#tears in eyes clutching at clothes clinging 2 each other with the intention of never letting go etc etc the whole 9

[hinamie]

...........slips gege ¥2000

[lubdubsworld]

Better Man .

~~~~~~~~~~I wish I could forget, when it was magic~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taehyung x Oc 

Rated 18 +

Post Divorce, Getting Back Together, Second chances, Angst.

 Chapter 1    Chapter 2   Chapter 3 

Chapter 4

How do you know you’re ready for kids? 

Is it after you’re financially stable enough? After you’ve partied enough? Got all the wildness inside you tamed? After you’ve grown sick of the freedom that comes with youth and what it implies ?  after you’ve grown tired of empty conversations that lead nowhere? sharing ubers with people you barely like because you’re too drunk to drive? When you just crave the comfort of people you truly love instead of strangers who grind up on you ? Or perhaps   when you start preferring silence in the evenings to the thrumming bass in some dingy nightclub? 

None of these really. 

The truth is you’re never ready. 

Hoshi had been planned. Taehyung and I had done our homework, studied everything from my ovulation cycle to the entire catalogue of some expensive breast pump , new in the market . Everything had been researched and planned and perfected : the wood the crib would be made of, the color he wallpaper in the nursery would be and the kind of diapers and wipes we would use. 

But it still threw us for a loop....how unpredictable he was.

How unpredictable the pregnancy was. 

What I wanted : Home birth. Mid wife . Taehyung by my side holding my hand.

What i got : Preeclampsia, a baby born six weeks early, Taehyung frantic on the phone in the middle of the night as he took his private jet from Japan where he was shooting a commercial. The pain of being induced into a labor that lasted for 16 hours only for my body to give up half way through. 

A c section that left a scar and numbness that hadn’t faded even now , after four whole years. three weeks in the NICU....tears and terror after learning that the  baby in the incubator right next to Hoshi’s didn’t make it. Aching to hold my son but being forced to stare at him through the glass, wires and tubes wrapped around his tiny torso. 

And through it all, Taehyung. 

Stronger than I had ever seen him. Calm and collected as he watched me pump milk for our baby, barely managing a few measly drops of it after thirty minutes of trying . His arms around me, holding me up as I tried to fight the sheer agony that came from my stitches, tried to stay conscious for the baby. Watching him carefully pour the milk into a sterile bottle to take down to the NICU . 

Falling in love with him, over and over and over again throughout the day as he did  everything for me. 

Hoshi was loved and cherished , not just because he was an expression of our love for each other. 

But a reminder of Taehyung’s love for  me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ He’s growing out of all his clothes. I’m going to take him shopping tomorrow.”  Taehyung commented, watching Hoshi get on his tippy toes to point out the pastry he wanted from the display case, while a star struck cashier stared at Taehyung . 

Taehyung’s body guards were right near the table and while a crowd of people stood outside, none of them came too close. I was used to the attention that came with Taehyung and his celebrity status. 

“That’s a good idea. I have a couple of meetings tomorrow regarding the Christmas campaign and I may not be able to make it on the weekedn either. Is it okay if I pick him on monday evening?” I asked, cutting into the blueberry scon on my plate.

“How about I drop him off at your office. Save you the trip.” 

I hesitated, before nodding. 

“I spoke to the lawyer....she told me the papers should be processed by the end of next month. My company will make a formal announcement from both of us and we’ll say we don’t intend to answer any other media questions.”

I stared at him, watching his face carefully for something different. A sign that would explain what had changed between us because something had. I was sure of it. 

“ Why now, Taehyung?” I asked softly. 

He held my gaze for a second, eyes warm and honest. Taehyung could hide his emotions well, but his eyes always told the truth. 

“Because I’ve strung you along long enough. You deserve to be free.” He said finally.

I swallowed, looking down. 

“I ....you didn’t string me along.” I shook my head.

“I think you deserve to be loved right, without the shadow of my failures hanging over you. I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life in a limbo because of one wrong choice.”

Wrong choice. 

Whose ?

His? When he chose to drink That night?

Or mine? When I chose to walk out?

Or the both of us? For handling the fallout so badly? 

I had so many questions but I didn’t say anything. 

They were question that had no answers. 

“So we move on.” I stared at him intently.

“I will always love you. I will always be there for you.” He smiled, eyes glinting a little. 

i watched him, the familiar body. He had been my first. My best. Taehyung’s body was as familiar to me as my own and I wanted to hug him, hold him close and press kisses to his lips again. It wasn’t emotional or even sexual it was just...this urge to let him know that he was loved too. that he was adored. That he would always be loved.

“But, “ he went on, “  yes. Its been two years.... so.... we should move on. Meet other people. ” 

“Fall in love again ?” I didn’t mean to sound bitter but my tone certainly was. He gave me a very tired smile and I felt guilt bubble up inside me. 

“I’m not going to be that greedy, Mia.  I will settle for just feeling a little less alone.” He looked away and my throat closed up. 

He stood up, moving to the counter to pay for the treats that Hoshi had chosen. 

And that was it. 

I watched the small tendrils of warmth, rising up from my coffee, gossamer strips of smoke mingling in the cold air and melting into nothingness. 

Here one second gone the next.

Just like my marriage. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a little past seven when I reached my apartment, my phone ringing just as I dropped my coat and unwrapped the scarf from around my neck. I moved quickly to the bedroom, pulling my phone out of my handbag. 

I picked the call, switching it to speaker before tossing my phone on the bed. 

“Hello?”

“Jang Mi...its Jungkook. You ready?”

I swore, stripping out of my clothes quickly, fumbling with my bra and yanking my panties down.

“I’m just about to shower.  Five me ten minutes!” 

He didn’t reply and I frowned.

“Jungkook??” i called opening the closet to grab a hairband and shower cap. 

“When you say you’re just about to shower...are you actually in the shower?” His voice  sounded a little deeper than usual. Weird. 

“What?” I was completely confused.

“Like are you naked in-”

Oh Christ. 

I rolled my eyes, hanging up quickly. Sleeping with Jungkook, while extremely pleasurable had definitely been a little too much too soon. It made him take too many liberties, ones I wasn’t particularly comfortable giving him yet. 

But I liked him. 

He was, at the end of the day a nice guy. 

A nice guy who had an actual interest in me. Those were rare to come by. 

It was another fifteen minutes before I was ready, choosing a plain black jumpsuit in a flowy georgette material. It had nice flowy sleeves and i added gold jewelry at my wrists and earrings, just for a little bling. I stared at the dress at all angles. It definitely hugged my curves right but was also impossibly hard to take off. 

So even if I got swayed by his good looks and made bad choices ,  by the time Jungkook undressed me , i would be able to come to my senses and stop myself from having sex with him again. 

Groaning at myself, I grabbed the small black jeweled clutch from inside my dresser, slipping my phone in.

I steered clear of make up, choosing just a deep red lipstick. 

The knock on the door came just as i finished slipping into black pumps . 

I opened the door , only to have a dozen red roses thrust into my hands. 

“Wow.” I whispered, glancing at him. He looked extra handsome, a blood red shirt clinging to his torso, a think black tie knotted at his neck. He gave me a devilish wink, eyes flitting all over me , licking his lips. 

i tamped down the urge to back away, reminding myself that I was supposed to be moving on. Even if it wasn’t with Jungkook, he had asked me out on a date and I had agreed. I would enjoy myself tonight. 

“Gorgeous. Ready?”

“Let me just put these in water...” I smiled at him, placing the stems into the cut glass decanter on the nearest table. I emptied the small bottle of water nearby into it , bending over to fix the petals when I felt him press right up against me. 

Startling, i nearly spilled the water all over the floor, breath catching when his chest met my back . I felt myself trembling a bit because of how warm he felt, even with the inches between us and I could smell him, the subtle cologne that handsome men wear , just to drive women crazy. 

The urge to lean into his body was so strong I had to clench my fists. Apparently,  my body was  very much on board with moving on even if my heart wasn’t. Jungkook made things worse by moaning into my ear, chin resting on my shoulder as he lightly gripped my waist, before reaching over with other hand, plucking one scarlet bloom from the bunch  

I swallowed as he wrapped both arms around me in a backhug , holding the bloom up in front of my face. 

“Do you like the scent of it?” His lips brushed my ear and I grinned. I hadn’t been flirted with , like this in years. I bent my head to lightly breath in the air near the bloom, enjoying the subtle scent. “It’s lovely.” I said honestly. 

He  casually broke the stem off, a couple of inches from the where the petals began. 

“Turn around for me “ Jungkook whispered in my ear again. I turned around quickly, my lips inches from his, refusing to back away, staring right at him. He smirked, bringing the flower up to the small upknot on the side of my head. 

I stayed still as he carefully pulled a single bobby pin out, sticking the stem into my hair before casually using his teeth to pry open the pin again and slotting it into my hair, pinning the flower in place. 

Apparently, watching Jungkook pin a rose into my hair was winning brownie points for him in my brain, because my entire body went warm , my heart beating faster. 

“I’m scared to ask why you’re so good at this...” I smiled and he raised an eyebrow.

“I have a daughter remember? Its a lot of ribbons and bows and pins.” He grinned. 

The idea that Jungkook did his daughter’s hair for her, with ribbons and flowers was so ridiculously endearing I wanted to coo. 

“There. Now we match.... A little.” he smiled. 

I stared at him, the black tie on his red shirt and the red rose against my black dress. 

“Smart. “ I nodded. 

“Shall we leave?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I had fun tonight.” Jungkook hesitated . 

The night had been so much more fun than I’d anticipated. Jungkook somehow convincing me to party crash someone’s engagement party near the pool with an open bar and ridiculous ninety’s party music. But I’d danced to my heart’s content, my hair coming undone half way through and I was only a little upset that I’d lost the red rose in the middle of people.

“I had a lot of fun too Jungkook’ah..” I smiled, honest . 

“We should do this again. Since we never got to actually talk. It was just you getting progressively drunk and dancing like you wanted to pee.” He teased and I pouted. 

I reached out and pressed a palm to his face...his skin smooth under my skin and I felt myself swaying just a little, lethargic and a little aroused from the scent of him.

“Wanna get another drink?” And then because I was completely gone and had no filter, “ If you come inside....maybe I’ll let you cum inside. if you know what I mean.....” I drawled, waggling my eyebrows. 

Jungkook’s face morphed into one of absolute shock, lips parted and then he laughed so hard he choked, coughing. 

“Wow. You  are  drunk.” He shook his head, looking amused. “ How about this.... I’ll come in and tuck you into bed and if you drink a couple of glasses of water for me, I will not tease you about this tomorrow.” He offered. 

I pouted. 

“You don’t wanna come inside...?”

“Oh baby , you have no idea how bad I wanna come inside.....but not like this” He brushed the hair off my brow, kissing my forehead...” Ask me again when you’re sober and we’ll work something out. Now let’s get you into bed.” 

I groaned as he dragged me into the bedroom. 

The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!~

Author’s note : Not me falling in love with the second lead in my own story ugh.  He’s gonna get a separate story. I’m gonna write a whole entire fic for CFO! Jungkook , adorable single dad of cute little girl. 

I don’t have a tag list for this fic so please do let me know if you want to be tagged !!! 

[zombiesbecrazy]

2 or 11 for the hug meme, for Dick, please, if either of those inspire you ;)

Dick’s batons slipped from his fingers and landed on the ground with a clatter.

He had thought that he had seen her on the other side of the field, along with the reinforcements that Hal had brought in, but there hadn’t been time to really process it then, not when the gates to Apokalips had opened up and Darkseid’s warriors had been pouring through, wave after wave.

Now was a different story.

“Donna?” His voice was hoarse and his mouth was dry, words shaking slightly as they came out and he wasn’t sure that she had heard him because he had scarcely made a noise. But as always, she had, pausing mid-step and then turned slowly, hair in her face and practically glowing in post fight adrenaline.

It had been forever and a day since he had seen her like that. Or at all.

When had been the last time that he had seen her? It had been months, on a mission with the new Titans team dealing with the source wall madness. Then he had gone home to Gotham to help Bruce out while he was on jury duty and then…

He hadn’t made it back.

He almost hadn’t made it.

After the fake memories that the Court of Owls had placed in his head had been purged, when he was back to being himself again, it had been simpler to start with picking up the pieces of his Gotham and Bludhaven life first. So many people in one spot and even though it was always chaotic, it was a familiar chaos and fit like an old sweater.

He hadn’t told his family when it happened, that he had his memories back, that he was Dick again. The look of surprise on Bruce’s face when he had strolled up to the Manor front door, let himself in and started explaining why Ewoks were the true heroes of Star Wars out of nowhere was priceless and was going to be impossible to erase from his memories no matter how many bullets he took to the head or who the cults were that brain washed him in the future.

The crushing hug that had followed had been pretty good too.

There was a lot to that he had missed. Where years had disappeared from his life before, now that his original memories were back and he was himself again, Dick was yet again playing catch up on his own life. Months had passed while he was hiding from his friends and family, striking out of his own as Ric, and there had been so much that he had missed or had chosen to ignore.

It was so good to be back, and while it was overwhelming, reuniting with his family was fantastic, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was hiding something from him. Something bad and dark had happened that he didn’t know about and it was obvious they were going to pretend it hadn’t happened until the last possible moment. He could have dug into it himself but part of him was grasping tight onto the blissful peace of ignorance. Whatever it was, it was awful and he was okay being in denial, if only for a little bit longer.

It ended up being Jason who had to break to him and even then it hadn’t been intentional.

They had met up at a pub away from the rest of the family. Jason caught him up about his ownership of the Iceberg Lounge, his accidental acquisition of some super powered youths as part of Luthor’s strange scheme and then showed him about thirty pictures of his new dog over burgers, fries and a pitcher of cheap beer.

“It’s not my dog, Dickface. She just follows me around.”

“Sure,” Dick said with a straight face, as if Jason hadn’t just told him about why definitely-not-Jason’s-dog preferred blue tennis balls over green. “What’s Roy say about all this? He’s always been more of a cat person. He can’t be thrilled about your new four legged sidekick.”

“What are you…” Jason froze part way to raising a fry to his mouth, first confusion and then realization crossing over his face. “No one told you.”

“Told me what?”

“Shit.” Jason’s face dropped and he suddenly became overly interested in his cutlery on the table rather than looking at Dick. “This shouldn’t be coming from me. Bruce or Barbara or anyone else but me. I’m sorry, Dick.”

Jason told him the story the best that he could in starts and stops and awkward pauses. It was obvious that he didn’t know all the details, but what he did know was like someone had ripped Dick’s heart out and shown it to him before shoving it back in his chest just to make sure that it kept beating. Roy was dead. Gnaark and La’Gann and others were gone too and somehow Wally had done it accidentally and had then vanished from Iron Heights while awaiting trial. No one had seen him since.

Dick bolted, leaving Jason with the bill and probably more regret than he deserved.

Dick wasn’t proud of it but he had retreated back to Bludhavan for a week after that night. He locked himself away in his apartment, going through boxes that he had that had been stored after Titan’s Tower had been shut down. One of the boxes had pictures of the five of them, young and less young, smiling and laughing with their arms wrapped around each other. In another he found an assortment of clothes, none of which actually belonged to him; just things that had been tossed in a box randomly in the rush to leave that he had planned on sorting out later. Donna’s favourite navy blue hoodie. A shirt that Roy had worn until it was worn with holes. Garth’s scarf from his first attempt at knitting. A pair of pyjama bottoms with lightning bolts all over them that had to be Wally’s.

The glass in his hand smashed against the wall before Dick even realised he had picked it up. A few more followed.

Dick couldn’t understand how they were just gone and he hadn’t even been able to grieve properly about it and now it almost felt too late somehow.

The broken glassware and screaming didn’t do much.

Putting on all of his friends discarded clothes helped a little, but it wasn’t right either.

He ended up doing what he always did and threw himself back into his work, trying to what he could to help others while ignoring his own pain, when the war had started in DC with the portal swallowing up where the White House used to be, with monster after monster breaching into their planet. Dick was one of the first to show up, the front line of defense. He just got his world back and he wasn’t going to sit back and let some interdimensional aliens take it away from him.

Now as the dust was settling, the air smelled like the remnants of parademons and a city had been destroyed, Dick’s attention was only on one thing, one person among a field of heroes and wreckage.

“Dick?”

Donna dropped her sword and ran at him, stopping short right in front of him, staring at his face like she was worried that he would vanish into smoke before her eyes, dreaming and too impossible to believe that he was really there. Dick reached out and squeezed her hand, jolting her out of her trance.

“Garth and I. We thought we were it.” Her eyes were welling with tears, and she placed her hand on his cheek, thumb tracing the outline of his mask carefully. “You’re you again. We got you back. I didn’t think I was going to get any of you back this time.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I could ha-”

“Shut up and hug me, Boy Wonder.” Despite her words she was the one who made the first move, pulling him into her. Clinging to her, his fingers clutching to her back, wrapped in her hair, and he felt one of her earrings digging into his face. He could feel her hold on him, strong but compassionate in a way that only an Amazon could hug.

A sob escaped him unexpectedly but as soon as it did the floodgates opened and for the first time since Dick had been back, he let go completely, collapsing into Donna’s arms in a mess of tears.

His grief may be late for some, but it never would be too late here. Not with her.

Hug Drabble Prompt List

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A Deep and Rapid River, Ch. 2

<- Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 ->

Summary: The next morning, the monster you slept with is an emotional mess. Apparently, if you like him, there must be something wrong with you. (ehhh arguably true tho??) 

You wake up on the forest floor to the sound of cheerful birdsong, a large woolen cloak spread beneath you. Frost traces the edges of leaves and petals, the last remnants of an early spring night. The dying embers of the once-hot campfire are fighting a losing battle against the damp chill invading your clothes—yet the warm body at your back, with its giant arms wrapped around your waist, you keeps you from feeling cold.

When you roll over to wish him good morning, the he tries to hide his face from you, alarming you as he twists and jerks away.

"What's the matter?" you gasp.

"Don’t… Do not look upon me," he pleads, raising a hand to obscure your view of him.

You try to reassure him that you’ve already seen his face, but he only pulls away further.

“Firelight may soften even the most hideous of features. The full extent of my deformity, exposed by the day’s harsh light, will not be so easy to forgive. Even I tremble at my own reflection—to your eyes, I will be intolerable. You will realize the mistake you have made… and...” his voice breaks. “I don’t want you to go.”

“I won’t go,” you promise, throwing your arms around him. You nuzzle his neck, peppering him with soft kisses, until he allows you to lift his face to yours. “There you are,” you smile. He looks at you with bated breath, waiting for you to scream. You kiss him.

"Oh," he breathes. He kisses you back. When you don't resist, he relaxes into it, smiling against your lips. "You're not scared of me." He begins to laugh a soft, joyful laugh. His shoulders begin to quake. He weeps freely, clinging to you tightly with his powerful arms, holding just shy of the strength he remembers might hurt you.

Then he laughs with delight again, then sobs, then laughs again, howling like a man gone mad. You hold him through each surge of emotion, rubbing circles over his broad back, until his mood switches precipitously to anger.

“Why aren't you afraid of me?” he says more as an accusation than question. “Why do you care whether I should live or die?”

“Be-because you saved me? Why ought I be afraid?” you ask, your heart noticeably beating faster.

“Because I am an abomination!” he screams. Leaping to his feet, he begins to pace like a caged tiger, gesticulating wildly. “You’ve yet to grasp what I’ve done to you by sharing your company. I AM A REPULSIVE THING! How can you even bear to touch me? Unless—of course!—you, too, are a monster.”

“What?”

“What sort of devil are you?” he growls. “To consort so willingly with a fiend, you must be wicked,” he towers over you, jabbing an accusing finger at your face. “An angel would never keep company with a beast. No, you must be a demon!”

Your heartbeat races, every sense in your body urging you to run away. For all he had seemed benevolent and pitiable until this moment, you didn’t know him, or how violent his fluctuating moods could become. His face contorted in anger, he did seem monstrous.

Cowering, you try to back up a few steps, but he grabs your shoulder. Instinctively, you slap him hard across the face. He rears back—for a moment you brace for his retaliation, but instead, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, clutching the side of his face, he whimpers. “You struck me.”

“Yeah! I did! You were acting crazy!” you shout.

“It stung!”

“You were scaring me! My limbs still shake; I thought you might have killed me.”

“Kill you?” His brows fly up, and for a moment he’s desperate to reassure you. “I wouldn’t—not ever!” Voice hardening again, he adds, “How quick of you to take me for a murderer.”

“Well, I don’t know! How would I know that? I’ve barely met you.”

“B-because! I… I’ve never hurt anybody. For that matter, how am I to know you don’t intend to kill me? Every human being I have met has attacked or fled me—how do I know you are not a baited hook, sent to lure me, love-blind, into some trap?”

“I came to help you; do I seem capable of such treachery?”

“I don’t know!”

You stare each other down, huffing with agitation. He has craned over you so far, and you have puffed up onto your toes so tall that your foreheads are nearly touching.

You can’t help getting lost in his eyes, whose unnatural yellow color give him a demonic seeming. The texture of his his skin is too thin, like tissue paper that had been crumpled, then pressed flat again over the muscles of his face; through its sickly pallor, the inner workings of purple veins are much too visible. You think he’s beautiful.

He notices your gaze, and quickly turns his face away, letting his hair hide it.

“I don’t understand how you can look at me like that, when I cannot even bear to look upon myself. Who are you? Surely… surely you have come to kill me.”

“Do you really trust me so little?” you ask quietly. “For me to attack you would be as the sparrow attacking the wolf. But in such a rage as you were, it would be a simple thing for you to dash my skull in with one blow.”

His breath hitches in his throat. He turns to look at you and his eyes are wet with tears. “Did I truly frighten you? Do you think me such an abominable wretch to be capable of harming so beloved and gentle a soul as yours? Repulsive though I am, I never intended to frighten you.”

“Neither your intention nor appearance are of any consequence to me—it is your behavior which causes me fear.”

He throws himself at your feet, clinging to your ankles. “WRETCHED BEAST!” he cries. “Please, allow this abhorred villain to alter his behavior. Instruct me, and I shall obey. Please! I beseech your forgiveness,” he sobs. “Please, you mustn’t think me capable of such horrors. Tell me how to redeem myself. I don’t know how to fix this!”

Shaking your head, you sigh, and squat down to his level. “First of all… get up.”

“I cannot,” he sobs into the dirt.

“Then sit.” You pat his head like a child. He sits, so hunched over in remorse he is nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with you, facing away. “Now, can you swear these wild swings of temper you are prone to will never escalate to violence?”

“I swear it. I am not the master of my emotions, but to do physical harm is a different matter.”

“Good. Then I only ask you not to accuse me of evil-doing without cause. Then I shall have no reason, in the future, to fear you.”

“Then this I cannot guarantee, when I do not even understand what drove me to be so cruel,” he sniffles, wiping a tear. “I always believed, if any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them a hundred and a hundredfold—but instead I level bile at the very salvation of which I have dreamed.”

“I believe you only meant to be cruel to yourself,” you suggest.

He reflects on this, and nods agreement. “I could not believe anyone could look at me without terror in their eyes… and so, finding it lacking in yours, I put it there.” He groans miserably. “My loathing for myself runs deeps. If it is the cause of my ruinous behavior, I cannot promise it will never repeat. I know you said I mustn’t tell you to leave—that such a choice is yours to make—but if you wish to quit my company after such horrible mistreatment, I will not obstruct your departure.”

“Oh, hush. I already said I won’t go.” You throw your arms around his neck, and swivel your hips around into his lap. He breathes in sharply, surprised, then gratefully cradles you. 

“Then, strange girl, I must endeavor not to be so bewildered by your affections, and thus shield you from my uneven temperament.

“That would be nice,” you yawn, suddenly sleepy again nestled in his warm arms. “Now come, it must be time to re-wrap your bandages.”

[ravenandwritingdesks]

It’s Complicated Ch 4

Um FF.net isn’t letting me upload files? So I’ll just have this here for now. 

New to the story? Start here

It’s Complicated

Chapter 4: sparkles on her skin and tears in her eyes

She stays awake at night, her sleep so far out of reach. She can feel his presence through the wall as if he were in the same bed as her.

 His closeness the other day brought back all of her feelings, her fears. She can hardly bear it. His once angry eyes, so distant and calm. She wants him to be mad at her, to hate her, it would be so much easier, but he is expressionless, unreadable.

 Sakura swings her legs over the bed, her bare feet hitting the cool wood flooring, and quietly patters over to her dresser, opening the top drawer.

There, in the back corner lies the all but forgotten jewelry box illuminated by the spots of moonlight passing through her blinds. Untouched, unspoken of. She delicately lifts the lid, eyeing the contents with disdain. The emotions surrounding the object are so raw, she remembers them clearly despite the expanse of time.

  As she enters the front door of the mansion, her heels make satisfying clicking noises upon the marble flooring. Her stomach begins tying itself into knots and she has to give herself a pep talk to keep from running back outside. She settles for sprinting to the nearest bathroom instead.

 Are you here yet? She texts Ino after locking the door, she needs some moral support. The noise of the rapidly growing party penetrates the wood of the door. Who is she kidding, he doesn’t want to see her, she shouldn’t have come. She turns on the water in the sink and watches it flow down the drain.

 Looking up at herself in the mirror, she feels some of her confidence beginning to return. Her make up is immaculate, a less is more type of look with just enough powder to even out her delicate skin tone and a hint of sparkle above her eyes. Her hair settles in soft waves that run past her shoulders. Her red dress completes the look, it’s classy, not too tight, but fits well enough to show off her figure.

 Pulling up now, where are you? Ino responds.

 Hiding in bathroom, trying not to barf, She shoots back quickly.

 She is finally going to see him, Sasuke. When Ino told her about the party being held by one of the Sound students, Sakura could barely contain her excitement. This was her chance to see him, her fiancé. She fiddles with the diamond ring that hangs on a silver chain around her neck. It had arrived by mail for her 18th birthday a couple of months ago and she’s wore it around her neck ever since.

 A knock on the door interrupts her from her thoughts.

 “Occupied!” She shouts, not ready to face the party yet.

 “Sakura, it’s me,” Ino’s voice calls back.

 Quickly unlocking the door, Sakura pulls her blonde friend in to join her.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaims when she sees her. “You look gorgeous, Sasuke doesn’t realize how lucky he is.”

 “I hope so,” Sakura stomach churns again at the thought of the dark-haired boy.

 “How long has it been since you’ve seen each other?” Ino asks, fixing her own make up in the mirror.

 “About 3 years,” she responds, wondering how different that boy will look, now that he’s legally a man.

 “Wow, well let’s not make him wait any longer.”

 Ino pulls her friend by the wrist and out the door.

 High schoolers litter the expansive hallway, drinks in hand. A couple of whistles follow the girls as they make their way into the kitchen.

 “Nothing like some liquid courage,” Ino winks as she hands Sakura a drink that smells quite strong.  

 “You know I don’t like to drink,” Sakura responds, crinkling her nose.

 “Come on, it’s a party,” Ino reasons, “besides, it’ll help calm your nerves.”

 Taking her friend’s advice, Sakura drinks deeply from the cup, feeling the warmth of the beverage travel down to her stomach.

 “So now what?” Sakura asks, not usually a big party goer.

“Now we wait, I’m sure when he arrives we’ll know.”

 The girls move to a sitting room, enjoying their drinks and chit chatting with a few of the Sound students.

 “You don’t look familiar; do you go to Sound?” a boy with orange hair and a kind face asks them.

 “No, we’re from Konoha, just have friends in high places,” Ino jokes as she finishes off her second drink.

 “So you-“ a girl next to them begins, but then is cut off by loud cheers coming from near the door. “Sounds like somebody important just arrived,” she changes the subject. “Probably the Uchiha kid, his family name has made him pretty popular around here.”

 “Sasuke?” Sakura says quickly, trying to catch a glimpse through the crowds of students.

 “You should go find him,” Ino urges, but Sakura remains put.

 “Not yet, I don’t want it to seem like I’ve just been waiting around for him.” she responds, accepting a second drink from another student.

 “Do you know him?” The girl from before asks.

 “You could say that,” Sakura responds with a small smile, “Old friends.”

 “Well how about we play some King’s Cup” the orange-haired boy says as he brings out a deck of cards.

 Everybody agrees and they begin the ridiculous game. Sakura catches onto the complicated rules quickly and starts to really enjoy herself. Once they finish, her mind is fuzzy, but her confidence is sky high.

 “I’m going to go find Sasuke,” she tells Ino.

The blonde nods, “I’m going to go dance, good luck!”

 Sakura begins stumbling through the house, the amount of people and the volume of the music both having grown significantly. She wanders among the many faces, not seeing the one she wants to. After going through the whole ground floor, she takes her search upstairs.

 Turning the corner she catches a glimpse of black. She backs up quickly, putting her back against the wall. Her heart pounds in her chest. Slowly, she peers around the corner.

It’s him, all dark hair and alabaster skin, decked head to toe in black clothing. His lanky form from when he was fifteen has filled out significantly in their time apart, sporting lean muscle. He’s breathtaking. She emerges from her hiding spot, her hands shaking with anticipation.

 The bored look on his face quickly turns to shock when he notices her. Dark eyes widen, then quickly regain their composure. Something like anger flares behind them as he begins to move towards her. His gait is like a panther’s, smooth and powerful, an Uchiha through and through. Sakura clutches the ring around her neck and trembles slightly. Maybe this was a mistake, she should’ve tried contacting him before she came.

 Before he reaches her, a red haired girl runs from the room he’d been exiting, her tight black dress clinging to her in every way. “Come on Sasuke, just one more round,” she nuzzles into him. “You know you want to.”

 Even through her booze fogged brain, Sakura is able to make the connection. Here she has been nothing but loyal, pining after him and hardly ever speaking to other guys. Denying offers of dates, and even just friendship with other boys. Her mom’s words from when she was twelve constantly in the back of her mind. Warm tears tingle behind her eyes.

 She turns to leave, wanting to run and leave everything behind. A hand clasps around her wrist and twirls her around.

 His face is livid, his anger palpable around her.

 “What are you doing here?” He asks sternly.

 “I wanted to see you,” her voice comes out a mere squeak, this was the last thing she imagined happening.

 “You don’t belong here, leave.” He bites out before moving away.

 Her sadness turns to anger. How dare he talk to her like that, how dare he screw some other girl. How dare he dictate her life.

 “We have an engagement,” she bites out, remembering the terms she’s read over so many times. “Fidelity is a main point in the contract your father and my mother constantly remind me of.”

 He whirls back around, his typically calm façade completely broken. “Those terms are for you. Not me. You don’t mean anything to me. You’re a legality issue, a piece of paper with legal jargon to ensure a profit. This is not an engagement and you are not my fiancé.”

 Her heart breaks, the shards of it stinging in her chest.

 “Leave,” Sasuke finishes as he turns back to enter the room, the redhead calmly waiting, pretending not to hear their argument. The door slams and Sakura feels as if it’s her final breaking point. She crumbles onto the ground, her whole body shaking as realization hits her.

 He’ll never love her and now she does not think she’ll ever be able to love him either.

 She pulls on the chain around her neck looking at the diamond ring. She sets it on the ground and attempts to pull herself together. She refuses to be in a loveless marriage, she refuses to belong to that brute.

 She stands and quickly walks out of the house, calling a car to pick her up. She’ll never see Sasuke Uchiha again.

   Sakura feels the weight of the ring in her palm, the metal cold from being locked away in a jewelry box. The day after that party almost 2 years ago it had been delivered back to her house in an envelope along with a page from the marriage contract, a line highlighted.

 Should the subject choose to back out of the contract at any point in time, all conditions including the merger shall be void and the Haruno family stake shall be collected by the Uchiha clan.

 The words play heavily in the back of her mind. If she does anything to break the contract, her family loses everything. However, if Fugaku decides that Sakura is no longer a valid candidate he doesn’t get claim to any of the Haruno assets. She has a loophole and she intends to see it through, however with Sasuke now intent on taking up residence in the apartment, she has a feeling it will be a lot more difficult.

 “Damn you Uchiha,” she whispers, shutting the ring back into the hidden box.