#this series was so good I devoured it all in barely 4 days!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chiriwritesstuff · 9 months

Text

Meet Me at the Farmers Market - 8. Compliance

Farmers Market! Joel Miller x Confident! Plus Sized F! Florist Reader

Series Masterlist

Series Summary: What does a Contractor do in his spare time? Sell his wood carvings at the Saturday Farmers Market, of course! A Grumpy x Sunshine Joel Miller series collective of one shots, Updates every Saturday!

Chapter Rating: E, MDNI (18+)

Word Count: 1.9K

Warnings: Roleplay, This is FILTHY, Too much porn, not too much plot, Daddy needs to EAT, ok?, Talks about OSHA Compliance, Wear the proper PPE if you're going into a job site, okay?

Summary: Joel catches you in improper PPE, so you do what it takes to not get shut down...

A/N: Hello there!

I thought I would give you all a little treat before Christmas! I will be posting another chapter on Christmas day, so enjoy this little bit of fun before then!

This chapter takes place before Pt. 4.

"Hey Joel, good morning!"

You peek out from your office at the back of your shop, a bright smile on your face as Joel shuffles into the barren space, still a construction site riddled with pieces of reclaimed wood. Coffee in one hand, iPad in the other, Joel ambles toward his worktable in the corner. "Mornin'," he grunts, a subtle grin appearing as he secures his tool belt, slung low on his jean-clad hips.

Casually strolling over, you join him, smoothing out your overalls and adjusting your oversized flannel, your hair neatly woven into braids. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Figured I'd kick things off with the display cases, checking out the designs we agreed upon. Found some great pieces of oak at the reclaim center-" Joel's words trail off as he finally notices you, his eyes widening, mouth slightly agape. You catch him mid-sentence, twirling a pigtail around your finger, biting your lower lip, a mischievous glint in your eye.

"Something the matter, Joel? See something on my face?" you tease, offering a small, playful smile.

His Adam's apple bobs as he pivots back to the plans laid out on his worktable. "No, you just look pretty today."

"Oh, do I?"

"Well, those overalls are all wrong, being that they're short and all, and those boots," he motions to your feet, "Are they OSHA-regulated? Don't want you hurting your pretty little feet."

You laugh, a sound that fills the shop. "Just trying to keep things interesting around here, Joel. Wouldn't want you to think work is the only thing worth looking at." Your eyes appraise his form as you slide between him and his worktable. "You don't look too bad yourself," you tease, drawing a finger down his chest to his toolbelt. "I love a man in uniform, especially when they wear it so damn well."

Joel's eyes widen in surprise, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, I aim to please," he says, his voice husky.

"Do you now? Is it because I'm paying you?" you cheekily reply, "If I put on this hard hat, maybe you'll look the other way if the city asks about my compliance. I would hate to be shut down for something silly like my attire."

"Well, with an ass like this," he grabs it for good measure, large hands caressing the span of your cheeks, squeezing as he groans, a wicked smile on his face - "I think we can work something out, don't you think, baby girl?" He starts to undo the straps of your overalls. "I think that we should take this off, it's not protective enough for those legs of yours," he slides the denim past your hips, letting them drop to the floor as he licks his lips in anticipation. "Mmm," he moans, "Turn around for me, I need to get a good look for my inspection." He turns you around as he takes in your ass, the fabric of your thong devoured by your asscheeks. He slides a finger between the fabric and your ass crack, barely grazing your slit. "Very, very nice," he mutters to himself. He raises his fingers coated with your slick to your face. "Wet already, baby?" he asks, his eyes blown. "Fuck, what am I going to do with you? What are you going to do to make your indiscretions up to me?"

"I can't afford to be shut down, Joel." You plead, grabbing his hands as you take his slick-coated fingers into your mouth, your eyes never leaving his. He pulls them back with a satisfied pop. "I'll do anything, please Joel."

"First of all," he whispers, his fingers undoing the buttons of your flannel slowly, "I'm gonna need you to redress with the proper PPE-" he says, opening your shirt and exposing your breasts as he groans in appreciation, grabbing the safety vest on his worktable. "Put this on, and sit that pretty ass on the table." You shrug off your flannel, smiling as you grab the vest from his hands, shimmying it on. "Like this?" you ask, your nipples peeking out through the neon mesh as you lift your hips onto the table, spreading your legs more to present yourself to him.

"Just like that, baby, that's much better," he says as he settles himself between your legs. "You know, I shouldn't be drinking coffee on an empty stomach, maybe I should get something to eat," he kneels down, settling himself on his knees as he takes in your pussy, his fingers slipping through the flimsy lace between your slit. "You're fucking drenched, look at you, is this honey all for me?" You nod as he slips his fingers through your folds, closing your eyes in pleasure. "Uh uh, baby. None of that. You keep your eyes on me, Daddy needs to eat."

You arch your back and whisper something incoherent, spreading your legs wider to accommodate his broad form. "Please Joel, can't have you working on an empty stomach…"

"Well," he smiles as he slips a finger into your cunt, his finger so thick that you flinch at the sudden intrusion. "If you're offering… Fuck Sunflower, she's crying for me. Absolutely fucking weeping." he takes a deep breath as he pulls the fabric of your thong harshly to the side, ripping it off of you as you yelp in surprise. "Joel! those were my favorite panties!"

"You can just write them off, hazards of the job, right?" he replies, the flat of his tongue diving into your folds as he feasts on your cunt like a man starved. "You keep your eyes on me as I feast on this pussy," he mumbles as he devours you, gripping your thighs as he locks his eyes on you. "Try not to blink, baby, watch me finish my meal. Gonna have to prep you to handle some heavy machinery, can't have you getting injured on the job site."

"Fuck Joel, just like that, I'm so close baby…" you mumble, harshly grabbing onto his hair as he moans in appreciation. He slips another finger into the warmth of your cunt as he continues to lick and suck, the sound of your wetness obscene as it echoes in the vastness of your empty shop.

"You think you can take one more? I need to make sure you can take it, baby."

"Please Joel, I can take it, give it to me-" you stutter, your body shaking as he leads you to completion, the safety vest spread wide open as you play with your nipples, tweaking the pointed buds as you shift your hips, tilting them as he continues on, the tip of his tongue flicking your clit. "I'll be so fucking good for you, Joel, please- I'm gonna…" You gush into his mouth, the wetness of your slick coating his beard as you ride on his fingers, your body taut and tight as your thighs quiver. You haven't gotten used to being used so thoroughly, feeling faint as he smiles in satisfaction, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt as he rises onto his feet.

"Fuck, baby, best breakfast ever. Do you think I prepped you enough to handle my machinery?" he cheekily smiles as he settles himself back between your legs, your hands blindly reaching for the buckle of his belt, quickly undoing it as you reach into his jeans.

Your eyes widen as you pull his hard cock out of his boxers, the tip red and angry as precome starts to leak from the slit. "Fuck Joel, is this going to fit?"

"We'll make it fit, baby" He breathes as he notches the tip at your entrance, his eyes locked onto your cunt as he pumps his shaft, his hand going to your folds and gathering your slick, pumping his cock once more as he wets the shaft. It's so fucking unhinged, so fucking obscene with the noise it makes, squelching as he guides himself to you once more. "Let me just test it with the tip, let me work you up to take me, okay baby? I'll make it fucking fit."

"Shit," he roars as your cunt envelops his wide tip, his hips pushing into you back and forth in shallow thrusts. He buries his face in your neck, licking and kissing down to your breasts as he slowly adds inch after inch until he's fully sheathed inside your channel, his breaths short as he allows you to adjust to his size. "Fuck, are you ready, Sunflower? Can I move?"

"FUCK Joel, you're so deep like this!" you cry, wrapping your legs around his waist as he lowers you down onto his worktable, capturing your lips in a kiss fervently, all teeth and tongue as he starts to pound into you in earnest. You claw at his back, your fingers grabbing onto his shirt so tightly you swear you hear a rip, crying into his neck "Please, Joel, please fuck me harder! I can take it! I can take it all!" He slides a hand under your ass and tilts your hips until he's hitting that spot, so delicious you're rendered speechless. A tear falls down the slope of your cheek, you swear he licks it off you as he kisses you once more.

He stands upright once more as he takes in the sight of his cock buried into your pussy, your slick dripping down your thighs as you make a mess of his worktable below, your plans ruined and soaked. "Fuck baby, you feel so good, so fucking perfect, so perfect for me… I'm going to come, do you want me to come in this pretty cunt?" he mumbles incoherently, "Are you gonna milk me, baby?"

"YES yes yes yes" you nod absentmindedly, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Fuck Joel, come inside of me, let your cum drip down my legs as I work today, let everyone know who owns me…" He collapses on you as he plunges into you one last time, filling you with his hot release as he kisses you. "Fuccckkkkkk," he says as he kisses your neck, his breath hot as he attempts to steady his breath. "I didn't think you would be into roleplay, honey. It was so fucking hot, we need to do this again."

You smile as you push him off, removing the safety vest as you grab your clothes on the floor. "What time is it? Tommy should be heading over soon, need to make sure he doesn't walk into a warzone-"

"Let him walk into one, I don't care," Joel says defiantly as he buckles his jeans.

Like clockwork, there's a tap on the window, still covered up with an easy mask. "Hey! Anyone in? Joel? Sunflower?" Tommy's voice calls out from behind the door. "Let me in, alright? It's hot as fuck outside!"

You smirk as you fiddle with the straps of your overalls. "Speak of the devil," you say, kissing Joel once more as you make your way to the door. You put on a smile as you let Tommy in, Joel back at his worktable as he hurriedly rolls up the ruined plans.

"Took you guys long enough," Tommy chides, handing you a cup of matcha. His face scrunches as he takes a whiff of the store. "What is that smell?! It smells fucking awful!"

Joel throws the safety vest onto himself as you laugh, walking back into your office as Tommy looks back in confusion. "What?" he exclaims. "It does!"

72 notes · View notes

galedekkarios · 6 months

Text

male oc (tav, durge) x gale fic rec list! ✨

in no particular order + heed the tags, ratings, and warnings before reading!

Beneath the read-more you'll find 40 recommendations with their summaries attached. Enjoy!

Anxiousscrambles' entire BG3 collection (17 Works).

You'll find lots of Gale x Durge, featuring Dreuer, a middle aged tiefling warlock (who I love so much). They've written about Gale and Dreuer's journey from the beginning to the end of the game, as well as their life after (and a little of Dreuer's life before, too). Both characters grow and develop across each fic, both as individuals and partners, and it's just so lovely to witness them both being written with such care. There's a bit of everything, too, when it comes to content.

the night so black that the darkness hummed by persephoning

Kidnapped on his way to Waterdeep, elven bard Ruadhán Riddon wakes up with a blinding headache, an illithid tadpole in his eye, and no clear way out of either mess. To his dismay, the magnitude of the situation only grows worse by the hour, but there's more good hidden beneath the darkness than he expects.

Ship to Wreck by Snailsnol

“Teach them spell shield, first.” Anyir instructs as he limps back to his desk. “Yes, but my issue is how. I can’t simply tell them to cast Spell Shield while I throw a fireball at them.” Anyir sighs like that’s a great disappointment. “And additionally, you are a proficient martial fighter, the throbbing of my thigh is proof of that and I cannot teach them any of the skills you or your siblings share.” “Oh-khay. Explain Spell Shield me like you would your students.” Anyir says, scooting his chair up next to Gale’s. He barely resists the urge to bump their knees together. “Speak, magician.” ----- After defeating the Absolute, Gale finds himself alone in his tower again despite extending a hasty invitation to the artificer, Anyir. He desperately tries to shove the disappointment from his mind and bury himself in teaching his students, but his fool heart clings to it like a web. Until one day he is no longer alone and realizes existing is much different when you aren't the only one doing it.

you say love, i believe it to the bone by alliancedogtags

"Gale," the paladin finally spoke, voice quiet under the crackle of the fire pit and the breeze in the trees around them. "Surely you know that with or without your magic, you are still an incredible man?" Gale couldn't answer that. He tried, mouth opening, but no words came out of it. His usual charm of words, the security blanket of knowledge, the comfort of a conversation's upper hand. There was nothing. Not when they were alone. Not when Mylo looked at him like that. his finger traced the muted purple line down the side of his neck. "Gale," Mylo repeated again, softer this time, and something laced his words. Not just something, no - a certain sadness that escaped in the pitch of his voice. Not even pity. Sympathy. "Great Gods, Gale. If only you could see yourself the way that I do."

Sage and Lavender (Series) by TheMoYouKnow

Evander: 42, Half Wood-Elf Ranger. Hails from the area just outside Baldur’s Gate. Gale: 38 (probably), Human Wizard. Famously from Waterdeep. One shot pieces written at random for different points in their timeline, but the series will always be reordered chronologically after a new piece is posted.

Gale & Devour (4 Works) by CaptainNautical.

The link features four fics for Gale x Devour, a Dragonborn fighter. Devour is a beautiful character, and his relationship with Gale is so tender and touching in every fic.

Ironfire by scarvenrot

But beneath Gale’s hands, and in his arms, the withering ache of muscle turned from burden to gift, because it called such a fount of affection out of him. Every stroke of his fingertips, each careful brush of lips against flesh was a balm against burns, ice to swollen bruises, warmth to the joint. Krull didn’t have the right words for it all. You make me feel strong, was all he could say. Stronger than I ever have. Was this how his mother had felt, Krull wondered, when she had come across that bumbling, balding man and his goat farm besieged by goblins all those years ago? Did he unwittingly charm her with his earnest humanity, his love for his little home and his modest life, his empathy for livestock that ran so deep that he called them his family? Krull had never asked, and he didn’t know. But he imagined it must have been so. That it was written in his blood for him to love a human being so fully, so simply, for every fragile piece of who that person was. *** A half-orc barbarian and a human wizard fall in love.

gale gets good dick anthology (Series) by auriadne

maybe a joke, maybe not. mostly home to m!durge/gale fic. (op chiming in to say that this is some extremely delicious well-written smut, just in case the "maybe a joke" bit threw you off!)

Taste You On My Lips by Djarfskald

Gale had only intended to impress Tristan with a bit of magic and show him how it felt to touch the weave in the ways he did. What Gale hadn't expected was what the tiefling showed him when they shared that moment. All Gale could think about was seeing more, and it turns his already interesting predicament into something wildly unexpected.

Under the Stars, in Your Arms by weenietime

Gale had never been sure that scales would be a feeling he'd yearn for, but now he was finding himself bubbling with desire to run his hands along the textured skin below him. The warm surface was rough against Gale's softer skin, his human form pressed against the chest of a Dragonborn. He didn't have to imagine Altid underneath him anymore, because he was actually here; his hands gently grasping Gale's clothed love handles as he laid beneath him, warm breath tickling Gale's neck. (Aka me needing to write my first Tav and Gale makin' love underneath the stars)

Devour by Sylpherna

Gale contemplates the destiny Mystra had ordained, while Estevan begs him not to follow through. They fight, and then they fuck about it.

Skornweave (Series) by BoilingHeart

A cleric of Ilmater with a dark past falls for the wizard of Waterdeep. Both find in each other not just a new meaning of life, but the meaning of love and passion.

Shelter (Series) by Iselea

A series about my dragonborn Tav and Gale of Waterdeep. Hailing from Alaghôn, the capital city of Turmish, Tavraskirno Marivaldi is a dragonborn who ventured far into the Sword Coast to visit his adopted human sister who had settled into Baldur's Gate, only to wake up in the nautiloid with a tadpole in his head.

let it bleed through my fingers, a treasure in my hands by blazeofglory

Gale tosses his head to the side, practically writhing on the bedroll, and River spies a glint of silver, almost lost amongst Gale’s lovely brown hair. His earring. Mystra’s symbol. River cannot abide by Mystra's mark on something that belongs to him.

Magic of a Different Kind by Girlfoxgirl

My Githyanki Tav Genos and Gale share an intimate evening sometime following their first experience in the Weave. Character development and smut.

Cooking Time by Tal_Art (Tal_Monarch)

Gale panics when he sees smoke coming from the tower only to find Tav has attempted to cook.

My Hand That Will Not Harm You by goddessofcheese

The tent fell quiet again as he moved his attentions over to the other hand. The worries he’d dredged up wouldn’t quite leave but he found them easy to drown out by focusing on Gale’s high knuckles. His pulse, steady and strong beneath his grip. The fastidious cleanliness of his fingernails. Every so often he looked up, to make sure he wasn’t pushing too much into the mystery pain of what the wizard had to live with, but was glad to only see him with his eyes closed for the most part, fully absorbed in the relief. Pride flitted into Zen’s chest at being able to give that to him. Pride and… something else. Something… now altogether unfamiliar. He wanted more. ----- Alternatively, Gale finally accepts some help with the pain.

Wizards and Evil Lizards by SunflowerRose22

On a whim, the Dark Urge sneaks into Gale's tent one night. He's been craving the wizard for quite some time now and has decided to make Gale his.

Crow and Seagull by Subaruchan192

After two weeks at sea, Gale and Karasu finally arrive in Waterdeep. Both are looking forward to finally starting a new chapter in their lives together.

Want is a Four Letter Word by Saccharine_smiles

“Why did you–ugh–you confounding man!” The fear is evident in his voice and his fingers shake from where they begin the incantations of healing he knows. His eyes squint in agony at seeing Tav bloodied and beaten beneath him and he swallows the cry that claws at his throat knowing that this was his fault. “I like it when you use big words,” Tav says, head lolling onto one shoulder as the warm, soothing feeling of Gale’s magic overtakes him. It is the softest touch he’s had since the last time Gale had reached out to him with kindness. He is still not used to it.

I Want To Hurt You (I Want To Love You) by Brittany_Hamato

“I want to hurt you,” Tav’s voice rumbled from his chest, making Gale’s muscles quake and his chest tighten. “Excuse me?” “With your permission, I want to break you. I want to take you apart, piece by piece, and take everything you have to give, then take just a bit more.” Tav sat closer, his hand trailing across Gale’s shoulder blades, sending trails of electricity over his skin. “Please, gods” Gale choked on the aborted noise, it wasn’t quite a word, but Tav heard him anyway. Tav moved in closer, pressing his lips to Gale’s pulse as he nearly whispered his desires. His hands wandered lower, one supporting his back while the other tangled in his folded hands. “Your goddess can’t protect you from me,” Tav snarled, teeth pulling threateningly at his earring before continuing back down his neck, “and my god wouldn’t take away my toy.”

Forward, This Book is Dedicated To, Epilogue by upwards_descent

Gale is a disgraced and somewhat washed-up professor at the local prestigious college when he crosses paths with a handsome stranger at the library. Would this be the romance he needed to fix the hole in his heart, or was he just needlessly putting his own soul on the line once more?

fall away by whenwindwhispers

The Shadowlands have made our beloved party gloomy. Some members are becoming irritated by the smallest of things. For Gale, he is drawing the line at dirtying his favorite robes any further, and Whisper has the perfect solution: why not carry him? In short: Gale discovers he really likes being carried by Whisper.

Gum on your shoe (Series) by Lintu

1: Gum thought he'd been cursed to face the worst scenario taught to him by his people. Perhaps maybe a ghaik tadpole was the ticket he needed to see the world. Small segments of my tav, Gum, exploring Faerun and bonding with his new found companions. 2: "Wow. That's some sleight of tongue. Never seen that before." Gale watched as Gum stood, stolen ring in hand. "I have," Karlach replied. "But that's another story for another time." 3: Gale was left drowning in misery, the egg he intended to fry for breakfast past burnt and stuck to his pan. The very knowledge that he had turned Gum down, pushed him into the spawns arms, made Gale want to scream. --- Gale and Gum navigate both tadpole removal, abolishing the absolute, and their relationship.

My Many Tavs (Series) by upwards_descent

1: A series of snippets revolving around my Tav (Cairros Elrûn, a woodland elf Evocation Wizard) and his lover, Gale. Hella gay, super cute, with some bits of backstory for my boy sprinkled in. 2: Another series of snippets, this time featuring Gale and my other Tav, Rizal Aganaad the swashbuckling elder tiefling bard. A bit more angsty, a bit more kinky, just as fun! 3: A third collection of snippets romancing Gale, now with added Dark Urges! Featuring Autumn A. Augustus, soon-to-be redeemed human Great Old One warlock

A Talk About Control... by Faetality

Gale wants to talk about his pursuit of a certain artifact. Kai’chrell finds himself less than enthused with the idea and the urge… well. It raises its head at the worst of times.

You are Beautiful, Like I've Never Seen by Eternal_Starr

“You’re worth something to me…” He promises. “Worth a lot to me. And you are important in this world, even if you don’t feel it…” He watches as tears begin to swell in Gale’s eyes before he blinks hard to push them back down. He turns to meet Altair’s gaze, a warmth glowing inside them. Silence creeps in again. Neither of them dare to break it. ----------- Gale feels his death will make his life worth something. Altair claims he's worth something now.

Gale's Folly by arcanewriter

“Another night, I want to show you my home. Waterdeep. Tonight .. can you just hold me?”

Well Rested by Lintu

The gang gets to Baldur's Gate and stays a night at the Elfsong.

don't accuse me of accusing you by sertuna

Elminster delivers a message from Mystra. Callesian gives his opinion on the matter. “If you have something on your mind, I'd surely like to hear it,” Gale spoke at last as they locked eyes. He paused in response, leaving Gale to witness the gears turning in his mind as he formulated a response. Every feeling that had been stirring within him that evening threatened to bubble over the edge. Callesian knew if he let out even an ounce there would be no slowing down. For all the good rapidly escalating emotions did a barbarian in combat, it wasn’t a conduit for rational discussions. At last, he settled on what to say. “No, I don't think you would.”

Silly, Silly Tav, Or: Gale Gets Buttfucked Through The Portal by faeblesmith

“It seems… unstable, somehow. Normally, magic this old is the most stable sort, with decades, centuries, even millennia of support. There must be something very powerful behind this mass of sparks. Just as Tav gets within arm’s reach, someone half falls from the portal. Ass first. Bare ass first. “Hello? A hand? Anyone?” Tav stares at the ass, unable to even think for a moment, let alone move to do anything about some man’s bare ass (and legs, quite a nice set of ass and legs at that) jutting out from… the sheer rock face on the side of a hill.”

The Stars Can't Compare by Brittany_Hamato

He wants to forget his goddess and Eliminster's words. Instead of worrying about the orb, or the decisions left on his shoulders, Gale wants to just spend a night watching the stars. Tav decides to distract him. Gale is definitely distracted and certainly not complaining.

Roar of a bear by Subaruchan192

Gale is awestruck the first time Karasu turns into a bear and due to this distraction, gets hurt. The bear gets feral and afterwards they share a moment of tenderness and maybe flirting- or whatever these idiots understand by flirting.

wordlessly and entirely by reddragoncrush

The hungers in Gale never quite died, but sometimes they were silenced. Or, perhaps, more interestingly, he hadn't done what he needed to sate them.

Even in Darkness by PerditionLaFey

Post- game end, Male Tav was injured and has lost their sight, maybe for good. Gale comes along to provide some much-needed comfort.

shake like the bough of a willow tree by deathishauntedbyhumans

They never last long like this, either of them. The few times they’ve made love directly after fighting something that has made an honest attempt to kill them have always been hot and dirty and rather to the point. Tav doesn’t mind, though— there have been other moments, other times where their lovemaking has lasted much longer, been much sweeter. This is different. This is… stimulation, for the sake of stimulation.

an incantation of tongue by sanquines (wraithes)

Gale's desires are a well untapped, the cool waters of his mind plagued with wanton ripples. In attempt to free himself of one man, he finds himself with two — a challenge even the prodigy struggles to wrap his mind and mouth around.

an abundance of moments by floralprintshark

Gale struggles with his feelings for Tav and talks to pretty much everyone about this except to Tav. (Tav called Suvi, they're a Tiefling bard with the urchin background)

Counting Sheep by Nightwang

“That’s not what I meant. I was thinking more of turning that big, beautiful brain of yours off.” “Oh really? Well now this I’d like to see. What great plan do you have, oh fearless leader? A sleep potion? Perhaps a nice chair to the head?” For the prompt Gale/Any - Cockwarming on the Baldur’s Gate Kink Meme

God of Ambivalence by SpaceMonkeySalsa

A tiefling Artificer trying to carve a new path for himself splits a large stone on a beach to discover something truly shocking: a wizard missing a hand and in need of a lot of help, and magical items. Lucky for the wizard, Elion happens to be a fount of magical items.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale x tav #gale x durge #bg3 gale #bg3 #bg3 fic #fic #one thing about me is i be reading 🫡

50 notes · View notes

ohraicodoll · 2 years

Text

Possession | Chapter 4

Chapters: 4/5 Fandom: The Sandman (Comics & TV 2022) Rating: Mature Relationships: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Original Female Character, Dream/Reader Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Original Female Character, Matthew the Raven, Lucienne, Calliope, Mervyn Pumpkinhead Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, Explicit Sexual Content, Past Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Possessive Behavior, Domestic Violence, Jealousy, Trauma Responses Tags: Complicated Relationships, General complicated feelings, Dream is an IDIOT, they both have baggage, Past Relationships, Angst, OFC: Dahlia, 1st POV

Summary: A farewell.

3rd in the Fragments Series | Read on AO3 Writing Masterlist Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 Previous in Series: Touch Starved Next in Series: Interwoven Chapter Warning: BIG TRIGGER WARNING! Please check if you are in a good place to read this sort of content and take breaks if you feel the need to. TW: Domestic abuse, Emotional Abuse, Violence, Disturbing imagery CHAPTER 4: You Ruined Everything Good

I wasn’t sure when I had finally succumbed to exhaustion, head pounding and body heavy. I’d cried myself swollen, dragged myself into the bed only to cry into my pillow more. The pain I felt was like ripping open an old wound, bleeding out all the comfort and progress I had made over the years. I knew when I would go to sleep that I wouldn’t see Morpheus, wouldn’t go to his palace, and all I could hope was a dreamless night and to be left alone. But one moment I was in bed and the next I was somewhere else, somewhere familiar. The dingy little apartment pressed in on me and anxiety instantly hit like walking into oncoming traffic. Because I knew this place, knew the stained ragged carpet, the cheap particle board furniture I’d managed to thrift with hardly any money, knew the second hand couch with its mismatched cushions and frayed edges. Twenty year old me had done her best when she moved into this apartment but times were hard and dreams of a better life were far off. Four years later, she never got a chance to change the furniture out for something better, had kept it for years past its prime. It was about survival, getting through one day then the next, trying not to be devoured by the beast that shared the home and not caring that it was decaying the walls around them. This wasn’t a dream or a nightmare, it was a memory. And that made it so much worse. I had a hard time breathing, feeling the aches of this younger body of mine and the bruises, old and new, that dotted my skin. My mind was stuck between being the twenty-four year old and the me I was now, older and free and aware that I was dreaming. I swallowed past the hard lump in my throat, hands clenching and unclenching at my side, and tried to focus. I could leave. The door was there and if I walked out of it, I would leave this memory behind and all that it would entail. I could go to the rest of the Dreaming, to the throne room, to Morp-

No. It was an effort to pick up my bare feet, to take that first slow step towards the apartment door and keep walking. I felt out of body and entirely cemented in, like a gravity well pulling me into this former self. The floor was quicksand, fighting against the pull of my muscles and desperately trying to keep me rooted in place. It whispered stay, stay, stay and crooned like an old lover, telling me that what was on the other side of the door was far worse than staying here. Being alone was worse, facing the world was worse, I couldn’t possibly face what was out there alone. The demon you knew was better than the demon you don’t. Halfway across the room. I could leave. I could leave, this wasn’t real and I didn’t have to stay. This was a memory, a nightmare. It wasn’t real and couldn’t hurt me, not anymore. I just had to get out. The carpet under my foot shifted and let out a loud creak and my blood chilled as I froze in place. It was always the same spot, the board underneath warped from age and water damage. I used to be so good at avoiding it, could do it instinctively when I needed to leave for work and didn’t want to risk waking the beast who didn’t like to be disturbed. But that was younger me and the me now had forgotten that instinctual fear that had guided her. “Lia, you wanna explain this?” Panic shot through my body, icy and sharp at that familiar voice, and I turned around to look at the man standing in the doorway to my bedroom- our bedroom. Aiden was leaning against the wall, flannel half opened and rolled up to his forearms to show the tattoos there. There was two days worth of stubble on his chin and even though he was giving off the look of being relaxed, nonchalant, there was an edge to his body. A snake coiled up, ready to strike. He looked the same as he always did in my memories, candy coated poison, a nice ruggedly handsome guy who drank beers with his buddies and would take you driving through the night in his pristine car. But his knuckles were calloused, slightly scabbed, and there was a tension to him that never fully dissipated. He had a chip on his shoulder and made it everyone’s problem. I’d loved this boy, this man, for so many years. Long enough for that love to turn into a shark’s cage, leaving me helpless and drowning in the depths alone while the monster circled. It had devoured me whole and I had barely survived. My eyes met his, those dark green irises with the pupils blown out from whatever he had taken that morning, and then looked down at his hand at the worn journal that dangled loosely in it. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, arms instantly wrapping around myself like a shield. My foot shifted off the creaky board, sliding to move behind me at an attempt to take another step back while looking relaxed. But my heart was in my throat and I was squeezing myself so hard in an attempt to keep from shaking. Aiden raised a brow, tilting his head at me and waving the book lazily in his hands, “You don’t know anything about this shit? Your little story?” It was my writing notebook, filled with half scribbled ideas and plot points and characters that eventually I would try and flesh out later. He always said the writings were cute, like a dad placating their daughter so she’d leave him alone. It was a fun hobby, he would say after I would get the courage to share it, but I needed to get my head out my ass if I thought it’d amount to anything. And now, fully back in that time period, I couldn’t even remember what I wrote down that could have set him off. He’d obviously read it when I wasn’t around, hadn’t given him permission to. But this was our home and nothing was a secret from him, nothing could be kept from him. What was mine was his. He did whatever he liked. “Aiden, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about,” my voice was light, easy, harmless. Nothing to rile him, nothing to escalate, “I write down stuff in that all the time but it’s not real-” But he already had that look in his eyes, the one he always got before things blew up. He sucked through his teeth, shaking his head like he was so disappointed in me. “You know, I get really tired of the way you always fucking lie,” he pursed his lips and pushed off the doorway, taking a few steps closer, “Every time you open your mouth shit just pours out.” I gulped, taking another step back and wrapped my arms tighter around my body. I’d make myself smaller, more submissive, not arguing back or defending myself. Trying to swallow the panic that was quickly rising, I gave a shaky smile, “Baby-” “Baby, baby, baby. Just shut the fuck up, Dahlia,” Aiden hissed and I flinched as the words bit at my skin, “Did you think I wouldn’t read your dumb little scribbles? Like I wouldn’t be able to tell how you made me the villain in this stupid shit?” My eyes flickered to the book, trying desperately to connect the dots and figure out what he was even talking about. I hadn’t written about him at all, had jotted down notes and ideas but nothing direct. I’d never risk it, would never do something like that and leave it here where I knew he would see it eventually. He was corralling me against the living room wall, my feet instinctively moving away from him to try and keep the space between us but it was a losing game. The apartment was so small and there was never any escaping. All I could ever do was wind him down, try to placate him until the anger left his body and he’d move on to something else. Kiss him, soothe him, make him feel better however I could, even if it meant using my own body. But that had started to work less and less. Now my body was only used in a different way, my skin and face an outlet for his anger. It hadn’t been that way, he hadn’t meant it, but a dam had been broken in him and he couldn’t stop. I was his to use and use and use until his favorite punching bag broke. “It’s just a story, I swear. It’s not about you at all. I jotted whatever idea I got while watching TV,” I placated, feeling my back hit the wall. There were still a few feet between us and the part of me that knew this was a memory, knew this wasn’t real, warred to run for it. Get to the door and get out and leave this behind. But I was locked in, unable to separate myself because what if this wasn’t a dream? What if this was real? What if I hadn’t escaped and this was life? Unending, unescapable, trapped in this apartment with the monster always prowling. Aiden paused, jaw clenching and unclenching, and waved the journal in the air, “You tell anyone about what happened?” What happened…I wouldn’t dare, could barely bring myself to remember it myself without losing control. My arm was barely healing from the fracture and the stitches pulled at my stomach. I wouldn’t have written that down. “N-no, of course not,” I stuttered out with a shiver. There was almost a smile on his lips, cruel and pleased, and I could hear the words he always whispered in the dark. That’s my girl. “You show this to anyone?” he flailed the book in my face, sharply tapping it on my forehead and making me jump, wincing. He was toying with me, wanted me to beg, tell him what he wanted to hear. That his actions hadn’t left this apartment, that he was in the clear, that I wouldn’t run from him and so he could do it over and over again. That small, dim spark of anger I had shoved down so long ago flared up the tiniest bit, like an ember in a doused fire. He used to say he loved that spark in me, that passion, but for how much he loved it, he loved smothering it even more. “No, I didn’t,” I replied icily, “Who would I show anyways, Aiden? It’s not like I have any friends anymore.” His lips pressed in a hard line and I could feel regret and fear coat my mouth because I knew I should have swallowed the words. Swallowed that anger because it only made things worse. He saw me as a wild horse to be broken and that spark was the sign that I wasn’t quite broken under him yet. But I was tired, so tired of living in hell and what were a couple more coals to the pile? Even when I was good, it didn’t stop him from hurting me. Eyes narrowed, those blown out pupils gave him the perception of an animal getting ready to strike. “You want to repeat that?” he hissed, fist balling at his side and muscle pulsing in his arm. I knew what came next, wanted to stop myself, but I couldn’t. The words poured out like pus from an infected wound, spilling out of me as the pressure built. “I have never told anyone anything bad about you,” my voice shook, anger and fear and frustration a storm in me, “For fucks sake, Aiden, you have been everything to me. You were the only one there for me when Mom and Dad died. I have loved you with every part of my being and have stuck with you through everything. There is no one but you, I’ve shoved everyone away for you because I love you.” The words were an echo, a repeat of things I’ve said in the past and of this moment. I had loved him. Loved him so much I self-destructed my life for him, gladly, and myself until I was only a crumpled wreckage. I handed over the reins of control to him, listened as he whispered that I was his and took that as love. But the sentiment had never been the same towards him. No one told him what to do, he belonged to no one. He gave himself to everyone because he was a gift, but no one could keep it.

A fragment of myself surfaced then. Me, the person I was now, bubbled forward like lava rising to the top of a volcano. All the pent up rage and pain and self-loathing he had caused forced me up. The words spilled out before I could stop them, “You never deserved that love, never deserved an ounce of what I gave you. All those years giving you everything and you have only ever made me feel like shit.” The silence ballooned around us, deafened me, and I was locked back in the memory and the fear. The rage turned in those green eyes and his knuckles whitened as he gripped the book harder. “The fuck you just say to me?” he growled, taking a step forward again, the room darkening with his anger. My eyes were wide with fear, but I couldn’t control myself. The two opposing sides of me fought and tore myself apart, struggling to be the one at the surface. I tried to sidestep him, headed for the door, towards life away from him or the Dreaming or just darkness. Anything a welcome relief against this. But he stepped in my way, cutting me off and eating the ground between us until my back was against the wall again, “What did you just fucking say, Lia?” It was such a familiar position, backed up against a wall with nowhere to run. My breaths were rasps, fast and frantic like a trapped rabbit in a snare. I could remember the grainy texture of the wall, the way the surface was a mess from different patch jobs we had to do. The rough friction of the carpet under my bare feet and the pulsing of my heartbeat as it tried to decide fight or flight. Aiden lashed out there and fists struck the wall next to my head, the plaster caving in. I flinched hard into myself, turning my head away from the impact and a startled gasp leaving me. I was shivering, quaking, body locked tight. It’s a dream, it’s a dream, it’s a dream. He can’t hurt you here, can’t hurt you anymore. I was staring forward, unseeing even and ears full of white static as he invaded the space and barricaded me in. In the distance, I thought I could hear the distant thundering of clouds and the rapid pattering of rain. A storm rolling in. A thought drifted through, small and inconsequential, how the roof always leaked when it rained. I thought I could feel the moisture build on the walls, the faint scent of water wafting in. I was struggling, trying to break out of this. Wake up, wake up, fucking wake up. But my mind wasn’t calm enough to force myself awake, the safe words useless in the vividness of what was happening. Lightning crackled and the windows shook from the following clap of thunder. I fought to break out of the memory, to shove my younger self down and break whatever this was. But now with him staring me down, all my rage was on my tongue and I couldn’t stop myself. He’d been the boogieman of my life, had taken years and years from me and had never been punished for it. I’d run and never looked back, not even thinking justice could touch him. I whispered unfiltered and unregistering, “Everything you touched you ruined.” Wide unblinking eyes glazed over as the overwhelming scent of him filled my nostrils. Cigarette ash and dust, bitter in my nose, “You ruined everything good about me and…I let you. Let you make me believe I was worthless. But I wasn’t. You were.” Aiden’s answer was fast and brutal, palm crushing over my mouth as he slammed my head back into the wall. The pain rippled through me like a hammer blow to the skull, teeth chattering together. Nightmare or not, the pain was real and sharp. His fingers dug tightly into my cheeks, palm smashing my lips into my teeth, and tears instantly sprung to my eyes at the pain. A previous bruise on my cheek stung to life and my body ached like an old house. “You shut your fucking mouth, you hear me? I ruined everything? What was there to ruin, Dahlia? Huh?” he shouted and spit hit my skin, only a few inches from my face now with his body pressing into mine hard. He was putting so much weight on the hand over my mouth that I felt like my skull was going to shatter under the pressure, “Nobody wants your ass around. You haven’t accomplished anything but be a sniveling brat. All you do is strut around like a fucking queen, back talk, and run your fucking mouth!” Water began to trickle down the apartment wall and caress my hair, soaking in as the rain picked up outside the window and clambered against the glass. Thunder roared and shook the entire place as my tears fell, pooling onto Aiden’s hand. He sneered, breath hot on my face, “You’ve always been pathetic and instead of being grateful I stuck with you, this is how you act? Ungrateful little bitch.” Wakeupwakeupwakeup. Wake up! I struggled and tried to push off his chest, push him away from me but I’d always been so much weaker than him and this body was malnourished and small. My hands reached and pulled, grabbing at his wrists and trying to tug his hand off me but it was like moving stone. He’d kill me if I stayed, was killing me slowly but surely. It would never get better, he would never get better. He didn’t want a girl, he wanted a dog to sit at his feet and do his every wish. And when one dog died, he’d get a new one. He easily batted my hands away with one hand, practically smiling while pressing in closer until I was crushed under his weight. Desperately, I breathed air in through my nose, trying not to hyperventilate and avoid the rage that flooded his eyes. Water was pooling in, worse than I’d ever seen before, almost large streams coming in through the light fixtures but he didn’t seem to notice even as it started to cover the carpet. “You think those guys that hover around you at work are actually interested in you?” Aiden mocked, a sneer to his lips as he squeezed my cheeks harder and rattled my skull, “You’re just a piece of ass, easy bait. You belong to me and you need to realize how lucky you are. All those lessons and you still haven’t figured that out.” That had been the last fight, the last time I’d left the house. All because I’d been friendly to one of the new guys, had given him directions to where new hire training was on my way out the door to meet Aiden for lunch. He’d seen it and I’d paid for it. But why? Why had I paid for it? I hadn’t done anything. Had never done anything wrong, except maybe chosen Aiden. Only…I was a kid, young and thrilled and so easily warped into believing he loved me. I’d stayed for so long, believed him every time he said he was sorry or that it wouldn’t happen again or when I told myself he was all I had so I couldn’t leave. Because being alone was worse than this? My clothes were beginning to soak, water sloshing around my ankles while a storm, a hurricane, raged on outside and inside the walls. I had trusted this man that was now hurting me, had trusted that since he was older of course he had my best interest at heart and could take care of me. But that careful, charming mask had slid away over the years until I was only left with this brutal, uncaring person. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I didn’t need him to take care of me, didn’t want him, and had escaped. I’d escaped. Had escaped and made a life for myself, made more dumb choices but also made good ones. I’d experienced things no one else had, could walk through dreams and see other worlds, had met so many people. I’d met the King of Dreams, had managed to get his attention, his affection. Had fought with him, stood up to him. And even at his worst, he didn’t do anything to me. I wasn’t Aiden’s, not anymore and not ever. I belonged only to myself. Bringing my hand up, I opened my mouth and pushed the hand over it deeper, latching onto the skin as hard as I could and biting. Blood coated my tongue, poured into my mouth, and he shouted. Ripping his hand away and pulling back with a sharp curse, I spit out a chunk of his flesh. The memory was broken and I was fully aware, sharp and current, filled with a rage so blinding it burned away any fear I had. The taste of copper filled my mouth and I bared my bloody teeth at him, the rain flooding inside the apartment now a full downpour. “It was you that was pathetic,” I growled at him, hands balled in shaking fists as I took a step towards him, “You preyed on me when I was hurt and vulnerable, used my parents’ deaths to make yourself the center of my world, for what? Because I was too young and naïve and the only one that didn’t see what a fucking loser you were for wanting to be with a teenager?” “Shut up!” Aiden shouted and backed up, holding his bleeding hand to his chest. “No,” I snarled, the world like a whip crack, “You don’t get to tell me anything ever again. You’re gone. You are a memory, old and forgotten, a bare mention in the story of my life. You were right though. You were the villain. In that chapter of my life, you were the monster and you lost.” Lightning crackled, hard and blinding. The water was around our knees, a rushing river that rose and rose, loud and flooding the space. The furniture rocked and floated along the current, bumping into the both of us as the storm tore through this previous life of mine. My clothes clung to my skin and my hair was matted against my neck and face, but I didn’t care. Even as the water caressed me, pulled at me and clung to me, I wouldn’t be deterred. Because Aiden looked afraid. For the first time I had ever known him, he looked afraid and I felt a sick satisfaction that it was because of me. I wasn’t a scared little girl and he wasn’t a monster. He was a sad, pathetic man who abused women to make himself feel powerful and controlled others to make himself feel better. But not me. Not anymore. “Dahlia, please-” “Be quiet,” I yelled, white hot rage coursing through my blood, “I trusted you and you abused that because you are a disgusting, pathetic worm. You didn’t deserve an ounce of any love I gave you and you never will. You get nothing from me anymore. Not a thought, or a feeling, nothing. You don’t get to exist in my life now.” It was his back against the wall now and I could have smiled, laughed at the way he shook and quaked. Tears were spilling my face though, mixing with the rain, salt mixing with the blood still in my mouth. I had let him stay in my head for far too long, fester there like an abscess and erode something deep in my core. I had escaped physically, but stayed trapped there. What Morpheus had done was wrong. Confused claiming with control. I wouldn’t let it happen again. No more. It was time to let monsters lie. “Get the fuck out of my head, you don’t get to stay here anymore,” I shouted, a half sob and half release as the walls of the apartment came crashing down like a ruined cardboard box. The rain poured in and everything inside flooded out, sinking into the water. I was caught in the waves, feeling it rush all around me and pulling me under the water. Remnants of my old life floated by and swirled before disappearing into the abyss. Aiden was nowhere to be seen, vanished amongst the waves and leaving me alone finally. Nothing could be seen anymore. There was only darkness, a black void that swallowed everything whole. I wasn’t drowning, could still breathe, but I let the water take me further and further under. I sank until I was weightless, letting the darkness envelope me. And then my knees met sand and I bent over, kneeling on a dark shore. The void was still all around but I was finally grounded, fingers digging into the soft grains beneath me. My clothes clung to me, soaking and heavy as gravity pulled me back into myself. I was in the Dreaming and I was me. Not twenty four year old me, but the one that had freed herself and lived on. Slowly, like the doors of a cage being cracked open, I let out a hard sob and collapsed into myself. My nails scraped at the sand underneath me, desperate to hang onto anything as I curled tightly around my knees and a desperate cry ripped from my throat. I cried for that girl I had been, the one that had survived so much and had managed to get free on her own. I cried for all I could have done if I’d gotten away sooner, for the love I didn’t give myself for a long time. She had her whole world taken away only to find herself with a monster and no one came to save her. I’d learned to save myself. I had survived and even if I stumbled, I was here. But even then, I couldn’t stop the hoarse scream from coming from me as I was laid bare and vulnerable. And I cried because now, coherent and free, I knew what replaying that memory meant…and that he had seen it all. Long fingers stroked my wet hair, gentle and soothing as I screamed into the sand. Morpheus made no sound, said no words, but I could feel his warmth and knew that scent of night stars and unbound dreams. I knew this was his own form of comfort. To be there, to let me feel it all, and know that I was safe to do so. The anger between us faded to small embers, feeling like so long ago in the face of what I’d just re-lived. He was there for me even now, coaxing me through my pain like a wounded animal. I could only keep crying and screaming my pain and he sat with me through it without judgment. Slowly, I looked up and blinked at him, strands stuck to my cheek and the ghost of digging fingers fading away. I was raw and unsteady, an absolute mess. Black eyes with twin stars met mine in understanding and he caressed my face, chasing away the ghosts that lingered, replacing them with his soft touch and letting his heat soak through my skin. He knelt beside me in the sand, cloak a pool of ink and flames around him, pale skin glowing in the darkness. Dream didn’t move with caution, didn’t treat me like a skittish thing, just met me at my level and bent his forehead to touch mine. His hands never left me, never stopped keeping me anchored to the now and to him. “I am sorry,” the dreamlord whispered and I almost started crying again, lips wobbling. He didn’t have to explain, the echoes were there. Sorry to see the memory, sorry it happened, sorry he couldn’t fix it. I could feel it all in his touch, in the way his fingers clung to my skin like I would fall through them like the sand beneath us. My hands shakily reached up and found his shoulder, dug into the velvet night sky cloak there and I closed my eyes sadly, “What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t do that to me.” Dream reached out and gently pulled me into his lap, letting me wrap my arms around his waist and pulling his cloak around us. His lips pressed to my temple while he ran his fingers through the wet mess of hair at my neck, soothing me, reassuring himself that I was there and safe and whole. “I think someone should say it to you,” Morpheus whispered in the stillness of the void, echoing the same words I had told him once back to me, “You did not deserve what was done to you by that man. You did not deserve how I have treated you. It was wrong, I was wrong, and could not know the damage it would cause you. I fear my actions triggered the memory and even then, I could not release you from it. For that, forgive me. Forgive me of everything. Please.” Tears came at his words, fresh and new, running down my cheeks as I hugged him hard and buried my face into his chest. Because I knew how hard it was to apologize, especially from him. A being set in his ways for thousands and millions of years. He held me even tighter, almost clinging to me and kissing my hair, “I cannot be human for you but I can try-” “I don’t want you to be human,” I cut him off, nails digging into his cloak, “I want you as you are. But I need understanding and compassion and patience. I am not like you, I see things differently and you reacting like that…it scared me.” His body tensed, almost jerking at the words, but he didn’t let go. I don’t know how many humans he had been with or even been around in his long life. He was the collective conscious of all things that dreamed but when you see humanity as a whole, you lose the small details. And I was one of them. Our daily lives were beyond him, something he wasn’t a part of but now had to deal with through me. “I will do better. I promise you,” Dream whispered into my hair and it was like the words were pledged to the universe, “ I never wish for you to fear me, Dahlia .” I knew how difficult that was to admit, to apologize for. He was rarely wrong, never admitted his faults, was without flaws and errors. But he understood now why I had been upset, why I had flinched at his touch or freaked out from his words. And he was sorry. He admitted he was wrong. Possession without trust was just control and I never would allow myself to be controlled again. When I said I was his, it wasn’t with the intention of us owning the other, it was a pledge of dedication and trust and care. Anything else was toxic and bound to collapse because you can’t own a person truly. “I told you once before that I am trying to be better. I ask now that you help me in that,” he confided in the darkness, “If I overstep…” “I’ll tell you,” I raised my head and kissed the underside of his chin, “You don’t have to be human for me but I can help you figure out how to deal with humans. With me. The first step is actually talking to me before you do something stupid.” I remember that day at the café. He had confided that he wasn’t good at relationships and neither was I. Now I had an idea of what he meant, the scope of what I was dealing with, but he wasn’t a lost cause. Morpheus’ touch was soothing as he continued to hold me, an easy reassurance and acceptance of my words, and only then did I realize my clothes and hair were dry, the stormwater gone, and I was warm in his embrace. The void had vanished around us, replaced with the stone walls of his chambers and the familiar bed with black sheets we both sat on. The room had been changed to a different décor and I was glad for it, not wanting to see the same room we had argued in about Calliope. I was still fully wrapped up in him, but blinked at the warmth and comfort I found there. Even if every time he changed the room, the feeling was the same. In this room, I could be myself with him completely, away from both worlds. I had a feeling he felt the same. “You kept me out, little dreamer,” Dream murmured into my hair, a slight hint of wonder and confusion lining the words, “Of the nightmare. I could not reach you no matter how I tried.” I frowned, blinking up at him before realization set in. The storm. He had known what was happening, had known I was hurt and distressed, and couldn’t get to me. He’d tried to pry in but had only managed to flood the memory when it was too far along. He had tried to get me out. My fingers tightened on his back, nose half buried in his chest. The pleasant, steady rhythm of his heart thumped against my ear. “How is that possible?” I whispered, brow furrowed. He was quiet for a second, continuing to rub my back and smooth my hair from my face, “I am unsure. It should not have been possible, yet every time I tried to enter your dream it pushed me out.” There was only quiet confusion, a puzzle, and I wasn’t sure how I felt that I had somehow managed to keep the Lord of Dreams himself out of part of his domain. I may be a Dream Walker, but I was still human. I didn’t have any power. But that was beyond my comprehension and I chose to focus on what I could. It was reassuring that he had tried to get to me. Even after we had screamed at each other, he hadn’t left me to deal with a nightmare of my own making out of vindictiveness. He tried. “I didn’t mean to keep you out. I didn’t…I was reliving it and got stuck. I couldn’t even get out of it myself,” my eyes watered but I hastily blinked it away, breathing him in, “I hadn’t wanted you to see that…to know that. Aiden has been my personal nightmare for too long, it wasn’t something I wanted to share.” Morpheus paused and pulled away, tipping my chin up to meet his gaze, “Did you believe I would think ill of you for having suffered as you did?” His jaw was clenched with buried rage and I knew it wasn’t towards me. It was towards Aiden and he was doing his best to hide it, hide his reaction because anger was unwanted at the moment. Even in my defense. It was comforting to see even in this small way, he was trying. But I’d become better at reading the subtle changes of his face, the way the stars in his eyes burned different colors to different reactions, the furrow of his brow, and the pursing of his lips. The King of Dreams wasn’t nearly as emotionless as most believed. If anything, he felt too much and didn’t know what to do with it all. “No,” I answered and raised a hand to move some of the strands of his hair out of his burning black eyes, “But people always look at me differently when they find out and I didn’t want that from you. You never look at me like I’m broken or with pity.” The rage faded from view completely, jaw relaxing, and he leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. It was different from previous kisses. They’d always been hungry, frantic, seductive. Part of the game between us, nothing but sexual tension and attraction as we tried to devour each other completely. There was no room for feelings, nothing but satiating a need and enjoying each other. Fun. But this was so gentle, comforting, almost loving… “You are neither broken nor pitiful,” he whispered against my lips, “Little dreamer, Dahlia, you are stronger than you know. Potentially even far stronger than I myself knew.” My heart tightened at his words and I swallowed hard, feeling my pulse quicken. So I kissed him again, more demanding, putting all the words I couldn’t voice into it as I held the dreamlord tightly to me. He held me, returning my kisses but never asking for more, letting me take the reins. Maybe one day we would talk more about the mess we had made, the fights, boundaries, and all the damage Aiden had left behind in his wake. But I was tired and so was Morpheus. Somewhere along the game, we had gotten attached to one another and that meant learning more beyond our bodies. That would come and for now, I was happy to be held by him and to feel his lips on mine. We laid together on his bed. Legs intertwined, fingers clasped together, and my head on his chest. In the warm darkness, we traded kisses and relaxed in each other’s presence, not feeling the need to go farther. It was starting to become a routine, these hours together. It reminded me of the other night after the fight about Calliope when he’d been desperate to calm me and I’d been too stuck in my head. Of our first actual night together after our little game when he had whispered stories of the world, but it felt different from both. The Lord of Dreams opened up. He told me of his time being trapped, watching Roderick Burgess grow old and die, watching his son take over and continue his imprisonment. Of Jessamy, his former raven before Matthew, and watching her die trying to save him. He told me of his siblings, of the Endless. Of how he used to be close to his sibling Desire but after their interference with Killala millennia ago, the relationship had soured and had never gotten better.

It was the most he had talked at once and part of it felt like it was a penance, an olive branch for seeing such an intimate moment in my life and his behavior the past couple of days. Pieces of him that I had wanted, in exchange for the piece he had unwittingly received. I didn’t interrupt, tried not to pester him with questions, and let his melodic voice wash over me. I was finally getting to know him, the real him and not just Lord Morpheus, monarch to the Dreaming. And when the waking world called for me, I felt sad that the moment was over and kissed him rather than say goodbye. Morpheus only kissed me back, fingers tightening in my hair. The Dreaming faded.

41 notes · View notes

dark-night-star-light · 1 year

Text

Spirit Animals: The Burning Tide (Reread pt. 12)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE THROUGH SEVEN IN FIRST SERIES AND BOOKS ONE THROUGH EIGHT.

Masterpost

Chapter 1

“It had started seven moontides before” (1). The Wyrm fell for seven months???

“ . . . signing the question with her black gorilla hands” (1). Do gorillas sign to communicate?

How exactly did the Wyrm fall out of the stars anyway?

Kovo’s relationship to his mom is so sad . . .

“The world was a vast continent that contained jungles and dunes and mountains and snowfields, all connected together” (3). Canon Pangea equivalent? Also, I love how one continent had every kind of habitat.

“There were thousands of animals, all different species . . . ” (3). So how come there are only fifteen Great Beasts, then?

Oh, so the rest fled when they saw the Wyrm coming.

I love how the Wyrm split the continents. That’s a neat little Easter egg (oh no, a pun).

If only Kovo and the other Great Beasts survived, how did life start again on Erdas?

Chapter 2

“ . . . Hazeel’s spirit animal, Poe. His only friend” (9). That’s so sad . . .

Hazeel knows the Greencloaks aren’t themselves. He knows that the spirals are controlling them and that they are now slaves. Doesn’t that mean that when the Greencloaks overran Erdas, the people they killed and plundered should’ve also been able to figure that out? That means the last arc is kind of wonky . . .

“‘But I already have a guide’” (11). Uraza hates water??? And also how can she be a guide on a ship? She’s a leopard.

. . . Can she still feel Abeke even though their bond is severed?

Chapter 3

“‘I set Kirat to swabbing the latrine’” (14). Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular-

“‘I tried bringing her into passive state . . . ’ . . . ‘At least you have a spirit animal’” (16). Rollan cannot take the hint.

“The boy’s crocodile tears had once convinced her to lead him . . . ” (17). This is such a great, loaded line.

“‘He needs us for something . . . ’” (18). Yeah, doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.

Chapter 4

“In reply, the lion bared his white teeth and growled. Kirat showed his own teeth, which were chattering in the cold” (20). That’s such a funny image to think about.

Why were the other kids that bonded to Great Beasts willing to leave home to go with the Redcloaks? Is it because they were told they could get their animals back?

“‘King . . . ?’ Abeke said. ‘That’s what you call Shane?’ Stead nodded. ‘He tells us not to, but . . . old habits die hard’” (24). Shane literally introduces himself as King in The Return, though?

“The Shane they knew probably would have forced people to call him king on punishment of death” (24). Not really, in my humble opinion. He tried to make sure that the people he conquered had adequate food and shelter, remember? And also he literally pretended he wasn’t the true Devourer for most of the war, so . . .

“Karmo’s wide brown eyes were on Abeke, who glared right back at him” (25). This is ironic, because last time they met, Karmo was assuring Abeke that he was on the correct side of the war . . . wow.

This book seems to really hate Rollan in particular. He’s been the butt of the joke at least four times already.

“‘One day I awoke to find I couldn’t summon Grahv from his passive form . . . ” (29). But Shane was released from the Bile by Tellun, so how did this happen to him??? Plot hole???

Chapter 5

Even Shane finds Kirat annoying . . . we stan a king (oh horror, I just made a pun).

“Yumaris guided the group, running her hands along the walls, sniffing the air, and getting into arguments with the stones” (35). Yumaris: Listen here, you jackass. The ocean is a soup, and I will not tolerate your slander towards the truth! The stone:

“‘He’s clearly got his own way of tracking the Great Beasts . . . ’” (36). Because the Wyrm whispers to him, right? But where does the Wyrm get that information? From the tree?

“‘All I know is what these carvings tell us. They say that the Wyrm’s egg fell from the stars and landed in a place called Sadre, deep under the Earth . . . ’” (39). So the Hellans were told that by Kovo, right? It’s mentioned that some Hellans “exiled” themselves to the Place of Desolation (37). Was that when they created the trap? And why did they create it at the “bottom of the world” (37) instead of near the Evertree???

Chapter 6

Kind of a weird thing I’ve started to notice with this series . . . whenever the authors have a chance to pull an end-of-chapter cliffhanger, they do it so weirdly, because instead of a cliffhanger, then switching to the other plotline, they instead do a cliffhanger, then stay on the same plotline. It’s so strange.

“ . . . Shane would never change” (42). Shane and change are so close to rhyming that it makes this sentence feel really nice when read.

“ . . . inching away from Shane, who was watching her intently” (43). I love how when Shane drops bombshells he only cares about Abeke’s reaction.

“‘ . . . Shane said, stepping toward [Rollan] . . . ‘Stop fighting,’ Abeke said. She pushed both boys apart” (43). Girl, you literally started them fighting.

Mulop-Niri relationship is severely underdeveloped, in my opinion.

“Even knowing that the leopard was under Zerif’s control, she still wished she could see her spirit animal once more” (46). Foreshadowing?

Abeke and Rollan suggesting Mulop talk to Briggan and Jhi instead of Kovo . . . aww.

Chapter 7

“Meilin dipped a moss sponge into a stone basin filled with stagnant water” (48). Is that what they’re drinking, too? Because that’s not good . . .

“Sacrifices to the Wyrm” (49). Why would the Wyrm sacrifice its own followers??? It needs them to conquer? And fight???

Jhi is barely in this arc at all . . . Not a fan of that.

Chapter 8

“Kovo was almost fanatical about the glowstones. He spent every day maintaining them, searching for new stones to replace those that had begun to dim” (51). Kovo the glowstone guard dog.

“‘You don’t know how important sunlight is until it’s gone’” (52). They could have Vitamin D deficiencies.

“Takoda had always argued that he thought Kovo’s reasons for trying to take control of the Evertree were more complicated than just world domination” (53). Yes, but at the end of The Evertree, it never suggests that. All Kovo talks about is the power he wants for himself and the other Great Beasts. He never even hints at deeper motives.

“‘We can’t have you pining at the window for your lost crush’” (55). Why do I not remember Meilin referring to Xanthe as Takoda’s crush??? Why???

“‘With a catapult we could launch some kind of missile at the egg . . . ’” (57). That would crack it further, though, wouldn’t it.

Chapter 9

“Meilin nearly choked on her spit . . . If Shane was with them, it could only mean that they were in trouble” (59). The differences in the amount of knowledge each group has is one of the reasons I think the group should’ve spent some of the arc together.

“‘Rollan would like me to ask Jhi what it’s like being bonded to a snotty general’s daughter. Also, he wants to know if stubbornness is a skill you picked up from your fancy tutors’” (60). Love that the inside jokes become plot-relevant. That’s just. I adore that.

Chapter 10

“But before Rollan could say anything, Shane spoke up . . . Rollan gritted his teeth. ‘Why does he get to do all the talking?’” (62). Because the connection is weak and he’s asking the important questions??? Honestly love Shane for that.

“Rollan had trouble imagining a world without humans or spirit animals or Great Beasts. The thought of a world without Essix saddened him” (63). Oh, Essix was there, she just wasn’t a Great Beast.

“‘When the Wyrm landed, it caused great destruction - storms, floods, and earthquakes - that wiped out nearly every living thing for miles . . . ’” (63). At the end of the first arc, the weather was really weird because of something to do with the Evertree, right? So can the Evertree impact the weather or something?

“‘The Evertree is the source of the spirit animal bond. And the Wyrm is the source of that power . . . ’” (64). But isn’t the Wyrm taking from the tree, not giving?

“‘The corruption that fueled every spirit animal bond . . . ’” (65). So Kovo hates humans and spirit animals . . . because the Wyrm?

“‘I would gather the talismans and wrest control of the Evertree, by force if necessary . . . ’” (65). How will that help the Wyrm situation? The tree can’t contain it . . .

“‘Zerif thinks he’s in control, but he’s being manipulated . . . ’” (66). Zerif can be controlled by a not-yet-hatched Wyrm? Also wow, that is pretty much exactly what happened during the Second Devourer War, with the Bile and Gerathon.

Chapter 11

“A part of her feared what she would learn if she could hear Jhi’s true opinion of her” (69). Didn’t this get resolved in the first arc???

“She didn’t know how things went in southern Nilo, but in Zhong, people didn’t believe that plants had feelings” (70). But this is the Evertree, not an ordinary plant.

“‘So all we have to do is set it off. How do we do that?’ ‘Kovo won’t say . . . it was clear he wanted to keep that knowledge hidden’” (70). Why, though?

“‘I think he’s afraid of one of us becoming infected by the Wyrm’s parasites and betraying our plan’” (71). He doesn’t, but what if Kovo becomes infected? Then they would all be doomed.

“‘If the Wyrm learns of our plan ahead of time, it might try to destroy the tower before it can be activated’” (74). Not five pages ago, Kovo was refusing to tell them the plan, but then he immediately does???

“ . . . she could see the rotting purple spiral of the parasite . . . ” (76). Isn’t it black? Maybe a lighting thing?

Chapter 12

“He didn’t understand how he knew this. He only knew that anything that tried to stop him would fall at his hand” (77). So when victims fall to the Wyrm, they don’t remember anything about their old lives except things that pertain to the Wyrm? Does this mean Conor overheard Meilin and Takoda talking?

“Truly it was a feeling of peace. The calm that comes from one finally accepting his place in the world” (78). This reminds me of something a Conqueror says to either Abeke or Rollan in the first arc, something like, joining our side is the true right and you’ll feel at peace here.

“He had a vague unease echoing in the deepest parts of his mind. A mournful baying . . . ” (78). I know it’s impossible to fight off the Wyrm’s effects, but I wonder if people with a spirit animal take longer to succumb?

“Conor thought her name might be Meilin, and then he wondered how he knew that” (79). So they remember things from their old life, but feel no connection to it emotionally???

Chapter 13

“He knew her weaknesses . . . he could certainly exploit them” (80). Meilin knows his weaknesses, too, though.

“The red light opened, like an eye . . . ” (81). Red eyes on a villain? That’s so stereotypical.

I feel like in this fight, Meilin should’ve struggled with the idea of fighting the Many, because now that Conor is one of them, she has to hurt him, too. This might lead to an epiphany where she sees that, in this moment, Conor and the other Many are the same. If she isn’t willing to hurt Conor, despite the fact that he’s gone, why is she okay with harming these other people? But there isn’t anything resembling that that ever goes to Meilin’s mind.

“ . . . Jhi appeared at her side, soaking wet and looking quite proud” (83). Proud Jhi reigns supreme.

“ . . . he was now directing the rest of the Many like a general - pointing straight at the bell tower” (84). They didn’t have a “general” before him, did they? Why do they now?

“But Meilin’s sense of triumph was over as soon as it had sparked when she looked to the bridge where Conor had been standing only a moment before - now a pile of burning rubble” (85). It’s honestly unclear to me whether this is because she thinks Conor died in the fire and is grieving, or whether she thinks Conor escaped and is alarmed.

“‘Conor,’ she whispered, for indeed it was” (86). This kind of “and so it was” type of line has been used so much in this book. It’s such a jarring difference from the last few books.

“It was coming from the direction of the water . . . ’Screamers’” (87). Did they have screamers on the ships? And why? Screamers don’t actually do anything, they’re just a warning mechanism . . .

Chapter 14

“ . . . using her crystal spear to impale the Many who got in her way” (90). I know that crystal would probably normally be such a poor choice to make a weapon, but like, it just fits with the vibe of Sadre so well.

“There was something about the way Xanthe had said this that made him think maybe she felt the same way about him as he felt about her” (90). I like that this series makes only a half-hearted effort to pair characters into romantic relationships. It’s very funny to me.

“His fingers found what he realized too late was Xanthe’s hand” (90). I don’t remember these tiny Takoda-Xanthe moments at all.

“The Many were defenseless against the glowing crystalline blades of the Sadreans. Every cut seemed to scald the very flesh of those infected by the parasites . . . ” (91). What are these blades made of??? Pure light itself???

“Conor, who had fought even more fiercely than the other Many, had finally been restrained by two burly Sadrean shieldwardens” (92). For some reason, I seem to remember them fighting all the way until the Wyrm was defeated. Also, did he fight harder because he took longer to succumb? And why did the Sadreans spare him in particular?

“The boy fell back to the ground - unconscious but otherwise unharmed . . . ‘ . . . Tell him if he touches my friend again, I’ll make sure he lives to regret it’” (94). But that helped??? And also, Abeke does the same thing at the end of the first arc to Meilin, so . . .

Chapter 15

“Meilin started at the Wyrm, unable to look away . . . Takoda could see dark and slimy tendrils . . . Meilin heard a groaning sound . . . ” (96). This chapter had a clear lack of editing. It switched perspectives twice and the first line isn’t in all caps like the rest of the chapters.

They made the Wyrm such a stereotypical monster . . . I don’t know what to think about that.

“ . . . the Many grabbed hold of Sadrean soldiers and dragged them to the Wyrm as live offerings” (98). Would they offer themselves, too, or not? Probably . . .

“ . . . she knew what had stopped Kovo and Xanthe . . . ‘The Wyrm,’ Meilin whispered. ‘It’s got Takoda’” (100). But wouldn’t hitting the bell stop the Wyrm and save Takoda anyway? Why didn’t Kovo just hit the bell?

Chapter 16

“When Xanthe had been lost in the burned-out remnants of the Arachne Fields, alone and defenseless, it had been Takoda who kept her alive” (101). Ironic, considering he blamed himself for that incident.

“It was as if she could see all of Erdas - the aboveground world she had only dreamed of - shining in his dark eyes” (102). They really amped up the Takoda-Xanthe romance in this one.

Wow, Kovo really showed the Wyrm who’s boss.

“Her voice was cold and without emotion, and Xanthe wondered just how much war this girl had seen in her lifetime” (104). But she’s right? The bell is the only way to stop the Wyrm and help Takoda . . .

Chapter 17

“The floor in the center of the city was drawing back like the folds of a paper fan . . . ” (105). I don’t remember this plotline at all . . .

“The snare had stopped” (107). Yeah, I remember nothing about this climax, wow.

“ . . . the Wyrm slithered forward and melted into the darkness” (107). What??? Into a bottomless hole???

“’Still. Thank you. Leaping out from the tower to save Takoda . . . I didn’t think you had it in you’” (109). Kovo-Meilin bonding(?) moment!

“’Do they know about the bell?’ . . . Kovo lowered his hand, shaking his head . . . ‘ . . . let’s hope they figure it out fast . . . ’” (109). That’s what they bank on??? Hope? doesn’t sound like Meilin at all . . .

Chapter 18

SHANE CHAPTER, CAN YOU HEAR ME HOLLERING.

“It wasn’t a fist that had won him the Greencloaks’ talismans. Sacrifices had” (110). True . . .

“He was gratified to see Abeke purse her lips in an attempt not to laugh at her friend” (111). That’s cute.

“‘You can hear Meilin?’ . . . ‘Is she talking about me? . . . ‘Or, um, Abeke? Any of us really? Forget I asked’” (111). What is this . . . while I don’t like it, I have to admit that’s pretty realistic for the age group.

“Shane knew it was a mistake to give someone like Rollan direct orders . . . ” (112). Why’s that?

“He slowed, fixing his eyes on her. ‘I promise.’ Abeke sighed, not meeting his gaze. ‘I’ve heard that before.’ Shane nodded, feeling the sting of her words” (112). I like Shane, but he deserved that.

“He wondered how many times he would have to save her life before she began to believe that he was truly changed. As many times as it takes, he silently promised himself” (113). This is so sad . . .

“And somehow these two sets of ruins contained enough power to stop the Wyrm” (113). So they have an inkling of an idea how . . . interesting.

“Shane gave her a smile that he could only hope looked herolike” (115). Pfffffffft, this will never not be hilarious. He’s actually such a golden retriever.

“ . . . javelins made of ice . . .” (115). Bro, what??? Those are gonna shatter . . .

“Why did this kid have to question his every order?” (116). Rollan is, like, a few months younger than Shane . . . also Shane himself is a kid. Also, can you imagine being an adult Redcloak being bossed around by this thirteen-almost-fourteen-year-old child. Just. Wow.

Chapter 19

“ . . . some of them sounding more animal than human when they spoke” (118). How would that even sound??? Probably a lot like a Great Beast . . .

“‘I tried to tell them they had to stay, but . . . but he wouldn’t listen’” (119). So she cried??? I know they tried to make Tasha seem younger and less mature than Abeke and Rollan, but that seems too far. Why didn’t she just get them?

“‘They only care about our precious spirit animals’” (121). This is ironic, considering Rollan was exactly like this in the first book, but less spoiled.

“‘I don’t need a spirit animal anyway - all he did was lie around and take up space’” (121). Giving major first-book-Rollan energy.

“‘If Zerif wants Great Beasts, he can have mine. I’ll turn Cabaro over myself in exchange for my life’” (121). Zerif will just immediately infect him . . . also wow, this guy is spoiled and stupid.

Cordalles’s main argument is that Abeke and Rollan have spirit animals, but Abeke doesn’t and Kirat does . . . how come she’s still willing to side with Kirat after that???

Also, after Kirat carelessly says he’d turn Cabaro over to Zerif, why do the other kids still side with him??? That’s so dumb. They should feel betrayed.

“‘He was not raised to take orders, he was raised to lead . . . ” (123). This is so dumb. In an earlier book, didn’t someone tell Meilin that the best leaders know when to follow??? Wasn’t that a crucial part of her arc??? Why are we throwing that theme away for one incredibly spoiled kid??? I don’t like Kirat, and one of the main reasons is that he was a massive waste of potential.

“‘We owe you an apology’” (123). I hate this will all my heart and soul . . . no, they don’t. Kirat owes them one, and he never delivers.

“‘These others won’t listen to us - we’re wearing the same cloaks as the army that’s coming this way . . . ’” (124). What makes them think that Kirat will listen to them?

“‘ . . . watching your father build and protect the greatest fortress in all of Nilo by inspiring thousands of subjects . . . ’” (124). If by “inspire” they mean “abuse”, sure.

I think it’s dumb that an amulet changed Kirat’s mind, even if it was his mom’s. Like . . . of all things??? Really???

This whole chapter . . . just . . . ugh.

“‘Better to live a coward than die a hero,’ said Dawson” (125). In the last book, the opposite is said by Atalanta and I thought it was said by Devin in a previous book . . . well, I was wrong.

“‘How can we possibly fear a thing like death, when we’ve nothing to live for?’” (126). I have to admit, the line hits hard. It hits less hard when you realize that everything Kirat says is a direct contradiction of his two-minutes-ago self.

“This was a whole new Kirat” (127). Yeah, his development happens way too quickly . . . but whatever.

Chapter 20

“He . . . wondered what it would feel like to be so high above the world” (128). Convinced this is the moment the authors came up with the ending of the third arc. Foreshadowing???

“Rollan, Abeke, and Howl all looked at Kirat, who blushed” (130). Well, that’s new, at least.

“She always had more of a killer instinct than he did” (131). Does Abeke really??? Does she???

Chapter 21

“ . . . she had been afraid that Howl would insist that she belonged with [the other Great Beast summoners]” (133). She can just . . . disobey him. Shane is in charge, and Shane would no doubt back Abeke up.

“‘Who died and put you in charge?’ Talon said . . . ‘No,’ Shane said, stepping to Abeke’s side. ‘It’s a good plan’” (134). Talon appears to be jealous of Abeke already. Also, what’d I tell you? Shane will side with Abeke.

“Shane’s astonished smile at this meager paise sent a tremor of guilt through Abeke’s chest. He looked like she'd just kissed him on the cheek” (135). I’m telling you, Shane isn’t gonna cross Abeke. Also, wow, no need to feel guilty. He’s still the (former) Devourer.

“ . . . Abeke watched as the Expiator burst into splinters and sank into the cold water” (135). I genuinely cannot remember how they get out of this place.

“‘I’d hate to have you as an enemy,’ he said weakly. ‘Again’” (136). I love this line. It perfectly encapsulates Shane-Abeke relationship in this moment.

“But whatever anger she felt toward Shane ws tempered by her memory of their time together among the Conquerors” (136). I have found an even better line. What interests me so much about this line is that it mentions that Abeke’s reason for trusting Shane was not that he had changed, but because of their time together when he was knowingly deceiving her. In other words, her positive past memories of him outweighed his present redemption arc, and I think that’s such an important piece. Deep down, Abeke truly enjoyed her time with Shane, so she wants to forgive him. And here, she slips and mentions it.

“The icy tower in the middle of the volcano was slowly rotating . . . ” (137). So it’s clearly the same trap. Did the Hellans just duplicate the traps wherever they could?

“ . . . Shane, who was staring at her, his expression unreadable. ‘I . . . can’t breathe,’ she said” (138). Ten out of ten answer right there. Also, all these Abeke-Shane moments went right over my head during my first time through.

“And somewhere in that horde was Zerif himself. She adjusted her grip on the end of her arrow” (140). I know Zerif dies to stop the Wyrm and that’s significant or whatever, but our girl Abeke has been trying to shoot him dead since Against the Tide and I, for one, believe she should’ve been the one to do it.

“ . . . fifty Greencloaks huddled on the eastern shelf . . . The entire shelf splashed into the ocean . . . they had reduced its numbers by a quarter” (141). There are only two hundred Greencloaks??? But there were six ships, each of which carried more than a hundred Greencloaks each, and Mulop only destroyed two ships, so there should be at least four hundred . . .

Chapter 22

“‘How much stronger?’ Shane said, readying his bow” (147). Since when does Shane use a bow???

“He had cast aside his bow and drew his saber” (148). Oh, thank goodness.

“ . . . the sight of her former comrades fighting tooth and claw against Shane’s desperate forces stole her breath away” (149). Imagine if this line was like “the sight of her former comrades against her former enemies” . . . would’ve been better, in my opinion.

“‘Meilin will love it.’ . . . ‘Who said anything about Meilin?’” (149). I have simply passed away.

“Abeke remembered how the rotating tower had stopped abruptly. ‘It got jammed’” (150). Okay. So. This sentence implies that the snare under the Evertree’s roots and the snare in the Place of Desolation are connected somehow. But . . . why??? Like, the Wyrm can only be in one place at a time, so why is that useful???

“Kirat really did sound like his uncle . . . ‘He’s been like this since you left’” (152). Yeah. He did a complete one-eighty and it feels like it came out of nowhere.

Chapter 23

“‘Deep down, I know you don’t want to hurt-’” (153). I get that Abeke has emotional stakes in this, but I gotta say, that was pretty dumb. Understandable, but dumb.

Shane-Cabaro parallels: both saving Abeke from Uraza. Except one dies . . .

“The arrow plunged straight through Uraza’s leg” (154). I mean . . . better late than never???

“She had been summoned into passive state by her new master” (154). From that distance??? The Wyrm is that powerful?

“He did not move again” (155). Despite being emotionally prepared for this, it’s still breaking me. Noooooooo . . . Shane . . .

Part of what makes Shane’s death so meaningful is that Abeke’s own spirit animal kills him. Like. Uraza. Uraza does that. And the other part is Noooooooo, Shane.

Shane dies in Abeke’s arms . . . in front of a whole-ass group of people.

“ . . . but I could sense - deep down - that you had the instincts of a killer” (156). Didn’t Zerif say that Abeke was the most pathetic person ever (or something like that) in a previous book???

“‘A creature of raw and infinite power - power that will soon be mine’” (158). I think this is the heart of my problems with this arc. There’s no motive at all. It’s just “oh, there’s this ancient power that’s pure evil that fell from the sky and now wants to devour the world, and this guy with no motives is trying to control it”. Like, it’s so cartoonish??? Where’s the reason??? The backstory???

“‘The parasites . . . ’. . . ‘They’re part of the Wyrm’” (159). Did they just figure that out??? I thought that had been established? Wait, maybe that was just in the underground plotline.

“‘This is not what was supposed to happen!’ Zerif screamed, kicking out his legs. ‘I command you! Let go!’” (159). Love Zerif’s little temper tantrum. Also, wow, this man is so stupid. He really didn’t even think about where the parasites had come from before using them???

“‘I am fully borrrnnnn.’” (160). So to be fully born, the Wyrm had to . . . pour itself into Zerif???

Chapter 24

They just described Raisha’s hands as “scaly” . . . what.

“ . . . holding them both aloft over the gaping pit” (163). Genuinely can’t remember how Rollan and Essix escaped.

“Hanging from the ancient rafters was something dark and heavy and made of iron- A bell” (164). Okay, normally, I’d be so pissed off that the bell appeared conveniently when it was needed, but it had the appropriate amount of foreshadowing and we’re even told why: because the ice melted away to reveal it, so I’m okay with it.

“And quick as a flash, she raised her bow over her head and let fly” (165). Giving Katniss-Everdeen-kills-Coin energy.

Chapter 25

“ . . . struck the edge of the bell with a light ting!” (166). So, I apparently didn’t read very well the first time so I didn’t realize the bell was a huge bell, I had been picturing it as a small baby bell and the “light ting!” didn’t help my visualization.

“Redcloaks and Greencloaks alike scrambled to find stable ground around the perimeter” (167). This line mirrors another line: “The Sadreans and the Many screamed, running to safety around the edges of the town” (105). I don’t really have anything to say except the parallels make me happy.

I like the perspective shifts within the chapter. Very neat.

“This is what people must mean by an out-of-body experience, he thought” (168). Foreshadowing bond token plotline in third arc???

“For the first time in his life, he felt truly free” (169). Yeah, definitely foreshadowing him bonding further with Essix.

“She felt an overwhelming desire to care for every person suffering . . . ” (169). More bond token foreshadowing?

“The wriggling parasite no longer burrowing into his flesh. The Wyrm’s voice no longer hissing in his mind” (170). Does that mean Briggan-in-Conor’s-body will be affected by the parasite?

“ . . . she caught a slight flash of hazel” (171). Zerif has hazel eyes???

“What was a hero but someone who had chosen one time to do the right thing?” (172). I hate this line. It implies that you can do one right thing and still be considered good.

There are so many italicized words in this book.

“The Wyrm was truly gone” (174). Huh. It just fell in lava and died??? Interesting.

Chapter 26

This book has been from Abeke’s perspective since Chapter 21 (with the exceptions of the short passages from each of the other three’s perspectives for a few paragraphs in Chapter 25). And this last chapter is also from her perspective. It’s just. It feels. So strange. I don’t like it.

“Every blade of grass and flower and tree became a smaller version of the Evertree” (176). This needs to be explained in more detail.

“For the first time in centuries, the Sadreans and the people of Erdas met and communed with one another” (177). Wonder if any Sadreans besides Xanthe decided to stay topside.

“When Abeke finally saw Conor and Briggan waiting for them at the shore, she leaped clear off the edge of her ship onto the decks and sprinted toward him at a full run” (177). Based. Also, her leaping overboard is iconic and I can’t believe I missed that the first time.

“Rollan and Meilin were surprisingly awkward upon seeing each other again” (177). Maybe they didn’t meet again during the course of the entire arc so the writers could give us this gem.

“The eyes held her gaze for a moment, and then a sleek golden leopard poured out from between the leaves” (180). Poured out . . . like soup. (Sorry, my brain has shut down from the Uraza-Abeke moment.)

Final thoughts and rating:

The tiny Shane-Abeke moments live rent-free in my head, and while I’m sad about Shane’s death, from a writing standpoint, it had to happen. The only way for Shane to redeem himself was to give his life for Abeke, and it was done beautifully, not only giving his life, but giving his life for their bond, which he helped foster. It’s an amazing end to his arc and I will talk about it more during my Shane analysis. I absolutely adore Kovo jumping from the tower to save Takoda from the Wyrm without a single thought for his own safety. I also love that the inside jokes were plot-relevant, what a fantastic way to tie that in. I also like what I’m going to interpret as the slight foreshadowing of the bond token plotline when the spirit animals and humans switch bodies. During the next paragraph, I really, really go hard on this arc, but the emotional moments in this book were just. Some of the greatest ones in the entire series. The Shane-Abeke moments and Meilin-Kovo bonding and Xanthe returning and Shane’s death and when the group reunites and Uraza and Abeke “rebonding” . . . all of these tiny moments were just. So well done. So despite what I’m about to say in the next section, I would say this book was a positive experience overall for me.

Starting with the elephant in the room, I have to talk about Shane a bit. While I love the reintroduction of his character, his entire existence is a plot hole. Tellun frees Shane from the Bile at the end of The Evertree, so how could he have merged with Grahv? There are two things that could’ve happened: Shane’s bond being severed completely or Shane’s bond being turned natural. Exploring the first option, Grahv should’ve been unable to go into passive state from the moment Tellun freed him. Now, delving into the other alternative means that Shane shouldn’t have merged with Grahv at all, because his bond would be a Nectar bond now. Between these two alternatives, it is impossible for the events of this series (with Shane) to occur. Ignoring that, this arc in general was a bit of a hot mess. We’re told the Wyrm sucks power out of the Evertree. Then, we’re randomly told it is the heart of the spirit animal bond and that it provided the Evertree with the fuel necessary for that. How is that possible? Is it taking or giving? It feels completely all over the place and threw me for more than a couple loops. I haven’t talked about this much in my other rereads, but I absolutely despised Conor in this arc, aside from the first book. He doesn’t do anything! He displays none of his changed personality, does nothing to further the plot, just gets sicker and sicker (which I’m not blaming him for, by the way). What was the point of having him in the story in the first place? Because fans would want him there? Instead, they should’ve made Takoda be the infected one. This opens up quite a few opportunities the writers could’ve taken advantage of. First of all, Kovo and Xanthe are the two people that are least opposed to leaving Conor behind because of the infection. They also happen to be the two people that are closest to Takoda. There could’ve been an arc of them getting over that to show Takoda they loved him, but it’s completely wasted on Conor. Think about that scene where Kovo jumps from the tower and single-handedly takes on the Wyrm in Takoda’s defense. Now imagine if that scene had taken place after Takoda had been infected by the Wyrm. Kovo has a love-hate relationship with Takoda, made worse by the fact that Takoda is infected, and it climaxes when he fights the Wyrm. It would’ve been so powerful. Conor’s presence in this arc is pointless and I hate it. The last five chapters are all from Abeke’s perspective, and the staggering of the climaxes just. Got to me. The point of having multiple perspectives is to use all of them, and this book severely lacked Conor, cementing my point about Conor’s uselessness. The Wyrm being a literal power-hungry monster that is just there to consume the world and enslave everyone with no motive or thought is just. So dumb. I hate it. It has no substance, no emotion, no point. Same thing with Zerif. Literally just wants power. Why? We don't know. My last gripe: Kirat. I hate him. His character development is so sudden and out of nowhere and he was so spoiled that it’s impossible to like him. His arc feels like such an afterthought.

Rating: 8/10

#draeyem rereads spirit animals #the burning tide #spirit animals series #spirit animals books #spirit animals #spirit animals thoughts

7 notes · View notes

risingleomoon · 2 years

Text

A Return to Reading

Since realizing that I have not one but two libraries barely a stones throw from the Paul Brown Lofts, I've been taking some time to fall in love with books again. Oh, don't get me wrong, I never stopped reading! Once a Kindle was placed in my hands, I never stopped! But the truth is, I started reading exclusively ebooks and lost the passion for reading. Prior to moving, I had relied on old stand-by's like 'Survivor' (Tabitha King) or the Beautiful Creatures series. Anything I already knew because I had enough guessing going on in my real life. Toward the end, I devoured the Fear Street saga by R.L. Stine (which started a whole new rabbit hole of mental clarity) and was "in between books" at the time of my move.

Week one Downtown I stumbled upon the Central Library Annex; or as I call it the "little library". This pocket-sized land of books is no bigger than my entire loft x 2 and situated in Post Office Square. Other offices for FOCUS St. Louis and people like the Secretary of State plus a small gallery paying tribute to bald men in power share space with the newest and greatest tomes of knowledge and entertainment. That first day I was with Kiki. We tiptoed in through the revolving door, quietly past security and into an enormous atrium. It was there I smelled the paper. I followed my nose. The selection is small, as I prefaced. We were able to get our accounts all set up in minutes and walked out an hour later with the best credit limit I can receive from anyone: 100 books at a time. Each!

This initial visit yielded a powerful boon. I stumbled upon the phenomenal Tina Turner's newest title; "Happiness Becomes You". The dam broke. I read this book everywhere. At work, in the bath, lounging in bed on Sunday, over coffee and a Jay in the morning. Everywhere. It isn't a particularly long book and my nose only remained stuck for 3 or 4 days, but I absorbed so much more than words on pages. Everyone knows the Tina Turner story. That isn't what her new book covers. This book is different from "I, Tina". In "Happiness", Tina teaches us to look inward for the peace and balance we all seek so desperately. These were not new words to me, mind you. I've heard them before. Buddhist teaching crosses over my own Witchery pretty much regularly. When it doesn't it crosses over with my Jewish Mysticism and bounces off Scientific Theory quite nicely. I'm well rounded like that. I was also unsurprised that Tina "The Goddess" Turner was teaching Buddhism. After all, Angela Bassett basically just chanted her way through the second half of the movie. Maybe this time I was ready to listen.

My return to reading had less to do with enjoying books and more to do with getting my shit together. Circumstances aside, my one true soulmate has always been books. I outlined my grand plan for Bookstagram and reviews on Goodreads while registering my SLPL accounts. Nowhere in my plan did I specify enjoying it. As I'm sure you can tell, I never made it past the outline and brainstorm and managed to wrap up whatever had been lingering from JeffCo but failed to execute the new plan. I did post a few sporadic 'Grams. Still not ready to actually begin drafting (let alone publishing) my own content, I took this new creative passion to the back burner and returned for inspiration in books.

With the floodgates now wide open, I decided to go further. I'd finished my stack from "Pan's Labyrinth" to "The Essential Anthony Bourdain" and it was time to refill. I returned Julie Andrews and Greta Garbo along with Kiki's finished books and during week three we found SLPD's Central Library (or the "big library". I'm not clever and witty all the time, you know). This time I was prepared and took my shopping cart. Gathering a few comfort reads (Cassandra Clare. New Book. Not my fault.) led to "The School of Good and Evil". Shameless brag: by the time you read this I may or may not have met Soman Chainani. Day and night my world expanded again. I continued to read my Kindle exclusives and download my Amazon First Reads because one doesn't turn away from free books. Yet my heart has been in the turning of real pages.

I'm not sure how many weeks in we are now but I know I still haven't been to every section. From classics to science, a media center and kids wing with climbing chairs, I was mostly blown away by my ease and comfort inside. I never felt that way when visiting the Arnold Library in Jeffco. I was happy to collect any holds and leave. Eventually we stopped going altogether Now I'm becoming a local "Belle"

"I've come to return the book I borrowed! Got anything new?"

"Not since yesterday, Belle!"

I'm sure at some point I will unpack the psychology behind my stasis and frenetic return to reading. But for today, I'm going to enjoy another book.

#bookish #books & libraries #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #booksarelife #reading #long reads #read in 2022 #library #librarylife #public libraries #st louis #slpl #st louis libraries

4 notes · View notes

mediaevalmusereads · 4 months

Text

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. By Heather Fawcett. Del Rey, 2023.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: fantasy

Series: Emily Wilde Series #1

Summary: Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: violence, blood

OVERVIEW: I first heard about this book while watching YouTuber withcindy wrap up her best books of 2023. I'm usually very picky about my fantasy novels about faeries, but the high praise got me interested. To my surprise, I ended up devouring this book in a single day. It was quick, fun, and well-written, and despite any minor criticisms I have, it was a solid start to a new series. Thus, it gets 4 stars from me.

WRITING: Fawcett's prose is fairly simple and straightforward, which allows the reader to move through the story quickly. It's not so bare that it's inelegant- there are a lot of subtle ways that Fawcett creates mood and tension - but it's also not overly laden with description and complex sentence structure.

Perhaps the aspect I appreciated most was that Fawcett made different narrarive voices feel distinct. Most of the story is told from Emily's perspective, which is more formal, academic. Occasionally some emotion will shine through, which shows how Emily is developing as a character. A few times, Wendell takes over to fill in some gaps, and his voice feels a lot different - playful, borderline insincere. And there are times when Emily inserts a folktale about the fae, which has that tone one would expect of fairy tales. It really showcased Fawcett's ability to move between registers and perspectives.

PLOT: The plot of this book follows Emily Wilde, an adjunct professor from Cambridge who travels to the Nordic village of Hrafnsvik to conduct research on the Hidden Ones - faeries. In Emily's world, faeries are the subject of academic study and are cataloged by type. Emily hopes to be the first person to compile a comprehensive encyclopedia that will earn her a tenure position and more research money.

Her plans are interrupted, however, when her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, arrives and inserts himself into her expedition. As the two uncover more and more strange fae in Hrafnsvik, Emily realizes that the town as well as her companion are not what they seem.

I appreciated the pace of this narrative most of all, I think. Fawcett doesn't leave a lot of empty space, so every scene felt deliberate - advancing either the plot as a whole or revealing something about character. As a result, I felt like the story was constantly building towards something, which encouraged me to read on.

I also had a lot of fun with the more whimsical aspects of the worldbuilding. I loved Emily's relationship with Poe, the brownie, and I thought the descriptions of the fae were inventive and magical. There were some aspects that were hand-waved away (like why Wendell's stepmother acted the way she did), but overall, I had fun.

The only part of the plot that I didn't so much enjoy was all the business with the faerie king. At first I was intrigued because Emily seemed to have been enchanted, and her rationale for freeing the king seemed good. However, the faerie king ended up being one of those fae that I just personally don't enjoy - fae that act mostly human and maintain a court that for all intents and purposes is like a human court, just with magic. As soon as we reach the court, the enthusiasm I had for the action came to a halt, and personally, I found the resolution to be somewhat underwhelming. I was hoping Emily would rely a bit more on her expertise to find a clever way out, and while I appreciate the bonding that happened between her and the village people in this instance, I was also left feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

TL;DR: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a lovely exploration of fae folklore and what it means to be part of a community. While I was ultimately dissatisfied with the arc concerning the faerie king, the lore, characters, and relationship between the two protagonists was enjoyable, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

CHARACTERS: Emily, our protagonist, is interesting in that she's clearly an expert in her field yet struggles to make friends and connect with people on a human level. She's very honest about her low level of empathy, which seems to trouble her at times. However, a large part of her arc in this book is learning to recognize that it's what you do that matters, not the why, and that she can connect with people with just a little trust.

Wendell, Emily's rival, is fun and flamboyant, and I loved watching him and Emily bicker. Their exchanges were fun and I liked seeing them get under each other's skin. He was also a nice counterbalance to Emily's personality, and I liked how the two came to rely on one each other and eventually form a team. Personally, I would have liked to see Wendell's identity confirmed later so that Emily (and the reader) would be guessing longer, and I do wish their eventual relationship was developed more slowly. This is, after all, only a first book in a series, so there's room to show how their relationship changes; but I also don't know what Fawcett has in store, so perhaps that criticism is unfair.

The people of Hrafnsvik were lovely and I adored their warmth once they and Emily sorted out their discomfort. I also loved that Hrafnsvik wasn't bound by historical prejudices; this book takes place in 1909, but women hold all kinds of powerful positions and queer relationships are accepted. It was nice to inhabit such a world, and a nice bit of escapism from the usual sadness that plagues historical fiction.

1 note · View note

1kook · 4 years

Text

imax & climax

summary; The occasional dark horse candidate among Barbie movie binges— Jungkook gets weirdly horny and fucks you to the tune of a classic Barbie movie soundtrack. warnings; fingering, blowjobs, tit play, praise kink, standing sex, unprotected sex, reverse cowgirl kinda idk lol, daddy kink that morphs into i love u kink tags; jk is an avid history channel viewer, jk hates Barbie movies ik we took an L today girls 😔, jk goes thru like 4 personality changes (commanding > soft > mean > in love), honestly idk what to tag it’s a mess, he’s still cheesy and romantic but also 👀 just read word count; 9.8k

notes; there is no rest for the wicked, aka miss 1kook writes another part for this fic i swore wasn't gonna be a series except this time we ditch the gentlemen persona and go into maximum overdrive. its not proofread bc i wrote this entire thing at 4 am last night after inhaled a whole bucket of spicy popcorn

[ part 1 ; netflix & chill ] [ part 2 ; hulu & wohoo ]

Jungkook sees it on display during your weekly Target trip. You know he won’t say anything because despite how long you’ve dated he still likes to pretend he’s the epitome of adult maturity. Yet the way his eyes linger over the electronics section, cart rolling to a stop in front of the massive screen, tells you all you need to know.

“Baby, the toilet paper is this way,” you sing, giving the front of the cart a gentle tug that pulls it and his thoughts away from the television that seems to hold reign over his interest.

“Ah,” he mumbles as he shakes himself out of whatever trance he was in. “Right.”

The Target trip ends rather uneventfully; you grab all the items you came for and make the executive decision of swapping Jungkook’s tangerine bathroom soap with strawberry instead. Normally he’d put up a good fight, argue about the comfort that came with consistency, but today he says nothing. You chalk it up to that flatscreen that hypnotized him earlier.

“You wanted it,” you announce rather pointedly in the car. He’s backing out of the parking space now, one hand on the wheel the other pressed to the side of your seat. His jaw twitches as he tries to maneuver around a stray shopping cart someone didn’t return to the retrieval area. He’s wearing that dark jumper you like, with the high collar that covers all of last night’s bruises up wonderfully.

Jungkook scoffs as he finally gets the two of you back onto the main road, Target and the flat screen left behind. “I didn’t,” he defends. “Just thought it was neat.”

You snort. “Neat. Okay, grandpa, did it tickle your pickle?” you tease, obnoxiously leaning over the center console to get all in his face. Jungkook greets your proximity with a palm against your forehead.

“Please don’t ever say that again,” he laughs, pulling to a stop at the next red light. He turns to level you with an easygoing grin, sparkly anime girl eyes extra shiny under the red glow. “Only want you to tickle my pickle.”

You gag. “That’s actually disgusting.”

——

You graduate on a Saturday and your dorm stay expires on the Tuesday that follows. You spend the entire day shoving all your belongings into a variety of trash bags, from your weighted blanket to the collection candles you and Doyeon swore to light every night and never did. Speaking of Doyeon, she cries through the entire process. From the moment you take down the first wall decoration she’s in tears, and not even her mom, who’s come to help out, can quell her emotions. The girl cries and cries. She cries throughout the clean up, like she hadn’t spent the week before cursing the funky aircon system to hell and back. It’s probably the nostalgia that comes with leaving college, you assume. When Jungkook picks you up around noon, even your eyes are glassy.

Jungkook’s mom, who you only just met a few months ago, is over at his place when you arrive. You get along fairly well, in fact, you would even go as far as to claim you got along really well. You had first met her over this past spring break when Jungkook invited you along to his family trip to some tropical island. The Jeons were lovely people. In fact, had Jungkook not explicitly introduced them as his parents, you would’ve thought they were some sitcom actors carrying out the role of most in love, sophisticated lovers to ever exist. Yeah, they were super into each other, and you suppose it’s why Jungkook is the way he is, loves as hard as he does. The only thing that broke their attention away from each other was the sight of their precious Jungkookie bringing you to a family event.

It was hard to keep them entertained. Every second was spent worrying about your appearance, your demeanor, whether or not you looked like a devil beside their (your) angelic boy. It certainly didn’t help that Jungkook was wearing that obnoxiously floral shirt at the restaurant you went to, the first three buttons undone almost lazily. It was a look your boyfriend rarely showed, always so meticulously dressed. Of course, he had that cute boyish style of his that consisted almost exclusively of baggy pants and designer tee’s a little too plain to cost as much as they did. But even those outfits had a specific Jungkook rhythm to them— the darker tones always went with the pants that had twelve buckles on them; the long sleeves always went with the jeans. He was awfully particular about those kinds of self-set rules, and this jarring floral print did not fit any of them. It was too provocative, the black skinny jeans he’d paired with it too devious.

Maybe he knew what he was doing to you dressed so hot like this, but knowing Jungkook, you doubt he did. His parents hadn’t batted a single lash his way, eyes laser focused on your every word as you stumbled through three plates and dessert. It was a battle you fought alone, and one you barely survived.

So despite you impressing his parents, she still gives you an odd look when you enter Jungkook’s swanky townhouse with all your garbage bags of items. You promise her it’s just for the weekend, until your parents clean out your old room that they’ve filled to the brim with holiday decorations and miscellaneous objects. You’re not trying to take her baby chick out of the nest. (Yet.)

You watch TV for a couple hours, mostly her favorite soap operas on his 67 in. screen. It takes up a huge spot on the wall where it’s mounted, glossy black screen glaring back at you. Even his mom scolds him for such a huge screen, and you wonder how she’d feel about the absolute giant he ogled at the Target last week. Super angry, you think, and the image of her raging in flames while Jungkook apologizes like the momma’s boy he is makes you giggle.

She leaves a little after sunset, kissing and hugging the both of you on the doorstep like she’s going off to war and will never return. She’ll be back by the weekend, desperate to check on her baby boy, but you let her have her moment. It’s weird seeing how dramatic the Jeons are compared to how reserved Jungkook is.

You pounce on him the second she’s gone. He goes down with a muffled yelp against the sofa, hands grasping at your waist until you straddle him and begin going to town. Your fun lasts all of two minutes before the old lady novella Jungkook’s mom had been watching cuts to commercials and a loud advertisement for irritable bowel syndrome medication begins playing.

“Oh, that is so not sexy,” you whine childishly, trying to roll your hips over him again. Jungkook laughs, all low and sweet as he sits back up again.

“Give it a rest,” he says, shifting you until he’s got you hugged between those stupidly strong arms of his. His pecs feel strong and comforting beneath your cheek, and the feeling makes your tiny pouting session end earlier than usual. “Come on,” he mumbles as he manhandles you around, until your back is pressed against his chest and you’re sitting between his legs. “Let’s watch this film on Mesopotamian folklore and its overall significance to the nations it birthed after its downfall.”

——

You rarely use the key Jungkook gifted you a few months back. The majority of your visits to Jungkook’s house were either the result of Jungkook picking you up from somewhere and bringing you back, or Jungkook inviting you over after dinner. In short, he was always with you when you arrived at his stoop.

Today you’re alone, juggling two boxes of takeout and some cheap wine in one hand as you fight to unlock his door. He hadn’t answered his phone, which leads you to believe he’s holed himself up again in that damn study. He likes to do that sometimes, lock himself away like some modern day Rapunzel until he finishes whatever project he has this time around. When he gets like this, it’s like all other body functions are forgotten, his brain zeroed in on the lines of code you barely understand.

Just as you suspect, the house is too dark when you finally break in. The hall light is off, which isn’t out of the norm, but so are the kitchen and living room lights. You pad down the hall, flicking on the light to the living room to set down your offerings onto the edge of the coffee table. There’s a scrambled pile of notes on top that seem too disorderly to disregard. You whirl around, making to head back out into the hall and down to the study, when you see it.

A good 90 inches mounted on his wall. It’s a monstrosity of a screen, devouring nearly the entire surface of the wall, from stainless end to stainless end. It’s ridiculously thin in the way all modern TVs are, but this one is even more so given the fact you hadn’t registered it in your peripheral when you walked in. It’s just barely short of a Jumbotron, the kind they have at baseball games to make sure you can see every nose hair on the pitcher.

His mom was going to kill him.

“Jungkook?” you call out slowly, inching back out into the hall with your gaze glued to the screen. Like maybe you’ve imagined this all and that isn’t the stupidly gigantic television screen Jungkook had gawked at just a few weeks ago.

There’s a soft hum down the hall, the sound slipping beneath the bottom gap in the door frame. You make a beeline for the room, oddly unsettled with the huge screen. The door gives way, exposing your boyfriend’s hunched back and the blue light from his monitors that highlights his frame. “Hi, sweetie,” you begin, inching over to him.

“Hi,” he sighs, leaning back into your touch when you step behind him. His dark eyes are weary from staring at his tablet for too long, his usual tender expression melted into one of mild irritation. “Can’t figure this out,” he says, tapping his stylus against one line of absolute nerd gibberish you don’t bother trying to decipher. Maybe another day you would have entertained him, but today you cherish this moment with him knowing it might be his last before his mom comes over and kills him.

“Sounds like break time to me!” Your proclamation makes him frown, a frustrated groan pulling itself from his lips. His head droops forward again, chin touching his chest. But there’s a hint of relief in his groan that tells you all you need to know. “Baby needs a break,” you smile, pressing a peck against the back of his head.

“You’re baby,” he tries to fight, but his limbs are so pliant under your touch that it practically means nothing. “I’m the head honcho around here.”

“Uh huh,” you appease him, finally managing to tug all that muscled body out of his seat. “And apparently that means making dumb purchases.”

“What dumb purchases? Are you talking about the cactus again?” he asks, letting you guide him back down the hall.

“Yes, Kook, the cactus you haven’t watered in three months,” you drawl sarcastically, the sad plant sitting in the kitchen a reminder of both your incompetence. “Namjoon would hate you for that.”

Not amused by the insinuation of his favorite senpai being disappointed in him, Jungkook goes to fight you on that. By then you’ve stopped at the entrance of the living room, glaring at the straight up theater screen that sits on the wall. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” you mimic, flopping down on the ground beside the coffee table. Jungkook doesn’t follow, choosing to sprawl himself over the couch instead. “What’s with the Jumbotron?”

He stretches his arms out, moaning something sinful at the way his bones pop. “It adds to the experience,” he says. “Movies are more enjoyable when the pictures are bigger; a tall aspect ratio and stadium seating really add to the experience.” He was such a nerd.

You snort. “The experience— Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t know I was speaking to Mr. IMAX here.”

His cheeks flush a soft pink at your jab. “Don’t be mean,” he mumbles, tugging on your arm as he sits back up. You find your way onto his lap, neatly seated over one thigh like he’s the Santa Claus at the mall; not a single gray hair in sight but you’d still let him call you his hoe, hoe, hoe. Realizing there’s more important matters to attend to than Jungkook’s Christmas ham, you shake those images away.

“Good thing I brought a movie,” you beam, gesturing to the pretty pink case resting over top the takeout bag.

Jungkook doesn’t even spare it a single glance as he burrows into your neck. “What? No, we’re finishing the docuseries on—“

You groan loudly to muffle the rest of his sentence. “Kook, I don’t wanna watch another episode on Stonehenge being done by aliens,” you whine, picking up the movie case to brandish in his face.

It’s admittedly the wrong move when Jungkook’s eyes roll themselves into another dimension. “Absolutely not,” he says. The case is quickly discarded off to the side as he attempts to distract you with a kiss against your cheek.

Too bad you’re evil and determined. “No! We are watching the Princess and the Pauper and that’s final,” you exclaim, scrambling for the movie before he can hurl it out the window. He catches you by the waist, your fingers just an inch away from the pink case. “Babe!” you cry, but his fingerprints are bruising their way into your skin.

“No more Barbie movies,” he begs, yanking you back onto his lap. He does so with so much force that it makes the two of you tumble to the side, your head bouncing on the cushions as he catches himself over you. “Please.”

“I hate you,” you fuss, pointedly ignoring the tiny mole beneath his lip that drove you crazy. “We’ve seen every single thing on the History Channel this week, but we can’t watch one Barbie movie?”

Jungkook sighs, dropping his head down against your shoulder. He smells good and feels even better over you, but you’re not going to stop until the Princess and the Pauper is breaking in the new Jumbotron. “It’s weird,” he huffs, voice muffled against the fabric of your shirt. “Especially when we start getting… experimental, and I have to listen to Barbie sing in the background.”

“First of all, her name is Annaleise in this movie,” you correct, squirming beneath him to no avail. “Secondly, how do you think I feel when you’re eating me out while some old British dude narrates the creation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?”

Jungkook scoffs, finally letting himself snuggle completely into you. “You don’t even realize it because you’re screaming the whole way through.” That earns him a sharp tug at his ear that has him sputtering apology after apology.

“It’s boring!” you feel the need to emphasize.

Jungkook sits up with an uppity look on his face. “It’s not my fault you don’t appreciate the cinematography that comes from educational pieces,” he points out, rather presumptuously.

You shove him off of you. “I don’t care about cinnamon topography, just play the damn Barbie movie,” you hiss, swiping the movie case from the other end of the couch and pressing it to his chest. If words could hurt, yours definitely do. Jungkook crumbles against the couch, childishly stomping one sock-clad foot against the ground as you gesture toward the movie player.

He doesn’t move, and you’re about to begin another tirade against his snobby movie critiquing habits when he procures a sleek, tiny remote that you would honestly mistake for an iPhone from a distance. It has, no joke, about seven buttons max, four of which are just the up and down, left and right arrows. You let out a low whistle at that. Wow. Technology sure was advancing.

The TV turns on to some minimalistic home page, tiny widgets showing every app it has; the bottom row is dedicated almost entirely to Jungkook’s massive streaming service provider collection. After a moment of brewing in his feels, Jungkook quietly announces, “it’s on Amazon Prime.” This is news to you, being able to watch a Barbie film on a streaming service and not the old disk you scratched when you were ten. Something distinctly carnal flashes in your chest when Jungkook clicks through all the payment options without a care in the world. Oh, that was definitely going into your horny 3 am dreams.

Despite his earlier protests, you know Jungkook will soon fall into his usual movie watching habits. He settles into the couch beside you. You cuddle up next to him, enveloping him with the grip of a killer octopus choking out its prey, except Jungkook is usually the one doing the choking in this relationship. Still, it’s not close enough, and you throw your legs over his thigh. You’re practically sitting on him at this point.

You have no doubt the speakers on this thing are average; it was too thin to really pack any punch. However, that was the TV sans the Bluetooth speakers Jungkook has installed all around his house.

(You swear when the android uprising finally begins, your boyfriend will be the first one out.)

The speakers really amplify the sound. The opening sequence has your bones rattling inside your body, the loud music of the selection screen reverberating through the entire living room. It reminds you of that pounding COMING SOON clip that used to play at the beginning of DVD’s back in the day. Jungkook scrambles to lower the volume. “Sweetheart, you’re cutting off my circulation,” he wheezes afterwards.

“What? This is how we always watch movies,” you say with a frown.

“Yes, and I always end up with less oxygen than before.”

He doesn’t let you argue, which is good, because you could make a thirty five slide PowerPoint presentation on the advantages of watching movies like this. One, your boyfriend was warm. Two, your boyfriend smelt good. Three, your boyfriend’s ripped body awoke some ancient being inside of you that would not rest until his cock was halfway down your thro—

He hauls you into his lap. The angle forces you to let him go, instead met with the jarring nothingness of having his hot body ripped away. Meanwhile he gets to wrap you up in his arms, hold you like a teddy bear to his chest. “I hate this,” you huff, but the movie is already starting, the beautiful blonde Anneliese appearing on screen. You lean back against his chest, pout still evident. “This is ridiculous,” you snort, her face blown up on this jumbo screen.

“Shut up,” he says, settling in behind you. “Movie’s starting.”

Most Barbie movies you watch end up in one of two ways: either Jungkook falls asleep twenty minutes in or he stays up until the end to critique every aspect of it. With the way he’d gone soft from your early battle, you’re guessing he was going to knock out before the Princess can even meet the Pauper.

As much as you hate to admit it, the huge screen does incite quite a thrill in you. There’s something so nostalgic about watching one of your favorite childhood movies on a screen this huge. The size showcases the sheer perfection that is every single Barbie movie. You lose yourself in the movie, singing along to the opening song and growing agitated when the antagonist appears.

Jungkook says nothing, and you’re half convinced he’s taken his first preferred route and snoozed off, when his fingers twitch around your waist.

There it was.

The occasional dark horse candidate among Barbie movie binges— Jungkook gets weirdly horny and fucks you to the tune of a classic Barbie movie soundtrack.

“Absolutely not,” you say, slapping a hand down over his before he can slip beneath the fabric of your shorts.

He lets out an indignant noise, a puff of air running along the side of your face. You ease his hands back over your stomach, taking extra care to knot your fingers with his. “We’re supposed to be breaking in your new screen,” you remind him, glancing up to catch his unimpressed expression.

He complains quietly, but he settles.

For all of twenty seconds.

“Oh my god,” you sigh, trying to act like the subtle rutting of his cock on your behind was a nuisance and not the luxury it is. “Babe, the jumbo screen… look at it.”

“Not even jumbo,” he murmurs against your ear, hot breath sending a shiver down your spine that has your toes curling. You fight to keep his hands still, but the muscles in his forearm tense, inked skin contracting as he slips them between your thighs. You suck in a sharp inhale, trying to maintain your immovable front. Jungkook sees the fortress you’ve built around yourself in the name of watching The Princess and the Pauper, and spares you no mercy with his attack. His hands massage the skin of your thighs, tiny shorts doing absolutely nothing to save you from him. “Jumbo didn’t fit.”

The back of your mind registers the fact he was apparently trying to get a TV even bigger than this. You tuck it away for later to snitch to his mom. For now, you’d very much appreciate it if he could make you cum before the two girls perform the iconic “I Am a Girl Like You” song.

His hands are so smooth, soft skin tracing over your body like you were nothing but a slab of clay ready to be molded under his touch. He abandons your thighs to creep them under your shirt, where he wastes no time tugging the cups of your bra down to fondle your breasts.

Belatedly, your stupid tongue remembers to move. “I know something jumbo that fits,” you babble, rolling your head back against his shoulder. Jungkook laughs at the utter stupidity of your sentence, and the aforementioned jumbo thing fattens against your ass, before brushing his lips against yours. The airy laughter, one of your favorite sounds in the world, is swallowed up by your greedy mouth. “Can fit in two places, actually,” you murmur when he pulls away. His fingers massage the doughy skin of your boobs causing your back to arch slightly. “Wherever he wants it to.”

“Really,” Jungkook teases, obviously entertained by your silly dirty talk. He’s grown used to your outlandish remarks in the past few months of your relationship.

You like to believe Jungkook has fully accepted your occasional bouts of weirdness. He’s had the last few months to grow familiar with the inner workings of your mind, and even absorbed some of it into his own personality. Which is why he doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by you referring to his cock as jumbo, when there were admittedly more fitting words to describe it as.

(Thick, juicy, angry, demon cock, if he really wanted to know.)

“Where do you think it should go?” he asks, the low hum of his voice snapping you out or your thoughts. There was no need to daydream about a cock that was right in front of you. His hands slow their gentle caress over you, fingers closing in on your nipples.

A sharp hiss pulls itself from your throat, chest arching as he tugs and toys with your hardened nipples. “Wh-Wherever,” you pant, reaching your own hands down back between your thighs. The phantom of his palms linger, making your hands feel sorely inadequate. “Wherever Daddy wants,” you purr, swallowing harshly when he twists a nipple.

Jungkook groans, resting his forehead against your shoulder. “Don’t,” he sighs, hands faltering over your breasts. Eventually they drift away, settling around your waist as you slip your fingers under the front of your bottoms.

“Why?” you laugh, pointer finger brushing along your clit. “Don’t like it when I call you that, Daddy?”

He lifts his head to watch you play with yourself. His hands grow tight around your waist, labored breath filling the air to harmonize with your breathy moans. You’re absolutely soaking your panties, sticky arousal making the fabric stick to your folds. “You know I do,” he murmurs, watching the outline of your knuckles through the fabric of your shorts. “Thought you wanted to play nice today.” He takes in a sharp inhale when you ease your finger into yourself, a breathy moan escaping from your lips.

You were already so wet, and you’re really not surprised this is how the two of you would break in his new IMAX, high definition flatscreen. Your pussy tightens around your finger, thigh muscles jumping at the intrusion. Fuck, you needed him so bad.

You smirk, drawing your hands out from their hiding spot. The television is the only thing lighting the room, the two of you shrouded in relative darkness. At first, your hand is shadowed by the glow of the screen, nothing more than an outline. But when you turn it just right, the light catches, highlighting the glistening skin of your fingers. It makes Jungkook shudder.

Ever so slowly, you bring your fingers up to his face. The tip of your middle finger runs teasingly against his plump lower lip, his shaky exhales sending a cool breath over your knuckles. “Open, Daddy,” you encourage, watching with rapt attention as he envelopes your fingers between his lips. He sucks, tongue dancing between each digit to slurp off your juices. “Do I taste good? Do you like it?”

You know he loves it, but it never hurts to ask.

Between the two of you, you each had your own share of distinctive interests when it came to sex. Kinks, if you will. You adored the softer, vanilla aspects of sex— the languid makeouts, the slow rutting against his thigh, the whispered praise, the cute pet names. Meanwhile, despite his initially reserved exterior, Jungkook preferred the other end of the spectrum. (You should’ve known from the get go!) He loved it fast and hard, so hard it would make you cry. He liked watching you squirm and beg for his cock while he pushed you to new heights. He liked the sticky, sweaty sex that left you feeling like a used rag beneath him, something you would have never expected given his neat and kind nature.

However, as with all things Jungkook, you always came first. Jungkook’s dream sex style was often pushed to the side in favor of pleasuring you. So quick and rough sex was more of a rare, once in a blue moon, type of luxury. Up until recently, sex had been mostly what you wanted. Either way you did things, Jungkook was fine as long as he got to hold you close.

It was only a few weeks ago that you discovered your shared daddy kink, him obsessed with the idea of shoving you around, something he would otherwise never do. You, on the other hand, found a pleasant satisfaction from being good for him, a stark contrast from your usual sharp tongue and nonexistent filter.

You pull your fingers from his mouth, the sleek drip of your arousal replaced with his saliva. Jungkook grunts as he hauls you further onto his lap, swollen cock nudging itself between your cheeks. “You know I love it, baby,” he growls against your ear. His hot breath fans over your skin, sending shivers down your spine. “Have you had your fun now?” he asks, tracing the pads of his fingers around your nipple teasingly.

“Mhm,” you moan. Jungkook’s hands decide they’re done toying with your tits, drifting back down to their original target between your shorts. “Want Daddy to fuck me now.”

He places a kiss against the side of your neck, right over the vein that runs beneath the skin. Jungkook kisses and nips down your skin, until his hair is tickling your collarbones as he sucks a hickey against the juncture between your neck and shoulder. “Is that the right way to ask for something?” he purrs, rubbing your cunt over your shorts.

It’s nowhere near as fulfilling as it would be without the garments. Nonetheless, it makes you ache for him, thighs quivering at the simple touch like you’re a bumbling virgin being touched for the first time. You’re nowhere near that, but every time with Jungkook was exhilarating enough to the point it felt like it was.

“Pretty please,” you pant, covering his hand with yours.

Jungkook rewards you with a fluttery kiss against your shoulder. “Good girl,” he hums. He finally gives you what you want, bypassing the fabric of your shorts and panties to dip his fingers between your folds. You gasp, hips jumping at the sudden brush of his hands along your quivering folds.

“Inside please,” you whimper, knees moving back and forth, only stopping when he helps you out of your bottoms. He places his free hand on one of them, stilling your writhing to fully focus on pleasing the burning fire inside of you. “Jungkook—“

A slap against your cunt that makes you squeal. “Ah ah,” he warns, voice a low tenor against your skin. If you focus hard enough, you can feel the faint brush of a smirk against your neck. “We’re playing a different game right now, pretty girl.”

On screen, your favorite childhood movie is bearing witness to the sinful acts at your boyfriend’s hands. It shouldn’t be surprising how easily you fall into his arms, onto his lap, especially with your history of movie watching with Jungkook.

From your very first date you were enamored with him; the dip of his Cupid’s bow, so innocent and cute, embodied every single aspect of his personality. He was the sweetest, softest boy, one your brain could never conjure in a thousand years. Jungkook’s level of care was hard to come by nowadays; he was a gentleman through and through.

These days he was growing out of that mature persona, and you like to think it’s thanks to you. Your wildness rubbed off on him, made him confident enough to geek out in public, or be adventurous in private. It helped nourish his impulsivity, which led to things like the Super Bowl Jumbotron watching you fuck now.

Despite knowing all this, knowing the way he is, the slow grind against your ass sends a thrill of arousal up your limbs, sensations converging just beneath your mound. “Yes, Daddy,” you mewl accordingly.

Pleased with your obedience, he rewards you by circling your throbbing clit with his thumb. It’s a terribly slow motion, pad of his finger easing over your engorged bud every other second. You wanted more, needed more. You squirm beneath him, attempting to push your clit against his palm. Your efforts are in vain when he clamps a hand down on your waist. “Sit still,” he growls.

You whimper. “Need more,” you rasp out. Your whole body is acting out now, shifting and turning as you try to wiggle closer. Your mouth brushes against his jawline. The sharp angle is the first thing your muddled thoughts focus on, lips hungrily latching onto his porcelain skin to suck a purple blossom onto it.

Any other day Jungkook would bask in the attention, let you bruise his skin up until he was violet from love.

Today... well.

You were playing a different game.

The hand that had been exploring your nether regions suddenly snaps up, catching your chin between his fingers. The wetness that has coated his digits smears messily across your skin, and you whimper when he squishes your cheeks beneath his fingers.

“No ‘please’?” he huffs, turning your head to meet his eyes.

Dark chocolate eyes you’ve come to associate with love and adoration stare back at you unimpressed. His pronounced brow bone twitches, like he’s holding the true intensity of his glare back for your own sake. He slots his mouth against yours with no warning, tongue pushing its way past your lips. It’s messy, his tongue licking into your mouth like you’re nothing but a lollipop for him to suck on. It pulls a surprised moan from your lips that he swallows quickly enough, biting down on your lower lip harshly. When he pulls away, he’s got that same bored look on his face. You feel small under such a cold look, shoulders scrunching up damn near your ears in a subtle attempt to hide from him.

The action makes Jungkook scoff as he leans away from you. He leaves you on his lap alone, like a tiny island desperate to join the main land. You shuffle around in a hurry, looping your arms around his neck in a last ditch effort to calm him down. It does nothing for Jungkook, who only prods his tongue along his cheek as he regards you with a calculating gaze.

After a moment, he finally says, “on your knees.”

Your heart falls out of your chest. “Huh?” you whisper hoarsely, wide eyes taking in his unimpressed expression. “Knees? But Daddy,” you whine, lower lip quivering as you glance down at the hardwood floor.

Anywhere else you wouldn’t have minded. In fact, anywhere else you would’ve been on the floor before the sentence even left his mouth. You loved sucking his dick almost as much as he loved eating you out. However your knees were embarrassingly frail against hard flooring, which is why most blowjobs had been administered in the comfort of his bed or the couch. Sometimes on carpeted surfaces, but Jungkook never pushed when he knew you would be aching the whole time.

Which is why his current demand has you standing stiff. “O-On the floor?” you murmur.

The stark truth was that Jungkook had you terribly spoiled. His constant pampering had convinced you you were invincible. His love was practically handed to you on a silver plate, cloth napkin folded like a crane beside it. He had never made you do something you didn’t like, and he had never put you in an uncomfortable position, mentally or physically.

Until now.

Jungkook gestures for the ground with a curt nod. “Is there a problem?” he inquires.

You look back again, eye the dark wood planks beneath you, glossed over enough to make them shine even in this weak light. “No,” you belatedly respond, slowly pushing yourself off his lap and onto your feet. Your big shirt falls back down, covers the tops of your thighs as you stand nude from the waist down. You’re tempted to just yank it down even more, hide beneath the cloth so he doesn’t have to see you whine and bitch about your knees aching.

Jungkook was so cool. He was so suave and composed. He was the opposite of you, which is why the two of you meshed so well together. You’ve thought about it about ten times tonight, but it was true. Despite all that, there were times his mature exterior made you feel small— small and silly. Like now, with him sitting against the sofa, dark eyes tracing up your legs in amusement.

You sink to the ground, very pointedly avoiding his gaze. The wooden slats are cold and hard beneath your knees, your kneecap immediately screaming in discomfort. Jungkook leans forward with his elbows on his knees, messy curls covering half of his face. “You know,” he hums, reaching out to trail his knuckles across your cheekbone. “I kinda like having you like this,” he admits, “below me like the good little girl you are.”

Your breath stutters as it leaves your lungs, fidgeting hands tugging at the front hem of your shirt in a feeble attempt to cover yourself up. Jungkook smirks at the movement, eventually retracting his hand to give you one, condescending pat on the head.

A hearty sigh escapes his lips as he settles back onto the couch cushions. “Keep me entertained, will you?” You gawk, but you know it’s not a question. He reaches over for the remote to turn the volume up on the Barbie movie.

Your favorite song on the entire soundtrack is playing, almost mocking you as you shuffle closer to him. Two hands tentatively placed on his thighs as the two animated maidens flounce around the screen. He doesn’t bat a single lash your way, eyes focused on the huge screen behind you instead.

His sweatpants give away easily, elastic band snapping away from hips. You have to fight that and his boxers down, Jungkook sitting like an immovable boulder in front of you. You barely manage to free his cock— the same jumbo cock you had referred to earlier —and it almost slaps you across the face from the force of its recoil. Your breath catches in your throat, a short-lived squeal as you flinch at the movement.

The sound causes him to look your way, over the bridge of his nose. “Do you mind?” he says scornfully. “I’m trying to watch a movie.”

“S-Sorry,” you stammer, quickly grasping his cock between your fist.

But apparently you’re doing everything wrong tonight. Jungkook hisses. “Shit— would it kill you to lick it first? Like you’re trying to start a damn fire on my cock,” he mumbles, head lolling back to watch the screen again.

You move in slower this time, careful to lick your palm before trying to grab him. When you do, it’s even more delayed, fingers hesitantly tightening around his swollen member. You’re trying to gauge his reaction, worried eyes flickering up to him every few seconds. Jungkook doesn’t object, craning his neck to the side to crack a joint there. With his clearance you carry on.

The strokes are slow at first, hand barely reaching over his tip like he likes. You’re weirdly anxious you’ll mess up for him, make him look at you with contempt. You suppose it’s because of the game you’re playing that you’re on edge. Usually, Jungkook adheres to your rules, soft as they may be, and he never pushes where you don’t want. Tonight, it’s like you’re a show dog desperate to impress her owner. In short, you were his bitch.

You loved it.

As much as you wanted to be good for him, the mere thought of your normally sweet-hearted boyfriend glaring down at you does something to you, makes your pussy clench.

It’ll haunt you for weeks. The image of such unimpressed eyes leveled your way because you couldn’t handle his dick will stain the insides of your eyelids. Even though he’ll brush it off, kiss you and tell you it’s fine, the inner conceited hoe in you will never let it go, will recall the memory every time your hand is under your panties.

Still, you’re terribly desperate to impress him. He was your other half, your lover, your sweetheart, your goddamn king; he deserved only the best— not some half-assed, scaredy-cat blowjob that would leave him reeling back afterwards.

With that belief and a sticky blob of spit later, you’re pushing him into your throat. It’s the first reaction you get since he’d started feeling you up, a deep, raspy groan straight from the pits of hell, that has you working even harder to swallow his cock down. “That’s it,” he pants, carding his fingers through your hair. “Good girl.”

You positively mewl under the praise, tongue growing heavy in your mouth as you swallow more and more of him down. The hard tip of his cock pulses inside, rubbing against your palate and then your throat. A gag catches in your throat, one you quickly subdue by shifting your hips.

Fuck, he was so big. Just the feeling of his cock brashly rubbing against the corners of your lips has you fantasizing about how he’ll undoubtedly stretch your pussy apart later. You moan, letting your eyes flutter shut as you try to wave those images away.

When his cock hits the back of your throat, you’re ten chapters deep into an erotic novel all about sucking Jungkook‘s dick. If your eyes weren’t already shut you’re certain they’d be at the back of your head anyway. It twitches against your tongue, one thick bead of precum sliding down your throat.

It seems to be the final straw for Jungkook, who clamps a hand down on the back of your head, forcefully pulling you away only to shove you down again. With his grip in your hair, he really goes to town. You whimper at his brutal movements, his cock nudging the back of your throat with every harsh tug of your hair. The slippery, wet glide of his cock against your mouth fills the room with a lewd squelching that drowns out the movie.

Your pussy quivers with each new intrusion, thighs pressing together as if that will quell the searing ache between them. It doesn’t, and when Jungkook finally bursts in your mouth, creamy cum splattering against your tongue and lips, it only grows.

“Fuck,” he growls, pushing you away as he sinks back into the cushions. His chest heaves beneath the material of his t-shirt, sweat dripping down from his hairline. Normally, you’d take this opportunity to crawl back onto his lap, lick and kiss away at his body while he recovered. But truthfully, you were both still new to this whole experience so there were still the occasional lulls between actions.

Sensing your uncertainty, Jungkook tugs you onto his lap. He presses one soft kiss against your cheek, eyes momentarily losing their hard edge to assure you everything is fine. You give him a tiny nod, as if assuring him you’re okay. He presses his mouth to yours, plush lips soothing over your raw lips. It’s brief, the kiss; he guides you through it but switches back quickly. He pulls away and bites down harshly on the side of your neck. “So perfect for me, pretty girl,” he murmurs, soothing his bite over with a swipe of his tongue.

You dissolve into a mushy puddle on his lap, muscles growing weak from his touch. Jungkook kisses down your neck, over your t-shirt clad chest, before he’s nudging you back down onto the cushions. With him looming over you, your body instinctively has you spreading your legs apart. His t-shirt comes up with one yank over his shoulders, sinewy muscles coming into view.

“Yum,” you whisper, hands reaching up to trail over his v-line. They’re quickly slapped away, a startled gasp pulled from your lips as Jungkook takes your wrists in his hands.

One shapely brow is raised in your direction. “Did I say you could touch?” he murmurs, pinning your hands above your head. A gasp catches in your throat from his close proximity. You subconsciously tilt your head up, try to brush your mouth against his, only to be denied with a subtle turn of his face. “How do you want it, pretty?” he asks, releasing the tight grip around your wrists.

Immediately, you latch around his broad shoulders, fingers tracing over the muscles of his arms until they meet at the base of his neck. “However you want,” you purr, pulling him closer until your bodies are aligned, the warm heat of his frame over yours. You kiss the spot beneath his ear once before he trails his lips down.

Jungkook mouths against your shoulder, lips tracing over the juncture where it meets your neck. “Hm,” he hums, taking a tiny sliver of skin between his teeth. “And if I said I wanted it hard?”

His proposal is followed by a slow roll of his hips against your throbbing core, the same dick you had just choked on gliding along your folds. You whimper, toes curling as the pleasure washes over you. Every ridge, ever vein of his hardened cock runs along your sensitive folds, reminding you of the aching flame inside of you. “Th-That’s fine,” you pant, leg lazily thrown over his hip. His hands trail over your waist, collecting your t-shirt as they move up your body until it’s pushed over the swell of your breasts.

When the material is finally discarded off to the side, leaving you in that flimsy bra Jungkook that snaps off, he strikes again. His tongue laps over your collarbone first, pouty lips ghosting over the skin as he makes his way to your breast. He takes one hardened peak into his mouth, drawing a shaky inhale from you. He rolls it between his teeth, tongue flicking the sensitive nub as you squirm beneath him.

Eventually he pulls away with a wet pop. Jungkook smirks, a soft puff of air fanning over your newly bruised skin. “Aren’t you the prettiest little thing.” He pushes away from you with one strong arm, looking down at you with an unreadable expression on his face. “Watch the movie,” he says.

You blink. “Huh?”

Before you know it, he’s tugging you back up onto your feet. He pushes you around, nearly sends you toppling over the coffee table as he positions you to his liking. “Kook!” you exclaim, palms slapping down against the glass tabletop in an effort to catch yourself. Just barely, your reflection glares back up at you.

A tap against your pussy startles you from the sight. “Wha—“

Two hands grab onto your biceps, tugging you up forcefully until your back arches, leaving you bent at a ninety degree angle before him. “Look, sweetheart,” he coos against your ear, voice deep enough that it vibrates through every bone in your body. Your breath stutters in your throat, exhilaration blossoming in your chest. “It’s your favorite movie.”

It is in fact your favorite movie, the same one you had fought tooth and nail just moments prior to watch. On screen, the two damsels are exploring new things in their lives, just how you were experiencing Jungkook’s true intensity for the first time. “It is,” you quietly confirm, back aching from the position.

Jungkook either doesn’t care about your depleting strength or really trusts in you not to faceplant onto his glass coffee table, palms sliding down to the crease of your elbows to hold you. “Tell me what it’s about,” he says

Just as the words leave his mouth, something hard and wet prods against your folds. “Oh,” you cry, fists tightening into balls as the feeling overwhelms you. “Jungkook, please.”

One elbow is let go, and the abrupt release has you scrambling to catch yourself, your glass reflection coming a little too close. This becomes even more difficult when a hand suddenly strikes down hard against your ass, a startled yelp escaping you. Just as quickly as you were released, Jungkook wastes no time snatching your back up, yanking you back until your cunt runs along his cock again.

“C’mon, pretty, thought you knew better,” he sighs playfully.

“I’m sorry,” you whimper, chest heaving with every slow roll of his hips. Your pussy was sopping, desperate to be filled with something. It was even worse knowing his dick was right there, just inches outside of where you need him most. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” you repeat.

Jungkook chuckles, and your heart backflips when he finally begins lining himself up. “It’s okay,” he assures you, in that same gentle tone he uses when you accidentally shove the wrong food down the sink disposal. “Baby’s still learning,” he says, pressing a chaste kiss against your shoulder as he begins pushing himself in. Just the head of his cock proves to be a struggle, swollen tip stretching your entrance wide. There’s an extra sting today from your half-hearted preparation, the both of you relying solely on your own arousal and excitement to let him in. It’s a nice kick.

When he finally pops past that initial tightness, you swear you could transcend into another dimension from the absolute feeling of euphoria that washes over you. “Fuck,” you mewl, fighting against his tight hold. Your efforts are in vain, ultimately choosing to drop your head down as the ecstasy continues to wash over you with each inch he offers you.

A warning squeeze around your wrist. “Language,” Jungkook reprimands, though his voice is strained and light.

You nod mindlessly, toes curling against the wooden floor. “It-It feels so good,” you whine. Your knees wobble dangerously beneath you, until you’re swaying just the slightest bit.

He gives until there’s nothing left, the soft hairs around his dick tickling your lips as he reaches the hilt. “There we go,” he grunts, giving you one final tug to make sure this is as far as he can go. You squeal, the brush against your walls making you ridiculously high. “That’s my girl.”

The praise has your stomach tightening, the pretty images flashing across the screen completely lost on you. You felt so full. The two of you rarely did it like this, without looking at each other straight on, but there was something about Jungkook’s looming figure being distorted by your brain’s memory, his touches wild and unpredictable, that made something inside of you twitch.

“Ohhh,” you whimper, muscles going slack for the briefest moment. The only thing that saves you from falling over is the killer grip on your forearms; when he tugs you up his cock runs along your pulsing walls. “Please, Daddy,” you beg, mouth feeling a thousand times heavier.

“The movie,” he repeats, slowly beginning to pull away from your clenching heat. You moan. “Tell me what it’s about,” he husks, punctuating his seemingly innocent statement with a harsh snap of his hips.

You wail, stumbling forward at the intensity. Still, it’s just a taste of what he has in store for you. He soon picks a pace, not too rushed or slow, as you struggle to keep your eyes open. “I-I don’t know,” you choke out, the images flashing across the gigantic screen practically unrecognizable to your muddled thoughts.

Behind you Jungkook tuts at your incompetence, thrusting forward with an intensity that would have sent you flying if not for the grip he has on you. “You don’t know?” he huffs, tugging your elbows back again as if to secure his grip on you.

His hips are moving fast now, every piston into your warm heat making you tremble. “Fffuck,” you gasp, eyes rolling to the back of your head as he continues ramming his cock into your pulsing hole. You’re met with a harsh yank that pulls you snugly onto his cock, your entire body screaming at the way he nudges against your cervix. Despite the pleasure it gives you, Jungkook seems anything but pleased.

“C’mon,” he huffs, twisting your arms painfully behind your back. “What did we say about that dirty mouth?” His question is followed with a snap of his hips that makes you choke on your spit. “Need you to be good for me, baby,” he groans.

“I-I am good,” you weakly defend, head hanging down limply as you fight to regain some semblance of your senses. But everything feels too much, from the rough push of his hips to the tight grip on your arms. His cock pulls out nearly all the way each time, swollen tip the only thing stopping him. Every thrust makes you quiver, every touch makes you melt.

You suppose he’d been too lenient on you up until now, and that final claim makes him snap. Jungkook scoffs, ramming his dick inside of you. “You’re being fucking terrible right now, doll,” he admits, hammering into you like a crazed man. You sob, the coil in your belly tightening with every brutal shove of his cock. It’s something about the way his composure withers away, all sweetness melting off as he thrusts into your cunt. “I’ve asked you twice now what the damn movie was about, and you didn’t answer either time.”

A hand clamps around your throat suddenly, yanking you up right until his breath fans across your ear. You’re not sure when your eyes had become so teary, but the images flickering across the screen are a foggy mess you couldn’t decipher even if you tried. “__,” he rasps against your ear, his voice scratchy. “Tell me. Now.”

You whimper as he shoves his way back inside, the angry head of his cock testing you. “T-Two girls, one’s a princess,” you cry, knees wobbling as the feeling in your core grows. “They look alike, and-and…”

“And?” Jungkook asks as you trail off, his words followed by a particularly brutal surge of his hips. His cock glides against your walls easily despite the way you clench around him.

“A-And they have problems they wanna avoid,” you stammer, the plot slipping in and out of your mind with every roll of his cock into your core. “So-so they swap places.”

Behind you, Jungkook snorts. “What a stupid fucking movie,” he says meanly, before he begins to piston his cock into you. You’re trembling by now, your orgasm looming over your head with each thrust.

Before you can warn him, the thin string holding you together snaps, the sudden flood of relief making your knees buck dangerously. Jungkook barely has enough time to catch you around the waist, holding you against him as a litany of curses and his name come spewing out of your mouth. “No, no,” you wail, your entire body twitching as the orgasm rolls over you. “Kook— Jungkook!”

“I’ve got you,” he reassures you, fingers holding you tight around the waist. The coffee table you had feared cracking your skull on finally comes to use as you press your hands onto the surface in a feeble attempt to steady yourself.

“I’m sorry,” you whimper, faintly aware of the rock hard cock between your pulsing walls, probably drenched in your cum now. “I-I didn’t—“

He shushes you quickly, settling the two of you back onto the couch. Funnily enough, he doesn’t bother pulling you off of him, his dick snug inside your cunt as he seats you on his lap. “You’re alright, sweetheart,” he comforts, hands soothingly running up your sides. You want to protest, want to get back on your knees and give him another chance to cum all over your face, but Jungkook nudges your chin with a knuckle. “Watch your movie,” he croons.

The Princess and the Pauper is literally the last thing on your mind right now; didn’t he realize how much you wanted to please him? Why was he choosing now to be so stubborn? Oh, that Jeon Jungkook, maybe Doyeon was right to call him an airhead.

Your slander campaign against your boyfriend is cut short when a hand flutters over your mound, thumb idly tracing over your sensitive clit. Before you can turn and look at him, Jungkook is rutting his hips against you slowly. “The screen, baby,” he says, and you want to argue that you can’t possibly enjoy a movie with him being so sneaky beneath you. The words get washed away when he presses down on your clit.

“Koo— Daddy,” you whine, lower lips still trembling from the orgasm you had two minutes ago. Jungkook responds with a kiss against your shoulder, hands trailing around your waist.

“No more of that,” he mumbles as he begins bouncing you on his cock. You moan, every inhale cut short by the shallow thrusts of his cock into your delicate walls. “Just your Kook now.”

“My… Kook,” you pant dreamily. Your cum provides an even better lubricant than before, lewd squelches filling the area alongside your cries as Jungkook chases both your second orgasms.

“Mhmm,” he groans, jostling you over his lap with no rhythm whatsoever. “Yours, baby.” You stretch your hands back, carding one set of fingers through the hair above his ear, pushing the strands away from his face. “Just like you’re mine.”

Something inside of you tightens painfully, and you’re not sure if it’s your heart or your pussy. You guess it’s both, as you stutter out, “y-your pretty girl?” Jungkook hums in agreement, repeating your favorite nickname back to you. The rest of your words die out between the two of you, lost in the slow and soft movements that fill in. You want to tell him you love him, adore him like no other, but every breath of air is stolen away by him.

Eventually the two of your are cumming, your second orgasms much quieter and slower compared to your first. You still mewl, wither against him when you cream his cock, and Jungkook catches you all the same. He guides you through the fog with kisses against your jaw, your dripping pussy helping him through his own.

When all is said and done and you’re both basking in a post-orgasmic make-out, you realize how sweaty and icky you are. “Ugh, this is gross,” you pout as he wiggles you off his lap. He pushes you beside him, letting you flop over the length of the couch as he reaches for something to clean you up with.

“You’re gross,” he retorts softly, blinking in that slow, drawn out way he does when you know he’s sleepy. His t-shirt runs along your neck, collecting the sweat there.

You nudge him with your foot. “I’m not the one who wanted to fuck during a Barbie movie,” you scoff, pinching the skin on his forearm when his gaze lingers a second too long on your creamy pussy. “Look somewhere else, weirdo.”

Jungkook laughs quietly, looking at you with an adoring expression on his face. He doesn’t even finish cleaning you off, tossing the soiled shirt somewhere off to the side in favor of cuddling into you. “Where? My Jumbotron?” he teases, raining down a parade of kisses against your face. “Don't wanna,” he smiles, too soft and boyish for the words that leave his lips next. “Wanna lick your pretty pussy clean.”

“Jeon Jungkook,” you scold, covering your face with your palms in embarrassment. “Look at your stupid IMAX screen and leave me alone.”

He cackles loudly now, in that evil witch way it took him a while to show you, and you know he’s got that big silly grin on his face now. . “The IMAX screen? The same one that made you,” a pause, “climax?”

“Get off of me.”

——

Just as you predicted, Jungkook’s mom gives him the scolding of a lifetime when she drops by the next weekend. The poor woman nearly faints at the theater screen on the wall, only to quickly regain herself. You giggle from your spot on the couch as she whacks his stupidly ripped bicep with the leek you’re supposed to chop up for dinner later.

What you’re not expecting is for her anger to shift to you as she scolds you for letting her idiotic son make such purchases. She gets one playful thwack against your side with the leek before your charming idiotic boyfriend swoops in to save you.

——

#goldenclosetnet #ksmutclub #networkbangtan #bangtanhq #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook smut #jjk smut #mine

3K notes · View notes

voiceswithoutlips · 4 years

Text

Calico - Chapter Two

— pairing: Hybrid ot7 x Human Reader (Female) — genre: hybrid AU , fluff, angst, slow burn (like real slow), eventual smut — word count: 2K — Rating: M — warnings: trauma, mention of past abuse.

Click for Tag List

— chapter summary:

Y/N runs a animal shelter, Calico was built on a simple principle, to help those who were in need. What will Y/N do when her sanctuary is threatened by an unexpected hybrid?

— A/N: This is going to be a series, I’m just getting back to writing, so I’d really appreciate your input and feedback <3

Ch. 1 Ch. 3 Ch. 3.5 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6

I stumbled out of bed with a groan, it was almost noon and my hangover was killing me. Last night I was too stressed so I drowned my worries in a bottle of whisky. Why was adulting so annoying, ugh. The house was quiet, Jason had probably already gone to the shelter. I made my way to the kitchen, my zombie brain screaming for coffee. I like my coffee black and bitter, just like my soul. Kidding, I don’t have a soul.

My phone rang somewhere in the living room. The place looked like a tornado had torn through it. The floor was covered with papers and cushions and clothes and other unidentifiable mess. What the fuck happened last night? By the time I found my phone the ringing had stopped. 28 missed calls from Jason and 2% battery ...great.

I made my way to the exam room, the most likely place for Jason to be. It was just a five minute walk from the house. I was in my pajamas, my hair sticking out and the coffee cup in my hand. It was Sunday, I was grumpy.

There was a half-naked man sitting on the exam table, no not a man, a hybrid. His white fluffy tail was droopy. Long white ears poked from his long black hair, he desperately needed a haircut. His ears were limp on his back. There was a hole in his left ear, it was properly done but too big for a piercing. My eyes widened with realization, I’d seen that before on cattle, his previous owners must’ve tagged him.

The hybrid showed no reaction as I went to stand beside Jason, and directly in front of him. His upper body was muscular, he had a thick neck and washboard abs. He was gorgeous. He had a strong jawline, cute eyes and a small nose. The combination of cute and sexy was deadly. His hands were clasped together and he was hunched over, trying to make himself look small, not an easy feat to achieve.

“Y/N, this is Jungkook,” Jason introduced the hybrid. The bunny stiffened, he didn’t raise his head to look at me. What do I do? I wasn’t good with people, I preferred animals to humans.

“Hello, I’m Y/N,” I greeted. He was sitting so still that you would think he wasn’t even there. Was he even breathing? He was still looking down.

I looked at Jason, I didn’t know what to do. “I found him near the hatch this morning so I brought him in for a checkup.” I nodded.

“Are you hungry? I’m practically starving!” I asked, extending a tentative hand towards the bunny, palm up. He flinched. I kept my hand where it was. I would stand here for hours if I had to. My stubbornness knew no bounds. Minutes passed slowly, Jason was leaning on the counter perfectly at ease, he was a good actor.

Slowly Jungkook took my hand. “Let’s go have breakfast,” I whispered, a smile on my face as I slowly led him to the kitchen. Well kitchen was an overstatement, it was a small room with six refrigerators and two freezers, most of them contained medical supplies. A sad, overused coffee machine and a small stove for “Emergency Ramen”, it was our own special recipe.

I opened the fridge with a “No Science Allowed” poster taped to its door. I pulled out a bunch of greens to make a salad, rabbits need their greens. We always stocked the fridge for humans and the animals. I wasn’t a particularly good cook, I could cook enough to not starve but that was the extent of my cooking skills. A quick chicken salad, eggs and toast and a bunch of pancakes and breakfast was served.

Jungkook was still standing near the door where I had left him, eyes downcast, ears flopped. I was an idiot, a massive idiot, I assumed he would sit at the table on his own. Bad Y/N!

“Jungkook, come sit with me,” I mentally hit myself, it sounded like a command, I was terrible at this. I was used to animals, you tell them what to do, you can’t ask a dog if he’d like to sit with you, but Jungkook was a person. I can be an animal therapist but humans? They were beyond me. I didn’t know how to get to him.

He sat at the table. I pushed the food in front of him, expecting him to eat, another mistake. Hybrids are supposed to obey, they don't do things on their own. I was supposed to tell him what to do. I wanted to pound my head on the table. Stupid Y/N.

“What would you like to eat?” I asked in the gentlest voice possible, at least I hoped it was gentle.

No response.

“Go on this is all for you,” I tried to be encouraging.

Nothing.

“Tell you what, if you finish your breakfast, I’ll give you a treat,” his ears twitched. He tentatively picked up a fork and started eating. His movements were small, he barely made any noise as he chewed but at least he was eating.

I was still confuzzled, it is a word, a made up word, but then again all words are made up words. Confused and puzzled. I had no idea how to approach him, do I treat him like a human or a rabbit. The ‘treat’ card worked but will it work every time? He was taking small bites, I wondered if the food tasted bad. Maybe I forgot to add sugar to the pancakes? Did I forget to season the salad? I sighed internally. He needed a proper meal but sadly, Jason and I were terrible cooks. We lived on take-outs and ramen. Maybe it was time to learn how to cook.

I stood up, he froze. I had to get him used to people. I ignored his stiff posture as I walked to one of the freezers and pulled out a container that held my favorite ice cream. It was ‘ice cream for breakfast’ kind of day. I didn’t bother with bowls, two spoons and I was back in my seat.

“You know this is my absolute favorite ice cream in the entire world. It's called Chocolate Brownie Fudge with Marshmallows. It's like a little piece of heaven in a plastic container,” I offered him a spoon. He looked at it as if it was going to bite him. “Go on, it's your treat!” I encouraged with a grin. It was meant to be a small smile but he was too cute and the ice cream made me happy.

I dug into the ice cream as if my life depended on it. Jungkook watched me curiously, the spoon still in his hand. He hadn’t finished his breakfast but it was a start. For me, it was Sunday, the day where I threw caution to the wind and ate what I wanted. He hesitantly took a spoonful of ice cream, watching me as if I was going to pull the container away from him and tell him it was a joke.

As soon as the spoon touched his tongue his eyes lit up like christmas. “Amazing isn’t it?” I asked, taking another bite. He nodded excitedly. Apparently he had a sweet tooth. I pushed the ice cream towards him and watched him devour the whole thing in minutes. God he was adorable!

I settled down on the couch in my office, I desperately needed a shower but that’d have to wait. Jason had taken Jungkook back to our house, he was going to stay in the guest room for the time being. It's not like I was going to put him in the hybrid shelter building, nobody deserved that and he couldn’t stay as a rabbit forever.

I had a file in front of me, a file on Jungkook. All hybrids are installed with a microchip and registered in the hybrid database as soon as they are born ...or rather created in the labs. Hybrids couldn’t procreate, they were made in labs owned by big corporations. Jason had scanned Jungkooks microchip, the file contained everything about his life.

He was created in Corebear Tech’s lab and sold at the age of six to a wealthy family as a pet for their son. He was sent back to the company when he was twelve because he had grown too big for a rabbit hybrid. Corebear Tech then sold him to Apexi Pharmaceuticals and I guess that’s where Yonu found him.

I felt …I didn’t know what I felt. Maybe a sense of defeat. Jungkook was twenty-three, he was in that lab for eleven years. He was just one year younger than me. I was lost. I couldn’t even imagine what he must’ve gone through. There was no way I was going to let Apexi take him back. I called Song Hwa and gave her the file. After all we had evidence to collect and a case to build.

“Not this again!!” I ran through the front door as soon as I smelled smoke in our kitchen. Jason was standing in front of the stove fanning a pot with a newspaper.

“I was cooking rice, I don’t know what happened,” he said opening the windows.

I took a peek, the rice was black, utterly totally burnt. “Jason …you’re supposed to add water to cook it…”

“Oh,” Jason loved to cook, the problem was he just couldn’t. I was 200% sure that he was cursed by some evil witch. The moment Jason tries to cook, all hell breaks loose.

“You’re on clean-up duty,” I grumbled. At least it wasn’t that bad, the cake incident was still fresh in my mind. Once upon a time, when we still lived in our dorm, Jason decided to bake a cake …in a pressure cooker. Needless to say, it was a disaster. The cooker blew up, damaging half the kitchen. Thankfully no one was injured.

I softly knocked on the guestroom door. Jungkook had spent the whole day in his room, not that I blamed him. New place, new people, it was bound to be scary.

“Hey Jungkook, you want to come out for dinner?” I asked. I could deliver him ramen to his room if he wanted but I hoped he’d come out and eat with us. Yes, we were having ramen, Jason and I still lived as we had lived in our dorm, the only difference was our house was nicer and we had a garden.

Jungkook opened the door, he hadn’t locked it. He scrunched his nose as soon as he stepped out. The house was full of burnt smell from Jason’s cooking adventure. The smell must be stronger for him.

“Yeah, Jason tried to cook rice. Pro tip, never eat the food that Jason makes, he’s a terrible cook. Do you want to come eat with us?” I asked. I got a small nod in return.

“Let’s gooooo!! Do you like ramen? We have a really good recipe, well its nothing special, we just throw in some bacon and rice cakes and of course a fuckton of cheese,” I rambled as he followed me to the dining table. “You can never go wrong with cheese, unless you’re Jason,” Jason made protesting noises, I rolled my eyes at him.

Dinner was a bit awkward. Jason and I kept trying to make Jungkook talk but it didn’t work. The poor bunny hadn’t spoken a single word since he’d arrived at Calico. The only thing we got out of him were small nods and silence. I wondered if we should consult a therapist. He was human after all and he needed help.

I heard a sharp gasp from my left. Jungkook’s eyes were huge, he was frozen in his chair. He had accidently knocked the salt shaker off the table.

“I’m so..sorry. Please don’t punish me. I’ll do anything,” his voice was so small, it made my heart ache.

“Oh honey no!” I said as I held his hands. “It was an accident. You remember what I told you? This is a safe space, you’ll never be punished here. I won’t let anyone hurt you, okay?” I was mentally cursing myself for holding his hands on impulse. What if he didn’t like people invading his personal space? My worries were put to rest as he squeezed my hands.

“Okay,” he said in the smallest voice.

Previous || Next

354 notes · View notes

asciendo · 4 years

Text

Jealousy

Make it Right Series Chapter 9

Jean was the cocky bastard that walked around like he owned the place. Y/N couldn’t stand so when the time came that you were his sparring partner, you couldn’t wait to teach him a lesson.

Little did the both of you know, that sparring match would be the start of your unexpected relationship with Jean Kirschtein, that will change your life, and the rest of the Scout Regiment forever.

Chapter 1/Chapter 2/Chapter 3/Chapter 4/Chapter 5/Chapter 6/Chapter 7/Chapter 8/Chapter 10/Chapter 11/Chapter 12/Chapter 13/Chapter 14/Chapter 15Chapter 16/Chapter 17/Chapter 18/Chapter 19/Chapter 20/Chapter 21

It's been three weeks since you and Jean, somewhat "broke up". No one really noticed how you couldn't look each other in the eye, how when you were sparring partners, one of you would lose on purpose for your match to end quickly and how you never sat in the same table during meals. It wasn't out of the ordinary as from their perspective, you and Jean were never close.

What they did notice was Jean's sudden bursts of anger during training and his sudden interest in other girls again. "Can Jean just sleep with Mina already? He's been acting like even MORE of an ass the couple of weeks, he needs to get LAID." Connie sighed as you almost choked on your soup. Looking up, Mina was leaning on a wall with Jean's hovering over Mina and looking her up and down. Your heart clenched as you could imagine the sweet nothings he was telling her.

"Or Krista, saw him flirting with her too yesterday." Sasha said as she devoured her soup. You held your spoon tighter to control your anger and Marco looked at you nervously.

Marco was the only person who had an idea about you and Jean and noticed Jean's sudden change of demeanor.

"Has he tried with you too, Y/N?" Connie looked lazily in your direction. "W-what?" Your eyes widened and you froze.

"Jean. Has he tried hitting on you?"

"Uhm...No." You stammered and continued with your meal. "That's strange. He's basically flirting with anything that moves right now but still being a complete ass." Sasha grumbled.

"Yeah...he was always a flirt but, it stopped for a while. I wonder what got into him." Connie hummed. "Maybe you guys just didn't notice." Marco said in an attempt to defend Jean.

"Nah, he was actually pretty nice for a while."

"I'm gonna head back to the dorms, I'm really tired." You announced and stood up. The rest waved at you nonchalantly while Marco had a concerned look on your face.

And of course, you had to pass by Jean flirting with Mina on the way out. You tried to walk by them as fast as you could but you heard your name being called.

You turned and Mina was smiling at you brightly, while Jean was looking down. "Hey! You were amazing at ODM gear training today!" Mina beamed and you fought the urge to slap her right then and there. "Thanks." You smiled and turned to leave. "You should teach me a few moves!" She added and you flinched. Mina was staring at you in awe while Jean was looking away from you and Mina.

You smiled for the last time and made your way out the door.

The next day at dinner, you rolled your eyes as Jean sat with Connie and Sasha, who you usually sat with. Scanning the room, you saw Bertholdt sitting alone. You knew Reiner would join him but, Bertholdt always intrigued you and decided to sit with him.

He was shocked as you sat in front of him, but smiled lightly. You began to talk about training that eventually evolved to sharing about your childhood. It felt good to share parts of your life with someone other than Jean, and Bertholdt was a good listener. Reiner joined your table and made a few passes at you as usual but Bertholdt scolded him which you really appreciated.

You spent the night talking about your plans after training and were relieved when they shared your desire to join the Scouts as well. It was a nice dinner away from Jean and the others and you didn't have to hear his name once in conversation.

"Earth to Jean?! Did you not hear what I said?!" Connie was waving his hands in front of Jean's face. Jean was enjoying his meal like usual with Marco and the others. He was proud of how he performed today, he was able to take down Eren in Combat training which made him very proud and satisfied with himself.

It wasn't until he looked up and spotted you laughing with Bertholdt in the table in front of him. He saw you throw your head back laughing and the sound of your laughter shot a pang through his chest. What could Bertholdt have said that made you laugh like that? Jean thought only he could do that, you in between his legs entangled with one another spread out on your bed. He couldn't stop staring at the both of you wondering what on earth could you be talking about. Bertholdt was always quiet and only stuck to Reiner, what could he be saying to get your attention? Why were you sitting with him in the first place? These questions were running through Jean's mind as he glared daggers at you and Bertholdt.

"Jean...are you okay?" Marco asked. Jean finally snapped back into reality with a scowl in his face. "I'm fucking out of here." He grumbled and left. "Seriously...What IS his problem?" Sasha rolled her eyes.

The entire week you've been sitting with Bertholdt and Reiner. You formed a pretty good friendship with them, especially Bertholdt. There were nights when you talked by the river about anything and everything and he you learned about his crush on Annie. You urged him to tell her but by the redness of his cheeks you could tell he was too nervous. You also told him about Jean which surprised you. You haven't even told Sasha who was your best friend, but you felt like you could trust Bertholdt and he wouldn't judge you.

"So that's why he's been acting like even more of an asshole lately?" Bertholdt chuckled and nudged you. "No, it was just a distraction, nothing more."

"I don't think so...he was different now that I think of it." Bertholdt then told you how Jean was the time you were fooling around. How his temper disappeared, except with Eren, he'd joke around more and how he was focused on being a good leader.

"It seemed like he was in a good place...now he's just..."

"An asshole." You finished and Bertholdt laughed as well. "I don't know what's going to happen with you guys, but you shouldn't feel guilty about joining the scouts." You smiled and felt a sense of comfort at Bertholdt's words.

The next day, you were in charge for carrying the food supplies to the kitchen. The sack of carrots that arrived looked like it was about to burst and you groaned at the thought of them falling.

You began to carry them and all seemed well, till you nearly reached the kitchen and the sack tore open and the carrots spilled below you. "Shit." You groaned and began to pick them up. Suddenly, another pair of hands were next to yours helping you. Looking up, you were met with familiar eyes. Jean.

"Th-thanks." You stammered and he smiled lightly. You were silent for a while and there was an awkward pause. "So how's your bed doing without me?" You stopped at his cheeky comment and looked at him. Jean had his cocky grin plastered on his face and your heart stopped. At that moment, it felt like everything was back to normal. "Pretty good, I keep myself entertained." You winked and Jean's breath hitched.

"Uh-uhm so how are you doing?" the playful look on Jean's face suddenly disappeared and he was looking at you with longing that you wanted to grab him right then and there.

"I'm...doing okay?" You stood up and he did as well. For a second he seemed like he wanted to say something more. He was holding all the carrots in his arms and you chuckled at the sight of him. "I can help you." You laughed and he did too. "Nah, it's fine, I got it." he looked at you again and there was this sense of familiarity that tugged on your heart strings.

"Hey...after we bring this to the kitchen do you wanna—" Jean began but was interrupted by Connie.

"Y/N! Eren told me you were joining the scouts." Connie began and you froze. You looked at Jean and his jaw was clenched. "Y-yeah." You looked down as Connie smiled. "Hmm, good luck, have fun with Jaeger." Connie teased and walked away. Jean was trying to face away from you but his face scrunched up in frustration. "I'll take care of these." He said through gritted teeth and walked away from you.

The next day at the dining hall, Berhtoldt could tell something was up at you. You were eating slowly and barely talking. When Reiner left, he asked if you wanted to talk by the lake again and you nodded.

As you and Bertholdt left the dining hall, you stopped as Jean was once again, flirting with Mina. Bertholdt glanced at you and saw your reaction. He quickly tugged on your shoulder to switch places with him so you wouldn't have to walk near Mina and Jean.

You began to walk down the steps with Bertholdt trying your best to avoid Jean.

Jean needed a distraction. His mind kept turning back to you and he was trying to forget what he felt about you. The whole time he was fooling around you, he kept trying to keep his feelings and emotions in check. He noticed he was falling for you. The way your eyebrows would kink together when you were in deep thought, how your laughter instantly brought a smile to his face, how you made him feel. He felt comfortable yet excited with you. Being with you he felt like an adventure everyday yet home at the same time.

When he heard you were joining the Scouts, it broke him. Why would she do this? Does she want to die? Fucking Jaeger! Where the thoughts that plagued Jean's thoughts ever since she told him. He hated the fact that she thought he was a coward. He didn't care when Eren said it, but coming from Y/N...

What hurt him the most was it seemed like you were choosing death over a life with him.

Jean's way of distracting himself from thinking about you was flirting with other girls. Before you, he had fun just hitting on girls and he knew they were interested him too. Which is what he was doing now, with Mina outside the dining hall. She was cute, friendly, but the conversation seemed to be dull. He didn't feel a connection with her but, it kept his mind off of you for a while.

Jean was pretending to laugh at something Mina said when he heard the door open from the entrance of the dining hall. He glanced at who it was then took a double take in shock. You were standing outside with Bertholdt and he grabbed your arm. Jean's face turned red in anger as he you and Berhtoldt disappeared into the woods. Whatever Mina was saying became white noise as his gaze followed you and Berholdt. He didn't even say bye to Mina as he found himself following the both of you.

He couldn't find you as it was dark in the woods and he yelled in frustration.

Back in the boys' dorm, Jean was slumped on the couch in the shared living space. When Shadis announced it was time for lights out, Jean grunted and stood up. Just as he did, he saw Bertholdt enter the room and his fists clenched.

Jean began to walk towards him and bumped him with his shoulder which caused Bertholdt to fall on the floor.

"JEAN!" Reiner growled and quickly ran to help Bertholdt. "J-jean what's wrong?" Marco asked nervously and placed a hand on his shoulder while Jean was glaring at Bertholdt on the floor. Jean shrugged off Marco's hand and went straight to his room leaving everyone stunned.

103 notes · View notes

turnthedirtintojoy · 3 years

Text

I finished Rule of Wolves last night and although it was a thoroughly enjoyable read (as everything Leigh Bardugo writes) and an overall satisfying ending to the series, I do have mixed feelings about some of the choices that were made. And there were some VERY big plot holes. Some thoughts below the cut. Beware: spoilers.

Things I liked:

It was so nice to dive into this world one more (last?) time and to see all our beloved characters again (my Crow babies, Alina, Mal, Misha, Oncat...). Leigh’s writing was on point as always, and she really did a great job expanding this universe as well. We got to discover Shu Han and see a bit more of Fjerda, and this novel, I feel, has a lot more scope than the previous ones.

Leigh’s main strength remains her characters. Nikolai was delightful as always. Zoya’s arc was absolutely amazing. Nina was still the badass waffle-loving pansexual queen we all love.

Rule of Wolves offers great representation with a diverse set of characters. I never really clicked with Hanne’s character, but their story was told with grace and subtlety, and I love that Fjerda now has a gender non-conforming Grisha ruler (and they don’t even know it). Zoya’s road to acceptance of her Suli origins was also a nice touch.

I’m really grateful that we got a happy ending for most of the characters. Obviously I love that Nikolai and Zoya are endgame. Nina has found love and joy again. And although we only got a brief glimpse of the rest of the Crows, I like where they’re at (Wesper living happily, Kaz ruling the Barrel while Inej rules the True Sea).

Things I didn’t like:

So many plot holes and inconsistencies...

1. Let’s talk about the Ice Court, this supposedly unbreachable Fjerdan stronghold. It takes a whole book for the Crows to break into it, and they literally have to blow a hole in the wall with a tank to get out of it. But in ROW, although it is specifically stated security has been reinforced since the prison break, people seem to come and go as they please. Nina breaks into the Drüskelle sector not once, but twice. Not to mention Magnus Opjer who mysteriously manages to escape with nothing but a bone dart. Sorry, I don’t buy it.

2. The ending to Nina and Hanne’s story makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever. Why would Nina choose to keep Mila’s face? Couldn’t Prince Rasmus just marry Nina Zenik now that Fjerda is at peace with Ravka? It would make sense as a political alliance for the Prince to marry a Grisha. I hate that Nina will have to live as someone else for decades. Also, are we supposed to believe that Hanne will fool everyone as Prince Rasmus? A large chunk of KOS is devoted to Isaak’s training and difficulties to impersonate Nikolai, a man he has known for years and with the help of his closest friends (Genya, Tolya, Tamar...). He barely scrapes it in front of nobles, but Hanne will somehow manage to pass as Prince Rasmus, a man she barely knows, in front of his parents? That seems highly unlikely... One would say improbable.

3. As much as I adore the Crows, their appearance feels a bit forced and doesn’t really work narratively. I loved the Ketterdam chapters (of course I did), but they don’t really belong in Rule of Wolves and feel out of place. First, why would Nikolai and Zoya go in person? Also, we are talking about a Demon King and a Dragon Queen with an army of Grisha at their service, and they can’t manage without the help of Kaz Brekker, a 19-year old gangster, to steal stuff? Once was cute, twice is pushing it.

4. Since when are there Suli settlements in Kerch? And if Kaz knew it, why wouldn’t he tell Inej? This makes no sense.

Apart from this gaping holes, there are a couple of choices Leigh made that I am not a fan of. I mean, why kill David? On his wedding day no less! Hasn’t Genya suffered enough? I usually like a good character death, but this felt needlessly cruel and and it didn’t really advance the plot or the character.

The other thing that sort of bugged me were the two main romances which felt really dragged out. I love slow burns as much as the next person, but not every relationship needs to be slow burnt. It took almost two books for Nikolai/Zoya and Nina/Hanne to admit their feelings for each other while it was obvious to everyone involved that they liked each other since early in KOS. Leigh was trying really hard to find excuses to keep them apart until the very end and it kind of got tiresome at one point.

Finally, let’s talk about the Darkling’s storyline. COMPLETELY UNECESSARY. I mean he is by far my favourite antagonist in the Grishaverse (the other ones are a bit too one-dimensional), but bringing him back for so little was a waste of pages. I really didn’t like his arc: it felt forced and rushed and made very little sense. The blight storyline was solved in one chapter and didn’t really tie in with the rest of the story. Unpopular opinion but I also didn’t like that the Darkling had POV chapters. Kind of ruins the mystery of the character. I was fine with his ending (endless agony in exchange for Sainthood), but the fact that Genya, Alina and Zoya changed their minds five pages later kind of ruined the whole thing...

Despite its flaws, I still loved the book and devoured it in only a few days. I’m always sad when I finish a Grishaverse book and have to say goodbye to these characters, but thankfully we have the show coming out in a few days!

What did you guys think of ROW?

#rule of wolves #rule of wolves spoilers #grishaverse #shadow and bone #leigh bardugo #row #row spoilers #six of crows #soc #s&b #zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #nina zenik

48 notes · View notes

johnkrrasinski · 4 years

Text

ℑ𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔚𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔰

Chapter 1: The Archer & The Prey

full masterlist // series masterlist

Pairings: dark!Steve Rogers x female!reader

Word count: 4,517

Warnings: sexual themes, kidnapping, stalking. (MUST BE 18+)

Summary: after the death of your mother, you decided that you were going to do something new to honor her. You chose a perfect camping spot somewhere down South. You thought it was going to be the life-changing vacation that you never had in your life, until Steve Rogers, a man existed in roughness and control all his life, found you.

a/n: this is the dark!steve rogers series that i have promised. this one is going to be much darker than the last one shot fic i posted, so please leave, if you are under 18+. please leave a like and comment. enjoy!

It had been a long time since you last went on a vacation. You had been taking care of your then sick mother, every day and barely got enough time for yourself between working your humdrum job as an accountant at Stark's Industries and rushing to the hospital every night to your mother to keep her company.

However, it's not your concern anymore now. You had just gone home from attending her funeral. It was bleak and wearisome. You had to deal with your family and friends who put on these fake, mournful faces and pretended that they were heartbroken when they never gave a shit when she was still alive and healthy. They barely took their time to visit her during her hospitalization.

Your mother was your best friend, the only person in your life who truly cared for you and took care of you during your childhood and teenager years, even after you were an adult, your mother still saw you as this little girl who needed some tending after she scrapped her knees.

You were a shy, delicate, and reticent person who kept to herself and didn't keep a lot of companion in your life. You had some classmates from high school and college that you still kept in touch with, you also had some colleagues that you would text with once in a while regarding professional matters.

However, you wouldn't consider them as friends, it wasn't about trust issues or anything severe, it was simply just who you are. You were an introvert who felt much more at ease when you are not surrounded by anyone. But your mother was the only exception, growing up as the only child of a single mother, it wasn't easy to simply let your guard down to anyone. You had learned that when you are alone, you felt less anxious and you'd like to keep it that way. Working at the Stark Industries rewarded you well but it was stressful enough as it is, you wouldn't want to add that pile of stress.

Now that your mother is gone, you've never felt more alone in your life. You walked into your apartment with hands buried in the pocket of your black coat, with your head down, you tried to hold yourself steady as you fumble for your key. You unlocked the door and you stepped into your home. You took a moment to take a deep breath and took a look at your surrounding. You felt helpless. So you took off your coat, went into a shower, and broke down into tears.

You dried yourself off later that night and put on your favorite oversized sweater, you call it your "pity sweater", you've had it in your closet since you were fifteen and every time you hit rock bottom, like the time when you first received the news that your mom was terribly ill and she only had a few more months to live, you decide that to drown yourself in your own self-pity party and of course you'd wear the right outfit to celebrate it.

You laid on your bed later that night, under the opacity of your room, trying to numb the pain by ingesting some sleeping pills, but it didn't help, your eyes are still wide open and you can still hear the resonance of your muffled sobs. Slowly but surely, the seconds turned into minutes, and before you knew it, you were fast asleep, drifting away into the land of dreams.

You are running in the middle of a dark forest, being chased by the wolves with their cuspidate teeth glistening in the murk threatening to devour you. They were running faster than the wind, you were having trouble of trying to outrun them, you felt your energy started to dwindle down, your feet got weaker and cold sweats started to break out of your skin. You were so fixated on running that you didn't realize one of the wolfpacks had caught onto your dress, it was torn away from you and you tripped and your back hit the ground. The last thing you saw was a blue-eyed wolf, gritting its fangs, staring deep into your eyes, with its face closer and closer to yours then everything went black.

The next day, you went back to your work, as usual, your boss, Tony Stark had been generous enough to offer you to take a day off, you refused it at first because if you were left alone one more second doing nothing productive, your mind would start to wander to your mother and you would end up having another breakdown on your kitchen floor. So you had to distract yourself, get your gloomy mind off the tragedy that had befallen on you. Your only escape was work.

It's not like you would hit the bar and order some drinks, it wasn't your thing. It would trigger your anxiety the minute you step foot on the door. To be at peace, all it needed was the companion of your romance novels and some hot chocolate. The concept of dressing up and going home shit faced is a foreign idea to you. It would absolutely be madness if you risked your own comfort zone just to end up in a stranger's car and not remembering a single event that happened last night. Your mother always warned you about being reckless and talking to strange men.

She would always say; "you have to be careful, y/n, there are men who are steadily seeking their next prey. They would lure you into their charm and capitalize on you in their bed. And the next thing you know, you are 4 weeks pregnant and you are going to have to carry that tiny life inside you and raise it on your own."

That's how you were born into this world, actually. You never knew who your father was, and nor did your mother. She was only 23 when she decided to live her life and savor her youth. She was a brilliant young woman who was supposed to have a long, bright future ahead of her. She had graduated from college with a psychology degree and one night, she decided to break out of her shell and accepted her roommate's invitation to go to a party. Little did she know, that party was going to turn her life upside down, forever.

She still walked away with a degree, but there wasn't an ounce of bright future left for her. She had this frail life in her belly depending on her to keep it alive. She had gone to her parents and asked for their help, but they abandoned her. They were filled with rage when your mother told them the jaw-dropping news. They were disappointed in her for being so stupid and negligent. They had high expectations for her. So when your mother begged for their forgiveness, they told her to leave their home and never show her face ever again instead.

Hence, you never knew your grandparents too well either, your mother had shown you some pictures of them, the ones that she still had despite never talking to them again, but she spoke wonderfully about how they raised her right despite their strictness and their unwavering push on her to do better. Your mother was anything but. She took care of you with gentleness and she decided that she didn't want you to live in fear of your own mother.

You loved her more than anything in life. Your mother was your whole world, the one who cured all the rainy days and gave you a secure home when the hurricane in your life was too mighty. Your world was crushed, burned, and taken away when she died. You had to be your own person now.

So you decided to take on Tony's offer of letting a week off. He told you that you need to take your time to mourn and that he didn't need you to be operating his finance when your head was clearly not in the right place. You went home early that day and make yourself some lunch.

You sat on your couch with a bowl filled with cereal in your hands, watching the rerun of Friends. It was the episode where they were going on a ski trip but Phoebe's car broke down. You loved this series and each episode always gave you a good laugh even when you don't feel like it.

It struck an idea in you, what if... You decided to go on a vacation instead of limping around in your apartment, wallowing in self-pity? Maybe it's time for you to get out of your comfort zone and do what might be best for you. It's going to be new and different and scary for sure, but you might never know if you never try. This might help you find yourself and your own inner peace. Your mom would want that for you. She used to always talk about wanting to go camping, especially when she was sick.

She said, "you know when all of this is over and I'm finally free out of this condition, I wanna go camping in the middle of the woods."

You looked up from the book you were reading, with a chuckle you amused her. "Camping, mom? Really? Never knew you were a nature person."

"Oh, I am sweetheart, I used to go hiking and climbing and skiing when I was young. I never really had that chance anymore now that I am older." She lied, she would never say it was because she had to have you that she couldn't go on all these adventures anymore. "The only problem now is that I have to endure this pain a little longer then we can explore the world as long as we want, dear." She chuckled, but her cough interrupted it.

You put down your book on your thighs and immediately reached out her hand.

"Mom, you are gonna get better, I promise. You have to."

You decided to google some camping spots that might intrigue you, you weren't looking for anything opulent or temerarious, just enough to clear your mind off the gloom and to invigorate the spirit in you to go back to work. Maybe, you'd try to meditate in the middle of the woods, yeah, you've always wondered about that, would it really be effective? This might be the time to discover the answer. You can picture it, the fresh air encompassing you, the sound of the birds chirping as if they were welcoming you, and there wouldn't be a single soul that could intrude your solitude.

After doing some research, you decided that you have found the perfect spot. A green-covered land somewhere down South, you did a little deeper digging into its whereabouts, and you took a screenshot of it and bookmarked the page.

That night, you started to feel like the match inside you was lit. After days of being engulfed in grief, you started to feel hope, just a sheer of it. But it was enough to make you feel like you weren't so lost and hopeless. You decided to have an early night after you finished watching Friends and get yourself some rest. You are going to wake up early to pack and prepare yourself to leave this godforsaken town for a few days. You were excited to see what tomorrow holds.

The next morning, you took a shower and got yourself ready. You had packed just enough to last a few days in the woods. You brought your camping tent with you, the one your mother had bought but never actually got to use it. You put your travel bag in the trunk of your car and you sat on the driver's seat to heat up the engine.

You put on some relaxing Jazz music to console your ears and to prevent your thoughts from drifting to your mother. You were going to focus on the roads and what was waiting ahead of you. The soft hum of the engine soothed you. You were savoring the crisp air of Autumn. Fall was your favorite season, the way everything seems chill and slow, it wasn't loud and harsh like summer, but it does feel like a faint new beginning in a way, like the transition of the 5 am sky, from dark hue midnight sky to a luminous royal blue.

You had the windows rolled down as the wind wafted your skin. You were dressed in your cotton knit cream sweater and a knee-length denim shorts. You had taken a quick stop at the nearest Starbucks outlet to get a cup of hot chocolate. You weren't exactly a coffee type of person. You didn't exactly get what makes people so addicted to it. You didn't like the still remaining taste despite pouring three packets of sugar on it. You loved the hot chocolate because sweetness always enlightened your mood. Your mother used to make you a glass of hot chocolate when you were groggy or when you were anxious. You guess it sticks with you no matter how old you are.

A few hours down the road, the temperature started to rise, you can feel the sticky sweat clinging on your skin cloaked under the thickness of your sweater. You stopped by the gas station to fill in your tank, you were back on the road after you bought some snacks. Not only your car that needed to be loaded, but your stomach also did.

You finally arrived at your destination. You had to drive down some uneven roads that bounced all your items inside and you were feeling a bit nauseated after hours of sitting on the driver's seat and the coarse path. But when you finally reached the spot that you found on the internet, it was worth it. You forgot all the hindrances that you had to endure to get yourself here. The pictures that you saved on your phone didn't do justice to the real scenery.

The land was surrounded by nothing but pine green circling around you. The trees were tall, venerable, and benignant. You could hear the sound of the waterfall coursing through the river and it was a picturesque sight. You took a deep breath to inhale the fresh air. For a second, you forgot what you were here in the first place, you relished the stunning mother nature before you.

But then a picture of your mother, smiling emerged into view. You remembered the look on her face when she talked about all the travel plans she had when she recovers. She never had that chance, and it tore you to pieces, again. The thing about losing someone you love the most is that no matter how many good things you have throwing themselves on your way, the pain doesn't just vanish into thin air. It leaves and comes back every once in a while. It gives you space to breathe and to collect yourself and then when it knows you've walked long enough in the light, it comes back to haunt you, reminding you that it never really left.

But you tried to focus on the present, you can't make your mother come back or travel back in time to keep her alive, so you were going to cherish this moment for her. You were going to feast on this fleeting tranquility that you have.

You stood there until you felt like you were jaded for being on your feet for too long. You went back to your car to take your tent and try to set it up. You had to look that up on the internet too, to get it standing perfectly. After what feels like your thousandth attempts, you were glad that it finally relented and let you use it as a makeshift home.

By the time you were done, it was already afternoon. You decided that you were going to take a look around the woods, you weren't going to just stay in one spot, you still had a few hours until it goes dark and of course you weren't going to be stupid enough to wander around the forest that you had never been to after dusk.

You decided you were going to just walk in nearby areas. You were terrified of getting too far, you might end up lost and couldn't find your way back. You only brought your cellphone that was practically useless because you couldn't find any signal there, but you still needed it to take pictures. You also decided to take a bottle of water with you. Quenching your thirst is essential in a journey through the woods.

You kept on walking while stopping once in a while to capture what you find stunning. You were so lost in looking for your next shot to snap, you didn't see the edged branch that was tapered pointedly until your skin grazed against it, causing a deep, painful cut on your left thigh. It was so piked that it left a horizontal shred on your knee-high shorts too.

You dropped your phone to the soil and yielded a high pitched squeal. It reminded you of the traumatic incident in kindergarten, where you were playing chase and run with a classmate, and you stumbled on a hard rock that left a permanent scar on your right knee.

You fell on the ground because you couldn't withhold the agony any longer. You try to stop the bleeding by ripping a piece of your torn jeans, even though it required some struggle. You did not want to let it get infected. You bandaged the crimson wound and you sat there for a few minutes to calm yourself down. You held yourself back on your hands pressed to the soil, you didn't care that it was going to get dirty, you just needed to find a comfortable position until you decide that you were strong enough to return to your tent.

Little did you know, your shriek had invited an unwanted presence. No, no, not the spooky kind. More like a starving wolf that you saw in your dreams a couple of nights ago, with spiked tusks ready to hunt its prey.

So much for thinking that this would be the best vacation of your life...

Steve Rogers had been living in this enormous cabin in the woods all his life. He was raised by his parents whom his grandparents trusted to take care of the cabin. When his grandfather died, he left it to his parents as his inheritance. His father used to teach him hunting and his mother used to teach him how to cook. They taught him a lot of things to survive living in the woods. It wasn't an easy life, they had to get things done all by themselves.

They had to work hard to get their basic needs. They had to habituate themselves in being isolated. It wasn't a difficult thing for Steve because he was always a lone wolf who was vigilant towards his privacy, but a part of he couldn't help but wish that he had someone to take care of. Someone he could keep to himself. Someone who he could call his and his only. Someone who he could... possess. He didn't feel lonely, no, he loved being alone. He loved his autonomy. But he was only a man after all and man has needs. When he was feeling needy and jerking himself off wasn't just doing it anymore for him, he would often go to the city, an hour drive was all it took to get to the nearest brothel house.

Whenever he walked into the door of that ranch, his steps were heard loud and clear and his presence was witnessed effortlessly. It wasn't difficult for a man like him to spend hours in the bordello, his stamina was ceaseless and, let's just say that he was an... ingenious man. He understood a woman's body and what it desires. He wasn't afraid to use his skill and his expertise to fulfill his appetite and his subject. Oh, and how he could take his time to satisfy each one of these ladies.

But whenever he was finished, he would return home with this feeling of void, yes his physical thirst was quenched and his cock wasn't painfully hard anymore that it hurt, at least he got to release the tension that would've left him high and dry if he hadn't fucked some pussy, but there was still something missing. He still hadn't found that one thing he could domineer within the privacy of the woods. The brothel provided private rooms for their customers for sure, but nothing was more pleasant to him than being in his own private quarters, and the thought that these women he had a good time with weren't exactly his, bored him.

He was fatigued by the fact that they have slept with other people too. It's not like he had some sort of attachment to any of them, but that just reminded him of something he still couldn't find. He needed to make a quick move. He was a determined man, once he set his mind on something, he will do whatever it takes to obtain it. And once he found that one girl that he knew would be his favorite possession, he would take her without a second thought and he would make her his.

He drove his beatdown truck back into the woods, the deserted road had become too familiar to him to turn on the beam headlights. He cleaned himself off under the boiling hot water, wipe away the droplets of water that were clinging to his slightly tanned skin, after years of hunting in the middle of the day where the sun was scorching hot and he never bothered of covering every inch of himself up, nobody was going to see him after all.

Later that night, he dropped himself on to the mattress without being bothered to put on any coverups. He always slept nude. It started drizzling outside when he decided that he was going to call it a night. He was going to go hunting tomorrow, so he needed to gather all his energy to make sure he wouldn't miss his target on the day. So he shut his eyes away and drifted into unconsciousness.

The next morning, he woke up precisely at 7.30 am and gathered all his hunting tools. He had his rifle and his bullets with him. Although he didn't really need much because he had been doing this his whole life, he almost never missed a shot. He was patient enough to observe his target, and he calculated his next move meticulously. He put the rifle near his nose then he waited until he knew his shot would be hit exactly between the target's eyes. Then bam! Within a matter of seconds, it ceased to breathe. Then he put the lifeless creature into his sack.

The day was still young and he decided to repose and chugged down half of the water container. When he felt energized enough, he decided to hike a little farther into the outer parts of the woods. He packed up his rifle and his water container along with his deceased prey.

That's when he heard it. An earsplitting squeal. His senses were alert enough to measure the direction of where it came from. His pace was accelerated towards it. He didn't halt until he saw a tiny, cotton-knit wrapped figure, reclining on the muddy ground, bandaging what seemed to be her wounded thigh with a piece of ripped jeans.

He stood there behind a giant tree, leaning on his arm against it, and observed the sight before him. A young, beautiful girl who didn't look any older than 25, she looked in distress. Her hands were dirty of mud. She seemed unaware of her environs.

She kept mewling in pain, he didn't know how she got the wound, although he could put it in his head that with the phone that was lying next to her, the screen still on display, and next to her head was a very twinged branch, he could put the math together and theorized that she was too starstruck by the sceneries in this woods, just like any other local tourist would, that she didn't notice the poked out, nature-made shank.

But he was entranced by the sight before him. She was really pretty, the kind of beauty that makes you want to keep your eyes on nothing else but her. Like the constellation had aligned, burst into flames, landed on the Earth, and gave birth to a woman. It was divine and striking, in the most heartwarming way.

He wasn't standing too far away but it was enough to not alarm her. The benefit was that he could keep ogling as long as he wanted. About twenty minutes had passed and she finally decided to get on her feet. She picked up her phone and pat her hands together to brush off the remnants of the dirt that were still clinging to her palms. Her sweater was slightly tarnished but she didn't seem to bother stroking it off. She walked to the other direction. She was limping but she held herself straight.

She finally halted at the place where there was a tent, illuminated from the inside, and there was a car. He learned immediately that, that's where she was staying. The usual tourist spot. He didn't see anyone else with her. She seemed to be camping alone.

That was odd, usually, couples, a group of high school kids, or families camp together. He was always irked by those intruders who occupied the land. They luxuriated from nature, but how did they pay her in return? By littering the surface and leaving junk all over the site. They didn't even bother gathering them in one place so that it would be easier for the Foresters to pick them up.

Poor girl, he thought. She must be really lonely to go out here alone. People don't choose these woods to have 'alone' time. They usually choose the libraries or the Bahamas, if they want to go a little extravagant. This girl mustn't know a lot about camping too, from the way she set up her tent, it looks slightly rumpled, it could still keep her safe though, well not too safe, now that he's here. But at least she wouldn't be soaked if it rains.

Her car was parked right behind the tent, it was a simple pearl white Chevy Spark. She seemed to travel light. He couldn't see much through the tinted windows, but he had seen giant truck cars and jeeps that were overweight with travel bags more than necessary. He memorized all the details of the setting and made a fixed resolution on his mind.

He is doing some hunting tonight...

578 notes · View notes

infernwetrust · 4 years

Text

Easy To Fall [Xavier Plympton x Fem Reader] Pt 1.

PART 2

Summary: The one where you’ve just gotten out of a bad relationship and he’s just gotten out of a bad relationship. Fortunate enough he’s able to catch your eye one faithful night. What was suppose to be just a fling, turned out to be so much more.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of drug use, drug use, fluff, emotional, pre-smut, let me know if I missed one!

WC: 3.7k

A/N: This came to me in the spur of the moment one night lol. Part 1 of a 2 part series! Hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading! -Juno

It was suppose to be nothing more than a short fling you told yourself. He was suppose to just be the rebound and then he became so much more. Xavier Plympton. How the two of you ended up meeting regularly for brunches and movie nights were astonishing to you. You learned quickly too that he was also recovering from a break up. He let it slip out on accident at one of the brunches. And you soon learned that maybe you were suppose to be his rebound too.

But he was so damn persistent. He never stopped calling and he always popped up randomly, as if he knew where you were at all times, but it's LA, certain faces stand out and his was one of them. After the first time you two had sex and he demanded that you go out to brunch with him, he had you hooked. He was a total sweetheart despite his playboy charm. Behind all the cockiness, the attitude, and the drugs, Xavier was the easiest person to talk to. You haven't felt that close to anyone in a while.

Today was the day that he finally convinced you to come to one of his aerobics classes and even meet some of his friends. You watched as he moved flawlessly throughout the room, swaying his hips. He was so fucking cute. He glanced over at you, watching as you stumbled over your own two feet, trying to keep up with everyone else. He chuckled as he leaned against the mirror, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"Keep going, everyone!" he shouted as he made his way over to you. "Struggling to keep up, Ms. Y/L/N?" You gave him a sarcastic chuckle before you stopped completely, needing to catch your breath.

"You're cute." you began. "But you're also a fucking asshole, you know that?"

"Awww, babe. You're so sweet. If you want me to help you just say that."

"I'm gonna choke you."

"That sounds fun, but come on, lemme show you." He took a confident stance next to you, running his hands through his sweaty hair. "Just follow my lead okay? Don't be afraid to tell me to slow down." He winked at you after that last sentence, causing you to blush. He started to move and you jumped in where you felt comfortable, following his every step, not missing a single cue.

"Remember to breathe while you're moving as well." he added. "A lot of people don't remember to take breaths when they exercise and it makes you tired faster." You nodded at his advice. "Think you can keep up now for the rest of this first half? I'm gonna go coach one of my buddies real quick."

"First half?!" you asked confused.

"Yeah we've only been in here for like 20 minutes."

"Feels like a fucking hour. Wow I'm so tired, X."

"You'll get use to it, should you keep joining me."

"We'll talk at the end of class blondie. Go help your buddy."

"Here. I'll give you a partner." He shouted half way across the room for a girl named Montana who came running over.

"Whats up , X?" she questioned, slightly bouncing her body to keep on rhythm with the still playing music.

"This is, Y/N. She's a first timer. Mind keeping up with her for me." Montana's eyes widened at the name and a grin came across her face. Xavier must have been talking to his friends about you. "Y/N, this is one of close friends, Montana."

"Yeah, sure. I got you."

"Don't scare her away please. You're usually good at doing that."

"Fuck off, Xavier." He chuckled before looking between the two of you, giving a reassuring nod before swaying off to help someone else.

"So." Montana said, starting to move next to you. "You're the Y/N, Xavier can't stop talking about. He must really like you."

"I mean, I would hope so. We've been talking for like 6 months."

"6 months and I'm just now meeting you? Oh yeah, he definitely likes you. He's usually quick to show us a new girl he's talking to. Steady in competition with our other two friends, Chet and Ray." That almost made you feel special and you tried to hide your smile. "They're never going to give him the end of it when they find out. They've been questioning him like crazy and he's been making up all sorts of excuses."

"I'm sure it's nothing. It's like a friends with benefits thing. X and I are both good where we are. He hasn't show any interest in taking it any further and I'm sure he's talking to other people."

"Why so sure?"

"X came off as a huge playboy when I met him." you shrugged, pausing a moment to reset yourself. "I watched as he danced with any pretty girl he came into contact with that night in the club. He tried it with me, but of course I put up a fight, but he was so fucking persistent. I basically caved in and leaped into his arms. We made out the rest of the night and I found myself back at his place and you know, in his bed."

"Mhmmm." Montana chimed in to let you know that she was listening.

"I slept over and then the next morning he demanded that we have brunch together and we talked for a really long time. He never stopped calling, never stopped popping up by my place and we've just been talking ever since. We have sex every now and then, but I feel it's more of a friendship with benefits than anything."

"I don't know, Y/N. I haven't seen any other girl around, not even when we go out. He's usually drunk and dancing in a group with the guys. And he's been like that for about... 4 months. Adds up to me, yeah?" It did add up and that scared you. You glanced over at Xavier who was laughing extra hard with another man, almost the same height as him, but a lot more buffer. He gave him a playful punch in the shoulder before the two resumed dancing throughout the room. You assumed that was one of his other friends. You bit down on your bottom lip, squeezing your eyes shut, replaying some of the memories you've shared with Xavier.

"You seriously just eat chocolate ice-cream?" Xavier asked, his face full of disgust as he watched you devour your ice-cream cone.

"Yeah." you simply responded, not seeing the issue. "It's fucking delicious."

"It's horrible. You could have any flavor you want and you choose nasty chocolate."

"I sure did. It does not get any better than chocolate ice-cream. What's so nasty about it, huh? Tell me."

"It just taste like cold."

"No, that's vanilla."

"You take that back right now."

"Or what? What are you gonna do?"

When you went to take a another lick of your cone, he smashed it again your face, chuckling as he did.

"I'm... gonna kill you. Yep. I'm gonna kill you."

"I'd like to see you-," . Without warning, you grabbed his cone, taking it, and tried to smash it against the side of his face, but he was fast. He caught your hand, taking his cone back and instead smashing it against your face.

"Run." you said, jaw clenched.

"Or what."

"Run."

***

"Say it louder." Xavier moaned in your ear as he thrusted in and out of you. Your arms wrapped tightly around his neck as you sunk your teeth into his shoulder, barely hanging on to life as he made you feel so good. It didn't help that the two of you got out of the ass high before this started, your bodies basically floating. "Let the whole neighborhood hear you, baby."

"Mmm, fuck me daddy." you whimpered.

"Louder." he said, speeding up the pace. You repeated yourself, twice as loud, your nails now digging deep into his back, so deep that it drew a little blood.

"That's a good girl. God you're so fucking pretty." He leaned in for what was suppose to be a sloppy kiss, but what was instead a passionate one and the both of you held each other close, your hands running gently through his blonde hair.

***

"Are you sure this is something that you want to try, Y/N?" he asked as the two of you sat across from each other in the sand, a small fire lit, joint in his mouth. "Just because I'm doing it, doesn't mean you have to." He firmly gripped the bottle of molly that he had in his hand.

"I want to." you said, placing a hand on his thigh. "I want to go on an adventure with you. And what's the worse that can happen? We both die? At least we're here together right?"

"Die?!"

"I said the worse, Xavier."

"I know, I'm just messing. I know my sources." He passed you a pill and the both of you took them together. 45 minutes later you felt like you left the planet. You and Xavier ran around the beach, chasing in each other in almost absolute darkness, unless one of you ran by the small fire he created.

When he finally caught you, and he did with those long legs, he tackled you into the sand, laying on top of you, planting soft kisses on your face, lips, and neck. You pulled him in for yet another one of your heated kisses which soon turned into a night of pure bliss on the beach.

Overwhelmed by your thoughts, you stopped dancing abruptly, running out of the class and into the hallway. Xavier noticed almost immediately and gave a confused look with his hands up in the air at Montana as he ran out after you. She simply shrugged, not really knowing why you ran out either. You fell to the ground, knees first as you started to cry, unsure of what was going on and unsure of why you were feeling this way.

"Y/N?!" Xavier semi-shouted and he got down on the ground next to you. "What's wrong, babe? What did she say to you?! I knew I should of gave you Brooke as a partner instead."

"She didn't do anything." you answered between sobs. "I just... I just need a minute. Please.." He continued to look at you with worried eyes, placing his hand firmly on your shoulder, gently rubbing it with his thumb. "Please. I'm fine, I promise. I'll be back in there in a minute." He didn't leave before pressing his lips against your temple, giving you a kiss.

You took a few minutes to recollect yourself. Truth is, you had long fallen for Xavier 3 months into your 6 month talking stage, but you had felt like it was too soon. He was fresh out of a relationship and so were you, but he was so damaged. Even though you didn't have to, you put up with his change in mood every so often and his random bouts of wanting to still be in your presence, but in absolute silence.

You finished out class strong, Montana still your partner, fighting back your tears every time you made eye contact with Xavier. He would give you a small smile and you'd give him one return. Montana had awoken the flame you let lay dormant for 3 months too long, but you weren't sure if he felt the same way, regardless if Montana thought so. After class, you stayed behind with her, her introducing you to Brooke and pointing out the other two boys in the friend group who were pulling Xavier to the side to talk and you couldn't help but eavesdrop, tuning back into the conversation you were having with Brooke and Montana.

"So when is single Xavier coming out to play?" Chet asked. "He's been ignoring us for 6 months."

"Single Xavier never left the building." Xavier said, grinning. "He's just calm now."

"Bullshit." Ray said. "For like a solid month you went crazy. I've never seen you do so many drugs and fuck so many girls in the course of a month."

"So you want single Xavier, so that I can go on a another drug binge? I'm trying to heal guys, come on."

"Noooo. We want single Xavier to come and have fun with us tonight at the bar."

"Yeah." Chet chimed in. "That sounds more correct. You're a little bit too aggressive intoxicated on drugs anyways. But tell us, dude. Is that her?" Your breath hitched in your throat, knowing that all of their eyes were burning into your back. "And if it is, how come we've never heard about her?"

"I'm taking things slow with her, okay? And when I introduce you guys you have to promise me that you won't be so... so much, yeah?"

"Jesus Christ, he's pussy whipped."

"Here we fucking go." Xavier said, furrowing his eyebrows and running his hands across his face.

"Me? Aggressive?" Chet asked, playfully sizing Xavier up.

"Especially you, Chet."

"Yeah, well, fuck you. Still come to the bar with us, come on man, when's the last time it's just been us dudes?"

"I already made plans with Y/N for after here."

"What happened to bros before-," Ray began to question.

"Don't fucking go there, Ray. Look, tomorrow night fellas. I promise."

"You make too many promises, Plympton, but go ahead. Introduce us to your secret lover."

"She is not my-,"

"I ain't even trying to hear it." Ray said, taking his toothpick out of his mouth. "Lover boy. You always were a softy, X."

"I can fuck with and talk to whoever I want. Got it? I can call it quits whenever I want. Who says I'm not trying to prepare myself to find better? I don't care if we've been talking 6 months versus 2 years. I call the shots. If I wanna forget about her, I can forget about her, no problem."

"There's the beast. Chet said, grabbing Xavier by his shoulders and giving him a good shake.

"Still not going to the bar, though. I made plans and you know I'm a man that sticks to the plan." You could hear the other two guys sigh in frustration, but you were too wrapped up in your own sadness and frustration to even begin to want to say something. "You guys seemed a bit too riled up right now. I'll introduce you another time. It's getting late and I got to close up anyways."

"So you'll come with us?" Brooke asked, pulling you from listening to the boys conversation.

"I would." you said, honestly not even hearing what she asked. "But Xavier and I are suppose to be hanging out."

"Ooo." Montana said, raising her eyebrow.

"It's not special. Friday's are always reserved for movie night since we've started talking. He usually falls asleep half way through." Just before the girls could say anything, he made his way over to you.

"Ready to go?" he asked, giving you a warm smile before darting his eyes back and forth between Brooke and Montana.

"Yeah.." you answered, barely above a whisper, trying not to show your emotions about what he said. You weren't even suppose to be listening anyways, but all of that went straight out of the window the moment you two sat down in his VantaC.

"So what movie are we-," he began to ask, but you cut him off.

"I'm not just something you can throw away." you said flatly. He looked at you confused, scratching the back of his head.

"What?" he questioned. "Y/N, what are you talking about? No one is gonna throw you away?"

"You can talk to and fuck whoever, right? You can call it quits. You can find better." you repeated his words, your voice about to crack, but you stayed strong. "You don't care how long we've been talking because you can just forget about me right? Xavier, I thought we cared about each other?"

"You were listening to my conversation?"

"Of course that's the only thing you heard. You weren't exactly being quiet." He sighed, leaning back in his seat, rubbing his hands together.

"You really think I meant that? I mean, like seriously?"

"I don't know. You sounded pretty serious."

"Why do you always do this to me? We have a long good streak and then bam. It's always something."

"Because I put a lot on hold for you, Xavier."

"I didn't ask you to do that. I didn't ask you to change anything about your life for me. That was a choice you made."

"Yeah well maybe I shouldn't have made it..." you mumbled.

"Speak up." he said, hearing what you said.

"I didn't say anything, let's just go."

"You know, Y/N. My life has just been full of you. You you you you. No one else."

"Stop talking to me and drive."

"No I'm not gonna stop fucking talking to you and drive. We talk to each other, you know that. I'm tired of you trying to shut me up or shut me down every time we get into one of these stupid little arguments. You just have to always be right, yeah?"

"I'm gonna tune you out now." you said, going to turn up his radio, but he grabbed your wrist. "You better-,"

"Or what? Huh?" The anger Xavier let lay dormant for so long was filing starting to come back. Of course it wasn't towards you. It was his own personal hell cup that was filling over and you just happen to be at the end of it.

"Xavier please..." you whined. "You're hurting me." He softened up once he heard the desperation in your voice. Your wrist was red when he finally let go of you.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled. "Fuck.. I'm sorry."

"Let's just go please. Take me home."

"Y/N. I didn't mean any of what I said to Ray or to Chet."

"Then why'd you say it? What do you have to prove to them?"

"I was afraid."

"Afraid of what, Xavier?" He fell silent, not really sure of how to give you an answer. He was so so so damaged when you found him. And now all those memories came flooding back to him as he gripped the steering wheel hard in front of him.

"Afraid to lose control again, Y/N. I just got back control of my life. I don't want to go back to weak and depressive, Xavier."

"So you bring about asshole Xavier instead?"

"It was my only way of not appearing weak in front of my boys."

"You don't have to do anything for anyone, but yourself. We've talked about this so many times. You do not need to change for anyone, but you. You don't need to appear strong. It's okay to show emotions. It's okay to care about someone other than yourself. It's okay to have a soft side. It's okay to say no." you said. "But you know what's not okay? Hurting someone else in the process of building yourself back up."

"I wasn't trying to hurt you. I-, I-, I have feelings for you, okay? Happy? 3 months ago I learned that I had feelings for you, but I didn't know if you felt the same. I still don't know if you feel the same, so I said what I said to them to make myself feel better. I promise that I didn't mean it. I wouldn't ever throw you away. I don't want to talk to anyone else. I don't want to sleep with anyone else. I don't want to see anyone else. These past 6 months it's just been you, I swear." You fell silent, memories that you had with Xavier playing over in your head again and again and again.

"Y/N?" he called out when you didn't give him an answer. "Y/N please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry if what I said hurt you and I understand if you don't want to talk anymore after this, but please don't walk away hating me. I can't lose you. I can't lose anyone right now. Not again."

Why did he take so long to tell you? Why did you take so long to tell him? You were silent for most of the ride home, Xavier giving you the occasional side glance to make sure that you were still okay, but deep down inside he was a nervous wreck. He was afraid that he just ruined it all by confessing his feelings for you. He was growing to hate himself all over again the longer the two of you sat there in silence. When he pulled into your driveway, you allowed for him to walk you to your door as usual.

"Y/N." he said softly as you put your key in the door, opening it. "Please..."

As soon as you stepped foot in your home, you wasted no time pulling him in with you by his jacket, smashing his lips against yours in a kiss he couldn't wait to return. Naturally, as if were meant to be, which at this point the both of you knew it was, he lifted you off the ground, cupping your ass in his hands as you wrapped your legs around his waist. Too wrapped up in each other, you're pretty sure that a few things were broken on the way to the bedroom, but you didn't care. Those things were replaceable. He put you down, but only long enough for the clothes to come off, him immediately picking you back up.

He sat down in the edge of the bed, your legs still wrapped around his waist, resuming the kiss. He laid down and your hands found their way wrapped up his blonde hair as soft moans left the both of you. There were countless times you two had sex of course, but this felt different for the both of you.

"We should do this in the shower." you said, breathless against the side of his face, gently biting on his ear. "Easy clean up, don't you agree?"

"Y/N..." he said, just as much out of breath.

"Hmmm?"

"You make me so fucking happy."

Taglist: @jimmason @angelicmichael @whatcodysaid

#xavier plympton #xavier plympton imagine #cody fern #cody fern imagine #ahs #ahs 1984 #american horror story 1984 #american horror story #chet clancy #montana duke #brooke thompson #deron horton

92 notes · View notes

jungshook69 · 4 years

Text

Love is a myth :: 04 (Finale)

DISCLAIMER: This doesn’t represent the members’ actions or the army’s actions in any manner it’s pure fiction. This is an original work, do not copy. The taglist is open if you want. Taglist is now closed.

WORD COUNT: 4.8K words (it’s the finale y’all don’t look at me like that)

MAIN PAIRING: musician! Yoongi X waitress! female reader

SIDE PAIRING/S: Jungkook X female reader ; Taehyung X female reader

GENRE: FWB! au ; Strangers to lovers! au

WARNINGS: Implied smut (Forgive me cuz I suck at writing it, no puns intended) ; Mentions of alcohol and smoking (I do not condone smoking) ; Profanity ; Mentions of infidelity ; Heavy angst ; Self loathing (Namjoon’s about to wack me in the head with his slipper) ; I apologize in advance if there’s any spelling errors.

SUMMARY: "You covered your bare form with the silk sheets beneath you, as you watched him walk out your door without a word." // "Love is a myth. All that existed between you two was pure lust." // "The last rule was if anyone of the two of you caught feelings for the other, the deal would be off."

SERIES MASTERLIST: Trailer » Meet the cast » Chapter #1 » Chapter #2 » Chapter #3 » Chapter #4

STATUS: Complete

You were even more motivated than ever to get ready for that blind date. Your fight with Yoongi from 4 hours ago was still fresh in your mind. You needed to get your mind off of things, and this date provided the perfect escape. You looked down at your phone that flashed with a new message.

New message from ‘Michael “Jackie”-son’(2):

‘Dress in something fancy’

‘Address: XXX, 47th street’

After ripping through every dress in your closet, you finally settled on going for a sleek, deep wine-coloured, silk gown that hugged your curves, but also loosely flowed to your feet. A slit ran down your left thigh up to your ankles through which your black lingerie stocking was sticking out. Yes, you’d chosen black lingerie for the night. It was the one you felt most confident in. Your hair was pinned into a simple, elegant, low bun, some loose strands of hair framing your face. You wore a simple chain choker, some elegant bracelets, shiny black pumps, and tiny pearls on your ears. Your lips were tinted in a gorgeous wine-shade, and your eyes were lined with a black liner. You knew your bear arms would feel cold, but you felt confident in your looks for once. But sadly this much reminded you of how your mother would dress. You pushed all these thoughts aside and grabbed your clutch, before you could make a tardy first impression.

You stood before the building, drinking in the beauty of the exterior. You weren’t too surprised as you had worked at a 5-star restaurant for the majority of your life, but you were fairly nervous as you had never been on the receiving end of such ambience, ever since you had run away from your family’s wealth when you were 16.

You walked in and were immediately greeted, “Good evening ma’am, how may I help you?”

“Ummm… I have a reservation for two under the name Mr. Kim?”

“Okay, I’ll check that for you.”

You looked around and observed the luxurious decor of the place while the hostess went through the registry. She finally cleared her throat and spoke up, “Yes ma’am, Mr. Kim has been here for 2 minutes already, if you follow me, I shall take you to your seat.” She said smiling.

Your palms start sweating as you follow the hostess to your table. Why were you so nervous? Was it because he was rich? Was it because he’d treated you to such a fancy place just for a blind date? Was it because you were afraid to break it to him how you were only expecting to have a good time, and not a committed relationship?

Your brain most definitely started malfunctioning when you saw the hostess motion you towards a man sitting at what you presumed was your table. You took small strides as you made your way over to the intimidating man. He pulled back your chair for you and seated himself in front of you.

And when your friends said this man was devilishly handsome, they weren’t exaggerating. His skin was clear and almost glowing. He was dressed in a fitted black blazer and trousers to match, along with a classic white button down underneath. His eyes were deep and intriguing, making you want to sit and stare into them all day. His lips were perfectly curved and looked inviting. You noticed two cute moles, one below his lip, and the other below his nose. His hair was a gorgeous jet black and was gelled back. A single strand cascaded on his forehead making him look even more suave. His poise held confidence, his shoulders held high, which seemed intimidating enough to you.

“Good evening Miss. Y/N.”

You thought his looks had attacked you enough. But that wasn’t the end of it. It’s when he spoke that you melted. His voice made goosebumps travel down your spine. What had you gotten yourself into? There’s no way this man was going to give you just a night of fun! What was Jackie thinking?

“G-Good evening Mr. Kim.” You said trying to cope with his formalism.

“Can we drop the act?” he asks, your eyes widening in surprise.

“Pardon?”

“I meant I know I’m intimidating, but like this is a bit much isn’t it?”

“Wha… but you…”

“Jackie said, and I quote, ‘You got money right? Flaunt it!’.” He says smiling.

“Oh god.” You say trying to hold back a smile and failing.

“Sometimes I wonder how Mark tolerates her.” He says giggling.

“They do love each other a lot.” You say sighing.

“Hey ummm… Y/N?” he says.

“Yeah?”

“Wanna get out of here?” he asks, eyes shining.

You were sweating and panting as you held onto his shoulders.

“Taehyung, go slower, you’re killing me!” you yell out.

“Jeez what are you? 60?” he scoffs.

“Ayy you try walking in my heels!” you roll your eyes.

You were both currently walking up the stairs to an old skating rink that overlooked the entire city. Taehyung held a takeout bag with 2 simple diner style burgers in them, while his other hand was clasping yours, helping you get up the last flight of stairs. You finally reached the spot he told you about and gasped at the sight you saw. You could see the entire skyline from here and it was a gorgeous sight to enjoy while eating the perfect comfort food.

You both sat down and Taehyung handed you your dinner. “I much prefer these burgers than some expensive ass Pacific Bluefin tuna.” He says with a mouthful of food.

“I’m surprised at how humble you are.” You say sincerely.

“Yeah, the key is to never forget your roots.”

“Sometimes people need to forget their roots…” you whisper unconsciously.

“What?” he asks.

“Uhh… the burgers are delicious.”

“I know right? Mark doesn’t like them.”

“Well Mark can go jump off a cliff.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He said smiling wide, as you admire his beautiful smile.

“To be honest I never thought you’d be such a breath of fresh air when I first saw you.”

“I tend to leave such a first impression.”

“Umm… actually… I just wanted to clarify.” You say as you finish your burgers. “I don’t wanna lead you on. I’m not looking for anything serious.”

“Well you’re lucky, because I’m not either. I tend to travel a lot. And I tend to fool around here and there and not stay emotionally grounded with anyone.” He says shrugging.

“I hate commitment too. I just like to have a fun time.” You murmur.

“Want me to show you a fun time?” he asks smirking.

30 minutes later, you were back against the wall of your apartment, as your lips were engulfed by Taehyung’s. His tongue felt hot, clashing against the walls of your mouth, as you shamelessly moaned into the kiss. His blazer had long been discarded on your floor, and your hands were tangled in his soft black hair. His hands roamed on your body rather daringly. His hands travelled up the length of your leg, causing goosebumps across the skin of your exposed thigh. His long fingers gripped around the meat of your thighs before he lifted you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist and gripped onto his shoulders to balance yourself.

The kiss was sloppy and heated with none of you willing to stop for breath. His hands undid your hair and let your curls fall around your shoulders. His fingers thread through your long locks and he pulled on your hair, biting your lip as he broke the kiss. “You’re gorgeous.” He murmured shakily. You gave him a sly smirk and pulled his neck, connecting your lips again. He broke apart again, and stared into your eyes. His deep brown orbs were completely blown out, drowning in lust, and you were sure you matched it with the same darkness in your eyes. His voice was breathless as he said, “Why is the god damn zipper so tiny?”

You couldn’t help but giggle at his urgency. “What’re you laughing about?” he asks furrowing his eyebrows.

“It’s just you sound like those guys who struggle with a bra clasp and end up giving up in frustration.” You laugh out loud.

“Oh I’m not giving up. You best believe I’m getting that god damn dress off of you.” He says, his voice husky.

He turned you around and dropped you on your bed. He climbed over you, his leg landing between your thighs, his hands working on taking off your dress. He devoured your lips with an almost animalistic hunger when he’d finally exposed your lingerie to him.

Your chest was heaving as you stared up at the white ceiling fan. You had a déjà vu from about 2 weeks ago, from one of the many nights with Yoongi, where you had watched him leave after satisfying both your needs. You turned your head to see Taehyung’s angelic face next to you, as you catch his eyes already on you.

“Why’re you staring at me like that?” you ask smiling.

“I’ve slept with a lot of people ‘for fun’. But trust me when I say I’ve never wanted to stay back and cuddle as much as I do with you.” He says sighing.

“Don’t fall in love with me Kim.” You say rolling your eyes.

“It’s next to impossible, but I’ll try.” He says sarcastically, receiving a playful nudge from you in response.

“Pillow talk has never been part of my routine…” you speak out, sincerity lacing your tone.

“Me too…” he whispers and what he does next shocks you. He places his head on your chest, his face burying into the crook of your neck, and his arms wrap around your waist, sending shivers across your bare skin.

“W-What’re you doing?”

“Don’t think about it too much, just relax.” He huffs out, his breath running against your warm neck.

You relax under his touch and involuntarily find your hands wrapping around his head as you nuzzle him closer. You let out a shaky breath as this reminds you too much of your college boyfriend. “Do you have to leave tomorrow?” you ask in a daze.

“Sorry but yes… but I have a feeling I’m not gonna lose contact with you like I do with other people I sleep with…” he said smiling.

“Me too…” you say letting your tired eyes flutter shut.

You wake up to a different sound everyday it seems. Today you woke up to the sound of what sounded like empty plastic bottles falling. Your eyes met with Taehyung’s, who came stumbling out of the washroom. “Sorry if I woke you up, I accidently dropped the shampoo bottles on your counter.”

“No it’s okay.” You say smiling as you got up and put on your robe onto your naked form.

You watched Taehyung, as he was folding the sleeves of his white button down to his elbows. His hair cascaded over his forehead in a messy, but still intimidating manner. He looked up at you as he grabbed his coat. “Well I should get going, my driver’s downstairs.”

“Oh okay…” you murmur softly.

He walks up to you and lifts up your chin ever so lightly. You meet his warm smile and you instantly melt. He leans in and lands a soft kiss against your lips. “I left my number on a note on the night stand. Promise me, we’ll stay in touch.”

“Sure.” You say sighing, with a sad smile.

“Hey, I meant to be friends, not for just hooking up again…” he says chuckling lightly.

“Oh…” your eyes were wide.

“Well I have to go now, bye Y/N I had a great time…” he says walking away, his hand slipping from your hold.

You watched as he left your place, and you went to take a shower. Somehow this time when you heard the familiar click of the door, you didn’t feel hurt. Even though Taehyung was gone, you didn’t feel sad. Did it have anything to do with the affection he had shown you, besides the lustful sin you had committed?

Yoongi walked up the stairs of your building. His hair was a mess, his eyes were swollen from not getting enough sleep. He didn’t like the way he had yelled at you yesterday. He wasn’t in the right mind and he was just angered when you had told him that the memories he held dearest to his heart were a mistake. He finally reached your floor at 9 am in the morning, hoping he could resolve a few unspoken issues. Confrontation was always Yoongi’s go-to method.

But Yoongi stopped in his tracks when he saw a man with tussled dark hair close the door to your apartment. He could only assume the worst by the sight in front of him. The man passed by Yoongi, bowing out of courtesy on his way to the stairs. All his obsessive thoughts started coming back to him. Maybe you didn’t want to go back to being friends. Maybe you should stick to the deal you had made. The slight bit of confidence Yoongi had when he was making his way to meet you was wiped away as he turned on his heel and made his way towards the exit.

He needed some time. You needed some time. Alone.

The next whole week had gone by in a blur. Yoongi was procrastinating on whether or not to talk to you, ultimately deciding against it. You had continued to ignore Yoongi’s presence in your workplace the whole time. He didn’t walk you home every night since. You had also begun texting Taehyung from time to time, and you both had settled on being just friends, since you learned you both much enjoyed each other’s goofy side. Your life was in a constant loop, going to work, ignoring Yoongi, reaching home, and sleeping, only to repeat the same schedule every other day of the week.

But today was a bit different. It was a Saturday night, and tonight was important for you, and every other employee. Tonight, all the heads and managers of the other branches of this ambiguous chain of luxury restaurants, were here to dine. Along with the CEO of this chain. You knew you were a waitress, but you had assisted in cooking tons of times before. Tonight they had all the experienced heads, like you assist in cooking, while they assigned the newly trained rookies as hosts and hostesses. You were all told to be super attentive and to make your nerves worse, you were being supervised by your head chef and manager Kim Seokjin.

But the timing was completely wrong. Today your thoughts about your personal life were unnecessarily heightened. Seeing Yoongi working his fingers across the monochrome keys of the sleek black piano, he himself being dressed in an all-black suit and shirt tailored to be strained across his firm chest, was extremely distracting. You tossed the meat into the pan, aware of the powerful gaze of Seokjin standing in the corner of the kitchen.

You tried to vaporize the alcohol by doing a simple flambé. You had done it tons of times before. You tilted the pan so the fire could catch the alcohol and a flame could erupt in your pan. But your mind being lost elsewhere you were shocked when the flame came on, and failed to move out of the way in time, burning your exposed forearm in the process. You yelped in surprise and pain as Maya took the pan from you for relief.

“Chef, focus! This is no time to slack!” Seokjin’s voice rang through the loud kitchen.

You huffed in annoyance and took the pan back from Maya explaining to her you’re okay, and began tossing the meat, ignoring the searing pain in your arm and the mark that was beginning to darken. As soon as all the dishes were made, you were given a 5 minute breather, till you waited for new customers to arrive. You stood in the corner, your hands cupping the burn on your hand in pain. You looked up in surprise when you heard a slam on the table in front of you. You watched Seokjin walk away, as you looked down at the ice pack he had left for you on the table. You couldn’t help but land a small smile as you iced the burn on your arm.

It wasn’t 10 minutes later, and you were already pan frying zucchinis and slicing cherry tomatoes. Your break had barely lasted 2 minutes, before you had been called in to make a very important dish for the CEO’s family which had just arrived. “Move it! Move it! We don’t want to keep Mr. Kang waiting!” you heard Seokjin clap his palms together.

What didn’t help your sense of urgency and added to the pressure was Yoongi entering the kitchen, as he stood in the corner having a chat with Seokjin. You knew that they were close, but you never knew Yoongi was close enough to lay a hand on Seokjin’s shoulder like that. You immediately placed the dish onto the counter, your mind distracted by Yoongi’s presence.

Before you knew it there was a sharp call of your name leaving Seokjin’s lips. “CHEF Y/N?!”

You rushed towards the counter, scared out of your wits. You watched as Yoongi’s eyes met yours in a sense of panic. “Y-Yes Mr. Kim?”

“DID YOU DROWN THIS SALMON IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND PLACE IT ON THE CEO’S PLATE?”

“N-No sir��”

“IT’S SALTIER THAN THE BOTTOM OF THE PACIFIC! YOU KNOW WHAT COULD’VE HAPPENED IF WE SEND THIS PLATE OUT? YOUR HEAD IS NOT IN THE GAME CHEF! WE DON’T HAVE ROOM FOR AMATEURS IN THIS ESTABLISHED CHAIN!”

“I-I’m sorry sir…” you said trying not to let the humiliation get to you.

“You are one of my trusted employees so this is a warning, but if this happens again, I’m gonna have to let you go, you understand that chef?” Seokjin finally calms down and says.

“Y-Yes sir…” you feel everyone’s eyes on you.

“Retire for the night chef. You’re too distracted. We’ll fill in with someone else. You can leave.” Seokjin announces before leaving the kitchen. You take off your apron and before any of the others can ask you any questions, you stride out the back door. You sit down on your heels in the dark alley and hold your head and pull on your hair in frustration.

Damn you Min Yoongi.

Your cheeks stained with long gone tears, you held a cigarette up to your lips, as you tried to calm yourself down. You heard the door to the kitchen creak open.

“Don’t try to ask me if I’m okay Jackie because frankly I’m n—” you speak out without looking.

“The name’s Yoongi, Min Yoongi. Not Jackie.” A low voice echoes down the walls of the alley.

All you can do is let out a huff of frustration and crush your cigarette under your shoe. “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you… just wanted to check on you…”

“Since when do you care about my feelings?” you ask rhetorically, not expecting an answer.

“Since last month I suppose, since when we walked to your apartment that night.” His straight forward answer surprises you.

“What are we doing Yoongi?! What the hell is going on with us?!” you ask frustration lacing your tone. “We’re supposed to be fuck buddies. And we haven’t even had sex in 2 weeks! And before I know it, we’re sharing deep secrets with each other and talking to each other like we’ve known each other for years, and kissing each other like we’re in love—”

“Because I am in love.”

Yoongi stops your little rant and shocks you with his words. You weren’t expecting such a direct answer to leave his mouth. You stood up, brushing out your skirt and muttered softly. “W-What?”

“You heard me. I’m in love.” He enunciates.

“But why?” you ask, oblivious. “I’m damaged goods. I’m toxic. We both are in a toxic relationship.”

“But I’m willing to work to fix that.” Yoongi says with soft eyes. “I want to fix that gaping hole that the bastard left in your heart 6 years ago.”

“Listen I really like you too, but I don’t want to… hurt you…”

“You would never intentionally do that…”

“I-I’m not ready…”

“I’ll be here for you when you’re ready. This is new to me too! We can work through it together, please Y/N just trust me.”

You sigh loudly. Before you could think you grabbed his collar and landed a kiss on his lips. He stumbled, but eventually his arms snaked around your waist, holding you so tight, afraid to let you go. You broke the kiss and looked into his beautiful deep brown orbs. “You really wanna do this?”

“Yes.” He smiles and lands a small peck on your cheek.

You smack his chest playfully and say, “You’re creeping me out, what happened to the Yoongi who could never even give me a straight compliment?”

“Well I’m afraid someone changed him…” Yoongi says after thinking.

“Oh really? Who may that special someone be?” you smirk playfully.

“This woman at work. I’ve known her for 4 years, but never got around to talking to her until about 2 months ago.” He says chuckling.

“Wow what a coward.” You scoff.

“Well I don’t care, because I proudly simp for her now.” He says, his precious gummy smile making a rare appearance.

You tug his collar, and smile as you look into his eyes. You lean in painfully slow, your breath ghosting his lips, but never coming close enough to touch them. “Quit playing me like that.” Yoongi whines making you giggle.

“Well maybe I should—”

“Miss. Y/N— oh sorry, please meet me inside, I need to have a word with you chef.” Seokjin says from behind the door.

You immediately shove Yoongi away and walk back into the restaurant, your cheeks on fire. “Yes sir?” you say once you’re inside facing him.

“I’d expect you to be a bit more professional. I didn’t peg you as the type of person to have a romantic rendezvous behind your workplace, but go off I guess.” He sighs. “Well getting to the point, I just wanted to say that, please maintain your work ethic. Your professionalism is something I’ve always respected, and something that made you stand out in this field. And I’d love to keep you in this kitchen, so please focus on your job.”

“Yes sir.” You say softly, feeling a bit relieved.

“And… I apologize for over reacting a while ago. I was not in the right head space. It’s just the CEO never stops pestering me on the tiniest details, and I wanted to prove him wrong, and show him that I can run this place. So if he received an overly salted plate, he would hold that against me my whole life.”

“I understand sir. You don’t need to apologize. I’ll be sure to maintain my work ethic and never make a careless mistake like that again.” You say smiling.

“Great. Well have a good night chef.” He says before bowing in courtesy and exiting the empty kitchen. You noticed that all the dishes had been done, so you went back to grab your coat and exited the restaurant to your new life waiting for you in the dark alley.

You were pretty sure you made the cab driver uncomfortable, but it’s nothing he hadn’t seen before. You both had long forgotten the sweet kisses and passionate hugs you guys had given each other merely 30 minutes ago, when you confronted each other, and now you were busy devouring each other’s lips, your tongues twisted in a feverish make out session.

You stumbled into a familiar apartment, not yours, but in fact Yoongi’s. It had been 3 weeks since you’d last been here. You wasted absolutely no time as you both hurriedly discarded all your clothes onto the floor. Yoongi gripped your hip, with enough force to bruise it, as he lifted your form across the house and dropped you onto his bed. You drank in the familiar scent of Yoongi’s sheets around you, and the sight of a hovering Yoongi above you. His eyes mirrored yours, drowning in lust. His hair was disheveled and he looked at you with hunger. His lips landed on your neck, as you tilted your head the other way to make room for him to explore as much as he could. His hands ran along your sides as your hands raked his back. Your eyes fluttered shut, as you let out an uncontrollable moan, when you felt his teeth nip into the skin at your collarbone. You felt his warm tongue lick the mark he had made on you, as he continued his way down your torso.

“You sure you wanna do this?”

“Bitch, we’ve fucked 15 times before!” you laugh out loud.

“Jeez woman, I’m out here trying to make it romantic, and you just rail me like that?”

“Just shut up and do it. I need you right now.” You whine, which seems to turn him on.

Your eyes flutter open and you’re surprised that you aren’t woken up by any displeasing noises. The sunlight partially blocked by the semi see-through blinds, cast a dim light in the room. You found your head resting on Yoongi’s chest, a soft rhythmic breath leaving his chest, sounding like music to your ears. Your hand laid across his naked chest, while his hand was wrapped around you, his palm laying across your bare back. You yawned and suddenly flinched when you felt Yoongi’s lips on your forehead.

“Good morning.” He said, his voice raspy and gruff.

“Good morning.” You reply smiling.

“I’ve never wanted to wake up next to someone this badly…” he sighs.

“Why’re you so cheesy? What happened to Yoongi? Who are you?”

“I don’t know Y/N… but I’m open to change.” He says smiling, looking down to meet your eyes.

You chuckle in response. You watch as his fingers run across your hand which is laying on his chest. His fingers brush your knuckles and he looks as though he’s in deep thought. “Where’s your ring?” he asks unconsciously.

“I took it off last night. It’s on your night stand.” You say smiling.

“Oh… well I hate to break it to you, and I know it’s a Sunday, but I booked us a brunch reservation at a nice café down the street.”

“You really didn’t have to…”

“But I did. We’ve been sleeping with each other for 2 months, and I haven’t taken you out on a proper date, like ever!”

“Well food does sound like a good idea, I’m starving.”

“Well then get your tiny tushie outta bed.” He says playfully pinching your cheek, and jumping out of bed to freshen up.

After you both had showered and gotten your clothes on, you were wearing your heels by the door, when Yoongi walked out of his bedroom, “You forgot this!” he says handing you your silver ring. His curious eyes watched, as you took the ring from him, and slipped it into your purse instead of putting it on your finger. “Come on let’s go.” You said grabbing his hand, unaware of the wide smile your bare hand had brought onto Yoongi’s face.

Brunch was delicious. And so was the dinner date you had a week later. 2 weeks had gone by, smooth sailing for your new relationship. Your fingers remained naked, no ring in trace, in the entirety of the last 2 weeks. It was a cold Friday night, and you were now sitting at the piano bench, in an empty restaurant. You glanced over your shoulder to see Yoongi’s eyes, focused on the keys in front of him. For once in a long time you could truly say you were happy. Your life was blissful.

“Y/N…?” Yoongi says interrupting your thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Could you sing…?”

“Sure.” You said smiling, as you already knew which song he wanted you to sing. You cleared your throat as you begun the first verse of ‘My Heart Will Go On’.

There you both were, all alone, doing the things you loved, with the person you loved beside you, and you couldn’t have asked for more. No more did you feel lost. No more did you think of love as a myth. You had finally found someone to keep your heart safe, in this cruel world. And you couldn’t be happier, that your savior was Min Yoongi.

«Previous :: Masterlist

A/N: Y’all I still can’t believe I wrote a whole ass series. I’m usually one to write really long oneshots or two shots, but I decided to turn this into a chapter wise series. Anyways, I hope you guys really liked it, and stay tuned for more works from me, in the near future :)

Don’t forget to follow @jungshook69 for more content:) You can check out more works of mine here. Have a great day:)

TAGLIST: @kookieebangtan

28 notes · View notes