one of my favourite nights besides the day we got married, "She had flown in that weekend just so we could celebrate our anniversary. We never spent one apart."
---
Christen sat down on her bed, staring up at me for a second before speaking, "That's why you turn everyone down when they ask you out? Including me."
There had been many people over the years that had asked me on dates, all being turned down for obvious reasons. Christen had been one of them though, about a year after Talia passed. Besides Talia, Christen was the only person I could actually see myself with if I ever got to a point where I felt ready. That wasn't now, but part of me hoped it would happen soon. Despite the guilt and grief that was there, I wanted the chance to be happy again with someone. We had talked about it a few times and neither of us wanted the other to hold on for too long. Talia would want me to be happy, to move on and one day, when the time was right, I would.
I sighed sitting down next to Christen. Sitting or lying on the others bed was a pretty common occurrence when we roomed together. "You know I know she would want me to be happy, but every time I even think about starting to date again, it feels like I'm betraying her. Like if I start something, I'll forget her."
"You'll never forget her. No matter what you're doing or who you're with, she will always be in your heart. She'll always be your person, but you can love someone else while still loving her just as much as you always have. It's not one or the other and if the next person doesn't understand that then they aren't worth the time. There's no rush to move on."
"Thanks Chris. Out of all the people that have asked me out, you're the only one I thought about saying yes to. I'm sorry I wasn't ready."
Christen placed her hand on my knee, squeezing gently. Something that always seemed to make me feel peace. "Don't be. I always knew there was a slim chance of you saying yes and I accepted that. I was just happy that it didn't change our friendship."
"Would you still be open to that date? Not right now, but sometime in the near future."
"Of course I would. There's no rush or pressure though Y/n/n, whenever you're ready, I'm ready. And if you're never ready that's okay too."
--- Today was two years since Talia was taken. Of course it was game day. When I realised the date it was like a weight was sitting on my chest. Christen was still asleep so I slipped quietly into the bathroom to shower and let the tears out. I had originally been thinking about pulling out of the game, but after my shower I was actually feeling okay to play. I was determined to win for her.Â
The final whistle blew as I clung onto whoever was closest, my knees trying to give out on me. The rush of emotions I felt was not what I expected. Happiness, relief, grief all rushing through me as I tried to hold it together in front of everyone. Letting my emotions show in front of friends or family was hard enough, I didn't need that happening in front of the fans.Â
I managed to hold it together enough to greet the fans before we made our way to the locker room. As I put the necklace back on, I broke. Tears silently streaming down my cheeks before a sob forced it's way out. Instantly, Ali's arms wrapped around me tightly as I sobbed into her shoulder. I didn't like crying in front of people, but there was no stopping it. So for once, I just let it out with the comfort of the people I trusted most.Â
Once I had calmed down, Ali finally spoke up, "What's going on Y/n/n?"
"I-it's been 2 years sin-since- I'm sorry."
Ali's arms tightened as another hand squeezed mine, "Never apologise for feeling how you feel. You can always feel how you feel with us. We've got you always."
We spent longer in the locker room than we normally would as the girls took turns comforting me and making sure I was okay before we left. After dinner, most of the team ended up in one of the rooms for team bonding. There were quite a few questions about Talia, normally I didn't talk about her much because of the emotions it brings up, but everyone seemed genuinely interested in her. Also, talking about her was actually quite therapeutic. Â
Even though it was therapeutic, talking about Talia still brought up emotions so I had found myself cuddled up with Ali for comfort. I had almost went to Christen for comfort, but the guilt had started to creep in again making me decide against it.
"How old were you when you got married? It must have been quite young," Tierna asked. Â
"We were. We started dating at 19, married at 23. Possibly too young in some peoples opinions, but at the time we just got the idea in our heads and went with it. I proposed and 2 months later we were married. My time with Talia was incredible, it was fun and low maintenance. We met in college when we both didn't have a lot of money, most of our dates in our first few years were picnics, walks or movie nights.Â
I mean our first anniversary, we made each other homemade cards. Talia got me marshmallows because I was obsessed with them at the time and I got her chocolate and gummy bears. We ended up at the beach, making smores before going back to my apartment and making pasta for dinner. To this day that was probably one one of my favourites. Talia never cared about fancy or expensive things, that never changed the further I got in my professional career or as our money situation changed. She was just happy if we were together."
I knew I was rambling, but I couldn't help myself. Talking about Talia before I lost her was one of my favourite things. The girls didn't seem to mind though as everyone's attention seemed to be completely on me. "She sounds like she was an incredible person."
"She was. I think she would have gotten along with all of you. Especially Emily and Kelley. Talia loved pranks and just being annoying. She wrapped up a carrot and gave it to me more than once, she would pull little pranks all the time or poke and prod at me constantly."
Later that night, Christen got my attention as I slipped into my bed, "Hey, you doing okay? I know today was hard."
"It was, but I'm feeling okay right now. I think talking about her helped. I've never really let myself because of the emotions it brings up. Turns out it's quite freeing to talk about her."
"The team would agree, it was nice to hear about her. I can see how much you love her."
"It's uh not weird for you is it?"
"No. Y/n, she was your wife, you love her, you always will. I know that. If we were to eventually get to a point past friendship, I would never expect anything else. You can talk to me about her whenever you want and I don't want you to feel bad about it."
"Thank you Chris. I don't want you to think I'm leading you on or anything. I have every intention of asking you on a date, I just need a bit of time."
"Hey, I don't think that at all. Like I said, there is no rush, there's no expectations."
---
It had been about six months since mine and Christen's initial conversation. I was finally feeling like I was ready to try dating again, all I had to do was ask. It had taken longer than I thought it would and a part of me was thinking that Christen would have lost interest by now or just didn't want to deal with my past. A part of me was tempted to not ask, to save myself from rejection, but I also knew there was no way to know unless I asked.Â
"So."
"So?"
I took a deep breath, trying to clear some of the nerves that had been building. I had never asked one out let alone dated anyone else besides Talia. Christen sent me a small smile, the nerves melting away when I saw the adoration in her eyes. "Will you go on a date with me Chris?"
"You're ready for that?"
"I think so, I've been thinking about it a lot recently. It's just this is something I haven't done with anyone besides Talia so I might not be perfect or even close to it, but I'll try."
"I would love to Y/n. Just tell me if we go on this date and you realise you're not ready. I'll understand. You also don't have to be perfect, we'll figure this out as we go okay?"
"Thank you Chris. I'll pick you up at 6?"
"We're sharing a room."
"I'm going to get ready in Ali and Alex's room, that way I can pick you up."
"And they say chivalry is dead."Â
---
Trying to plan a date was so far out of my comfort zone that I didn't even know where to start. Of course I had been on many dates with Talia, but that was different. It had been 10 or so years since my first and only first date. I knew Talia like the back of my hand, I knew what she liked, where she liked to go. Christen on the other hand, I knew her, but to a far lesser extent which was making me overthink. What if she didn't like what I planned? What if I did too much or not enough?Â
Before I could continue to spiral, I decided to enlist the help of Tobin. Normally I would go to Ali, but Tobin was Christens bestfriend.Â
"You okay Y/n?"
"No. Well yes but also no. Christen and I are going on a date tonight and I'm freaking out. I cannot for the life of me decide what to do. Every time something comes to mind, I convince myself that it's not enough. Chris will be the second person I've ever taken on a date, it needs to be perfect."
Tobin led me to sit on the bed as I had started to pace across the room. "Don't tell her I told you, but Chris doesn't care what you do, she's just happy to go out with you. Tell me your ideas?"
"I know she likes parks or gardens, beaches, picnics, museums, that sort of thing. There's not a beach around otherwise I would take her there and it'll be too late to take her to the museum but I found a nice park the other day. It has a lake and there were heaps of like lights and stuff. Was thinking picking up some takeaway and other bits to have a picnic at the park, but it doesn't seem like enough."
"Y/n, that is perfect. I know this is pretty much completely new to you, but you just need to try relax a little bit. You know Chris, she's your friend, you know what she likes. She's going to love a picnic in the park, maybe a walk around after."
"Thank you Tobs."
"Hey Y/n?"
"Yeah?"
"Chris is going into this knowing there's a chance you realise you're not ready and she'll understand that, everyone will. There'll be no hard feelings or anything. Just if that happens, please tell her sooner rather than later. I know you won't do it on purpose, but I don't want her to get her hopes up."
"I will. This wasn't a decision I made lightly, I feel ready and I'm really hoping I am. I admit, it does feel a bit weird, but I really like her Tobin. The last thing I want to do is hurt her."
Tobin smiled slightly, pulling me into a quick hug, "I know and so does Chris. Just take it one step at a time, you don't need to rush anything or do anything that doesn't feel right."
After one last hug I made my way to the door, "Thanks Tobs, I should go get ready before I make myself late."
Before heading back to my room, I ran down to the shop to get a few things. Picking out what to buy took longer than it should have. Everything I thought about buying, I ended up second guessing if Christen actually liked it. Time was running out though so I ended up picking out some wine I thought she liked and some other picnic type things.
Despite almost making myself late, I knocked on the door at exactly 6 pm, trying my best to push down the nerves. Tobin was right, Christen was my friend, I knew she didn't expect or even really like some fancy date. There was no real reason to be this nervous. Part of it was probably because of how new it was, part of me was second guessing if I was truly ready for this, but I think that was due to nerves and not wanting to hurt Christen. Another part was because it was Christen. Gorgeous, kind, thoughtful Christen. Anyone in their right mind would be nervous to be going on a date with her.Â
"Hi Y/n/n."
"Hi."
Christen smiled, kissing my cheek softly, "You okay?"Â
"A bit nervous, but I'm okay. You ready to go?"
We made our way out of the hotel, stopping to pick up takeaway before starting the ten minute walk to the park. Christen didn't ask about what we were doing, instead making random conversation. Knowing I was nervous, I had a feeling she was doing it on purpose to try calm me down. It was definitely working, my nerves were fading away the longer we talked and I wasn't thinking so much about if it was enough. Instead, I was letting myself be excited about it.Â
When we got to the park, Christens eyes lit up as she looked around. I found a nice spot by the lake, spreading everything out on the blanket as Christen got comfortable. "How'd you find this place? It's beautiful."
"I stumbled upon it when I went for a walk the other night."
"You went for a walk, alone at night?"
"Maybe not my best idea, but I needed to clear my head away from our room, away from the hotel."
Concern covered Christens face as she straightened slightly, "Away from our room? Was I doing something wrong?"
"No, no you didn't do anything. I was trying to figure out if I asked you out or not. I guess I was worried that I had left it too long and maybe you weren't interested anymore. I also felt a bit guilty, making you wait so long. It seems unfair to you. Got in my head about it I guess. If you can't tell, I'm a bit of an overthinker sometimes."
"Well I'm glad you did. This wasn't unfair to me, I promise. You were honest about everything Y/n, you didn't give me false hope or lie to me. That was all I could ask of you. Are you feeling okay about this?"
"I am. Honestly, it feels a little bit weird which maybe you don't want to hear, but I'm really having a good time."
Christen smiled, taking my hand gently, "Look, I don't get how it feels, but I will never dismiss anything you're feeling. You can always talk to me about it. It's okay for it to feel weird because it probably is for you, I don't take offence to that."
"Thank you. Now lets eat before it gets cold."
We spent the next couple of hours talking about anything we could think of. There had never been anyone but Talia that I could talk to so comfortably without running out of things to talk about. That was until Christen came along. Long before there were any feelings, there had always been something about her that made me feel comfortable talking to her about things. Now I craved the conversations I could have with her. I wanted to get to know her more, from the mundane to the personal.Â
Conversation continued as we walked around the park hand in hand then back to the hotel when it started to get late. The nerves had long faded by now, instead being replaced by giddiness and maybe butterflies. Going on a date with Christen felt right. Despite the lingering guilt, I knew Talia would approve. I knew that out of anyone to move on with she would have chosen Christen for me. That in itself brought a sense of peace.Â
---
Christen slipped under the blankets on her bed, pulling me down with her. I laughed as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, mumbling something about wanting cuddles. Pulling her closer, I left a soft kiss against her forehead before speaking. "You want me to sleep in your bed tonight?"Â
Christen just nodded. We had just got back from our fifth date in two weeks. They could have been spaced out since we lived in the same city, but I felt like a smitten teenager again. Instead of the nerves that plagued me for our first date, I was excited about the dates. Maybe to some it was too many too quick, but I didn't care and Christen didn't seem to either.
Despite the amount of dates we had been on, we were planning on taking things slow. It was my idea to take it slow as this was something I hadn't done in a long time. We had kissed for the first time at the end of the last one, but even though we were rooming together, we hadn't slept in the same bed yet.
"That can be arranged, but I need to get changed and brush my teeth." She groaned dramatically, but let me go with a pout. After completing my nightly routine, I took my necklace off, putting it next to the bed. It felt unfair to Christen to be sleeping in the same bed as her while still wearing my wife's ring.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking it off."
"Because you want to or because you feel you have to?" I just shrugged, Christen stood up, grabbing the necklace and putting it back around my neck before her arms wrapped around my waist from behind. "I will never make you take this off. I never want you to feel like you have to for me okay? You will always love her and that's okay. It doesn't mean you can't have that love for someone else as well."
I nodded leaning back into her. One of my biggest fears with dating someone new was that they wouldn't understand or get mad at the fact that I will always be in love with someone else. That person just happened to not be here anymore. It was scary that I already felt myself falling for Christen, she was just such a beautiful person, inside and out. I don't think I could stop myself from falling even if I wanted to.
---
Christen and I were lying on my bed as the movie credits started to play. We were supposed to go out, but I wasn't feeling up to it. Talia's birthday was in a few days and I had been thinking about her a lot. No matter how much time passed, I still missed her just as much. I was feeling somewhat guilty about the new realisation that I was in love with Christen, like I was being unfaithful to Talia. I felt guilty a lot when Christen and I first started dating. It had mostly faded over the 6 months we had been together, though it always got worse near dates to do with Talia. I just had to keep reminding myself that there was nothing to feel guilty about and that she would be happy for me.
"I hope she's proud of me," I stated quietly, mostly to myself.
Christen turned her head slightly, "Maybe I didn't know her very well, but I know she is. You've come so far in your life and career. You are an amazing person, anyone would be proud of you."
"Sometimes I wish I could have one last conversation with her. See what she thinks of my life, where I am, who I'm with. I still talk to her sometimes, almost expecting a response, but of course it'll never come."
Her fingers laced with mine, squeezing slightly, "I'm sure she's listening and she's happy that you're living the life you want. That's what the people who love us should want for us."
I rolled over so I could look at her properly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face, "Have I ever thanked you? For letting me talk about her, for understanding that me loving her doesn't take away from what I feel for you, for always being there for me on days like our anniversary, or her birthday or the anniversary of her death. It's something I am forever grateful for Chris."
"I will always do all of those things, you don't ever need to thank me. I love you Y/n, I'll always be there for you no matter what."
"Y-you love me?"
"I do. You don't have to say it back, I just wanted you to know."
I kissed her softly, trying to show everything I was feeling, "I love you Chris."
#uswnt x reader#uswnt imagine#woso imagines#woso x reader#christen press x reader#christen press imagine
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How does Yandere Mothman, Yandere Neighbor, Yandere Prodigy, Dumb Yandere, Yandere Boyfriend react to a darling who is innocent and shy but is a freak in bed being dominant and apologizing to the yanderes the next day because they can't even walk?
When I say I'm gonna take a break or not post, just know that I'm lying. I think I did badly on my math test, so I'm gonna distract myself with some asks.
Yandere Prodigy:
âY-Youâre sorry?!â He exclaimed incredulously, and he continued to hide his ass from you. Yandere prodigy has been avoiding you since this morning, and whenever you were nearby he tensed up. He did not like being reminded of the nightly activities you two did. âWell you damn should be!â Yandere prodigyâs face is pink out of embarrassment, and you can still see the little tear streaks on his face. He was astonished that someone as sweet and lovely as you could be a total freak in the sheets.
He would never admit it to you, but he was somewhat relieved that you had some experience since he did not. But, he started to think that you had too much. His mind couldnât even wrap around all the positions you put him in, and he wouldnât even know the names for them too.
Yandere prodigy remembered how his body shook and the tears of pleasure rolled down his face after you fucked him dumb. He quickly hid his face from you, hiding them in his hands, and he huffed. âJust donât tell anyone what happened last night.â
Yandere Mothman:
The bug man did not accept your little apologies.
He stared at you like you were the life sized bug-human hybrid.
Yandere Neighbor:
It was the next day after you two had your steamy rendezvous. He stared at the ceiling in a bit of a daze, and his mind tried to understand what you had just said to him. You used his arm as a pillow, with your arms wrapped around his waist. He slowly turned his head to face you. "Are you really sorry, though?"
He removed the arm from underneath your head and slowly got on top of you. "Look at me." He roughly grabbed your chin and pulled down the collar of his shirt. There were hickeys on his neck, trailing lower and lower. "You were enjoying yourself. These aren't the marks of someone that's apologetic."
Dumb Yandere:
Dumb yandere didn't mind the switch up. He did mind that his body was hurting and he couldn't walk. Although, you were paying extra attention to him, and he decided to play it up. "I caaaaant even lift up my arm." Your husband whined. His weak attempts to lift up the spoon to his mouth tugged at your heart strings.
He was currently resting in bed, his top half propped up by two pillows, and a tiny tray rested on his lap. You made him food, specifically soup that he liked. When you started to feed him, he puckered his lips to accept the warm liquid. "Thank you!" He beamed and he reached over to pet your hair.
"So you can lift up your arm." You huffed and shoved the spoon into his hand. His eyes widened as he realized his mistake and he shook his head.
"N-No! I can't! I swear-"
Yandere Boyfriend:
You two were freaks that had found each other. The moment you tried to apologize, he silenced you with a kiss. He used both hands to keep you still. In between the kisses, he said: "Don't hold back. Show me how rough you can really be."
#Allurilove asks#yandere mothman x you#dumb yandere x you#yandere boyfriend x you#yandere prodigy x you#yandere neighbor x you#yandere imagines#yandere drabble#male yandere#yandere oc x you
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Do you think Calhoun and Felix are endgame or Felix and Turbo? For example, if there was any kind of possibility Turbo could come back, would they get back together because of unresolved feelings or would or be an aggressive side eye situation? lol
if we take a situation where turbo is mostly forgiven by others and goes through his therapy arc, then actually think of poly
turbo would hate the idea of being around felix 'cause he still has to process the whole "he turned me into a boogeyman" thing, so he always reminds himself that he shouldn't be jealous bc of calhoun, he doesn't want this fixing piece of shit anymore (he does, but he lived with this anger on felix for 25 years so he can't just let go). turbo actually tries to interact with calhoun when felix isn't around and very soon he understands that she's actually very cool. he's been through some shit between roadblasters and sugar rush period, still feels a lot of regret and pain about turbo twins and can relate to calhoun's loss more than anyone else in the group. and, well, the whole cybug thing also adds to it. as much candybug felt excited about becoming this mutant, it was a lot from the bug perspective, and when turbo got the full control over his mind and body the terror did hit him like a bus. tamora was able to give him the understanding of cybugs, and he shared how he felt when he was eaten. "it wasn't painful or anything, at least i don't remember the pain. but i didn't feel like myself anymore, like i was under players control again, and any attempt of taking the control back just felt so wrong." it was something tamora needed, many years she lived with doubt. did her fiance even had a chance of being the man she loved after being eaten, or it would just be a monster with a familiar face. now this burden fell off her shoulders. she wasn't the one who killed him, the cybug was
turbo saw a lot of himself in calhoun. this need to keep the front all the time, to stay in control, to hide most of the emotions and do not look weak. and just like with him, she began to open up because of felix. turbo wanted to warn her, say that he already got burned by felix's light, got too close and paid for it. but keeping the distance with fix-it actually helped turbo see the whole picture, and felix seemed different now. and it shouldn't be surprising, people can change in 15 years of which he didn't see felix. maybe it was calhoun's job, or an experience of almost being unplugged, but fix-it looked almost sad everytime turbo was coming up with an excuse to avoid him. turbo learned his lesson. why did he felt so bad seeing an unspoken remorse in felix's eyes?
tamora was the one, who made them talk after too much time of walking around and playing hide and seek. in last months turbo taught himself to apologize and be genuine about it, and he was ready to do it, but with felix everything goes wrong, as always. this was exactly what fix-it wanted, it has always been like this. when turbo apologized, that was making felix in the right, no matter what was the reason. he knew felix saw the world in black in white, and that means always there's the one who's right, and the one who's wrong. and my any means turbo never was a perfect or even a decent person before, and he doesn't think so of himself now just because he realized his bad actions and said sorry couple of hundreds times. being eaten by a bug and burn in lava makes you reconsider a lot of things. but he knew he wasn't the only one who was wrong, and the idea hearing it again from felix was the worst. so turbo bit his tongue and kept his apologies
...only to hear felix saying "i'm sorry" for the first time in 30 long years. turbo didn't think it was possible, but here he was, sitting in niceland with silent but proud looking calhoun by his side while felix was pouring out his soul. apologies mixed up with tears - turbo knew that felix always cries when he gets too emotional - and felix just talked and talked for ten minutes straight, not seeing how the tension was leaving turbo's body. he relaxed, listening to felix not with a sense of triumph, but with a bit of fun. couple of times he turned to look at tamora only to see her sharing this look with him, and suddenly everything just became so simple and trivial that turbo made felix stop talking by pulling him into a hug. he wished for his apologies for 30 years, and now when he got them he didn't want to listen to it. because what was the point? turbo got the point in first two minutes, he knew felix was feeling sorry, and to list all their mistakes and bad choices would take too much of the time they had already lost
"i got the jist, big idiot, you didn't have to write a whole essay about how sorry you are", turbo said with a grin and heard felix chuckle. then he sighed and hid his face in felix's shoulder, still uncomfortable with being so open. "but thanks... i'm sorry too, y'know?"
turbo felt how felix relaxed in his arms
"yeah, i know, little idiot", felix replied, and for the first time in decades turbo felt like home. while he was keeping his face in felix's shoulder and breathing the familiar smell of pie and brick dust, felix looked at his wife, who seemed unusually soft, and uttered without a sound small "thank you". after all, without her they wouldn't ever try
#one day i won't write a fucking fanfic as a reply but damn i'm having a lot of thoughts#they are gaslight girlboss gamejump trio#turbo#turbotastic#sergeant calhoun#tamora calhoun#fix it felix jr#80s boyfriends#hammertastic#hero's cuties#idk how to call turbo and calhoun's duo#gimme your ideas#wreck it ralph#wir au
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Things to Learn II
A/N: I kind of love writing these characters? tsm for the love on the original Iâm glad I got to dive back into their story again. Iâm starting a taglist so if youâd like to be on it give me a shout :)
Part 1 / 2 / 3 /
ââââââââââââââââââââ
Harry rushes out of the toilets so he doesnât miss the opening scene and nearly crashes into someone standing around the corner.
âSorry!â He says as he tries to rush on by.
âHarry!?â The person calls his name.
He stops in his tracks and takes a look at who he just bumped into. And of course, it would be her.
âYN,â he swallows the lump forming in his throat. âHi-uh what are you doing here?â
âWatching a movie?â She raises a brow. Still the same attitude as before.
âOh! Right. Yeah. Me too-â
âWhich movie are you here for?â
âThe Planet of the Apes reruns,â Harry points to the door he so badly wants to walk through. As much as he wanted to stand here and talk to YN, have her attention all to himself, he wanted to watch the movie he came here for more.
âWell Iâm here for that new romcom but Raina ditched me to go to that riverbank bonfire bullshit everyoneâs talking about. But I hate smelling like campfire afterwards plus I already bought popcorn-â
âDidnât that movie start 15 minutes ago?â Harry notices sheâs standing in front of the poster. Why was she hovering outside?
âWell yeah because Iâm wondering if I should be the loser inside watching a romcom by herself.â
Harry doesnât know if he should be offendedâhe regularly watched movies by himself during the summer when he had nothing else to do. But then he realizes YN and her opinions werenât something he took offence to ever since he put down his intellectually superior flag.
âWell Iâm here with Caleb if you want to-â
âBloody hell I was waiting for you to get the hint,â she brushes past Harry and he trails behind, confused.
âYou wanted to watch Planet of the Apes?â
âNo! I just didnât want to watch a movie by myself. And you were supposed to invite me.â
âOh,â these were the social rules Harry often missed. It was sort of nice having YN spell it out for him. âYou could have just said-â
âShh,â she shushes him as they enter the theatre.
Harry was pleased at the way Calebâs eyes bugged out of his head at the sight of YN.
âI thought you were going to the toilet?â He whispers loudly.
âI was but she-â Harry cuts off as someone in front turns around with a dirty look. The movie hadnât even started.
YN sits beside Harry and begins snacking on her popcorn. She hogs the armrest and he lets her, and when she pulls out her sweets and offers it to Harry and his friend they end up swapping most of their snacks. Despite being distracted at first he has a really fun time with the two of them.
Outside in the lobby after the movie is done, YN hesitates after throwing out her trash. It looks like she was wondering if she should stick around or not.
âThanks,â she finally tells Harry. âLetâs not do this again though.â
âYou joined us,â Harry reminds her. She eyes both him and Caleb.
âYeah, exactly?â She says with a hand on her hip.
âIâm jâsaying we werenât the ones ditched here,â Harry says before he could stop himself. Her pleasant expression falls and Harry can see Caleb concentrate on something far away. Coward.
âFirstly I was invited to join the party but like I said I donât like smelling like campfire. Secondly, just cuz I told you I was ditched doesnât make you-â
âUm, I gotta go.â Caleb pipes in from behind. Both Harry and YN turn to him and he almost shrinks. âMy ride is here umâŠâ
âSee ya later,â Harry cups his hand and Caleb bolts out faster than a cat seeing a dog.
âYou were saying?â Harry turns back to YN.
âLook,â she points to the other theatre, the one sheâd been standing in front of when Harry bumped into her. âThe next showing starts in a bit.â
Harry stares, trying to figure out what she was asking.
âWe could watch it?â
âI thought we shouldnât do this again?â
âShut up,â she starts walking away.
âIsnât this illegal?â Harry catches up to her. âI donât even want to watch this movie.â
âActually you do,â she grabs his arm and pulls him up the stairs even though heâs following her anyway. Harry tries not to focus on the exact part of his arm sheâs touching but it feels warmer than usual. âAnd secondly nobody is going to kick us out. It doesnât even matter, do something illegal once in a while.â
Harry follows along with her and they end up having a lot more fun at the second movie. He actually finds it funny and it reminds him of watching these during the holidays with his sister and mum. YN leans her head on his shoulder during an emotional scene and Harry feels like heâs made of clay until she takes it off and laughs at the next scene.
âYou had fun, admit it!â YN says as they walk out of the theatre. It was close to midnight now and Harry was planning on walking home.
âMaybe!â Harry doesnât.
âLiar,â she skips ahead of him. âSecretly you thought my romcom was a lot cooler than your Ape movie.â
âPlanet of the Apes, and you enjoyed that one.â
âIâm not denying it,â she shrugs. âCâmon I know youâve got a sister donât you watch romcoms with her?â
Harry seems disturbed by the idea, âNot that sort. We watch holiday ones during Christmas but-â
âOh my god like the Holiday?â
âYeah Iâve seen that a billion times. And thereâs one with Keira Knightley-â
âOh I bet there is,â she nudges him and Harry blushes. âShe does seem your type.â
âYeah and you probably love Jude Law in The Holiday.â
âWell yeah heâs alright,â she pouts her mouth and doesnât finish her sentence.
âNo way,â Harry laughs. âItâs not Jude Law.â
âYou know whoâs peng? Tom Hardy. Thereâs a man Iâd watch in a romcom over and over.â
âWhat?â Harry didnât know who that was but now he was curious.
âYeah. You should look him up. Anyway, my rideâs gonna be here any minute so Iâm staying here.â
âOh. Yeah right.â Harry thought they were walking home together but she stays near the closest bus shelter. âWell bye.â
âBye,â she waves him off.
He doesnât think heâd see her again that summer. But the next morning she sends him a text saying it was fun and he should come over some time to broaden his romcom education. He thinks sheâs joking but the following Tuesday she shows up at his house with DVDs and Percys and although Harryâs mum is surprised to see a girl friend at the house, she orders them pizza and his family gives him the den all to themselves.
After watching two movies back to back and feeling sick from all the junk theyâve consumed they lay on the floor. As evening falls through the wispy curtains of his front window Harry asks YN about her summer and uni. Sheâs cagey and likes to turn questions around on him but itâs nice talking to her like that with most of her guard down. It almost feels like theyâre friends.
***
YN shows up at Harryâs house after dinner. His butt is glued down on his sofa ready to settle into a night of playing video games but the ringing at the door interrupts him.
âHarry!â His sister calls out from somewhere. He was closest to the door and on his way there he peeks through the curtains of the den to see a familiar head of hair. In a cap.
âHey!â She walks right in.
âHeyâŠâ Harry looks at her get-up: a tanktop and gauzy skirt paired with the trainers she always wore.
âOh YN,â Harryâs mum pokes her head down from the staircase. âYou havenât been around in a while how are things?â
âHi Mrs. Styles.â YN was always the perfect angel in front of his parents but his mum was right, it had been a couple weeks since she came by. âIâm good! Iâve been working a few shifts at the shop I do summers at. I had the day off Iâm trying to convince Harry to come out with me.â
She was, Harry thought. And she had a summer job?
Heâs reminded that no matter how much closer they got, she was always somewhat of a mystery.
âOh where are you heading out?â Harryâs mum walks down a few steps and sits down.
âThereâs a get-together of some of our school friends. Harry never shows up to these things so-â
âHarry,â his mum joins in. âYou should go!â
âI never even said no, jeez!â Harry grows flustered.
âBut he was totally going to,â YN says to his mum. She laughs and Harry feels peer-pressured.
âFine! Iâll go.â
âWell be safe,â his mum gets back up. âMake good decisions.â
Harry glares at YN when his mum clears the area and she smiles sweetly back at him.
âOops.â
âFor the record I donât want to go.â
âExactly,â she smiles. âNow whereâs your room we need to put you in something better than that.â
He was in very comfortable sweatpants and a tee. By the time he was leaving he was in was a short sleeved button-up layered over the same tee and shorts he didnât even know he owned. Sheâd forced him to take his glasses off and wear contacts then ruffled his hear with gel and sheâd been so close every one of Harryâs senses had been hyper-tuned to her. YN had been oblivious.
âI canât find my phone,â Harry pats his pockets down as they go downstairs.
âJust leave without it! Weâre gonna be late!â
âCan you just call it?â Harryâs halfway up the steps. âI canât leave without it.â
YN rolls her eyes and calls it. It rings from the den and she walks towards it.
âSeriously?â She walks back out. âYou never changed my name?â
Future Prime Minister YN with a heart. It had stayed the same since their group project.
âI guess not,â Harry suddenly feels even more self conscious.
âYou can keep the heart,â she goes into his contacts after holding his phone up to his face.
âHey I never said you could go in!â
âShush!â She smirks as she updates her name. âThere.â
âYou donât want to change the photo?â Harry asks and sighs at her new name: HRH đ
âNo time. Letâs go!â She pushes him out the door.
âIâm going Iâm going!â Harry closes the door behind him and they set off down the road.
âYouâre so lucky your mumâs so chill,â YN says as they walk.
âWhere are we going?â Harry asks.
âMy mum thinks Iâm at Rainaâs watching movies or some shite. Your mum actually like, encouraged you to go out. She didnât even give you a curfew.â
âWell I never do this,â Harry replies. âWhat is this anyway.â
âAnother bonfire-â
âDoes Raina do those like every week?â Harry remembered something about this that night they bumped into each other at the cinema.
âNo,â YN says, offended that he would criticize her friend in any way. âThe guy sheâs seeing right now knows a guy. They do them like a couple times a month. If they did it every week donât you think someone would catch on?â
Harry shrugs.
âAnyway, you have a decent closet why do you always dress soâŠboring?â
âI donât dress boring,â Harry shoves his hand into his pockets. âIâm just comfortable.â
âIâm comfortable,â she points out.
Harry eyes her outfit again, she looked nice and her legs looked particularly nice in the skirt. Harry looks up in the silence heâd just created to find YN staring at him with a raised brow.
âHad a good look?â She punches his arm.
âOw,â Harry rubs his arm but he deserved it. Heâd been oggling. But ever since sheâd gotten into his face to run her gelled fingers through his hair, and the cloud of her shampoo or perfume whatever it was closed in around him heâs having a hard time not glancing at her every opportunity.
âHave you got anyone youâre seeing?â Harry asks.
âNope,â she pops her p. âWith uni starting I didnât really want to let a guy distract me and fuck with my feelings.â
âWow,â it slips out of Harryâs mouth.
âWhat?â She narrows her eyes. âAnd weâre going right here.â
They turn the corner and she asks Harry again what his reaction meant.
âNothing. Iâm just surprised youâre not having a summer fling or something.â
âGod Harry, do you think I just date boys to get off or something? Iâve barely had a boyfriend-â
She cuts herself off.
âWhat?â Harry missed what happened.
âNothing.â
âAw câmon you canât say ânothingâ now,â Harry pushes. After knowing YN this long, she was still scary, but heâd learned where and how to poke at her to get more answers without getting his head bitten off. âYouâve dated plenty of guys.â
âFor someone with his nose in a book all the time you claim to know a lot about who Iâm dating.â
âItâs hard not to miss what everyoneâs talking about.â
âSo you believe all the rumours? In that case itâs probably true you cried your first time.â
âWhat?!â Harry flushes. âWho said that?â
âBut rumours are true right?â
âFine. You just always had one of the football blokes nearby I just-â
âSo you just thought I dated the whole team?â
Fuck, Harry realizes heâd screwed up when she starts to speed walk away. Heâd spoken before thinking about what it might sound like from her end.
She starts to walk ahead and Harry fastens his pace to catch up. He reaches out and clasps her shoulder. âYN wait Iâm sorry. I didnât think-â
âWhatever,â she brushes his hand off.
He felt awful. He tries again, grabbing her arm this time and she comes to a stop.
âIâm sorry!â He says again. âJust forget I said anything.â
Heâs surprised to see her teary eyes when she turns to him.
âWhat?â She snaps. âNever seen a girl cry before?â
âNo I justâI didnât mean to make you cry-â
âOh you didnât make my cry donât worry,â she huffs. âI just hate how everyone in school always judges me based on their own fucking insecurities.â
Harry pauses, it was true. And he knew YN was only as cutting as she was so she could be taken seriouslyâso nobody would walk all over her just because she was a girl. He shouldnât have made that comment, he knew that. He knew better but apparently he still had things to learn.
âI shouldnât have judged you like that,â Harry mumbles. âI knew better.â
Her mouth parts slightly, YN wasnât expecting Harry to say a combination of words that actually sounded better than an apology. She forgives him, but she doesnât let him know.
âWellâŠyou can make it up to me.â YN threads her arm through Harryâs. At first he doesnât quite know what to doâdespite their budding friendship YN rarely showed any affection or even friendliness in public. This was different.
âHow? That sounds a bit sinister.â
âYouâre going to get drunk with me. Iâve never seen you drunk before, and I want to be able to have embarrassing pictures of you to use next time you make me upset.â
âNo way!â Harry unthreads his hand, regretting the decision a little.
âSo youâre just gonna go to a party and watch everyone else drink? Your mum would be disappointed!â
âTrust me my mum doesnât want me to get drunk,â Harry corrects her. âAnd I donât drink for a reason. It really doesnât take much to get tipsy.â
âReally?â YN eyes him. âBut youâre tall.â
Harry shrugs, suddenly his heart thuds in his chest as he catches sight of the smoke of the bonfire. This was realâhe was actually going to a class party with YN as his company. He had no friends there. This wasnât his scene. What was he thinking?
âHave we got to do-â
âWeâre going,â YN takes his hand and drags it the rest of the way. âWeâre going to uni next year and youâre not going to be a party virgin.â
âIâve been to parties!â
âWhat? D&D parties?â YN snorts. âYouâre going to an outdoor party with drinks and getting drunk. I want you to let loose. Show everyone Harry the nerd is kind of funny?â
âKind of?â Harry tugs her hand back. âYou snorted at my jokes a couple weeks ago.â
YN looks back at him and Harryâs breath is momentarily caught in his throat. The light of the bonfire reflects in her eyes that crinkle at the corners as she looks at him. She has an amused smile fixed on her face. Sheâs relaxed completely, unguarded.
He wanted more of that, he realizes.
âOi itâs about time!â Someone notices YN and waves her down. Harryâs forced to follow. âBrought a date did you?â
âNot my date,â YN rolls her eyes.
The group, amongst whom most had been in a lot of his classes, simply stare at him expecting a name or something. Blimey, he realizes nobody recognized him. YN did a good job with her makeover.
âGood,â one particular blokeâtall with a shaggy overgrown mop of hair peels away from the group and slides his arm around YN. She distances herself in one languid move and continues on.
âAre you lot alright?â YN asks. âItâs Harry?â
âHey Harry,â a few of them say with a removed friendliness. They still couldnât place him. Harry would have been offended if this wasnât the last summer he would see them all.
âOkay?â YN turns to Harry with her eyebrow raised and a joke in her eyes like they were on the ins of something together. It warms Harryâs chest with a gentle ease.
âHarry,â shaggy-hair says. âHow dâyou two know each other?â
âIâm gonna show Har to the drinks,â YN continues ignoring the guy. Harryâs dying to know who that is. âAnyone seen Raina?â
âShe was over there a little while ago,â someone motions towards the fire.
This satisfies YN enough. She turns, âDrinks
âYeah,â Harry feels lighter being here knowing nobody really recognized him. Like he could be anyone. Maybe he was getting a taste of what being at uni would feel like. He liked it.
He asks YN who that guy was when they get enough distance.
âOh him? We went out a few times, hooked up at a couple parties. He seems to think that means I want him around at any given moment but heâs a bit clingy.â
A bit was an understatement but Harry stays quiet.
âHe looks old.â
She laughs, âYeah maybe cause heâs 21?â
âWhatâs he doing with a bunch of teens?â Harry asks, puzzled.
âOh Har,â YN pats his shoulder and laughs. âLetâs get you a drink.â
âJust one drink,â Harry insists.
But after downing the disgustingly hoppy beer YN hands him Harry starts to feel even better being here. Nobody recognizes him, he has YN keeping him company (after she goes to Raina for a bit and comes back grumbling about her new boyfriend), and the energy at the party starts to really take off as someone turns on a playlist and people really start to mingle.
âSo you excited about uni?â YN asks. Theyâre both sitting on a large rock. Yn has her knees tucked into her and her cheek rests on top. She seemed down after coming back from Raina.
âYeah!â Harry says. âFinally get some bloody freedom, away from this place.â
âThis place?â She slides her cheek across her knees to look at him. She looks beautiful, Harry thinks, before sliding his eyes away. It was still hard for him to maintain eye contact with her despite all the evenings they spent together.
âSchool. These people.â
âHey they didnât even recognize you today,â she chuckles. âI did a good job.â
She reached out and brushes one of his curls. Harry inadvertently leans in closer to her.
âI look the exact same,â Harry scoffs.
âNo without those big ass glasses you actually look different.â
âCall me Clark Kent then.â
âClark Kent.â
Harry looks at YN with an are-you-serious expression and she laughs.
âI didnât actually mean to call me Clark-â
âI know,â she says softly. âIâm trying to annoy you.â
âThatâs not hard to do.â
âHey!â She punches him lightly. âThatâs mean. Youâre mean when youâre drinking.â
âNo Iâm not,â was he? He was just being himself here.
âNoâŠyouâre not,â she agrees. âBut youâre honest. Anyway, youâre living on campus right? Thatâs lucky.â
âWhy donât you?â Harry asks.
âI canât,â YN turns her face away again. âIâve got to stay at home. Things areâŠcomplicated. So Iâve just got to commute.â
âDo you think weâll hang out at uni?â Harry asks and then flushes as he realizes he said it out loud.
âYeah? Why wouldnât we?â
Harry shrugs. âWe donât exactly run in the same circles.â
âLook at us now,â she leans into him, nudging his shoulder, and the warmth of her pressed into him is a balm to his melancholy. âWeâre not gonna have the same labels in uni. Nobody knows us. We just get to be ourselves.â
âI hope so.â Harry says. âShould I get another drink?â
âReally?â YN sits up. âYou want another?â
âYeah!â Harry suddenly feels energized. âWhy fucking not?!â
âAlright!â She hops off and he follows. âYou also swear a lot more when you drink. Itâs funny.â
âSorry,â Harry apologizes immediately.
âDonât be, I like it.â She says and Harryâs heart skips a beat. He floats the rest of the way to the drinks.
He downs half of another beer before heâs recruited to do a keg stand. Heâs pretty sure itâs YNâs pretty-boy that jostles him into that crowd. Heâd never done one before and YN tries to pull him away but tipsy and brave he gets instructions and allows two strangers to hold him up while he drinks what feels like the equivalent to the Thames.
The boys standing around cheer him on when he stands back up with the longest time out of everyone tonight. If he was anything, Harry was a winner. And he feels powerful: heâs actually seen and celebrated tonight for doing something as stupid as a keg stand. Why didnât he do this more in school?
âMake way for the goat!â One of the guys shouts.
âYouâre all wankers!â Harry shouts. âI just owned you all!â
âHarry,â YNâs hand clasps his and while he shouts celebrations back to the guys heâs dragged away by her.
âItâs Harry right?â A girl heâs never seen before stops YN on her trek to get him far away from the drinks. âIâm Marva.â
âMarva!â Harry pulls his hand from YN and shakes Marvaâs. âNice to meet youâŠMara.â
âYeah nice to meet you,â she smiles. âYouâve got really nice eyes.â
âThank you Mara. You have really nice teeth.â
âFucking hell,â YN mutters then louder she says, âSorry Marva we gotta go. Maybe you can catch up with-â
âOkay I just wanna say that was sick what you did,â Marva points to the keg.
âIâm king of the keg,â Harry says and YN mumbles something to the side but Harryâs too swept in winning, in getting attention from this beautiful girl, to hear.
âYeah, uhm could I get your number?â
âUh,â Harry tries to remember his number but it doesnât come to him. He should remember his number. Why isnât it coming to him?
âOr I could give you mine?â She says after Harry stands there silently for an uncomfortable minute.
âYeah,â Harry hands his phone over but his mind keep trying to push through the slosh to remember his number. Soon enough heâs walking away with YN again. âWhy is my number? Itâs a set of numbersâŠâ
Heâs mumbling, an anxious feeling creeping up his chest as he tries to remember.
âHey,â YN finally allows him to stop. She senses the panic rising in him and lays a hand on his chest. The buzzing stops immediately. âHarry look at me.â
Harry looks down at YN, she was one of the most beautiful women heâs ever seen. He wishes he could hold her face for eternity. He would live in peace.
âHello?â She snaps her fingers. âYouâre not blinking are you alright?â
âProbably not!â Harry laughs. âI just got hit on by a gorgeous girl did you see that?â
âYes,â she rolls her eyes. âShe was impressed by your ability to drink upside down. What a catch.â
âI am a catch,â Harry motions to the water behind them. âIâm a fish in the sea.â
âOh my god,â YN laughs. âYouâre ridiculous is what you are. Thatâs a river I thought you were smart.â
âIâm cool now.â
She brushes his hair again, âgive a nerd a new hair style,â she drags her hands over his eyes, âput him in contacts,â she continues tracing her hand down his face to his chest, âput him in new clothes-â
She cuts herself off when Harry grasps her hand against his chest. He was sure she could feel his heart racing inside.
They stare silently at each other, the darkness cushioning them on either side until it feels like theyâre the only two beings in the night. Like theyâre drifting in the dark, tethered only by hands and gazes.
Harry tilts forward, YN doesnât move back. So he closes the distance and presses his lips to hers, theyâre as soft as he imagined. Theyâre the best lips heâs ever kissed.
Maybe he imagines it, maybe it was a drunk fantasy, but for a brief second she presses her lips against his; she closes her eyes and kisses him back.
The next second, sheâs shoving him backwards and scrambling away. Her look of shock and betrayal cuts right through the fog in his brain.
âWhat the fuck?â She shouts. âDid-did you just fucking kiss me?â
âIâm sorry!â Harry feels his heart in his throat, why did he think she would ever want to kiss him? She was YN, he was just Harry. âI donât-Iâm not I-â
âWhat the fuck is wrong with you?â She wipes the back of her hand against her mouth, adding assault to injury. âWhy would you do that?!â
âYN,â Harry stumbles forward but she peddles backward. Itâs another punch added, almost deflating him entirely. âI didnât meanâIâm drunk Iâm sorry-â
âBeing drunk isnât a fucking excuse,â she spits.
âI know! Iâm sorry!â
âGoddamnit! Youâre just like every other asshole of a guy. I thought we were friends! But of course you get drunk and try to kiss me-â
âItâs not like that!â Harry tries to tell her. He was just braver drunk but heâs been in love with her a long time. After hanging out this whole summer he just thought they had a moment there. He read the signs wrong; apparently a bookworm could read wrong.
Maybe he would never be good at this whole people thing.
âThen what?â YN seethes. âThen why the hellâwhy did you try to kiss me Harry? You donât even like me why would you kiss me?!â
âIâŠâ he doesnât know what to say. Of course he liked her. He more than liked her; YN changed his life and heâs starting to like who she makes him be.
But nothing will make this situation better. And the worst part is he feels her slip away, right through his fingers. Itâs like one of those jelly toys from when he was a kid; the harder he gripped the easier it slipped away.
âGet fucked Harry,â YN swears. She turns and leaves. She leaves him and he doesnât think sheâll ever come back.
When the rush of adrenaline subsides Harry empties the contents of his stomach. With his head swimming he picks himself up and finds his way out. With a final glance at the party heâd just felt king of, he spots YN tucked into the body of shaggy-hair and his stomach turns. Why did he ever think sheâd want him? Girls like her didnât end up with guys like him. Why did he ever come to this stupid party in the first place and get drunk? This wasnât him. Uni or not, maybe he was never meant to change all that much.
***
Harry looks around his half of the dorm heâs just finished putting together with a proud smile. At last the day had come, he had successfully escaped the shackles of school and all its taunting and made it to the uni of his choice. Despite only being a 1.5 hour train ride from home Harry chose to get the full uni experience and live on campus. His life was going to change, he could feel it.
That is, until his roommate walked in.
Messy hair, backwards baseball cap, crewneck and baggy jeans and massive headphones on. Harry already types him in his mindâhow the hell did the dorm board pair the two of them together?
âAw marra,â he holds his hand out sideways and Harry clasps his hand and lets his body gets tugged into his roommateâs bony shoulder. âHarry right?â
âYeah,â Harry tries to find his balance again. âRoderick?â
âJust Rod yeah,â Roderick throw his duffel bag onto the bed and points behind him. âGive me a hand with the other bags?â
Harry wasnât much for lifting heavy things but he didnât want to start off on the wrong foot with someone heâd be living with the next year. So he goes.
âWhen did you get here?â He asks.
âLast night,â Harry wanted to get in before everyone else and avoid the crowds of people. He knew it would be a good way to meet others and make friendsâhis sister told him the first week was when you made most of them, but he did what we wanted.
Rod barely hears him as they get the last of his bags. âIt was packed to shite trying to get in here. Whereâd you come in from?â
âLondon,â Harry answers.
âAnd youâre staying here? On campus?â
âYeah, I didnât want to do the commute everyday. Felt like a waste of time.â
âYeah thatâd be crazy.â His roommate agrees.
âWhat about you?â Harry remembers to ask.
âSunlun,â he replies. Harry hadnât heard of it, and reminds himself to look it up later. âI was right ready to lose it driving here. My mam drove me-â
âOh is she around?â Harry asks.
âNo,â Rod laughs. âIâm not starting school trailing after her. But I promised her Iâd have a meal with her after moving myâhey you should come!â
Harry has a hard time keeping up with Roderick, despite having longer legs than him he walks as fast as he talks and he talks with an accent that takes a minute to filter through for understanding.
âI couldnât-â
âNo youâre coming,â Rod claps Harry on the back. âShe would love seeing that my roommateâs someone like you.â
Someone like you, what did that mean? But on some level Harry knows just by comparing Roderickâs outfit and Harryâs slacks and spotless crewneck.
Harry has no choice but he gets a free meal out of it. Roderickâs mum is sweet and by the end of the meal he understands his roommate a lot better, knows everything about where heâs fromâSunderland, and is invited to âdrop by for teaâ anytime heâs up north.
Roderick invites Harry to a get-together for first years happening somewhere off campus but Harry feels sensed out and tells him he was calling it a night. Rod looks disappointed but leaves without him. Harry almost feels disappointed in himself. He was supposed to have a different life being in uni, but he didnât want to make old mistakes and try to be someone he wasnât.
***
Freshers week is both invigorating and exhausting for Harry as he tries to navigate all of the personalities and social groups without falling back into his usual ways. He attends the talks and the tours, one in which he meets Mikey who was also planning on joining debate club. Harry goes to mixers and breaks so much ice heâs sure he could get a part time job as an ice sculptor.
Harry also attends the workshops and he meets a few more friends there, but mostly when he signs up for clubs heâs interested and goes to their mixers he finds people he clicks with very easily. He doesnât spot Rod once or anyone else he would have known from school.
On Thursday Harry heads to Newsroom Society Club which was a fancy title for the uniâs reporting club. He has a few new friends heâs made, Florence from one of the workshops and Gabriel who lived in the same hall as Harry as well as Mikey. They were all interested in being part of reportingâthe newspaper or the podcast.
Harry stumbles into a projector when he spots her.
âYou alright?â Gabriel grabs Harryâs jacket to hold him steady. All eyes are on him as the slideshow on the wall tips off balance and heâs bright as a tomato.
âYeah I didnât see that there,â Harry lies.
âKinda hard to miss,â YN pipes in from where she stands.
Looking at her reminds Harry of the summer. It felt like a dream looking back on it, how they became friends and then quickly drifted off after he stupidly misread her cues and tried to kiss her. Although it was one of the few times he had gotten drunk and he was out of his depth when it happened. But YN had avoided him after that. He knew they were going to the same school but he didnât think heâd see her this early on.
Harryâs new friends eye YN, assuming she was being rude just because. But when Harry acknowledges her they settles down.
âYN. Hi.â Harry waves awkwardly.
âHarry,â she says coolly.
âYouâre here for the paper?â
âThe show actually,â YN nods. The girl sheâs talking to touches her arm and motions she was heading elsewhere.
âOh me too,â Florence pipes in. âIâm Florence by the way.â
âIâm Mikey,â his other friend says as if Flo opened a gateway to YN. âIâm also interested in it. Not sure if Iâm staying though.â
YN eyes his friends and returns her gaze to Harry. âNeat. Iâm YN.â
âYou two know each other?â Mikey asks.
âYeah,â Harry says as YN says âUnfortunately.â
Thereâs an awkward beat as the group tries to figure out if sheâs joking it not. When her lips curl into a small smile and they take the cue to laugh. It amazed Harry how well YN could command a group. Even now.
âAre you going for any other clubs?â Flo continues asking YN.
âI was thinking tennis, I used to play.â YN says and Harryâs surprised to hear that. Heâs reminded he didnât know her muchâhe never really got to know her that well despite all the time together. She was a closed book on a lot of things. âHow about you?â
âYeah Iâm thinking of joining the volunteer committee!â
âYeah what do they do?â YN asks. âObviously volunteering but like-â
She doesnât need to correct herself any further as Flo launched into a onboarding speech about volunteer committee. And Harryâs mesmerized by YN as she listens to Flo attentively, itâs different to the way she interacted with him or Mikey or a lot of people. When she feels him staring her eyes flick up to meet his and then back to Flo. She does it again and he takes the hint, looking away.
He flushes remembering the summer, how things started so well and ended so terribly.
YN ends up sticking to their group as the club organizers gather everyone to do a small introduction of the Newsroom Society. When it ends and theyâre left to mingle Harryâs friends ask him what they were going to do for lunch.
âIâm easy, we can go anywhere.â
âI wanted to catch the fencing match they have going on at 2,â Gabriel says. âI might stay behind-â
âLetâs just do the caf.â Harry decides.
Florence turns back to YN whoâs with her friend again. âHey we were gonna grab lunch in the caf would you want to join? Both of you?â
YN meets Harryâs eye and an awkward energy sizzles between the two. It happens so quickly.
âSoph?â YN asks her friend.
âEh,â she shrugs. âOkay. Iâm Sophie by the wayâŠâ
Introductions are made all over again and YN and Harry are left herding the crowd from behind at the end if it.
âHi,â Harry says as they fall into step.
She eyes him first before responding, âHi.â
Silence as the group ahead chatters away.
âHowâve you been?â Harry attempts small talk.
âFine.â She replies without returning the question. Harry gets the hint and grits his teeth. It was frustrating knowing she had glued herself shut and it would require a tool he didnât have to get her to open again.
At lunch she continues to gloss over anything he says and talking with everyone enthusiastically but him, making him feel like he was in secondary all over again.
âWe should do this again,â Florence suggests. âYou guys are fun.â
Harry thinks Flo just liked having girls to talk to since most of the friends sheâd made so far had been Harry and his.
âYeah,â Soph agrees. âMaybe weâll all make the Newsroom Society. Flo I think Iâll come to the volunteer thing with you next week just text me when it is.â
Somehow Harryâs friends intermingle with YNâs and by the time classes actually starts heâs seen YN socially more often than he had in secondary.
âYN,â Harry catches her walking out of their international business course. Heâd found they had two classes together despite deciding different majors.
She glances up at her name and upon seeing Harry continues walking.
âHey YN,â he walks ahead enough to stop her.
âHey. What?â She asks.
âCan we talk?â
She raises a brow.
âCâmon,â Harry turns and hopes sheâll follow. She does. He leads them to a seating area for students in the buildingâs courtyard. âWe should talk.â
âAbout?â
âUs.â Harry fidgets. âLook, I know what I did last summer wasnât right. And being drunk wasnât an excuse. IâŠI misread the signs and Iâm really sorry. I didnât mean to betray your trust like that and. Yeah. Iâm really sorry. If weâre gonna hang out and be mates, itâs weird when youâre always mad at me.â
She stares at him for an uncomfortable period and Harry canât hold eye contact the whole time.
âHow many times did you practice saying that?â She asks with a straight expression.
He laughs, âA few times.â
Like the sun after a thunderstorm, her smile slowly brightens the rest of her face as it stretches over her face.
âFor the record, donât ever try to kiss me ever again.â YN lists on her fingers. âSecondly, there will never be signs between us as anything more than friends so justâŠdonât look for them. Weâre just friends.â
âGot it,â Harry mock salutes.
âIâm not done,â she holds up three fingers. âThirdly, itâs nice seeing you be lessâŠsecondary Harry.â
âWhat?â
âYâknow like, bookish awkward nerdy Harry. Youâve actually got friends, I saw you at a couple parties. Itâs nice!â
âOh,â Harry didnât think YN thought about him at all. He thought he went back to being a nobody but she was still noticing things about him. Things he thought only he had picked up on.
She was rightâhe felt more himself the longer he was at uni. It wasnât easy but he found it easier to make decisions about people and friends, emotions and conversations when the pressure to fit into a box fell away.
Of course, Harry still struggled connecting with his roommate. After declining his initial invite to a party Rod mostly kept to himself and sometimes Harry was asked to give him privacy a few hours some evenings. Harry usually obliged, wanting to still be friends with Roderick.
One of the parties YN saw him at must have been one Rod invited him to. It was the first time heâd really spoken to him since that first day. And Harry had gone to the party just to reduce the friction with Rod. It went over well, heâd even chatted up a girl.
âAnyway,â YN hitches her bag onto her shoulder. âMy next class is much later in the day so Iâm gonna find a place to crash until then.â
âWhen is it?â
âLike, 5?â
âShit, you commuted for our 10 and have to stay that late?â
âYeah,â she sighs. âIt was the only way I could fit both classes into this semester.â
âDâyouâŠâ Harry reconsiders the rules sheâd given him. He didnât think this was breaking any. âDâyou want to come go my dorm? You couldâŠnap or something.â
Her face lights up, âWait really?â
âYeah?â
âUm yeah? If thatâs alright if-â
âYeah,â Harryâs pleased to be able to offer something thatâs made her light up. âYeah câmon. My roommate should be out. My next class is at half past 1 though.â
âThatâs enough time for a nap,â YN says as she falls into step beside him.
âYou donât have to leave.â Harry tells her. âYou can stay while Iâm in class.â
Thatâs how Harry finds himself walking out of his dorm quietly so as not to wake a sleeping YN. She had knocked out soon after getting into his sheets, and heâs thankful heâd just washed them over the weekend after accidentally spilling tea all over them.
He felt bad that she had to commute for nearly 2 hours and stay the whole day for an evening class. He gives her an open invitation to use his dorm as a hotel when she wanted. Sheâd corrected him it was more like a motel, and then said his bedsheets smelled surprisingly nice for a motel.
Harry has a smile for most of his walk to class.
Near the end of class his phone vibrates with a text.
Roderick: thereâs a girl sleeping on your bed?
Shit, Harry didnât think heâd be back before him.
Harry: thatâs just YN, sorry hope you donât mind.
R: nah I just wasnât expecting it lol
H: sheâs just crashing
R: she single?
H: what happened to the girl you were hooking up with last week?
Despite not talking a lot, Harry still had the lowdown on who Rod was hooking up with because of the revolving door of girls.
R: mate. That was last week.
Harry rushes back from class but to his surprise he finds YN sitting in bed braiding her hair while Rod leans against his desk explaining something about Sunderland.
âOh hey Harry,â YN says when he walks in.
âHey,â Harry tries not to sound too out of breath. âUh I see you twoâve met.â
âYeah. YNâs pretty cool, whereâve you been hiding her?â
âIâm not-â
âEw,â YN cuts him off. âDo they not teach manners in Sunderland?â
Harry watches, for the first time since heâs met him, Roderick stammer and look uncertain.
âAnyway,â YN gets off the bed and adjusts her clothes. âThanks for letting me crash.â
Harry watched Rod get a hold of himself and YN put her bag back together again. That was the privilege of being so beautiful, she could shame guys like Rod into behaving themselves.
âSee you Friday?â YN tells Harry. They had a Newsroom Society meeting. Harry ended up making the cut for the paper along with Gabriel and Flo. YN had made it for the podcast and this week was when they first got assignments.
âYeah,â Harry says. YN walks past him, squeezing him arm and walking out.
âMarra,â Rod blow the air out of his cheeks. âSheâsâŠ.something. You should invite her to the party Friday if sheâs on campus.â
âYeah Iâll ask,â Harry says. Weird how the tables have turned, he thinks. Here he would be, inviting YN to a party.
***
Harry doesnât get a chance to catch up with YN until after Newsroom. He asks her if she was doing anything afterwards.
âNope,â she rubs her temple. âI have a Saturday shift to work so I was just gonna head home after this.â
âOh.â Harry says. He forgot she worked. âI was gonna invite you to this party-â
âYou?â She points to him and laugh. âYouâre inviting me?â
âErm yeah?â
âI love it.â She says seriously.
âYeah,â a smile tugs at his lips. âI know. But if youâre busy-â
âOh no. Iâll show up to a party youâre inviting me to, where is it?â
Harry gives her the place. She tells him one of her friends was trying to get here there too.
âWhatever, Iâll just suffer the consequences tomorrow. Although Iâm not dressed for a party at all.â
Harry eyes her hoodie and jeans. Even he knew YN dressed up more for parties.
âToo bad youâre not a girl,â she sighs. âI could just borrow something from your closet.â
âHow about the friend you mentioned?â
âShe lives a town over so she commutes. Wait, let me see your closet maybe we can make something work.â
âDonât you make fun of my closet?â
âNo I make fun when you wear it. It might look hot on me.â
The idea of YN looking hot in his clothes forces the blood to rush to his head and he has to take a few deep breaths before trailing behind.
Rodâs nowhere in sight when they get to his dorm. Harry unloads his backpack and splays out on his bed, tired from the day and really not wanting to go to any parties.
âThis could be cute,â YN unhooks a plain white tee from his closet and throws it on his bed. She picks up a sweater and a short-sleeved button up. She holds them up to her and instructs him to turn around while she tries it on.
Harryâs so tired that turned around he ends up falling asleep, half his body still dangling off the bed.
While uni was really fun for him, and getting to explore different sides of him and learn a whole lot, it was a constant rotation of something. Sometimes he wondered if he should drop a class or a club just to give himself some breathing room. Or sleeping room. But Harry wasnât a quitter. Instead he was tired a lot of the time and felt like he was constantly catching up.
âHello,â Harryâs woken by a vigorous shaking. YN peers down at him, lashes long and coated in mascara probably. Her lips are painted a deep pink and sheâs put her hair down.
âHow did youâŠâ Harry blinks at her.
âI had some makeup in my bag, I just touched it up while you slept.â She sits down beside him. âNow what are you wearing and when are we leaving?â
âIâm just wearing this,â Harry motions to his jeans and hoodie. She raises a brow. âWait what are you-â
He notices what sheâs wearing. His white tee that hangs loose on him has been tightened into a single point on YNâs ribcage, baring her midriff. Sheâs kept her jeans on but somehow despite only swapping out one item of clothing she looks magnetic.
âWow.â
âI know right,â she gets up to allow him the full picture even though he didnât want to ogle any more. âI just went with one of your tees, used a hair tie to style it. Iâll wear my bomber on top. And you can change your hoodie at least. Youâll look like a slob in that, itâs not going to impress any girls.â
âWhat if I donât want to impress any girls?â
âDonât forget I caught you flirting with Sophie last week.â She warns him.
It was embarrassing, Soph had been talking through one of the articles they were assigned to think about for Newsroom and it had turned flirty when Sophie started teasing him. Harry had recently felt more confident in the girl department and heâd flirted back until YN had dropped into the conversation pretending to gag at Harry.
Harry wondered if Sophie would be at the party. He should have texted her to ask.
âLetâs not talk about that.â
âI would actually love to talk about that,â she grins. âBut I do want to head out. So wear this and letâs go.â
She throws Harry a crewneck and taps her foot. When she doesnât make a move to look away he changes in front of her and doesnât meet her eye.
âYouâve got a tattoo?â YN sounds surprised as he gets his arms into the crewneck.
âHuh?â Harry realizes sheâs staring at his ribcage. He forgot he had a tattoo, not often looking at himself naked in the mirror. âOh yeah. Caleb and I got it for our 18th before we went to uni. Heâs moved to Canada for uni so-â
âYouâre full of surprises arenât you.â YN says in a quieter voice than usual. Harryâs hands are still trapped in his sweater, halfway to his head, when she steps closer and traces her hand over the numbers. Her hands are cold and unexpected and he gasps.
âSorry,â she looks up at him but he can barely look at her. She was touching his bare torso. âWas that cold?â
âYeah,â Harry clears his throat.
âAny others?â She asks.
He shakes his head, his voice sticking in his throat. He couldnât move, he was too busy concentrating on breathing.
He slowly pulls his jumper on the rest of the way and only when they head out does he feel safe enough to talk. He tells YN how he planned on getting more tattoos eventually, once he figured out what he liked. It was a bit scary being so permanent but he liked the way he could express himself or hold memories on his skin.
They talk about it until they reach the dorms the party was at.
âCatch you inside,â YN says as they enter. âDonât get too drunk.â
âNever againâ Harry shouts after her. She waves without turning around.
He thought they would hang out here together but he finds himself wandering the dorms until he spots Mikey. He becomes absorbed in Mikeyâs group of friends and forgets heâd been here with YN.
At some point Harry finds himself the centre of attention of a girl from his intro to biology class. Mary. Sheâs cute with a shoulder-length brown hair and animated eyes. When she smiles at Harry he feels his heart flutter.
âWhat about weirdest?â She asks Harry. They were talking about their shared interest in cults.
âRaelian,â Harry responds. âHave you heard of them?â
âOoh no tell me about it,â she shuffles closer to him in the strangerâs room they were talking in. Harry had been nursing his drink for the last couple hours and heâd nearly made it look like it was done.
His phone vibrates in his pocket and he ignores it. When it goes off again Mary raises her brow.
âDâyou need to get that?â
âI dunno,â Harry pulls out YN flipping him off on screen. He still hadnât changed her photo.
âHarry!â He hears his name shouted from the hall just as the call ends.
âIs somebody actually calling you?â Mary furrows her brows.
âI donât-â his name is shouted again but louder.
The two of them shuffle to the hall and YNâs unmistakable face comes into view.
âHarry!â She says in a loud and happy tone. âI found you!â
âYN,â Harry glances at Mary nervously. She seems concerned. âWhat happened?â
âWhat didnât happen amirite?â She elbows him. âAnyway. I donât feel well and I am going home.â
âDrunk?â Harry scratches his head. âI donât know if thatâs a good idea. Youâve got like nearly 2 hours on the train.â
âAnd?â She shrugs. âIâll sleep it off.â
âYou canât do that.â Harry insists.
âWell good thing youâre,â she points her finger into his chest and tilts forward. âNot the boss of me. Oh hey. We havenât met!â
She spots Mary beside him and she bows to her.
âHeh. Harry. And Mary.â YN points between them.
âDâyou need help?â Mary asks. âWith her?â
âI donât need help!â YN shouts. âIâm cool. Iâm fun. Iâm totally alright.â
âYouâre really not,â Harry grits his teeth. He was finally hitting it off with Mary and of course YN had to go and get drunk and ruin it.
Technically he did invite her to the party though. Did that make her his responsibility? Harry wasnât too sure about that sort of thing.
âI did an amazing job at Ring of Fire,â YN slurs. âPhe-nnnnn-omm-enal.â
âI am going to get her out of here,â Harry tells Mary. He twists his mouth to the side and hopes he looks as sorry as he felt. âI invited her soâŠâ
âThatâs alright! Thatâs what friends are for right?â She smiles. âIâll see you in class?â
âYeah!â Harry nods. âIâll see you.â
With a final exchange of smiles Harry grabs YN by the shoulders and gets her out of the building. The whole time she talks about random things from the night that Harry couldnât care less about.
âYN why did you get so bloody drunk,â Harry says outside his building. It was a co-ed so it wouldnât be out of the ordinary for both of them to go in but Harry wanted to sneak her into his room.
âI didnât mean to,â she says. âI wasnât even gonna stay this long.â
Her voice pitches down and she becomes droopier in Harryâs arms. His arms hurt; he should use the gym on campus more often.
âWhat happened?â Harry continues to entertain her.
She doesnât say until they reach his room. He prays Rod would still be at the party and breathes a sigh of relief when the other side of the room is empty.
âSit here,â Harry places YN on his bed and finds a water bottle for her. âDrink.â
âI canât, I need to piss.â
Harry groans. âWhy didnât you say earlier?â
âI forgot,â she whispers. âSorry.â
He points the toilets out to her and leaves the door open a crack so she can find her way back. Her mascaraâs running when she gets back.
âWere you crying?â He asks.
âNo! I tried to take this stupid stuff off.â She sighs. âIt really is waterproof.â
Harry shakes his head, YN was a right state and he didnât really know what to do. Sheâs always the one in control and in command. He remembers his sister using makeup wipes but he didnât have any. He improvises with kleenex but she complains that it hurt. He tries dousing one in water but the makeup barely budges.
âJust let me sleep in it,â she complains.
âAnd get it all over my bedsheets?â Harry shakes his head. âNo way.â
âOils,â YN leans back in his bed anyway. âIf youâve got oil. Or balms. Whatever.â
Harry rummages through the room and manages to find a hair product his sister bought him with oils. He puts some on the kleenex but YN is snoring in bed by the time he gets up to her.
âCâmon,â he taps her face. âDid you seriously fall asleep already?â
âNo,â YN cracks an eye open. âIâm up.â
âGood. Here use this.â He offers her the wipe but she whines until Harry gives in and helps her wipe it off. It makes his heart race and he tries not to breathe her in too much. Despite smelling like a brewery, underneath that she smells like YN. The one he knew last summer.
âYou canât sleep in my bed with this on.â Harry complains. Who knows where those jeans have been.
âMânot sleeping in my underwear,â she mumbles. âYou wish.â
âTrust me I donât,â Harry didnât even sleep in his underwear. âIâll give you some sweatpants. Please change into them.â
âYouâre the worst,â she whines. But does as he says, moving like a sloth. She peels off his tshirt and slides into his sheets and Harry avoids looking at her in her sports bra. At least it wasnât a lacy one.
She was just a friend. They had both made an agreement. Friends slept in the same bed. Heâd probably shared a bed with Caleb beforeâthis was fine.
Harry creeps under his sheets and tries to keep space between YN and himself but she tucks herself into his side and is out like a light.
***
Harry wakes to a shock of cold on his thigh. His eyes rip open and he yanks himself away from the freeze.
It takes him a moment to register YN giggling beside him.
âWhat the fuck!â Harry groans and turns on his back. At some point heâd turned towards YN and theyâd probably slept facing each other. It was better than any other alternative he figured.
âSorry,â she says without sounding a single bit sorry. âI just had to do it.â
âI literally let you crash in the same tiny bed as me and you repay me like that!?â Harry says to the ceiling. Sleep still tries to pull him back in but he fights itâwith YN up he probably wasnât going to get any more sleep.
âOkay no I shouldnât have done that sorry.â She apologizes. âYou wouldnât happen to have like paracetamol or-â
âItâs in the desk drawerâwhat are youâow!â
YN had started climbing over him as he answered and nearly kneed him between the legs.
âSorry!â She whispers. Harry glances at his roommate to find him sleeping in his bed. He hoped Rod was too drunk to notice YN in his bed when he came in.
Harry decides to just get up then and eventually he walks YN to the bus terminal both of them full on caf coffee and breakfast. She was going to cut it close for her shift but she didnât seem to care.
âThanks for taking care of me last night,â YN says as the bus comes into view. She doesnât look him in the eye as she says it and he can barely look at her saying it. âYou didnât have to and you did.â
âItâs nothing,â Harry says, equally uncomfortable with YNâs vulnerability.
âI saw an ex,â she meets his gaze. âI didnât think Iâd run into him after all this time. Thatâs kinda why I drank more than I intended. I wasnât supposed to inconvenience youâhey, werenât you talking to some girl last-â
âYeah,â Harry hoped Mary wasnât too weirded out by YN. âItâs fine. Iâve got class with her.â
âOh Iâm sorry,â she slaps her hand to her forehead. âI hope I didnât make things weird. I owe you.â
âItâs alright,â Harry finally meets her eye and realizes it was alright. He could be friends with YN and maybe this could work. âItâs what friends do.â
âReally?â She asks.
He nods. âIâll help you home from any party.â
âAwww,â she wrings her arms around Harryâs neck and he takes a step back to steady her. He forces his brain to think only friendly thoughts, and not how steady his hand feels on her lower back or how nice her hair smells, as he returns the hug. âThatâs the sweetest thing youâve ever said.â
She leans back and pats his face. âYouâre growing up so much. Look at how much nicer you are.â
Harry blushes and she laughs at him as she runs to catch the bus. He watches the bus wink out of sight and sighs.
It was in part thanks to YN heâs grown so much, she forced him out of his shell and pointed out all the ways his intellect can get in the way of being a nice person. And being out of school helped the rest of the way; Harryâs contemplative on his walk back home.
***
âWhat about orange juice and biscuits?â Mary asks.
Harry thinks about it before shaking his head, âNo. it doesnât make sense.â
The two were having dinner together in the caf. Ever since the party last month theyâve spent more time together in between classes. They werenât dating but there was a heavy chemistry between them. Harry didnât realize, Mary was just waiting for them to make the first move.
âCrisps and jam?â
âWhy?â Harry scrunches his face imagining the weird food combination. Mary was reading off an article she was reading when he sat down at her table.
She shrugs, âApparently itâs moreish.â
Harry liked Mary a lot but he sometimes felt he paled next to her, like if he asked her out and she really got to know him she might not like him as much. So he kept her at armâs length.
âWhatâs more-ish is the bile coming up my throat thinking of that.â
âA lot of these are pregnancy cravings!â Mary says. âWhat do we know?â
âWhoâs pregnant?â Flo asks as she sits beside Mary. Mikey joins the table too.
âNobodyâs pregnant,â Harry corrects. âWeâre just reading an article.â
âNo actually, the computer science prof that everyone hates is pregnant. Sheâs not teaching next semester anyone whoâs interested should take it then.â Flo informs the group.
âCan you imagine?â Mary turns to her. âBeing so hated that the one semester youâre not teaching thereâs a massive waiting list on your course?â
The group begins to discuss this particular prof and Harry fades into a listener. Mary catches his eye a few times and sends a bright smile his way and Harry keeps it tucked within.
Now a couple months into uni Harry was starting to find a rhythm that he was able to ride. He had more friends than heâs ever had, regularly went to parties and hung out with them, Rod and him were good friends by some way of YN, and uni challenged Harryâs brain in a good way.
Him and YN didnât hang out very much but he often saw her at parties, in the Newsroom, or if he came back to his dorm while she napped. If had become part of their regular schedule for her to use his dorm to nap and Harry was more than happy to let her. Rod was tooâeven happier than Harry sometimes.
âAre you going to the Halloween thing Harry?â Mikey asks.
âHuh?â Harry had zoned out. âUh I think so. Yeah. Why not?â
âAwesome,â Flo says. âWe should go together.â
âWeâre not doing matching costumed Flo,â Harry says for the tenth time this month.
âWhy not?!â She cries. The table becomes noisy again as they argue the same thing theyâve argued since October started. Harry feels at home.
***
Just finished my mid-term, Harry texts Mary. We should celebrate with drinks later.
Yeah after I finish mine later today, would love to. Mary texts back.
Harry smiles at his phone and switches chat to YN.
Are you still at mine?
She doesnât reply and Harry figures sheâs either sleeping or maybe writing a mid-term. He knew she had one later this afternoonâthe same class as Mary.
Uni turned out to be a small world, heâd found a few people he already knew in these halls and somehow new friends and old acquaintances had all mingled together.
The good thing was now that he regularly wore contacts and started putting in some effort in how he looked, a lot of his old classmates either walked past him with no recognition or spoke to him like they werenât the reason he had one friend in secondary.
It still took some adjusting to: here he was, bottom-rung at his old school, asking someone at the top rung if she was still sleeping in his bed. It was mad.
Harry turns the key of his door and freezes at whatâs before him.
His roommate Roderick sits on his bed with his back to the wall and someone looking very much likeâno it was YN because her jacket lay on his bed, straddling his lap. YN and his roommate were making out.
âWhat is this?â Harry asks when his senses return. âWhatâs going on?â
âOh hey Har,â Rod looks past YN. He was so casual, Harry felt a little crazy at thinking this was a big deal.
âOh,â YN turns and unhooks her legs from around Rod. âYouâre done your exam. How was it?â
Were they insane it was he just a prude? Harryâs roommate was making out with his friend. That regularly crashed in his room. Has this been going on for a while?
âGood. Fine. YN can we talk?â Harry asks.
âSure,â YN climbs off the bed and fixes her lipstick whilst passing the mirror. Harry nods to the hall and she steps out. âWhatâs up?â
âWhatâŠwhatâs going on there?â
âWhat? Rod?â
âObviously!â
âOh my god Har, itâs nothing serious we were just making out.â
âFor how long?â
âI dunno? Why do you want to know?â
âNo like how long have you two been hooking up?â
âWe were just making out today whyâve you got your panties in a twist?â
âSo this is the first time?â
âNoâŠwe made out at a party last week. Anyway I was just studying on your bed after getting a nap in and he walked in. It got flirty, one thing led to another-â
âIâm not comfortable with this.â Harry clenched his teeth. He didnât know why but it felt wrong they were doing this in his room. After heâd opened it up for her to give her a break from the constant commuting. What if things go sour between them and Rod takes it out on him? What if she ruins the vibe of their dorm?
âHarry,â YN lays a hand on his shoulder with a serious face. âYou know Iâve kissed boys before. Done even more than-â
âThis isnât a joke,â Harry brushes her hand off. âI donât feel comfortable with you doingâŠthat in the room.â
âSo now youâre deciding who I can see-â
âNo!â Harry shouts a bit too loud and someone on the other end of the hall looks up. âNo. You know thatâs not what Iâm saying. I donât care who you hook up with YN. Just not in my room with my roommate. Do whatever you want with him at parties but not in my room. I donât care what you do. JustâŠnot in my room.â
Harry shuts up once he realizes heâs repeating himself. He hopes she understands.
âFine.â She does her classic move. She shuts down. âIâll be a devout virgin in your room. Outside Iâll be the wild child I am.â
âYN donât twist this,â Harry sighs. âWhy do you do that?â
âIâve got an exam in a couple hours.â She opens the door. âI should go.â
âAlready?â Rod says as they walk in.
âHarryâs made a request about us,â YN shoots him a look and Harry wants to take that look and throw it back at her. He was going to break it to Rod differently knowing how tenuous the balance of their friendship was. But now sheâs just dropped it like a bomb in the middle of their dorm.
âWhat?â Rod looks at Harry.
Harry flushes but he tries to look at Rod when he tells him, âI think itâs weird you two making out here. You can do that anywhere just not here. My roommate and my friendâŠitâs weird.â
Rod blinks, Harry thinks heâs zoned out until he shrugs. âNee bother. I respect it Harry. Iâll catch you out there then YN.â
YN looks between the boys, her hands holding her bag are curled into fists and with one last angry look to Harry she exits the room.
âDoesnât look like sheâs too chuffed with you man.â Rod pipes in from behind.
She wasnât chuffed with him half the time, Harry was now used to it.
***
The Halloween party is packed like sardines and Harry considers leaving. Mary had come down with a flu and sheâd also been avoiding him the last week. Gabe said sheâs probably tired of him not doing anything about their mutual crush, Flo thinks she needs space, and YN says she found someone new to fantasize about but Harry thinks the last one is mostly to get under his skin.
Ever since that day in his dorm YNâs gone back to being bristly with Harry. It doesnât bother him most days but it does frustrate him on a few.
âHarry!â A familiar face waves him down. The party was in off-campus student res and it was decorated like somebody had gone batshit on Amazon. Just walking toward Sophie, Harry had gotten a faceful of smoke, fake cobwebs, and bubbles for some reason.
âSoph! Howâs it going?â Harry hadnât seen Sophie since she quit Newsroom a few weeks ago. With midterms and club deadlines clashing she decided she couldnât do both and left the club.
âSo much better,â her brightened eyes and large smile fixed on her face clued Harry in that sheâd already started drinking. âBut I miss the Newsroom crew. How is everyone?â
âWeâre fineâyou know you could still hang out with us? Weâre around.â
âUgh I know,â she sways towards him. âBut I feel like I hardly have time to be social. Social. Does that sound weirdâso-shul?â
âI think youâre a bit drunk Soph,â Harry points to her cup.
âOh yeah,â she laughs. âWhat about you? You donât even have a drink!â
âIâŠI was gonna go get one.â Harry lies. He was actually gonna go home.
âOkay! Someone had shots going.â
She grabs his hand and it tingles. She races around until she finds the half-empty vodka and demands Harry do shots with her. He nearly chokes on it and coughs uncontrollably which sets Soph off.
âAre you alright?â She slaps his back harder than she looks like she could. âYou need a chaser hold up!â
She disappears behind the table and pulls out lime wedges from god knows where. She instructs Harry how to do it even though he didnât want any more but she doesnât relent.
The second time is a lot smoother but Harry realizes he really did not like vodka either.
âSoph! Har! You two know each other?!â Roderick suddenly walks in on them, crashing the two with an arm around both. âSmall worlds!â
âHey Rod,â Sophâs glow dims a little.
âNow what kind of hello is that? And what are you supposed to be?â
âScream queen right?â Harry asks as Soph says âScream Queen duh?â
Rod frowns and takes his arms down. âWell I can make you scream, qu-â
âAlright,â Harry and Soph eye each other. Harry has been to enough parties with Rod to know what level of drunk meant what level of no filter. And it was best they left him alone now. âWeâll see you around mate.â
âThank you,â Soph whispers in his ear as she loops her arm and they walk away.
âWhatâs going on with you two?â Harry asks. Heâs learned enough to know Sophie soured at the sight of him.
âReally?â She asks.
âReallyâwhat?â
âHim and YN were hooking up a few weeks ago. He was justâŠekgh.â
âThatâs not a word,â Harry laughs.
âI know!â She throws her hands up, one of which holds a knife.
âAlright,â Harry holds his up. âItâs a word.â
She throws her head back and laughs, then wields the knife against his throat.
âWoah, Soph.â
âItâs fake!â She laughs again.
âYeah thank god,â Harry lowers it and she tumbles into him with the pressure she had put on it.
âOops,â she smiles up at him. âHey how dâyou know Scream Queens?â
Blood rushes to Harryâs head as she looks up at him through her lashes. Soph was beautifulâshe always had been. But tonight she looks particularly beautiful. It could be the vodka. But he wanted to kiss her.
âI watched it over the summer withâŠâ Harry had watched it with YN. This was YNâs friend. Maybe he shouldnât kiss her.
âHm?â She inches her arm up and loops it around his neck. Her head tilts to one side and Harry feels the vodka flood his brain while his blood rushes another direction. âYouâve got really nice eyes.â
âSo do you.â Harry barely gets out.
âOur babies would have amazing eyes.â She says with complete seriousness. Obviously she was drunk.
âYeah. Uhm,â Harry tries to push her away. He does, or he tells himself that. But when she stands on the balls of her feet Harry felt it was rude to not meet her halfway. Not press his lips against her strawberry-flavoured plush ones. It felt amazing.
âDâyou wanna go somewhere?â She whispers in his ear.
Harry doesnât want to. He just wants her to shut up so they can keep kissing.
He leads her gently to the wall and continues kissing her, displaying what heâs learned in his two months at uni. And the noises she makes does unspeakable things to Harry.
âCâmon!â She urges to him. âSurely one of the bedrooms are free!â
At the thought his mind clears for a single moment. Should he be doing this? Was his first time really going to be at a Halloween party with Soph?
âI donât have any-â
âThatâs alright!â She tugs him back to her. âLetâs just see where the night takes us.â
âYouâve got to lose the knife though,â Harry says against her lips.
She laughs and tucks it into his back pocket. âOkay?â
Her laugh scatters away the remaining rational thought and he follows her wherever she takes him.
***
âAlright team,â the head of Newspaper stands addressing the crowd. âThis has been an incredible year of reporting. I think weâve done a fantastic job and I want to commend you all on your efforts and time lent to our humble club. Our final edition is going to print today, and the yearâs final episode releases this Friday. So do give it a listen. Next year weâll be back invigorated with more stories to tell. Have a great holiday all!â
Harryâs eyes roam the room, feeling content at being part of this hard-working group.
Despite only a semester on the Newspaper Harry felt really bonded with everyone. The team was big, split into print and podcast and yet despite not knowing everyone, the passion for stories and reporting was palpable. Especially release weeks.
Over the semester Harry had gotten even closer to Florence and Gabriel, it made Newsroom feel even more collaborative. And they often grabbed a bite after Newsroom or they would sometimes go to Gabrielâs and play video games. YN would join occasionally.
YN, only being a first year, was often frustrated being sidelined by seniors. Her friends often heard about it after particular Newsroom meetings. Still, YN on the podcast team made waves and Harry knew because her name was often on a lot of projects or on the lips of a lot of seniors. It made him proud to be her friend, often it reminded him of how he used to think about her. But Newsroom was a perfect example of how they both had separate strengths and how they flourished in each of them. Heâs glad he realized that last year.
Harryâs eyes continue to dart to the door, checking his phone. It was weird y/n didnât show up today when she should have. Especially the final meeting.
When the group goes for dinner in the caf Harry spots their friend Sophie.
What started as hooking up at Halloween ended in a few other hook-ups over the last month or so. Each time Harry felt incredibly guilty but Soph was really nice to him and nice to kiss too. Plus, Mary had stopped hanging out with him without another word and he wasnât exactly sure what he did for that. So heâd given her space.
âY/n wasnât at todayâs meeting, shame.â Flo says to Soph. âDâyou know where she is?l
âNo, thatâs strange. I saw her earlier today?â Soph looks at the group.
âMe too,â Gabe adds. âSheâs around.â
âYeah it is strange,â Harry comments. âSheâs usually on time, or at least sends us a text if she canât make it.â
âI hope everythingâs okay,â Flo scrunches her brows.
âIâm sure it is.â Sophie reassures her.
She turns to Harry with a secret smile, one hand sliding onto his thigh. âAny plans after this?â
âOh!â Harry startles as her hand slides higher up his thigh. This was soâŠpublic. âMaybe. Uhm. Soph can we talk?â
Heâd wanted to talk to her all week but had been so busy with exams. He thought about it a lot and really didnât think sneaking behind y/nâs back with her friend was right. Especially after he asked her not to hook up with Rod in his room and she stopped.
Sophie shrugs and follows him off to the side.
âWe need to talk,â Harry starts, he waves between both of them. âAbout this.â
âYeah?â Sophie asks.
âYeah. And. About Y/n.â
Sophie just notices the serious tone to Harryâs voice. She stops playing with her hair and stands taller. âOkay. What about her?â
Harry takes a deep breath, trying to articulate his thoughts. âIâve just been thinking with us being her friend, she doesnât know about us. I donât want to sneak behind her back give her another reason to have trust issuesâsheâs been through a lot.â
âYeah,â Soph agrees. âY/nâs strong. Sheâs got like, that tough quiet strength she just exudes it always. I admire that about her.â
Harry nods, a small smile tugging on his lips. âExactly. Sheâs really loyal to her friends, and I donât want to screw anything up. I justâŠdonât think sheâd approve of this.â
Sophieâs eyes soften with understanding. âOh.â
âWhat?â
âYouâŠcare about her donât you?â
âWell uhm yeah sheâs my friend I-I yeah-â
âLike care about her.â Soph cuts off Harryâs stuttering. He felt like an idiot.
âUhhhâŠâ
âBe honest,â Soph curls the side of her mouth. âItâs not like weâre dating I donât like care if you do.â
âYeah fine. More than I probably should yeah,â he sighs. âBut sheâs made it clear weâre nothing more than friends. And Iâm fine with that but we go way back and sheâs helped me though a lot. I just donât want to lose her. As a friend. But youâre a really great person too Soph I donât want to lose. And I donât want it to get complicated here.â
âI get it,â Sophie shrugs. âBut it doesnât have to be complicated. Or a secret. Weâre just having fun!â
âYeah I just donât want to jeopardize anything.â
Unbeknownst to Harry and Sophie, y/n enters the caf then and spots the two before spotting their usual table. She heads towards Harry and Sophie first, curious as to why they were separated in what looked like an intense discussion.
âFine. I get it!â Sophie continues.
âIâve screwed up with her enough.â Harry says as y/n gets within hearing distance. âI hate feeling like Iâm walking on egshells around her.â
âYNâs a tough cookie,â Soph agrees. âIâd be scared to be on her bad side.â
âIâve been on it. Kinda made my life hell. Itâs like facing a lion with just a stick.â
âYou poor thing,â Soph touches Harryâs cheek and laughs just as her phone vibrates. âOh thatâs Emmy hold on.â
Harry smiles as she steps away but it dies as y/n steps into view.
âOh y/nâŠhow long-â
âWalking on eggshells? Didnât realize being around me was such a burden-â
âNo y/n thatâs not the-â
âSave it Harry,â her eyes flicker with hurt.
âNo seriously!â Harry tries to explain. âI wasnât saying it like that!â
âYou compared me to a fucking lion!â
âLet me explain-â
âAfter everything I told you about me I thought we got each other Har-â Y/n cuts herself off as her throat closes with tears. She was not the type to cry in front of anyone, especially a boy. She waits for the feeling to subside. âItâs pretty clear where I stand. And by the way, talking me down isnât going to make you look good with Soph.â
âY/n please,â Harry feels her slipping away again and he envisions taking her by the shoulder and giving her a good shake. He hated when she did this, like the tides at a beach she retreated so quickly all he was left with was sand. She never left enough time for someone to grab her.
âJustâŠwhatever Harry.â
With that she turns on her heel and walks away, the noise in the caf suddenly comes roaring in on either side of Harry. He wants to turn the volume dial all the way down and run after her but he knows neither are possible.
âWhat was that?â Sophie reappears.
âShe heard the wrong end of our conversation.â Harry says with dread. âI didnât mean for her to hear it like that. She must thinkâŠI donât even know what she must think.â
âMmm,â Sophie squeezes Harryâs shoulder. âJust give her space. Iâll ask her what she heard and explain donât worry. Sheâll come around.â
Harry wasnât so sure.
***
Harry watches as Mary enters the bar and looks around. For a moment he can just be another bloke seeing Mary for the first time wondering what sheâs like with her cropped hair and animated brown eyes. He feels his heart picking up speed the longer he watches herâhe canât believe it took him this long to ask her out officially.
Although it wasnât entirely his fault.
Harry didnât think Mary would ever be interested in him on a deeper levelâhe definitely wouldnât date himself. And when Mary began to make excuses about hanging out last year, Harry took that as a big glaring sign he was right, instead of just asking her outright.
Then there was the tryst with Soph. And the fallout with y/n who cut him out of his life like she was scissors through wrapping paper. Harry acted like it didnât hurt him but it did; after all the time they spent together he didnât know how y/n could be so cold with people she called her friends. She didnât even care about his explanation.
But Harryâs sister had given him an earful one night during Christmas break, about dating the girl he was really into and not being such a coward. It took him a whole month to work up the courage but on Valentineâs Day heâd asked Mary to be his. It was cheesy but she loved it. Theyâd hung out a few times and last week Harry asked her to be his girlfriend. He was officially in a relationship!
Mary catches his wave from the front and she breaks into her toothy smile that squeezed his heart every time it was directed his way. Falling in love made the whole world feel soppy. Harryâd never experienced something like this; in a world of learning and achievements this was one he felt really proud to get to.
âWhat are you smiling so hard about?â Mary teases as she reaches him. Harry kisses her and keeps her hand in his as they sit.
âJust this girl, canât stop thinking about her.â
âMust be a lucky lady,â Mary grins. She was head over heels too.
âNah I think Iâm the lucky one.â
âGod,â Mary pulls her hand away and presses them to her blushing cheeks. âYouâre damn charming when you want to be Harry.â
That wasnât a word anyone would ever use to describe him. Yet Harry feels over the moon to hear it. Here was proof he was changingâhe was finally growing up.
The new couple have a few drinks with their food, they talk about school, friends, and the upcoming Easter Break.
âIâm heading home too,â Mary was originally from Liverpool. âMy mumâs sisterâs coming in from Australia for Easter. Sheâs got these little rascals I havenât seen in years so Iâll have to see how big theyâve gotten now.â
âAre those the rascals who stole your Taylor Swift poster?â
âSigned poster,â Mary corrects him. âAnd yes. As payback because I caught then stealing their dadâs smokes. Itâs been 3 years and I still havenât gotten that back.â
âYou really think they kept it?â
âWell weâre gonna find out,â Mary grinds her knuckles into the palm of her other hand. âIâm older and stronger now I can take them.â
Harry laughs, he loved seeing Mary when she was joking like this. Otherwise she was a bit like him when it came to studying and being serious.
âWell youâve got a boyfriend now. Iâll make the trip if it means getting that poster back.â
âWould you!?â Mary reaches out to him. âThatâs actually so sweet.â
Harryâs chest fills with warmth as she kisses him, and that sparks a different hunger. They pay their tab and head out hand in hand back to his dorm.
Rod isnât in and they take advantage of that.
Roderick and Harry had continued their friendship despite y/n disappearing from his dorm. Theyâd gotten to the point where Harry declined a couple parties and Rod didnât take it personally, and Harry actually helped Rod out with some of his studies. They worked out together and there was a better balance.
He did see y/n at parties sometimes. A couple times with Rod too. He tried to talk to her the first couple times but she always danced away just as he got to her. So he stopped trying. She was frustrating.
âHey,â Mary kisses his jaw. âWhereâd you go?â
âSorry,â Harry had gotten lost in his head again. âI think Rodâs gonna be back soon-â
âOh,â Mary sighs. âOkay. My roommateâs a shut in, too bad we can never go to mine.â
âIf I asked him to not come home he wouldnât,â Harry realizes Mary wanted to cross some bases too late. He really should stick to being in his body more often. He should have messaged Rod as soon as they headed here.
âMaybe next time,â Mary smiles sweetly. She wipes the side of Harryâs lips with her thumb, thatâs when he realizes she was wearing lipstick. It was a subtle colour but not as much when itâs smeared on her chin. Something about seeing it like that feels endearing to him.
âUntil then,â he pulls her back to him and kisses her hard, she responds in kind. Just as Harry slips his hand below her tee the doorknob jiggles. He sighs, âFuck.â
âItâs alright,â Mary whispers below him. âThat was fun.â
He peers back down at her, her lipstick is even worse but sheâs looking up at him like sheâs seeing him for the first time. Note to self show Mary how much I like her, Harry realizes.
This time he uses his thumb to swipe at the smudged lipstick. She smiles at him like he hung the stars.
***
Harry would have taken the train home last night to avoid the crowds but it was his last day with Mary before being apart for 2 weeks and he wanted to make the most of it. So now he pays the consequences with a packed train and barely any leg room.
The guy next to him plays some video game on his phone, the person across from that guy is already napping with her mouth open. Harry waits to see who takes the seat across and his heart drops when they finally take the seat and look up at him.
âFor fuckâs sake,â she mutters.
Y/n. Of course it would be her. Sheâs cut her hair since the last time he saw herânow she has a fringe and heâs pretty sure layers with how much they flick outwards from her face.
âY/n,â Harry greets her. This was going to be one long train ride. Although he wasnât sure what she was doing hereâdid she move on campus this semester?
âHarryâŠâ she says with a studied coolness.
âNice to see you.â
âIs it?â She asks. âLook Iâll just find another-â
She gets up but Harryâs faster. He stretches out his long leg to block the corridor. Sheâs stuck within the 4-seater.
âWhat are you doing?â
âKeeping you in,â Harry says with a small smile. She would be forced to sit in front of him, he would finally be able to get her to talk.
âHarry donât be so immature move your leg.â
âThatâs your seat just take it y/n.â He motions to it.
âHarry!â She tries to climb over it but Harry just raises his leg and it throws her off balance. She nearly falls backwards but Harry springs up fast enough to balance her. Thatâs how he finds himself standing in her personal space, one hand on her lower back and the other clutching her arm.
âSorry,â he mumbles.
âGet. Off of me.â She replies.
He lets her go and she actually sits back down. Harry glances around and flushes as he realizes everyone around them had started staring.
âNice hair,â Harry tries again as the train leaves the station. By then theyâd been sitting in silence for at least 15 minutes.
âYeah. Whatever.â Y/n brushes her bangs.
âSo are you on campus now?â Harry continues casually.
This both surprises and irritates y/n. Usually he was very sensitive to when she was being a bitch to him, but now it seemed he was getting some enjoyment out of talking to her despite her attempt at staying cold; something had changed with him.
âNo.â She answers as clipped as possible.
âSo youâre taking the train home today becauseâŠâ
âGod Harry,â y/n sighs. âI had my last exam and stayed out too late. Now stop asking me questions like Iâm in a bloody interview. Leave me alone!â
âIsnât that what Iâve been doing the last couple months,â Harry grumbles. The look she gives him could cut him in half.
She studies him, whatâs changed she wonders. He still didnât meet her eye completely but he was challenging her a lot more. She wouldnât have minded it as much if she wasnât recovering from a killer hangover.
âSo wonât be hard to continue.â She glares.
And thatâs how the remaining hour or so is spent sitting across from his friend or ex-friend, whatever. In silence. Apart from a few glances her way he buries his nose in his book and texts Mary as she boards her own train.
Of course, they get off on the same platform and when Harryâs mum catches sight of y/n she insists on giving her a ride home since y/n was just going to take the bus. The two of them sit in silence as Harryâs mum asks them a dozen questions. The ride ends with an invite for dinner and a non-committal yes from y/n.
âYou guys get into a fight or something?â Harryâs mum asks as they drive to their home.
âOr something,â Harry mumbles.
âIt was like the the bloody DMZ in here.â
Harry shrugs. âItâs just y/n being y/n.â
âI saw her a couple weeks ago at M&S,â Harryâs mum continues. âShe didnât look so good I offered her a ride but she said she was waiting for her sister to finish her shift. Dâyou know whatâs going on with her?â
Harry thought about it but couldnât think of a single thing. Y/n kept her cards very close to her chest.
âNo. She doesnât share much.â
âWell do you ask?â
âNo but even if I did she would just shut me out,â Harry suddenly feels defensive.
âItâs still nice to be asked,â his mum says. âKnowing someone cares enough.â
Harry looks at his mum, the words sheâs saying makes sense. But it surprises him to hear them and realize just how much it made sense. How come heâs never realized that?
Maybe he was a shittier friend than he realized.
So Harry gives it a few days and shows up at y/nâs house. This time he knew exactly where to find her.
âYou are?â One of y/nâs brothers answers the door. He was a couple years older than them.
âHarry I uh-is y/n home?â
âMaybe,â his brother continues to scrutinize Harry until he squirms. âWait here.â
He waits for an eternity, sitting down on the stoop while he does. Finally the door opens behind him and y/n joins him on the stoop.
Sheâs in a blue sweater and pyjama pants. Harryâs surprised to see little powerpuff girls all over them. His sister used to watch that Friday evenings.
âWhatâre you doing here?â
âI just want to talk y/n,â Harry had practiced looking her in the eye. Just talking to her like a friend. He looks at her now. âYouâve been icing me out for months now itâs unfair. Sophie told me she told you what we were talking about, how you walked in when it sounded wrong and youâre still mad about it?â
She stares at him for a beat before sighing.
As she exhales she grows smaller in front of him until sheâs drooped over, her arms circle her knees, and her head rests atop themâsheâs the size of a pumpkin.
âIâm not mad at that,â she admits. âSophie explained you didnât mean it like that. I was more offended just at the fact that you two were talking about me. But I didnât realize you two were closeâŠâ
âYeah. Iâm sorry about that-â
âThat,â she cuts him off. âIs mostly why I was upset with you. You made such a big deal that I was hooking up with Rod meanwhile you were banging one of my friends? Behind my back?â
âWe werenât-I wouldnât say bang-â
âDoesnât matter Har!â Y/n sits up again and Harry feels the clouds break for a sec as she uses his nickname. âThat wasnât a great way to find out. Why didnât you tell me?â
Harry didnât know. Or he did: he didnât think him and Soph were going to be more than a one time thing and when it was, he was ashamed a bit. He didnât think he would go to college and have a casual relationship as his first one. It wasnât something he necessarily wanted public knowledge.
âMaybe I was scared. I dunno. I just know Iâm really sorry.â
They sit in silence for a few seconds, Harry hears the hoover turn on in ynâs house.
âWhyâve you got to be so fucking honest for,â y/n finally says with a sigh. âMakes it so hard to be mad at you when youâre all sincere and vulnerable.â
âSorry,â Harry repeats.
âStop it!â YN exclaims.
âFine!â Harryâs heart pounds. âI donât give a fuck about how you felt. Happy?â
Y/n freezes and slowly turns to stare at him. A smile ever so slowly tugs at the corner of her lips. She almost looks proud?
âHarry!â She grins. Then she punches him square in the bicep. Then gasps. âHave you been working out?â
Harry had been; in between class and clubs and dating, he started working out last winter with Rod.
âThereâs a lot you donât know about me y/n,â Harry jokes and y/n snorts. The two look at each other at the sound of it before bursting out in laughter.
âI donât know where that came from!â Y/n says through laughter. âI literally snorted!â
âYou sounded like Peppa Pig,â Harry also has tears in his eyes. He missed hanging out with y/n.
Once they get ahold of their laughter Harry bumps his shoulder into hers. âItâs nice youâre talking to me again.â
She looks like she wants to say something to Harry, her eyes grow intense as she fixes onto him, her chin wobbling, but then it passes. Harry ignores the spark of disappointment.
âYeah weâll see.â She says with a half smile.
All was right in the world again, Harry thought.
He should have known, though, being friends with y/n would never be that simple.
*
TAGLIST: hmu if you want to be added
#writingsfromhome#harry styles x reader#harry styles fic#harry styles#harry styles fanfic#harry styles imagine#fic#harry styles angst#harry styles fluff#college!harry#ya harry styles#enemies to friends#idk#harry stylesxreader#things to learn#harry styles series#how the HELL has it been over a year since part 1#HOW#nerd!harry
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An introduction to myself!
So first things first, Iâm 23 and female (I will not mention my real name, you can call me Luna if you want or just my username lol). Was so unsure to post on here since Iâve created this account three years ago to share my heartbeat. I have also a huge passion of mine - to become a Porsche factory driver in the coming future.
So bear with clips here and there, I do feel weird though doing this to the public but hey, weâre all heart lovers right?
Anyway, reason is to actually just check up on myself every once in awhile and see how my little lady is doing and appreciate her. Iâve struggled with a lot of things in my life with responsibilities to my own health and with this motivation to check up on myself. I definitely need to workout. And since becoming a Porsche factory driver is my dream, as a sim racer, I need to workout anyway because once I get my pedals and foldable rig, I have to workout because my little arms and legs will not bode well after 20 minutes of driving haha. For now Iâm just on a controller.
So with this account made, I must be more aware of myself and even not just physically, but mentally too. Even though this is to the world, seeing others share their heartbeats is a reminder to myself to appreciate how our bodies were made and on how fascinating the human body is and what itâs capabile of. Also with the idea of more self acceptance for myself that I am living and breathing human being with a heartbeat and that itâs okay to fail. This alone will help me go a long way with that mindset for my sim racing as well! Hehe. Sorry. I love my racing. But! Thereâs also something to add on to that.
The dream
Iâve always been the type of girl to love speed. Anything that gets my heart racing (pun intended) I enjoy. The sheer thrill of going over the edge and that is where I found my biggest passion - sports car racing. The adrenaline, the awareness of knowing your putting your body over the edge, the unknown of what will happen when battling against another driver...I love that feeling and racing gives me that feeling and it bugs me everyday knowing that I am currently unable to race due to money, however, that is my dream and I strive to achieve it!
You need to be so fit for and that includes being aware of your breathing and heart rate. But oh to go so fast around a track over 200kmh feeling like everything around you is going by slowly. Heart pounding, breathing heavily, heavy focus on one goal - to win...yes! Give me my Porsche GT3 Cup, GT3 R, and 963! Letâs go!
Two passions intertwined
So since I was a little girl, Iâve also had those rare occasions where I felt my heartbeat. Itâs always interested me feeling the âlub dubâ in my chest. These things just began to intertwine for me and itâs actually perfect because since I love the sense of speed and adrenaline with it, my dream job is to be a cardiothorasic surgeon and that makes a lot of moneyâs worth to get into sports car racing which is definitely expensive as ever! So that will indefinitely support my biggest passion. Two passions in one? Crazy right?! Iâm very excited for my future, despite my personal mental issues, but I am a huge dreamer so thatâs my goal. Iâm trying to work through it!
Iâm aiming to get a stemoscope and a pulse oximeter. I would love to record my little lady working hard during my sim racing sessions! I just need the proper equipment to do it with a chest monitor strap.
Thank you for reading this far if you have. As you can tell I am super passionate about both!
Editing
Fun fact about me, I also do editing! I do photo and video edits and have been doing it for about 8 years. Time has flown by quickly!
The photo above is the Porsche 963 behind the human heart, portraying my passion for Porsche and the strong desire to become their factory driver.
My heart
Iâll try to say some info about my little lady.
She is a strong one with fire in her arteries. After getting an annual medical checkup about a year ago, my doctor remarked that I have a strong heart which was actually comforting to hear from her not gonna lie, knowing that my little lady is a strong and healthy one!
Strong and healthy speaks loudly about my passion for Porsche and racing for them as a factor driver, and thatâs actually really heartwarming thinking about it because of how much of a passionate type person I am so itâs remarkable how she beats so strong and confident! I cherish that.
Cardiophilia intentions
Iâm more on the light hearted (no pun intended) side of the cardiophilia. I just enjoy the functionality of the heart, and being fascinated with it, but I donât mind some dark cardiopheila. It does, however, have limits. A lot of limits.
I have done a fanfic back in 2018 where I guess you could call it more on the dark side, but I do not involve myself physically in any of that, nor do I condone it. Iâll definitely write dark cardiophilia in some sort of form in books which I have in the past, as Iâve mentioned earlier, so anything else, I keep my little lady all out of harms way and treat her nicely. No resus, pressure, or poking. I do breathholds at times though, but other than that, I have one little heart so I must treat her well as she should be treated.
#cardiophilia#intro post#blog intro#cardiophile thoughts#heartbeat#my heart#stethoscope#adrenaline#fast heartbeat#pounding heart#beating heart#cardiophile
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pairing:Â dad!bucky barnes x au pair!reader
warnings:Â age gap (reader is 10 years younger than bucky), smut (18+, dni if under 18)
authorâs note:Â sorry this one is a bit short. i am worrying myself silly until tomorrow.
masterlist
and wouldn't you love to love her?
Bucky didn't know if Y/N wouldn't be back. He had decided to give her space, allow her the time off since she never had any but explaining it to Sadie was, to say the least, complicated. The two year old had decided to live up to the terrible two cliche and between refusing to go to school and kicking any time he tried to bathe her. Whenever she asked when Y/N would be back all Bucky could say was that he did not know and, honestly, that was the truth. The more the days passed by and her viva examination got closer, he was starting to believe more and more that maybe she just wasn't coming back at all. I like you just the way you are, what ever happened to Hey Y/N, would you like to go for some coffee? No, he just had to be upfront about it.
As if Sadie living up to her prophecy wasn't enough, Christopher was equally on him blabbing and wondering about Y/N. He could only tlel him so much before Chris charted a jet to Ohio and he was certain Y/N would hate that more than what he told her.
Bucky was in the middle of dealing with Sadie screaming bloody murder about the pancakes not having chocolate chips when he heard the front door close. At this point, if someone came to shoot him in the head he wouldn't mind. However, it turned out to be a much pleasant sight dressed in a professional black dress.
   - Why is she crying? - Y/N drapped her coat over the chair.
   - There's no chocolate chips. - Bucky sighed both of relief that Y/N was here and of tiredness.
   - Sadie Barnes, you either eat your pancakes or there will be no TV, no tablet, no toys, no Etch-a-Sketch and definitely no Bluey, Disney + or any other streaming service your dad may be paying for. Your choice.
The redhead stared at Y/N before starting to eat her pancakes. That's it, Y/N was a witch. She had to be a witch. That's it. She was a witch, a very pretty witch who looked way too polished to have come out of an Ohio farm, but a witch.
   - How were the cows?
   - Pardon?
   - Your parents. You went to see your parents right? They live in a farm in Ohio?
   - Yeah. They were ok. Apparently mum has named them Rose, Sophia, Dorothy, and Blanche much to dad's dismay.
   - Like the Golden Girls. - he chuckled. - So, your viva is today.
   - Don't remind me. It's like walking into a slaughter house and then being denied being called a doctor. They should decapitate me, put my head on a spike, and parade me around Columbia as the massive disappointment.
   - What's decapitate? - Sadie asked.
   - It's the capital. - Bucky said not wanting to traumatise his two year old with the scenario Y/N had just described. - Go wash your hands and get your backpack, bug.
Sadie nodded but not before going over to hug Y/N's leg. Y/N ruffled her head before sending her along to wash her hands. Bucky got to making Y/N a plate, patting the chair next to him. She smiled at him before taking a seat and cutting a bit of the pancake. She stopped chewing, looking at him with a forced smile.
   - Good?
   - Buck, why are they salty? - she put a napkin in front of her mouth to spit out the pancake.
   - They're not salty. - Bucky took a forkful from her plate to try it himself.
   - We've had this discussion, Buck. Salt is in the black pot and sugar in the white one.
   - I'm gonna be a mess when you quit. - he pushed the plate away from her. - Speaking of which, I would like if you interviewed your future replacement. I trust you to pick the right person.
   - Most likely you won't need a replacement because I'm failing my viva today.
   - You are not. - Bucky put his hand on her shoulder. - You are smart, Baudelaire.
   - Baudelaire?
   - Do the scary thing first. Get scared latter.
(...)
Bucky drove Y/N down to Columbia, ensuring she got there safe and ready for her VIVA before driving down to take Sadie to school. Y/N swallowed in empty, merely staring at the hallowed halls of a building which had many notable alumni and she was now hoping she would be one. The VIVA was intense to say less and as she came out of the room, she was sweating buckets and wanting to be as far away from the building as possible.
   - Y/N! - shit. Shit, shit, shit, she'd forgotten he existed. What ever happened to men taking a hint?
   - Chris. - she turned around with a fake smile. - What are you doing here?
   - Anderson told me it was your VIVA today, I wanted to come see you. I haven't seen you in a while and Barnes said you were on holiday.
   - I thought after our last chat you wouldn't want to talk to me, Christopher.
   - It was a hurdle, Y/N. - he got closer to her. - Listen, I understand it was rough of me to attack your job like that but you have to understand it's because I care for you and that job is beneath you.
   - No job is beneath anyone, Christopher. You think that silver spoon mouthed talk is gonna make me forget you basically insulted me, my boss and the child I look after?
   - You have a Bachelors and a Masters, Y/N. You should be working internships, assistant positions to help you build your curriculum, not being a silver spoon mouthed man's child's babysitter.
   - That's all fine when you can afford to work a non paid position, Christopher.
   - I care about you, Y/N.
   - But I don't love you.
   - I don't expect you to love me yet, we haven't been seeing each other for too long and if we ...
   - Christopher. - she interrupted him. - I love someone else. It's not gonna stop.
(...)
Y/N dragged herself home. It was now a week, a week long of worrying wether she passed or not. She guessed it was better than having to do it again, heck she hoped she wouldn't have to do it again. She opened the door and heard mumbling with all the lights being off. She moved to turn the lights on, coming face to face with a home made sign and Sadie yelling surprise.
   - What is this? - she smiled, leaning down to pick Sadie up.
   - You're done, it's a party. - Bucky chuckled, pointing to the sign. - We have reservations in about 3 hours. Bought an ice cream cake and Sadie made you a card.
   - You shouldn't have done this.
   - What? After 3 years and a half of you moaning and whining over psychology, you need a nice night out.
   - You do know she'll start crying at around 10.
   - That's why we have dinner reservations at 6.30 and once she's in bed, I will allow you full control of the television. How does that sound?
   - I may not pass.
   - You got this far. You deserve a celebration just for you.
taglist: @talesofadragon @themermaidscales82 @winters1917 @vladsgirlxx @stinkerbelle007 @maybefoxysouls @blackwood-bodecker-housewife @chipilerendi @kandis-mom @belennasif @abitofblues @buckybarnessimpp
#sebastian stan#sebastian stan x reader#sebastian stan/reader#sebastian stan imagine#sebastian stan x y/n#sebastian stan/you#sebastian stan x you#sebastian stan/y/n#bucky barnes#bucky imagine#bucky#bucky x reader#bucky/reader#bucky x y/n#bucky/y/n#bucky x you#bucky/you
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ANON THIS HURT ME SO BAD AND I COULDNT HELP MYSELF FROM RAMBLING IM SORRY!! god im wailing so much like i literally was bug eyed staring at ur ask bc OW???
Doesn't feel good to have angst suddenly thrust upon you now, does it? I read too much of your writings, so it wasn't really a surprise the "how can I make this worse" train came when I was reminded of the ghoap x reader blurb.
Also, NEVER feel bad from rambling! Ramblings are awesome. This one shot was so good đ
- the anon who sent the angsty ghoap x reader thot
HELLO đ
why would u turn it against me? i should be the deliverer of angst, not the receiver >c<
im glad that u liked the lil blurb <333 i got too much into writing soapâs push-and-pull between accepting simon and feeling like heâs betrayed reader (also isnât it a kick to reader that soap knows? that all three of them, actually, know why simonâs icing reader out. which makes it worse because simon doesnât know reader likes him!! AND ITS A MESS AND I LOVE IT) that i didnât get to build simonâs flaunting
because of you đ«”đŒ i might just keep writing this i dunnooer
but yea teehee thank u sm for indulging me <33 take care my love mwah!
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"Dracula Flow" Sentence Starters
Sentence starters taken from plummcorp records' Dracula Flow series, entries 1-5. TW for profanity, drugs and alcohol, parental neglect, and sexual references. Change pronouns and tenses as necessary, and enjoy!
"This shit ain't nothin' to me, man."
"I had to do it to them, snipe."
"I'm not loyal to anybody, I'm a demon!"
"I have no loyalty for anyone, never did, never will."
"Shorty chose to be with a demon, sounds like her problem to me!"
"I have no sympathy, I live for this shit."
"Yeah, we gettin' that Pirate Bay, alien shishkebab, cordyceps money!"
"I hope them aliens are real, so that I have more things to fuck!"
"I just popped a whole garbanzo bean, fuck you mean?"
"I'm him, I been him, I will continue to be him."
They thought they could stop a demon, I'm back!"
"The zaza got me speakin' Esperanto."
"I don't even know who I am anymore, I'm gettin' too much money."
"Can you remind me who I am?"
"Get the president on the phone now, I fronted him a brick, I need my money."
"I'm moving different."
"They must have amnesia, they forgot that I'm him."
"I'm on them Broward County Tic-Tacs!"
"I don't give a fuck if I go blind, I don't need to see the price tag anyways!"
'"We're smokin' filtered crack, you stupid piece of shit!"
"I'll fuckin' kill you!"
"Call that pussy The Matrix, because I'm in this bitch and I can't get out."
"There are consequences to your crimes against Dracula!"
"I threw diamonds at the strip clubs under the Great Pyramids!"
"Tied the ops to the back of a Trackhawk and dragged 'em around the block for 24-hours."
"Motherfucker looked like a Resident Evil 5 campaign extra after we was done with him!"
"These cops are interrogating me about an ounce of weed, as if I didn't kill an Applebee's hostess two miles away."
"Reach for my neck, you'll get turned into an example!"
"I have seen the Magna Carta, I've seen the Eye of Horus, I was flippin' bricks for Mansa Musa before y'all even became a type-1 civilization!"
"They needed a stealth soldier, so I put my hands on the hibachi hot plate at Benihana and burned my fuckin fingerprints off. They will NOT find me."
"If I had a dollar for every time they said I gave a shit, I'd be broke, 'cause I don't give a shit!"
"How can I be homophobic? I blew his fucking brains out!"
"This Luger will send a Christian to Hell."
"I have no morals or belief system."
"I have no spirituality or anything that gives my life meaning or structure."
"They ask me to shoot, I do it!"
"I have no character."
"I fuck like it's for survival."
"I'm so violent and sick in the head, I can't tell if I want to kill my ops or fuck 'em!"
"Got a ruptured eardrum from having my ear to the streets for so fucking long."
"On a full moon, I'll fuck anything!"
"I'm a street creature."
"The weed will have you in purgatory, screaming for eternity."
"You will relive every key mistake you've ever made in your life, over and over and over again"
"They told me I wouldn't shake the city, so I shook that shit like a crying toddler."
"I'm a product of the gutter."
"The bugs are back."
"The worms in my head won't shut the hell up."
"They're telling me to go absolutely fucking stupid on 'em."
"I don't even need to brandish the nine!"
"Threw the opp into the particle collider, watched his ass get pulled apart into a million pieces."
"Turned his sorry ass into some data."
"I don't wanna kill them, shut up! I don't wanna kill anybody!"
"I ain't gon' lie, I'm kind of feeling myself right now, gang."
"I come from a low frequency environment, and I've only used cash my entire life."
"The only time I ever held a card was when I borrowed my cousin's Bank of America debit card to slice open a funnel cake at the county fair."
"I got the kids ears pierced at two years old and she already knows what Red Bull tastes like!"
"I even wore my nice 8 Ball jean jacket to the last court hearing!"
"I've been fully consumed by hatred, jealousy and lust."
"I can't help but get thrown into a violent trance at the slightest hint of criticism or pushback."
"My impulsive nature causes conflict at any given time."
"I wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."
"I got to where I am today through violence."
"I have no backbone, I'm loyal to whoever pays the most."
"My character is so flawed, the only time I ever stood 10 toes on anything, was on the opp's throat."
Cops wanna detain me for aggressively hitting the claw machine.
I'm trying to explain to him that we are all just atoms so he might as well let me go."
"You can't even imagine what the fuck I've been through."
"Humans will never understand their true abilities."
"Why the fuck did we kill off the Neanderthals? Those idiots could have easily worked construction and doubled our profits."
"The day I go broke will be the day hell freezes over!"
"Get your bitch ass up before I slap the dog shit out of you!"
"I can feel the fungi munching on my brain."
"The only time I feel something is when I look."
"I'm a fucking junkie cannibal, all I wanna do is sip mud and eat my ops."
#rp meme#askbox meme#inbox meme#roleplay meme#rp memes#ask box meme#ask meme#starter sentences#sentence starters#starter prompt#dracula flow#death tw#drugs tw#sex tw#ask to tag#nsft tw
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Hiya idk if your request are still open but can I please request the ninja X male reader headcanons for the ninja being little spoons during cuddles
Cuddle Bugs | Ninja X Male Reader
HEYO ANON!! ty for this request, this was so cute! loved the idea. sorry they seem rushed and short, i'm not amazing with detail lmaoo. lloyd's is my favorite by far lol.
KAI â
"Y/NNNNN~" Kai voice caught your attention. Poking your head up from your phone screen as you sat comfortably on your bed sheets, Kai entered your room.
He was bruised and his hair was a mess. Now you know he's out of it because he would never leave his hair a mess like that and walk around like he owned the place.
"Kai?" You smiled to your boyfriend as he followed the door slam shit. He leaned his forehead against the door and stood there for about 10 seconds. You smiled as you watched it all.
Suddenly he leaned back and made his way toward you, ever so slowly.
"Baby?" You called. He made a hum noise as he landed basically on top of you, causing you to let out a laugh as he got comfortable on you.
"You're warm~" He mummered into your chest, gripping your shirt and basically suffocating himself into your chest. You threw your head back and laughed.
"Long day?" You asked after seconds of silence. You could feel his head nod into your chest.
You wrapped your leg around his, trapping you both in a tangled cuddle. You kissed the top of his head gently as he relaxed in yout touch, soon falling asleep.
JAY â
You didn't even get a warning, not even a tap on the shoulder. You were tackled to the bed in Jay's room while you were trying just grab one of comic's to give back to Lloyd, but nope, here you were pinned to Jay's bed with him hugging you like his life depended on it.
You screamed at the sudden tackle, but once you reached the bed you noticed Jay had his face buried into your neck.
Now you knew your boyfriend loved his daily dose o cuddles, I mean how could you not, he's on you everyday. However, he made this feel different somehow.
It looked like he just died on top of you, "Jay?" you questioned yur boyfriend who mummble something into your neck, tickling you a little.
You giggled at his response and bend your neck to the side to see if he'll move, but he only followed in suite.
"Jaahay!" You chuckled, his face tickling you still. You felt his lips give your neck a few kisses before he leaned up and looked down at you.
"Sorry, You just remind me so much like my pillow. I couldn't help myself but just make myself comfortable, cutie."
You rolled your eyes, "Sorry, but I'm not your kissing pillow."
"Shut up." He mumbled into your neck again, wrapping his legs around your wasit, clinging onto you like a koala.
"Cuddle Bug." You chuckled, closing your eyes noticing Jay fell asleep on you, again.
COLE â
"Okay, Papa Bear, get off me, I gotta use the bathroom." This only reponsed with Cole squeezing you harder as he had you in a cuddle trap.
You playfully smack his back to see if that will get him to move, but, "Thahat feels good," You scoffed and laid back down in defeat. Cole had you in a position on the bed making him cuddle all up in your arms so you couldn't move unless he moved.
"Dude, I'm gonna pee my fucking pahants!" You laughed as you tried to push your boyfriend off, but to no avail.
"Not my problem."
"Well, Ill make it your problem by pissing all over the bed," Cole gave you a 'fuck you' look as he whined into your chest soon after and rolled off of you and back onto the matress.
You thanked the First Spintijzu Master as you got off the bed, "When you get back I excpet twice as more cuddles then I gave you."
"You'll just have to come and get me, Cuddle Bug." And you left to use the bathroom, not expecting a chase as soon as you came out.
ZANE â
"Did you activate a switch causing you do this, hun?" You asked your Nindroid boyfriend who was cuddle against you comfortably. You had your arms wrapped around his neck as his legs were tangled with yours, both of your foreheads touching.
"I just really, really, missed you." Was his only reply as you chuckled.
"So, how was your day?" You asked, thinking to strike uo a conversation in order to keep it not so quiet.
"Horrible until I fell into your arms."
"Who the fuck taught you that? Was it Kai, I bet 10$ it ws Kai-"
"Y/N" Zane cuts you off by grabbing your cheek, "Just enjoy the moment. You and I both need this right now."
You felt your cheeks turn red as he rubbed your chest, causing you to somewhat relax.
You smiled softly, kissing the top of his head. "Sure thing, hun."
LLOYD â
"You smell good," Lloyd said after a moment of silence. He was in your arms, refusing to ever let go, well, not at least for a good while. "Really? Like what?" You replied, stroking your boyfriend's hair. He thought for a moment,
"Butter."
"Butter?" You laughed at the random answer Lloyd had gave you. He nods into your chest. "Why butter? What, do I smell like cheese?"
"I just loove butter." Lloyd spoke quiety, tighting his grip around you like he was hanging off the edge of a cliff.
You laughed at Lloyds state, "Man, you sound drunk." You cupped his cheeks to look at you. His eyes were droppy like he was just falling asleep. You sniffed him and smiled, "You smell like butter," and stuck your tounge out at him.
Lloyd smiled, "I guess we both smell like cheese," and his head was back into your chest.
You laughed for a short while before hearing small snores escape Lloyd.
You went back to stroking his hair before falling asleep yourself.
#lego ninjago#ninjago#lego ninjago x reader#ninjago x reader#male reader#ninjago cole#ninjago kai#ninjago jay#ninjago zane#ninjago lloyd#ninjago nya#x reader#headcanons#imagines#ninjago imagines#colesluvr writes â
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