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slvt4felix · 10 months ago

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I Could Never Hate You (Part |||)

Pairing -> ninthmember!reader x Lee Minho WC -> ~2,700 words Includes -> Reader has anxiety, fluff, and maybe some angst due to the beef with Hyunjin Summary -> You prepare for the day trying not to let your nerves for the concert later take over. This should be easy with Minho by your side but the grudge is still being held strong between you and Hyunjin. They say time heals, but can time heal this? Author's note -> Hi everyone! Welcome to part three of this little mini series. I didn't expect for this to be even more than one part but now I'm thinking it's gonna be around 4 or 5 parts to completely finish it off. I was gonna try and make this the final part but I realized writing short chapters feels much less overwhelming to me so I decided to break it down a little bit. I hope you like it! Let me know your thoughts in the comments <3

♡ Masterlist // Previous // Next ♡

"You have got to be joking right now..." you mutter to yourself as you frantically look around the bathroom. You had completely forgot to bring clothes to get dressed in after you showered. Hyunjin left a while ago and after a few laughs with your new love, you had decided to actually get ready for the day, realizing you can't spend the whole morning alone with Minho, no matter how much you want to. There's too many things to do today.

So, you had left Minho to go take a shower without too much thought. Well obviously not much thought considering you forgot your clothes. You could easily slip your pajamas back on and go get your clothes, but they were dirty and you were clean. You hate having to wear dirty clothes after a morning shower. It was supposed to be the start to a fresh day. With a concert later tonight, you are already anxious enough as it is. The shower did help a little, but this situation, although a bit silly, is souring your mood a bit. On days like these, you just want everything to go right, so it can get frustrating when little things happen. You take a deep breath, not wanting to let your thoughts go any further.

'Hyunjin would understand' you think, saddened by the events of last night. Normally, he would be the first one you would go to when you got nervous

You sigh, annoyed with your thoughts, and grab the wrinkled sweatpants and t-shirt. It'll have to do. You guys just started dating the day before, you don't wanna scare the poor man away by immediately walking out nearly naked with just a towel to cover.

Just as you're about to slip the shirt back on, your nose wrinkled in disgust, you notice a piece of black cloth resting on the counter next to the sink. Your mood instantly shifts as an idea pops into your head.

You swiftly grab it from the sink, unfolding it so that it is no longer inside out, and just like you thought a familiar design appears on the front. It's one of Minho's favorite shirts. He must of left in here last night when he changed into his pajamas. You smile, admiring the stupid drawings on the front. They are just so fitting to Minho.

Without a second thought, you slip the shirt on, getting a whiff of Minho's cologne as it passes over your face. Looking in the mirror, you notice that it covers just enough to not be too scandalous, especially with your underwear on. Minho wasn't too much bigger than you, but the couple inch height difference and his wider frame made for the perfectly oversized shirt.

It was the perfect solution; you got to wear Minho's shirt, you didn't have to walk out in a towel, and you didn't have to put all your clothes back on from last night. And hopefully, Minho's reaction will be an added bonus.

You open the door and venture out into the room, immediately seeing Minho. He's now fully dressed since he took a shower the night before when you were busy having an argument. He's on his phone patiently waiting for you while sitting in the chair Hyunjin had vacated just about an hour earlier.

He looks up upon hearing the bathroom door open, and you make eye contact. As he does so, his soft brown hair falls in front of his eyes. He uses a hand to brush it away, lightly threading through his hair. You see his eyes widen a bit at your choice of outfit and you send him a shy smile back before walking softly over to your suitcase. You bend over, making sure everything is still covered, and grab the casual clothes you had planned for today. You always dressed as comfy as possible before you had to get into the extravagant outfits the stylists prepared for the concerts. They weren't too bothersome, but sometimes the tight clothes weren't your preferred choice for all the dancing that comes with going on stage. But hey, at least you looked hot.

You stand back up after gathering the soft cotton into your hands. You're a little surprised upon feeling arms wrap around your waist. You smile as the scent of Minho's cologne yet again fills your senses; It's one of the many things you love about him.

He pulls you closer so you’re pushed against his front, his head resting on your shoulder. Your heart starts to best faster and you realize just how comforting his hugs are. You could really get addicted to this fast.

"You look so beautiful," he says softly. His breath hits your neck, sending goosebumps down the rest of your body. He doesn't say anything, but you know he had to have noticed. You're glad he doesn't make a remark, but you know just how caring and observant Minho can be. You can't help but think he's already stored that bit of information away for another time.

"My hair's wet, and I'm not even dressed yet," you say with a giggle.

"I know, I just can't believe I missed out on this for so long," he says as his grip around you tightens slightly. You can practically feel him start to recall memories from the past few years, of the way he used to treat you. It's a wonder how this is the same man who was ignoring you just days ago. But you wouldn't trade it for the world, you would stay in his arms forever if you could. He's the same Minho you used to know all those years ago, before all the insecurities got between you two.

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door pulling the two of you out of your daydream.

"God, why can't they just leave us alone," he says, rolling his eyes. You just laugh at the remark, aware of just how much Minho really loves those guys. Sure, they can be annoying sometimes, but you grow to love it.

He brings his head off of your shoulder, pecking your cheek as he moves away. Heat floods your face, despite already having a more intimate kiss with Minho the night before. Your confident that no matter how long your relationship manages to last, his affect will never wear off. Minho is just the type of person you can't help but be in love with.

He shuffles away from you and you move to go back into the bathroom, excited to finally finish getting ready for the day. Minho opens the door, not thoroughly thinking through his actions, eager to get the conversation with whoever knocked over with.

You freeze in your spot halfway to the bathroom when you hear the hotel door open. You look up, seeing Chan on the other side just as you had expected. You're not too uncomfortable since practically all the boys have seen you in this state of dress before. After years of being in the same group, it's difficult not to walk in on each other. You don't mind too much anyway.

However, this may be one of the instances where a quick glance may be your downfall. Minho's shirt and no pants may be a bit too much for Chan to not question anything. Chan can be very scary when it comes to stuff that could affect the group as a whole, and a relationship could definitely do just that. Let's just say confessing to Chan was not one of your goals for the day.

"Hey Minho, we're having breakfast downstairs before we head out for the concert venue. So once you guys are ready just meet us down there," he tells your boyfriend. You can see a small smirk form on his lips as he says the last sentence. You know he's probably thinking about the plan the boys had formed last night to make you and Minho stay in the same room. If Chan was in on it, then everyone was in on it.

While waiting for Minho's response, Chan raises his head to see around him. You assume he's looking for you to ensure the other man will actually pass the news on. The two of you make eye contact, and it's unsurprising as you watch his eyes widen upon taking in your outfit. Your blush deepens, instantly ducking away into the bathroom, not wanting to be under his scrutiny any longer.

You finish getting ready, trying to block out the conversation from right outside the door. You honestly don't even want to know what Chan said after that whole fiasco.

When you go back into the main room, Chan is gone thankfully. He must of still had a few more of the boys to wake up.

Minho and you make your way downstairs to get breakfast together with the guys before it's time to head out for the busy day. Typically, hotel food isn't all that exciting for you. You much prefer to stop at a cafe or some other restaurant on the way, but today, waffles in the middle of a hotel lobby don't sound half bad.

On the way, you walk side by side, your heart skipping a beat whenever Minho looks your way. You glance down as he subtly touches his pinky to yours. You haven't had many relationships before, falling victim to the lack of romance related to the industry you’re in, so you can't help but wish to have the typical teenage romance you hear about in movies. You've dreamed of it for years and the fact that it's finally happening makes excitement bloom in your chest.

Minho takes the hint, clasping your hand in his, sending a smile your way. Emotion floods your body, making you feel as if you could take on the whole world with just his hand in yours.

When the two of you enter into the breakfast area, you subconsciously drop his hand, suddenly aware of how many people are around, fans and members alike. Felix looks up, noticing your presence and waves you over. There's two seats available, one at the end of the table next to Jeongin and the other next to Felix, which also happens to be directly across from Hyunjin, who all of a sudden looks a little too interested in his food.

Without a second thought you go to take a seat next to Jeongin, but Minho beats you to it. He flops down in the seat smiling cheekily.

'Asshole' you think, falling back into the habit of calling Minho names. He may not hate you anymore, but that doesn't diminish his love for annoying the absolute shit out of you. However, instead of making you roll your eyes in annoyance, it makes your hands twitch by your side, nerves flooding your body head to toe. You know it was his plan, but it really is not helpful at all right now.

Felix smiles up at you, yet if you take all the tension into account it could arguably be a grimace. He pulls the chair out, and you take a seat; your back is a little too straight and fingers are still picking at your cuticles. You don’t want to raise any questions, but sometimes you really can’t help your nervous habits.

There had been plenty of chatter when walking up to the table but it had stopped suddenly upon Felix waving you over. It hasn’t resumed since, and the looks your members are giving each other are not subtle in the slightest. It’s obvious they know something.

Just like you had thought, word must have gotten around fast. It’s just a question of who spilled the beans and what it is they all think they know. Is it about the fight with Hyunjin? The fact that you and Minho had slept in the same bed? Or perhaps it was because you were seen wearing his shirt this morning?

But who knows? Before you even have time to fully ponder the questions or for anyone to break the uncomfortable silence, there’s a loud noise gathering everyone’s attention.

Hyunjin had sent one final look of panic to Felix before abruptly pushing his chair back and storming out. Everyone looked up in shock and suddenly it’s very clear that they were not aware of the fight. How are you gonna be able to explain this one? You don't even understand what happened. I mean sure, Hyunjin and you had fought and you didn't make up yet so it was uncomfortable, but you don't know why he would feel the need to make a scene like that. You guys had interacted just fine this morning. Maybe he was just uncomfortable with the idea of having to pretend everything was fine. You aren't exactly hiding the fact that you aren't happy with him right now. Due to basically being two peas in a pod, Hyunjin can usually read you like a book.

You glance over at Felix in hopes that he knows what that was all about. It's not much help when all he sends back is a shrug and an apologetic smile.

Unsurprisingly, there were few words spoken after this; the majority of the silence only being filled with concerned looks.

So breakfast was a bit awkward to say the least...

Unfortunately, that is extremely worrisome considering the schedule for the rest of the day. You guys don't have time for awkwardness and unsettled fights. Yet, you also don't have time to resolve anything. A never ending cycle of tension, how exciting. It's one of the not so fun parts of being an idol; the fakeness of everything. You just have to hope your groups acting is going to be on point enough today to not draw any attention. Fans were nitpicky and it was always best to avoid as many rumors as possible. With how close you and Hyunjin are, there's bound to be questions if you don't act all buddy buddy like you usually do.

The group takes two separate cars to the venue, and you can't help but notice the members are a little different than normal. More specifically, Minho has taken the seat next to you which is typically occupied by Hyunjin. In fact, Hyunjin isn't even in the car anymore.

This isn't the first time the cars were specifically divided out. Years ago, they had to switch which car Minho was in to keep the chaos under control. Previously, Minho had been in the same car as you, but once tensions started running high between the two of you, he had immediately been switched in hopes to keep the peace. It seems that was exactly the goal of today. God, you need to stop making so many issues within the group.

It seems that as the day progresses things are just getting more stressful. Hyunjin is avoiding you, and you can't help but feel as if you're messing up the group's dynamics. Suddenly, you're reminded of the awkward encounter with Chan this morning. If he figures out everything that has happened, is he going to be frustrated with you? Maybe you just never really fit in the group to begin with.

With every mile closer to the venue, you feel like you're approaching your doom. This is not the right mental state to go on stage, but that wasn't exactly an option, now was it?

So for now, you simply grip Minho's hand tighter, hoping to quell the growing anxiety inside you. You just have to make it through the concert and then you can resolve all the issues happening.

But it's never that easy is it?

Taglist: @armystay89 @thisisnotjacinta @silentreadersthings @seungminsapuppy @linos-kitten @hafrenstay @redstayrosie

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bloodreinasbathwater · 5 months ago

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It's Always Been You

Part 5

Jack Hughes X F!Reader (Childhood Best friend)

a.n: Don't beat me up guys. I know this damn chapter took forever but fr I didn't know where to take this chapter, I was going to start with a flashback, so it wasn't boring but even that was boring. so after the long-awaited hiatus here is the next chapter!!!

Warnings: anxiety, kissing, eventual smut (part 6), arguments, unrequited love, ignore the mentions of summer I was to lazy to remove them lol.

Word Count - 4,163

Summary : When do you finally accept that it's time to move on? When do you finally admit that everything you fought so hard to forget is exactly what you're meant to remember for the rest of your life? How long can he pretend that it hasn't always been you?

Jacks masterlist

The Michigan sun streamed through the gauzy curtains of the guest room, the faint light of the morning sun illuminated her features, showcasing her furrowed brow and pensive eyes as she stirred awake.

For a blissful moment, she forgot where she was—and why her heart felt so heavy. Then reality crashed over her like a wave, and she remembered: Jack's family home, the ill-fated confession, and the potential love that she left back in Jersey.

Y/N sat up, running her fingers through her tangled hair, which was tousled from sleep. The distant laughter from downstairs was like music to her ears, a sound that she had grown to love —Jack's chuckle unmistakable even from afar. Her heart clenched. How was she supposed to act normal when every fiber of her being ached to be near him?

Her eyes darted towards her phone, resting on the soft sheets next to her. The glowing screen illuminated a new message and a missed call from Liam, causing her heart to flutter with anticipation and guilt. Ignoring it, she tossed the phone aside and decided to get up and get dressed.

She dressed slowly, each movement deliberate as she tried to delay the inevitable. The soft cotton of her favorite t-shirt offered little comfort as she pulled it over her head. It smelled faintly of home, of simpler times when loving Jack from afar seemed enough.

Hesitantly, Y/N made her way down the worn staircase, each creak of the wood echoing in her ears. Her heart raced as she prepared to face him, unsure of what the outcome would be. The aroma of coffee and bacon guided her to the kitchen, where Jack stood at the stove, spatula in hand.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he greeted, his voice carrying a hint of playful teasing. "Thought you might sleep through the whole trip," he added, his tone lighthearted yet genuine. He flashed that crooked smile that never failed to make her knees weak.

Y/N forced a laugh, hoping it sounded genuine. "And miss out on your world-famous pancakes? Never."

She slid onto a stool at the kitchen island, acutely aware of the distance between them—both physical and emotional. Jack moved around the kitchen with easy grace, and Y/N found herself tracking his every movement. The flex of his forearms as he flipped a pancake, the way his t-shirt stretched across his shoulders when he reached for a plate.

"Earth to Y/N," Jack's voice cut through her reverie. She blinked and looked up to see him staring at her with a mixture of amusement and concern, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She realized with a start that he must have asked her a question while she was lost in her own world.

"Sorry, what?" she mumbled, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

"I asked if you wanted blueberries in your pancakes. You okay? You seem a million miles away."

If only he knew how present she was—how every cell in her body seemed attuned to his presence. "I'm fine," she lied smoothly. "Just a little tired. And yes to blueberries, please."

As Jack turned back to the stove, Y/N caught a flicker of something in his eyes. Was it longing? Regret? Or just her imagination playing cruel tricks? She pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the plate he set before her.

They ate in companionable silence, but Y/N was hyperaware of every accidental brush of their hands, every shared glance. The pancakes tasted like sawdust in her mouth as she struggled to maintain the facade of normalcy.

"So," Jack said, breaking the silence, "we were thinking of taking the boat out today. Weather's perfect for it, just a little chilly."

Y/N's stomach dropped. The thought of being trapped on a small boat with Jack, pretending everything was fine, seemed unbearable. "Oh, um, actually..." she started, scrambling for an excuse.

Jack's smile was encouraging, but Y/N could see a flicker of disappointment in his eyes at her hesitant response. Just then, Luke appeared in the doorway, hair tousled from sleep.

"Morning, everyone," he said, his smile bright as he made his way to Y/N. He dropped a kiss on her cheek, and she saw Jack's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly.

"Luke," Y/N said, an idea forming. "Jack was just telling me about going out on the boat. What do you think about staying behind with me instead? I'm not really feeling up to it, and I'd love to explore the yard a bit."

She saw a flicker of something cross Jack's face before he masked it with a nonchalant shrug. "Sure, if that's what you want. Daphne and I can take my parents out."

The mention of Daphne sent a fresh wave of pain through Y/N's chest, a sharp ache that tightened her throat. Her eyes flickered with a hint of hurt before she quickly masked it.

She forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes, which darted away to avoid revealing too much. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. "Sounds great," she managed to say, her voice strained. "You guys have fun."

…

As they finished breakfast and plans were made for the day, Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that she was standing on the edge of a precipice. Every interaction with Jack felt charged, laden with unspoken words and suppressed emotions.

She watched him as he cleaned up the kitchen, his movements efficient and familiar. How many mornings had they spent like this, comfortable in each other's presence? Now, every moment felt like a bittersweet reminder of what she couldn't have.

When Jack's hand accidentally brushed hers as he reached for her empty plate, Y/N felt a jolt of electricity run through her. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world fell away. There was something in Jack's gaze—a softness, a question—that made her breath catch.

But then Luke's arm snaked around her waist, breaking the spell. "Ready to go for that walk?" he asked, oblivious to the tension in the room.

Y/N nodded, tearing her eyes away from Jack. As she let Luke lead her outside, she couldn't help but glance back. Jack stood in the doorway, watching them go, an unreadable expression on his face.

The air was thick with the scent of pine and possibilities as Y/N stepped onto the porch. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head of thoughts of Jack. But even as she walked away, she could feel the invisible thread that connected them, pulling taut with every step.

The afternoon sun hung high in the cloudless Michigan sky, its warmth a stark contrast to the chill that had settled in Y/N's chest. She stood on the weathered dock, watching as Jack's family bustled around, preparing for their boat outing. The gentle lapping of water against the shore provided a soothing backdrop to the chaos but did little to calm her racing thoughts.

Jack emerged from the boathouse, his chestnut hair pushed back carelessly, revealing the strong angles of his face. The pale blue shirt he wore clung to his athletic frame, bringing out the cerulean depths of his eyes - eyes that seemed to seek Y/N's gaze with an intensity that made her breath catch.

She found herself drinking in the sight of him, memorizing every detail as if it might be the last time she'd see him like this: carefree, relaxed, and heartbreakingly handsome.

As Jack approached, carrying a cooler, Y/N caught a whiff of his cologne - a woodsy scent that reminded her of countless shared adventures and unspoken longings. She fought the urge to close her eyes and lose herself in the familiar aroma.

"Sure you don't want to join us?" Jack asked, his voice low and tinged with something Y/N couldn't quite place. Was it hope? Regret?

Before she could respond, a melodious laugh cut through the air. Daphne sauntered down the dock, her presence as imposing as it was graceful.

She was the epitome of old money elegance, from her designer dress to her oversized sunglasses. Her honey-blonde hair fell in big, bouncy curls reminiscent of a 1970s fashion icon, framing a face that belonged on magazine covers.

"Oh, Jack!" Daphne called out, her voice saccharine sweet. "Don't forget the picnic basket I prepared. Remember how we used to love our little sunset dinners on the lake?"

Y/N felt her stomach twist, the image of Jack and Daphne sharing romantic moments on the boat searing itself into her mind. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as she fought to maintain her composure.

Jack's eyes flickered between Y/N and Daphne, a conflicted expression clouding his features. "Right," he muttered, "I'll grab it."

As he turned to head back to the house, Y/N couldn't help but notice the way his gaze lingered on her, a silent plea in his eyes that she couldn't decipher. The moment stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words and suppressed emotions.

Daphne, not oblivious to the tension, sidled up to Jack, placing a perfectly manicured hand on his arm. "We should recreate one of our romantic sunset cruises," she purred, loud enough for Y/N to hear. "For old times' sake."

The suggestion hung in the air like a challenge. Y/N felt a surge of emotions - jealousy, hurt, and an overwhelming desire to stake her claim. Before she could stop herself, words tumbled from her lips, sharp and biting.

"I'm sure Jack's made plenty of new memories since then," Y/N said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "No need to dwell on the past, right?"

The dock fell silent, the only sound the gentle creaking of the boat against its moorings. Jack's head snapped up, his eyes wide as they met Y/N's, there was surprise there.

Daphne's smile faltered for a moment before she recovered, tightening her grip on Jack's arm. "Of course," she replied, her tone icy. "Though some memories are worth revisiting, wouldn't you agree, Jack?"

Jack stood frozen between the two women, the conflict evident on his face. His eyes darted between Y/N and Daphne, as if he were trying to solve an impossible equation. "I, uh..." he stammered, clearly at a loss for words.

A thick atmosphere of unease hung in the air, causing Jack's family to glance curiously at Y/N as they loaded the boat. She could feel their questioning stares, as if they could see the unspoken connection between her and Jack that she was trying to ignore. It seemed like everyone knew something that they didn't, except for the two of them.

Luke appeared at Y/N's side, sliding a lanky arm around her shoulders. "Everything okay here?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Y/N leaned into him, grateful for the support even as her heart ached for Jack. "Everything's fine," she replied, forcing a smile. "Just wishing everyone a good trip."

As the two began to board the boat, Y/N couldn't help but notice the way Jack's eyes kept finding her, even as Daphne chatted animatedly at his side. There was a longing in his gaze that mirrored the ache in her own chest, a silent communication that spoke volumes.

Daphne, sensing the shift in Jack's attention, redoubled her efforts. She laughed louder, touched him more frequently, her actions screaming of desperation and possessiveness. It was clear she felt threatened, her carefully crafted plans unraveling in the face of the unspoken connection between Jack and Y/N.

As the boat pulled away from the dock, Y/N stood with Luke and his parents, watching it disappear into the distance. The sun glinted off the water, momentarily blinding her. When she blinked away the spots in her vision, she could have sworn she saw Jack standing at the back of the boat, still looking in her direction.

"You okay?" Luke asked, giving her a gentle squeeze.

Y/N nodded, not trusting her voice. How could she explain the tumult of emotions raging inside her? The love, the longing, the frustration, and the glimmer of hope that refused to be extinguished?

she turned to walk back to the house with Luke, Y/N couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. And as much as it terrified her, a part of her welcomed it. Because pretending not to be in love with Jack was becoming harder with each passing moment.

The sun had begun its descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. Y/N and Luke sat on the porch swing, the gentle creaking of its chains providing a soothing rhythm to their conversation.

Despite the picturesque setting, Y/N couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her stomach since the boat departed. Luke watched her, his brow furrowed with concern. He nudged her gently with his elbow. "Hey, space cadet. Where'd you go?"

Y/N blinked, forcing a smile. "Sorry, just... thinking."

"About Jack?" Luke asked, his tone free of judgment.

She sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. This was what she loved about Luke - his ability to read her, to understand without pushing. "Am I that obvious?"

Luke chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Only to someone who knows you as well as I do, sis."

The term of endearment brought a genuine smile to Y/N's face. Though they'd been dating for a short while, their relationship had always felt more familial than romantic. Luke was the brother she never had, a safe harbor in the storm of her feelings for Jack.

"Want to talk about it?" Luke offered, his arm coming around her shoulders in a comforting squeeze.

Y/N shook her head. "Not really. Distract me instead?"

Luke was quiet for a moment, then sat up straighter, causing Y/N to lift her head from his shoulder. "Actually," he said, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice, "I've got some news that might do the trick."

Y/N turned to face him, curiosity piqued by the gleam in his eye. "Oh yeah? What's up?"

Luke took a deep breath, barely containing his grin. "So, you know how I've been waiting to hear back about the draft?"

Y/N nodded, her heart beginning to race with anticipation. "Did you...?"

"I got drafted!" Luke exclaimed, his face breaking into a wide smile. "I'm moving to Jersey after the summer. I'll be playing for the same team!"

For a moment, Y/N sat in stunned silence, processing the information. Then, as the reality of Luke's words sank in, her eyes widened. "Are you serious?" she asked, her voice rising with excitement.

Luke nodded, his grin growing impossibly wider. "Dead serious. Got the call yesterday, but I wanted to tell you in person."

"Oh my god, Luke!" Y/N squealed, launching herself into his arms. The porch swing swayed dangerously with their movement, but neither of them cared. "I can't believe it! This is amazing!"

Luke laughed, wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. "Believe it, sis. Your boy's going pro!"

Y/N pulled back, holding Luke at arm's length to look at him properly. His face was alight with joy, and she felt a surge of pride and affection for him. "I'm so proud of you," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "You've worked so hard for this."

Luke's expression softened, and he tucked a strand of hair behind Y/N's ear in a brotherly gesture. "Couldn't have done it without my number one cheerleader," he said with a wink.

Y/N punched his arm playfully. "Oh please, as if you need any more ego boosting."

They fell into comfortable laughter, the kind that comes from years of shared jokes and mutual understanding. As their mirth subsided, Y/N found herself marveling at the easy camaraderie between them. Luke had been her rock, her confidant, through all the ups and downs of her unrequited love for Jack. And now, he was embarking on this new adventure.

"So, Jersey huh?" Y/N mused, settling back into the swing. "That's not too far. I expect free tickets to all the games."

Luke grinned, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "You got it. VIP treatment for my favorite girl."

Y/N leaned into him, feeling a mix of excitement for Luke and a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving him behind for the next couple months. "I'm going to miss you, how am I supposed to deal with Jack all alone until fall?" she admitted softly.

Luke squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, none of that. Summers gonna pass in the blink of an eye. Plus, think of all the headaches I’m gonna cause when I move in."

Y/N rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress her smile. "Always looking out for me, aren't you?"

"Someone's got to," Luke replied, his tone light but carrying an undercurrent of sincerity. "Especially with all this Jack drama."

Y/N tensed slightly at the mention of Jack, but Luke quickly steered the conversation back to his draft news, regaling her with details of the call and his future teammates. As they talked and laughed, the sun dipping lower on the horizon, Y/N felt some of the day's tension melt away.

…

The boat glided smoothly across the lake's surface, leaving a trail of ripples in its wake. Jack sat at the stern, his eyes fixed on the shrinking shoreline where he'd last seen Y/N. The fading sunlight caught the pale blue of his shirt, making his eyes appear even more vivid than usual.

Daphne sauntered over, her hips swaying with exaggerated grace. She held two glasses of champagne, bubbles fizzing merrily against the crystal. "Here you go, Jackie," she cooed, using the pet name that had once made his heart race but now only made him cringe inwardly.

"Thanks," Jack mumbled, accepting the glass without enthusiasm.

Undeterred by his lackluster response, Daphne settled herself next to him, pressing her leg against his in a way that was clearly meant to be alluring. "Remember our first boat trip together?" she asked, her voice dripping with nostalgia. "We watched the sunset right here."

Jack shifted uncomfortably, trying to put some distance between them without being overtly rude. "Yeah, I remember," he said noncommittally.

Daphne leaned in closer, the overpowering scent of her perfume suffocating him with its sickly sweetness. "We could recreate it, you know," she whispered, her breath hot against his ear. "For old times' sake."

Jack felt a twinge of something - nostalgia, perhaps, or the ghost of old feelings - and for a moment, he almost considered it. Daphne was familiar, safe in a way. She represented a simpler time, before these confusing feelings for Y/N had taken root.

But as he turned to respond, his eyes caught sight of the house in the distance. Even from here, he could make out two figures on the porch - Y/N and Luke, their heads close together in conversation. The sight sent a jolt through him, clearing away any lingering thoughts of rekindling things with Daphne.

Jack shook his head, gently but firmly removing Daphne's hand from his arm. "I'm sorry, Daph," he said, his voice soft but resolute. "But that's not going to happen again."

Daphne's perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But why not? We were so good together, Jackie. We could be again."

Jack took a deep breath, surprised by the relief he felt at finally voicing what he'd been feeling. "Because... I think I have feelings for Y/N."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Jack himself seemed surprised by his admission, as if hearing it out loud had solidified something he'd only half-acknowledged to himself.

"Feelings I don't quite understand yet," he continued, more to himself than to Daphne. "But they're there, and they're real."

Daphne's expression cycled rapidly through surprise, hurt, and finally settled on a mix of resignation and irritation. She plopped down next to him with a dramatic sigh, all pretense of seduction gone. "God, Jack," she said, rolling her eyes. "I could have told you that."

Jack blinked, startled. "What? How?"

Daphne took a long sip of her champagne before answering. "The night I came to see you after your game? The way you talked about her, the look in your eyes... It was obvious to anyone paying attention."

Jack sat in stunned silence, processing this revelation. Had his feelings been that transparent? And if so, how had he missed them for so long?

As the boat continued its lazy path across the lake, Jack found his gaze drawn once again to the distant shore, to the house where Y/N waited. For the first time, he allowed himself to fully acknowledge the depth of his feelings for her, and the enormity of what that might mean.

…

Dark clouds rolled in from the horizon, their ominous rumble a stark contrast to the earlier calm. Jack guided the boat back to the dock, his knuckles white on the wheel as he fought against the choppy waters. The first drops of rain began to fall, creating tiny ripples across the lake's surface.

As they approached the dock, a crack of thunder split the air. Jack quickly secured the boat, then extended a hand to help Daphne disembark. She took it without a word, her earlier flirtatiousness replaced by a cold silence. As soon as her feet touched the wooden planks, she brushed past Jack, heading towards the house without a backward glance.

Jack stood for a moment, letting the light drizzle soak through his pale blue shirt. His eyes scanned the porch, searching for Y/N, but she was nowhere to be seen. A memory flickered in his mind - of a young Y/N, hair in pigtails, running to hide in the garden whenever she was upset.

Following an instinct he didn't quite understand, Jack made his way towards the old garden. The rain was falling harder now, plastering his hair to his forehead and blurring his vision. But he pressed on, drawn by an invisible thread.

As he rounded the corner, he saw her. Y/N stood by the fishpond, her back to him, seemingly oblivious to the rain soaking through her clothes. The sight of her, vulnerable and alone, made Jack's heart clench.

"Y/N?" he called out softly, not wanting to startle her.

She turned slowly, her eyes widening as she saw him. "Jack? What are you doing here?"

He took a step closer, raindrops clinging to his eyelashes. "I was looking for you. I thought... I thought we could talk."

Y/N shook her head, a pained expression crossing her face. "I can't, Jack. I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"This!" she exclaimed, gesturing between them. "Pretending everything's normal when it's not. I can't be around you and act like my heart isn't breaking every single time."

Jack felt as if the ground had shifted beneath his feet. "Y/N, I-"

But she cut him off, words pouring out of her like a dam bursting. "How long, Jack? How long can you pretend that it hasn't always been me? By your side, helping you through everything, loving you for who you are?"

The rain fell harder, mirroring the intensity of Y/N's emotions. Jack stood frozen, the weight of her words washing over him.

"I've been there through everything," Y/N continued, her voice cracking. "Your first game, your injuries, your breakups. I've loved you through it all, Jack. And I can't pretend anymore that it doesn't kill me to see you with someone else, to know that you don't feel the same way."

Thunder rumbled overhead, punctuating her words. Jack took a step forward, reaching out to her. "Y/N, please-"

But before he could finish, a brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the garden, followed immediately by a deafening crack of thunder. Y/N jumped, instinctively moving closer to Jack. For a moment, they stood there, inches apart, rain streaming down their faces. Jack could see the pain in Y/N's eyes, the vulnerability, and something in him finally clicked into place.

"You're right," he said softly, his voice barely audible over the storm.

Y/N blinked, confusion replacing the hurt in her eyes. "What?"

Jack reached out, gently cupping her face in his hands. "You're right. It's always been you, Y/N. I've just been too blind to see it."

The world seemed to hold its breath as they stood there, the rain falling around them, the air electric with more than just the storm. Jack leaned in, his intention clear, but before their lips could meet, a voice called out from the house.

"Y/N? Jack? Where are you guys? It's pouring out here!"

The spell broken, Y/N and Jack stepped apart, both breathing heavily. They stared at each other, a thousand unspoken words passing between them.

"We should go in," Y/N said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. Jack nodded, unable to trust his voice. As they walked back to the house, side by side but not touching, the air between them crackled with possibility and unresolved tension.

...

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fictionalgap · 1 year ago

Text

Roommate: Too Quiet (not really) (chapter 5 - final chapter)

Pairing: Hazel Callahan x Reader

Summary: You thought you were both quiet.

Warnings: 18+ themes, swearing

Other Chapters: Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 , Chapter 4

Song Recommendation: Love to Keep Me Warm - dodie

You and Hazel kissed a lot after having sex. It was slow, sensual and devouring.

"I wished you'd kissed me sooner." she breathed down your neck. You could feel her smile on your skin.

You chuckled and bit your lip as you avertes your gaze. "I was afraid."

"Of what?" her brow raised as she questioned.

"Losing you." you blinked.

"Why would you lose me?" she whispered quickly, eager to know.

"I don't know. Maybe you wouldn't feel the same way and you would be bothered by me being around you. Knowing that I have these feelings for you."

She took your hand and kissed your palm as she was keeping eye contact. "I told you. I could never be bothered by you." She was rubbing your hand gently.

"Y/n, I really really like you. In a non friendly way." she smiled and you grinned as you put your head on her chest.

"I really really like you, too Hazel." you raised your head to look into her eyes again.

"Well, then." Her dimples appeared as she put a joyful smile on her face and she grabbed your hand. She locked both of your hands. Such a simple action felt so good.

You moved your face closer to her face and rubbed your nose with hers. She smiled as she joined you. You were kissing again. Her hand was on your cheek.

She stopped all of a sudden. "Wait, you said you were afraid of losing me… I thought I was being obvious."

"Uhhm, my bad. I thought that was your casual kindness and caring."

"I mean, yes I care but I don't spoon feed Josie and PJ. " she grinned as she put her head on your shoulder. You laughed with her.

"I hate that It's going to be morning and, this will end." you said with a low voice.

"End? What do you mean?" she looked at you with worried eyes.

"I mean staying in bed, in silence and in peace, with you."

"God… I thought you changed your mind."

"Hazel! I've just said I really really like you. Didn't I?"

She averted her gaze and she sighed.

"You did but when you say it like that-. Nevermind." she shook her head.

"Hazel, I've always liked you. From the first moment I saw you there was something and that just get bigger and bigger by knowing you. It's the only thing I'm sure of in my whole life."

She smiled softly as her eyes watered.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really." You started in her eyes intensely.

She pulled you closer in her embrace and you hugged her tighter. You really could stay here forever.

Until you had to pee...

"So, does that mean we are girlfriends now?" she asked, eagerness apparent in her voice.

You pulled yourself from her to look at her. "Yes." you confirmed.

Her smile only get wider. You tired to held your mouth to hide your laugh.

You heard Josie's voice. "PJ, do you know where Y/N is? "

"She's probably in her room."

"She's not. "

"Maybe she's taking a piss Josie! "

"I've just got out of bathroom. "

"Oh my god. Maybe she went outside!" PJ groaned as she rolled her eyes.

"Her phone is on the kitchen table!" Josie felt weird about the situation. She knew something was off.

You and Hazel looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

" That's so strange you know she never leaves her phone. Maybe Hazel knows..." the door was knocked three times. "Hazel?" Josie's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Wardrobe." She whispered to you before you looked at each other's eyes in hurry.

You run into Hazel's wardrobe quickly as she cleared her throat.

"Come in." Hazel shoutes from bed.

Josie stops in the doorframe. "Morning. So, do you know where Y/N is? I saw her phone on the counter but she is not at home? " She raised her brow.

Hazel tried to act as she didn't know. "I- I don't know. Maybe she went to the supermarket. T-to get milk?"

"Oh, yeah... " Josie nodded and Hazel exhaled as she was relieved.

Josie was about to close the door but she stopped. She stood in the doorframe again and looked at Hazel.

"Hazel. She left her phone. She never leaves her phone. " She said suspiciously.

"S-she might be sleepwalking...? " Hazel stuttered.

Josie looked confused as fuck.

"Aren't you worried? " She said as it was the most obvious thing.

"Uhm... " Hazel stood there like a deer caught in headlights.

* a few hours earlier *

PJ grinned like a psycho maniac as she opened Josie's room without any warning. She found the girl who was about to go to the sleep.

"Care to kn-" PJ shushed Josie who was now confused.

"What?" she whisper shouted.

PJ smiled evilly. "They're doing it."

"Who? "

"Hazel and Y/N."

"By doing it you mean-"

"Yeah, Josie. Heard their moans. They think they are so quiet but nature of sex just isn't. " PJ grinned like a kid as Josie's jaw was open.

Josie blinked to herself for a minute.

"So why are you here and not at their door shouting 'Be quiet nerds!'" Jose whisper-shouted.

"Let's tease them a little." PJ smirked mischievously.

* * *

Hazel, Josie and PJ sat on the kitchen table eating their cereals as you showed up from bathroom. You sneaked there when both of them weren't looking.

"Y/N! Where were you? "

"Uh... bathroom. "

"I didn't see you in your room. Didn't see you in bathroom too. Then I check the whole place. You weren't anywhere. I asked Hazel. She didn't know either. "

"Oh... Yeah. Sometimes this curtains still let light inside my room and I wanted the total darkness so I had to- to sleep in my wardrobe."

PJ snorted. "That's a good one. "

"What? "

"Nothing." She shooked her head with a tight smile.

"And I found your phone on the kitchen counter. So we were pretty worried." Josie told you then turned to Hazel with a smug expression.

"Right, Hazel?"

"Yeah. Like were... shocked. Leave a note next time. Please..." she said as she played with her cereal.

All of a sudden, PJ hit the table with both of her hands and stood up from her seat.

"You. little. fuckers." she said with a smirk.

You and Hazel were dumbfounded.

"I heard you. Moaning each other's name."

You looked at each other as you telepathically asked each other. "Were we that loud?"

You decided to drop the act telepathically since they noticed.

"So? " you asker.

PJ was shocked. "You're not gonna deny? "

"Why would I deny? "

Josie smirked at the situation. "She hoped to tease you a little more and see you both struggle." Josie leaned on the table.

" Why did you hide in closet then? Since you don't deny now? " PJ asked.

" I didn't wanted Josie to learn like that. Plus It's awkward. Josie, would you like it If I walk in to you and Isabel after you did it? "

"God, no. Please don't."

"Wait. Did you know what we did before you got in?" Hazel said pointing her finger to Josie.

PJ intervened. "I told her. Yeah. We wanted to tease you. "

"Oh, I wasn't expecting that from you Josie. " you told her.

"Sorry, Y/N but it was fun. " Josie snorted.

"Whatev- wait so all of that 'Where's Y/N? ' talk was..." you looked at her expecting an answer.

"Why am I even suprised after your fake juvie story at trauma bonding session... That was really good by the way. Your face and all... " you moved your hands around your face to emphasize.

"Thank you." Josie smiled proudly.

"And sorry. " She added as she was looking at you then Hazel.

Hazel smiled tightly.

"By the way, Hazel what the fuck? Sleepwalking? Really? "

Hazels mouth opened as she didn't know what to say.

"I panicked. " she defended herself.

PJ smiled smugly as you continue to eat your cereal.

"So, you're like a thing now? Cause both of you are too much of hopeless romantics to do friends with benefits." PJ asked.

"Yes, we are." you answered at the same time and then looked at each other with red cheeks as PJ and Josie snorted milk out of their nose.

"This is going to be fun to watch. " PJ smirked while cleaning the milk on her with a napkin.

You looked at each others eyes softly as you both reached and locked hands tightly.

That's how you both said I love you in silence.

#hazel callahan x reader #hazel callahan x you #hazel callahan #bottoms hazel #ruby cruz #bottoms movie #bottoms 2023 #hazel callahan fanfiction #lgbt fanfic #sapphic fanfic

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aoioozora · 9 months ago

Text

Simon.

Part 4

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost

Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au

Note: Longer chapter! Hope you'll enjoy it. anyway, if anyone knows who the artist of this art below is, please let me know. I find it all on Pinterest and I can't seem to trace the artist 🥲.

The steady, bubbling stream of cold tap water hitting Simon's warm, weary, grimy hands as he washed them was a respite from the busyness of the day.

He was, by profession, a car mechanic in the servicing department for a glitzy car brand. The day was booked to the brim with cars that needed maintenance and repair from accidents, and it was enough work for him to feel a dull ache in his shoulders, and a tremble in his hands as he lathered them generously with soap.

A weary sigh tried to escape his lips, only to be hindered by the mask he wore day in and day out. He felt his own warm breath against his mouth and cringed; an unwelcome feeling after working in the sweltering garage.

When he found that he was all alone in the loo, he took the opportunity to take off his mask, actually and properly sigh, and wash his face. He quickly wiped it down with a handkerchief, and not allowing a moment for his skin to breathe, he put the mask back on.

A phone call came in as he was stepping out. It was her. He found it a little odd to get a call from her, as the two mostly texted.

“Maybe it's something urgent,” thought Simon, now stopping by the door of the restroom.

“Hey, you alright, love?” he asked as soon as he picked up.

“I'm fine, Simon, but I kinda have an emergency.” Her voice came from the other end, sounding a little frantic, making him worry a little.

“What's up?”

“My car broke down, and I don't know what it is. I have the bonnet open and everything looks so confusing.”

“Where are you now?”

She told him.

“Okay, you wait there. I'll be there in,” he looked at his watch, “twenty minutes… Or as fast as I can.”

“Thanks, Simon,” she exhaled her relief.

“Are you with someone?”

“No, I'm alone.”

Simon's jaw tightened. “Make sure you sit inside the car and lock the doors. It's getting dark and it could get dangerous.”

“Got it.”

The call soon ended and Simon quickly changed out of his uniform to his normal clothes which consisted of a v-neck t-shirt, jeans, and his staple: the leather jacket. Having taken all his stuff, he clocked out and immediately mounted his motorcycle to fly over to your rescue.

Seeing that the sun had set already, he went faster. He reached her in fifteen minutes. Upon spotting her car parked by the side of the road away from the traffic, he slowed down and parked his motorcycle in front of her car.

He saw the bonnet of the car slightly open, and was upset by it. “She's practically advertising to the world that her car's broken down. That could get more attention drawn to her,” he thought as he kicked out the stand and swung his leg over the motorcycle, now laying a heavy step on the asphalt.

The stench of rotten eggs filled the air, and he already knew what the problem was. While he took off his helmet, he watched as she quickly opened your door and came out of the car to greet him.

“Oh good, you're finally here,” she smiled, looking relieved.

“Tell me what's going on,” Simon got down to business immediately, now taking off his black leather gloves that had printed on them the bones of the hand and stuffing them in his pocket.

She led him to the open bonnet of the car, and the stench overwhelmed his nose even through the mask. She told him about a sputtering engine.

“Did you see any dashboard signs telling you to check the engine?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“Can you sit inside and turn on the radio for me? And turn on the headlights too,” Simon instructed.

She did as told. The radio didn't turn on, and the headlights were dim. He turned to the open bonnet and stared particularly at the battery. One of the connectors and pipes was caked with a teal powder; he called her out of the car, pointing out the discovery.

“Your battery is leaking out acid, bringing out all this bloody minging smell,” he said, brushing a bit of the teal powder with his finger. “Leaking battery and a stench means you have to get a new battery.” He now rubbed the powder off and put his hands on his hips, asking, “When was the last time you had the battery changed?”

“Six years ago? When I bought the car.”

Simon was appalled by how nonchalantly she said it. He shook his head and exclaimed, “Six years? You cannot be serious.” he could feel his mechanic heart breaking at the sound of such neglect. “Your battery is ancient. The maximum life of this thing is six years.”

She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks in embarrassment as he said this. “I didn't know that. I'm not good with cars, you know. I just rolled with whatever the mechanics in the service center did.”

“Fucking hell,” Simon sighed, exasperated as he looked at the battery again. “Looks like the service center mechanics weren't doing a very good job,” he shook his head again. “Batteries dying of old age are common, but this looks absolutely nasty. Almost looks like it's been neglected. You've been duped!” He said with passion.

Her eyebrows furrowed at this and funnily enough, she couldn't help but feel like she was on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares with a blond Englishman scolding her; the only difference being that a failing car was involved and not a failing kitchen.

He glanced at her, and saw that she had her arms crossed as she looked at the open bonnet of the car with a guilty and helpless look on her face. Simon's eyes softened with compassion and he gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“I'll call someone to tow the car to a better service center. I know a good one,” he said, hoping to assure her, “If we can get there now, they can fix in a new battery for you.”

Without waiting for an answer from her, he immediately called a towing company for the car, and then the service center to give them a heads up that he was bringing a car in. He even managed to bag a discount!

She watched with amazement as he made all these phone calls, words flying out like a hurricane as he paced about the pavement, hand on his hip. The more passionate he seemed about wanting to help, the more the guilt and embarrassment pressed in her heart.

When all the phone calls were done, he let out a heavy sigh as he slipped the device back in his jeans. “Right then,” he said, “I've got you all covered. Now we wait.”

She nodded and watched him curiously for a moment before asking, “You know all those people?”

“Yeah, all friends of mine. I'm a regular at the service center for my motorcycle. As for the towing company, the boss is a friend of a friend.”

“Must be great to have a lot of connections, huh?”

Simon nodded. “I've always tried to have as many connections as possible because someone once told me that it's not about what you know, but who you know.”

She saw a solemn, distant, and thoughtful look pass through his eyes for a split second, as if thinking of a past memory. It was quickly replaced with annoyance. “It's too fucking hot here,” he hissed as he peeled off his leather jacket.

This action gave her the opportunity to see him in a short sleeved shirt, which displayed his pale yet muscular arms, which clearly were built strong out of continuous use and not for a mere decoration. The entirety of his left arm was inked with intricate black tattoos, all the designs of skulls, roses, and guns fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. It was understatement to say that she felt her ovaries explode at the sight.

Simon was intentional when he took off his jacket, although it was true that he did feel hot. A glance at her told him that she didn't seem to take notice of his muscles or his tattoos, a disappointment to him. But he wasn't keen enough to catch her quick, stealthy glances at his arms as her thoughts ran wild again in trying to be superfluous in her descriptions of them.

She couldn't help but think to herself that, “He'd make the perfect mysterious male lead of a dark romance.”

The tow truck arrived and before she knew it, she was Simon's passenger on his motorcycle, entrusted with his leather jacket. The two led the truck to the service center, and all the while, she was pressed against his warm back, highly conscious of the fact that the barrier between his back and her face was just a thin t-shirt and not a thick leather jacket like the first.

Her authorly brain couldn't help but turn this into a sort of metaphor. Was it a thinning of the barriers between him and her, now that they've been friends for over a month?

“Let's not overanalyze this, shall we?” she reminded herself, gently squeezing her arms around him as he sped down the roads, trying to ignore how she could feel the contours of his body under the thin fabric.

Fixing the car took a couple tedious hours, but Simon made sure to be with his friend throughout, explaining to her in excruciating detail whatever he could about the functioning of a car so that she would not be duped again. She appreciated his lectures and listened attentively, even though he wasn't the best at explaining things.

At the end of it all, the two sat down in her newly fixed car for some cold soda that she bought for him. The air conditioning was running well (Simon was relieved), and so was the radio, which was now tuned to a station softly playing some old timey American songs in the background.

“You were a great help,” she said as she cracked open the tab of the can as Simon did.

“My pleasure, love,” he raised his can and tapped it gently with her can. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” she grinned, and then paused to look at him, wondering if he would remove his mask, as he had never done so in front of her before.

Simon found himself in a bit of a predicament as he stared at his can of soda. He was usually more mindful of his mask when he was with strangers and acquaintances, but with the fuss of the car and all his chatting with her, he completely forgot that drinking soda would have to make him take off the mask.

Would he remove his mask when he didn't yet want to, even though he wanted to share this drink with her? He glanced back at her and found her silently drinking her soda and staring ahead, pretending not to notice his mental debate.

Gaz's reprimand came to mind again, “You're telling me you'll let a scar– a scar, of all things, hinder your chances at finding a girlfriend.”

He wasn't wrong. Now that Simon thought of it, the sooner he showed his marred face to her, the lesser it would hurt if she rejected him.

“Don't overthink it,” he told himself as he slipped his finger under the ear loop of his mask and pulled it over his ear, making the mask slip off to reveal the lower part of his face. He sat back, casually as he could, and took off the other ear loop so wouldn't awkwardly dangle from his other ear, all the while trying to ignore how naked he felt without the covering.

“Soda's pretty good, isn't it?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“Hm, yes,” he answered in a murmur, now taking the first sip of his soda and pulling away the can for her to finally look at his face.

He saw her looking, and his heart rate spiked and cheeks flushed (thank heavens it was dark), waiting for a reaction from her.

She finally had the privilege of seeing his face, and in a split second, she tried to make the most of it. His face as a whole was beautiful, pleasing to the eye. He had a rectangular face, high and prominent cheekbones; a long, sharp nose, thin lips, and a light stubble across his jaw and cheeks.

He squirmed slightly in his seat and looked away, taking another sip. Seeing that he was uncomfortable being looked at, she too looked away, now feeling shy that she was in the presence of such a gorgeous man. Why on earth did he cover his face was a mystery to her.

She began, her voice unwittingly rising to a higher pitch, “Seriously though, I don't know how I went years without having anyone to consult me about cars.”

Simon blinked in surprise that she didn't make any comments on his face after looking at him, and wasn't sure whether to consider it a good thing or a bad thing. He decided to worry about it later.

“Not a single person?” he asked, instinctively and slightly leaning towards her as she spoke.

“Not one.”

“And did you never notice any problems with the car before we took it to be fixed today?”

“I did, and I wheeled the car off to the service center many times only to be shut down saying that it wasn't a big deal and it would resolve itself,” she shrugged.

“They said that? Fucking twats they all are,” said he with a low grumble.

“Unfortunately,” she shrugged again, watching how his lips curled upwards into a sneer of displeasure and how his nose crinkled along with it.

“Tell you what, darling,” Simon shifted in his seat slightly and held out his can-holding hand at her, flicking out his pointer finger to make a point, “you don't need to worry about those bastards when you got me, yeah? If you got any car problems, I'll fix them for you.”

He saw her eyes soften at this proposal, but she glanced away for a moment, as if considering it with some hesitation. He knew her just enough to know that she had trouble accepting help when she needed it. Without waiting for an answer, he pressed gently to encourage her,

“You know I'm a car mechanic, and a fucking good one too.” He sat back in the seat, now drowning the last of his soda. “You won't have to call anyone else when you have me. Just hit me up, and I'll be there…” he paused to meet her eye, hoping to let her know he was completely serious, “... Just like tonight.”

This didn't fail to cause a flutter in her chest. She smiled, genuinely warmed and touched by how eager he was to help. “Thanks, Simon.”

His cheeks raised up to his eyes as he smiled, and the lady was taken in by how sweet it was. Their eyes met again, and the two felt an undeniable tension in the air; sparks flying around them, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

The soft yellow headlights of a passing vehicle shone into the car, momentarily brightening up his pale face and his deep brown eyes into soft pools of honey. The light, for a brief moment, also revealed a prominent scar on his cheek, something that the earlier darkness hid from her sight.

Yet again did her authorly brain try to turn this moment into a metaphor. Was this gentle flash of passing light meant to shine upon a part of him behind his dark veil, his mask of mystery, to reveal bright, affectionate eyes, and a curious yet faint scar? Could this have been a sign of their ever growing closeness?

As the light passed, his honey eyes darkened again; they narrowed slightly and he leaned forward just a little, his breathing laboured, as if he wanted to say something. The lady squirmed in her seat and felt her chest tighten as she silently watched him, unable to look away.

“I was wondering…” he began, now pausing to inhale, “if we could hang out any time soon, just both of us,” he said, trying to sound as casual as he could, and he quickly added, “I'm about to finish your novel, Firefly Trails, and I was hoping we could talk more about it…” he paused, feeling his entire body grow warm with nervous anticipation, “And maybe you could suggest some more books I could read.”

Her eyes lit up at this invitation. “Sure! I'd love to. When are you free?”

“I'm free this weekend.”

“Alright, that sounds good.” she grinned.

Simon was relieved to hear the eagerness in her voice, and took it that she still wanted something to do with him. The two went on to decide the particulars of the hangout for a while, until a phone call interrupted. Simon pulled out his phone and sighed when he saw who was calling.

“What do you want, Johnny?”

“Where are ye? Ye were s'posed to be at the gym thirty minutes ago. I'm waiting!” complained Johnny.

“Ah, blimey,” Simon shook his head, “Completely forgot. ____ had some car trouble so I went to help her out.”

Simon was met with teasing jeers from his friend, making him groan. “Wheesht!” Simon hissed, only for it to make Johnny cackle. “Look, I'll be right there. Give me…” he looked at his watch, “Fifteen minutes.”

“Make it quick lad, or you'll get a bollocking from me.”

“Fuck off now. You'll delay me.”

The call ended and Simon looked at her, sighing. “Gotta go,” he said.

A subtle pout pushed out her lower lip. “Too bad, and we were just starting to get into our planning too.”

He chuckled, feeling warmed by her sentiment. “Yeah, but don't worry darling, we have the entire week ahead of us to plan comfortably, yeah?”

She nodded, smiling.

“Right then,” he slapped his knees, “I'll see you around then, alright? You take care on your way back.”

“You too, Simon.”

He sighed, pausing for a moment to take in the way she said his name. He never wanted to admit it to her, but he loved every instance she uttered it. The way she'd drag out the first syllable a little, and look at him with those gorgeous, killer eyes of hers as she did; it was enough for a man of his size and strength to melt like a little cube of ice in the palm of her hand. A simple action, yet it riled him up enough to want to kiss the living hell out of her.

He inhaled, trying to get every carnal urge under control. “Text me when you reach, alright?” he said in a mildly strained voice.

“Sure, will do.” she nodded.

That being said and good-night's exchanged, Simon quickly put his mask back on, got out of the car, and threw the empty can in a bin. She watched as he made his way to his waiting motorcycle, observing his gait, the way his hips, shoulders, and arms moved in clockwork, relaxed but determined. She found herself leaning against the steering wheel again to stare at the way he hoisted up his leg and swung it in a smooth sweep over his motorcycle, and then settled down on the vehicle, making the shock absorbers bounce back slightly against his weight.

She gazed with interest as he put on his gloves and then grabbed the helmet, only to raise his chin up to let gravity comb his gorgeous blond hair down so that it stayed out of his way as he put the headgear. His biceps flexed and tightened against the short sleeve of his t-shirt, and even from a little distance away, she could see how his tattoos moved against the contours of his muscles like ocean waves.

He looked back at her and caught her staring. At the sight of her relentless gaze, all he could hear in his head was Gaz telling him to shoot his shot. Her smiles, her acceptance to meet again were, and especially her stating were all massive green lights for him, yet he was still in partial disbelief.

Meeting her eyes again gave him a jolt down his spine, and waved one last time before he left. She smiled sheepishly and waved back at him, blushing at the fact that she was caught.

He rode off, leaving her the echo of the roar of the engine, and she sat back in her driver's seat, finishing the last sips of the lukewarm soda in her hand that she completely forgot about. His figure receded in the distance and she remembered the first time she met him.

“He's been saving me since back then.” she chuckled to herself, feeling a little ashamed at how helpless she found herself to be. But she was more than grateful for his help, and for the fact that he never complained and was so eager to assist her. It was the third time he helped her out, and it was almost as if he'd come running back all over again if she called.

He certainly lived up to his name.

And then there was his face. She allowed her mind to wander as she thought of his rugged, masculine features; she didn't know what to expect, but it was certainly unexpected to find such a handsome man hiding under that mask. She could make out only a little in the partial darkness, of his rectangular face and sturdy, stubble-speckled jaw, and of the slope of his shapely, sharp nose. She sighed, suddenly longing to study his face in proper light, and perhaps get lost in his honey eyes.

Shaking off her thoughts, she reached to her backpack in the backseat for her phone, and found that Simon had left his leather jacket in the back when they had sat down in the front to drink their sodas.

“Better send him a text.” she thought to herself as she informed him.

That being done, she kept the phone aside and took the jacket to inspect it. It was obvious that it was made of faux leather, but it was smooth to touch. The lining inside was tartan patterned with dark green and blue, which seemed an odd choice for lining, but she wasn't one to judge. She held the garment against her torso, and as she expected, it was huge.

“Let's not get creepy with it, shall we?” she reminded herself, now keeping the jacket on her lap as she got the engine running again.

She drove back home with the jacket, repeatedly telling herself to not be creepy with it, only for her to immediately try it on as soon as she stepped in.

“It's so comfortable!” she exclaimed as she felt the loose jacket sag around her body and her arms. She stuffed her hands in the pockets and found that they were massive. “Unbelievable... they make men's clothes so much better.”

She pulled away the front of the jacket to feel the tartan lining, and it felt like touching a thick blanket. The jacket was perfect for a cold winter and for the rains that had been pouring lately.

She pulled it closer against herself, and the lingering scent of his perfume wafted to her nose. It was the same smell of a damp rainforest and dark chocolate, the scent of which immediately took her back to the day she met him.

"Is this what it would feel like to hug him?" she wondered, feeling her cheeks flush warm as she thought of the prospect of being held in those finely sculpted arms.

Her phone chimed, indicating a message.

Simon Riley Biker: sorry about that, can u keep the jacket with u until we meet again?

Simon Riley Biker: also have u reached?

She smiled and started typing her reply.

Author Girl: Sure!

Author Girl: And yes I did just now

Simon Riley Biker: right then, I'll catch you soon, ok? At the gym rn

Author Girl: okay! Have a good workout :)

Simon Riley Biker: thanks darling

On the other side of the phone, Simon was seated in the gym locker rooms by himself, phone in hand, thumbs dancing over the screen up and down as he wondered what he should type next. As he did, a new message came in.

Author Girl: thanks again for helping me out with the car. You saved me yet again

He chuckled at and started typing, the smile not leaving his half covered face.

Simon Riley Biker: my pleasure, don't worry about it. U can call me again if you have car problems

Author Girl: you're too kind 😂 but thanks a lot again

Simon Riley Biker: anytime darling

Author Girl: alright then, I'm gonna get some sleep. Good night!

Simon paused, feeling his heart rate increase for a moment as he thought of something he wanted to do. Swallowing down his nervousness, he did it anyway.

Simon Riley Biker: [audio: 0:03 seconds]

He never sent an audio message to her before, and wondering what he could have sent, held the phone speakers to her ear and played it.

“Good night, love,” came the crisp, clear audio recording in her ear. His normally gruff voice sounded subdued and gentle, smooth, almost oozing with a soft, subtle hint of adoration, especially at the endearment.

The lady was left stunned, mouth hanging open slightly and her feet affixed to the floor, unable to believe for a moment what she just heard. Butterflies and tingles swarmed every inch of her body, and her cheeks flushed yet again. She played it again. And again. And again.

Simon, in the meantime, worried about her lack of response, wondering if he was too bold in sending her a voice message. He finally saw that she was typing, and she sure did take a while to collect her thoughts to write a coherent and absolutely calm reply in the form of:

Author Girl: good night, Simon :)

The conversation ended there, and he breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good. Standing up, he slipped his phone in his pocket and left to get to his workout done with Johnny, unable to stop thinking of her and her smiles.

In the meantime, she stepped into the bathroom for her night routine. Her thoughts too were filled to the brim with Simon while she bathed and did her simple skin care routine all on autopilot. Every other thing that happened during the day was completely overridden just by the presence of that biker, his voice, his warm gaze upon her, his smile, his face.

She couldn't shake off the feeling, especially of his voice message in her thoughts that played like a broken vinyl record. She was sure that every single interaction she had with him would make it into her next book in some form or other.

She slipped into her nightwear and then hung his jacket on the coat hook in the corner of her room, resisting the temptation to cuddle with the garment. She finally tucked herself in bed, surrounded by her cushions and plush animals. As soon as the night lamp was switched off and she had nearly sunk in and molded comfortably into her bed and pillows, she played the recording again, the cherry on top to end the long day.

“Good night, love.”

It felt like a kiss to the forehead.

End of Part 4.

Part 5

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number1jeonginstan · 1 year ago

Text

[1:23 am]

Chan x afab!reader (established relationship)

A/N: Feeling the need to write and I'm like 700 words into the second chapter of Coffee (I write really fast). Also, this is my first time ever writing smut, so I thought I should make it a short story. Please give me constructive criticism so I can improve for you guys! I want to write things that you guys truly enjoy and want to read! Please ask if you want me to write anything in particular.

WC: 1k (I literally meant to make this 300 words...)

CW: Consensual Somnophilia, piv, unprotected (please don't), daddy kink, use of baby girl, cockwarming (kinda)? (idk what else to write here tbh)

"Channie, can you please just come back to bed, you've been working so hard for so long" you whined laying in your shared bed. Purple LED lights surround each corner of the room. "I'll be there in a second babe, I just have to finish this up first"

You loved Chan from the bottom of your heart, but you were so tired of him constantly working himself to the bone. He didn't know what the definition of a break was and it frustrated you. You were too tired to stay awake, so you decided to just go to sleep.

Chan finally finished his work, excited to watch the movie you had been talking about for days. He thought he was only working for an extra 5 minutes, but the clock read 3:12 a.m. He looked at his bed to see you fast asleep, like a kitten, curled up in a ball wearing only his shirt and your panties.

He loved seeing you like this, so at peace he didn't want to do anything to bother it. He curled up in the bed next to you, ready to fall asleep, but what he heard stopped him in his tracks. You were on his bed, moaning his name in a soft whisper. He was going to lose it, he didn't think he neglected you that much. He's just been so busy with work.

He thought about the last time you guys had sex. It was almost a week ago due to both of your busy schedules. He wanted to make you feel good, and he could already feel his erection growing in his shorts.

You guys have thoroughly talked about having sex while one of you was sleeping in case you really needed to get off and the other was there, so he took advantage of this.

He pulled down your panties whilst kissing your neck. He needed to make you feel good, but also stretch you out well since it had been a while.

You were already wet from the dream you were having, and he was grateful for it, slowly rubbing your clit while rubbing your nipples over his t-shirt. You started whimpering into his ear, and he felt like he could come on the spot. Something about the sounds that you make for him always makes him feel some type of way.

"Fuck y/n, your fucking soaked," he said out loud to no one but himself, "you are thinking about daddy fucking you even while you are sleeping aren't you?"

"Yeah, I bet you are thinking about squeezing your sweet fucking pussy all over my cock. God, let me stretch you out before I put my cock inside you babygirl."

He started using his fingers to stretch you out, starting off with one because you were just so fucking tight. Your eyes started to flutter in and out of consciousness when he started to put the second finger in. He could feel your cunt starting to clench around him, he knew you were going to cum soon, he started playing with your clit again trying to get you to cum on his fingers.

"Fuck baby, just like that, ride daddy's fingers like I know you can." Your moans got a bit louder, but you were still in a deep slumber.

Chan couldn't take it anymore, he needed to bury his cock inside of you before he came from just touching you. He slowly started to push his thick cock inside of you, he could feel your walls clenching and he had only put the tip in.

"God baby, this pussy sucks me in so well. What could I do without my baby, always ready for my dick."

When he finally sheathed inside you, he was in a state of euphoria, he couldn't help but groan out loud. No matter how much he loved to make you cum, he needed to chase his own high now. He needed to cum inside you, fill you up with his cum til he saw it leaking out.

He started thrusting rapidly, not caring if the members woke up with the sound of the headboard smashing against the wall.

As his thrusts started getting sharper, you began to stir awake, "Channie" you asked as you groggily woke up to something feeling so good inside of you.

"Shhhh baby" he tried to silence you, "just take my cock like the good girl you are."

That's exactly what you did, as he continued to rut into you, he shifted a little bit, hitting that spongey spot inside of you.

"Oh fuck" you moaned, "Harder daddy, I'm almost there, please come inside I need your cum so bad, please daddy come inside, need it, need it in me."

You were clenching down so hard on his cock, he wanted you to come together, he needed to creampie you on his cock.

He reached over and started playing with your clit once again to help you get over the edge. "Come on baby, come with me, such a good baby, letting me cum inside of you like the good little baby you are, love taking daddy's cock don't you can't get enough. Have to take it even while you are sleeping that's how much you want it?"

"Yes daddy" you replied, "need your cum, need it in me so bad" that's what sent you both over the edge, him cumming inside you and staying there, not daring to move.

"Was that good sweetheart, don't want daddy to take his cock out of you? Want me to plug you full of my cum til we both fall asleep" he asked groggily.

He waited for a reply, only to see you fall back asleep. He chuckled at this but ended up falling asleep still in you.

#skz x reader #stray kids #straykids x reader #straykids smut #skz smut #bang chan #bang chan x reader #bangchan smut #ju <3 writes

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bvidzsoo · 10 months ago

Text

Love Me Like A Rockstar (5)

ー☆ Chapter 5: Avalanche

Author: bvidzsoo

Pairing: Song Mingi x female reader

ー☆ Warning: cussing, mentions of suicide ー☆ Word count: 8k ー☆ Genre: university!au, enemies to lovers!au, rockstar!au ー☆ Rating: sfw ー☆ Summary: Love. You wanted none of it. You had already been heartbroken very badly once, you didn't wish to go through that ever again. But the Universe works in intricate ways and, somehow, you found yourself webbed up in a local rockstar's life, Song Mingi. He was everything you expected him to be, yet nothing like you imagined him he would be. What happens when you find mutual understanding and have heartful conversations? Will he be able to break down your walls? Will you be able to chase away his darkness?

A/N: Updateee, hehet. Now, now...this chapter is emotionally loaded, but at least we can notice some progress in their relationship lol, it was about time if you ask me. Please listen to Avalanche before or while reading this chapter, it's really important as it portrays Mingi's story and feelings in the past, so please don't skip it! I can't promise the next update will be soon because I have a deadline by next week, but if I won't be too burned out then I might just update towards next weekend. ALSO G U Y S!!!! Tunnel?!?!?!?!?! SONG MINGI'S SOLO???? ARE WE FINE?!?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE RELEASES T H A T WHILE I'M WRITING A STORY EXACTLY LIKE THAT???!! No, but seriously, I'm completely not fine, I still can't believe this happened BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME I WRITE SOMETHING AND IT HAPPENS. Okay, I'm done screaming, sorry. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I tried my best and I hope it turned out okay. Feedback is appreciated, enjoy now!!

Taglist: @orshii @or5i @lovely-red2 @juicy-red @scarfac3 @sunaswifes-blog @voicesinmyhead-rc @teez-the-time @maru-matt @kyeos4ng @deathbyyeekies @chicksmoothie @okokmaybe01-blog

⟨Series M.list ↭ Previous Chapter⟩

♫Playlist♫

There was a beat of silence, of nobody moving, of nobody blinking or saying anything. My heart shouldn’t have picked up its rhythm so fast, but as my eyes briefly ran over Mingi’s tall form standing in the doorway opposite mine, I realized he looked the same as in the video I have seen on Seulgi’s Instagram story, the only change to his outfit was the black hoodie covering his broad frame—and wet, almost see-through, white shirt.

“What are you doing here?” My mouth was moving before I could think, mind suddenly a puddle.

“Picking up some food since I’m headed home from Outlaw.” Mingi’s explanation came quickly, his own eyes taking in my appearance as they briefly ran over my body. My grip tightened around the doorknob as I suddenly felt embarrassed. I knew I didn’t look like my usual self; my eyes were still red from crying, and I couldn’t help but sniff every other few minute. And I was completely soaked in rainwater.

“What are you doing here?” Mingi asked at once, eyes finally meeting mine. His expression was neutral, but there was something in his eyes—he seemed tired. Black eyeliner rimmed his already sharp eyes, creating the illusion of them piercing right through you. I suddenly felt naked under his attentive gaze, too exposed for my liking. I cleared my throat and stepped away from the doorway finally, circling my arms around my body, just now noticing the teetering of my teeth. I tried to offer my body some comfort by hugging myself, but it wasn’t exactly working.

“I was on a walk when it started raining, so I took shelter in here.” That wasn’t a lie at all, yet under Mingi’s watchful gaze, it felt like one. My eyebrows slightly furrowed at the thought, wondering why it felt like I was lying. Perhaps it was the doubt in his eyes as he looked over me once again, clearly questioning why I was drenched from head to toe if I took shelter in here, but I would not further explain myself to him.

“Right,” His voice conveyed nothing and I tried to hide my surprise as he didn’t prod further, “I understand.”

He stepped outside the men’s restroom finally, making me press myself up against the cold wall of the hallway as it was narrow, sniffing as another shudder ripped through my body. Despite having warmed my hands and cheeks with the warm water, I could feel the cold seep through my bones once again as my clothes clung onto my frame uncomfortably. Mingi didn’t cast me any other glance as he took off towards the main hall and I found myself following after him, licking my dry lips as I tried to hug myself tighter, rubbing at my side clumsily. It was my last attempt to warm myself up. My eyes were trained on the floor as they were burning, but I found them drawn upwards soon, curiously watching the back of Mingi’s head. His black hair was damp, and the blue sheer sunglass I saw him wearing in the video was put on backwards, making me frown as I stared at it as it rested against the back of Mingi’s head. Couldn’t he just take it off? Why wear it backwards? Was this a new trend he was following to become more famous? I scoffed at myself quietly as Mingi and I rounded the corner, walking back inside the main hall of the diner, the lady at the front counter looking up from a notebook she was writing in, cash placed next to it. Her eyes were trained on Mingi only, and I rolled my eyes subconsciously, awaiting her to act like one of his baboons—fangirls—from Outlaw and even from our university, but instead, her eyes held warmth as she leaned down and grabbed something from behind the counter. I found myself rooted to my place, watching the interaction—just slightly intrigued—as if I were a child waiting for their parent to finally move and leave the diner. It was silly, really, why was I waiting for Mingi? It’s not like him and I would be leaving together—yet my feet refused to move despite my thoughts telling me to do so.

“Steak with mashed potatoes and some side dishes, just the way you like it.” The lady said kindly as she placed a casserole inside a bag on the counter, pushing it towards Mingi. My eyes were glued to the side of his face, watching his reaction, waiting for his usual arrogant and flirty self to come to the surface, but instead, a small smile made it onto his face as his right hand slipped inside his pocket. Huh, that was new, I’ve never seen Mingi act like—himself—in front of a woman before.

“Thank you, Dahyun, you always seem to know what I’m craving.” Mingi told her quietly and I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a sneeze trying to fight its way out of my nose, it burned.

“No, you just always ask for the same meals on the same days,” She chuckled as Mingi extended the money towards her, “You’re a simple man, and my memory is simply too good—it’s on the house tonight, Mingi.”

“But—”

“I already closed the register.” Dahyun winked at him and pushed Mingi’s hand back, ignoring the noises of complaint he made, “Seriously, do you want me to overwork myself?”

“Fine,” Mingi sighed, his eyebrows furrowed. My head started to lightly thump and I found myself leaning against the wall, eyes heavy and burning. My mother would kill me for getting sick for such a dumb reason as to staying out in the rain without realizing it was even pouring. Damn Yunho, it’s his fault, “But at least let me leave a tip.”

Dahyun gave Mingi a pointed stare before her eyes fell on me, suddenly realizing I was there too. I cleared my throat awkwardly as I stood up straight, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Mingi turned his head, his eyes falling on me as well, and suddenly I felt—so small. Both of them were looking at me with concern in their eyes, and I couldn’t help but look away as my eyes were suddenly burning with tears in them. Why was I in such an unstable state all of a sudden? My chest felt lighter, my throat wasn’t closing in on me anymore—I was fine, so then why?

“Can you make her some tea? If I’m not asking for too much.” My eyes snapped up in Mingi’s direction as he was looking at me, face still emotionless, but eyebrows furrowed.

“Of course, we’ve still got like five minutes until we’re closing.” Dahyun answered him cheerily and then turned around, opening some cabinets as she got to work.

“Okay, but accept the money this time.” Mingi muttered and placed some bills on the counter, pushing it towards the notebook she seemed to be busy with before we disturbed her.

“Whatever.” Dahyun huffed and cast me a quick glance as Mingi turned to look at me again.

“Are you cold?” Mingi asked and I tensed my muscles, trying to stop the trembling, but it was hard—and it wasn’t even working. But I just gulped and pulled myself together, walking closer to him.

“No.” My teeth clanked against each other again and I sniffed as Dahyun turned to face me, a plastic cup in her hands.

“We only have wild berry tea; I hope you like that.” She said with a smile as she placed the cup on the counter and pushed it towards me. I cleared my throat and looked down at it, the steam hot and inviting as I reluctantly reached out for it. It was embarrassing—this whole situation. I was looking like a mess, on the verge of another breakdown, because why not—my brain decided that I simply wasn’t finished crying over nothing—even if it wasn’t exactly nothing, I refused to acknowledge it. I reluctantly reached for the cup, slightly annoyed that Mingi and this Dahyun girl were looking at me like I was going to break—or explode—at any given moment. I let out a frustrated sigh as my fingers wrapped around the hot cup firmly, skin slightly burning, but I welcomed the feeling as I have stopped feeling my fingers a good few minutes ago.

“Stop looking at me like that, Mingi, I’m fine.” I didn’t mean to snap, but my tone was sharp as I sucked in a sharp breath, bringing the cup up to my lips and blowing on the hot water, the steam warming my skin.

“I’m not looking—anyways,” He cut himself off as he grabbed the bag with his food inside and stepped away from the counter, “Thank you, Dahyun, we won’t be holding you back for longer.”

“No problem, see you soon!” She said with a smile, waving a little as Mingi nodded at her, barely returning her smile. It seemed almost like there was something wrong with him, but I couldn’t tell, I didn’t know him well. He could’ve been simply acting to gain our sympathy—I could see Mingi doing something like that, it didn’t seem too far from his atrocious character.

“Uh, thank you.” I thanked the girl quietly as I slightly bowed my head and she just smiled, waving at me as well as I quickly hurried after Mingi, who had stopped in the doorway, apparently waiting for me.

His hand reached out for the handle, but he hesitated for a second, not opening the door just yet, “It’s still raining…and you don’t have an umbrella…”

I raised an eyebrow as I took a sip of my hot tea, taking a glance at Mingi. He was looking ahead, eyes trained on the road through the glass doors. The sweet taste of wild berries exploded in my mouth and I bit my lip as the warm tea flushed down my throat, warming me up from the inside as I eagerly took another big gulp, slightly burning my tongue.

“Yeah, I don’t have an umbrella.” I said, the two of us looking at each other at the same time, “But it’s fine, I’m already drenched. I’ll just run home—”

“You’re already shivering and shaking constantly, Y/N.” Mingi said matter of fact, and I rolled my eyes almost instantly, “Let me drive you home.”

“You don’t have to, it doesn’t matter.” I muttered with a shrug and took another sip of my tea, but Mingi just shook his head and turned his body slightly towards mine.

“You keep sniffing and you are clearly cold, even if you say you aren’t.” He raised an eyebrow, pointing towards my flushed cheek—I could only hope I wouldn’t have a fever, “You’ll catch a cold at this point, just let me drive you home. It’s not a big deal, really.”

“Mingi,” I sighed loudly, giving him a glare, “I’m fine, I’m not cold and I won’t catch a cold—”

Almost as if the Universe—or my own body—was having a laugh at me, a sneeze forced its way through my nostrils, loud, and an obvious sign that I wasn’t doing too well currently. Mingi’s lips pressed into a thin line as he tried not to smile and suppress his chuckle, making me grumble to myself as I quickly drank the remaining tea, feeling slightly warmer.

“Still going to pass on that ride?” Mingi quirked an eyebrow as a smirk appeared on his lips and I scoffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Lead the way, Prince Charming.” I mocked, but it only made Mingi giggle as he pushed the door open, the breeze freezing as it suddenly hit me. I instantly shivered and made myself smaller, clutching myself around my middle.

“That’s my car.” Mingi pointed towards a black car across the street and suddenly he took off, pulling his hood over his head, running out into the rain. There was no oncoming traffic, so I quickly left the shop and ran across the road, headed for the passenger seat. As I got there, the car was unlocked and Mingi was pulling the key out of the lock and opening his side of the door quickly, jumping inside. I followed his lead and slammed the door closed after sitting inside, shivering and groaning at the cold gripping at my skin again, pressing myself back into the leather seat of Mingi’s car. He placed the food in the backseat, putting the keys into the ignition. He looked at me, lips slightly pursed.

“Uh,” For the first time in my life, Mingi looked embarrassed as he scratched his nape, “The car’s old so uhm—we’ll have to wait a little bit before we take off. For the engine to warm up and shit, you know.”

I hummed and gulped, grip tightening around the plastic cup I was still holding onto. I did not want to prolong my time spent together with Mingi, so why couldn’t his car work just fine? I watched him as he turned the key, but the engine didn’t start right away, screeching for a second as Mingi tried again, groaning with his eyebrows furrowed. I remained silent as I watched him struggle for a few more seconds until the engine finally rumbled to life, the sound louder than I expected. But it only lasted for another second before it settled down, the pouring rain overshadowing the sound of the old engine. Mingi went and pressed a few buttons on the dashboard and I allowed my muscles to relax slightly, noting the way I was still shaking. When will it stop? It was getting annoying. As if Mingi sensed my train of thoughts, he turned his head towards me and cleared his throat.

“Are you cold?” He asked, making me sigh as I shook my head no, refusing to admit that I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. Maybe if this old wreck could warm up faster I wouldn’t be shaking so much—and I knew Mingi’s car had zero faults right now, but I had to pour my irritation onto something instead of admitting defeat in front of him, “You’re very obviously cold, Y/N.”

I scoffed and my eyes snapped to him as he suddenly leaned more towards me, reaching for something in the backseat of the car, “If it’s so obvious, Mr. Obvious, do something about it—”

My mouth clamped shut the second Mingi was holding a black denim jacket in his hand with a lopsided smile, extending it towards me, “I am doing something about it, here, wear it.”

He let it fall into my lap before I could refuse him and suddenly my cheeks were on fire—and not from the cold. I cleared my throat loudly and averted my gaze as Mingi settled back into his seat with a small grin, watching me as I rolled my eyes, fumbling with the heavy jacket he had given me. I didn’t want to wear it—that was the last thing I actually wanted to do, but a violent shiver racked through my body and I was suddenly moving faster than lightning, groaning as my clothes were still stuck against my body. It was a horrible feeling, but at least Mingi’s seats were leather, easier to clean. I pulled the black denim jacket around my shoulders before putting each arm through the sleeves, trying to ignore Mingi’s eyes on me, and the amused smile he had on his face. It wasn’t funny—but it was probably entertaining to him. I wonder how many girls he took home like this before me, letting them wear his jacket only to flirt with them afterwards as a means of getting to sleep with them. Men were easy, and Mingi was one of them. I could see right through his bullshit, and so, despite the warmth and masculine scent enveloping my senses, I gave Mingi a sharp glare, making him chuckle.

“You’re so predictable,” He said quietly, almost as if to himself, but I heard him, and I scoffed, “You won’t thank me, right?”

“I’m still cold.” I evaded his question instead, giving him a look, but Mingi just giggled, the sound low and deep inside his chest. I watched as his features relaxed and found my heart beating faster once again as I realized that I was enclosed in a tiny space with him, barely a few feet away from each other. There was something different about Mingi all of a sudden as he threw his head back, sighing loudly and gripping the wheel. His eyes fluttered close and I couldn’t will myself to look away, suddenly curious of the man sitting next to me. Who was he? Why was he like this? But the confusing butterflies deep inside my stomach sent me into distress, and I averted my eyes as Mingi opened his, and realized it was becoming suffocating. The silence. I didn’t like it. Mingi wasn’t saying anything, the engine was still dully rumbling and the rain was hitting the roof of the old Honda Prelude loudly. It didn’t feel as restricting as earlier, but my throat was squeezing in on itself and without asking for permission, I reached forward and pressed a button on the stereo, turning the radio on.

The instrumental wasn’t something I have heard before, and the harsh beat of the drums resounded in the car loudly, making my heart jump. Soon, the drum was accompanied by the lively but soft melody of the guitar, guiding it through. It felt like a storm, the loud and harsh beats of the drums lead by the soft yet determined guitar. It was almost as if two sides of the coin were leaning on each other for support—almost as if one was desperate to be shown some light in the darkness. I saw Mingi shift in the corner of my eyes, and I was startled at the intense look in his eyes as he looked at me, lips parted and eyebrows drawn up. He seemed surprised but at the same time almost angry, it was a look I couldn’t read well yet. I didn’t understand why he was looking at me like that. Suddenly, the drums slightly softened, until they became silent, and the guitar guided the melody smoothly, bringing it a comforting feeling. Mingi and I were still looking at each other and I was about to ask why he was looking at me like that, but suddenly the raspy, yet warm, voice resounding in the car took me off guard as my eyes widened, leaving me gaping at Mingi.

『Cut me open and tell me what's inside

Diagnose me 'cause I can't keep wondering why

And no, it's not a phase 'cause it happens all the time

Start over, check again, now tell me what you find

'Cause I'm going out of frequency

Can anyone respond?』

His voice was smooth as the drums and guitar accompanied it, dropping lower at times and feeling like the caress of a whisper at the same time. Mingi’s face had turned emotionless once again as his eyes locked with mine, and I tried to give him a glare, but my mind was focused on the words he was singing—on the message behind his lyrics.

『It's like an avalanche, I feel myself go under

'Cause the weight of it's like hands around my neck

I never stood a chance, my heart has frozen over

And I feel like I am treading on thin ice』

The beat picked up again, the drums louder as the melody grew more aggressive, Mingi’s voice reflecting it and gliding with it. His voice was powerful and held sincerity as he sung, his words ringing through my mind as the raspiness of it became more hearable. I couldn’t hold Mingi’s gaze anymore and I swiftly turned my head, playing with the cup I had in my hands as I gulped, the melody slowing down once again.

『Am I broken? What's the chance I will survive?

Don't sugarcoat me 'cause I feel like suicide

Just give it to me straight, 'cause I'm running out of time

I need an antidote, now what can you prescribe?』

My eyebrows furrowed the longer I listened to his words, wondering if this is what he actually felt like. Wondering when he wrote this song. Wondering why and how was Mingi hiding such feelings locked away in himself, in a way that nobody would be able to see the real him. Why were his words so relatable and why did I suddenly find myself teary eyed, biting my lower lip to try and get a grip of myself again.

『It's like an avalanche, I feel myself go under

'Cause the weight of it's like hands around my neck

I never stood a chance, my heart has frozen over

And I feel like I am treading on thin ice, and I'm going under』

I wonder who made him feel like that. Who had hurt Mingi so much that he felt like he was on the verge of giving it all up. Did he still feel like that? Were the two of us not so much different from each other after all? I sniffed, turning my head to look out the window instead, scared that if I hung my head down the tears would actually fall.

『I need a cure for me 'cause the square doesn't fit the circle

Give me a remedy 'cause my head wasn't wired for this world

I need a cure for me 'cause the square doesn't fit the circle

Give me a remedy 'cause my head wasn't wired for this world』

My grip around the cup tightened and I heard Mingi shift in his seat again, but I didn’t turn around to look at him. Emotions and thoughts of all sorts were whirling in my head, and I couldn’t stop thinking. I haven’t really paid attention to what he sings in his songs before—not that I had many occasions to do so—but this one suddenly felt so familiar, as if there was at least one person in the world who understood my struggles too. I’ve had low points in life before, especially after Yunho left me, and I really felt like there was no way out for me. I didn’t know how to cope and what to do with myself, I became uncaring and closed myself off to the world, only talking to those necessary, and barely doing anything if I could. That was the only time in my life when my art didn’t help at all, when I couldn’t pick up my pencil out of fear of what my mind would conjure up to torment me with. My life revolved around Jeong Yunho, and I knew because of missing him, he would be the only thing I would be drawing. He was my muse, and I hated it for such a long time not realizing that it was in some twisted way helping with getting over him. I have memorized every single feature and flaw of his, knowing it by heart. It was freeing when I was able to highlight all the things I knew he hated about himself, it made it easier for me to remind myself that he wasn’t as perfect as I thought he was. It was just the idea I had created of him in my head.

My fingers were tapping against the cup, following the rhythm of the song as Mingi’s beautiful voice carried on singing, the melody wrapping me up in my thoughts, almost getting lost to the point where I wasn’t paying attention to the song anymore. But it was actually impossible to do that, Mingi had a way to keep you focused on himself even if he was just simply singing, his raspy and warm voice keeping you in a vice grip, making you yearn for more. As the song came to an end, I released a breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding. Mingi was swift as he leaned forward and turned off the stereo, clearing his throat loudly. For a few more seconds nothing was said between the two of us, silence enveloping around us once again. But I didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore, I felt—almost sad, but mostly curious of the making of this song. Of what prompted Mingi to write it. Why were his emotions so raw in this, and who caused him to feel like this.

“It wasn’t bad,” I found myself speaking up, not really thinking through my words first, “you’re not too bad at this, Mingi.”

I didn’t expect him to laugh, and as I turned my head, he was already looking at me with an amused look on his face, covering his mouth as his laughter got louder for a second. My eyebrows furrowed, and I was about to say something less nice to him, but I realized my compliment sounded oddly similar to the one I had gotten from him back at the library. Despite fighting against the smile wanting to appear on my lips, I quickly let out a chuckle, our eyes with Mingi connecting. Despite the depth of the song and the somber atmosphere it created, Mingi seemed to be almost ecstatic as he shrugged, drumming his fingers against the wheel. Subconsciously, I nuzzled further into the collar of the denim jacket, the cologne stronger as I inhaled it, reminded that I was wearing Mingi’s jacket. I didn’t miss the way a fond smile appeared on his face for a few moments, quickly disappearing as he cleared his throat and looked ahead, pressing some other buttons on the dashboard.

“Thank you, getting a compliment from a fine arts genius certainly feels like I have won a Grammy or something.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes as Mingi chuckled, grinning at me for a second before he turned his body fully towards me, taking me off guard, “I wrote this song a long time ago, when—well, there’s nothing to hide here, when Yunho left for college. When I—remained alone at home, here in this town. Nothing was set in stone yet, to be honest, I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life back then. I was eighteen and I was confused and scared. The pressure of figuring out what you wanted to do with your life at such a young age was frightening and breaking me down, to be honest. I’ve always struggled mentally—you know, with depression and anxiety—and I think that period of time was the lowest I had ever been.”

I was soaking in every word Mingi was saying, mind silent and eyes focused on him, wanting to hear more as he continued talking, “Yunho was always the stronger one between the two of us and he always knew from a young age what he wanted to do, so when I realized I hadn’t planned my future ahead like him, I lost myself. And he—left, to college—in a different city. Hours away, leaving me all alone. I know I might sound dramatic, but I don’t deal well with change. I never have and I never will, I’m afraid. It took me almost a year to finally get used to living alone and sometimes I still struggle, it’s really frustrating. So you can imagine how badly I took my best friend, whom I have never been separated from before and we’ve known each other since kindergarten, leaving and abandoning me in the small town I have always hated and had no future in. I fell into deep depression and nothing was helping, like at all. Not even Yunho returning home out of the blue after two weeks of no contact on my part. When he saw the state I was in, we—we cried for hours, Y/N. It was horrible. I hate making him feel like that, because it wasn’t his fault, it was all mine.”

My eyebrows furrowed and my heart clenched upon hearing Mingi’s words, quietly letting out a breath which felt like it was restricting my lungs. In this moment, I heard my own thoughts and feelings in Mingi. His struggles and pain, I understood them. My fingers crushed the cup accidentally, but thankfully Mingi didn’t seem to notice as he took a deep breath and continued, “I wanted to kill myself. If Yuyu wouldn’t have come home in that exact moment—I don’t think we’d be having this conversation right now.”

My eyebrows furrowed and without really thinking, my left hand reached over the center console and I found myself gripping Mingi’s right hand, his skin so much hotter than mine. He bit his lower lip, eyebrows twitching as he averted his gaze all of a sudden, turning his hand upwards so that my fingers could slip over his palm. It was weird how easily my skin tingled at the contact; thoughts silent for once.

“He suggested I find a way of getting these thoughts and feelings out of myself. And after he left once again I knew I had to do something unless I planned on completely losing my mind, so…I took a pen and paper and started writing. Everything I felt, everything I thought. And miraculously, it worked. Slowly, of course, but it started working. I found a good therapist as well and suddenly I could see a way out of this dark cloud hung up around my head, fogging my thoughts up. I searched for a beat on YouTube and realized I could turn these thoughts and feelings into music. And they didn’t even sound bad, but what was most important was that I enjoyed doing it. I felt free, I felt like I could finally say anything I ever wanted. And I knew if this helped me, then it would help others as well, let them know they weren’t alone, and that you can go on even if it seems like you can’t. I wrote this song right before signing up to our university and sent it in as a sample. I was granted access to the studious a week later, and two weeks later accepted to the university. It’s probably one of my happiest memories, especially since Yunho surprised me that day by coming home and celebrating it with me.”

As Mingi was done talking, silence settled between the two of us. Comforting, understanding. I looked down at my lap, mind a whirlwind of thoughts all of a sudden, threatening to rush out at once. The sudden thumb sweeping against my knuckles made me slightly tense, realizing that I was completely holding hands with Mingi. My cheeks burned all of a sudden and my heart jumped, yet despite my thoughts telling me to pull my hand out of his, I didn’t move just yet. The feeling—wasn’t so bad.

“My sketchbook—the one you flipped through without my permission—” I sent Mingi a small glare as he snorted, cutting me off for a second, “is like my journal. I doddle in it daily, sometimes I even write little messages next to the sketches, noting down the things on my mind or just simply how my day went. When I draw, my mind is completely silent, I feel at ease. There’s nothing bothering me and I don’t have to worry in that moment of what the next line will illustrate or what the overall drawing will be. My thoughts are often too loud and I get overwhelmed by them, it’s hard to ignore them, you know? But by drawing, I can escape them and free myself even for a little while, it’s similar to what you must feel when you write music. Just letting go and releasing everything you feel.”

Mingi’s eyes were warm and soft as a small smile appeared on his lips, his skin suddenly burning mine and as my heartbeat showed no signs of slowing down, so, I carefully slipped my hand out of his, turning ahead and staring out at the pouring rain, feeling exposed and too small, “I understand what it must’ve felt like going through all of that. There was a time in my life, when—my whole world revolved around one person only and when—when he left, I thought I would die. I didn’t want to continue on living, to be completely honest. But with time, and thanks to my mother and Seulgi, I built myself back up. It’s fine now—I mean, I’m fine now.”

Mingi just hummed and I could feel his gaze on me as I leaned forward in the seat, rubbing my face as I felt fatigue settle over my whole being. At least I wasn’t shaking anymore, the car had warmed up significantly and my clothes weren’t sticking to my skin so violently anymore.

“Everyone has their story, Y/N.” Mingi spoke up, and I could hear the smile in his voice, “And it was very obvious to me that your attitude towards me is just a defense mechanism—”

“Oh, don’t get too cocky now that I’ve shared something so insignificant from my life.” I snapped as I turned my head, giving him a small glare. Mingi chuckled, holding his hands up in a way that said he wasn’t trying to attack me.

“I don’t think it’s insignificant—”

“Mingi.”

“Tell me something…” He trailed off and I sighed loudly, not in the mood to converse anymore. I wanted to go home, “Are those eyes really Yunho’s in your sketchbook? Because I really don’t think they are. I mean, I know what my own eyes like look and—”

“Whatever, they are yours, okay?” I snapped defensively as I crossed my arms in front of my chest, cutting Mingi off. I knew I should’ve never confessed to him that those were indeed his eyes, because now the shit eating grin he had on his lips and the way his eyes sparkled weren’t worth it. Not when my cheeks felt on fire, and I knew it wasn’t from the warmth inside the car.

“I knew it!” He said triumphantly, giggling a little, making me role my eyes.

“Just because you have pretty eyes doesn’t mean I’m in love with you.” I scoffed and suddenly Mingi froze, staring at me like I said something wrong. I raised my eyebrows at him in question.

“I never said you were in love with me.” Shit. I scoffed and rolled my eyes again, giving him a deadpan look.

“Very well, can’t have you thinking that now that you know those are your eyes.” Mingi laughed, again, as he playfully leaned towards me, making my glare deepen.

“So, you think I’m pretty?” He bit his lower lip and my brain blanked for a second as my eyes ran over his face quickly, taking in his features. Yes, he was very pretty—what the fuck?!

“Just because you have features which are easy to draw, Mingi, doesn’t mean I think you’re pretty. Have I told you already that you’re self-absorbed?” I raised my eyebrows mockingly as I clicked my tongue and Mingi chuckled as he faced forward, turning on the windshield wipers.

“Yes, quite a few times, actually.” I scoffed, putting on my seatbelt when I saw Mingi doing the same.

“Just take me home.” I muttered as I turned my head and looked out the window.

“Tell me your address first.” Mingi’s tone was playful as he turned on the stereo again, this time a channel of a radio playing music in Mingi’s vintage car as he slowly drove off.

After arriving home I had taken a very long and very hot shower, letting my body stay under the stream for a long time, probably making my mother think that I was drowning. I could feel my muscles finally relaxing, the shivers completely gone from my body as I dressed into my warmest pajamas once I got out of the shower, blow-drying my hair quickly, eager to get underneath my warm blanket. Thankfully my mother wasn’t angry at all by the time I got home, she was waiting for me with two mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows, and a big hug. She didn’t want to tell me where her sudden affection was coming from, but she said she knew there was something wrong, and that I could go to her the next time I’m struggling. It’s funny how she always knows what the problem is, yet I don’t want to burden her furthermore with my own dramatic emotions.

After drinking the hot chocolate and having a laugh with my mother over the comedy show she was watching in her room, I finally retreated to my own room, under the oh, so warm blanket. I couldn’t help but sigh contently and nuzzle even further into the pillow under my head, grateful to be finally able to rest. But as if the Universe was out against me tonight—and it probably was hence the shitshow today was—sleep never came to me. I was beyond tired, yet I couldn’t sleep. I felt slightly restless, as if I had to do something and I wouldn’t be able to rest until I have done it—and that was drawing. The image in my head was begging for me to be released onto a blank canvas, but I wished it could wait until tomorrow—but it couldn’t, so, with a loud sigh, I sat up and turned on my lamp. The sketchbook was bigger than the one I use as a journal since I rarely use it outside of class, but for what I wanted to draw tonight I needed the bigger one. I flipped it open to a new page and grabbed my pencil, twirling it around my fingers as I sectioned the blank paper, searching for the right angle to start the drawing.

First, I settled on drawing the outlines with faded lines, the background not the most important but since it played a part in the spacing of the drawing, I had to start with that. I went and first did the outline of the car from the inside, adding shading to show where the streetlamps couldn’t reach as the car drove down the empty road, gloomy clouds raining down on us, making the roads slippery and reducing visibility, but Mingi was an attentive and calm driver as he hummed and nodded his head to the beat of the music playing on the radio. His jaw was set and eyes focused up front, on the road, eyebrows ever so slightly furrowed and lower lip quite often between his teeth as he bit into the supple flesh, his lips cherry colored and plump. His jawline long, and sharp; and cheekbones well defined, yet not too sharp; his brow bone more forward, giving him an intimidating look from the side with his eyebrows drawn together. His nose, tall, and long, and pointy—too pretty. I cleared my throat and shook my head, focusing on drawing the rest of Mingi’s features and willing my brain to shut up about whether Mingi was pretty or not—he wasn’t. I couldn’t help but draw the sunglasses he wore so hideously backwards, ruining his overall nice look, making me grimace as I darkened his hair by adding more shading to it. I illustrated the shadows falling over his face as well, his gaze slightly obscured from my view. His long fingers gripped the wheel tightly, the gemstones of his rings glinting whenever the light fell on it in a peculiar way, and I couldn’t help but recall the feeling of his skin against mine as drew the lines defining the muscle of his hands. Just as I went to draw his neck, my phone pinged, slightly startling me as it was loud. It was placed on my nightstand and I groaned as I had to lean over half of my bed to reach it. And as I took my phone into my hands, my heart skipped a beat.

I hate him: are u asleep?

I glanced at the clock and realized it would be soon midnight, I had to get this drawing done and then go to sleep as I had class early in the morning tomorrow. Besides, I didn’t want to talk to Mingi. Why was he texting me? Just because we shared a few sappy stories about ourselves doesn’t mean that we have suddenly become best friends, sharing even more life stories with each other—and most certainly Mingi had no business texting me this late at night. With a huff, I let my phone fall next to me as I continued to draw, focusing on my creation instead. Drawing the neck was easy and quick and I focused on adding little details to it instead, the silver chains he had hanging against his neck tonight, peeking through the collar of his black hoodie. I continued drawing the rest of his body, his arms and torso as well as I could as they weren’t too essential to the drawing as of now. I only wanted to draw Mingi’s profile as he drove, the darkness combined with the streetlamps casting beautiful shadows over his flawless face. But drawing Mingi, knowing that Mingi had texted me all of a sudden felt weird, and I sighed as I dropped my pencil, grabbing my phone again as I unlocked it. He had sent the message five minutes ago, that was enough time for him to fall asleep so even if I text him he’ll only see this in the morning and if he’ll answer I won’t have to text him back anymore—because I didn’t want to be texting with Mingi, at all.

Me: no. u?

As I went to close my phone, his reply came instantly, leaving me surprised. There goes my plan of Mingi being asleep and not having to talk to him tonight…

I hate him: nope, why aren’t u sleeping? Me: i can’t sleep. u?

I chewed on my bottom lip as I shuffled around for a second to be able to sit cross legged in my bed.

I hate him: yeah, same. the rain makes it hard for me to sleep…i hate rain, actually, especially the thunder.

I almost went ahead and typed back that I knew, but Mingi wasn’t supposed to know that. Mingi had no idea Yunho and I had dated back in highschool—Mingi had no idea how much I actually knew about him due to Yunho, and I intended on keeping that a secret from him. I didn’t want to wake up old ghosts in my heart which would bring pain once again.

Me: ig i’m fine with rain as long as i’m somewhere inside, but the humidity kills me. it’s the winter time i actually hate…i can’t deal with cold weather, i get easily sick…

I rubbed my forehead as I pressed send and sighed as I lowered my phone into my lap, suddenly aware of the weird butterflies in my stomach, making me almost nauseous. As I glanced back down at my phone, the three bubbles signaling that Mingi was typing back appeared, and I had to take a deep breath to settle my erratic heartbeat. What was happening? Why was my body reacting in such a weird way?

I hate him: oh, yeah, i totally get the winter thing as someone who loves dressing light. i feel like i am more myself in the summer time lol; my style rocks during the summer and then gets okay-ish during the winter, it’s sad actually…

I chuckled and smirked as I quickly typed back.

Me: why? cuz you can’t show off your biceps during the winter? I hate him: ha-ha aren’t u so funny tonight? Me: i’m always funny, mingi…

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I quickly sent the message despite Mingi still typing.

I hate him: u wish u were always funny, doll…if someone’s funny then that person is me, y/n Me: yeah, right, u wish, prince I hate him: aren’t u just in a delightful mood tonight, doll?

I scoffed but couldn’t fight off the amused smile from my lips.

Me: it’s all thanks to you, idiot I hate him: i think I prefer u calling me prince, actually… Me: u wish, idiot. I hate him: anyways, what’s your favorite season?

I raised an eyebrow as I read the text from Mingi.

Me: interesting question I hate him: well u said u didn’t like winter, so what do you like then? Me: not u, that’s for sure…

I couldn’t help but cackle at my own reply, feeling proud of myself over such little thing. I could imagine Mingi chuckling and shaking his head at it, perhaps glaring down at his phone.

Me: autumn or spring, really…not too cold nor too warm, in-between, just perfect u know?

There was a second of nothing until the bubbles popped up again, making me realize I was smiling down at my phone, so I quickly cleared my throat and got it together. There was nothing to be smiling at here.

I hate him: i get it, those seasons are really pretty…talking of pretty…do you really think i’m pretty?

I couldn’t help the loud scoff which left my lips at the same time as I rolled my eyes, very tempted to leave him on read and just go to sleep right then and there.

Me: i have already told you, mingi, i don’t think u are pretty because u a r e n ‘t, get it???

The reply was instant.

I hate him: hahahahahahaha; u are cute!

My body froze for a second, eyebrows furrowing as I reread his reply. What the fuck? Me? Cute? Yeah, sure, cute my ass—this idiot was testing my patience and kindness, once again.

Me: u’re disgusting, I’m blocking u I hate him: whatever u say, gorgeous, I know u a r e n ‘t!!!

My jaw clenched at the blatant mocking and I scoffed loudly as I looked ahead, glaring at nothing particular as my blood was boiling. He really thought I wouldn’t block him? There was nothing holding me back from doing so—suddenly the bubbles appeared again, and I looked down at my phone—just slightly curious.

I hate him: sorry if that was too much, i was just joking. i wanted to ask something all night, but i just didn’t know whether the timing was right or not or just whatever, but…are u okay? like…do you feel okay?

I gulped, my anger dissipating like it never even happened, leaving me confused. Was he now worried about me? Why would he be?

Me: i’m ok, why?

It took a little time for Mingi to answer, and it made me gulp as I read it.

I hate him: bcz your eyes were red when we met in front of the restrooms and idk…u just kinda felt off or smth…i just wanted to make sure. Me: i had a rough day, but i’m fine… thanks for asking ig… I hate him: ofc, anytime

Did he mean that? I couldn’t help but wonder. But there were so many things about Mingi that I didn’t know yet and…something changed tonight. I couldn’t completely hate him like before. The conversation we had in his car, the things he willingly shared with me were so personal and hard, yet he trusted me with them. I couldn’t help but feel good about it, thankful in a way, that despite my demeanor he still found me worthy of knowing about his past—of knowing of the backstory of said song we have listened to. I thought Mingi was all smirks and a cocky attitude, nothing in that empty and self-centered brain of his—yet he pretty much proved me wrong today, and for some reason I didn’t seem to mind too much. I couldn’t help but bite my lower lip as I looked down at my phone, realizing that it was past midnight now, I had to go to sleep.

Me: goodnight, i have classes early in the morning… I hate him: sweet dreams, y/n…see u at uni.

『I'm going out of frequency

Can anyone respond?

'Cause I'm going out of frequency

Can anyone respond?』

❱❱ Next chapter

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pauking5 · 7 months ago

Text

Runaway 🏎️ Chapter 1

Pairing: Naozumi Hiyama x fem reader oc

Synopsis: There's no place for women in the world of racing. Let alone rally. Until you show up - the daughter of a racing legend who lost everything out of nowhere - ready to stir the pot of competition and throw fuel to Naozumi's fire, burning wild in more than just one way. Just how far will you go to take your rightful place in the world of rally, restore the team to its glory and change things for the better?

Genre: racing AU, enemies to lovers, rivalry, suspense, a whole lot of teasing, gender power games, dating in secret

Word count: 4.5k+

A/N: Here it finally is. I can't believe I got to write about one of my passions in this way. Though I love rally, getting the technicalities right was rough but I researched as much as I could on it so it feels like the real thing, though there might be some minor inaccuracies, not really affecting the story.

This one has been in the works for a good period of time and though this first chapter is short and fast-paced, there's so much more coming. Trust the process cause god knows I do. I hope I can make Naozumi justice and I can't wait for you to read the next ones. Enjoy lovelies.

Now Playing: Edge of Seventeen - Wuki

Next Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

It's not about how fast you go.

It's about how long you go fast.

Fast like-

A knock reverberated against your helmet, interrupting the pre-race mantra before you even finished reciting it, bringing you back to the chaos prior to the race start.

Chaos you wanted to avoid at all costs.

Blinking your eyes open, you took in the smell of burnt rubber and the atmosphere, fully packed with the deafening roars of the crowds in the stands soaring over the music heard all the way to your station. Another voice joined in the noise, demanding your attention.

"Raiko, are you ready?"

Letting out an exasperated breath, you waved off whoever spoke to you and closed your eyes again.

"Give me a minute, will you?"

Okay, where was I?

It's not about how fast you go-

A drilling noise came from your right, annoying the living daylights out of you.

Ah, fuck it. Since we keep getting interrupted...

How about I tell you a little bit about me.

Name's Raiko Suruki.

Yes, that Suruki. Here we go again.

I'm the daughter of the famed Hiro Suruki, five times Japan World Rally Championship winner, consecutively if I may add.

Proud podium sitter for thousands of times.

Also kind of a living legend of the primetime of the rally world.

The same Hiro Suruki that started one of the best teams in the history of Japanese rally, snatching six more titles under his directory. WRC'S Golden Boy.

After his personal fifth title, he decided he wanted something more. Something that would fulfill him, beside his love for driving at the most insane speeds known to man and having his first and only child - that's me, in case you didn't know.

Anyway, without any second thoughts or doubts, he retired from the sport out of nowhere, changing the fireproofs for the laid-back team principal shirt and a cheap very 'dad' baseball cap. At barely 35 years of age, he took the biggest leap of faith of his life and Suruki Racing was born out of fuel and passion for rally.

He poured everything he had into the team and built it from scratch, taking it so high in his prime that everyone wanted a piece of it. Be it driving in a seat for the team, changing parts as a mechanic or simply having shares in it.

It was basically the shit. The pinnacle of rally in the whole of Japan.

The team became a national sensation. So many influential people, from mere businessmen to politicians, even foreigners were so interested in it and helping it expand. It genuinely felt like the only way for him was up, flying like a rocket towards the legends' hall of fame.

It went like that for a while. He was beaming with happiness, unable to understand where all that luck came from. But like everything good, it didn't last. Once he started to question it all, it was like a switch flipped inwards and it all fell to ruins.

Everything started going wrong.

All of a sudden, the cars started missing parts the night before races. They had engine failures mid-race in almost every stage, followed by DNF's on every scoreboard.

And those aren't even the most shocking things that happened. You name the disaster and it definitely happened to Suruki Racing at one point. Disastrous, life-changing, career-ending type of things.

The mess piled up more and more and it showed despite dad's efforts to stay afloat.

Contract deals with sponsors started falling through, losing funding for a lot of parts and investments in equipment. Then the drivers got fed up with the constant failed races and blamed the car or the team if they felt like it. They terminated their contracts way before their terms were up under the pretense that they wanted different things... which were not related to Suruki Racing. The mechanics chose to stay, well, a few of them anyways, but it wasn't enough.

The team ripped at the seams and slowly but surely ran into the ground and dad couldn't find at least one reason why it happened.

It was like a curse you couldn't get rid of and I saw it happen first-hand.

The late nights he would spend in the garage trying new parts that kept failing with every test on the car. The way he would go as low as begging the drivers to come back offering them money he didn't have because no driver, rookie or experienced, didn't even bat an eye once the name of the team was mentioned.

Lost, penniless and with a heavy heart, he had to watch the one thing he loved the most on earth rust little by little, no matter what he would do to prevent it.

Mom called it karma for his reckless racing days because as talented as he was, the road forgives no one. That you can be God's favourite and still lose everything. And he didn't want to understand that. He never did.

I was too young to help back then. Too young to understand what Suruki Racing meant to him. Too young to do the only thing I could to save it.

Until now.

So, let's try that again, shall we?

Name's Rai Suruki, driver for Suruki Racing 2.0.

Another knock to your helmet, echoing in your head louder than the first, brought you back to the real world for good this time. Mechanics rushed around you to finish the set up on the car before you were called up to take your spot in front of the race marshal, which from a quick glance at the scoreboard would be soon.

Looking to your left, you were met with a set of dull brown eyes, messy jet black hair, a funky moustache and an extremely creased forehead for his middle age, all belonging to your co-driver, Don Tanaka. He's another legend of the sport.

Former training coach for some of the current biggest teams in the WRC, with a CV of experiences surpassing most people that have been in rally for longer. On top of all that, he is an even bigger friend of your father's. When he called him up asking for an old favour to train you, he couldn't say no.

But if it was up to commenting, you'd say he was one of the biggest fools for giving up a lavish salary with so many perks for one favour, especially for your old fart of a father.

Driving with him was great, but training with him was hell on Earth.

"I was doing my mantra," you reasoned, trying to get him off your case.

"Your mantra sucks."

He is an absolute joy to be around, isn't he?

"Well," you turned to him in your seat with a tight-lipped smile, "you're the one choosing to be co-driver to a young adult at your ripe age of 40. If I was you I would've picked something more calming, like gardening."

Bringing his hand to his chin in thinking, he sat in silence for a moment before he spoke.

"That doesn't sound so bad right now," he went on trying to push your buttons.

"Oh, shush," you waved him off, turning back to the wheel.

If there was one thing he liked doing, it was keeping you in check by poking fun at you. He was like that one uncle you could always go to with your secrets or to ask for extra pocket money, but in return he liked to tease the fuck out of you for it. Every. Single. Time.

As much as you hated his antics, you did kind of owe him a lot. He was the one who caught your talent for racing early on, back when you would drive plastic mini cars made from scraps around the team garage like you had years of experience. A few drifting maneuvers around old tires done like a pro at the cool age of 8, and he was sold on you and your potential.

Amongst all the teasing and the pain of having to train like a man, you've spent enough time with him to know you could count on him for literally anything. He was the best co-driver you could ask for and you wouldn't want anyone else in that seat directing your fate for the world.

He knew what it took to annoy you greatly in order to deliver on the dirt track and prove yourself. Especially now, since you were the only woman on highly occupied male territory.

Racing is a man's world. With as many female advancements in motorsport as there were today, the majority of the community was still not convinced that a woman could drive better than a man or even compete alongside a whole grid of their species. They can regard you, acknowledge your existence, but they would never accept you.

Your father knew your entry to the championship would stir up a lot of unwanted attention, besides the fact that he was basically reviving a cursed team and you happened to be the poster face for it this time around. It sounded like a catastrophe in the making.

Frankly, you were ecstatic to get to drive an actual race car outside of the junior series and helping the team get back to its rightful place, restoring its deserved glory. But you knew it wasn't going to be easy work. Especially, since public enemy number one - the press - was going to try and tear you to sparkly shreds for a lot of reasons. An attack that they started before any official information was out.

A few months ago, when the announcement of Suruki Racing's comeback after ten years of inactivity hit the WRC, the media had a field day with it.

They criticized your father for being a nutjob that didn't know when to quit. They smeared Don Tanaka's name like he didn't make most of the drivers currently selling their dying papers. They even tried to get paid scoops from anyone involved with the team in the slightest.

But the team had one wildcard left to play before pulling the curtains for good and giving them the satisfaction that they ruined it.

You.

The press didn't know about you. No one in the other teams knew about you. Thanks to your father's extremely private life, no one even knew of your existence.

The only people that did were your team in the garage, from the mechanics to your PR agent.

Even walking into the circuit grounds this morning, long hair down over your shoulders, sporting the team gear in plain sight, no one batted an eye at you. Even if they did, they would think you were involved with technical or marketing - though even that was a rarity in this universe - or worse, just another groupie looking to get one of the drivers under your hood.

Your father wanted to give everyone a show they'll never forget by having you drive the first race in the calendar without a proper introduction. No car reveal. No interviews. No pre-race press conference. Just a car and its driver.

This way they would judge your driving before they actually got to judge you for being a woman at the wheel of a three hundred horsepower beast. He trusted you and your judgement on the track far more than the lousy press setting you up for fail. They would get a proper car show and speech after the race anyway.

It was out of the ordinary but that kinda summed up Hiro Suruki and his bipolar personality.

The distorted sound of a megaphone, followed by the voice of the race marshal called you to the start line.

"Car 7, Rai Suruki for Suruki Racing, you're up next!"

You could already see everyone turning their eyes to your station, booming cheers going quiet, turning into sharp murmurs.

Time to get this show going.

Rolling up your windows to block the world, you put the car in gear and drove to the start line, waiting for the green light. Looking out at the lines in the road ahead of you spotting the first hazard ahead, the nerves climbed up your spine faster than your engine could pump the pistons for pressure.

You prepared for this for most of your life, but if you were being honest, it all got a little too real now, sitting with your foot hovering above the gas pedal ahead of the moment that could make or break your career before it even started. The very moment that could be a step forward to restoring your father's name, getting the team back on track in a new age of rally racing. The moment for a change.

No pressure, right?

"Raiko," your co-driver called your name, but you couldn't tear your eyes away from the road, gloved fingers tightening on top of the wheel with a small snap. "Do you remember the course?"

"Yes."

"Good. All set?"

"I think so."

"Raiko, look at me."

"You're not my style."

"Raiko," his voice turned more serious and deep with warning. With another sigh into the small, cramped space for breathing your helmet provided, you turned to him.

"You've got this. Let's prove everyone wrong."

He was right.

Let's prove everyone wrong.

The race marshal started the countdown, walking from the front of your car to the side, each number in the count descending with your nerves. You loosened the hold on the wheel, stretched your legs to the pedals and let out a deep breath.

"3."

It's not about how fast you go.

"2."

It's about how long you go fast.

"1."

Fast like lightning.

"GO!"

A soon as the lights went green, you hit the throttle and took off into the dirt, raising the dust behind you. You skidded off to the side a little due to the gravel but you got control of it before anyone could notice.

Tokai was a pretty difficult course to rally depending on which stages got picked for the day. More forest terrain gave way to hard roads, receding in wheel control, gaining insane suspension pressure. This one was more of an open valley terrain, which was a bit safer, but the later you got the okay to race, the more dust and gravel from other drivers would pile up in front of you, making visibility dangerously low. The corners were way too tight and one second off from Tanaka's directions or a mishap of your footing could cost you and put your car on the sidelines.

"5 left over crest," Tanaka paced you for the upcoming hill and you prepared to release the throttle.

"1 left 100."

Wheels back on the ground, you resumed pressing the pedal as a hairpin portion came into view. The cloud of dust in front of you was chalky and you had to get through it before it raised higher. Putting the car in second gear, you got ready for the drift portion.

You had to be extra careful here. The mechanic in chief told you to go easy as the rear could send you into oversteer, throwing off the balance of the car and fuck up the race completely.

Listening to your gut, you waited for the right time then tapped the brake, cut the wheels and pressed the throttle, sliding across the portion. Loud cheers and whistles erupted as the crowd in the stands got up to watch you complete a perfect drift.

"3 right don't cut."

Reduce pace and prepare for a possible road hazard.

You slowed down and sure enough a bump in the road came up. If you missed that one and took it at 120 kmph, it would've projected you off the track, crashing the car hard into the rocky wall like a cereal box. Thankfully, you swerved around it, feeling the car lift off the ground on the left for a bit before it fell back down.

"6 right very long."

Hard left into a tight corner.

"Cut 8 left."

Tight corner requiring you to follow a straight line in the curb.

This was the last and worst corner on the track. You were lucky it didn't rain because this is where your car can skid off into the stands. You caught the straight line pretty fast, cutting a few seconds off your lap time without slowing down.

Following the rest of Tanaka's directions and focusing on the rest of the road, the race finished before you knew it. You liked the state you were in as you drove, mind clear of everything else because as soon as the adrenaline in your body decreased, your brain got bombarded by all kinds of issues.

Did I push the new suspensions too hard? God, I hope I didn't scratch the rear in the hairpin. Was my timing too off on that last corner? I should've practiced it more.

Driving back to your team's station, you sent all those worries at the back of your head and got out to watch the screen showing the score board just as it updated to display the new track times since you were the last to go.

1. Akira Shinkai - Sigma Racing Academy - 1.23.40

2. Naozumi Hiyama - Spica Racing Factory - 1.23.59

3. Rai Suruki - Suruki Racing - 1.24.25

"WE BAGGED THIRD PLACE?!" you yelled throwing off your helmet onto the car seat.

"WE SURE DID," Tanaka high fived you, beaming with energy just like you.

"That's 15 points on the first stage! Well done, lightning strike," he ruffled your hair as you snickered, nose scrunching up with a smile at the gesture you were already accustomed to.

"The car held up a lot better today than in testing. Maybe we lifted the curse," you wiggled your eyebrows at him at which he flicked your forehead. "Ow, what did you do that for?"

"Don't jinx it. We still have two more stages to go."

"But-"

Before you could say anything else, you were interrupted by angry shouting coming from the station next to you.

"I told you to not touch the third gear," yelled a strained voice.

You walked to the side of your station, peeking your head by the team banner, and watched the heated exchange between one of the drivers and his mechanic. Your eyes wandered to the car sitting in the middle, not one hand touching it for the regular post-race check up. From the different strokes of sky blue layered over stark white, the red and blue sponsor stickers and the carbon spoiler, you recognized it to be Spica Racing's.

"It doesn't matter now," shouted another voice, so annoyed and sure of themselves as if they owned the place. "I got a good lap record this time."

"What would you do if you had to retire in the middle of the race?" shot the mechanic, chastising the driver for being careless.

He got up in his face, towering over him though the other was much taller than him.

"We won't win if I don't attack!" he yelled back, throwing his hand in the air to make a point. "The moment I think of being scared I will lose. I won't make that mistake. So just do your job and fix the car."

With that final remark, he rounded the car to walk away from the station until he noticed you in the corner, now standing in full sight just at the line between your stations.

Quickly replacing the scowl on his face with what was probably his natural smirk, he came to you, stopping short of the barrier separating you.

"I don't do autographs, but for you I can do more than that," he added a daring wink, flashing his cocky smile at you.

Ew.

Taking a small step back hoping his vibes wouldn't envelop you, you uncrossed your arms from your chest and lifted an eyebrow at him.

"I don't want your autograph."

Taken aback at your response, he backed up slightly too and looked you up and down, taking in your deep blue and dark gold team fireproofs and the suit tied messily around your waist. The old, way out of fashion colours seemed to ring a bell.

"Suruki Racing...," he started doubtful, "the shithole that revived from the ashes? Are you a mechanic, a co-driver or something for them? If you are, why don't you jump ships? I wouldn't mind having you on my team instead," he finished his speech of intent with another shit-eating grin.

Who the fuck was this guy?

The audacity that wafted off him must definitely make him popular with the ladies.

"I don't think we've met before," you extended your hand out to him, curt and polite, like a normal person would do, introducing yourself.

"Rai Suruki, driver for Suruki Racing," emphasizing your role in the team so he got it through his head that you weren't some bimbo.

If you were, you'd make sure your fist decorated his face in pretty red tones before anything else.

He straightened back, smirk gone from his face in all sense of the word. It got replaced by some kind of curiosity. Looking between you and your palm hanging in the air he looked confused to say the least. He's heard about female racers before and seen some working in technical around the place, he's just never seen one stand against him on track.

Tired of being polite to someone who obviously has never heard about manners, you were about to retract your extended hand when he caught it in a firm grip and pulled it towards him, just holding it instead of shaking it. The move sent you forwards, almost barreling into him when your reaction response kicked in to steel you a safe distance away.

Maybe Tanaka's intense survival program pays off sometimes.

"So," he began and you wondered if he was about to say something intelligent or spew more shit with that mouth of his. He decided to choose the latter. "You're the one driving the Beetle dupe right there?"

Eh, come again?

Your eyes widened at him, looking at where his finger was pointed to confirm that he was pointing at your car and not anywhere else, then you whirled your head back at him appalled.

"B-Beetle dupe?!"

"I thought you were a guy."

Wouldn't be the first time I heard that one.

You took your hand back from his hold, wiping it on the sleeves of the suit hanging on your hips in the hopes that it would wipe off the disgust you were feeling too. It didn't but it was worth a try.

"It's the name," you replied through gritted teeth.

He backed up some more to scan you again, though more attentively this time, like you were some kind of illegality, cooked up from the pits of his imagination. You gave him your best front, hardening your jaw and rolling your shoulders backwards, proving you were more than a pair of boobs and a vagina, which was apparently his deranged first impression of you.

You deserved to be here. No amount of stares from the male specimen, surprised or with sinful intentions, could ever make you back down from this. This was yours to take on. No man could take this from you. Not him anyway.

So, you stared him down too, trying to find something else beside the extreme big dick energy and unsurmountable lack of scruples surrounding him. Struggling to see anything else but some disdain in the way he crossed his arms over his broad chest, a rich prick attitude from how he shifted on his legs like the world owed him golden lingos every time he breathed, and some leftover rage from the screaming match with his mechanic still present in the tick of his jaw, you let your eyes meet his own in conclusion of your very own analysis.

Yeah, there's nothing else in there. An ambulant douchebag. Just like I thought.

Flashing cameras were suddenly thrown in your faces, interrupting the intense stare-down between you. The press and some people, potentially fans of other teams by their t-shirts, surrounded you from every corner of the plastic barrier around the two stations, pushing each other over the race marshals that tried their hardest to keep them away. It wasn't long until they pushed over the barrier.

Too absorbed in the chaos, you didn't notice he leaned down to your ear but when you did, you stilled in your shoes, all blood draining into your pounding stomach. He spoke close and low, so only you could hear his words.

"Don't get too comfortable around here, rookie," he whispered, hot breath hitting the shell of your ear making shivers run down your extremely clothed spine. "Let's see how long you last in here because this season might just be your first and last."

Pulling away with another one of his smirks that were starting to get on your nerves, he regarded you once more before he walked off in amusement to his cool-down room, giving you a full view of his broad back.

Oh, just you wait -

A reporter shoved into the human barrier of orange and green safety vests reaching the railing, yanking it back and forth repeatedly until the poor plastic seal broke off, letting everyone else pool in around you.

Uh-oh. This wasn't good.

They packed around you like wolves on their prey, all shouting different things at you while shoving their big cameras, recording devices and phones in your face. The flashes blinded you, turning the world white and too bright for it to be natural light from the clouded sky above.

Your hands shot up on instinct to cover your eyes from the flaring lights as your ears focused on filtering through the blaring sounds of camera clicks and voices. Then the countless questions registered clear as day, hitting you like a truck at full speed.

"Are you Rai Suruki, daughter of Hiro Suruki?"

"Where did your father get the money to restart the team?"

"Is your car even going to last a season?"

"Do you consider yourself a challenge to the rest of the drivers?"

I guess that was it for mystery, dad.

Some of the other teams passed by the ruckus, sparing quick judgmental glances or sending disgusting sneers your way like that was the way they initiated your welcome ceremony at the gates of the jungle.

If this was any other series, you would've been so welcomed by the rest of the grid and treated somewhat better by the media and the fans. But this was the World Rally Championships.

Driving was dirty.

Talk was filthy, full of disrespect and unspoken trials of envy between each driver.

The press competed to see who would get your head on a pike first and parade it as the story of the century.

Respect was fought for, not earned.

It was a different game. One where you needed to play even if you didn't want to so in turn you wouldn't get played. Survival of the fittest truly.

You steeled your gaze, waving the reporters off and digging a hole through the crowd, successfully escaping away to your pit crew. Helping with packing up bits and pieces and taking your own stuff, you headed back to your team quarters, aware of the intensifying stares belonging to the rest of the teams still around their stations, talking about the first day in this season's calendar being an interesting one.

You had a feeling you and the team were the hot topic of conversation since you could feel their eyes searing deep holes into your back, burning hotter and doing more damage than flame-lit arrows aimed straight at you ever could. Tanaka wrapped an arm around you giving you his curled moustache smile, sympathizing with you.

Looking up at the sky darkening in mauve and pink, you let a small smile grace your lips. At least today was done. Your rally racing career has officially started. The team was back in business.

However, this first stage was just one of the many challenges still to come. Who knew what else was on the way?

As you trudged on the warm asphalt, warmed by the mid-spring warmth of March, there was one thing you knew for sure.

This is gonna be a long season.

Thank you for reading :) As always leave a like, comment or reblog!

#Runaway #Naozumi Hiyama #Naozumi Hiyama x reader #Naozumi Hiyama x you #Overdrive x reader #Overdrive x you #racing au #Overdrive Mackenyu

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kurokawaia · 3 months ago

Text

❛ Your Mine ❜ - Chapter 4

yandere!Lan Wangji X Fem!Wen!Reader

| YANDERE + DARK CONTENT | this meaning, if you don't like this content, then just scroll away

WC; 1.9k + | !MDNI! | TW/CW : x fem reader, yandere x fem reader, yandere themes, another kidnapping lmao, lan wangji steals you agn

⋆·˚ ༘ * 𝒞𝐻𝒜𝒫𝒯𝐸𝑅 𝒮𝒰𝑀𝑀𝒜𝑅𝒴 :: The war has now passed and Lan Wangji is taking care of you and helping you search for your siblings. When you two found them, you requested to stay with them in Yiling, to leave Wangji. But this caused Lan Wangji's already yandere personality to rise to another level. He wants to bring her back to Gusu and marry her, but she doesn't want to, she wants to stay with Jiang Cheng, her siblings and doesn't want to follow the 3000 rules.

part 3 | part 4 | part 5

You awoke, opening your eyes slowly with the raising light through the paper windows. It was full of chaos and your mind was confused at what was happening before you. Then, you were reminded of what had happened last night: the memory of being intimate with Lan Wangji. Fresh—it still was, the way his lips moved against your own, along with his possessive statements. And then you shifted a little, and there, by your bed, was Lan Wangji, looking at you with his eyes wide open. Is his face serene, or does tension come off him in waves, that type of feeling that makes you almost feel afraid and anxious for his next action?. "Lan Wangji," you murmured uncertainly with a voice so soft, yet seeming so constant you might have sighed, "I have been thinking. I want to go look for my siblings." "No," he said with a force of finality that seemed nearly on par with steel. "That is too dangerous." You sat up, meeting his eyes. But there was still evidence in you that you held fear. "I just need to know if they'll be okay. Wen Qing and Wen Ning are family to me. I can't just sit here when they're literally in danger." The face of Lan Wangji was without expression, yet a certain intensity in the air was picked up that you could deeply feel, continuing down your spine in a tremor. "Your safety is most valued," he said, low and controlled. "I cannot let you take a risk like that." "I'll have to get someone to come look after them," he bargained, anger starting to flow from him as well. "I can't be left to go with. I know it's dangerous, but I HAVE to do this." His eyes seemed to darken, the intensity he had displayed the previous night flashed back on, though he stayed speaking in a low tone. "And I can't let you go alone. You mean too much to me." You blinked at him, annoyed, worried, and feeling something else that was in no way justifiable. "Lan Wangji, I am thankful for everything that you've done for me, but I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

"You aren;'t nobody," he whispered, his voice low yet fully firm with a touch of possessiveness. "You, I cannot afford to lose." His words sent chills down your spine, yet you reasoned with yourself. "I didn't say that you let me go by myself," you said halfway, meeting him in the middle. "I just really need to do this, so badly. Please let me go, but come with me." "If I go with you," he finally gave in; his voice brooked no argument, "then I can make sure you're safe.". You gave a very slow nod, at least relieved that the fact would be looked into. "Thanks," you breathed, full of the most sincere of voices possible. "I swear I'll be careful."

The path that took place in order to find siblings—Wen Qing and Wen Ning—had all been very tense, and at every moment, Lan Wangji had never left your side. It almost frightened you, how he never left your side, you never had a moment of privacy. BUt, finally, after days of searching, you found them in Yiling—all hidden from the Sunshot Campaign. You hugged Wen Qing and Wen Ning, relief is inseparable from floods of tears, both of happiness and sorrow, at seeing them again. Lan Wangji had stopped a few feet from you, the gaze from his eyes never breaking from yours. Immobile, his face had been impassive and emotionless, but something in him, in the way he kept his body so ridged had seemed to speak volumes. He was watching you reunite, but something in his gaze felt dark. After a moment, you turned to Lan Wangji with a heavy heart over the decision you knew you were going to have to make. "Lan Wangji," you started, your voice trembling slightly. "I want… to stay with them." Something dangerous crossed over his features and his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked, lowering his voice to a meagre level. You drew a deep breath, trying to collect your nerves. "They need me here, Wangji. They are alone and they are in danger. I can never leave them again. I want to be in Yiling and stay with them. The silence that followed could have been said to be deafening. His eyes took on a shade of darkness and his expression contracted. "You want to leave me," he thought, unfeeling, only the tension in the tone is clear. You shook your head, now filling with tears. "It's not about leaving you. It's about my family. They need me, Lan Wangji. I cannot leave them again." His jaw tightened, and he advanced another half step, his presence oppressive for the first time. "You are supposed to be with me," he said, his voice cold and possessive. "You cannot stay here. It's too dangerous." You flinched at the almost bellowed ferocity of his tone, but you stood your ground. "They are my family, Lan Wangji. I have to make it up to them. I need to help them."

The look in his eyes grew darker, his calm composure replaced with something far more unsettling, something that scared you to your core, it rattled your peace. "No," he replied sharply. "I will not allow it. You are coming back with me." Your heart pounded with heated sound in your chest, your eyes meeting his, and a shiver ran down your back at the cold look in his eye. "Lan Wangji, please understand. I can't, after all that, just leave them. They need me." "And I need you," he shot back, his voice rising with a rare, almost frightening intensity. "You are mine, Wen {Birthname}. You cannot stay here." "You are mine," he said again, but this time his words stunned you. The ownership of his tone. It had you at a loss.

"Lan Wangji," you whispered, and the sound of your own voice was shaking. "This is not proper. You cannot just… have me this way." He came even closer, his hand reaching out to clutch your arm—not painfully but in a way you could not pull away. "You are not leaving me," he hissed with a menacing voice. "I will not let you." Your heart raced, and although fear and confusion swirled inside you, nowhere upon his face could you meet his eyes and see the depth of his obsessions, the intensity of his need to keep you beside him at all costs. "Lan Wangji—" you tried to reason with him, but he cut you off. "If you stay here," he warned, his voice dangerously calm, "you will be in constant danger. I cannot protect you here. You should be with me, where I can protect you." You shook your head as tears spilled down your cheeks. "But they're my family… I can't just leave them." His fist tightened slightly, his eyes burning with possession not to be disputed. "You are coming with me," he said, the words clearly implacable, with no room for argument in his voice. "I shall not lose you."

Before you even fully registered what was happening, a strong hand shook around your arm as Lan Wangji pulled you away from your siblings. YOur eyes widened at his unexpected action, you had never expected Lan Wangji, second son to the head of the Lan's to get physical with you. His grip was firm and you could already feel a bruise forming. "Lan Wangji, no!" you cried out again and tried to pull back, yet his grip did not yield.

Because he was resolute, he wasn't going to let go of you, he wasn't even planning to do so. "You're coming with me," he repeated, low and even, a possessive edge in his tone with made you realise that he wouldn't be letting go. Your heart thudded loud in your chest, and you were panting against him, "What can I do but not leave them?" you exclaimed, your voice strangled with sadness. "They are my family—Wangji—I belong here, with them! But the words seemed to fall on deaf ears for he only paid no heed, dragging you away. "You belong with me and will come back to Gusu with me, where it is safe," his eyes gleamed with possessiveness. Now, terror surged in you full force with the realisation of what he had meant. He had not only taken you back to Gusu, but to his world, back to a life within which you were going to be shut inside between the tight rules and scrutinies of the Lan clan, a life in which you would have to follow the three thousand rules of the code of conduct that extended absolutely everywhere within the Cloud Recesses. "No!" you screamed as you dug your heels into the ground. "I won't go back! I don't want to live with those rules! I want to stay here, with my family! With Jiang Cheng!" With the mention of Jiang Cheng's name, Lan Wangji's eyes began to darken, grip on your arm tightening. A shiver went through your body since that silent, calm expression he always wore was cracking, and what truly lay beneath was one of possession. "You are mine," he said in a low, hazardous soft voice. "You belong to me—not Jiang Cheng, not anybody.". You could feel it in his gaze, the one of a heartache man, that desire just to have you by his side. "Wangji, please," you would plead, tears running down your face. "I don't want this. I don't want to be tied down with those rules. I don't want to live a life here where I can't be with my family, where I can't be free." "You'll be safe there, in Gusu," he said, the hand that gripped harder to yours tightening. "I will protect you, and we are going to be together. That's all that matters."

"No." You shook your head. "But what about what I want?" You croaked, your voice shaky with emotion. "What about my freedom? My family? The face of Lan Wangji relaxed, and you could see something like guilt or regret gleam in his eyes, though it was soon cloaked once more by that same bone-chilling determination that had driven him to this. "Your safety is more important than anything else," he said, his voice soft but firm. "Though you do not understand this now, one day you will and you will thank me for it.". With that, he pulled you closer—the grip on your arm unremitting. "We are going back to Gusu," he said; the tone of his voice allowed no room for dispute. "And once we are there, we will marry. You will be safe, and we will be together." There was a surety in his voice that sent a chill down your spine. You knew there was no escape from this, you couldn't talk him out of it. That urge of Lan Wangji toward you had reached to such a point that he didn't care for anything, not your wishes, not freedom, not family. The only thing that mattered was you were his, and nothing would stop him from doing what it takes to keep you by his side. Your heart felt a thousand times heavier with the portent of what was to come as he carried you away from your siblings. You managed to twist your head back just in time to see the forlorn expressions etched on the faces of Wen Qing and Wen Ning, their helplessness in this situation clear before your eyes.

You wanted to scream, to fight, to do anything in order to prevent this, but Lan Wangji's hand was tight, powerfully strong, and it left you with none of your own.

You were helpless.

Do not copy, steal, modify, etc. Relogs and like are appreciated.

m.list | mo dao zu shi m.list

#lan wangji x fem reader #lan wangji x you #lan wanji x reader #yandere lan wangji #lan wangji x reader #mdzs x fem!reader #mdzs x fem! reader #mdzs x reader #tw kidnapping #tw yandere

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officeofcommanderfox · 1 month ago

Note

Given the events of Ch 3 how about Prompt 45? Thanks guys!

Thanks so much for the ask! Since chapter 4 was already in the works when your ask came in, yours is now our chapter 5. We hope you enjoy it!!

The Commander and the Civvie, Chpt. 5

Fic Main | Previous Chpt

Pairing: Commander Fox x female reader

Rating: T (teen)

Warnings: mentions of violence, mentions of injury, past betrayal

Prompt: 45. “If I have to think about one more thing today, my head will explode.”

The colour in Fox’s cheeks finally returned, now that he was finally discharged from the hospital and back to the office.

It felt good to be back in the office and no longer looking at the same four walls. And as much as you hated to admit it, it was nice having Fox back in the office. It had felt odd not having him around, and although you tried to be there at the hospital as often as you could, once he woke up he was adamant you return to the office.

Thorn stood in front of your desk, “Hey, mesh’la.”

“Hey Thorn, what’s up?”

“You got a second?”

“Until he decides to call me in,” you tilted your head at the way his helmet stared at you, you could've sworn his brows were furrowed, “Thorn, everything okay?”

“Before Fox got injured, he asked me to do a background check on you.”

Your heart stopped for a second, “Oh.”

Thorn tapped the data pad against his other hand, “Mesh'la, you and I both know what's in here.” He held it up, “I know my brother, and I'd like to think I'm a fairly good judge of character. So… despite what it alludes to here, I have seen for myself over the past month how trustworthy, reliable, and hard-working you are. I've seen how much you value this job, how much it means to you and how you do your best to look after us. So I'm going to give you two options. Either I can go and talk to Fox first, tell him what I found or… we can go together and you tell him what happened. But if you hold anything back, I'll take over.”

“So… you don't trust me.”

“That's not what I'm saying. I do trust you. However, you're not ignorant about why Fox got hurt. You know why he was acting off that day, or am I wrong?”

You let out a sigh, your face dropping into your hands, “No, I knew about the hit. I just … I didn't know how to tell you guys.”

“Well the least you can do now is tell Fox everything. If you promise me you won't hold anything back, I'll leave you and Fox to talk alone.”

You nodded shifting your head until you locked eyes with his visor, “Yeah. I promise. I won't hold back.”

Thorn gave a curt nod, “Good. Let's go.” He held his hand out directing you to Fox’s office.

The tension in Fox's office felt suffocating, as you realized after this moment, the way Fox, Thorn, and everyone else in the department looked at you could change permanently. They would likely be suspicious of you and with good reason.

“What brings you both here?” Fox asked as he sipped his caf, his helmet on the edge of his desk.

“I have the background report you wanted on mesh'la here.” Thorn tilted his head towards you, “However, I thought it'd be best if you heard it from her first.” He passed the datapad to Fox. “I'll leave you two to talk.” He stepped out letting the silence settle between you and Fox.

Fox let out a soft sigh through his nose as he turned the datapad in his hands.

“How do you want to do this? Tell me first or should I read what it says here and you fill in the blanks.”

He motioned for you to take a seat, noticing you were hesitating to open up.

“Starlight, whatever happens, whatever I'm gonna learn, it won't affect how much I respect you. I have seen how passionate you are about this job. How much you try your best and how you made an effort to get to know me better even when I purposefully made your life difficult. So talk to me.”

There was a slight pause, as you contemplated his statement before nodding. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves,

“There's really not much to who I am, and when you read the background you'll see I'm mostly a model citizen.”

“What do you mean by mostly?”

“Well, it has to do with the reason I no longer work at the bank.”

“What, you tried to rob it?” He chuckled at his own joke, only for it to die on his lips as his eyes took in your somewhat guilty appearance. “Wait. You tried to rob a bank?”

“No.” You looked at him, sternly. “I had nothing to do with that; not… not directly, at least.”

Fox robbed his forehead as he tried to put the pieces together, “Okay. So … what happened?”

You let out another sigh as you shifted in your seat, “You know I worked security at the bank. Administrative stuff, some overseeing, but mostly keeping track of who worked what shift, how many people were on, making sure maintenance crews had the proper clearance. Because of that I usually met the new recruits first, getting them to fill out their forms, having their pictures done and fingerprints scanned, so they could have their IDs. Well, a few months before everything happened, I… I met someone.”

“You met someone?”

You nodded fidgeting with your hand, “I mean… he was nice, sweet, funny, he… he even had this killer smile.” As much as you didn't want to, you couldn't help the smile that appeared on your lips as you remember your first encounters with Rian.

For some reason, the idea that you're smiling about this man created a knot in Fox's stomach. Why should he care that you met someone? Or that you apparently liked this man?

“Who was he?”

“Rian. Rian Guthrie.” The smile falls from your lips as you mention his name, “It…” you let out a scoff, “It wasn't one of my finest moments, as it would turn out.”

“What happened?”

“Let me begin by stating I dated him for about a month, before everything went to crap in my life.”

The fact that Fox and his brothers were somehow included in that ‘everything went to crap’ part of her life stung more than he cared to admit.

“I… I guess I was too head over heels for him, and didn't realize he was using me. He used my access to gain information about security rotations, vault passcodes, background information…” you rubbed your forehead as you let out a sigh, “He used my access, my reputation, my good name to plan a bank heist. When I discovered what he was doing, I was horrified and I contacted the CSF right away. They began an investigation into Rian, but they asked me to keep dating him, they didn’t want him to become suspicious and disappear. When they finally moved in and arrested him, they found out he was involved with the Black Sun.”

“Kriff.”

“Yeah. Anyway he tried to put the blame on me. Said it was my idea, my connections that got him involved. I mean it was all nonsense and obviously he was lying but…”

“Neither the bank nor the CSF could just take your word for it.”

“Nope. And to make matters worse somehow the Black Sun learned I was the one who snitched. Eventually the CSF cleared me, but my reputation was ruined and so was my career. I lost my job, and most of my friends. The only job I could get afterwards was this one, and that was all thanks to the detective on my case. He was also the one who warned me about the hit taken out on me. He saw how much my life had been screwed over because of Rian, and he wanted to help me out not only with getting this job but just forewarning me of potential dangers. I've had to move three times already, for safety sake.”

“Kark me” Fox ran his hands through his hair, “That's… that's intense.”

“I am so sorry,” tears welled up in your eyes as the guilt you had been feeling since Fox got shot overwhelmed you. “I should've told you sooner. I should've…” your head dropped into your hands.

Fox couldn't stand seeing you cry, he knew how much his injury had been weighing on your mind. It wasn't hard to guess or figure out after the way you took care of him. He stood from his seat and walked over to you, gently wrapping his arms around you as he kneeled. “I've never hugged anyone before so… I hope this is okay.”

You nodded as you rested your head on his shoulder, hugging him back. It was a tad uncomfortable because of the armour, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

“I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sorry that someone decided to use you, instead of seeing how amazing you really are.”

“I'm not amazing. I'm an idiot.” You didn't shift to look at him, just kept hugging him, tears falling on his plastoid armour.

“You're not an idiot. He was a liar and conned you. That's not your fault.” Fox leaned back to look at your face, his forefinger gently wiping the tears, “What happened after he conned you is not your fault. And maybe you hate working here and you hate being around me and my men, but we love having you here.”

“I don't hate working here or your men or you. Working here has saved me. It’s made me feel like I wasn't completely pathetic.”

“Starlight, you're not pathetic. You're a woman who got caught up in a romance and hoped for happiness. That's how con artists work. They shower you with affection, giving you hope that you found the right one. You're not pathetic. You're… you're amazing and one hell of a secretary.”

You let out a light chuckle, as you wiped your tears, “Guess I passed probation.”

His laughter joined yours, “Starlight, you passed probation the moment you bought me caf and treats.”

You smirked and nodded, “Glad to hear it.”

“Thank you for telling me all of this. I know it wasn't easy.”

“Thank you for being… understanding.”

“Always, Starlight. Now why don't you go and fix yourself up before anyone else sees?”

You nodded standing up as he helped you, “Fox… I do mean it. Working here, meeting you and your brothers… you guys have saved me, and not just literally.” You tapped his chest plate over his heart and gave him a soft smile, before turning to go.

Fox smiled as he looked at you, watching you walk away. He let out a sigh as he was left alone in the office, “You saved me too, Starlight,” He whispered.

His eyes didn't look away as you meandered through the path of desks and people to the refreshers. He sat at his desk, closing his eyes for a second, ‘my Starlight’, he called you in his mind.

“You okay?”

Fox opened his eyes to see Thorn standing there and leaning against the doorframe, “Yeah. It was a heavy conversation. And I'll need to confirm what she told me but, if I have to think about one more thing today, my head will explode.”

“Understandable, vod. Why don't you relax for a bit, before the Chancellor starts calling you in for meetings.”

Fox nodded, closing his eyes again, his fist clenched against his thighs. He was going to keep you safe, and he was going to make sure you never got hurt again.

Send Commander Fox an ask to continue the story!

Taglist 1: @boomtowngirl @becks-things @catsnkooks @starlightrows @tailorvizsla @bitchin-beskar @acourtofsnakes @grogusmum @buzzybeebee @deannie13 @ladykatakuri @noodlesfics @the-good-shittt @everythingyouwanted @jewfro24 @vaderthepotater @pinkiemme @laichka @myeternalsin @kazthedestroyer @writeforfandoms @trekkingaroundasgard @beskarmermaid @flightlessangelwings @heyitsaloy @pickleprickle @obiwanquinzel @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @cloneloverrrrr @deewithani @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @atlas-likes-writing @mysticalgalaxysalad @tazmbc1

#commander fox #commander fox x reader #commander fox x female reader #commander fox fanfiction #star wars the clone wars #star wars the clone wars fanfiction #star wars #star wars fanfiction #office of commander fox

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onim5 · 2 months ago

Text

Isekai Au

Chapter 5: Fit in

Portgas D. Ace x Female Reader

Warnings: None

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

"So this big map isn't a map?" Ace asked, confused.

"First of, it's called a TV, I want you to sit here and watch it until I'm back." You said pointing at the couch.

"But, how is this TV gonna entertain me for, what did you say? Five hours?" Ace asks.

"Yup, five hours. I have a client who's waiting. Oh, and if you're hungry, eat something from the fridge." You said closing the door, leaving Ace behind.

He pushed the buttons of the thing you gave him, and at last, the map shined up. Oh, well, the so-called TV. On the screen, after a lot of clicking, Ace finally found some weird place with a lot of different titles. You had told him to watch something called Harry Potter. The hunch Ace had said he was in the right place, and after some scrolling, he found one of them to have Harry Potter on the front.

It didn't look interesting at all. But, oh well. He clicked on the screen and, let's just say, wow. Ace wasn't sure of what was the coolest? The story or the way he sees and hears it. When the movie had ended, Ace stretched a little. After a quick look towards the clock, he found it to be around three hours until you would get back.

How am I supposed to get home? Ace questioned in his head as he raided the fridge. He came here by saying some weird shit, but that didn't take him back. It was worry some, to say the least. And Blackbeard had said something even more frustrating. He would go after Luffy and trade him to become a warlord. Sighing Ace took something he found and placed it in the so-called microwave.

One Harry Potter Movie Later

"I'm back, sorry I'm late. I just figured you need clothes and that you probably have eaten everything from 'my' fridge." You said quite fast as you carried everything into the apartment. Ace walked up with a questioning look.

"Did you just say you bought clothes?" He asked, unsure.

"Uh, yes. People don't go around shirtless, here. And I don't feel comfortable with a shirtless pirate in my beautiful apartment." You answered, handing him two plastic bags.

"How many are there?" Ace asked as he peeked into the bag, finding both to have quite some weight.

"Uh, I dunno. I bought a lot, though, so don't worry." But that was what worried Ace. He didn't wanna be a burden to you.

"Now go change." You smiled, pushing him into the bathroom. Not long after, Ace came out wearing a nice black T-shirt and black pants.

"Ha, now you fit in more. What do you think?" You asked while filling in the fridge.

"It's really comfortable, but um, why did you buy so many clothes?" Ace asked, placing his hand on the neck.

"How many did I buy?" You asked, closing the fridge.

"Around twenty-five. I think. Also, was it necessary to buy two more pairs of shoes for me?" Ace asks, placing down the bag.

"No, but it was fun. We're going out for dinner, so put on the more fancy clothes I bought for you." You said, walking into your own room, before Ace could respond.

Ace put on the suit. He had once again black pants, but these felt different. And a nice patterned light blue vest. And under was a comfortable white shirt. Although the blue doesn't match the marines, it still crosses his mind. If Grandpa was here he be either laughing or telling him to become a marine. Ace walked out of the bathroom holding a tie. He had never ever worn anything like this and wondered if nobles feel like this all the time. After a minute you came out wearing quite beautiful clothes too.

"You look good. Hmm, you need help with the tie?" You asked, walking up to him.

"Uh yes, I've never really been on the fancy side. It's really new to me. Also, Y/n, I hope you know you don't have to do all of this." Ace says unsure, after all, he didn't wanna be ungrateful. And for the matter of facts, you two had known each other for maybe two days now. Ace fellt his cheeks warm up, as he feels your hands fix it.

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

Sorry it took so long to write. I'm a bit sick. 🤧 It's just a cold, though.

Also, ignore the fact that we shouldn't know what Ace sizes is. Cause if I wrote a reason that would make sense, we turn into a real creep.

End of chapter 5.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Masterlist

#isekai portgas d ace #onepiece isekai au #isekai #one piece #portgas d. ace #fire fist ace #one piece x reader #portgas #portgas d ace #portgas d ace x reader #portgas d ace x y/n #onepiece #one piece ace #isekai au

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loveroftoomanyfandoms · 5 months ago

Text

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Chapter 5

Pairing: Platonic Steven Grant x Reader (for now)

Rating: T

Word count: ~2000

Story Summary: Steven meets a beautiful woman in the Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum...

...Too bad she's his new boss.

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergent since Steven still works for the British Museum post-canon, No Jake Lockley, developing friendship

A/N: ICYMI, I've been going through some personal stuff, but Steven has been a welcome distraction so I was able to get this next chapter written fairly quickly!

If you want to be tagged in this or any of my other writing, let me know!

Steven opened his desk drawer for the fifth time since he had arrived at work that morning and checked to make sure the gift he had bought Dr. Y/LN hadn't accidentally gotten damaged.

He took a deep breath. He had sent her a text message before he had left for work asking if he could briefly meet with her that morning and was awaiting her response.

He hurriedly unlocked his phone as it alerted him of a new message. I'm in my office now. Come on up whenever you're ready.

Steven grabbed the gift bag and headed to the elevator, his heart thrumming nervously.

Calm down, Marc said. It's just a gift. It's not like you're proposing to her.

Steven shook his head. What if she doesn't like it?

She will. I'm sure of it.

Steven got off of the elevator and made his way to Dr. Y/L/N’s office, noting that Helen hadn't yet made it in.

He checked his watch. Well, it's no wonder Helen isn't here yet. It's not even 8 am.

He paused in the open doorway. Dr. Y/L/N was standing by the window and looking outside, the early morning light giving her an ethereal glow. She's so beautiful.

He gently knocked on the door so as to not startle her. “Er, excuse me, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N turned towards him. “Hi, come on in. You can close the door behind you.”

Steven nodded as he stepped inside and closed the door.

Dr. Y/L/N walked over to her desk and sat down. “How can I help you, Steven?”

“I'm sorry to bother you this morning, but I, er, I just wanted to say that you're a wonderful director and that I really enjoy working with you.” Steven set the gift bag down on her desk. “And I also wanted to give you this.”

Dr. Y/L/N’s brow wrinkled, an adorably confused look on her face. “You got me a gift?”

Steven nodded, fidgeting nervously as Dr. Y/L/N reached for the gift bag. “It's not much, but I just thought, well…”

He paused as Dr. Y/L/N pulled the ‘World Pyramid Tea Collection' he had gotten for her out of the bag. “You had said that you wanted to try different varieties of tea, so when I saw this I thought you might like it.”

What he didn't say was that he had been planning on buying a varietal tea set to give to her since the day he had walked her home two weeks prior and that while doing a rather extensive search online for the perfect one had stumbled upon that particular set.

A smile spread across Dr. Y/L/N’s face. “This is so sweet of you. Thank you.”

Steven nodded slightly. “You're very welcome, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N opened the box, her smile becoming even brighter. “Ohmygod, they're actually shaped like little pyramids. That is so cool!”

She looked up at Steven. “Is it okay if I give you a hug?”

Oh dear gods, yes. Steven nodded. “Yes, that would be quite alright.”

He sucked in a breath as Dr. Y/L/N walked around her desk and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace.

“This is one of the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever given me,” Dr. Y/L/N murmured into his ear. “Truly, thank you so much.”

Hug her back, dumbass, Marc chided.

Oh, right. Steven quickly returned her embrace, tucking his face into Dr. Y/L/N’s neck as she hugged him tighter. “I'm very happy that you like it.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded against him. “I love it.”

They stood there with their arms around each other for what couldn't have been more than a few moments, but felt to Steven like it lasted a lifetime.

Finally, Dr. Y/L/N gave him one last squeeze and stepped back.

She gestured towards her box of tea. “Would you like to join me for a cup of tea? I'm excited to try out all of the different varieties.”

Steven nodded. “I would love to. Do you know which one you want to try first?”

“Probably the Earl Grey.” Dr. Y/L/N gave Steven a bashful smile. “It smelled so good when you had it the day you walked me home.”

“It is quite nice.” Steven gestured towards the door. “Shall we, then?”

Dr. Y/L/N took the Earl Grey pyramid out of the box. “Did you not want to try one of these?”

“Oh, no, I keep a tin of tea in the staff kitchen,” Steven replied. “I don't want to take one of those in case it's a flavor you might like.”

“Oh, okay then.” Dr. Y/L/N picked up her coffee mug. “After you.”

They headed downstairs to the staff kitchen, which was blessedly empty.

Steven filled the museum's electric kettle with enough water for both of their cups of tea then turned it on before grabbing his own mug and tin of tea bags.

He watched as Dr. Y/L/N carefully opened the box containing her tea bag.

She glanced over at him. “I'd like to preserve the pyramids, if I can.”

Steven grinned. “Spoken like a true archeologist.”

Dr. Y/L/N shrugged, a small smile on her face. “Or just a sentimental sap.”

Steven shook his head, touched by the thought of Dr. Y/L/N wanting to keep the box intact because it had been a gift. “Nothing wrong with that.”

Dr. Y/L/N took her tea bag out of its box and smelled it before dropping the bag into her coffee mug. “Mmm, that smells so nice.”

Steven nodded as he opened his tin of tea bags and set one into his own cup. “Oh, yeah, I agree. I love the smell of bergamot.”

He paused as the kettle clicked off. “Oh, there we are.”

“How long do we let it steep for?” Dr. Y/L/N asked.

“Anywhere from 3-5 minutes,” Steven answered as he picked the kettle up off of its base. “Of course the longer you let it steep the stronger the flavor. May I?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded and slid her mug towards him. “Thank you.”

Steven poured some hot water into her mug. “You're welcome.”

He poured some water into his own mug then emptied the kettle before setting it back on its base to dry. “Anything exciting on your agenda for today?”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “Just the usual business stuff -- writing reports, meeting with I.T. about the PA system upgrade, and trying to update the gift shop offerings. Certain things are just not selling.”

She paused. “Actually… I know that's not your department anymore, but while you were in the gift shop, was there anything you wished we would've carried or something you felt was unnecessary?”

Steven nodded. “Actually, yeah. First of all, I don't know why we have so many themed sweets -- it's not like those even existed back in the time they're supposed to be representing. Also, maybe we could add some buildables to the shop?”

Dr. Y/L/N’s brow furrowed. “Buildables? You mean like Legos or something?”

“Sort of, but I was thinking more like wood kits and 3-D puzzles.” Steven pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up an example of what he was talking about. “The manufacturer has different kinds -- the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Parthenon, all the wonders of the world.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Okay, yeah, I like that. Anything else?”

“Possibly a larger variety of plushies. All we have is Taweret right now.” Just anyone but Ammit, he added silently.

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Okay, I'll see what I can find. Thanks for your input.”

“Of course. Happy to assist.”

Dr. Y/L/N bit her lip. “You know, I have to be honest with you, when I received your text this morning saying you wished to meet with me I thought you were coming to tender your resignation.”

“Oh, no.” Steven shook his head. “No, no, absolutely not. When I told you that I plan on staying right where I am, I meant it.”

As long as you're here, anyway, he added silently.

“I’m very glad to hear that.” Dr. Y/L/N’s lips quirked back up into a smile. “After all, who else would save me from chatty board members during the museum galas?”

Steven shrugged, a small smile forming on his own face. “I'm sure there would be plenty of others willing to come to your rescue.”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “No one quite like you, though.”

There was something in her expression that Steven couldn't quite place, but before he could even try, Dr. Y/L/N had cleared her throat and glanced down at her tea.

“You're definitely one of a kind,” she added as she dipped her tea bag into her cup a couple of times. “I mean, I doubt anyone else would also be willing to sneak away from a fancy party with me to go translate ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on a sarcophagus.”

Steven chuckled. “For the record, I would happily sneak away from a fancy party with you anytime.”

Dr. Y/L/N looked back up at him, a grin spreading across her face. “In that case, maybe during the next gala we can go hide out in Ancient Greece and drink tea.”

Steven nodded with a grin of his own. “That definitely sounds like a good time.”

“Great.” Dr. Y/L/N looked down at her cup of tea again. “So, do you think this has steeped long enough?”

Steven picked up a couple of teaspoons off of a drying mat next to the sink then slid the sugar canister in between himself and Dr. Y/L/N. “Oh, er, yeah, probably.”

He handed her one of the spoons. “It depends on how sweet you like your tea as to whether or not you want to add sugar and just how much, but I find about a teaspoon does the trick for flavored teas. Gives it a bit of sweetness without overpowering the flavor.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “I'll defer to your expertise, then. After you.”

Steven took his tea bag out of his cup and discarded it before spooning some sugar into his tea and watching as Dr. Y/L/N did the same.

He waited as she finished stirring her sugar in and rinsed off her spoon. “Moment of truth, eh?”

Dr. Y/L/N huffed out a laugh and raised her mug in a toast. “Bottoms up.”

She took a cautious sip, her eyebrows raising at the taste. “Oh, wow. Wow, this is really good.”

Steven smiled in relief as he rinsed his own spoon and set it next to hers. “Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” Dr. Y/L/N took another sip. “I see what you mean about adding just a small amount of sugar -- I don't think I'd like it if it wasn't sweetened at all, but this is a nice balance between sweet and citrusy.”

Steven took a sip of his own perfectly-sweetened cup of tea. “It definitely took some trial and error to get the ratio just right.”

Dr. Y/L/N checked her watch. “I should get back upstairs so I can get ready for my meeting with I.T., but thank you again for my gift. It really does mean a lot to me.”

Steven nodded. “You're very welcome. And let me know how you like the other varieties.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled with a slight nod of her own, then picked up the box for her tea bag. “I will. Have a good day, Steven.”

“You too, Dr. Y/L/N.”

Steven waited until Dr. Y/L/N had left the staff kitchen before putting his tea bags and the sugar away.

I told you she'd like it, Marc said in his head. You did good.

Steven picked up his cup and headed back downstairs to his desk, smiling to himself at the memory of Dr. Y/L/N’s arms around him as they had embraced. Yeah, I did, didn't I?

#lotmf writes #ELTSDiM Masterlist #steven grant x female reader #steven grant x fem!reader #steven grant x f!reader #steven grant x reader #steven grant fanfiction

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justheblueberry · 1 year ago

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the process of binding a study in scarlette:

SO. i had a Vision for this fic, right from the start. so many new things i wanted to do and almost no idea how to do it. but let's start from the beginning, shall we?

i usually don't do anywhere NEAR this amount of brainstorming and designing but the fic has so many motifs and details that i knew i wanted to fit in, so i had to draw it all out and piece everything together.

here are a few of my behind-the-scenes brainstorming notes:

this was the very first brainstorm i did, it was basically me flinging a bunch of cool book stuff i saw other people doing at the wall and seeing what stuck in my brain.

this was an idea for a cover which incorporated symbols for each of the chapters inside the branches, but i just wasn't fond of the execution of the draft. so i scrapped it, eventually settling on the silhouette cover for the final.

i had big dreams! and not much experience to back it up with ! so after finishing the typeset, i put it aside for a bit and did a couple other binds first.

this was my second brainstorm, i started to figure out the direction i wanted the illustrations to go in, no longer aimlessly tossing vibes around!

i did a lot of waffling about different versions of the back cover design. here's a couple that i scrapped!

over the summer, i decided to finally stop procrastinating and printed out the typeset (after making a few revisions to it). it's a Chonk. i pressed it some, which helped, but it definitely still had a lot of swell.

sewing with red thread.

endpapers cut, glued, and a glow in the dark paint test.

built a press...up til this point i'd just been stacking a bunch of thick books on top of my binds, but for this one i needed a lying press to sand my edges, so i finally caved. who needs tools? my edge painted book needs tools :(

sanding edges with power sander

so. this was my first time doing anything with edges, so i did a little test on a book i already had; it was a bit of a process trying to work out how much i should dilute it, and it took a bit of trial and error. doing the bottom edge first was the right call ^^;; it's the flakiest out of all the edges on the final bind. i'm really happy with the fore edge though, i got a really even and nice coat on it.

rounding, gluing and (an attempt at) backing

so. it was the day before i was moving. i had run out of time to procrastinate any more. the rounding was quite rushed and i barely backed it at all. there was also the fact that i don't have backing boards and was winging it with absolute unfounded confidence. it still turned out okay though so i got away with it!

dug out a 5 yen coin from who knows where for the bookmark. didn't have pliers with me yet so i had to close the crimp with a metal water bottle and arm strength. who needs tools right

endbands. i love sewing endbands, but man, for chonk fics it gets Long. i think they each took like 2-4 hours to do. i briefly considered learning double core endbands for this bind but decided against it as i barely just got a handle on regular ones. discovery: my ambitions have limits!

this was my finalized cover design. i had planned to do it all with htv, but last minute decided to do the silhouette as a linocut instead. i'd never done one before but i had the materials and the fearlessness that only a beginner (who does not know the limits of fear) can have; i think it turned out good :>

the final stretch!!!! it was at this point, when i realized that the size i'd carved the linocut at would be too wide for the half binding case i had planned. improvisation time. i decided to switch from a regular case binding to a three piece bradel. i have only done case bindings and stab bindings at this point...and with only mild panic and stubborn hubris to fuel me, i went for it. i had already attached an oxford hollow and cut my boards, but it probably wouldn't make too much of a difference! fuck around and find out!

cutting the cloth and adhering the htv. the summary on the back was HELL to weed, and some of the letters ended up crooked. i should've just printed it letterpress, but i was running out of patience.

i followed DAS bookbinding's tutorial on youtube of his in-boards three piece bradel and the part where i had to tuck in the spine cloth in between the hollow was definitely the trickiest, but it went okay in the end!

after attaching the boards and gluing down the endpapers i was finally done!!!! after months and months of the unfinished textblock guilting me from the corner of my room, it's finally finished! fancy pics coming soon!

i learned SO MUCH from this bind, sanding edges, painting edges, linocuts, multiple colors of htv, oxford hollows, and a whole new style of binding....yeah. it was a ride! thanks for reading to the end!

#process #wip #in progress #a study in scarlette #for the amount of new stuff i was bullshitting through i cannot believe i did not make any huge fuck ups #one of the gold corners isn't mirrored #and the edge painting isnt perfect #and the spine got a couple small wrinkles #but honestly those are all pretty minor

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hydrasra · 2 years ago

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Safe for now

SYNOPSIS: finally in mondstadt! freedom! ....or not.

DISCLAIMER: NOT FROM THIS WORLD's part 5 I think? idk, I forgot. ooc moments. swearing maybe, forgot. not beta nor proofread. last part for now, going to wait to play fontaine before I continue onwards with the story! gold blood au, possibly cultish behaviour. oh and those in bold below could not be tagged. that or Tumblr isn't letting me tag you, sorry guys 🥹 possibly a long chapter.

TAGGING: [ 18/30] @bloop-booop @sunsethw4 @neverlandlostchild @ghostlysyntaxed @wolfe02 @valeriele3 @the-dumber-scaramouche @weirdducky17 @esthelily @shroombro @ayanokomu @bamboowritess @reblogs-of-sagau-content @bloopthebat @maybeyourcat @7smexy7diva @shimi-shimi @issy-lol

SIDE STORY: STRANGE ENCOUNTER

SHENANIGANS

"it's okay now, [name]," lumine said, putting both of her hands on your shoulders.

hesitantly, you opened your eyes and realised you were no longer in liyue but somewhere else.

somewhere familiar as the sun was setting.

when you looked at lumine, she grinned at you and paimon reappeared out of nowhere then she floated towards you, then hugged your arm but quickly let go when you hissed.

"oh, sorry!" she exclaimed as lumine and her looked at your arm then both realised that you got hurt in the process of escaping the millelith, "how did this happen?" both exclaimed at the same time and lumine quickly went to rummage through her inventory to see if she got bandages.

"it's just a graze," you laughed nervously, it'll heal eventually," and you weren't lying, despite it being hours, well, weeks now in the game's day and night mechanics, the wound on your leg from the first hunt your life was at stake on.

and sure enough, the cut was slowly, but surely, healing in front of everyone's eyes and, seeing how slow it was healing up by itself, you assumed that it would take a day, well night, in this world for it to be fully healed.

lumine stopped rummaging through her bag, that appeared out of nowhere mind you, when paimon, who had her attention on your wound, exclaimed that it was healing, as you predicted.

lumine let out a relieved sigh, "sometimes, I forget you're this world's creator," and she let out a chuckle, her worry vanishing.

you only smiled at her, sure, you would have corrected her, but there has been way too many coincidences for you to simply being a mere human in teyvat now.

you looked around and noticed, you were under the shade of the symbol of mondstadt's hero, or the venessa tree as many called it, in front of the statue of the seven.

and behind of the statue was a bard, staring at you in disbelief.

well, more at your healing wound and the contrast your golden blood made on your dark clothes.

it caught the person's attention even more as the sun seemed to directly shine upon it.

"... traveler? paimon?"

pacing back and forth, nahida finally stopped once she heard the doors of the house of surasthana open. she looked towards the entrance and there stood wanderer who walked towards her, frowning.

"greater lord, I come bearing news."

"have the eremites calm down?"

wanderer gave a singular nod, "they have but wish to speak to the divine creator."

nahida sighed and sat down on the ground, "they left with the traveler, as you know, to visit mondstadt."

wanderer nodded once more, "that is why I told them to give them two months at the very least."

buer smiled, letting out a small, relieved sigh, "smart thinking."

a ghost of a smile appeared on the wanderer's face but as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

"any news of the creator?"

the archon of wisdom shook her head, "nothing so far, and I'll admit," she paused, fiddling with her hands, "I'm starting to worry.."

wanderer observed the lesser lord kusanali, carefully thinking of what to say, then, "the traveler promised to use the waypoints to get here as fast as possible if in danger," he took a step towards nahida, "let us simply trust the traveler and paimon."

nahida looked at him, smiling, "so, you trust the traveler?"

wanderer looked at the archon in front of him, expression blank on his face before he looked away while clearing his throat, "since you do, why should I not?"

the little archon giggled.

you honestly have no idea how things worked out the way they did.

you also did not expect anyone to believe you nor lumine and her companion.

however, here you stood, in front of a crowd, in the middle of mondstadt... with their undercover archon besides you, grinning and talking his hearts out about something. what is it? you have no clue as you seemed to have zoned out.

seeing your quiet self, lumine gently took your hand in hers in hopes of snapping you out of your thoughts. she held her breath as you turned to look at her, blinking then smiled at her, eyes tearing up.

yet you did not shed a tear.

venti, seeing as your attention was elsewhere, was about to pout but seeing how close you seemed to lumine, he couldn't help but smile instead.

the acting grand master ran towards the crowd, eyes wide as she saw you and felt a tug in at her heart, followed by the cavalry captain, the dawn winery's owner and the chief alchemist.

the crowd in front of you stared at you and your friends, paimon and the traveler, in awe. hushed and excited whispers could be heard.

you bit your lower lip in worry, "what are they saying about me.." you muttered to yourself, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention on you.

lumine and paimon, having heard your question, shared a fond look as lumine hugged your arm and paimon grabbed your free hand.

venti took it as a clue to speak up, "good evening, people of mondstadt!" he grinned, hands on his hips, "as you can see," he took a step forward, making sure that all the attention was on him instead of your being, "the divine creator has decided to bless us tonight."

watching from the side, jean

more hushed whispers could be heard, the archon of freedom hummed as the wind gently blew, "let us rej-"

"who says that they aren't an impostor?" donna spoke as she pushed her way forward. and once in front, she crossed her arms with a frown on her face.

marjorie walked next to donna and looked at you, frowning as well, "I agree with donna here," the owner of the souvenir shop of mondstadt said, "I have no reason to believe the words of a bard."

jean frowned.

oh how she wished she could tell them that this was the archon they all worshipped but she should not, she reasoned with herself.

venti giggled while shaking his head, "well, I have seen for myself whether they are the true creator or not and it's up to you to believe my words. besides," he took out his harp, "you're your own person who will come to either regret or rejoice in the consequences of your decision and words," he said, playing a small tune on his instrument.

donna huffed before walking away, "fine! I will not follow that impostor."

the acting grand master quickly walked in front of donna, arms crossed in front of her chest and blocking the other's path, "I am saying this right here and right now," she sent a glare at donna and marjorie, "if any harm is to come to the traveler, paimon and the creator simply because you think they are fake," arms now uncrossed, she materialised her sword, " it will be a direct offence to the knights of favonius."

jean's words gave you some sort of courage to speak up as you gently detangled yourself from your friends, "if you see me as a fake, that is your own problem," you stood in front of them, face void of any emotions, making a few shake in fear, "I'm in no obligations to prove myself to you."

the glare you sent towards marjorie and donna was enough to make the others understand that, you do not depend on them to live.

those who believed in the fact that you were the creator and those who knew you were could only watch in admiration.

the first to approach your small group was a nervously fidgeting deaconess.

the only thing you could do to calm her nerves was smile warmly at her.

and it seemed to have worked as she took a more confident step towards you and greeted your small group.

you invited her to join you on your walk but she quickly refused, shaking her head and saying that she still had things to do at the cathedral and only wanted to say hello.

the second person, or group, to approach you was the acting grand master and the men that had accompanied her when venti let the whole of mondstadt know of your arrival.

she bowed and would have been followed by those same men once more but you quickly told them not to as it made you uncomfortable.

it took them a good hour, in game that is, for them to warm up to you and ask you questions, to which you happily replied to as your companions watched, a smug look on both her face and paimon's.

"what?!" the one on the throne yelled once they got the news from the millelith.

the poor soldiers gulped in fear as their leader spoke.

"t-they teleport away," the leader took a deep breath, "a-and we don't k-know where to..."

consumed by rage, the 'creator' on the throne grabbed the closest thing to them, which was a vase, stood up and threw it at the leader's feet, startling them, "leave," they ordered, breathing harshly and leaving no room for any arguments.

the soldiers all bowed and quickly scattered out of the palace.

"your grace," ningguang carefully spoke in a gentle manner, taking a cautionary step forward, "there is no need for you to worry," she paused once she was in front of the fake, "you said it yourself that you made a contract with someone capable to protect you, did you not?"

the 'creator's visibly calmed down, a smile forming in their face, "ah, yes," they giggled, "I may have forgotten about that part."

they hugged a now stiff ningguang, sighing happily, "thank you for reminding me~" they soon let go once ningguang hugged them back and said something about needing some alone time.

once everyone was out of the room, they made their way to their bedroom.

"celestia, I promised to get rid of the creator for you," the fake whispered out into the empty bedroom, "you better make me the new creator in return, as promised."

unknown to them, a certain 'staff' of the ministry of civil affairs, who was ordered to keep an eye out for the 'creator', heard their words, making her raise an eyebrow and a smirk to appear on her lips, "oh?"

jumping from the crux into a way smaller boat, beidou looked up at her crew, gave them a firm nod as kazuha soon joined her on the boat.

"we'll be back once we find the traveler," she said, "in the meantime, look after our home."

the way she spoke was out of character but the crew knew that this was a matter of high importance to beidou, so they only nodded, bud her and kazuha a safe trip and went to tend to the crux.

beidou took the oars and rowed, in silence, the small distance towards the land of falcon coast.

"you're awfully quiet, beidou."

that snapped her out of her thoughts, "huh?"

kazuha offered her a small smile, "you've been quiet ever since our meeting with the fake."

beidou clicked her tongue, remembering her encounter with the one with your face, "they got some guts, I tell you."

kazuha nodded, "agreed."

and soon enough, they hopped off the boat and we're on land, "askin' us to make a contract with 'em to lend my crew – our family – in battle if there's ever a war," she grumbled as she followed kazuha who was, in turn, following the directions the wind gave him.

"still," he said as he made his way through windrise with his captain following, "I admire how you told them that you do not make a contract that will clearly harm your people."

beidou crossed her arms as she picked up her pace, face reddening, as well as the tips of her ears, "shush, walk faster."

he did, while chuckling however.

and soon, as midnight was nearing, the bridge to mondstadt came to view for the duo.

the moon seemed to shine brighter to lead them to whom they were seeking for.

watching the puppet that her friend made, yae couldn't help but be skeptical, "are you sure you want to personally go there yourself?"

ei, now in the body of the raiden shogun, nodded, "yes, I do not want to send anyone else in my stead."

the kitsune rolled her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest, "at least bring someone with you, dummy."

the archon of eternity glared at her friend but nodded, "very well," her glare was quickly replaced with a bored look on the puppet's face, "who do you suggest I bring?"

miko grinned, "the shirasagi himegimi."

the archon raised a brow, "why her?"

the guuji twirled a strand of her hair, "well," she paused, "after the news of the 'creator' being in liyue and the fake running around freely," miko stopped and looked at her master, "kamisato ayaka's a close friend of the traveler, and I suspect the traveler of knowing who's a fake and who's not."

the puppet stood still as ei contemplated guuji yae's words.

after a few seconds of silence, she looked up, "very well."

"have you sent the letter?"

"yes, foçalors."

the archon of justice nodded, standing up from her desk and walking towards the window, "good. you're dismissed."

foçalors could only wait for everything to unfold.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

officially on hiatus until fontaine is out and I've experienced the region

stay tuned 🫶🏽

#genshin x reader #genshin au #genshin impact x reader #gold blood au #sagau #sagau genshin #sagau impostor au #genshin impostor au #venti x reader #jean x reader #albedo x reader #kaeya x reader #diluc x reader #lumine x reader

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