#the brown girls are too close!!! they can SOMEHOW still see both sides!!!!

[cosmicrhetoric]

[fxstpace]

nice boys don’t kiss like that

summary: when your former rival chances upon your diary and reads all the unpleasant things you’ve written about him, he takes it upon himself to change your mind.

pairing: kim mingyu x fem!reader genres: fluff, developing relationship!au, rivals to lovers!au, pining, kind of suggestive? idk word count: 3.3k

↳ warnings: profanity, making out ↳ a/n: inspired by this scene from bridget jones’s diary. reposted from my old account.

It is on a twilit Saturday evening, at precisely 7:01 P.M, that Kim Mingyu is accosted by a notebook for the first time in his life.

He lets out a startled grunt and finds himself with an armful of things—a denim jacket, a crumpled grocery shopping list, an empty box of Tic Tacs, a woollen beanie with a questionable brown stain he thinks is ketchup; all presumably from whatever depths of your drawer he can see you hunched over, searching for something that remains stubbornly elusive. The offensive projectile whizzes past his shoulder and lands on the polished wooden floor with a thud.

Mingyu stands at the doorway to your bedroom, having bypassed the living room and hallway that leads to the kitchen in favour of pressing heated kisses to your cheeks and collarbones. He watches you, bemused. A few weeks ago, he might’ve laughed at your frazzled state with derision. Now, he still wants to laugh, but more in an affectionate way.

You turn around swiftly, nearly tripping on a stray stocking on the floor, and he bites back a smile when you mumble a string of curse words under your breath. 

“Hi,” you say, breathing heavily. “I’m really sorry.”

Then you slam the door shut on his face.

Well, Mingyu thinks. This is the first time a girl’s closed the door when I’m in her apartment.

Faced with nothing else to do except wait for your arrival, he drops the Tic Tac box on the floor, hangs your jacket and beanie on the back of the sofa, and almost stubs his toe on the corner of the notebook.

Wincing at the close call, Mingyu glares at the book like it’s the cause of all his troubles. DIARY, it reads, embossed in ornate gold letters. The cover is a rich shade of red, rough and leather-bound. He picks it up; it’s rather heavy, and judging by the frayed corners and the random bits of paper poking out of the sides, it seems to be quite old too. Regardless, it is well-cherished—he knows this because he knows you, and you’re the kind of person who wears your heart on your sleeve.

Which is why he knows opening it is a bad idea. 

Mingyu shrugs and places the book on the coffee table, taking a seat on the plush, olive green sofa opposite it. He leans his elbows on his knees and interlaces his fingers under his chin. From the inside of your room, he can hear muffled screaming—should he be worried? The screaming stops. Mingyu lets his tense shoulders relax.

His eyes zero in on your diary once more. He shouldn’t open it—he really, really shouldn’t. It would be a horrible breach of your privacy. Your trust in him would be broken forever, and even if he somehow manages to win it back, it will always be a stain in the fabric of your still-developing relationship.

But.

One tiny peek can’t hurt, right? He’s only waiting for you to come out of your room, after all. Just one little look, and then he’ll close the book immediately. It can’t possibly hurt. Curiosity is both a blessing and a vice, he figures, and since he’s already stacked up on vices, there is no harm in adding to his karmic points.

So he picks up your diary and flips to a random page, freezing momentarily when he hears an irritated grunt and the sound of something hitting the floor from inside your room. Your handwriting is a lot messier than it usually is; you probably save your best penmanship for official things, and your personal diary is not one of them. That, or you were just frustrated.

12th June I fucking hate Kim Mingyu. I hope I never have to see him and his stupid handsome obnoxious face EVER AGAIN. I’m so DONE with him.

Mingyu’s cheeks prickle with heat. He’s thoroughly invested now. He turns to another page.

14th June Ran into KMG again today. He spilled coffee all over me what else is new but. he actually apologised!!! Crazy. Maybe he was just in a good mood. Either way, my new blouse is ruined so fuck him.

The strangest thing is that Mingyu actually remembers that day vividly. You were wearing a gorgeous cream-coloured blouse, and he was so caught up in staring at you talking animatedly with your supervisor that he zoned out completely and accidentally spilled his coffee on you because he tripped over his shoelaces. Now, knowing that your blouse was new at the time brings up a slight twinge of guilt. He’ll ask you about it later.

22nd June KMG is actually…… kinda nice? He supported me in the meeting today with the clients when they were being so tiresome. He has a nice smile I guess.

Mingyu smiles widely. 

23rd June Nevermind. I take back everything I said. Kim Mingyu is a prat with zero social skills. I mean, would it kill him to say hello back??? I get that he’s busy but i thought we’d made progress. One thing is for sure. Kim Mingyu is NOT nice. Not even a little bit.

His smile falters.

The next page contains a similar anecdote—something about how he always vehemently disagrees with everything you say, and how despite his good looks he was a complete and utter asshole. Further investigation reveals the same thing: you hate Kim Mingyu with a burning passion.

And… Well, he couldn’t lie and say the feeling wasn’t mutual at one point in time—but it has mellowed down since then, gently and slowly, like a fallen leaf being carried by a soft wind. There came a day where Mingyu found himself glaring at you, not with disdain in his eyes, but with a steady thrum in his chest where his heart lay. Later, he would realise that he didn’t hate you—not even a little bit.

He assumed you felt the same way. Why else would your smirks, so full of malice, melt into grins that could light up a whole town? Why else would you agree to go on a date with him when he asked you out, one day, after work, tripping over his words like an elementary schoolboy? Why else would you invite him home and ask him to spend the night?

Of course, it doesn’t explain why you’ve locked yourself up in your bedroom currently (frankly, he’s a bit befuddled about that). But the sentiment must still be there.

It’s a diary, he reasons. 

It’s your diary, his brain screams back, and that’s the real issue here, isn’t it?

Diaries are full of crap, anyway, he thinks to himself.

Diaries contain the Real Thoughts And Emotions of a human being, his brain hollers back.

Mind swirling, Mingyu closes the book and places it back on the coffee table, barely aware of his movements. Have you been lying to him? No, there’s absolutely no way—he trusts you far more than that, and besides, what would you even lie to him about? There are no benefits to stringing him along, and you’re not the kind of person who would do something like that, anyway.

You must have had a change of heart, then. That’s the only conclusion he can think of. Your diary entries come to a standstill after 27th June, which means you haven’t opened it in a while. It’s also around the same time you stopped picking fights with each other. Something must have changed by then; Mingyu is glad it did.

Satisfied with his deduction, Mingyu stuffs his hands in his pockets and crosses his ankles together. Behind your bedroom door, you remain suspiciously silent. He considers knocking on the door once to make sure you’re okay—or if you need any help, because staying put inside your room for over twenty minutes is certainly not normal when you have a guest and potential boyfriend over. 

Almost as if you’ve heard his thoughts, the door to your room swings open. You stand at the doorway, breathing heavily.

“Hey,” Mingyu says, quickly standing up. “Everything good?”

You beam at him. “Perfect. Sorry to have kept you waiting, I—”

Your gaze drops to the coffee table, landing on your diary. Mingyu keeps his gaze fixed on you. You look back at him, lips parted. 

“Um,” you begin. “It’s— It’s just a diary.”

“Clearly.” Mingyu fights back a smile.

You chew your bottom lip nervously. “Did you read it?”

“I did,” he confirms, nodding. “I’m sorry. I was just curious—”

You groan, lifting your hands and covering your face with your palms. “Fuck.”

Mingyu reaches out and encircles your wrists with his fingers, gently tugging your hands away from your face. He finds it oddly endearing. “It’s only a diary. I’m sorry I read it. I shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t care about that. You… you probably read all the horrible, mean things I wrote about you.”

“Well,” he says, shrugging a little, “some of the entries were definitely… interesting.”

You blink. Unable to help himself, Mingyu drops a light kiss to the tip of your nose.

“I don’t hate you, you know,” you tell him.

“Mhm.”

“I’m serious.”

“Mhm.”

“Mingyu.”

“I’ll tell you what I think about your diary later, ‘kay?” he says, hooking his pinkie finger with yours. “Come with me.”

“What? Where?” Confusion paints your features.

Mingyu huffs out a laugh. “Just trust me.”

Mingyu places the brand-new diary he’d bought for you on the dining table with a flourish. “D’you have a pen?”

You eye him suspiciously, gaze darting between him and the new, dark green notebook on the table. He grins, carefree and indulgent. Still wary, you hand him a blue ballpoint pen from the pen stand placed above the drawers to the left. He hums and uncaps it.

Flipping open the book to the first page, he bends down and writes slowly.

This book belongs to Kim Mingyu and

Mingyu stops writing and holds the pen out expectantly to you. “Here. Write your name.”

Confused, but curious, you oblige. Your name, written in your handwriting, next to his own semi-legible scrawl, makes a warm, affectionate feeling bubble up inside his chest. He wonders what it would look like when both your names are signed next to each other on a marriage certificate. Then, he wonders when and where your wedding would take place. A summer wedding sounds nice, but the sweltering heat might be a bit of a problem. Winter weddings are beautiful for sure, but neither of you is a big fan of the cold.

He’s in the process of thinking of names for your children and pet dog when you break him out of his daze. 

“Hey. What’s all this about, hm?” You nudge his shoulder lightly with yours.

Mingyu says, “It’s a diary, but for both of us.”

You glance at him, eyebrows raised questioningly. He swings an arm over your shoulder and draws you closer to him, smiling when flyaway strands of your hair tickle his cheek. 

“In your old diary, it was pretty obvious you, uh, didn’t like me much,” he explains, holding up his free hand when you open your mouth to protest. “I don’t blame you. We were assholes to each other most of the time. But we’ve moved past that. At least, I hope we have.”

Your reply is instantaneous. “Of course. Of course, we have.”

Mingyu trails his fingers absent-mindedly over your arm. “Right. And… It’s kind of silly, I guess—I don’t know—but I thought—if we kept a new diary together, one that we could use to document our journey, with both our perspectives in the same place—I thought it would be nice.”

Your mouth parts and you look at him, an indiscernible expression on your face. He shifts from one foot to the other, feeling suddenly nervous. You don’t betray any hint of emotion on your face, but Mingyu’s heart hammers inside his chest. What if you think he’s being silly and overly sentimental? What if you find the idea ridiculous?

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he quickly backtracks. “I know we’ve only just moved past the idea of being more than friends, but—” He stops himself.

“But…?” you gently prompt him, twisting around to see him better.

Mingyu swallows. “But I can’t imagine not being with you.”

He hears your sharp intake of breath, and in the next moment, the breath is knocked out of his lungs when you throw your arms around his neck and pull him in for a tight, rib-squeezing hug.  Automatically, his arms circle your waist, and he presses a light, barely-there kiss to the junction of your neck and jaw. 

Eyes shining happily, you pull back slightly with a wide grin on your face. “You’re so hopelessly romantic, it makes my chest hurt.”

“Consider this your trial run. If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”

“Don’t you dare.”

He sighs, content. “Okay, I won’t.”

“What should our first diary entry be about?” you ask, loosening your hold on him.

“About how you ditched me inside your house for almost half an hour after you invited me over.” He’s only half-joking.

You look away, embarrassed and sheepish. “I can explain.”

“I’m sure you can.”

“I’m being serious, Mingyu.”

“So you’ve said,” he agrees breezily.

“Actually,” you begin, a tad shy, “I was thinking it could be about this—about how you bought us a diary and then kissed me in front of the dining table after we christened the book.”

Mingyu’s eyes widen, but before he can get a word in edgewise, your lips are already centimetres away from his. “May I?” you whisper.

“Yeah. ‘Course,” he murmurs back.

The kiss makes him feel dizzy, like he’s had one too many bottles of soda—fizzy and light-headed. Your lips are soft, mouth warm; you taste like chocolate, and he licks into your mouth desperately. His fingers dig into your waist, bunching up the material of your t-shirt, and you run your hand through his hair, tugging gently. He’s kissed you before, of course, but something about this time feels important, a core memory sort of thing. Later that night, he’ll sit beside you on your bed and watch as you write in your shared diary, and he’ll make fun of the way you chew on your pen cap when you’re thinking of what to write next and you’ll shut him up with a kiss.

But for now, he indulges himself whole-heartedly. You let out little gasps which he swallows with his mouth. He tilts his head and kisses you deeper. Only when his lungs are burning does he pull away, and even then, not without a parting peck to the space in between your eyebrows.

“Mingyu,” you say, breathless. 

“Yeah?” he responds, unable to tear his gaze off of your kiss-bitten lips.

“I really am sorry about what I wrote about you,” you apologise, looking down once and then back at him. “It’s only a diary—everyone knows diaries are full of crap.”

“I know.” Mingyu smiles tenderly. “I’m not mad.”

“You should be. I would be, if I was in your place.”

His eyes dart back to meet yours, and he grimaces. “If you really think about it, I’m the one who should be apologising, not you. I shouldn’t have read your diary, no matter how curious I was.”

“I… don’t really care about that, weirdly enough,” you say thoughtfully. “I was more worried about the fact that you thought I hated you and you were gonna leave me. Not so much about you reading the diary itself.”

“Pfft,” Mingyu says, affectionately condescending. “If I left you, where would I go?”

Your mouth parts as you stare at him, dumbfounded. “Jesus. How do you say things like that unironically?”

“I could compose whole sonnets about you and it wouldn’t be enough.”

“That’s ironic, I hope.”

He tilts his head and pulls you close. “Only one way to find out.”

When he captures your lips with his this time, it’s with colliding bodies and biting teeth. He runs his tongue across your bottom lip, and you shudder in his arms, moaning. Somehow, you stumble back into the living room, a mess of tangled limbs.

Briefly pulling away, Mingyu sits down on the same sofa he’d occupied earlier and clumsily pulls you onto his lap. You brace your hands on his shoulders for support, lifting your head up when he presses an open-mouthed kiss to your jaw.

“Fuck, Mingyu,” you gasp, eyes falling shut.

He hums against your skin. “Tell me what you were doing in your room for so long.”

“I was—ah—it’s embarrassing.”

Mingyu stops his movements. “I won’t judge you.”

“I know,” you say, teeth worrying your lower lip. “I’ll tell you someday.”

When you purse your lips, ready for him to kiss you again, Mingyu lets out a soft laugh. “Sweetheart.”

“What?” 

“I think I need to correct some of your… perceptions of me,” he murmurs, rubbing his hands up and down your back.

You furrow your eyebrows. “What?”

“I’m sorry about your blouse,” he whispers. “You looked really pretty wearing it, you know. Got distracted. Couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

“Mingyu, I don’t know what you’re talking—” You gasp when he kisses the column of your throat.

“I’m sorry for being obnoxious,” he continues, lowering his head and pressing his lips to the pulse point on your neck. “But I’m not sorry you think I’m handsome.”

“Only your face,” you mutter, but you tug on his hair to get him to tilt his head up. When he does, you kiss him again, your hands warm and placed on the junctions where his neck meets his shoulders. 

“I’ll support you in more than just meetings,” he says, pulling back. His breath ghosts over your lips, prompting a shiver to pass through your body. Your eyes widen when you finally, finally realise what he’s talking about. “I’ll tell those stupid clients to shut up and take it.”

You laugh, bright and happy, and Mingyu wants to bottle the sound up greedily. “That sounds kinda wrong,” you say.

He shrugs, his smile turning lopsided. “I’m sorry for ignoring you when you said hi to me. I won’t do it ever again.”

You laugh again, teeth flashing in the warm glow of the living room lights.

There’s an odd feeling in Mingyu’s chest—something warm and golden—something he can only describe as being terribly, hopelessly lovesick for you.

He whispers your name again, kissing the corner of your mouth. “Tell me what you were doing in your room for so long.”

You groan again, your previous amusement turning into embarrassment. Your next words are muffled by his shoulder, your lips warm against his clavicle as you mumble something only you can understand.

“What’s that? I couldn’t hear you,” Mingyu says mischievously.

 Another sound of mortification.

“I won’t laugh,” he says. “Promise.”

“Underwear,” you mumble, just loud enough for him to hear. “I was searching for a better pair of underwear than the one I had on.”

To his credit, Mingyu really doesn’t laugh. It takes a lot of effort, though, and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent his giggles from escaping. 

You lean back and narrow your eyes at him. “Oh, go on. I know you’re dying to laugh.”

He shakes his head, cheeks blown out like a pufferfish. You stare at him quietly.

Minutes later, he exhales shakily. “See? I didn’t laugh. I’m a nice guy.”

His lips find yours again, slower and more languorous this time. After all, he has all the time in the world now—to hold you like this, kiss you gently—and he plans to cherish each second. Your tongue swipes his lower lip, and he parts his mouth willingly. He feels like putty underneath you, as he uses one of his hands to cup your face and deepen the kiss. Your lips move against his, already familiar, but he could never stop craving it.

When you pull back to breathe, your eyes are wide and your lips are swollen—a fact that Mingyu notes with pride.

“Nice boys don’t kiss like that,” you breathe out.

“Oh, yes, they fucking do.”

[acciocriativity]

THE 'U' IN 'US' - AN ATEEZ SERIES - THE INTRO

Summary: You weren't really the lonely girl™ of campus, but it does feel like it when you look around, and there's no one by your side when everyone else are talking and whispering between each other. You did have "friends", more like "group projet friends" that you managed to get for yourself, but they were the ones that were real close, you were there only when they had an extra empty seat. But it seems like the gods above took your nonchalant facade as a challenge. Oh, you don't think you need friends to survive through college? Bet.

Pairing: Non! idol OT8 ateez x reader (platonic)

Tags: college! au; hybrid! au; ateez! au; fluff (a whole lot of fluff and wholesomeness); angst; hurt/comfort; mentions of loneliness and insecurities; mentions of hybrid mistreatment and abuse

WC: 420 words

N/A: I'll be writing the first three chapters next week, and then I'll be posting it once in two or three weeks!

If anyone it's interested in being tagged, let me know!

X MASTERLIST ZERO

Ateez Masterlist

You took a deep breath as you notice people naturally siting together at the cafeteria in slow waves. Even if you had courage to walk up to any of them, you knew you didn’t belong, and they would realize soon enough too. And you can be a lot of things, but proud is right up there at number one.

You didn’t have anyone, you weren’t anyone’s priority, but you would rather die than let that show. So you do what you always did, let the headphones build the illusion that you chose to be unavailable.

You ate at your own pace, half embarrassed at the thought someone would see you eating, half annoyed at yourself for caring so much still.

You were so stuck in your bubble and silly TikTok videos that you didn’t notice the sudden chaos that ensued after the doors opened wide, nor when that boy walked up to you.

His shoes by the side of your table was the first thing you saw. Then his long ass legs as your eyes trailed up his body until you found his eye smile and red ears. He had two set of golden caramel ears on top of his blonde hair.

Why this dude was smiling at me like won the lottery?

“Can I sit here?”, you read his lips, then slowly took off your headphone.

What kind of sick joke from the universe is this?

It wasn’t a joke, and it didn’t even start yet, you quickly realized as seven other boys walked up to your table.

“Can we sit here?”, a tall boy with a deep voice asked as he leaned over the shoulder of another one, a slightly smaller, yet muscular one with a cute smile and black hair. Both of them had tails waving slowly behind their bodies, but no ears in sight.

“Do I know you?”, you scanned their faces one by one, until you found his yellow tinted brown eyes again.

Somehow they seemed familiar, some had tails, others ears and only one seemed like you, a 100% human. But where the fuck did you meet them before?

“Don’t you remember us?”, one of the shorter ones with brown hair, the one who looked human asked, but he didn’t seem sad about that fact, he was smiling just as much as the others.

What did you do to make life give you a brand-new group of friends, you didn’t know… yet.

[fanfic-wonderland]

This Is War {Fred Weasley}

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader

Summary: After Slytherin loses the Quidditch Cup to Gryffindor, (Y/N) decides to get back at them... and at Fred Weasley.

Word count: 5.3k

Read part two here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Look at them," Draco glowers at the group of people flying around the other side above the pitch, moving to stand right across from us. All of them are wearing matching red and gold uniforms, a very distinctive contrast to our (better-looking) green and silver ones. "They think they have a chance against us just because Potter is their Seeker. If you ask me, I've seen Flobberworms moving around faster than him."

The rest of the team laughs. I have the sudden urge to point out the many times Harry's beaten Draco in the past, just to shut them up, but I choose to keep it to myself. After all, we're on the same team, even if I often don't agree with my teammates. Besides, I would never hear the end of it, and the last thing I'd want to do when I'm so close to graduating is to get in trouble with Lucius Malfoy because his son is a whiny baby.

I keep observing the opposite team. All of them have gathered around in their own little broom circle, listening to what one of the three girls is saying. I spot Harry Potter with his back facing us while Ron Weasley stands beside him, looking defeated already.

And standing next to him are his older identical twin brothers. The worst of them all, by far. Those two are just so hard to like. They're careless, and reckless, and love to waste their time coming up with useless little experiments. They specifically have taken quite a liking to pulling pranks on us Slytherins daily, and frankly, It's become very annoying.

Three nights ago, in fact, the Weasley twins and a few other Gryffindors took it too far when they decided to bombard our entire Common Room —and our dorms— with Dungbombs. And three nights later, we're still mad. How they managed to sneak past us and plant all those bombs remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure: they've declared war and we are not backing down. "I'd love nothing more than to see their faces when we win that Quidditch Cup," Adrian Pucey says next to me. "It'd be the perfect way to get back at them for their little prank last time."

The rest of us mutter in agreement. "Well, if we want to do that, then we have to play perfectly today. Considering It's the final game and all," I point out. "That means we can't let them score too many points or catch the Snitch. And that means you'll have to be extra quick today, Draco."

He shoots me a nasty look as if he's disgusted by the fact that I'm telling him what to do. "Thank you for sharing that with us, (Y/L/N)," Graham Montague adverts his attention from Gryffindor and turns to me, the same look on his face. "Unfortunately, I don't remember making you our Co-Captain, so you might want to keep any comments or useless observations to yourself."

I hear snickering behind me but I do not turn around. Being the only girl on the team definitely comes with its cons. Sexism, for example. "I'm certainly doing a better job than our current Captain," I mutter quietly while rolling my eyes.

Down at the pitch, Madam Hooch steps into the center of the field, next to a brown trunk, and blows her whistle, which is somehow heard over the loud cheering from the crowd. Both teams fly closer to each other. Gryffindor shoots daggers at us and, as I take a long look at all of them, I find one of the twins staring directly at me. They're identical but, because of their little 'history' of messing with me and my fellow classmates, I can tell them apart almost naturally. I don't know if that's a good thing or not.

I can tell immediately that it is Fred Weasley who is smiling mockingly at me and a wave of rage runs through me.

Of course, It's Fred. I've discovered throughout the years that, even though both twins are bad enough on their own, Fred is by far the worst of the pair. While George can sometimes know when to stop, Fred does not care nearly as much about crossing the line. I glare at him, hard enough to get him to look away first, but his smile only grows bigger and he winks at me. I finally break eye contact, but only because I want all of my focus to be on the game and not wasted on someone so immature as him.

Once everyone is set, Madam Hooch opens up the trunk and the two Bludgers shoot into the sky, quickly followed by the Golden Snitch. Then, as soon as the Quaffle finally shoots free, the game starts.

It feels like a long match, like an endless cat-and-mouse game as both teams try and catch up to each other. For the longest time, It's a close call between scores, which makes all players —and the public— tense. Lee Jordan's commentary is all over the place throughout the game; one minute, he's excited when Gryffindor is in the lead, and then the next one he's accusing Slytherin of cheating when we take it (which most of the time ends up being true, but I look past it). Despite this, we put up a fairly good fight, and for the first time in so long, it feels like the Quidditch Cup is finally ours.

Unfortunately, we don't put up a good enough fight.

I'm too busy avoiding Bludgers and trying to take the Quaffle away from the opposite team that I nearly jump from my broom when I hear the whistle blowing again. Confused, I halt my flight and look around. I quickly spot Draco in the distance, running a hand through his hair in frustration, and I immediately know what happened.

Harry caught the Snitch. Again.

"Gryffindor wins!" Madam Hooch announces.

A loud wave of cheers erupts from the Gryffindors in the crowd, hugging each other and jumping excitedly at their victory. I groan as the rest of the opposite team lands back on the ground to go and congratulate Harry for the catch. I watch as they smile and pump fists into the air, and I shake my head in disappointment. I really thought we were going to win this time. "Well, I guess we're still the best team, huh?" A voice says and I turn to look at the person.

Fred is the only Gryffindor still mounting a broom, and he doesn't seem to be in any rush to join his teammates. He leans back effortlessly as if he's lying on a couch, with his hands behind his head. I scowl at him. "Shouldn't you be down there celebrating your victory, then, instead of bothering me?"

He shrugs. "I'd much rather be here, watching your defeat from up close."

My nostrils flare and if I had my wand I'd hex him here and there. "Aww, but don't worry," He fake pouts. "There'll be plenty of opportunities to try and win in the next few years. Too bad you won't be here to see it."

He finally flies away with that stupid smug look on his face and it takes everything in me not to throw a Bludger at his head. I try to ignore the fact that his words struck a nerve because he's right. This was my last chance to help win the Quidditch Cup for Slytherin and now It's gone. I missed it.

Shaking the thoughts away, I go to join my sulking teammates, who are all gathering around Draco. "I almost had it. I even touched it with the tip of my fingers," He's saying when I arrive. I have a feeling that that is not at all true. "But then Potter had to come in and ruin everything. I bet that broom of his was charmed with super speed or something."

No one says anything about it. I know they're upset about losing but they would never dare blame Draco for it. "We were so close, though," says Cassius Warrington in a frustrated tone.

"Yeah, and now we've got to think of another way to get back at them," Adrian adds.

As I watch the other team still celebrating, a light bulb turns on above my head. "Don't worry, guys," I reassure them. My wicked smile brings them a sort of comfort. "I think I have a plan to get them back."

***

"Okay, but why do I have to get dragged into this?" Daphne Greengrass, my puzzled best friend, asks as we step out of our dorm and into the dark hallway. "I don't have any beef with Gryffindor, that's your thing."

"Right, but, aside from myself, you're the only person that I trust to do this job," I tell her, quickening my steps down the stairs. "And you're way more tolerable than the others."

"Gee, thanks for that,"

"Plus, the Slytherin team is around the castle keeping watch of any Professors or Prefects or Filch," I add. "And Draco and Blaise have to get the two Gryffindor girls, so we're stuck with the most important task, and we have to do it right."

"Because of course, we are," Daphne rolls her eyes.

"Did you bring the secret ingredients?"

She reaches into her bag and takes out two clear bottles, one with a dark purple liquid in it and the other one with something that almost looks like mud. I smile delightedly. "You have no idea how happy I am that you just happened to have Sleeping Draught and Polyjuice Potion lying around the dorm."

"That's funny because back then, I remember you said that me brewing potions for fun was 'a bit pointless if you have to wait so long to brew them'" Daphne recalls.

I clear my throat uncomfortably. "I do apologize for that. I will never doubt you again."

The plan is simple.

Gryffindor is currently having a party to celebrate their victory at their Common Room. Draco and Blaise Zabini have written a letter addressed to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, probably the easiest targets we could get, asking them to meet Michael Corner and Cormac McLaggen at the Courtyard. Pansy Parkinson will charm said letter to fly to the girls; once they get it, Draco and Blaise will put them to sleep, take a strand of hair from each of them, and bring it back to us. We mix the hair with our potion servings, drink the potion, and once we transform we sneak into the Common Room and add a (lot) bit of Sleeping Draught into the drinks. When we've made sure that everyone in the room fell into a deep slumber, we take the Quidditch Cup from them and they'll wake up in the morning with no idea of what happened. It'll look like everyone was just blackout drunk and they lost the Cup because of their irresponsibility.

It's a great plan if you ask me.

"I do have a question, though," Daphne stops walking once we make it to our own Common Room. "Don't we need the password to get into their Common Room?"

I grin and reach into my pocket, holding out a piece of paper in front of her. 'Mimbulus mimbletonia', it reads. "I stole it from that Longbottom kid in Transfiguration earlier," I say. "At first, I figured we'd rely on luck and wait until someone came around to help us, but it was much easier to just take the password from him. Plus, it saves us time."

"Huh," Daphne takes a seat on the nearest chair and folds her arms, impressed. "Good thinking. So, when are Draco and Blaise coming?"

"I'd say they should be here—"

Before I finish my sentence, and as if they've heard us talking about them, the Common Room door opens and both boys walk toward us with triumphant looks on their faces. Draco holds up the small pouch in his hand. "We got them."

"Oh, good," I sigh in relief as they hold out their pouches to us. I take the one in Draco's hand and Daphne takes the other one. I open mine up and a few long dark hairs come out. I can immediately tell that it is Parvati's. "Good job, guys. Daphne?"

She takes out two cups from her bag and hands one to me. Once I take it, she pours the muddy liquid into mine and then onto hers. I glance down at my cup, grimacing when I notice It's bubbling in the most disgusting way. I turn back at Daphne before I can start feeling nauseous. "Ready?"

She gulps, also eyeing her potion, then gives a slow nod.

We each throw our hair into the liquid, which completely consumes it until it is not visible anymore. A few moments pass and my potion begins to shift colors. The muddy brown is completely gone, replaced by a shocking pink that nearly blinds me. I look up at Daphne's portion and hers has turned into... well, lavender. "You don't happen to have an idea of how much these will last, do you?" I ask her.

Daphne smiles weakly. "One can never really tell, am I right?" She raises her glass in front of me. "Bottoms up!"

We both chug down our potion at once. Mine tastes... okay. I don't know why I expected it to taste like shit but It's sweet, although not overpowering. Daphne's doesn't seem to taste too bad, either, seeing as she drinks it with ease.

The bad part comes right after.

I've never consumed Polyjuice Potion before this so I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but I've heard the transformation process is extremely unpleasant so I'm not expecting something good. Once it finally starts, I let go of my cup and I'm crouching on the floor in less than 10 seconds. My insides feel like they're twisting and turning into irreparable knots, and my skin feels like It's burning. I hear Daphne moaning in pain but I don't look up at her. My eyes are glued to the bubbles forming in my hands and arms. I nearly begin to panic but I try to remain calm as my skin begins to darken, my fingers shrinking a bit and turning slightly thinner. A long dark hood begins to take over my vision while I'm still crouched, and it takes me a moment to realize that It's just my hair, which doesn't seem to stop growing. My robes suddenly begin to feel lighter than usual as my body takes the shape of Parvati. The pain stops as suddenly as it started and it leaves me trying to catch my breath. I try to stand up straight again, catching sight of Draco and Blaise's faces first. Both of them look like they've seen a ghost for a moment before their expressions shift into amusement. "Whoa," Blaise mutters. "That was terrifying to watch. But you guys look exactly like them."

I don't say anything as I turn to find Daphne again, but I'm met with Lavender Brown staring at me with wide eyes instead. We both gasp, frozen in our spots. To anyone else, she wouldn't look any different than the real Lavender, but I still find a bit of Daphne in the way she stares at me. "Oh Merlin," she tilts her head. "This is terrifying."

"Tell me about it," I agree while I take one last look at my hands. I grab my hair; It's so long that I have no idea what to do with it. I've never had it this long so it does sort of feel heavy.

"Yes, yes, It's all very impressive," Draco says in a dismissive manner. "But we still have other important things to do."

Even though I hate that he has to be such an asshole all the time, he's right. We cannot lose sight of what's important.

So, Daphne and I go to change clothes and then head to the Gryffindor Tower. It feels like a marathon but we finally stop in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. She eyes us carefully and for a moment I begin to think that she's onto us. I try not to look suspicious and I can sense Daphne doing the same next to me. "Password?"

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." I say without stuttering, trying to seem casual and like It's not my first time sneaking into Gryffindor's Common Room.

She nods and the portrait slowly opens. I almost let out a sigh of relief as we walk in but I'm stopped by the sight of the Common Room. I've never been here before but It's hard to take it all in when there are so many students in it at the same time. Nonetheless, I can tell that It's so much different than Slytherin's Common Room, and not in a good way.

"Okay," Daphne says, but It's barely audible through the loud music playing. "We're here now, there's no turning back. Do you see the drinks anywhere?"

I scan the room a bit longer. I spot the music box in a corner, next to a couple making out against the wall; I spot the Quidditch Cup exhibited on a clear shelf, next to Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley who are talking on the other side of the room; and I do see many people holding cups, which means that we'll probably have to go around slipping Sleeping Draught in all of them.

I finally catch a glimpse of a long table with different kinds of snacks and—

"I see something!" I tell her excitedly and I point to the table, where there are also two huge bowls filled with red and gold liquid, probably charmed to look that way.

Daphne smiles in satisfaction. "Let's get started, shall we?"

"Wait," I stop her. "I think we have to split up."

"Huh?"

"There are people drinking already so maybe you could try and slip some Draught in their drinks while I try to slip it into the bowls first?" I suggest.

She nods. "Right. I'll start on the left side of the room, then."

We divide the potion and part ways, and I start making my way through the crowd until I can't see her anymore. A few people say hi to me and, even though I don't know much about Parvati Patil, I try to act how I've seen her act— bright, outgoing, and a little bit annoying. Luckily, though, no one stops to make conversation so I make an easy escape until I finally reach the table.

I take out the cup that Daphne gave me and I discreetly begin to pour the purple liquid into the cup. Fortunately, it does not change colors. "I see what you're doing," a voice says from behind me and I almost drop the cup.

I turn around, trying to act normal, and then I see that the person talking is none other than Fred Weasley. Out of all people. "What?"

He grins. "You're spiking the punch even more, aren't you? I didn't know you were such a party animal, Parvati."

I almost forget that I look like a whole different person right now. I chuckle and raise my arms. "You're right. You caught me."

"Well, don't let me stop you. Go on ahead. It'll definitely make things a lot more fun around here." Fred winks at me before he walks away and I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

Aside from that small incident, I don't bump into anyone else. Everyone's already too drunk out of their minds to notice me. It makes it easier for me to slip more Sleeping Draught into people's drinks, and I keep doing it until I find Daphne again and we're certain that we've got everyone. "And now we just wait."

***

It doesn't take long for everyone but Daphne and I to start collapsing from sleep. In fact, it happens very quickly.

Daphne and I are giggling like maniacs as we tiptoe around until we're in front of the silver Quidditch Cup, admiring its beauty for a moment. "I can't believe we actually pulled this off," Daphne says under her breath, her eyes glowing. "We're so cool."

"Told you we could do it," I nudge her side. "Now for the final act..."

I take it in my hands. It feels heavier than I expected but it feels so good to hold it. "What a beauty," I keep admiring it until I'm brought back to my senses. "Okay, now let's get out of here."

We finally make it out of the Common Room and it feels like we've been liberated. Our surroundings begin to feel familiar again. "I'll go let the others know that we have the Cup," Daphne announces excitedly.

"Good idea," I tell her. "I'll go take this to the dungeons."

She nods and we part ways once again. I try to hide the Cup in my bag as much as I can but It's so big that the top part still sticks out, but it will have to do.

If the path to the Gryffindor Tower felt long, this time it feels eternal, especially when the tension of being caught follows me around. I have to be extra careful this time; if anyone sees me I'll get in huge trouble and I don't even want to begin thinking about that. So I have to sneak around and be very aware of my surroundings if I want this to go as planned. It's all up to me now.

When I'm finally sure that I'm outside of the public eye, I turn a corner and let out a shriek as I almost come face-to-face with a tall figure. And of course, It's Fred Weasley again.

Wait...

"H-hey, Fred!" I smile brightly at him. Maybe it comes off a bit too forced but oh well. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check up on you and Lavender, since you guys left in such a hurry," His eyes find my bag and my stomach drops. "What are you doing with the Quidditch Cup?"

"I'm..." I try to think fast but without looking suspicious, and then I realize that I'm most certainly failing at it. "I was just on my way to polish it! And then I was going to bring it back later."

"Were you?" Fred raises an eyebrow and steps closer.

I nod. "Of course! What, you think I'm stealing it or something?"

He's practically hovering over me now and I have to crane my neck to look up at him. He extends a hand out to me. "Why don't you let me help you, then?"

"I'm sure you're probably busy—"

"I have nothing on my schedule right now." He cuts me off. His gaze makes me feel like a criminal. "I'd love to help out."

I shrug. "It shouldn't be too much work, I can do it on my own, really—"

Suddenly, my back is pressed against the stone wall and I'm caged in between both of his arms. I yelp in surprise. Fred's face is awfully close to mine and he's staring at me as if he's trying to figure out my identity. My true identity. "You're not the real Parvati, are you?"

I swallow hard and do the first thing that comes to mind: I take out my wand from my back pocket and point it at him. "Flipendo!"

A yellow light surges out of the tip of my wand and knocks Fred back and away from me. As soon as his back meets the ground I make a run for it.

I have no idea where I'm heading, my vision is far too clouded right now, but I do not look back and I do not stop running. I've forgotten all about being discreet and I've stopped worrying about getting caught by someone else. I'm already in enough trouble as it is.

My feet guide me outside of the castle, and I know that if anyone finds out I'll get detention for at least 2 months, but I don't care as I keep moving. My stomach begins to turn in that weird way again all of a sudden. "Oh no, please, not now," I beg.

Despite the uncomfortable feeling, I'm still running until I reach the dock at the Great Lake. It's barely visible and the water is so dark that it looks like a huge void, but at least no one can see me here. The pain continues for a few moments, and when it finally stops I look at my hands. They look like my hands again. I reach to touch my hair and realize It's not nearly as long anymore. Even if it didn't last long, it feels good to be back to my old self.

"There you are,"

Crap.

I turn slowly to look at Fred, who apparently does not know to mind his own bloody business. His eyes widen in surprise once he sees me but then he shakes his head and smirks. "Well, hello there. I never thought that, out of all people, you would try and pull off something like this," I remain quiet. "I believe you have something that belongs to us." He takes a step closer.

I pretend to ponder. "No, I don't think I do. I think you have the wrong person."

"Oh, silly me, right? I thought you looked different back there," He says then takes out his own wand. "Accio Quidditch Cup!"

The Cup suddenly flies out of the bag, all the way into Fred's hands.

"Give it to me," I run towards him and try to yank the cup from his hands. Unfortunately for me, his grip is way stronger than mine. He raises it above his head, which, given our very distinctive height difference, is impossible for me to reach. I jump while extending my arm as high as possible, but It's useless. He's still looking down at me like I'm an annoying toddler wanting to get his attention. "Weasley!"

"Sorry," He shrugs. "Finder's keepers."

Grumbling curses at him under my breath, I reach for my wand and point it at the cup, using the same Summoning Charm as him. As soon as the cup is back in my hands, I run for it. I hear Fred shouting my name behind me, but I don't turn back. I'm laughing like a maniac as I run to the opposite side when I'm suddenly stopped in my tracks. For a second, I cannot move. It's like an invisible force is restricting my entire body. And then I'm yanked back by said force until I'm back in my previous spot, right in front of Fred. He snatches the cup from me and grins. "Thank you, kind lady. Oh, and I'll be taking this, too."

He snatches my wand from my hand and begins to run away. My first instinct is to jump on his back, ignoring his protests as I try to reach for my wand first. He manages to shake me off before I can do so, but I don't give up. I'm still trying to reach for him, for anything, but between all that wrestling, I slip from the dock and fall into the freezing water. When I emerge, my whole body is shivering and my teeth are chattering uncontrollably. I look back at the dock and Fred is still standing there, his mouth open as he stares at me in shock. And then he bursts out laughing. "You'll p-pay for this!" I shout at him but he just keeps laughing.

I hear something behind me— it almost sounds like a waterfall. But as I turn around I don't see anything of the sort.

Instead, I see a tentacle. A huge tentacle coming at me from the water.

The color drains from my face, I'm sure, and I let out a loud scream. I scream so loud that I don't hear anything else. I think Fred is shouting something, and I'm not sure if It's at me or at the giant squid, but I don't find out. I shut my eyes close but my body is frozen in place. I can't move. It might be the fear, it might be the cold, it might even be both, but I can't move a muscle.

What a terrible way to die this is.

"(Y/N)," Fred calls from the dock but I can barely hear him. My heartbeats are too fast and too loud. "It's okay, It's gone! Just swim back to shore."

I'm too busy hyperventilating to listen to him. I was just face-to-face with a giant squid— a bloody giant squid. My mind is not processing anything at the moment and all I can feel is panic, still.

I hear a splash of water nearby and a pair of arms suddenly sneak around me below the water. A small gasp escapes my lips as Fred's face appears right of mine. As if by instinct, I wrap my arms around his neck. It's the closest we've ever been. "Look at me," he says but I don't need him to. I'm already getting lost in the soothingness of his eyes. "You're okay. Nothing or no one will hurt you as long as I'm here, okay?"

I nod wordlessly. I'm still shaking uncontrollably and I probably look like a mess right now. "I'm going to get us back to shore now," He informs carefully. "Is that okay with you?"

"Y-yes, please."

As soon as I give him the green light, he picks me up bridal style and begins to swim back to shore.

We get to land safe and sound, just as he had promised. I feel a huge sense of relief the moment my feet touch land, but my arms do not let go of him and his hands are still on my waist. When I turn to face him, he's already looking down at me. "See?" he says with a chuckle. His voice is soft and comforting. "It's all good now. You have nothing to worry about."

For a moment, I seem to forget that the boy standing in front of me is the boy that I've hated for all these years. I forget all the pranks he pulled on me and my housemates, all the times he enraged and mocked me. I forget about all of that and I don't know what comes over me but I lean up and I kiss him.

I can tell that Fred is surprised by how he freezes as soon as our lips touch, but once he composes himself, he responds. He pulls me closer and tightens his grip around me, which is probably the moment that I start losing my grip on reality. A wave of warmth washes through me and it feels... nice. Especially after going out for a midnight swim. His lips feel soft against mine and It's nearly impossible to stay away from them. My hands grip his hair and he lets out a low grunt against my mouth. The sound is sinful. It makes me want more of him.

We pull away after a while, though, and none of us say anything. My eyes flutter open almost at the same time as his, and for a moment It's like a sort of dream where nothing is real.

But of course, he has to ruin it.

"Wow," Fred's dazed smile widens. "What a nice way to say 'Thank you for saving my life'."

I blink a few times and it takes a moment to snap out of my trance, and when I do I am mortified. When I finally come to all my senses, I unwrap my arms from his neck and push him away. As soon as he lets go, I start to look for my wand. I finally find it lying next to the Cup but I don't even bother to grab that. It was a mistake to even try and steal it. It has already caused way too much unnecessary drama.

Plus, I just kissed Fred fucking Weasley.

My clothes are sticking to my skin and I'm still dripping from head to toe, which just adds to my distress, but I don't let it stop me as I run back to the castle. I hear Fred calling after me but I don't turn to look back at him. I am way too embarrassed and frustrated at myself to do so.

[doromoni]

Burnt Pan Shenanigans | CL16

Ship: Charles Leclerc x chef! reader

Warnings : slight cursing

Genre : fluff

Summary : Charles is “secretly” crushing on the famous celebrity chef … maybe a little too much.

Masterlist

Y/N had no idea why a racing team had reached out to her proposing a collaboration. She for one couldn’t connect cooking or anything of her profession to the sport of high speed car racing. The vague email didn’t help either . Nevertheless, it had piqued her interest and had decided to keep in contact with the Formula 1 team , asking for more details of the project.

She is going to be featured as a special guest for Ferrari’s C2 challenge. Her task is to teach the 2 drivers on how to cook her favorite dish, blindfolded. The only problem was that she knew nothing about what a C2 challenge is and who the drivers where!

Deciding to actually do some form of research to avoid looking stupid and somehow show a professional front to the Ferrari drivers, Y/N had plopped herself on the couch laptop at hand, Y/N had then started to search the web and had clicked on the first video she had saw .

Not long after , her stomach had began to hurt from laughter as the driver , she now knew was named Charles confidently shout “ Chicken!” To what clearly was an emoji of a turkey.

One video turned to into two , and two became four. Without her knowing she had binged every episode of C2. What can you say? You were hooked — how can you not? The drivers are adorable.

“ Wow they are freakishly gorgeous” Y/N tilted her head as she stared at the two Ferrari drivers. They were both equally captivating in their own way but she can’t help but gravitate towards the other —The one with blue eyes, a dreamy smile and dazzling hair.

—

***

” once the side of the chicken gets to that delicate caramelized brown, and you can smell the aroma in the air — it means that it is seared and it’s time to flip it to the the other side! ”

Charles’ eyes never left the phone screen that was balancing on top of his kitchen island , his full attention on Y/N who gliding gracefully and looking so effortless as she cooked.

The sound of the smoke alarm blared through his apartment , snapping Charles away from his daydreaming; as puffs of smoke covered parts of his kitchen . Quickly closing the stove and turning off the fire alarm , for the 3rd time this month. Charles was really a lost case when it came to cooking.

A soft smile placed itself on his lips , as your voice continued to project from his phone. You made everything look so simple and easy , even Charles thought he could do it! He continued to watch the beautiful girl work— completely forgetting the burnt chicken that was still on the pan.

“What are you doing?” A male voice suddenly came from behind

“Juste ciel! You scared me!!” Charles exclaimed, scared for his life as he held his chest.

Turning around to see his Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, folding in half as he cried from laughter, clutching his stomach . Charles continued to curse the Latino driver in the languages hr knew— throwing the kitchen towel to the man who was still giggling.

“Why are you even here Carlos?” Charles had asked seeing that his teammate started to gather himself together.

“Nancy wanted to make sure that you got her texts, since you are clueless by my arrival— when I texted you that I was coming, I assume you didn’t see her text. No?” Carlos said, wiping the remaining tear stains from his cheek.

picking up his phone , and saw that it was actually on do not disturb.

“She said that we are needed earlier than expected tomorrow, we’ll be filming a lengthy C2 Challenge.”

A groan escaped the Monegasque at the thought of another day filled with media and journalists. Racing was supposed to be just that , racing . Not reporters hounding them about their lives — to that rolled he had rolled his eyes . Ruffling his hair out of frustration,

“Oh, don’t groan , I think you’ll particularly like tomorrow “ There was a dubious grin present on the Spanish driver �� He knows something that Charles did not.

“What is it Carlos? Tell me, come onnnnnn” Charles badgered.

“Just be early tomorrow~ you’ll be surprised! Hehehe. Ciao , charles~” and with that the Spaniard was out.

***

“WHAT?! Y/N L/N?! TODAY? Huh??” Shocked was an understatement to describe the Monegasque driver .

Ferrari and it’s team knew Charles’ little crush for the chef, and they decided to surprise him with her presence.

Still confused Charles spouted out questions to Nancy — their pr manager.

“What do you mean y/n will be in the C2 challenge?”

“Just that, Charles. Ms. Y/n was invited to host this week’s C2 Challenge”

“You’re not serious…. Right??” Charles was downright panicked. His emotions spilling everywhere— excitement, fear, worry, happiness … he was a mess, and the whole team was giggling amongst themselves.

“When will she arri—“ Charles was not able to finish his sentence, when he heard the voice that owned his admiration.

“Hi everyone! My name is Y/N ~ let’s enjoy our time together, yes?”

And at the sight of her smile , oh boy… Charles Leclerc was a goner.

A/N:

Im not sure if a part 2 is needed 😮‍💨 any thoughts? should I write a pt 2 or just leave it as a oneshot ?

[mikasa-imadebiscults]

could u do midoriya and Bakugo with a childhood friend who got rejected from UA while they got in and she started distancing herself from them?

(Hello Anon, thank you for the request and I hope you enjoy! Also I hope you don’t mind that I made the reader gender neutral)

Fading Childhood

Midoriya and Bakugou x GN! Reader

(Warning: This is platonic, reader has a quirk but it’s not specified)

You, Midoriya, and Bakugou are childhood friends. You lived close by Midoriya’s house and he introduced you to his friend Bakugou and ever since the first day you met you guys did everything together, whenever Bakugou would say mean things to Deku or hurt him in any way you would be there to be the voice of reasoning to calm down the situation.

Bakugou was always stubborn, in Junior High he would absolutely refuse to hang out with Midoriya sense he was Quirkless and didn’t want to be seen with him but with you there you somehow managed to convince Bakugou to hang out with you guys.

You often found yourself comforting Midoriya from all the bullying he receives each and every day. You would go to a nearby store, grab majority of his favorite snacks, and then go to his house to hang out to keep his mind occupied.

Today was one of those days where you were over at Midoriya’s house, you were talking about how you both applied to UA and hoped that you both will be accepted there. You had high expectations that you’ll be accepted because you had a pretty good quirk and it can be very handy for saving people.

10 months later it was time for UA’s entrance exam. You started to prepare right before the exam, stretching your muscles and breathing in and out to calm your nerves. You haven’t seen Midoriya or Bakugou anywhere yet but you knew they were gonna be there it’s just a lot of people there so it’s hard to spot them, but you silently wished the both of them luck.

After a few long minutes of listening to Present Mic explain the rules for the exam, everyone went to their proper locations and waited for the buzzer to go off to start.

The buzzer went off and the exam began, minutes passed and you took out a few robots and saved a few people, it was safe to say that you’ll most likely be accepted into the famous hero course.

All the sudden a loud boom snapped you out of your thoughts but it sounded nothing like Bakugou’s explosions so out of curiosity you checked out the noise. There you saw one of those large robots that are worth 0 points come down and a person was falling down. You were too far away to see the person but by the sounds of their screams you could tell that it was Midoriya.

You were running as fast as you can to try and save him in time before he fell to his demise but you were too late. Luckily a girl with short brown hair saved him with her Quirk and he started floating. You sighed in relief as he gently got put down and Recovery Girl was walking over there. The exam ended and you wanted to talk to Midoriya and ask him questions about his Quirk because you always thought he was Quirkless, but you decide to leave him alone since currently he was getting treatment for his broken bones.

A week has passed and you still haven’t received the acceptance letter from UA, it worried you but you tried to look at the bright side and still have hope. Then you got a text from Bakugou.

“Bakugou: No surprise but I got into UA, how about you?”

He was right, there was no surprise but what about you? Where was your letter? There was still some time left so you didn’t panic too much, you decided to not answer the message from him and go take a small nap to kill time.

You were woken up by a text and checked to see who it was, it was Midoriya.

“Midoriya: Hey sorry I’m texting you so late but I got into UA I’m so happy, did you get the acceptance letter?”

At this point it was 10 PM and you didn’t get the letter. You lost all the hope you originally had and felt like your dreams of becoming a hero were torn into shreds.

Days later it was the first day of school in UA and both Midoriya and Bakugou didn’t see you anywhere. They knew something was wrong when you didn’t reply to there texts so they suspected that you didn’t get accepted and with you nowhere to be found in UA that confirmed that they were correct.

Later in the day, after their first day of school was over you heard a loud knock on your bedroom door. You said come in expecting that it was gonna be your guardian but it caught you by surprise when you saw your spiky haired friend walk in and shut the door with a note in his hand.

“What are you doing her-”

“You think you can just distance yourself from us like that just because you didn’t get into some stupid hero course? There’s other hero courses out there so don’t you dare give up.” Bakugou says as he gently but firmly punched your arm, you softly smile at the gesture knowing that it was Bakugou’s way of telling you that he cares.

“Thank you Bakugou.”

“Yeah yeah whatever, here nerd wanted you to see this.” He says handing you the note before walking to the door.

“Hey wait again thank yo-”

“BYE” He slams the door.

Chuckling a bit, you open the letter and read it to yourself-

“Dear Y/N, I’m sorry I couldn’t come over to tell you this in person but I had some things to do and I wanted to tell you this as soon as possible so I wrote this note. I’m sorry you didn’t get accepted into UA, you have such a amazing Quirk and you’ll be a amazing hero. That being said, don’t give up there’s other schools that have a hero course and sure it won’t be UA but don’t let that bring you down. - Sincerely, Midoriya.”

Reading that note made you tear up, how could you distance yourself from your friends, childhood friends to be specific. You made a promise to yourself that once you see them again you’ll apologize and never do that to them ever again.

Masterlist

[abbatoirablaze]

Criminal Minds, Season 1, Episode 9, Part 1

Word Count: 2k

Warnings:  mentions of sex, fluff, anxiety, guilt, cheating, mentions of angsty secrets.

Samantha Reid

“We’re rolling out in five!” Aaron reminded his team as he walked into his office.  He barely noticed you slipping into the room as he turned and reached for his go-bag. But when he heard the unmistakable clicking of the door catching on its hinge, he gave you his attention. 

You had your back pressed against the door, and you were paler than a sheet.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Is it true?”

He couldn’t miss the warble in your voice.  The anxiety lacing your features.  It had been a far cry from the aura you normally purveyed throughout the building. 

“Samantha-“

“Is.  It.  True?”

His jaw clenched and he rested the bag on his desk, “honey...it’s not that simple.”

“Aaron, I was supposed to be with Elle,” she said nervously, “I was supposed to be the supervisory agent.  It’s her first interview as the lead.  And she-“

He crossed the room in a few simple strides and wrapped his arms around you.  Your tears stained his jacket, but neither of you seemed to care. Your words choked up in your throat, keeping you from spilling them.  His hand found it’s way to the back of your head, and he held you, just as you had done for him the night previously. 

“It’s not your fault that they are in this situation, Samantha...”

“I pulled out of leaving, Aaron,” you sobbed against his chest, clutching his jacket, “I stayed because of-“

“We’re going to take care of this, Samantha.” He said firmly as he cut you off, “this is not your fault.”

“No...don’t get up...”

You giggled as Aaron’s arms wrapped around you when you shifted from beside him.

“Aaron, I’ve already pulled out of that interview, and they sent the probationary agent with Elle in my place,” you giggled once more, “we have to get up and start getting ready for work.”

“I want to lay here with you a little while longer.”

Your eyes opened and you looked up into his.  The normally steely brown eyes were lighter, almost playfully hazel, with flecks of green in them.  You sighed to yourself and reached up, stroking his cheek.  You loved seeing the playful, flirty side of the man that you knew you loved. 

“What is it?” he asked curiously, watching your own reactions.

“I-I just miss this!” you admitted suddenly. 

“This?” he asked, still watching you.  You nodded and gave him another once over. 

“I miss waking up in bed with you...the playful, sweet man beneath the gravelly, serious exterior...the one that somehow convinces the panties right off me and manages to make me not want to go to work.”

“If it makes you feel any better, you manage to charm me right out of my boxers too!”

You bit your lip, your hand slipping away from his face and down his neck.  His eyes fluttered closed as your hand made it’s way over his pecs and down his firm abdomen.  He gasped, lips parting as your hand brushed over his cock. 

“Samantha...”

You leaned up, and pressed some kisses to his jaw, making your way down the column of his throat.  He gave you a throaty moan and his cock twitched in your hand. 

“Think we have time for a quicky before work?”

“I think we can make it work,” he moaned, “you okay with me not making us breakfast?”

“We can catch coffee and a Danish on the way in.”

A knock on the door broke the two of you from your thoughts.  You immediately pulled yourself from his grip and started wiping at your face. 

He frowned but said nothing as he went to the door.

“What is it?”

You couldn’t see past him.  He’d only opened the door enough so that he could be seen, and you were behind it. 

“Ready to go?”

“What do you mean?” he asked quietly, “are you coming with us Silverton?”

“It’s my probationary agent on that train with your girl, Hotchner,” she said firmly, “Strauss is allowing both of our teams to go.”

“Just so we’re clear, I’m the senior team leader,” he reminded her, “while we stand on equal ground here, I’m going to make the final calls.”

“I just want my team to be safe, Hotchner,” she replied, shooting him a look, “I’m not here to have a pissing contest over who has the most authority.”

“We’re rolling out in a minute.”

“Good.  My team will be ready.  I sent the boy wonder and Morgan to go sign out the SUVs.”

“I’ll meet you outside!” he answered, ignoring how she was already treating his team.  She walked away and he shut the door, before giving you a look.  You felt like you were going to be sick.

"I-I don’t know if I can do this, Aaron...I-“

“You can, and you will!” he said firmly, knowing that you were only reacting because you felt like the entire situation was your fault.  He walked back over to you and placed a gentle kiss on your lips, “I know you can do this, Samantha.  You are strong, and independent, and you will help us get your team member, and ours back...and do you know why?”

“Hmm?”

“Because you give a damn,” he answered, “you are the kind of woman that runs into a hailstorm of bullets because you need to protect people.  And I love you so much for that.  This is not your fault, okay?”

“Aaron...”

“Okay?”

You nodded and he pressed another kiss to your lips, “lets go get our agents back.”

“Okay.”

Anastasia Garcia

“He’s delusional,” Spencer smiled, “I know how we can get around his delusions.  All we have to do is make it seem like there’s a microchip in him.  All we hav-“

“I’m not letting you go in there, Reid!”

“What?” he asked, surprised at how quickly Morgan cut the idea off, “why not?”

“Because, that’s a delusional man who is twice your size,” he answered logically, “whatever the trick is, teach it to me.  I-“

“What?” he asked, this time cutting the other man off, “no.  I’ve spent years doing this.  I do-Sam, tell him that I need to be the one to do this.  I’ve spent so much time doing magic and-“

“I don’t think you should go in!”

Spencer’s brows furrowed as he looked at his twin sister, “What?”

“Morgan’s got a point, Spence...one false move and he blows through you.  He-“

“Yeah, one false move!” Spencer agreed, “I’ve been doing the disappearing and reappearing trick for years.   Morgan won’t be able to get it in the time that we have.  Hotch...Silverton?”

“I think that Reid should go in!” you said quickly, putting your own two cents in.  You didn’t dare look at Derek as you looked at Agents Hotchner and Silverton, “Reid says he’s been practicing this kind of thing for years, and like it or not, that’s what we need.  Experience over brawn.  We need to be smart about this.  We have two agents in there!”

Silverton looked at Hotchner, “I agree with my liaison!  Hotch?  They’re your team members.”

“I’m not willing to put Reid into the line of fire!” he said quickly, not even bothering to think about it, “if the situation goes sideways, then Derek has a better reaction time.  Reid, show Morgan how to do the trick.  Anastasia, go let the sheriff know that we’re working on something.  Gideon tell the shooters to stay sharp and be ready for a shot in case things don’t go as planned.  Reid, take Morgan outside and show him how to do the trick.  Silverton, Samantha, and I will look for something that can work as the microchip.”

“Got it.”

“Will do!”

You spared Derek a look, and he gave you a mean one in return.  Without waiting, you followed the line of people out of the command center and started for the sheriff, who was talking to a few other officers.  But all too quickly, you found yourself being pulled around the front of the command center and to the other side. 

You weren’t surprised when your eyes met Dereks.

“What the hell was that, Garcia.”

“I’m looking out for the teams,” you said quickly, pulling your arm from his grasp, “and I’m doing my job.  Spencer is the best shot at it, and you know it.”

He followed as you started walking around the command center towards the back of the scene and away from other people. 

“Where are you going?”

“Well, you obviously want to talk about this, so I’m getting us away from prying eyes!” you hissed, sparing him a look over your shoulder.  You stopped when you were behind the command center.  His arms crossed over his chest, and he looked at you.

“Well?”

“Spencer has the best shot of it turning out well!”

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” he growled, “if things go sideways I have a better response time than the boy genius and you know it.  The only edge he has over me is that he knows how to do the trick.  But that man in that train is a delusional psychotic.  And he’s got hostages.  Two of which belong to us!”

“Well maybe if anyone is in the line of fire, I’d prefer that it’s not you!” you spat before you could really think about it. 

His head cocked to the side, and he looked like he was in disbelief for a second, “Ana, this is my job.  I’m in the line of fire every single day, and-“

“You’ve been hurt on your last two assignments, Morgan,” you reminded him, “what if you’re pushing yourself too hard, huh?  What if this next one is the one that pushes you past your limits and gets you killed?  What would your family say?  What would my sister say?  What would-“

“You think?” he finished. 

Your jaw clenched, and you realized that your emotions were getting the better of you, “you-you don’t know what you’re talking about, Morgan.”

“I’m a profiler, Anastasia...I know exactly what I’m talking about...and I think that you know too.  You don’t want me to go into that train because you don’t want there to even be a possibility of me getting hurt!”

Your eyes snapped up to his, “you need to stop talking, Derek.”

“I’m not the one that started all this, baby girl,” he said softly, shaking his head, “look, I-I don’t know what’s going on with whatever this is.  And I sure as hell don’t know what’s going on with the whole situation between you and Smith...but here’s what I do know.  I ain’t looking to play around, Garcia.  I’m not some hit it and quit it playboy like I have the reputation of being.  I focus on my job and I do what I need to in order to get it done.  And that includes leaving behind relationships if they’re getting in the way.  But I also know that there’s something here between us...and I don’t know how to describe it.  Now you may not want to admit that you have any feelings on your side, and that’s okay.  I get it.  You’re in a relationship, and this job comes with a lot of-“

“I like you!”

He stopped speaking. 

His brow rose as he watched you.

“What?”

“I like you,” you repeated with a deep breath, “but I-there can’t be anything more than that, Derek.  I-“

He rushed forward, not waiting for a response as he swept you up into his arms.  Your lips crashed together with no hesitation. 

The kiss was brief, almost too much so as you pushed yourself away.  You shook your head and looked at him, “I-“

“Say you didn’t feel anything!” he said quickly, “say you didn’t feel anything, and I’ll let it go...”

“You don’t want to be part of my life, Derek,” you answered, shaking your head while ignoring the question, “Brent-he fits.  There aren’t any expectations...I-“

“I care about you, Garcia.”

“You shouldn’t, Derek...because for the men that do...I only end up breaking their hearts.”

S1, E9, Part 2

[adaptacy]

Pre-drabble :)

the gears are turning. they are turning. they are SO turning. the fanfic brain is working. and leland is my next target (/pos). so here's a prequel drabble to something that hasnt even been written yet!

Cw: they're so fucking cringe and in love ugh i can't eyeroll (i can)

Survivor!Leland x Afab!Reader (third person)

There was something about her smile. Something so sweet. So innocent. Reminded him of the girls in college. The ones who were in sororities, who'd never faced any sort of trouble- a shiny, practically gleaming, shimmering smile. The kind of smile that your childhood best friend would have.

He could remember a time when he smiled like that. Untouched by the world. Practically on top of the world. He didn't see that kind of smile anymore. He'd stopped seeing them years ago. Stopped searching for them.

He still tried to give that kind of smile, to wear his classic cheesy grin, but people knew, and people talked. People didn't believe his smiles, so he'd stopped giving them. But he was smiling now. Not a toothy grin, but he was smiling. And she was talking, and rambling about a childhood story, and he could've listened forever.

"Oh, there I go again. I'm sorry, what was your question?" She laughed, scratching the right side of her neck.

Leland shook his head. "That's alright, it was a good story. I just wanted to know if you had any extra bags," he asked, looking down at the small container hooked onto her hip, and she nodded.

"Yeah, of course!" She reached into the container, removing a thing plastic film. He took it from her, slipping it into his pocket. "Is he a rescue?"

The man looked down at the gray dog by his ankle, who wagged his tail and looked back up at his owner. "Yeah, he is. Harrier?" He asked, motioning towards the white and brown dog by her side. Her jaw dropped, and she scoffed, pressing a hand to her chest.

"Damn! You're good. Most people assume she's a beagle mutt. How'd you know?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"Been 'round a lotta dogs. You start to pick things up."

"Do you work with them or something?"

"Uh, you could say that, yeah. I help out at a shelter sometimes," he chuckled. "May I?"

"Yeah, totally. She's super friendly," she giggled. Both of them knelt down, and she ran her palm over the mutt's head, and then her fingers came underneath the bottom of his jaw, scratching underneath his neck. "Oh, he's precious," she cooed, her smile somehow growing at the interaction.

He was staring, and he looked back at the Harrier in front of him, who tenderly sniffed his hand. The smaller dog seemed hesitant, and he took his time, only patting her head when he was sure she wouldn't be caught off guard by it. His head tilted, finding the dog somewhat familiar. "Is she a rescue, too?"

"Yeah, I got her about a year ago," the girl replied, letting out an umph as Jacs' head slammed into her shoulder, demanding more pats.

"Jacs, easy," he commanded, but the dog seemed to have caught onto the same magnetism that he did. She didn't complain, simply gave him a kiss on his snout and rubbed along his neck. "Is she from the shelter on the corner of Hansen?"

She looked over at him, and both of them realized how close they were. He took a small step backwards with his knees, and she merely looked away, returning her attention to Jacs. "Yeah, she is. Why?"

"That's where I volunteer," he chuckled. "Kelly, right?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No way. I mean- yes, but I couldn't let them get away with giving a dog such a human name. Her name's peanut," she giggled, and he couldn't seem to take his smile off of his lips.

It wasn't long before his smile was on your lips too, enjoying the small vibrations of your giggles against his mouth. It drew laughter- real, genuine laughter from him, and you lay on his chest, your head turning to glance at the two dogs on one large dog bed, curled up against one another. There was quiet country music coming from a stereo in the kitchen, filling the air with a sort of domestic tranquility.

"Lee?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"I think we should move in together," you said, and his heart fluttered at the thought. He didn't reply immediately, so you continued. "It's just- Peanut and Jacs get along really well, and my lease will be up soon anyways, I mean, not that I need to move in with you, I can always find somewhere else, but-"

"I'd love to," he assured, running his hand up your back. You smiled again, your charming, impossibly sunny smile, and he wanted to kiss you, but he feared that he'd ruin the smile. So instead, he brushed his nose against yours, and you giggled once more.

You suddenly sat up, rolling off of his body and darting into the kitchen, turning the knob on the stereo. "Sing it, Glen!" You laughed, cranking the volume up loud enough that the dogs woke up, stirring from their sleep. Leland sat up, watching as you twirled your way over towards him, outstretching a hand.

He took it, and you yanked him off of the couch, holding it as you twirled.

"Get a house in the hills, you're payin' everyone's bills," you sang, and Leland laughed, joining in with you.

"Country boy, you got your feet in L- Ow, Jacs," Leland grunted, stumbling on his feet as the large dog pawed at him, his tail harshly wacking into Lee's ankle. Peanut barked, jumping up, and you reached down, picking up the dog and twirling with her. Jacs barked, and Leland reached down, rubbing the dogs head, laughing as he did so.

Peanut was placed back onto the floor, and Leland held out a hand, which you took without hesitation. The two of you danced together for a while longer until the song came to a close, and Leland pulled you in close, simply hugging you, appreciating you. And you hugged him back, your hands sliding up his back, but you heard his breath hitch, and you moved them back down.

His smile was soft, and you gave him a gentle squeeze. Pressing a kiss to the top of your head, he let out a gentle "I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too, Lee," you replied, enjoying his warmth for a while longer before you finally pulled away. "Dinner?"

"Hmm... Grilled cheese?" He asked, and you nodded.

"Sounds great."

[tathrin]

You know I have to ask about Animorphs: Back to the Beginning

Ahh okay, so I honestly don't think I'll ever actually write this one because frankly, one rewrite-the-series-AU is enough for me thank you (and also everyone and their mother has already at least toyed with the concept of "what if one/some of the Animorphs went back to the start of things?" fics anyway) ...so I'm just going to post everything I do have:

"Ram the Blade Ship," I said.

There was a tingle, something like a shock although not painful, that ran through me. I drew my hand away from the side of a blue box—of the Blue Box.

<Go now,> a voice in my head said. <Only remember this—never remain in animal form for more than two of your Earth hours. Never! That is the greatest danger of the morphing! If you stay longer than two hours you will be trapped, unable to return to human form.>

"What," I said, unable to process what my eyes were seeing. "What is—where?"

"Oh man," said a voice that was both more familiar than my own and yet strange. "Oh man, this is—this can't be happening. Jake…"

It was Marco, but he sounded wrong. Sounded…sounded young.

I looked down at my hand, at my weirdly small fingers. I looked up at the bright green eyes of Elfangor, staring at me.

<You must go!> he said. He was scared—I could feel it, a dread crawling up my spine that was even more familiar than my too-small fingers and Marco's too-young voice. His main eyes turned away from me to stare up at the sky. <Visser Three! He comes,> Elfangor said.

I was shaking, but not because of Visser Three.

"Oh man," Marco said again. His eyes were as wide as saucers, the rims of white around the dark pupils standing out like headlamps against his brown cheeks. "Jake…does he mean…?"

I couldn't speak. I could only nod. Because if this was Elfangor—if this was the moment I thought it was, the moment it couldn't possibly be, then that wasn't Visser Three up there. That was Visser One. Only he wasn't, yet. And that meant…

<Run!> Elfangor said again. He sounded frustrated with our paralysis, but mostly he just sounded scared. Had he always sounded this scared, and I hadn't noticed it through my own fear? Or was my own fear what was coloring the sound of his voice in my head, now?

<Visser Three is the most deadly of your enemies,> he was explaining worriedly. <Of all Yeerks he alone has the power to morph. The same power you now have. Run!>

"Rachel?"

It was Tobias's voice. He didn't sound too young, because his thought-speak voice had never aged the way our human voices had aged, but the twisted pain and hope and love in his voice made him sound somehow even more unfamiliar than Marco did, here on the other end of adolescence. Or maybe it was just that Tobias was speaking aloud, which he so rarely did.

"No, we'll stay with you," said a voice that I heard almost every night as I tossed myself awake, a voice that was young and strong and already so, so brave in the face of dangers that she still didn't understand, dangers that she'd died facing down with her head held high.

"Maybe we can help," said Rachel, and the world seemed to stop around me.

<No,> Elfangor said, although I barely heard him through the roar that was Rachel drawing breath to protest so close beside me. The roar of Rachel breathing. <You must save yourselves. Save yourselves and save your planet! The Yeerks are here.>

I didn't look up; I couldn't look away from the sight of my cousin, alive.

Rachel, alive.

She was staring at the sky, and I could see Cassie—so young, so scared!—beside her, looking up as well, but for once I didn't have any attention to spare for the girl that I had once thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with, because I was looking at the girl I'd gotten murdered instead.

I was looking at Rachel, and she was alive.

It was Marco who jolted into action, who managed to see that bright clear line stretching out ahead of him enough to pull his eyes away from the sight of a living, breathing Rachel Berenson while Tobias and I were still staring, dumbfounded and disbelieving.

"Run with us," he said to Elfangor. "You can heal, and we'll be able to fight the Yeerks better with you than on our own."

<If I run, they will chase me,> Elfangor said. <If I do not die here, they will never stop hunting me. They will burn this human city and everything in it to the ground to find me. You will die, and I will die, and the Yeerks will win.> One of his eye stalks turned to stare into the darkness of the construction site, and I had a moment to wonder if he was thinking about other options—thinking about what he'd really come to this place seeking, before he'd found all of us instead—but his sad smile remained fixed on Marco's face. If he thought about changing his mind, running, it wasn't a thought he entertained for long. <Wounds or no, I cannot live through this night. Visser Three will not allow it, and I will not allow Earth's only chance at hope to die alongside me. You must run.>

"Jake, I…I think we need to," Cassie said, and her eyes were on the dark shapes in the sky and her voice was small.

"Yeah," I said, and the response was as automatic as it was true. I licked dry lips and looked at Elfangor. "Okay," I said. "We'll fight them. The Yeerks. We'll fight them, and we'll stop them. I promise."

"Yeah," Marco said, laughing shakily, "it'll be just like riding a bike. Unless we don't get out of here right now, and get flash-fried by the Yeerks instead." Despite his words, he still paused to look at Elfangor. His face was turned away from mine so I couldn't see the expression that passed across it, but I saw him nod once—maybe in respect, maybe in forgiveness, maybe in farewell—before he punched my shoulder and turned to run.

I forced myself to my feet, feeling as awkward and out of place in my own body as though I were wearing an unfamiliar morph. "Tobias, pull it together," I said, and then Rachel's hand was in mine and Cassie's was in hers and we were running, Marco on our heels, and my brain whirling in a million different directions at once but somehow amidst every thought and fear and scream inside my head, all I could focus on was the feel of Rachel's hand—warm, solid, alive—against my own.

I glanced back once and almost tripped over my suddenly clumsy feet. Rachel kept me upright—even then, she was strong enough to do her own running while looking after Cassie and me, too; words that I had spoken so many years ago they had happened in a different lifetime came back to me suddenly, the boastful swagger of a teenage boy trying to show-off in front of his crush and sounding like a sexist dweeb in the process, and I almost laughed.

Instead I shouted, "Tobias! Move!"

He was still crouching beside Elfangor—beside his father—and for a minute I was worried that he wasn't going to get up, that he was going to wait too long this time and die right there in the construction site before he even got his wings. Tobias had his hand on Elfangor's cheek, and Elfangor had his hand on the back of Tobias's head and all four of his eyes were closed as though in meditation or some kind of trance. A flash of memory reminded me that Tobias had stayed behind the first time we'd met Elfangor, too, and had gotten some kind of memory-download that had told us so much of what we'd needed to know in those first, frantic days—but we didn't need that now, we knew so much more now than what Elfangor could tell him. There was no reason to dally this time except for sentiment, and we didn't have time for Tobias to waste on that. I understood the impulse, of course I did, but this was a war and Tobias knew better—!

Then Elfangor's head rocked back, all four of his eyes spinning to focus on Tobias's face, and finally Tobias pushed himself to his feet, his fingers trailing behind him for another half-second yet while Elfangor's frail Andalite hand reached out almost as though trying to grab and stop him from leaving. Then Tobias pulled away and Elfangor's hand fell and Tobias was running, stumbling heavily over the loose junk and potholes of the construction site and over his own unfamiliar human feet.

A beam of bright red light snapped on. The spotlight from the Bug fighter was joined by a second, both fixed on Elfangor and his ship. The Yeerks didn't know that there was anything else in here they should be concerned about, didn't know there was anything else here that was a danger to them—but we weren't yet, were we? My head was still reeling, trying to figure out what was going on, what had happened and even more importantly than why, how—but if my hands were small and Marco's voice was young and Rachel was alive, then we probably didn't have any morphs we could use yet, did we? That would mean we weren't a danger, not yet—but we would be.

I silently promised whatever messed-up craziness was going on that no matter what, we would be.

The five of us crouched together behind a low, crumbled wall. As the Bug fighters descended, I looked sideways at Marco and Tobias.

Marco mouthed a three-word question, and I shook my head. "Elimist?" I hissed back, and shrugged. It was the only thing that made sense—not that anything did make sense, but that was the only thing that came close, even after everything.

"But why?" Marco whispered.

I shook my head again. I didn't know. I didn't know anything.

But Rachel was crouching only a few inches away from me and she was alive. I wasn't sure that there was anything else that mattered, next to that.

As the Blade Shipe descended, bringing both its old familiar chill and the newer, stranger sensation of a deja vu beyond anything I had ever experienced in my life—we had just seen that ship, had just rammed that ship, and now here were both were, somehow back at the moment of our very first meeting—my gaze kept going back and forth between it and my cousin. My living, breathing cousin. There was fear on her face, a fear that I could barely remember on the other side of the bravado that she had so long ago adopted in its stead, but her jaw had the same stubborn set I knew from so many fights and losses. How had anyone ever looked at this girl and seen anything but a warrior?

How had anyone ever looked at her and thought they could send her off to die?

When Cassie started to scream, I was so startled I almost shrieked myself. It had been so long since any of us had been so unaccustomed to fear as to scream because of it that I froze, unsure of what to do.

It was Marco who leaned across me and clamped his hand over her mouth, Marco who hissed, "Quiet, or we're dead!" in her ear. Cassie stopped screaming and swallowed, but I could see her shaking. I put a hand on her shoulder and nodded at Marco, letting him know that I had it from here—that I was functional, ready to deal.

He raised his eyebrows at me but nodded and let go of Cassie, sinking back into his crouch. I put my other hand on his shoulder, a silent thank you—or maybe just the need to know that he was real, that even if this was all really happening at least I wasn't alone.

I heard Elfangor's voice in my head, telling me things I already knew about the Hork-Bajir. I looked the other way, towards Tobias where he was crouched at the end of the line of Animorphs. His eyes were fixed on Elfangor, but his fingers were wrapped around Rachel's. From the tightness of his grip, I doubted that he was ever going to let go.

"Did you hear that?" Cassie whispered. "Please, tell me you all heard that too!"

Rachel nodded. If Tobias's white-knuckled grip hurt, she didn't show it. "Yeah," she said.

Elfangor continued speaking, telling us how the Hork-Bajir had been enslaved (but not the role the Andalites had played in their suffering, of course) and that they were to be pitied.

"Pity. Right," Rachel said grimly. "They're walking killing machines. Look at them!"

I didn't look at the Hork-Bajir. I looked at Rachel, jarred by the uncharacteristic words she'd spoken—but then I realized, we didn't yet know better. We didn't understand what being a Controller meant, didn't understand what the Hork-Bajir had suffered. We hadn't met Jara Hamee and Ket Hapek. We hadn't met Toby, or any of the free Hork-Bajir. They didn't have a valley yet. They didn't have hope.

I swallowed hard, and fought the urge to be sick. This was too much. It had been too much to handle the first time, too, but in a different way. This was…

This was too much.

I stared at the Taxxons as they crawled out of the ships, my eyes unfocused and my brain far away. I distantly heard Marco mutter, "Pity them more, I think," but I wasn't thinking about the Taxxons. I was trying to remember every detail I could about this night, about the first time I'd lived through it. That was weird, because I'd once thought that I'd remember every single second of it with perfect clarity for as long as I lived—and in a way I did, but in another way I didn't, either. Memory was malleable, and changed with time. That was something I'd learned during the months after the war, when we'd all been struggling to recall dates and details and the neat order of events in order to explain them to other people, but I don't think I'd realized how soft memory really was until I was living one again as if it was for the first time.

The Yeerks had spotted us, and we'd had to run, and Chapman had ordered us killed. That was after Elfangor had died, though; it had to have been, because we all remembered watching that. All remembered watching Visser Three kill him—eat him. So we weren't actually in danger until Elfangor was dead—but what had triggered our discovery? I didn't remember, but somehow I thought it was something I'd done. Had I sneezed?

Why didn't I remember something this important?

The warmth of Elfangor's courage welled-up inside me like sunlight, like childhood. It made me feel safe and warm and whole in a way I hadn't felt since…well, maybe since this very night. Or a few days after it, at least. It was strange. It made me feel like a kid again.

Oh man, we were kids again. We couldn't even morph. This was insane…

But Rachel was alive. And there in the dark in the construction site, with a Hork-Bajir sniffing the air only a few feet away from me, Elfangor moments from death, I made a private vow to myself that she was going to stay that way this time, even if it killed me.

Was that why I was here? Was the Ellimist going to let me make a trade?

Or maybe it wasn't the Ellimist. Maybe it was someone else.

Well, if Crayak wanted me he could have me this time, if I got to save Rachel. I'd traded my life away in one of his monstrous games before and I was willing to do it again. But then why were Marco and Tobias here, too? Cassie and Rachel were living this for the first time, but Marco and Tobias weren't. Why? What was the difference?

Was it because the three of us had been on the Rachel, and they hadn't? Did that mean that down in the ocean right now, Ax was his future self too?

Another possibility hit me like ice water. Ax hasn't been himself when we'd rammed the Blade Ship. Did that mean The One was here, too?

Visser Three wrenched my attention back to the present—or the past—or whatever this was. Maybe it was a hallucination. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die; was that what this was? Was I going to relive my whole life from the moment of Andalite contact on up to the moment I died, aware of every mistake I'd ever made but unable to correct them?

But no, we weren't trapped in our old roles—we'd already changed things; had said things we couldn't have known to say the first time, or done little things differently, like Tobias sitting with Elfangor a few seconds longer or Marco covering Cassie's mouth when I failed to stop her scream. We weren't just walking through our parts. We were really here, really living this.

If this was real. If this wasn't just some game of Crayak's to torment us, or the Ellimist's to…well, to serve some illusory "greater good" of his own that was effectively going to also probably be torture. There was no way of knowing, so the only thing we could do was treat it like it was real. Like it was happening.

Like we were really here, again.

"What the…" Rachel said, living this moment for the first time with all the confusion and horror that came with that. "Isn't that an Andalite?"

She was looking at Visser Three. I looked at him too, and familiarity allowed me to see things I hadn't the first time when I'd been shaking in shock and terror. Visser Three walked out of the Blade Ship haughty and proud, but he was scared too. I could recognize the fear on his face, in the way he held his tail blade. Even with all his minions around him, weapons at the ready and his hated foe wounded and fallen, Visser Three was still scared of Elfangor. Still worried that the great Andalite war-prince had one last trick up his nonexistent sleeve.

I smiled grimly. If you only knew…

<Only once has a Yeerk been able to take an Andalite body,> Elfangor said. <There is only one Andalite-Controller. That one is Visser Three.>

I wondered if there was some way to get oatmeal into the Visser's feeding grounds. Maybe I should have balked at the thought of doing that to Alloran, but if anyone understood the idea of collateral damage in a war, it was him. He'd appreciate the ruthless efficiency, if not the irony. The question was whether the Visser would even ingest it when he stepped on the grass, and whether it would have the same effect on an Andalite Host that it did on human ones. Questions to ask Ax when we fished him out of the ocean, maybe, providing that he was Ax when we did…

The Visser was blustering at Elfangor, and I saw Tobias wince.

"What?" I hissed.

"Ax," Tobias whispered back. "I didn't tell him…"

I realized that the Visser had been boasting about destroying the Dome Ship, about killing everyone on board. Ax—Elfangor's little brother—had survived, but Elfangor didn't know that. We wouldn't learn that for a month, yet. I guess Tobias was wishing he'd told Elfangor that Ax was still alive, even though there would have been no way for him to explain how he knew that, or how he even knew who Ax was. I wasn't sure it would have done anything but confuse Elfangor if he had, but Tobias clearly felt guilty. I couldn't tell from his face, of course, which sported the usual expressionless mask that was his default expression when he was in human morph (although he wasn't in morph now, I reminded myself with a jolt), but his shoulders were hunched in a way that telegraphed his emotions despite the blankness of his face.

"What?" Rachel asked. "Tell who what?"

Tobias shook his head without looking away from Elfangor. Rachel didn't push for an explanation; she was too busy watching the drama playing out between the Andalite and the thing in an Andalite's body.

I watched it too, although I'd seen it before. Elfangor's defiant last stand—and was it bravery that drove him to his feet, a warrior's pride refusing to let him die on his knees? Or did he know that making Visser Three lose his temper was the best way to guarantee that he would be killed rather than infested?

Maybe it was a little bit of both.

Attacking the Bug fighter with his ship was definitely a ploy to get the Yeerks to destroy his ship rather than let (more) Andalite technology fall into Yeerk hands, though. The strategy of that move was as clear and plain as anything Marco had ever laid-out for the rest of us, now that I saw it in hindsight. I wondered what happened to the Escafil device, and kicked myself for not thinking to take it away with me when we ran. There was no sign of it out there now, of course—if there had been, the Visser would surely have taken it and this war would have gone very differently—but the first time I'd been here, I'd been too busy running for my life to think about it, and this time I'd been too busy reeling from the realization that I was here, that this was happening at all.

Dammit. I could have spared us all so much trouble if I'd been a little faster on the uptake…

"This isn't real," Cassie whispered as the Visser began to morph, "This isn't real."

It was real. And I was really here. Again.

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes, as though I could blot-out what was happening—or maybe make it sink-in better, so that I wouldn't screw-up again. I couldn't afford to miss another chance to make things better, not if I was going to keep everybody alive this time.

Holy shit. Could I maybe even save Tom?

I forced myself to shove that thought aside. I had spent so much energy trying to save my brother the first time I'd fought this war, and it had cost us all…so, so much. Too much. I couldn't let myself fall into that trap again. Tom was a Controller, which meant Tom was lost. I had to accept that. I couldn't change anything that had happened before this night.

But I could damn sure change everything that came after.

"No, no, no," I heard Cassie whispering, and I turned instinctively to comfort her—even after everything, I turned instinctively to comfort her—but Rachel was there first, wrapping an arm around Cassie's shoulder and pulling her close.

"Don't look," Rachel said. There were tears running down her face, but she didn't turn her head away from the gruesome sight before us. Her other hand was still laced with Tobias's, and even though he was the one who'd lived through all this before I could tell that it was still Rachel lending him strength—maybe even more than then.

After all, then he'd just been scared. Now, he understood what he was really losing tonight and how much more he might still have to lose.

Visser Three opened his mouth wide and I closed my eyes. Memory might be malleable, but the moment that followed this was one that was etched indelibly on my brain. I remember jumping to my feet, ready to fight—ready to get us all killed stupidly, pointlessly. Ready to throw away Elfangor's sacrifice. I knew better now, but I wasn't sure that I trusted myself to sit quietly through his death if I had to actually watch it again.

So I closed my eyes, and I did not see Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul fall. But I couldn't close my mind to his scream any more now than I could before.

That cry of despair was another thing I remembered perfectly.

We sat and watched as the Yeerks congratulated each other and milled around, laughing and bragging and celebrating the death of their enemy. I wondered when they were going to spot us, and I shifted up onto my toes, ready to run—but they didn't.

Cassie was weeping silently into Rachel's shoulder, and Tobias had tears pouring down his expressionless cheeks, and Rachel's eyes shone wetly in the dull reflection from the spotlights, and Marco had one hand pressed so tight to his mouth that I could practically see the bones of his hands flexing from the tension, and the only sound I could hear was the laughter of the Controllers around us.

Why weren't they chasing us? What was I missing?

The Visser dispatched a few Controllers to search the wreckage (not that there was much wreckage) and a familiar human in a suit jacket ordered a few other humans and Hork-Bajir to stay behind on guard while they did. We would need to try and slip away quietly before a patrol caught us—but why hadn't they spotted us already?

I caught Marco's eye and raised my eyebrows in an exaggerated pantomime of confusion. He raised his back and pointed at the hand over his mouth, like that should explain everything—and then I remembered. Marco had thrown-up the first time. That was what the Hork-Bajir had heard. That was why they'd found us, chased us.

Marco wasn't going to throw-up this time. By now, we'd all seen so many more horrors than the sight of Elfangor being eaten. I felt sick, sure, but it was a familiar feeling. A small one, an expected one. I'm sure it was the same for Marco—and he wasn't taking any chances, the hand over his mouth said without speaking. He remembered exactly why the Yeerks had almost caught us this night the first time we'd lived it (had probably never stopped re-living it, the way I re-lived so many of my flaws and failures from the war) and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

I wasn't the only one who was determined to avoid repeating the things that had gone wrong the first time. I glanced sideways at Tobias's hawk-sharp, tear-filled eyes and guessed that I wasn't the only one who'd made a certain vow tonight, either.

Good, I thought savagely, as I heard the familiar laugh of my former vice principal trail the rest of the Controllers back up into the Bug fighter, we'll do this together. Your move, Crayak—or whoever you are. I stared as the Yeerks flew back into the night, my brain already whirring with plans.

Your move.

# # #

The very first night, Tobias, Jake, and Marco will discuss how to stage the rescue mission to Ax, and worry/wonder about whether it's Ax they'll find down there or not, and whether they should risk the latter right now when Rachel and Cassie are so unused to battle; but what choice do they have? If it is The One, they need to know right away, because that's another big threat to deal with…and if it's their friend, they want to get to him asap, particularly before Ax tries to come find them with no human morph for operational security—and determine that having Tobias claim that "Elfangor told him" will serve as an excuse for why he knows where Ax is. (Not that he knows exactly where Ax is; he wasn't even there, the first time, and while Jake and Marco were they don't exactly have whale-implanated navigation knowledge to use, so they'll pour over charts and do their best to figure it out). At that point Tobias will also brusquely bring up whether or not he should become a nothlit on purpose. Jake will be horrified; Marco will grimace but nod thoughtfully, because he's been wondering that himself. Tobias points-out that his being a nothlit was very helpful, especially once the Elimist gave him back his morphing. Jake counters that they can't rely on the Elimist doing that again because they don't know what the rules are of the game they're stuck in, and whether or not the Elimist will be able to interfere like that…or be willing to. Tobias gives his little bird-shrug and says that the Elimist seemed to go to a lot of effort to have me around, I don't think he'll be willing to lose me to hawk-form permanently. Jake flat-out refuses; Marco is more thoughtful, but eventually says that it's too big a risk to count on the Elimist. Not until they know more. Once the Elimist actually shows up, and they can try and get as many answers out of that bastard as they ever have, they can reassess. But for now there's too much chance of Tobias taking himself out of the fight for good, and they can afford that less than they can not having a morph-capable nothlit hawk on their team. Tobias protests, and Jake blurts out a question about Tobias doing it on purpose the first time? Tobias turns away and says no, he didn't. But…he certainly set himself up for that, yeah, he knows. He's never been comfortable in his life; being a hawk was, in a lot of ways, easier. Especially before he knew what hardships being a hawk full-time would entail, but even then…even then it was still easier than being him. No one says anything to that for a while. 

It's Marco who finally breaks the silence, saying that it's more important that Tobias be able to morph than that he be able to fly…more important that he be able to morph than that he be himself. He accepts that Tobias is more hawk than boy; he just refuses to lose a valuable morph-capable warrior to personal comfort. Tobias nods, accepting that without admitting whether or not he'd prefer to be a bird or a boy if given the choice with all else being equal. Jake and Marco decided not to press him for that answer.

Jake still thinks that it's a strong possibility that Tobias will let himself be pushed into a situation where he gets stuck in the hawk morph, though; thinks that on some level, Tobias thinks that he's worth more as a bird than a boy…and that after so many years with wings, probably is more comfortable in the hawk's body, which he thinks of as his own, than the one he was born with, which he clearly feels trapped by. He thinks that on some level, Tobias is recklessly confident that the Elimist will indeed play deux ex morphina again if (when?) Tobias gets trapped in morph…and might be dangerously relying on that assumption. But he lets the subject pass, for now. He knows Tobias won't risk trapping himself before they rescue Ax, at least, which means that it's not a priority to deal with yet. Then—and only then—does Tobias confess one very good reason why he shouldn't trap himself as a nothlit: he acquired Elfangor. Marco and Jake both stare at him, jaws dropped. Tobias doesn't duck his head the way he would have if he were the boy he looks like but instead stares them down with his dead predator eyes. Yeah, he says. It just—it seemed like the thing to do, to get an Andalite morph while we had a chance. It's not one we can use lightly, I know, because the Visser will recognize Elfangor immediately…but. It still seems useful, to be able to show the other Controllers an Andalite who isn't a kid from time to time…

Also, Marco points out coldly, if Ax isn't himself anymore, having a bigger and stronger Andalite who can potentially kick his ass around isn't going to hurt anything. Tobias agrees quietly, and Marco realizes that he's not the only one who thought of that; he smiles grimly. "We're all so fucked-up, you know that right?" he says, and then other two break into bitter laughter as they nod. "Okay. Let's figure out what morphs to get first, then. I feel…well, honestly I feel more naked than I do in my stupid morphing suit, not having anything swimming around in my DNA that I can turn into."

It's Jake who looks at Tobias and says, "You went to Cassie's barn already, didn't you."

Tobias looks away and shrugs. "Yeah," he says, defiance lacing his words instead of apology. "Not like I don't know how to get inside, is it? Even if having to do it without wings is harder."

Jake sighs. "Next time one of us wants to get a morph from Cassie's barn, how about we tell her first?"

"Sure," says Tobias. Jake sighs again. "Okay. So…you think an Andalite can restrain a tiger?"

Marco grins.

# # #

*If you do continue writing this, remember that Cassie is a sub-temporal anomaly (source: Megamorphs—Back To Before) who is "grounded" in time and will break-down any alternate timeline she is in. You can write around this by simply having her know/sense things (things "feel right" when they happen the way they should, etc) and have her be uneasy when things take big twists from the original timeline (e.g. when David comes to school, Cassie will shy away from him and be unable to explain why the mere sight of this boy she doesn't even known fills her with dread; Rachel can make some dismissive statement about him being "a creeper" because she's heard him talking, or heard other people talking about things he's said, and that Cassie is just such a good judge of character that she probably picked-up on it instinctively even without hearing the gossip about "that pervert"--mention him being caught trying to peep in the girl's locker room, maybe). If/when the Ellimist shows up, Tobias/Jake/Marco should immediately confront him about "his meddling," which will leave him shaken and confused (or at least, he seems that way to them; they decide they don't trust that he's actually surprised, because it might all still be one big game of his, but they do allow the possibility that he is surprised, and this is something else—maybe a game of Crayak's, maybe something to do with The One) and it is when they have to explain wtf is going on and why they're all shouting at this being like they know him, that the boys have to tell Rachel and Cassie what's going on with the time travel and explain why they got time shifted, but the two of them didn't…which they don't know, but suspect is because of something to do with ramming the Blade Ship. "Maybe it created a Sario Rip," Jake said, "or maybe it was something else, something to do with the creature that had taken over Ax…" and then they have to explain all of that.

Except perhaps Tobias has broken-down and told Rachel earlier? Yes, I think I like that…

They have a meeting in Rachel's bedroom, probably relatively early on, and Rachel stops Tobias before he can leave and asks him what's going on. He breaks down and tells her. She rolls with it surprisingly well; when asked, she gives a brittle laugh and says nothing else has made sense since the night they were in the construction site, why not time travel? And it explains a hell of a lot, frankly. Although she still has questions—like why were only the boys sent back? (Suspicious glare that hooks him like talons.) Why didn't you take Cassie and I along? Tobias explains that they didn't do any of this on purpose, and Rachel is the last person they would have left out of something this huge, which mollifies her some, although she still stubbornly wants to know why.

He hesitates, then explains numbly that they chose not to take Cassie along because she was the only one of them that had a real life after the war (then has to tell Rachel what all their lives were, and she laughs and agrees and laughs harder than ever at Marco's, which is the easy and painless one to talk about; is a little taken aback when told about Jake's but rolls with it; accepts Cassie's with a fond, proud smile; is confused about Tobias saying that he "flew away," so he has to explain that he was a nothlit in the original timeline; and then asks, Okay and what about me? What was I doing? Tobias is silent for a long, long time, then he says quietly, You weren't around to come with us. Why not? Rachel demands. He hedges, not wanting to say it, but she presses the point. Finally he meets her eyes and says hoarsely, You weren't around to be around, anymore. Rachel goes still. I died? she asks in a small voice. Tobias can't say it, but he nods, his eyes full of tears and his face actually twisted up in emotion. Rachel nods, swallows, and asks, Was it a good death? No, says Tobias. And there is no doubt in his words. No. A small, sad smile crosses Rachel's face and she says, I mean, was it a brave death? Did it…did I matter? Tobias takes her hand and says, you mattered more than anyone.

For a moment they're quiet, then Rachel says "Thank you." After a minute she draws a deep breath and says, "Tobias? Were you…did you like me?" He pulls his hand away but says, "Yes. More than anyone." Rachel nods, not trying to meet his eyes. "Did you…" She laughs nervously, and says, "Wow, I feel like such an idiot, but I…did you…I mean, like…wow. I guess it's stupid to be nervous saying this, given all…you know, everything, but I'm still…well, like. Did you…did you love me?" "Yes," Tobias says without a second of hesitation, and there are tears on his face and he won't look at her and his hands are clasped together in his lap so tight that the bones are almost visible through the skin, hooked together like a predator's hard talons more than a boy's soft hands. "I know you don't—I mean, I've been trying not to—I'm sorry if I've made it weird, I know we haven't…I know you aren't, like, the Rachel I knew, but…" 

"Am I so different?" Rachel asks wistfully. "No," Tobias says, a soft smile on his face. It looks so different from how he normally looks these days, more like the boy he used to be before the construction site, before the war, but without the sadness that seemed so ever-present then, too. "No, you're really not different at all. Less experienced yet, I guess, but still…still you. You've always been you. The war didn't—doesn't—really change you all that much, I think. It just lets you be yourself, more, in some ways. It hardens you, I mean, like it did to all of us, but you…you're Rachel. You've always been Rachel. The brave one, the strong one, the girl who will stand between her friends and danger and say 'no, fight me instead,' the one who'll throw herself into horrors if it means sparing someone else. That's always been you. The war just…gave you a chance to prove it, I guess. But no, you're not different. Not in any way that matters." 

"Oh," says Rachel. For a while she doesn't say anything at all. He adds gently, "That's why it's been hard for me, remembering that—well, that the me-and-you that I know doesn't exist here. Because you're just so familiar that…well, it's easy to remember Cassie isn't the Cassie she ends up being, where I'm from. But you're…you're so Rachel, it's hard for me. But I'll try harder. I'm sorry. I don't want to make things weird for you. I get it, I promise, I know you don't like me—aren't the girl who ends up liking me, and may never be, and I don't think that you, like, owe me or anything sick like that, I really am sorry, I promise I will try to be less weird about—" 

"No," Rachel says, "No that's okay. I mean…I do like you." She's blushing, picking at her cuticles, head down and hanging behind the curtain of her hair, but even as she chews nervously on her lip Tobias can see a smile poking through around the edges. "Not…not the way you like me, I mean. But I… oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm saying this? But like, I also kind of feel like an idiot for being nervous about saying this, when you've just said you love me? So I guess I'll just…yeah. Okay. So I, uh, I like you too, yeah. I already, um, already had a crush on you, you know? Before…you know, before? Um, if you didn't know. Yeah. Totally…totally a major crush on you, back then. And then, like…all this Animorphs stuff? I mean…you're just, you're really…I like you a lot, okay? Not…not the way you do me, at least…" She swallows. "At least not yet. But I…I think I'd like it if you gave me time for that?" 

"You…what?" Tobias is confused. "You…you knew who I was? Before?" "Uh, duh?" Rachel says, finally looking up at him, and her nerves have been mostly superceded behind amusement. "What, I never told you that before?" Tobias shakes his head. "After I…after I became the hawk, we didn't really…I mean…you talked about me before, yeah. About noticing me. You…told me things about me that you couldn't have known if you hadn't been paying attention, but I…I never realized it was a crush." Rachel blushed but also smiled. "Dummy," she says and takes his hand. Tobias smiles at her. "Yeah," he admitted happily, "I am." 

Later (different scene) Rachel will ask Tobias if they should tell Cassie. Says she feels terrible not telling her, but…but what if she doesn't believe me? Or what if telling her screws something up?  I'm not the one that knows the future—or the past-that-happened-in-the-future, or however we're talking about this—so I don't know, Tobias. I don't know what to do, but she's my best friend, I can't keep this secret from her…can I? Should I? 

Tobias thinks about it for a while; not hesitating, just thinking. Pondering it. Rachel doesn't interrupt him. For as impatient as she can be about some things (most things), she's always been patient with him. Not in a grudging way, with her impatience gnawing at her for action like it does sometimes with Jake, but as though she trusts his thoughts enough to give him time for them to finish. Like she wants to hear what he really thinks, not just the first thing that pops out of his mouth so she can fly off and do whatever she wants in response. So he sits, and he thinks, and she sits with him and waits. And finally he says, No. I don't…I don't think we should. Cassie is…she's a good person. He stops, chewing on his lip, struggling to get the words out. 

"Well duh," says Rachel, grinning, almost laughing, but Tobias shakes his head. "That's…that's what I mean," he says quietly. "She's a good person. The best of us, in that way. In the sense of…well, wanting to do the nice thing, above all. Which isn't always the right thing." Rachel goes still at that, her eyes fixed on his face. There's a troubled expression on hers, but she doesn't interrupt. She still trusts him; she's still listening. The problem is that Tobias doesn't know how to say the words he needs to share. He tries anyway: "There were a few points where she…where she was nice to the point of maybe doing the wrong thing," he says softly. "Never in a way where…well, it was more shortsighted than anything. And it ended up being the right thing, sometimes, in the end. Maybe almost all the times." He shrugs, that awkward little hunched-up motion that makes him look more like a bird than a boy. "But it still…it didn't always feel that way at the time, when the rest of us were looking at the big picture and the sacrifices it demanded, and Cassie was trying to be kind. To be good. Good doesn't…it doesn't always win a war." 

Rachel nods, but there's a look on her face that Tobias doesn't like. There's fear there, but it doesn't seem to be a fear of him. There's not enough surprise there for that. There's a sense of realization about the look on her face, maybe even of horror, but it's not directed at him. It's directed at something within. Tobias is reminded of the conversations he and Future Rachel had near the end of the war, when she talked about how far she'd gone and how far she was afraid she was still willing to go. And the conversations when she stopped being afraid of that, too. He wonders if Rachel has already started having those thoughts, even this early. He wonders if that's because of him, because of what he's told her…or if she was always starting to think about that this young. It's not a question he can ask because it's not a question she can answer, so he says nothing and pretends instead that he hasn't seen; that he hasn't guessed. 

He says instead, "I worry that if we tell Cassie how much of the future we know, she'll want to know…well, things that she's not ready to hear. Things she's not ready to accept." He looks at Rachel, and he realizes that even before she went down into the Yeerk Pool for the first time, even before she got her first morph, she never flinched away from the sharp hawk's glare in his eyes. "We're all going to do—have done—terrible things, make terrible choices. Even with everything Jake and Marco and Ax and I know, we're still going to have to make terrible choices. Maybe even moreso, since we're going to be so much more informed about those choices this time."

For a long moment he's silent. Rachel reaches out and takes his hand and while Tobias's face doesn't change, inside he smiles. "I've worried sometimes what you're going to think of me when those choices come," he confesses, "but only because I wish that I was smart enough to come up with better options this time around, and I know there aren't any. But I also know that you know, and will accept, that we do have to do horrible things to stop the Yeerks from doing worse. Cassie…I'm not sure she ever really accepted that the first time, and she lived through it all with us. Now, with the war so new, I know she won't understand. And if we tell her about the time travel, we'll have to tell her some of what happened, what we did—what we will do—and…and I don't think she's ready to hear that." Tobias swallowed then shook his head. "No, I know she isn't ready to hear it. And I'm afraid of what will happen then."

Rachel just sat there for a few seconds, holding his hand, not pulling away. From the frown on her face she was thinking hard, and Tobias's heart ached at what he knew he was asking her to do. Rachel and Cassie had been driven so far apart by the war the first time around. Was he what was going to drive the first wedge between them now?

Rachel didn't ask him about any of that. She just said, "Okay. You know it's going to come out eventually, though, right? You're all not as slick about hiding this as you think you are, and 'Elfangor put magic knowledge in my brain' is only going to work as an excuse for so long, especially when Jake and Marco and Ax all keep acting like they got magic knowledge downloads, too."

Tobias laughed; he couldn't help himself. "I actually did get a 'magic knowledge download' from Elfangor," he said. "He did that the first time, too. I don't know if it's because I was his son or just because I was the only one who hesitated to run away, but he did. That gave us a lot of crucial knowledge about the Yeerks the first time."

"Oh," said Rachel. She looked shocked.

Tobias's lips curled into an unfamiliar grin. "He did it this time, too, but of course I already knew all that and a lot more now, so I didn't need it…but it does make for a good excuse."

"Okay," said Rachel, "maybe it does, but it's not going to keep Cassie in the dark forever."

Tobias's grin disappeared. "I know," he said. "I'll…I'll talk to Jake and Marco, try to figure out what we're going to do when she figures it out. How much we can tell her."

"Have you told the others about telling me yet?"

Tobias looked away. "No," he said.

Rachel's fingers tightened on his in a reassuring squeeze. "Because I died?" she said and Tobias felt his heart stutter in his chest like an owl had just flown by.

"Yes," he breathed.

He couldn't look at her, but he could feel her arm move against him as she nodded. "And because you're all scared it's going to happen again."

Tobias swallowed. "Yes," he managed to make himself say. He swallowed again and forced himself to add, "And…because we swore it wouldn't. Jake and I, anyway. We swore that no matter what, this time you live."

"Tobias…" Rachel's voice was soft, the pressure of her head against his shoulder as she leaned forward gentle. "You can't promise that. Neither of you can."

"We can," he said fiercely.

She shook her head, the silky curtain of her hair sliding back and forth in the edge of his vision where it dangled forward across his chest. "You can't," she said. "And I don't want you to try."

"But—"

A gentle but unflinching hand came up and pressed his lips shut. It was strange, being able to be silenced by someone stopping his mouth even though his thoughts kept going.

"Tobias, I know you're upset that the other me died. I'm not thrilled about it either, believe me. But like you said, this is a war and horrible things happen. We all have to make horrible choices. Any of us might die at any time, on any mission. Any of us. I don't want you and Jake protecting me at the cost of beating the Yeerks. Yeah, I don't want to die, of course I don't. But I know what being an Animorph means and what it might cost, and I made the choice to stay. Even after you told me I died, I still chose to stay. Okay?"

"Okay," Tobias said aloud, and the word tasted like ashes on his tongue. You don't know, he thought silently, those words so much more real than the ones he spoke with his soft human lips and his clumsy human teeth. You don't know the cost, and you don't know the choices that led to that cost. And I will never, ever let you find out. He turned so he could wrap his arms around her and she let him, relaxing into the hug.

"Okay," Rachel said, smiling in response to the words she heard rather than the vow she didn't.

Never, Tobias swore, and dared the universe to try and prove him wrong.

*from this tag game.

[the-goldenbloom]

noboru never was amused by soulbonds. 

not when his parents told him about how they found each other, the black and white stencil of roses around his mother’s collarbone bursting to color when his father saved her from falling down the stairs, the winding vines around his arm matching colors. 

not when he saw his soulmark for the first time in his last year of high school, the right side of a pair of wings stretching across his right shoulder to his lower back, lines refined and sure to have a pair. 

not when college came along and everyone had a mark, wondering who’s going to be their match. 

well, almost everyone. 

mayumi, with her tired eyes and lopsided grins, with her soft words and cold hands, with ruffled hair and messy notes that somehow you can still understand, didn’t have a mark. 

and she was fine with it. 

some people don’t have a soulmate, and many of their small minority plead injustice, but some of them don’t really care.

mayumi was one of them. 

noboru didn’t really mind either, when one day, before their graduation, he starts looking at her with a sparkle in his eye and she looks back with something in her smile that he’s never seen before and he thinks,

“oh.”

—

noboru has a mark and wishes he didn’t

mayumi never had one, and has never wished she did

and both of them have a love that gathers stares and questions, and truthfully, they don’t wish for anything else

—

noboru’s right eye turns a light shade of amber four and a half years into their relationship, a countdown of a year starting to tick away, a year before he meets his soulmate. 

he looks in the mirror and decides, it’s pretty. the specks of gold complimenting the layered brown hues well. 

mayumi says it looks like the sun, says it fits him well, he’s always been the rain after all. she smiles and laughs while saying so, but noboru could see the hidden worry deep in her eyes, could hear the slight tremble in her voice and feel the near unnoticeable shaking of her hands.

that night, he holds her hand tight, holds her close, looks away from the fireworks show they came to watch, and says, “i won’t leave you.”

mayumi knows he means it

—

the sound of static in noboru’s head comes a week before he meets whoever is waiting for him. 

he knows it’ll be a melody when they meet, a song that’s never supposed to go away, a song that’s for them and them only. 

but he knows he has all he needs, the engagement ring on his finger a gentle reminder that he made his choice a long time ago. 

he just hopes it won’t hurt too much for whoever has the missing side of his wings. 

—

the moment his back collides with another in the department store, hearing a small sound of surprise from the person he bumped into, he feels it.

in the spot of his mark, in his heart, in his soul. 

he feels a spark.

he hears the static in his mind shift into something sweet and gentle, like sunshine shining through the rain.

he turns around, and he locks eyes with her, his soulmate. 

“hi,” she smiles, stumbling a little, because she must feel it too

the feeling that you've met the one.

but noboru knows that feeling, has felt the same one a long time ago.

he attempts to return the greeting, albeit with a sad smile, before mayumi pops out from another aisle, with the same lazy smile that he fell in love with years ago. 

“hey! i thought i lost you-“ she starts, but trails off, seeing the faint but ever present glow underneath the back of the girl’s shirt. her smile fades, just a little, and noboru wants to keep her so close so it never disappears again. 

and just like that, noboru’s first words to his soulmate became,

“i’m sorry.”

—

“it’s okay,” she says. 

ryo is her name, and mayumi was right, she is the sun. 

her smile is bright and so are her eyes, even when she realizes she’s been waiting for someone who won’t be hers. 

and she’s fine with it, she assures the couple so. 

she laughs a little and says, “i’m happy for you, truly.”

later that day, ryo will come home to her sister and her son that she promised to help raise and she’ll softly realize, 

“i have all that i need.”

—

noboru was never amused by soulbonds. 

not when his parents told him about how they met. 

not when he saw his mark. 

not when everyone except him was waiting for the one who'd complete theirs.

not when he met his soulmate, a sweet melody still playing in his head. 

because six years ago, he fell in love.

and that’s enough. 

[cutecherrygirl]

Hii

Rage-Vamp!Hyunjin x Vamp!Seungmin x Human!reader.

I always see everyone do this kind of stories with other members but never with Seungmin do im here to change that 😈. And you better enjoy it 😋

This story will be in few parts cuz Tumblr wont let me write long ass stories.

Warnings: Vampire AU, blood, fights, im gonna add smut if you want me too 🤭🤭, angry Seungmin 😡.

Rage

Surmarry: You have changed. The former golden girl and queen of the school turned into what you wished for. The bloodlust is insane and even though you barely manage to keep yours under control, at least Hyunjin is by your side.

Hyunjin finally succeeded in his plan and won you under his influence. But is Seungmin's desire for revenge stronger than the sweet taste of victory?

Seungmin is devastated at losing You and is ready to do anything to win you back. But when it turns out that his brother is not his only enemy, him and Hyunjin will have to join forces in a common cause against an unknown enemy to protect the one they both love.

Seungmin's voice was muffled with rage. "That's what you wanted, wasn't it, Hyunjin? And now you got it. You had to make her just like us, like you. It wasn't enough to just kill her."

Hyunjin didn't even look at him. He watched you carefully through his droopy eyelids, still kneeling and holding your chin. "This is already the third time you've said that and it's already tiring me a little," he commented quietly. Ragged, still panting slightly, he was still calm, restrained. "Y/N, did I kill you?"

“Of course you didnt ,” you said wrapping your fingers around the fingers of his free hand. You were getting impatient. After all, what were they talking about? No one was killed.

“I never thought you were a liar,” Seungmin told Hyunjin, an equal amount of bitterness in his voice. "Almost everything else, but not that. I've never heard you try to cover something up before."

"Just one more moment," Hyunjin spoke, "and I'll lose my temper."

What more can you do to me? Seungmin retorted. It would be a mercy if you killed me.

"I ran out of mercy for you a century ago," Hyunjin said loudly.

(they turner you into a vampire. And when Hyunjin turned you you became sired to him and in love with him. But before that happened you were in love and in relationship with Seungmin.)

You stepped into the clearing.

The rags of autumn leaves beneath your feet froze in the slush. Dusk fell and, although the storm died down, the forest grew colder. You didn't feel the cold.

You didn't mind the dark. Your pupils dilated, absorbing tiny bits of light that would be invisible to a human being. You could clearly see two characters fighting under a huge oak tree.

One had thick, dark hair that the wind blew into a tangled sea of curls. He was slightly shorter than the other and, although you couldn't see his face, you somehow knew that his eyes were brown.

The other also had a lock of dark hair, but his was soft and straight almost like the fur of an animal. His lips were pulled back in anger, and the slow gracefulness of his body was compressed into a predator's squeal. He had black eyes.

You watched them motionless for several minutes. You forgot why you came, why you were attracted by the echoes of their fight in your mind. This close, the noise of their anger and hatred and pain was almost deafening, like the soft cries coming from the fighters. They were caught in a fight to the death.

I wonder which one of them will win, you thought. Both were wounded and bleeding, and the left arm of taller one hanging was hanging at an unnatural angle. However, it was precisely because of the impact of the other one on the gnarled oak trunk. His anger was so strong that you could feel and taste it, as well as hear it, and you knew how it gave him indescribable power.

And then you remembered why you came. How could you forget? He was injured. His mind summoned you here, blasting you with vibrations of rage and pain. You came to help him because you belonged.

Now two four-legged figures stood on the frozen ground, fighting and cutting like wolves. You approached them quickly and quietly. the one with wavy hair and brown eyes - Seungmin, A voice in your head whispered - was on top, his fingers scratching at the other's brother. Anger swept over you, anger and a protective attitude. You reached between the two of them to grab that hand that was choking him and forced its fingers apart.

It never occurred to you that you might not be strong enough to do it. You were strong enough, and that was it. You shifted your weight to the side, forcefully tearing your prisoner from his rival. in order to be stronger, you lowered yourself onto his wounded arm, and stuck his face in the slush covered by the leif . Then you started choking him from behind.

Your attack took him by surprise, but he wasn't nearly defeated. He hit you back, looking for your throat with his good hand. He reached for your windpipe with his thumb.

You realized that his target was your hand, going towards it with his teeth. Your mind couldn't understand it, but your body knew what to do. Your teeth were weapons and they cut into the flesh, sucking blood.

But he was stronger than you. With a jerk of his shoulders he forced you to loosen your grip, with a twist he freed himself and knocked you to the ground. And then he was above you, his face contorted with animalistic rage. You hissed at him and moved your nails towards his eyes, but he knocked your hand away.

He will kill you. Even wounded, he was much stronger. His lips pulled back, revealing teeth already stained crimson red. Like a cobra, he was ready to attack.

Then he paused, hesitating to look at you as his face changed.

You saw his brown eyes widen. The pupils that had been narrowed to evil spots widley dilated. He stared at you as if he was truly seeing you for the first time.

Why was he looking at you like that? Why wasn't he just done with this? But now the iron grip on your shoulder has loosened. The animalistic snarl disappeared, replaced by an expression of confusion and wonder. He straightened up and helped you up, all the while staring at your face.

“y/n,” he whispered, his voice breaking. "y/n it's you." That's me? you thought. Y/N?

It didn't really matter. You glanced towards the old oak tree. He was still there, standing among the uprooted roots, breathing hard, leaning on the tree with one hand. he looked at you with infinitely dark eyes, his eyebrows drawn in a sullen look.

Don't worry, you thought. I can take care of this one. He's stupid. Then you threw yourself back at the one with the brown eyes.

"Y/N!" he shouted when you pushed him away. He pushed your shoulder away with his good hand, holding you back. " Y/N, it's me, Seungmin! Y/N, look at me!"

You watched him. all you could see was the bare skin on his neck. You hissed again, upper lip pulled back, showing him your teeth.

He froze.

You felt the shock reverberate through his body, you saw how his gaze sank. His face turned white as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He shook his head slightly on the muddy ground.

"No," he whispered. "Oh, no…."

He looked like he was talking to himself, like he didn't expect you to hear him. He reached his hand towards your cheek and you tried to bite him.

"Oh, Y/N...." he whispered.

The last traces of anger, the animal thirst for blood, disappeared from his face. His eyes were confused and full of sadness.

And vulnerable. You took advantage of the moment to rush to the bare skin of his neck. His hand went up to reject you, to push you away, but then it went down.

He stared at you motionless for a moment, the pain in his eyes peaking, then he simply gave up. He stopped fighting completely.

You could feel it happen, feel the resistance leave his body. He was lying on the icy ground with rags of oak leaves in his hair, staring beside you into the black and cloudy sky.

Finish it, said a tired voice in your mind.

You hesitated for a moment. There was something in those eyes that triggered a memory in you. Standing in the moonlight, a bed in a room in the attic... But the memories were too hazy. You couldn't master them, and the attempt made you dizzy and nauseous.

And this one here must die , this brown-eyed one called Seungmin. Because he hurt Him, the other one, the one for whom you were born to be with. No one could hurt him and live.

You dug your teeth into his neck and bit down deeply.

You immediately realized that you were not doing well. You didn't hit an artery or a vein. You tore at your throat with your teeth, angry at your inexperience. It felt good to bite something, but not too much blood came out. Frustrated, you raised your head and bit down again, feeling his body twitch in pain.

Much better. This time you found the vein, but you didn't bite it deep enough. A minor scratch like this will not be enough. You should have torn her open wide to let the juicy warm blood flow out.

Your victim shuddered as you tried to do so, scraping and gnawing with your teeth. You were just about to feel the flesh give way when the hands pulled you up, lifting you up from behind.

You hissed not wanting to let go of the throat. But the hands were persistent. His hand made a loop around your waist, and his fingers got stuck in your hair. You fought, clinging to your prey with teeth and nails.

Let him go!

The voice was sharp and commanding, like a strong gust of cold wind. You recognized him and stopped resisting the hands that pulled you away. When they laid you on the ground, you looked up to look at him, and a name came to mind. Hyunjin. His name is Hyunjin. You stared at him sullenly, offended, because you were torn from your catch, but you were obedient.

Seungmin straightened up in a sitting position, his neck red from the blood running down his shirt. You licked your lips, feeling the pounding was like a piercing hunger, which seemed to be coming from every fiber of your being. You were stunned again.

"I thought," Hyunjin said aloud, "that you said she was dead."

He looked at Seungmin who was paler than before if that was possible. The white face was filled with immense hopelessness.

"Look at me", was all he said.

A hand wrapped around your chin, lifting your face up. You faced Hyunjin's watery dark eyes directly. Then long, slender fingers touched your lips, groping between them. You instinctively tried to bite, but not very hard. Hyunjins finger found the sharp curve of your fangs and now you really bit down, biting him like a kitten.

Hyunjin's face was expressionless, and his eyes were hard.

"Do you know where you are?" He said.

You looked around. Trees. “In the woods,” you said slyly looking at him again.

"and who is that?"

You followed his pointed finger. "Seungmin," he said indifferently. "your brother."

"And who am I? Do you know who I am?"

You smiled at him showing your pointed teeth. "Of course I know. You're Hyunjin and I love you."

[ladyoriza]

This is all we're ever going to get of Judge!Hannah please enjoy:

Fauna bounced, paced, fidgeted. She’d asked the Captain to bring the Judge, bring her mother- home to Prosperity. Ten years since they’d seen each other. Ten years since her father left her to die in the Montana winter. She’d been found by Grace and Jess, shivering but alive. There’d never been any doubts about who she was, who her parents were. Joseph Seed did a lot of things to Hannah Lamb- Fauna being one of them. Fauna remembered Hannah in flashes and feelings, the love of a mother barely clinging to her sanity for the sake of her daughter. She remembered Joseph’s face as he left her to die in the snow, serene and possessed. Which was why they’d never let her go to New Eden. As much as they tried to get Hannah to leave, Joseph’s claws were in deep. He never let her leave his side, and when he abandoned New Eden to go north had forbidden her from leaving the compound. Fauna was too young to make the trip, and Kim worried that Joseph would just try finishing the job if she returned. So she waited, and waited, and when the Security Captain showed up she finally had her chance. “When you bring him his word, and he goes back, he’ll let my mother leave with you. Bring her directly to me, please. I can help her, but I need to be with her.” They’d radioed a half hour ago that they were leaving, that they’d secured an ATV to use, so it wouldn’t be long. Nick and Kim and Carmina, her adoptive family, opted to give her space. Most everyone was nearby, but she’d holed up in one of the bigger bedrooms to ensure her mother wouldn’t be too overwhelmed by people. Even though they loved her- she didn’t believe it. Joseph tore it all out. A courtesy knock, before the bedroom door opened. Fauna had seen what became of her mother, in the Shine, but somehow what walked in still shocked her. Hannah Lamb- alive, in a wooden mask. Her mother, silent as the grave. But she knew her all the same; her brown eyes, wisps of mousy blonde hair that escaped the hood she wore. “Mama,” She breathed out, stepping over and pulling the mask off, “Mama, it’s me. It’s Fauna.” Hannah’s face was blank, empty. Her eyes dull and emotionless- like a puppet’s. The only indication she was aware of her surroundings was the way she tried to grab the mask back from Fauna. But she was home, now. She would never wear the mask again. “Mama. Listen to me. I’m alive. This is real. Joseph left me in the snow but I survived.” She held Hannah’s face in both hands, a gesture inherited from her father, “You didn’t fail me. You never failed me. I’m alive. You’re home-” Her voice cracked, “Mama, I waited so long to be able to save you- I- I missed you so much but they didn’t want him to hurt me. I had to wait until someone could bring you to me,” The tears were unstoppable. She threw her arms around her mother for the first time in a decade. “Come back to me. Mama, please. I need you.” Hannah was shaking. Her hands carefully pulled Fauna away, took her by the shoulders and held her there. Fauna could see the tears on her mother’s face, flowing freely, the recognition slowly dawning in her eyes. “Fauna-?” She whispered, voice nearly nonexistent from lack of use, “My baby-” She nearly crushed Fauna in her embrace as she collapsed to the floor, taking them both down. “My baby, my baby, my baby,” She cried, “My little girl. My heart-” She clutched Fauna as close as she possibly could, shaking and sobbing. A broken dam, the woman that was resurfacing after being buried alive for so long. Fauna’s strange ability to tie broken minds together was unnecessary- Hannah was still there, clawing her way out of the grave.

[btsgotjams27]

fool for you ~ jjk | final

you have to decide if jeon jungkook is perfectly wrong for you.

✨ title: fool for you | ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader ✨ word count: 7.7k | ✨ rating: R ✨ genre/au: romance, light angst, fluff | college, fake dating, strangers to friends to lovers ✨ warnings: language, jk is a sweet dummy, but we love him anyway, jieun is just as insecure as reader and jungkook (yes, i'm trying to make y'all feel bad for her), confessions, taehyung's a good friend, time skip, jin's shoulders (you'll understand when you see the photo), yoongi shows up again, kissing, making out, marking, a smol, not so smol erection 🙈, groping, touching ✨ playlist ✨ a/n: okay, so, i'm just not happy with how this fic went T_T i literally have no one to blame but myself! the end of part 4 was actually never supposed to happen, but i wrote it in anyway *facepalm* i was stressed for days bc i'm like how do i redeem this cute, fluffy couple?? *sigh* but i tried my best(?), and i *do* explain why jk did what he did, and if you don't like it, then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ idk what to tell you. anyway, sorry for the rant, but i just wanted to thank @here4btsfics for listening to me ramble about this fic and talking me through some plot points. ily. ✨ a/n 2: this is also not beta'd bc well, i'm impatient af. so if you see typos, that's why lol. ✨ if y'all want any cute or smutty (must be off anon) drabbles with this couple, just drop it in my inbox :) ✨ Any feedback, reblogs, and asks are appreciated.

[ SERIES MASTERLIST ] prev

Jungkook was ashamed of his actions at the carnival. It wasn't fair that he kept the kissing booth from you. Instead of letting it unravel as it did, he should have told you the truth. He didn't want to do what 'old Jungkook' would have done to make Jieun jealous. Because you had nothing in common with her. You were thoughtful and generous. And he realized he was bringing out a side of you you didn't know you had until he showed up - and that wasn't fair.

But he did enjoy that you took ownership of him, dragging him away from the line of girls. That was sexy for him, but that's beside the point. He made a mistake and needed to make amends before it was too late.

So, he got up early and put on some decent clothing besides his standard oversized shirt and sweats. He double-checked his reflection in the mirror. Before opening the door, he tugged at the collar of the brown flannel and flattened the black slacks. However, he was greeted by none other than his ex.

"What are you doing here?" he deadpanned.

Jieun somehow looked like shit today. With barely there makeup, hair in a bun, an oversized hoodie, and leggings. "Can we talk?"

He stepped through the threshold, closed the door behind him, waited for her to continue, and was displeased to see her.

"I'm…leaving."

Jungkook eyebrows knitted together in confusion, thinking okay, then leave.

"I'm moving back to New York." Jieun had mentioned it when they were still together, but she never made the decision.

"'Kay, have a safe trip then," he mumbled, stepping aside from her. He had places to go anyway.

Jieun put her hand out to stop him. "Kook–we're going to leave things like this?"

Jungkook clicked his tongue. "What do you want me to say, Jieun?"

She shrugged. "I don't know…are you going to miss me? Us? The way we used to be?" Jieun had been kicking herself ever since she had slept with Jimin. She had no idea how lucky she was with Jungkook. She was certain she had lost him and could not get him back. She reasoned that the best way to let go of Jungkook was to start over in a new city, far away from all the pain and suffering she had caused.

Jungkook wasn't made of stone. He'd been with her for a year. Although their relationship was mostly physical, they had fun together. She was fun to party and sleep with, but he couldn't see himself with her in the future. Their relationship was never more than that. Was he to blame? Hers? Perhaps both. Could it be that they hadn't met the right person with whom to do all that 'relationship' stuff?

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Jungkook didn't want to be a jerk. After the fiasco with her and Jimin, many of her friends completely abandoned her. He could tell she was lonely.

Jieun chuckled, reaching for the fuzzy pink bunny keychain attached to his keys. "Remember when you tried so hard to win that for me?"

Jungkook peered at the keys in his hand.

"Was that our first date?"

Jungkook nodded.

"You spent so much money. And I swear that game's rigged, plus that guy wasn't letting you off the hook either," the two of you chuckled at the memory.

"And then at the end, when you won it, you said you worked so hard for it that you were going to keep it." She leaned over, trying to catch his gaze. "See, we did have fun together."

He wasn't sure where she was going with this. Maybe she needed some sort of forgiveness or closure from him to move on with a new chapter of her life.

"I know you hate me, Kookie—"

Jungkook interrupted. "I don't hate you." Even though she has hurt him, he does not believe he will ever hate her, and he will never in his heart hate anyone. "I was upset and hurt, but I could never hate you."

With the number of women Jungkook had dated, one would think he was a fuckboy, but he was quite the opposite. He was always true to the person he was dating, which was one of many lessons his parents taught him.

Jieun smiled half-heartedly. "Kook, you're only saying that because you have a good heart. That is one of the many reasons I will never forget you." She moved in closer, fiddling with his shirt collar. "I know you don't owe me anything, but can I ask one thing from you, and then I promise you'll never have to see me again?"

Was she really going to be out of his life for good? She'd been a menace since she saw you and Jungkook together. But, out of the goodness of his heart, he would trust her one more time. "What is it?"

"Can you kiss me like you mean it?"

Jungkook let out a scoff. "Are you kidding me?"

After everything she's put him through, she dared to ask this of him. Jieun was at the top, having everything handed to her on a silver platter. Only now to be at the bottom, searching for anyone to talk to her. So Jungkook was her last resort because she knew he had a good heart even though she had hurt him.

"I know it's stupid to ask of you, but I love you, Kook. I just…I just want to remember us–you like how we used to be, you know…before…." She paused, not wanting to bring up her infidelity again. Her guilty conscience ate her alive, sucking her in like there was no tomorrow. She knew she messed up a good thing when she asked Jungkook to kiss her, going in knowing he'd say no, but she couldn't help but try.

"If I do this, you'll stop trying to come between Y/n and me?" Jungkook didn't know for sure if she'd go back on her word. But considering she was moving back to New York, he was putting his faith and trust in her.

She extended her pinky, hoping he'd reciprocate. He hesitated but chose the kiss over the pinky promise. He kissed her but felt nothing because he didn't have feelings for her—it was you. Jungkook knew he'd have to tell you about Jieun's kiss. He knew telling you was risky, but he'd rather tell you the truth than a lie.

Jungkook pulled away, cupping her face, gazing into her eyes one last time. "Goodbye, Jieun."

Jieun began to back away. He quickly opened the door to his room, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply. He now had to find the strength to tell you he had kissed his ex and then confess his feelings. He anticipated you to reject him and move on.

Jieun noticed you approaching as she walked to the hall entrance. Jealousy resurfaced in her body as she realized she'd never get back on Jungkook's good side. Jieun did what she was good at—-she mocked you, saying you'd lost. But she was only saying those things to make herself feel better, even though she was miserable. She was well aware that she couldn't compete with you. Jungkook had fallen head over heels when she saw you kiss him at the party. She wished you would treat Jungkook a million times better than she could.

"I might kiss you," he whispered.

"I might just let you."

Every fiber of Jungkook's wanted to kiss every inch of you. Wanted to know your ins and outs, wanted to see what you loved, what your body craved, but he stopped himself. He thought, what was he doing? This isn't how he wanted to treat you. He wanted to treat you better than anyone he's been with before.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry. I'm being stupid and selfish and thinking with my dick instead of my head," he said, pulling back from you.

You couldn't believe how much you wanted to kiss him despite knowing he had kissed his ex-girlfriend. You hadn't even bothered to ask why he did it. "We're both stupid," your voice trembling, "I just saw you kissing your ex, and now I'm about to kiss you as well. I should...I should leave," you said as you turned to unlock the doorknob.

"Wait–do you even want to hear my explanation?"

You sighed, turning back to him. "What's there to explain Jungkook? You'll always be with girls like Jieun, and I'm not in her league. So I understand if you want to rekindle your relationship with her. People like you deserve to be together."

"So, you won't even give me a chance to explain? And what do you mean, people like us deserve to be together?"

"It's nothing–I…should go before I say something I regret."

"I was kissing her goodbye!" Jungkook cried out because he felt you would leave before he could explain himself.

You shook your head and scoffed. "That's some goodbye kiss. Bye, Jungkook."

"Look, I know you don't owe me anything, but can we just talk about this?"

You weren't sure what else there was to explain. This all started because you decided to shoot your shot with Jungkook. Then agreed to be his fake girlfriend and ended up liking him because he seemed like a decent enough guy. But in the end, it was you who was a fool.

If Jungkook truly cared about you as a friend, he would have told you about the kissing booth. He wouldn't have kissed all those girls in front of you if he was a good fake boyfriend.

But unfortunately, he was neither of those.

"You wanna talk?" you took a step toward him, pressing your hand on his chest, pushing him back. "Let's talk."

Jungkook was taken aback by your sudden boldness. He walked backward until he hit his bed and sat down.

"You could've told me about the kissing booth–as your fake girlfriend, that was unfair. Why are we pretending to date if you want to go around kissing other girls? If you were sucking faces with other girls, Jieun might not have cared, but I'm not her, and I care. I understand you had unfinished business with Jieun, but did you have to kiss her too? I was naïve to believe I could be friends with you because I didn't know who I was kidding when I tried to separate my romantic feelings from you. And, despite my best efforts, I fell for you."

Jungkook had previously had girls confess their feelings for him, but this was different. This felt real---genuine. You sounded like you were speaking from the heart. He's never had a confession like that before. After hearing everything, a part of him wanted to flee. He was afraid of not being good enough for you, especially after his actions. You deserved better than anything he could ever give you. He had no idea what you saw in him.

You stared at Jungkook and then at the floor, waiting for him to say something. "Well, you said you wanted to talk."

He paused to gather his thoughts before moving toward you while maintaining his distance. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his hands were sweating profusely. He was never good at having deep conversations.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about the kissing booth. I did it to make you jealous, to see how far you would go for me. I know it's stupid—you don't have to tell me twice."

Your eyes caught his for just a moment before looking away.

Jungkook let out a sigh. "I'm also sorry about Jieun. I won’t try to explain it further because I should have said no to her. But I was on my way to see you before she arrived. I came to tell you how much I like you and how I'm afraid of being in a real relationship because I'm afraid I'll mess up. And getting to know you over the last few weeks has made me realize you're far too good for me. That you are deserving of better than anything I could ever offer. I understand if you don't want to be friends or see me again, but I felt you should know how I felt about you."

His doe eyes explored your face trying to figure out what you were thinking. "So, what now?"

You shrugged. "I don't know, Jungkook. This whole thing is a mess." He nodded. "Maybe we should just stay friends."

"You still want to hang out with me?"

"Not like how we used to. At least for a little bit."

You needed time to recover. To keep your distance from Jungkook. To regain your footing. Get in the right frame of mind because everything Jeon Jungkook has clouded your judgment.

Everyone had final exams and presentations during the last week of school before the summer break. Fortunately, you only had one more exam before finishing your junior year.

It was a beautiful day to sit outside and study for your exam, so you did just that. You sat down beneath your favorite oak tree on campus, took out your world-lit book and notes, and flipped through your scribbled notes.

"Hey!"

You looked up to see Taehyung running over to you. Great, now what? You thought. "Hey," you replied, thinking you should be nice.

"Where are you headed for the summer?" he asked, inviting himself to sit next to you.

You found it odd because he's never struck up a conversation with you before. "I'm heading to my Aunt's in San Francisco," you said reluctantly, wondering where he was going with all of this.

"Cool."

You set down your book and notes, glaring at him." Why are you here, Taehyung?"

"Damn–a guy can't be curious? Sheesh–what's got your panties in a twist?" Taehyung cocked his brow.

You deadpanned, waiting for him to explain why he was talking to you.

"Okay–I'm here to talk about Jungkook."

You continued to stare blankly at him. You needed to understand what Jungkook had to do with anything. It's been a week since you last saw or spoke to him. You two agreed just to be friends and nothing else.

Taehyung cleared his throat, adjusting his position. "I need you to take him back."

"What? What do you mean?"

"He's been mopey and lovesick ever since you stopped dating. It's quite sickening to see it unfold in front of my eyes. All he can think about is how much he misses you, how much he misses hanging out with you, how much he misses this and that. He literally wears your hair tie as jewelry around his wrist. When you think about it, it's kind of creepy." For a brief moment, he looked off into the distance. "Anyway–all this to say is, for the love of god, please get back together with him. I can't stand him being like this anymore. I'm gonna fucking scream."

You couldn't help but chuckle at his request. It's strange how the tables have flipped. You were head over heels in love with Jungkook, and now you were the polar opposite. Granted, you were still trying to suppress your feelings for him, but hearing him be so lovesick over you made your heart skip a beat.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what? That you guys were fake dating? He told me what went down after the kissing booth. I told him he was dumb for kissing all those girls if he really liked you, told him he should've just been honest with you from the get-go."

Wow–you definitely weren't expecting this conversation when Taehyung sat down next to you.

"Did Jungkook tell you to say all of this?"

Taehyung gave you a funny look. "What? No. I came here on my own accord. Just because I like to party and sleep around doesn't mean I don't care about my friends. Jungkook has always been there for me when I needed him, so I'm returning the favor. You can accept it as is or continue to make assumptions about my intentions."

"Sorry," you mumbled, "I hope you understand why I'm cautious about everything. But you understand why, right?"

"I get it. Jungkook hurt you by not being upfront about his feelings, but it's never too late to start over again."

"You're a good friend, Taehyung."

He flashed a boxy smile at you. "I know."

Arriving back at your dorm after dinner, you couldn’t stop thinking about your conversation with Taehyung. Your heart wanted to forgive Jungkook right away, but your head told you to slow down because that's how you got into trouble in the first place.

Your room was empty due to you and Lyla’s things being packed up and stored for the summer. Laying on your bed, a ding from your phone went off.

Jungkook 9:27 PM Hey. When are you leaving?

You 9:28 PM I’m leaving tomorrow. My flight is at 2.

Jungkook 9:29 PM Is it okay if I talk to you tomorrow before you leave?

You 9:30 PM Yeah. Meet me outside of my hall. Around 10?

Jungkook 9:31 PM Great! I’ll see you then!

The following morning, you woke up extra early to prepare for whatever Jungkook needed to talk to you about. You stood in front of the mirror, telling yourself, 'No' several times.

"What are you doing, weirdo?" Lyla asked as she came in, brushing past you to get her toothbrush.

"I'm hyping myself up to say no to Jungkook."

Lyla snickered, putting toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Uh-huh. Good luck with that, babe."

"You're very encouraging. Thanks," you said sarcastically.

She placed a kiss on your cheek before beginning to brush. "You're very welcome!"

You could see Jungkook waiting outside your hall's lobby as you walked through it. One thing you liked about him was that he was always on time. When you opened the door, it creaked loudly, alerting him to your presence.

Jungkook peered at you, sending a soft smile. "Hey."

"Hi," you answered with a thin smile, standing next to him.

"You look beautiful today."

Jungkook looked effortlessly good. He could never look bad if you were honest. He could wear a garbage bag, and you'd be on your knees. Today, however, he wore a blue and white windbreaker with a white tee and ripped jeans. You wished things had gone differently for the two of you.

You crossed your arms and mumbled, 'thank you,' curious why he wanted to talk. Perhaps he was trying one last time to convince you to be more than just friends. You'd think about it, but that was your heart, not your head. You knew better, and you'd been practicing saying one word, two letters, and 'no' all morning.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah, um, I know we're just gonna be friends, and I'm totally cool with that,  but I was wondering if you'd mind if I texted you this summer? Not all the time, but occasionally, just to check in on you and stuff?"

Okay, you thought. This is progress. You could do this–texting. It was pretty harmless, right? And it'd only be once in a while. Because one thing was for sure, you didn't want to go all heart eyes for him so quickly.

"Yeah, I think that'd be okay." Jungkook beamed when you said okay. "And where will you be this summer?"

"I'll be at my uncle's in Seattle. Gonna spend time with him and my Aunt. You should come to visit." You let out a chuckle, and then Jungkook realized what he had asked of you. "Sorry–I'm getting ahead of myself there."

"'S okay," you said. You found Jungkook's eagerness adorable. "Anything else?" You were hoping that was the only thing because you feared the longer you were in his presence, the more you'd want to give in to him.

"I hope you have a good summer," he said, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and glancing at you.

"Thanks."

"I'll talk to you soon?"

You nodded, watching him walk away ahead of you. "Jungkook!" He turned around, his doe eyes wide open. It took everything you had not to say everything that was on your mind, but you had to bite your tongue. "Have a good summer."

His dimple was deeply etched into the softness of his cheek, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. He gave one last wave before departing.

When he was out of sight, you breathed a sigh of relief. Wanting to pat yourself on the back because you didn't let on more than you should. Your answers to his questions were short and concise, without hounding for more. Whew.

~ One month later ~ 

Staying at your Aunt's was great. You loved San Francisco. It was a completely different vibe from southern California. The weather was breezy, the sun was always out, and there were many things to do in the Bay Area.

Halfway into the month and you hadn't heard anything from Jungkook. It's not like you were jumping at every notification when your phone buzzed, but he did say he would text you.

"Why do you keep looking at your phone?" Your Aunt Jo asked, peering at your screen.

You flipped your phone over to hide your lock screen. "I'm not," you countered.

"You're waiting on a boy, aren't you?"

Flashing a thin smile, you quipped back at her. "I'm not."

"He'll call you, don't worry so much. It always happens when you're least expecting it."

Your Aunt's had her fair share of men and women, and tonight was no different. The new guy she was seeing insisted on cooking for her.

"Aunt Jo–how do you meet these guys?" you asked, wanting to know her secret. The new guy, Jin, was young, tall, handsome, and a chef in town with a hot new restaurant.

"Friend of a friend," she said with a cheeky smile. "He's cute, isn't he?"

You couldn't help but give him a once-over. Those shoulders were big enough to land a plane. You shielded your mouth with your hand, whispering, "Super cute."

"Okay, ladies. Are you ready to try my famous dish?" Jin asked, bringing over two plates with seared scallops on a bed of quinoa, apple salad, and butternut squash puree. You'd never had anything this fancy before.

"Thank you, baby," Aunt Jo flirted at the handsome man, reaching for a kiss, which he reciprocated.

A ding from your phone resounded through the kitchen. You eagerly reached for it but stopped yourself.

"You're not gonna see if it's your boyfriend?" Aunt Jo teased before taking a bite of her scallop. She groaned at the heavenly taste.

It was going to bug you if you didn't check. You grabbed your phone and nothing but a measly email. You're not sure why you were getting so worked up. You were the one that told Jungkook you only wanted to be friends, but here you were, glued to your phone in case he texted.

You sighed, trying to get a grip. You had integrity and dignity, and you weren't going to break down just because a boy hadn't texted you.

So, instead, you opened up your camera, taking a picture of this beautiful dinner. Then just as Aunt Jo had said, another ding indicating a picture message was sent to you.

Clicking on the bubble, it was a message from Jungkook.

Jungkook 7:36 PM This corn dog isn't as good as the one we had at the pier.

You 7:37 PM

Jungkook 7:38 PM Where's the rest of the entree?!

You 7:39 PM wdym?? 😂 That's it!

Jungkook 7:40 PM You should demand to get your money back. You were scammed.

You 7:41 PM This is fine dining! My aunt's boyfriend made this. He's a chef at a place called Trestle.

Jungkook 7:41 PM Fine dining, hmm? You like that stuff?

You 7:42 PM Idk. Never really cared for the finer things in life.

Jungkook 7:43 PM I'm offended! What about me?

You 7:43 PM 😂 Are you trying to get me to compliment you?

Jungkook 7:44 PM 😎

You 7:45 PM 😒 You're okay-looking. You should see my aunt's boyfriend. He's mighty fine.

"Earth to my favorite niece in the whole wide world! Remember to eat! You've been smiling ever since you picked up your phone."

"Have not!" you protested.

"My Jin can attest to that. Can't you?"

"Jojo is right. You've been smiling like a creepy doll and have yet to try my food, and that's an insult to me," Jin teased.

"Let me take a picture of you." Jin turned to you, giving you a smolder and pouty lips. "Thanks!" you said, returning to your phone.

"Wait–wait! Jinnie, take your shirt off!" Jo cried as Jin turned back around.

"Aunt Jo!"

"If you're going to make this boy jealous, might as well do it right." Your aunt gave her boyfriend a pouty face and he willingly did what she asked. He tugged his shirt off, telling you to get his best side, which apparently was his back side. And well, you couldn't disagree. Jungkook would definitely be jealous of Jin's worldwide shoulders.

You 7:50 PM

Jungkook 7:51 PM WHY ARE YOU SENDING ME NUDES OF OTHER MEN??

You 7:51 PM Blame my Aunt Jo. She suggested it. Anywho, time for dessert now. Byeee.

You have yet to hear back the rest of the night from Jungkook. It was good for you to be the first to end the conversation because, knowing you, you could text him all night, which would defeat the purpose of just being friends. You wanted to be cautious about becoming friends with him because it was all too easy to cross the line again.

~ Two months later ~

Texts with Jungkook were simple, a little flirty, but nothing more than that. He'd send you random pictures of things he was doing or food he'd be eating, and you did the same. Harmless and cute. Distance from him was a good thing, keeping you from getting in trouble.

Your goal this summer was to explore new things to do and see in San Francisco. Your Aunt and Jin helped by giving you a bucket list.

On today's list was Alcatraz. You weren't a fan of boats, but it was the only way to get onto the island. The nice thing was you had a friend to accompany you on this trip. Yoongi made a surprise visit, checking out a doctorate program in the area. He mentioned wanting to check it when he was your TA, so you thought it'd be fun to explore with him.

Jungkook 1:11 PM Made it to the gum wall.

You 1:20 PM 🤢 Don't get sick. Did you put one on there too?

Jungkook 1:21 PM 😎 Ofc I did. What's your view rn?

You 1:23 PM

Jungkook 1:24 PM Fun. You have a visitor today?

You 1:30 PM Yeah, he's checking out another school here.

Jungkook 1:31 PM Cool. Have fun!

"Who's that? Lover boy?" Yoongi teased.

You glared, tucking your phone away in your back pocket. "I don't have a lover boy," you huffed at him.

"What happened with you two, anyway?"

You shrugged, not really wanting to go into detail about your whole ordeal with Jungkook. What happened, happened and now the two of you were just friends.

"Well, whatever happened, just don't be so hard on yourself. You both probably screwed up, and neither of you is perfect, so learn from it and move on," Yoongi said casually, moving on with the rest of the tour group.

Shaking your head, you chuckled at his words. He was never a man of many words but you appreciate him for caring about you.

~ Three months later ~

You 10:27 AM

What's good here?

Jungkook 10:30 AM

What's good here? You're in Seattle? 🥲

You 10:32 AM YOU'RE IN SF?! 😩 This is like a missed connections ads lol

Jungkook 10:33 AM I guess this is what happens when all we do is send pictures, huh? 😅

You 10:34 AM Guess so lol

Jungkook 10:35 AM Have fun in Seattle.

You 10:36 AM Have fun in SF. I'll see you when we get back to school?

Jungkook 10:36 AM Definitely 💛

"What happened? You look sad," Aunt Jo mentioned when she saw the frown on your face.

"Oh, it's nothing," you stated with a wry smile, stuffing your phone in your bag. Today was not about you. It was about Jin.

"Were you expecting to see your boy while we were here?"

You rolled your eyes at her. No, you weren't expecting to see Jungkook because you assumed he'd be as busy as you were. Aunt Jo invited you to accompany her to Jin's new restaurant in Seattle, and you jumped at the chance. Okay, so you thought there was a chance you'd see Jungkook while in town. Unfortunately, luck was not on your side.

"I–no–I mean, maybe."

Aunt Jo stood before you, raising your chin and forcing you to look at her. "Sweetheart, it's okay to miss him or want to see him even though he hurt you. It's only natural, and you can't deny what your heart wants."

"Exactly–" Jin interrupted, "The heart wants what it wants," he said, kissing Aunt Jo's cheek from behind.

You debated if you should text him back, but what would it do? What would you even say? Hey, after thinking about it, I kind of wanna be more than friends? You were the one that initiated being friends again. What kind of person would you look like? Being super wishy-washy with your decisions. It was hard to keep your sense of worth when it came to Jeon Jungkook.

Throughout the rest of your trip to Seattle, you were good. You didn't text him besides when he would send you photos here and there of activities he was doing in San Francisco. You were proud of yourself for not giving in to your wants, and you stood your ground.

Returning to San Francisco felt bittersweet because you assumed Jungkook had already left. You didn't want to ask where he was going next for fear of sounding nosy or needy. You'll just have to guess. Maybe he was already back in SoCal.

"Knock, knock," Aunt Jo said, holding your door open. "I know we just got back, but Jin invited us to a special event at his restaurant tonight. So get your cute little butt showered and dressed up, 'kay?"

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Free food? I'm there."

Aunt Jo whistled when you walked down the stairs in your outfit. The only semi-nice thing you packed was a black slip dress. Then you threw on a black leather jacket.

"You couldn't have chosen better shoes?" Aunt Jo asked, gawking at your pair of black and white checkered Vans.

"What? I wanted to be cute and comfy," you said, pulling the strap of your bag over your head, letting it drape across your body.

When the two of you arrived at the restaurant, you expected it to be packed, but it was completely empty. You got out of the Uber and waited for your Aunt to get out of the Uber. You turned around only to see her smiling like a lunatic.

"Aren't you coming?"

Jin called your name and waved you over as he exited the restaurant. You cast a glance in his direction, curious as to what was going on with them tonight.

"It's just you, sweetheart, have fun tonight!"

"We forgot to mention it's a private event for you," Jin grinned, sending you a wink. He stepped into the Uber, and then they were off, leaving you utterly confused on the sidewalk.

A high-pitched ding from your phone went off. Opening your bag, you checked your phone to see a text from Aunt Jo.

Aunt Jo 6:22 PM

Gonna stay at Jin's tonight.

Please be responsible. Love you.

Her text was cryptic and vague, leaving you even more puzzled. You sighed as you turned to face the restaurant and walked to the door. When you first walked in, the atmosphere was quite cute and quaint. Many tables had been cleared away, leaving one in the middle of the restaurant. Someone was sitting with their back to you, and when they heard the door close, they turned to see you standing there.

"Jungkook?"

He got up from his seat and walked over to you. He was dressed in his favorite color, black. A black open button down, tucked into black joggers, black combat boots, and finished with a thick silver chain. The biggest bunny smile you'd ever seen on him adorned his pretty face.

"What are you doing here? How–how did you–"

"I might have done some digging, called around, and got ahold of your Aunt's boyfriend."

Your jaw opened and closed, amazed by how sneaky everyone was–including Aunt Jo and Jin. "So you planned all of this?"

Jungkook shrugged. "I had some help from your Aunt. She's a pretty cool person. Jin too." You couldn't stop smiling, and your cheeks were beginning to ache as a result. "Do you want something to eat? Because I'm hungry, and the food smelled delicious while I waited, "He smiled.

You nodded in response to his question. He extended his hand, and you accepted it without hesitation. When your hand found his big warm ones again, your heart raced at a million beats per minute. He escorted you to the seat across from him, pulling out the chair and pushing it in while you sat.

You felt so flustered and scatterbrained you didn't even hear when Jungkook called your name. "Hmm?"

Jungkook chuckled. "How was Seattle? Did you like it?"

"I liked it a lot. It reminded me a lot of San Francisco. Minus the gloom," you giggled. You mentally kicked yourself when you realized you had just giggled in front of Jungkook. It was too hard not to get all excited over this. So you took a deep breath to ground yourself and remember that he is just a boy–a friend–nothing more.

A server greeted both of you, handing you the menu. Everything sounded so fancy, and for half of the items, you needed clarification on what they were. Nevertheless, it was free, so you'd try anything.

After placing your orders with the server, the pair of you couldn't stop smiling at each other like young teenagers in love. It was pretty nauseating if someone were watching the two of you.

"Ahem… you're growing out your hair," you said, finally breaking the weird smiling contest between you.

Jungkook touched the hair resting on the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I thought I'd try it and never had it this long before."

"I like it."

Your compliment made him look away, a sheepish smile plastered on his face, showing off his dimple.

The rest of dinner continued. You both groaned at how delicious everything tasted. It's no surprise that people enjoyed fine dining, but you didn't enjoy the cost. But one rule Jin lived by was that he would not charge people an arm and a leg just to eat good food. He thought it was ridiculous and vowed never to do it again when he owned his own restaurant. And you thought it was very honorable.

As the last course came out, you ordered the coconut custard while Jungkook got the chocolate cake, one of each, so you could enjoy the desserts instead of picking one.

"How is it?" Jungkook asked when you took a bite.

"It's good," you swallowed, "but it might be too coco-nutty for me."

Jungkook set his fork down after taking a bite of his cake. He pushed the small plate toward you. "Here, take mine. I'll eat it if you don't like it."

"Jungkook, we're supposed to share! I can't let you do that."

"It's fine! I don't mind, honestly!" He pushed the cake further to you while taking the custard away from you. You felt he wouldn't give up, so you let him have it.

After dinner, Jungkook insisted on taking an Uber with you to make sure you got back to your Aunt's okay, and then he'd take off to his hotel for the night. As the car arrived at Aunt Jo's, Jungkook followed after, walking you to the door.

You turned to Jungkook. "Thanks for dinner. It was a lot of fun."

Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't do much. It's all thanks to your Aunt and Jin for helping me set everything up."

"Yeah, I know, but you put a lot of thought into it too, and I really appreciate that."

He nervously toyed with his lip ring, letting it flip back and forth. "Um, well, I guess I should say goodnight, and I'll see you when we get back to school?"

Your eyes flickered to his. "Do you want to come in? My Aunt's gone for the night."

"Are...you sure?" Jungkook stammered.

"Yeah, we can watch a movie or talk."

"Uh, okay. Let me tell the driver. Be right back."

The time was almost nine, so you opted for a nightcap. You grabbed a bottle of wine from Aunt Jo's cupboard and two glasses, setting it down on the coffee table before pouring one for you and Jungkook.

Jungkook quickly finished his glass which made you chuckle. Was he nervous? You didn't take him that type of guy.

"Why did you come to San Francisco?" you asked after taking a sip of your wine.

He chuckled. "Is it not obvious?"

You could take a stab at why he was doing this, but you needed him to say what he wanted.

"I'm shooting my shot," he said casually.

Trying to hold in a grin, you stopped it by devouring the rest of your wine glass.

Jungkook turned his full attention to you. "I couldn't stop thinking about you all summer–what you were doing if you were happy or sad, lonely. I wanted to call so many times, but I didn't know if I could. That's why I only sent texts since they were less intimidating."

"You could've called. I would've picked up."

"I know, but I didn't want to mess up being your friend 'cause I'm not good at this stuff, and I've never just been friends with a girl or even known how to date. But all I do know is you make me want to learn how to do all that stuff."

"To learn how to date or be my friend?

A beat passed before Jungkook answered, "Both, I guess? I just want to get to know you, so I wanna do whatever you wanna do. But that's if you want to..." he trailed off.

The buzz from the wine began warming up your cheeks, and the invisible walls you had up were starting to crumble. Jungkook's rosy lips looked too luscious not to want to try again. "I...really, really want to kiss you."

Jungkook gulped, unsure of what to do next. He didn't want to screw this up, but he also didn't want to pass up an opportunity to kiss you. His gaze shifted from your eyes to your cute nose, then to your lips. He lingered on your lips, trying to recall how they tasted. But it'd been far too long since he'd kissed you.

"I want to kiss you too, but I don't want you to regret it afterward."

You shook your head. "I won't." You shifted closer to Jungkook on the couch, your knee brushing up against his as you leaned in, waiting for him to do the same.

Jungkook brought his hand to cup your cheek, gazing into your eyes, wanting to confirm if this was really what you wanted. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," you said as you closed the gap and pressed your lips against his. His other hand cupped the opposite side of your face, drawing you closer to him. Your lips continued to explore each other softly and slowly as if time had stopped to allow you to discover what you had been missing.

You withdrew, only to find yourself straddling him. Jungkook's eyes widened as he realized the new position. However, he didn't mind it one bit. When his hands fell to grip your waist, urging you closer to him, your entire body buzzed. It didn't take long for Jungkook to become aroused by this heated make-out session, his cock twitching in his strained pants. You tangled your fingers in his hair, causing him to groan in your mouth while you smiled into his. Then your hand reached for the thick silver chain around his neck, gently pulling him as close as you could.

When he pulled away, you let out a quiet whimper. His lips began to trail wet kisses down your jawline, leaving soft purple bruises on your neck. His hands dragged up to your shoulders, where your dress's delicate straps lay. His fingers tinkered with them, debating whether to slide them down, so you decided for him. Your hand reached out to take the straps off, but Jungkook stopped you.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Jungkook said breathily, nuzzling into the crook of your neck.

"No...No, you're good. I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."

Jungkook leaned against the couch, shifting himself from beneath, hoping to adjust the erection straining in his pants. "As I said, I'm fine with taking things slowly, I'm not in a hurry, and I'll wait as long as it takes if it means I get you in the end."

It took everything in you not to want to rip off your clothes and his right at this moment. But he was right because you didn't want to fuck this up, either.

"You just know the right things to say, huh?"

Jungkook laughed and nodded. He leaned forward, asking for a kiss. "It's getting late, and I still need to pack for my flight tomorrow."

You slid yourself off of him to a standing position, adjusting the strap, just begging to fall. "Let me get an Uber for you."

The following day, Aunt Jo knocked on your door, asking if you were decent enough for her to come in. She covered her eyes as the door opened. "We good in here? No cute, naked boy in your bed?"

You laughed. "No, Aunt Jo. No naked boy in here."

"Darn," she teased, handing you a cup of coffee. "I'm surprised he didn't stay over."

To be honest, it would have been far too easy for you and Jungkook to fuck without first properly establishing what you two were. Again, you tried hard not to rush into things with him, but it was difficult not to.

"He was the one who stopped it from going any further, actually," you commented.

Aunt Jo took a sip of her coffee, nodding slowly, surprised at your words. "Interesting."

"Yeah...interesting."

"Well, at least you know he's trying to do things the right way this time, so that's gotta count for something?"

She was right. You'd wanted and hoped to do this thing with Jungkook correctly. Let's not fuck it up this time.

Over the last couple weeks of summer break, you and Jungkook constantly texted, called, and video-chatted. You couldn't wait to get back on campus to see him again.

As you settled into your new apartment with Lyla, the boxes in your new room were piled high. You reached for a box on your tiptoes when you felt two hands snake around your waist and a kiss press against your shoulder. When you looked over, you saw a happy Jungkook wrapping his arms around you.

"Hi," he whispered into your ear before kissing your neck.

You mumbled a 'hi' before squirming away from his embrace, proceeding to finish your task before he rudely interrupted. Your hand reached into the box, holding onto the fairy lights you loved so much.

Jungkook sat on your bed, watching as you strung lights up on your wall. You crept on the bed, attempting to string the lights behind Jungkook, but he refused to move, so you crawled over him. When he suddenly leaned backward, pulling you on top of him, you yelped.

"Jungkook!" you cried, playfully hitting his chest, trying to break away from his hold, but he drew you back toward him for a kiss.

"One," Jungkook whispered, connecting his mouth to yours again. "Two."

"Why are you counting?"

He grinned from ear to ear. "Cause I owe you 100 kisses, remember?"

You rolled your eyes. "Forgot about that, and I paid good money for that, too," you laughed.

"Mm…I didn't," Jungkook pressed another kiss on your lips. "Three." He placed another on your jaw, causing your skin to burn hot underneath his lips. "Four."

"Jungkook," you whined, "I have so much to unpack."

"I'll help you later, but right now. I just wanna kiss you for a while."

You groaned. "Fine."

Although your and Jungkook's relationship began in an unusual manner and had its share of ups and downs. You wouldn't have made the mistake of foolishly falling for someone other than him.

[f10werfae]

1- Questioned and Loved

pairing: Construction!Chris Evans x GF!Reader

Summary: After Y/n and Chris' first “date” There seems to be a lot of sneaking around which doesn’t go unnoticed by some…

Warning: Smut, flavoured condoms, multiple positions, kissing, dirty talk, slight humiliation, oral (male receiving), Thigh riding

- Requests are open for oneshots!

Likes, Comments and Re-blogs are appreciated♥️

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︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Come on baby, let me come over” Chris whined down the phone, despite it already being 1AM, this man’s energy was not one to be messed with. Y/n couldn’t help but smile down the phone at the idea of her new older boyfriend dying to spend time with her.

It had only been a few weeks since he first fixed her ma's windows and took her for a drive down to the coast where he stole a kiss. Yet the two were smitten already, nightly phone calls, stealing kisses whenever he was over to fix any new “broken” things. Tonight was no different, Chris would spend hours teasing his new lover talking about the things he’d love to do with her, their future and how much he just wanted to hold her.

“I dunno Chris, my parents are asleep” Y/n whispered down the phone, luckily her parents' bedroom was further down the hallway but she didn’t want to take any chances with that. She could practically feel the buffer man pout down the phone, something he did when he didn’t get his way.

“Pleasee, I promise i’ll be quiet, jus wanna hug n' kiss ya” The sound of his voice was something she was going to have to learn to say no to, but today was not that day nor would it be tomorrow or the next. Sighing down into the phone, Chris knew he had finally gotten his way, they were each other’s weak point.

“Ugh fine alright, but stand outside my window alright? I’ll help you up somehow” Y/n said turning onto her side to try and look around for anything long enough to throw down, pursing her lips in the process.

“Don' worry sugar, I can take care of myself. I’ll see ya in your room in 25. Love ya” He smiled, putting down the phone and rushing to get on his sweatpants and old college hoodie. Within minutes he was in his pickup truck and on the way to his girl’s house, another midnight adventure for them both.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

(Y/n's P.O.V)

“Chris what the hell?!” I whisper shouted seeing my hunk of a man using nothing but bare strength to climb up to my window, sure there were a few slips and tumbles at first, but God is he strong.

Helping him in by his arm, his strong cologne filled my nostrils instantly calming me down. “Aww baby I missed ya too” He cooed finally standing up straight, his hood falling off his head to show off his growing brown locks. Even though I was now close to 23, it still felt exhilarating to sneak a boyfriend in, almost like it was high-school all over again.

“So this is your room then eh?” He breathed out looking about my room, my cheeks starting to heat up when I caught him staring at the array of puppy posters decorating my pink walls.

“Well it’s not updated from high school but yea”

“Whose this then?” He asked leaning in to see my old photos with my friends back then, specifically a photo of me and my friend Andrew back at graduation.

“That’s Andrew, why? You jealous?” I teased watching him turn around slowly, his lips pursed tightly making me laugh at his reaction.

“What? Course not. You’re mine now aren’t ya?” He quirked toeing off his socks and shoes, flopping himself down onto my bed, a massive creak sounding out.

“You idiot my parents could wake up” I whispered hitting his shoulder, his face contorting in fake pain, I couldn’t even stop a smile from finding its way onto my face. Quietly he army crawled his way up my bed so now we were both against the headboard, our hands intertwined tightly between us. The soft atmosphere leading my head to his chest as we slowly slid down to lay more on our backs.

“I can’t believe at the ripe age of 30 i’m still sneaking into my girlfriend’s house” He chuckled stroking my hair with his hand, his fingers running through any knots and tats gently.

“Yeah well I can’t believe i’m dating a senior citiz-“

“Oi, stop it”

“Fine fine” I sighed listening to his rapid heartbeat hammering in his chest, it kind of felt like mine at that moment, uncontrollable. “Give me a kiss baby” He whispered pulling my head up, his pink lips pressing themselves to the corner of my lips before I turned his head to kiss him fully. My heart was practically pounding at the feeling of his hands in my hair, his lips on mine and just the pure feeling of love and passion.

“Ya realise you’ll have to leave before my parents wake up right?” I said pulling away to look at his face, pulled into an expression of bliss.

“Mhm I know sweetheart, wouldn’t wanna get ya in trouble” He whispered going back in to press another kiss to my already swollen lips, his tongue tying in with mine desperately

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

(Chris' P.O.V)

Slowly slipping out from underneath Y/n, my face pulled into a grin when I saw her immediately cuddle onto one of the pillows on her bed, the one I specifically was laying on. Quietly putting on my shoes, I opened up her bedroom window and climbed down onto their driveway.

Mentally fist bumping when I realised I had done so successfully without waking up her parents, looking up at her window I blew a kiss and off I went back to my pickup truck.

My body still feeling her touch on mine, my lips still tingling from the abundance of kisses we shared one after the other until we ran out of breath.

My wrist still had her hair tie that I had taken off to play with her silky hair, the smell of her shampoo still lingering on my senses.

Pulling up into my driveway I suddenly felt a sense of emptiness, something I never felt after meeting with a woman, never mind one i’ve known for barely 3 months. Yet here we were, moving as fast as the seasons change here in Texas, perfect just for us.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Chris found himself waiting outside of Y/n's current job, a cute well known restaurant in their home town, she had just gotten the call that she was being appointed as assistant chef. For her? That was amazing especially at such short notice. It had become routine for him to pick her up from work after her day shifts, refusing to let her walk home in the dark, hell he wouldn’t even let her walk to her door alone either.

Y/n smiled cheerfully walking out of the restaurant, her cute white button up and black work trousers only made her that more beautiful, Chris thought it made her that bit more irresistible. Whistling, he winked as she approached his pickup truck, standing by her door getting ready to open it for her.

“Hey baby, thank you for pickin’ me up again” She beamed up at him, swaying her body side to side bashfully. Chris tapped his cheek twice, not wasting any time Y/n instantly pecked his cheek not once, not twice but three times.

Sliding into her seat Chris jogged over to his side of the cab, his smile not faltering once, he even had to bite his lip just to not widen it anymore.

“How was work today sugar?” He asked holding her hand as he worked the gear shift, his head turning while he backed out of the parking lot of the restaurant.

“Hmm it was busy but it was okay, my coworkers were really nice to me today so that was good”

“That’s good to hear baby” Chris nodded driving on down the road,

“How about your day bubby?” Y/n asked tilting her head to the side,

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Y/n felt her breath hitch when Chris stopped in front of her house, there he was standing in front of the door, her dad.

“It’ll be alright pumpkin” Chris whispered as they sat wide eyed, Y/n's father approached them both and boy did he not look happy.

“Y/n. Inside. now.” He said opening the door roughly making her flinch,

“But pa i’m-“

“Now Y/n L/n, please I won’t ask again”

Chris knew better than to argue with him, if he ever wanted things to work out with Y/n he knew he had to work on this. Hell ever since he found out about their meet-ups a week ago after one slip up during one of their multiple sneak ins, Chris was not in this man’s good books. I don’t even think he was in the books period.

Chris sighed watching his girl rush into the door, not forgetting to give him a cute little wave before she was pulled in by her mother who was smiling mischievously. Chris smiled but that was immediately interrupted by the scare of a dad in front of him, Mr. L/n’s arms were crossed over his chest, sunglasses covering his eyes with a trucker’s hat on his head. A true southern man who treated his daughter like she was golden.

“Nice to see you Mr. L/n” Chris said confidently, holding out his hand for a shake which soon turned awkward when he realised the man wouldn’t even touch him.

“What’s your intentions with my daughter Evans?”

“Sir you’ve asked me this everyday this week” Chris sighed pleading with him, the older man not wavering once

“I know, cause I don’t believe ya one bit. What sorta established businessman goes after a woman finding her ways in the world?”

“One that loves and cares for her, sir”

“Just get outta here boy”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“I’m so sorry Chris, I don’t know why he’s so rude” Y/n whined down the phone, her lip jutted out into a pout as she listened to hear her boyfriend’s voice.

“ ‘is alright sugar, I know he jus wants to protect his daughter” Chris replied, despite everything that happened that day he couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her voice. It always sounded so pleasant and welcoming, something he didn’t always sound like unfortunately.

Scratching between Dodger's ears Chris sat down onto his large L-Shaped couch, his business had definitely started to boom more recently with more people wanting to move to Texas. Wearing nothing but a pair of sleep pants he lay down with his arm over his eyes, just listening to Y/n talk about what happened when she got home.

Which consisted of trying out new recipes, telling off her dad some more, catching up with the girls and touching herself.

“Wait back the fuck up, what’d ya jus say?” With a sly smirk gaining on his face he sat up a bit, biting his lip at his girlfriend’s perverted confession. With radio silence on her end he peered further,

“Come on sweetheart, you’ve already said it. Tell your man what you were thinkin' about”

“No! that’s private. And it’s embarrassing” Y/n whined down the phone, her voice wavering as her face flushed. Her legs kicking in the air as she rolled about, Chris' deep chuckling causing her heart to flutter majorly.

“Come on I thought you said no secrets?”

“Mhm well you already know what I was thinkin’ bout, you jus wanna embarrass me”

“How about you come over and show me what you was thinkin' about then?”

“O-oh Okay babe”

“Actually, i’ll pick you up, it’s not safe for a sweet little thing like you to be out there”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Are you sure you’re okay babe?” I whispered tightening my grip around her waist as she leant up against me on the sofa, despite the both of us knowing we wouldn’t fit, we decided to squish together with her on top of me. After catching her she jumped out her window, we drove giddily back to my house, hands touching everywhere and anywhere. Nodding her head I felt her nuzzle into my chest,

“I wish I could cuddle you even closer” I heard her say while turning to look up at me with those sparkling eyes of hers,

“Bub i’m basically your blanket right now, ya wanna wear me as a hoodie or sumthin?”

“I mean if you’re offering..”

“Behave Y/n L/n ” I growled feeling her hands crawl up under my shirt, her newly acquired gel nails scratching up my stomach satisfyingly.

Moving down I felt her insert her whole body into my t-shirt, her head now on my bare chest underneath the soft fabric, her hands nestled onto the sides of my waist.

“You comfy baby?” I asked lifting up my shirt to see her peek up at me, her smile pulled into the cutest thing ever as she nodded and pecked my lips quickly and softly. Enough to make me melt right then and there. Her lips peppered soft kisses over my chest, sucking on hickies, occasionally getting groans out of me.

“Chris”

“Yes?”

“About those strawberry condoms I saw in the kitchen when we came in-“

“Go on then love, they’re sittin in the bottom kitchen drawer”

“OKAY LOVE YOU” She said excitedly shimmying out of my shirt and running towards the kitchen, a smile coming onto my face as I watched her semi naked body hunt down the box of latex with such eagerness. When we first got in I forgot to put away the condoms I had bought earlier that day, completely forgetting that she was going to see them. You see, Y/n had been sending me these tictacs? tiktoks? Of couples trying them out and she’s been buggering me for ages, but hey I was bit complaining.

I watched her pretty self skip back towards me, successful with her hunting mission as she handed the box over to me to open up. Y/n pulled out the first condom, ripping it open, showing the new pink coloured latex.

“C-can we try it?” She asked shyly,

(Y/n's P.O.V)

Chris nodded leaning back comfortably onto the couch, shrugging his sweatpants halfway to his knees, showing off his red hardened cock. The tip of it already glistening with pre-cum as he pumped it a few times to get it even harder.

“Go on then sweetheart, put it on for your man”

I rolled the large condom down onto his cock, with him hissing due to how sensitive he was already. Kneeling down onto the floor I licked it slightly, a sudden burst of flavour exploding on my tongue.

“Ya like that baby?” He asked biting onto his lips, I licked mine nodding eager to taste more of the strawberry goodness now coating his cock. Taking him down my throat, I felt him choke a bit as I just kept sucking on his condom covered dick without mercy.

“You treating my cock like a popsicle baby, all wet and desperate for it, since ya like it so much maybe we can leave a review after it”

Nodding my head I just focused on getting as much flavour as possible, not even noticing how the condom expanded as Chris' cum filled it to the brim, some of it even spilling down to land onto his balls.

“Fahk babe you didn’t even notice, too busy suckin weren’t ya?”

“Mhm sorry Chris” I mumbled delicately pulling off the slippery latex,

“Well let me give you something to notice”

Within seconds Chris had brought me up to straddle him, his cock already threatening to push my thong to the side.

“Actually first, let me see my pretty girl get off on my thigh” He smiled transferring me to straddle his right thigh, his leg hairs already stimulating my already tingling clit.

“Come on baby, move on me” He whispered, his hands settled on my hips as he moved them back and forth slowly.

(Chris' P.O.V)

I felt her nails dig into my shoulders as she grinded onto my leg, her mouth gaping open with moans just spilling out. I watched as she slowly started to drool out the side of her mouth, laughing as it dripped down onto her hardened nipples causing her to moan. My girl is always so sensitive.

“Fuck baby you’re so pretty for me” Pushing her hair back, I cupped her face and made her look at me, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth with her breath turning ragged. Her hips started to go crazy on my thighs, her moans turning to soft whimpers.

Right before she was about to cum I pulled her up and sat her right onto my cock, feeling her sigh in somewhat relief and excitement.

(Y/n's P.O.V)

“Wait wait” I whispered getting off and getting back on, this time with my back facing him. His hands slithered up and cupped my breasts, my feet planted on his knees as I prepared myself to ride the fuck out of him.

Slamming my hips down, his hand squeezed my left breast,

“gosh sugar you’re so fucking dirty, fucking yourself on my cock like this, jus takin what’s yours” He whispered into my ear out of breath, his fingers tugging on my nipples roughly causing them to pebble out.

Turning my head to the side Chris' tongue met mine, our saliva going everywhere as we just swapped spit for a good while as I grinded my hips in slow circles. His paws giving my breasts a soft knead, his tongue leaving mine, his hips starting to smack up into mine unexpectedly

“oOH FucK, FUCK CHRIS BABY” I shouted while he pounded into me, his teeth biting into my neck as he basically used my breasts as handles to help push me up and down.

“Y/n i’m gonna spill my cum right inside this pretty pussy of yours, keep it warm all night for ya”

“You wanna g-give me a load Chris?”

“Give you one? Baby i’m gonna give you as many as you fucking want”

“T-that sounds good” I whispered

“Doesn’t it? Sounds absolutely perfect baby”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

(No one's P.O.V)

“Your pa is gonna kill me someday” Chris whispered snuggling further into Y/n's arms, with him laying his head on her bare chest. Her nails raking through his head lovingly, with her constantly giving him kisses onto his forehead.

“mm he’ll get used to you bub, don’t worry” Y/n said cupping his face and kissing his lips lightly.

“But it’s important he likes me Y/n, I truly do want us to go far”

“And we will Chris, just enjoy the now hun. You know my ma loves you and will practically have your back for life” She commented causing them both to laugh a little despite the heavy topic at hand.

“You know if you think we’re movin too fast we can slow down right babe? I don’t wan' ya to feel forced” He said kissing her chest softly, his head nuzzling into it like a puppy would.

“I don’t think anythin of it baby, we’re two consenting adults who are very much falling in love with each other okay?”

Raking her hands up and down his back, his breathing slowed down into a gentle rhythm, both of them acting oblivious to the sound of Y/n's phone blowing up on the bedside table. She’d just have to deal with that tomorrow.

———

Taglist Tags (form is up there^^): @mdpplgtz03 @mysticfalls01 @royalwriteroftheuniverse @chrisevansangel @inlovewiththefictionalcharacters @sairsei @patzammit @madebylilly @bxdbxtxh15 @tojisbabymommy @dumb-fawkin-bitch @vrittivsanghavi @chrisevansdaughter @kimhtoo17 @itsaylayay1213 @evanstanwhore @mrspeacem1nusone @thereisa8ella @seren-a-ity @pandaxnienke @taramaria @mirikusashes @marvelgurl @xoxokiaraaxoxo

[double-daredevil]

first time for everything // din djarin

whatevs lol i’m gonna post this and go back to work p much smut. dry humping and kisses. let a girl dream. xoxo

din djarin/f!reader. established relationship. 1k words. rated. 

>>

He's sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed, chest heaving although you don't think he realizes how heavy his breathing is. His intense brown eyes look almost scared, vulnerable, but can you blame him? Every encounter like this you two have had, he's been wearing his helmet.

Not this time.

You're kneeling on the further edge of the bed, almost like you're scared of scaring him more. Like he's some trapped animal, except his face is flushed and yours is too and neither of you are wearing anything more than underwear at this point.

Even though you both have already given up what's supposedly the most intimate parts of yourselves to each other, you feel embarrassed right now.

Mostly for him, because he's so fucking adorable with his furrowed brows and focused gaze trained on your mouth. Your eyes. Back to your mouth.

Involuntarily you lick your lips, and you see him gulp. "Din," you start, your voice quieter than you expected. "Have you ever kissed anyone before?"

Stars, you wanted to know the answer. Ever since you got your first taste of him, you've wondered what his mouth must taste like.

If possible, you think you see his face flush even redder. What a sight. Sitting there in just some briefs, his legs stretched out and a visible tent taunting you. His hands are balling the sheets into his fists at his sides. Why does this time feel like the first time, ever?

"No," he eventually manages to whisper out. His eyes are back to memorizing the lines and edges of your lips.

"Do you want to?"

For a second his eyes flick back up to yours, before he focuses again on what he's currently wrecked over.

"Yes," he answers with more of a voice than earlier.

Tentatively, you lean forward and slowly crawl over the expanse of the bed to him. He doesn't move, except somehow his breathing does increase in pace, and you decide to settle yourself on his lap, straddling his hips. By habit his large hands grasp your waist, holding you loose enough that you can move but still using you as an anchor to reality. You intentionally lower yourself completely until your clothed core settles eagerly on the bulge in his underwear.

You place one hand on his shoulder, the other to cup his cheek. You gently rub your thumb over his stubble and see his eyelids flutter at the feeling, his hands grip you tighter. A small smile turns your mouth up and you take a moment to bask in the feeling of his warm breath brushing over your skin.

Hesitantly, you lean down and place a gentle kiss on the tip of his gorgeous nose. Din blinks and smiles slightly, looking up at you with those damn eyes that turn you into mush. Keeping your hand on his cheek, you lean forwards again and carefully place your lips against his, letting your eyes close and body relax into him.

It's a soft kiss, to start. He responds back by mimicking how you slightly purse your lips, eyes closed, and you definitely feel his dick twitch underneath you. It spurs you on, and you move your hand from his cheek to the nape of his neck, gently grabbing a handful of his hair and initiating a deeper kiss.

Din groans when you flick your tongue out across the seam of his lips, asking, and he opens his mouth slightly for you. You deepen the kiss, your tongue running along his, then along his lips, noses bumping together, the occasional clack of teeth, him sighing into your mouth—

His hands adjust on your hips to actually grab you and guide you into a rocking motion, rubbing your cunt back and forth against his hard cock. Stars, it's good— of course it is, his dick is big enough that it's practically a toy for you to grind against to satisfy yourself. An involuntarily moan fumbles out of your mouth into his, and it's his turn to reach a hand up into your hair, cradling your head. His other hand abandons your waist and slides down the crevice of your ass under your panties, fingers ghosting over your tight holes before he slips his hand out to help you rock your hips harder against him.

Both of your hands are in his hair by now, and you love the feeling of his wavy brown locks. He likes the feeling of you tugging on his hair, too, because he moans into your mouth every time you do. Like the quick learner he is, he's masterfully repeating motions and licks and nibbles against your mouth as the make-out session transpires, and you keep kissing and kissing him like he's a knight returned from war.

He tugs at the roots of your hair with his one hand while his other grabs tighter at your waist, leaving bruises beneath his fingertips as his breath hitches in his throat. With a boost of confidence, you pull his head back by his hair to expose his neck, breaking the kiss but quickly transitioning to lather kisses and lovebites along the column of his throat. Din's breathing is still labored, a slight glimmer of sweat glistening his tanned skin, and he drops his hand from your hair to grasp your hips as you grind down onto his cock.

"Stars— " he gasps, eyes squeezed shut, head still flung back as you work a couple of hickies onto the soft spot that connects his shoulders to his neck. His raspy voice only encourages you, and you rock your hips down just a bit harder, just a bit faster— definitely by now both of your underwear are coated with juices, but it feels so good. "I'm— fuck, wait, I'm—"

Oh, yes, you think to yourself as you let go of his hair to pull him into another kiss. Teeth and tongues bashing together but he's moaning through the kiss, desperately holding onto your waist almost as though he's trying to stop you, but doesn't want to. You keep rocking your hips to your rhythm, feeling his cock throbbing against your wet core, as you kiss him just a little more and just a little deeper—

When he cums, he gasps your name into your mouth, bringing a hand up again to knot his fingers in your hair, his other arm wrapping around your middle to still you. He's kissing you and mumbling curses at the same time, and you feel his dick pulse under you with each throb of pleasure and cum that stains his underwear. You're practically panting against his mouth, lips slightly swollen but fuck, you'd keep kissing him until the end of days.

You would've kept on kissing him, too, if he didn't tug your hair and pull you back.

"Now," he sighs lowly, out of breath but with a mischievous look in his dark eyes. "Lay back. It's your turn."

[dickwheelie]

so i wrote this short, mushy malevolent thing, a totally implausible scenario where arthur (w/ john in tow) is reunited with faroe again, maybe in the dark world or the dreamlands or wherever, doesn't really matter. i just couldn't stop thinking about john hugging faroe with his one hand.

______________

Between sobs, Arthur's voice is a litany of "Faroe, Faroe, Faroe," and John feels the tears falling from their eyes into Faroe's little mop of straw-yellow hair, the same yellow John had seen in that mirror in Arthur's office, all those long months ago. Arthur's right hand is around her shoulders, holding her close against his chest--their chest, and John does not know where to put his left hand. It hovers awkwardly to the side, and for the first time in a long, long time, it feels like an intrusion. This is not his, John thinks erratically, this is something human, something untouchable, and it cannot belong to him--

And then the quiet repetitions of Faroe's name pause for just a moment, and John hears Arthur's voice, hoarse and quiet, say, "Here, John, here," and then Arthur's warm hand is over John's, their fingers just barely interlocking, Arthur guiding his hand through the cold air to place it gently against the back of Faroe's head.

"Oh," John says, and suddenly there is everything. There is the sensation of Faroe's small, fragile head beneath tufts of soft yellow hair under his hand, and of Arthur's other arm wrapping around her back, around John's arm as well, and John can feel every breath from both of their bodies, can feel Arthur's heavy sobs, can feel Faroe's little arms wriggling out from Arthur's crushing embrace to reach up to hug him around his neck--their neck. He can feel the hair on the top of her head brushing their closed eyelids, can feel it growing damp with Arthur's tears. It's too much; he cannot withstand it. John moves his thumb against the back of Faroe's head, once. Twice. Her hair is soft, her skull fragile, and yet Arthur had placed John's hand there. He tries to focus on Faroe alone, her small soft breaths, but still there is so much, so close, and he feels everything. Arthur's arm is tight around Faroe, around him. John cradles Faroe's head in his palm, brings it gently closer to the crook of their neck. He runs his hand through her hair and though no one but Arthur can hear it, he says, "Faroe."

Arthur laughs then, out loud, between sobs, into Faroe's hair, and it is one of the kindest sounds John has heard him make. There is utter joy in it, utter relief. Arthur pulls away from Faroe just an inch or two, to look her in the face, and John sees her for the first time up close: her little freckles that match her father's, her little snub nose that must be her mother's, her red mouth revealing a gap between her teeth. Her dark, discerning brown eyes stare directly into his, and at once everything is quiet.

Arthur doesn't have to ask. "She's smiling," John tells him. "Her eyes are wet from her tears, but she's smiling. She seems . . . unharmed. She--she looks like you, Arthur."

"Ah," Arthur says, voice breaking, and John feels fresh tears fall from his eyes. "Oh, my baby. My little girl."

"Daddy." Her voice is so--bright, somehow, and John--John understands.

He had thought he understood before, when Arthur had told him what he'd done, when he'd recited poetry, when he'd cried out for his baby, when he'd sobbed into both of their hands. John had comprehended then, but he had not understood.

He cradles Faroe's head in his palm, and he feels broken and human and frightened and elated and the strongest he has ever felt.

Arthur's hand is cradling the side of her face now, a chubby cheek in his palm, his fingers brushing her hair gently. John can feel his smile pulling at their damp face. Hesitantly, he lets go of the back of her head and places his hand to her other cheek, a mirror of Arthur's.

"Hello, Faroe," he says in Arthur's head.

They hold her, together, for many minutes more, each with an arm around her shoulders, two halves of a single embrace.