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headoverhiddles · 4 years ago

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The Romance Of A Yellow Rose - Dr. King Schultz x Reader [Smut]

Words: 5.6k

Synopsis: You and King get married, and celebrate your first night together by consummating the marriage.

Commissioned by a friend! Enjoy.

Your eyes open on the rugged planes of the Southern state the three of you had found yourselves in. As you roll over to stretch the sleep out of your body, you find a single yellow rose, native to this area. A smile grows on your face. It’s King’s way of saying good morning to you, as it had been for many months.

For years now, you had been tagging along with Schultz and Django. Having attached yourself to their travels three hot summers ago, the two men had become quite fond of your travelling company; King in particular. Over time, your relationship had evolved from a companionship, through friendship, to having romantic feelings for one another. You were the first to admit to them; King hadn’t wanted to say anything, as he still held a fruitless hope that one day he could return you to the pleasantries of the normal life you once knew, before it had been uprooted. But as the months passed, you getting more and more comfortable and (dare he say) suited to the lifestyle of a bounty hunter, it was becoming apparent that you were going nowhere. Not without him, anyway.

Hildy had decided to stay with some friends in the North while the three of you travelled the country on business. Texas Jack, Turkey Creek and Jack’s wife Camarilla were more than happy to keep her with them. It had put Django at ease at least, knowing they had one less person they had to worry about with them catching a bullet. Hildy was even teaching Camarilla different things she had learned over the years at their home, and the four were getting on fine from what Django took from her letters to him. King wished you had enough sense to stay with them, but where the older bounty hunter went, you went. You had made that quite clear.

Today, a warm day in mid October, you, King and Django were headed to visit a plantation in Conroe, Texas. There an outlaw by the name of Amos “Sly Eye” Little had been posing as an overseer for 3 months, flying under the radar on the small eastern Texan plantation. He wasn’t a particularly dangerous outlaw, only wanted for his habit of skipping out on poker games before paying up. Three months ago, he ended up double crossing the wrong man which led to legal involvement, and now to deter trouble in peaceful towns he was wanted dead or alive by the state. King and Django had discovered upon visiting this plantation that the family who owned it had been dodging the law for a while as well.

After the slaves had been freed by King and Django, this outlaw family just so happened to get in the way of a few bullets. The last man left alive on the property is now Amos.

“Back here!” you call. King dashes toward you, swiping you out of the way as a bullet whizzes by your ear. You sit in shock for a moment, King’s arm still around you. For a man who isn’t very dangerous, this Amos sure is trigger happy.

“Django!” King shouts, but his partner is already far ahead in pursuit. “Never listens,” the doctor mutters, loading his shotgun and aiming. You watch as Django dodges a couple more of the outlaw’s bullets before grabbing Amos by his collar, lifting him up a few feet. The man tries to scramble for his gun, but Django of course is faster. Just as he’s about to fire at close range, King clucks his tongue, looking through his target. “Bullseye.” Your eyes shut briefly as the snap of the bullet leaving the gun jolts you closer to the older man. He pulls you out of sight once more as the bullet hits Amos through the side of his head, out the other side in a bloody deluge. Django jerks his head up your direction, dropping the corpse into the carnage at his feet.

“I was handling it!” he mutters.

King comes out from behind the tree, helping you up with one hand. You brush off your pants as you both approach the other man. “You were being hasty again,” King says.

“I was handling it,” Django insists with a look. You two nudge arms amiably, and King gives you a disapproving look.

“You are encouraging him.” He turns to Django. “And you’re encouraging her.”

“What’s wrong with a little congratulations?” you giggle. “You got your dead cowboy.”

“I would trade a thousand dead cowboys to keep both of you alive. You’re the best things that have ever happened to me, do you know that?” King gives you a meaningful look, before brushing off Django’s jacket and squeezing your hand. “Forget this place. We’d better get the horses and get out of here.”

Taking the initiative, you go off in search of Tony, Fritz and Ida, your mare. Django approaches King, taking off his bloodstained gloves. “You talked to her yet?”

“She doesn’t know, no.” King looks down, nervously stroking one side of his moustache. “I was waiting for the right time.”

“You wait any longer, she’s gonna be burying her husband to be.” King doesn’t bother taking offense—he knows Django is right. He’s much older than you—not one foot in the grave as Django likes to tease, but older. That had been another source of insecurity for him during the burgeoning relationship, but you had made it clear that you didn’t mind; in fact, you liked the difference in age. King’s fellow bounty hunter interrupts his thoughts. “Y’all should get married here. Nice place, no one left in it now.” Schultz looks around the grounds. It is pretty, and it would be nice to marry you in such agreeable weather... but King shakes his head.

“No Django. This place was built on treachery and suffering. It would be not only tasteless, but bad luck to get married here.”

When you three make it to the next town in the state over of Arkansas, something is waiting for King at the inn.

“You Doctor Schultz?” the innkeeper asks, spitting tobacco into a spittoon. King nods, taking out his billfold. The innkeeper sizes him up. “Yep, man who sent this said fella looking like you’d be coming through here. This’s for you.” He takes a letter out from behind the desk in one of the cubbies, and slides it across. King expects it would be from Texas Jack, but it instead it’s from a different friend in the North; a sheriff acquaintance he had written to before about his situation with you. Thanking the man, you all head upstairs, and when King gets to a desk, he slips on his reading glasses.

Thought you’d make your way through this here town, Schultz-

Sounds like a hell of a woman, the one you’ve told me about. You softie. Knew you wanted to settle down, and it’s about damn time, too. What the hell are you doing with her down in the South then? She oughtta be up here. Maybe I’m biased, but there’s a lot more law n order up here. Better people too. I am biased, spose.

You asked me what I thought about asking for her hand. Why wait to marry her? Hell, bring her up, we’ll have a ceremony here! I’m not only a sheriff, but an ordained minister too. Bet you didn’t know that. Wouldn’t kill you to ask. Anyway, no reason why I can’t make things look good, clean up the place nice and host your happy union. Got some more birthday cake here too, for someone to eat. Pretty good.

Come on up when you finally convince yourself she won’t say no.

- G. A.

“You got a letter back from Sheriff Snowy Snow?” Django smirks. King stares at the letter in his hands for a long while, before looking up at him with a smile.

He could do it. He could finally ask for your hand.

“Django, my boy. We’re going to Nebraska.” You overhear, and turn back with the bags.

“Up North? What for?”

“To see an old friend of mine, fraulein,” King says, taking the bags from you to carry inside. “Sheriff Gus Arnett.” You smile. It’ll be nice to get out of all this heat and around some likeminded people—people who King can relax and be himself around.

You had all stopped off to pick up Hildy in Boston after travelling by train through the Southern states and switching back to horsepower as you made your way up through the wintery landscape of barren northern land. It was worth it, of course; King and Django had insisted Hildy come too, and you had been happy for female company.

“Has my troublemaker been behaving himself?” is the first thing Hildy asks you, kissing your cheek in greeting.

“About as much as mine has,” you laugh.

“Coming from the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. It is you who has been the naughty one,” King chastises you right back.

“Maybe one day, you can teach me a lesson for it.” King blushes as Hildy lets out a loud laugh at the connotations of such a taunt. He knows you’re still virginal, waiting for marriage as you’ve told him before. Once united by matrimony, that’s another wall that could be knocked down between you, if you decided you still wished to give yourself to him.

It was no secret you wanted King, and he had made it plain he would wait for you—he’s a gentleman in every sense of the word. Still, men have needs, and some late nights it had been hard. Many evenings by the fire had ended with you in his lap, grinding down as you kissed him with feverish intensity. It had always ended the same way however, with you heading off to sleep alone and leaving him with nothing but his mind to picture what the next hour may have felt like. This time, King feared he wouldn’t last once he finally got to feel you as he’d wanted to for so long. Either way, he had a silver tongue, and experience in the art of pleasuring a woman. He wouldn’t leave you wanting; whatever you needed he would give you.

Arriving at the snowy lodge some days later, Sheriff Gus Arnett comes out the front door. A couple of minks and rabbits are hanging from the roof over the porch, and two pairs of boots caked with snow are drying outside by a wooden rocking chair that had been collecting frost no doubt since September.

“King Schultz and Django Freeman, in the flesh! Come on in with your little ladies!” he says, opening his arms. You approach first, and he shakes your hand with the assurance of a man who’s not used to gentle handshakes. “I don’t believe we’ve met, ma’am,” he says softly, “But any friend of King’s is a friend of mine. Especially a friend like you.” He winks at you and smirks over at King, who ushers you in out of the cold quickly. Gus tips his hat at Django and Hildy, closing the door after they come in.

“Like I said,” he sighs, “We got some cake. Y’all want some?”

“Perhaps we wait until after dinner?” Schultz proposes.

“I wouldn’t mind some,” Django speaks up, giving King a look. King just chuckles.

“Go ahead, my boy. I was a dentist, remember. Old habits remain, I suppose. Would you like some, (y/n)?”

“I’ll have the piece you didn’t want,” you tease. You lean closer to him to brush your lips against his ear. “When it comes to you, I want everything.” The former dentist swallows. This proposal couldn’t come at a better time, as things between you two are heating up.

That night after dinner of rabbit stew and some leftover cake for dessert for everyone but your beloved, everyone had retired to bed a few hours after the sun had gone down. In your own room, you set your satchel on the bed of clothing you had been travelling with in the South, and just as you’re about to unpack, a knock at the door distracts you from your task. King slowly pushes the door open—he’s dressed in his white shirt and grey vest, his hair freshly combed back. It seems counterproductive to groom that well before bed, but to be fair, you had never personally witnessed King’s nocturnal habits in a place that allows such a luxury. He offers his arm, and when you take it in curiosity, he leads you out the back porch of the lodge home. The wind isn’t too cold tonight, but he still wraps his arm around you. The mountains are beautiful out here, and the snow has stopped for the night to allow for a crystal clear view of the surrounding landscape, snow white on the bottom and starry black on top.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to sit together like this,” King says. “Just sit and enjoy one another’s company alone. It’s very rare we get time just the two of us without our faithful hero.” You lean into him, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Mm. We’re usually around a campfire, with Django snoring behind us.”

“At least we don’t have any of that to score our evening. I think Django’s gone to bed with Hildy in there.”

“You should be in bed too,” you fret. “I’ve noticed you haven’t been sleeping well.”

“I never have been very good at that. I’m a light sleeper, fraulein. Especially when I have lots on the mind.”

“You know what helps me when I can’t sleep?” You smile. “Something I learned from you.” King turns to look at you, a soft chilly breeze blowing the silver blonde hair from his eyes.

“What’s that?”

“A story.”

King ducks his head, and pulls you closer to him. “I think that would do the trick. Go on then, my love. Will you regale me?”

“I know a story of a deep running love, where a woman slowly developed feelings for one who she learned to depend on.”

“A common story, no?” King teases.

“Shhh. She loved very freely, but this was different. She not only loved this man, but worried about him when he wasn’t around, yearned for him, desired him in ways that drove her crazy sometimes.” King’s breath audibly quickens.

“And what did our heroine do about this tumultuous situation?”

“Oh, she took care of things. But not like she knew he could.” His breath hitches. You bite your lip as you go on. “The two had been together so long... learning one another’s quirks, laughing at little things and sharing moments others wouldn’t understand. They knew what scared them, what made them smile. At the end of the day, she told the man a million times how she adored him. But she was afraid he still didn’t know how much.”

King rubs down your finger, eyes trained on it before looking up at you. “I think I do.” You forget whatever you were going to say next as King rubs his rough fingers over your knuckles, bringing them up to his lips to kiss them. His beard grazes your skin pleasantly as he opens his mouth. “Will you be my wife?” Your heart skips a beat.

“Truly?”

“True as my love for you.”

“Tomorrow?”

“If you wish.” You lean in to kiss him.

The door bangs open, Gus tosses a pail of water out all over you two. He realizes where you two were sitting, and his eyes widen.

"Gott verdammt."

“Oh, hell. I’m— what are the two of you doing out—?” He can’t even finish his sentence—you’re laughing too hard. King tries to keep up a grumpy facade at the fact that you had both just been drenched in ice water in this weather, but he can’t help it. Your laughter is infectious.

“Please tell me there is enough boiled water for a bath,” he sighs, and you shiver. “For the fraulein, at least.”

Django and Hildy had been up to witness the commotion from the noise of it all, no doubt committing the sight to memory for future teasing. They returned comfortably to bed with one another, which was a comfort you and King couldn’t currently afford in your state.

You get to work drawing the bath as Gus passes you each pails of hot water. King comes in, shedding his dripping fur coat and tugging at his tie. Your eyes drift down to his chest, then back up to his face. King subsequently tries to distract himself so as not to focus too hard on you. You had stripped down to your slip, which was stuck to every curve of your body from the water. The temperature hadn’t done much to help any other evidence of the cold, around your breasts. He tries not to look too long.

“Would you take me out of this?” you ask. It’s a harmless question, but King’s thoughts run wild. He could simply refuse you, but what reason would he give then? That he couldn’t control himself around you, so close to your wedding night?

“Of course,” he sighs softly, and approaches. He takes the back of the slip and undoes the buttons, helping you pull it over your head. He inches it up, the wet material dragging along your skin. He turns to go as you’re revealed, and to his dismay, you don’t stop him. Only one more night, and he could have all of you.

As you step out of the lodge, it’s as if you’ve stepped out into a painting. A light dusting of snow is falling over you, snowflakes catching in your eyelashes and melting tracks down your cheeks like tears of happiness. King is standing there at the end of the pathway shovelled out, just by the small lake. It’s frozen over, reflecting the light of the moon through every little icicle hanging from the branches of trees hanging over top of it. Mountains soar around the group of you, boasting the most beautiful landscape you’d ever seen.

King takes your hand as you approach. Beside him, you see Django dressed in a handsome green winter’s jacket, black leather gloves pristine. On your side, Broomhilda is wearing a beautiful green dress under layers of a form fitting brown jacket. You’re in a beautiful snow white dress with furs covering your shoulders and a fur hat. King is also wearing his grey fur coat. The two of you join hands, and recite vows.

“I know I’m a considerable number of years older than you,” King tells you softly, “But I promise to make up for this. I promise to protect you with my life, cherish you, and support you in every endeavor you wish to pursue.”

“I will stay by your side no matter what,” you tell him, “I’ll be brave when you can’t be. I’ll be strong when you need me to be. I’ll love you as long as my heart beats, and oppose anyone who tries to take you away.” Kindness in his eyes, King smiles down at you, crow’s feet crinkling. He lifts your hand up to kiss.

“Do you take this man?” the sheriff asks.

“I do.”

“Do you take this little lady?” King sighs out through his nose, thumbs rubbing over your knuckles.

“I certainly do,” he breathes.

“Well hell, you may kiss the bride then!”

When King leans forward, you surprise him by taking a step forward and wrapping your arms around him, deepening the kiss. It lasts for an eternity between you, and when you part, King brushes the snow off your rosy cheeks and presses his lips to your forehead.

“Ich liebe dich,” he whispers into your hair, and you slide your arms around his middle in embrace.

Inside the bedroom upstairs, a fire crackles in the hearth. The curtains are open to the snowy view outside, and the frost on the glass only makes you savour the warmth inside. King pours you some bourbon, and comes to sit down beside you in front of the fire. As you cuddle into him, he puts a hand on your back and draws you in for a kiss, his beard pleasantly tickling your face. Bourbon forgotten, the kiss deepens, and you feel his tongue slip into your mouth as you part your lips for more. You pull away, smiling.

“Can I ask you something?”

He looks at you. “Of course. What are you thinking about?”

“How does it feel?”

King looks at you. “You will have to be a little more specific.”

“How does it feel to finally consummate a marriage?”

He stares into the flickering fire. “We don’t have to do it if you’re nervous.”

“I didn’t say that,” you say, crawling over to straddle him. King welcomes you into his lap. “I just wanted to know. You’ll show me?”

“I would love to.”

“You know I’m inexperienced.”

“I do,” King nods.

“Isn’t that undesirable?” King seems offended that you would even suggest such a thing, at the very least ruffled by the idea of it.

“My dear, of course not. Being inexperienced merely means I can show you how to do things.” He hums against your neck, grazing his lips down.

“I’m not completely clueless,” you breathe as you tilt your head back to give him better access. You stand in one smooth movement in front of the fire, leaving King sitting and gazing up at you. “I know what fucking is.” You hear his exhaled breath.

“Yes. I would assume you wouldn’t be entirely in the dark about that.”

“But I’ve never felt it,” you whisper. “I wanna feel it, King.” He doesn’t get a chance to respond. You undo your dress, lace by lace, letting your fingers twine slowly between the hooks. You sigh his name as the corset comes free, recalling how you’d longed for him to do this last night, and you hook the straps of your dress under your thumbs, sliding it down to reveal the slip beneath. You hear his breath hitch, but he doesn’t make a move.

You run your hands down over your ass, letting out a soft noise. You hear him readjust where he’s sitting, and you work now on the cream coloured pants beneath the white gown, sliding them down ever so carefully.

“(y/n),” King whispers.

You let out a moan. “I’ve been wanting to get out of this the entire ceremony just to see how you would look at me, seeing me like this for the first time.” You swing your hips a little, arching your back, and finally wiggle some more as you drop your pants to the floor. King’s breathing is heavier now, and you stretch your arms above your head, sighing again as you let your hair free. “Like I said. I may not have done this before, but I know a lot more than you think I do.”

“I’m not certain I believe that, my feisty little one,” King huffs, averting eye contact. Oh, no. Not tonight he doesn’t. You’re only in your chemise now, and you turn to reveal smooth skin he’s never seen before, bunching the fabric up just enough to give him a peek of the v of your hips.

You can see the visible outline of his hardened cock in his pants, straining against the tight confines and desperate for some kind of relief. You put one leg over his lap to straddle him.

“Touch me?” you whisper, and reach down. He doesn’t stop you, just watches closely as you bring your hands to his pants, untie them, and reach in to take his cock in your hand. He does as you say, returning the touch with his hands up your back, taking the straps of your chemise down. He takes a shallow breath as your fingers come in contact with his warm cock. You grin wickedly, swiping your thumb up to spread his precum around a little. He meets your eyes as you pull him fully out of his pants.

“Oh,” he huffs gently, head falling back a little as you stroke him once.

“Is that good?” you ask softly, pressing a kiss to his ear. “Am I doing it right?” King stutters a little, gasping for air when you swipe over his swollen cockhead again.

“You are doing just fine,” King whispers, lips parting.

“Mmm,” you mumble, pressing a trail of wet kisses down his face and lazily taking his lips between your teeth, leading into a dizzying kiss full of tongue and one another’s slow breath.

“Stop. Wait my love,” King mumbles, stalling your wrist with his hand. You pout.

“What’s wrong?”

He opens his eyes to look at you, pupils blown with lust. “After a show like that, I am at your complete and ready service, not the other way around. Tell me exactly what you want me to do,” he whispers gently, and you get off of him, lying back on the floor like a princess awaiting a treat.

“Could you pleasure me with your mouth?”

Your cheeks heat, but King nods with a smile, dispelling any nerves you might have for such an intimate display of sensuality. He lays you on the floor, pressing kisses down your neck, over your collarbone and across the top of the soft skin of your breasts. His hands come up to gently hold your hips down as they circle upward—he moves your legs so he can brace himself between them, pressing more kisses down over your stomach to the impressions on your hips he’s left with his fingers.

“I want you to have me,” you whisper. King strokes one hand along your thigh.

“It takes time to discover each and every spot that will make you weak for me, lieb,” he mumbles, mouthing at your panties with a practiced finesse. “Be a good girl now for me. Be patient. There is more to come.” The bounty hunter takes the panties down with deft fingers, sliding the fabric down your legs until you’re bare to him. Your cheeks heat, but he reassures you with a starstruck gaze, looking over your body like a lovesick man. He dips his head back down with a soft kiss to your thigh, reaching up to hold your hips as if he’s predicted your body’s reaction already. He presses a reverent kiss to your clit, and his tongue takes a sweep of your folds, making you quiver as his beard scratches the soft skin of your thighs. His prediction proves correct when your hips jerk up as he gives his first lick between your lips. You reach back to grab the carpet, before deciding instead to grip onto his blonde and silver locks where his mouth works between your legs. It’s a surreal pleasure—unlike anything you’ve felt before, and you want more.

“Does that feel good?” King asks. All you can do is nod, but he encourages you to tell him exactly how you feel. “Use your words, fraulein.”

“Yes. Don’t stop,” you sigh.

“My good girl.” King dips back down, swirling his tongue around your bud until you’re shaking. Taking care to hold you close to him, he moves himself up until he’s grinding himself against you. “I want nothing more than to be inside of you,” he whispers.

“Take me as you wish then,” you groan.

“Tonight is about you,” he murmurs against your skin.

“I want it.”

Unbuckling himself, he takes his time slowly working a finger inside of you. He adds another and gently curves them up, before gauging your reaction. Going by the desperation in your face, he slowly replaces his fingers with his cock, pausing every inch to check and see if you’re still alright. You can tell how he’s exercising his restraint—you’re so tight, and all he wants to do is take you until both of you are sweaty and screaming, but he must make this last. You can feel him sliding into you, and his hand comes up to hold yours. Your eyes screw shut as he finally bottoms out, and he presses a kiss to your chest. “Tell me when it is okay to move.” You nod.

“Please.” He starts up a slow pace, covering your body with his as he takes his time with you. Too desperate to take the time King might have in mind to teach you patience, you push your lips harder against him, and roll over on top of him. You kiss the bounty hunter, again and again until your lips are swollen and King is painfully hard inside of you.

“Lift up your shirt for me,” he whispers, his voice gentle. “That’s it.”

“Have me,” you mumble.

“What was that?” King asks, “You must use your words if you would like something, hm?”

You blink up at your older lover. “Please take me King,” you raise your voice, and he smiles.

“Hm.” He gives you an affectionate smile. “I have no choice but to oblige my lady love when she asks as nicely as that. Very well. As you wish.”

He pumps in harder, ripping a groan from you. You’d dreamed of what this would feel like, and it turned out better than you had imagined, King’s soft sighs and the rocking of his body against yours heightening every touch he grazes your sensitive skin with.

A moment later, he pulls out and flips you over gently. He then positions himself between your legs and brings his mouth back down between your legs, suckling around your clit again. “King,” you whisper, breath hitching.

“Louder,” he encourages, and goes back to masterfully taking you apart with his tongue. He soon encourages you to sit on his face, and you do, feeling him lick you perfectly as the pleasant feeling of his beard returns to tantalize your skin. He circles your clit with the tip of his tongue as you reach down to touch his cock. It’s a foreign feeling in your hand, but you soon get the hang of the motions, twisting your fist and using his precum to slick your strokes.

“King... don’t stop,” you groan, his tongue delving just barely inside of you. He moves off of your pussy as you moan, and licks his lips.

“I must admit, I wanted nothing more than to do this all day,” he groans as he moves back up your body, “But I am a gentleman.”

“Too much of one sometimes.”

As if in challenge, he picks up his pace and starts to grunt your name, leaning down every now and then between thrusts to press a kiss to your breastbone as his face scrunches up. You love how uncharacteristically possessive King is getting– it turns you on beyond belief. Your moans grow loud as the bounty hunter’s cock fills you over and over again, satisfying your need for him as your noises blend together into the creak, groan, gasp of making love for the first time.

“K… King…” you groan, breasts bouncing with every thrust. His breath is hot on your neck, and he presses an open mouthed kiss there.

“You are astonishing,” he whispers, “You’re perfect… oh, bitte, bitte Fraulein, you feel so nice… you are my everything.”

“King, just like that, oh god–” you groan, and he makes a noise at your slutty display, reaching up to massage your breasts. You feel your orgasm approach as he continues to touch you, and his hand quickly comes down to rub your clit.

“Ah,” you moan, and clutch his shoulders. King sighs, feeling your pussy squeeze him, and with a stuttered thrust he cums as well, spilling inside you. Soon, you’re crying out his name, and he squeezes your hand tighter as you both finish at the same time, the love you share burning at the height of its passion as your bodies become one. You both rock together to ride out your orgasms until you’re satisfied. Panting breaths mingle as you snuggle close to him.

“Is that what all the fuss was about?” you tease. King frowns at you, and you laugh into his chest.

“Into bed before I take full offense to your jokes, beloved,” he murmurs. You nod, smiling as he helps you up with one hand and carries you bridal style over to the bed covered in furs for a warm night’s sleep together—finally together.

"I am lucky I have such a pretty creature warming my bed tonight," he jokes, "A plucked chicken like me should be very grateful." You huff another laugh, rolling over beside him to finally tuck in with your love.

"I've only ever wanted you. That'll never change, no matter what." You grin. "Tonight only helped solidify that fact."

"So you are with me for my talents in the bedroom, ah!"

"NO--"

"I understand it now."

"King!"

"Shh. Let's sleep now. We will argue like an old married couple in the morning."

The next day, Hildy and Django are already in the living room of the lodge. Gus is in the kitchen making up some breakfast.

“You look radiant this morning,” Broomhilda says, smile wide.

“Yeah. You do look pretty good. Different,” Django nods, narrowing his eyes as if to try and decipher what could have changed about you. Hildy just rolls her eyes, turning back to you from her own husband.

“So. Where’s your significant other?” You grab yourself a cup for the coffee that’s brewing, settling in across from them at the table.

“He’s still sleeping. He worked hard last night.” Tucked in the pocket of your nightgown is a single perfect, yellow rose he had saved you from the South, one King had left his new wife to find upon waking.

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toothpastecanyon · 3 years ago

Text

Noie's Friends, Chapter 3

A collection of oneshots about Noie's years at college.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

_____________________________________________________________

“Hmm… what should I have today? What, should, I, have?”

Tapping on the counter. Noie stretched her shoulders a bit, and tapped the register to stop it going to sleep.

“Huh. You know, I just don’t know any of these teas.” The man scratched his stubble. “You guys sell an awful lot of them, don’t you?”

“Yes. We’re a tea shop, sir.”

“Oooh, sir. I don’t get sir’ed very often…” he peered at her name tag. “Naomi. Oh, that’s a pretty name. Where’s it from?”

She shrugged.

“You don’t know? Oh, I know where my name comes from, John’s a good English name, you know? There was a King John once. In fact, how’s about I write it down on this napkin…”

Noie found herself glancing over his shoulder. If only she could tell him there was a line.

“You can call me up anytime, little lady.” He passed it to her with a wink. “Anyway, where was I… Oh, do you guys have Dr Salt? I think I’ll take that over your weird teas.”

“Okay, we’ve got them in the back.” Noie stepped away. “They’re kind of expensive here, though.”

“Aw, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Hey, don’t forget my napkin!”

Noie headed to the back, which was a small tiled room with an asphyxiatingly-strong stench of various spices. Even after a week she still hadn’t gotten used to it; her eyes watered a tiny bit as she headed to the tiny soda fridge in the corner of the room.

“Somebody wants another soda?” A voice - Sara stepped out from behind a column of spices. “They know there’s a restaurant right next to us, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t think he’s here for a drink.” She tossed the napkin at her. “Check out what he passed me.”

Noie opened the fridge and picked a soda out. She heard a sniggering from behind her.

“Why did he…” Sara snorted. “Why did he write ‘King John winky face’ on it?”

“Oh my god, did he? I didn’t even look at it.”

“Yeah, look at it there. He sounds like a real catch.” She shook her head. “You want me to go out there? I can always chase off a creepy guy.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Thanks, though.” Noie heard the front door jingle. “Oh, sweet, new people!”

“Now you can tell him there’s a line.”

“Hah! Did you read my mind?” She winked at Sara as she opened the door. “Seeya.”

“Silver!”

Noie recognised the group strolling into the shop - and especially the woman in pyjamas making hre way to the counter. “Bea! Isn’t it Magic 101 for Gus and Mina right now? I thought you guys were coming after that.”

“Hey,” The man glanced between them. “About my order-”

“What, you dreading us?” Bea winked at her. “Nah, there was - heh - a little accident in the labs.”

“Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She stabbed a thumb back at Gus, who seemed to be missing his eyebrows. “You should get the story from ol’ fire fingers over there. I hear primary sources make the most engaging narratives.”

The man cleared his throat. “Excuse me-”

“Oh, I’ll ring your soda up for you, it’s five dollars.” Noie grinned at Bea. “Did he blow himself-”

“Five dollars?!”

“-up?”

“I’m not saying nothing! You’ll have to-”

“Excuse me kid, I’m still ordering!” The man shoved Bea a little back. “Hey, what’s the big idea? I could go down to the gas station and get this for a fifth of what I’m paying here! What kind of stupid fucking-”

Bea tapped his shoulder, and he stopped midsentence with a choking gasp. He grabbed his throat gasping for air, eyes bugging out, and started coughing up leaves and loose soil. She pushed him aside, and leaned an elbow on the counter.

“Okay, so what’ll we have today?” Bea slid the soda away. “Obviously not that - jeez, five dollars? Does anyone actually buy those?” A pause. “What?”

Noie was leaning over the counter with wide eyes. The man was on his hands and knees, making shallow gagging sounds. “Uh, Bea? Is he gonna be alright?!”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry about the mess. Shouldn’t have done that spell indoors.” She snapped her fingers, and everything dissolved into air. The man gave a gasp of relief, and curled up into a shuddering foetal position. “Now I’m the bad customer, right? There you go.”

“But is he gonna be okay?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s an old elven children’s prank. I don’t know why he’s being such a baby about it.” She nudged his leg. “Come on, man. I’ve seen elflings half your age take this better than you. Stop crying.”

As Noie watched, Sara came out of the back. She saw her peeking around the corner- as soon as she caught sight of Bea and the others, she came wandering out.

“Oh, hey guys! Hi Bea!”

“How’s it hanging.”

“You’re here early, right? Why do I feel like- oh my stars, Gus, your eyebrows! Your hair!”

Laughter erupted across the table, and Gus went red. Bea chuckled.

“Yeah, tell her the whole thing, dude!” Bea turned back to Noie. “Eh, I think we’ll all just have our usual. You know what that is, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Noie turned towards the brewing machines. “Alright, gimme a second…”

She got out a pot, and from behind her she heard the ongoing conversation.

“So what happened, dude? Did you blow yourself up?”

“I didn’t blow myself up-“

“Yeah, cause it was a candle spell.” There was a chuckle from Bea. “First time I’ve ever heard of a human hurting themselves on one of those.”

“No, no, okay, so I had my hands like this, okay! I was rubbing my forehead from all the Latin, and then suddenly my head feels really warm and Mina starts screaming that my hair’s on fire.”

“Your hair was on fire, dude. It looked like a campfire up there for a second.”

“Yeah, and then Mr Jasko grabbed me and basically threw me into the lab shower. How often does that water get cleaned, do you think? It smelled really bad.”

Noie poured the tea, and turned around as it brewed. She saw Gus rubbing at his eyebrows; Jess was patting his shoulder.

“Ughhhh… I look like a damn thumb.”

“No you don’t, dude. You still have… some of your hair.”

“Oh yeah, that’s great, that’s great. Some of my hair.” He ran a hand through it. “Shit, and I have a date this Friday! Do you think it’ll grow back by then?”

“I can grow things.” Bea gave a smile. “Hair is kinda like moss, right?”

“Oh no, you are not touching my hair, Bea. I know you too well.”

“Yeah, you do. But really, that sucks, man. I’m sorry for you.”

“Maybe I’ll just wear a hat,” Noie heard as she placed all the mugs onto a tray. “Hats are cool right? He’ll think it’s cool, right?”

Noie walked over. “I’m sure it’ll go fine, dude.” She carefully placed the tea right next to Gus’ book. “At least you gotta get a good grade on the fire spell thing, right?”

“Well, I didn’t exactly light a candle, did I.” He flipped his textbook to a certain page, and picked up his tea. “The lab’s probably gonna be redone anyway. I gotta study up for it.”

“Heh, don’t go saying it out loud again-”

“No. No, I won’t, Mina.”

Noie started going around the table, but Sara suddenly noticed her and jumped up. “Oh my gosh! Noie, I should’ve been helping! Let me do that!”

“Oh, it’s fine-”

She took the tray. “No, no, you made it, I’ll do the rest. Bea, were you paying?”

“Yeah, it’s my turn.” Bea turned around, digging in her pockets. There seemed to be a lull in conversation as everyone set up their books and magi-orbs; Noie found herself standing awkwardly behind Gus, looking down at his textbook.

Huh. She’d never actually looked inside a magic textbook before; it looked a lot like any other, with dense pages of information cut up by a few diagrams and headings - here, the headings seemed to be the spell incantations themselves, judging by the fact that they were in latin. There was one incantation next to a drawing of someone lighting a candle with their finger; that was probably the one Gus messed up on.

She frowned. How do you even pronounce Latin? She tried sounding it out in her head, flam-mul-a ex stud-

There was a shout. The next thing Noie knew she was on the floor, her hands twisted behind her back. She opened her mouth, but-

“D’arvit!” Bea’s voice was right next to her ear, louder and sterner than she’d ever heard. “The hell are you playing at, Naomi!”

“Wh-what-”

“Don’t let me ever see you trying that shit again! You know better!”

Noie blinked; she could hardly form words. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! What did I do?”

“You don’t know?!” A pause. “You don’t know?”

“No!” Noie tried to move her arm, but it wouldn’t budge. “Agh, ugh, I think you’re twisting my wrist!”

There was a moment of silence, and then Bea let go of her completely. She pulled Noie up, and there was something strange in her eyes as she patted her down. She felt along Noie’s wrist, and Noie couldn’t help but notice the whole table had turned around to stare at them.

Noie shivered at that… shivered. She felt strangely cold, strangely drained. She opened her mouth, but nothing really came out.

Mina was the first one to speak. “Uh, Bea,” she started. “What was that about? What happened?”

Bea’s eyes flitted up to her, and then traced across the whole group. She let go of Noie’s arm, and after a moment, Noie could see her stretch a big smile across her face.

“What was that?” Bea asked, and then gave Noie a light shove. “Pranked! It was a prank! You should’ve seen your face, Silver!”

She gave a great laugh, but Noie could still see that glint in her eyes. She didn’t laugh back; no one did.

“Eh? Prank? Nobody up for some good ol’ horsing around?”

“Seriously? That, uh, wasn’t very funny, Bea.” Sara walked over to Noie. “I think you really freaked her out. You freaked me out.”

“Yeah, me too.” Gus frowned at her. “You really shouldn’t tackle someone like that. That hurts.”

“I see your point, I see your point.” Bea raised her hands. “Guess I don’t know my own strength. I won’t do it again… unless, like, hypothetically, you were standing next to some kind of bomb and I had to tackle you to save your life-”

“Dude. Just apologise.”

“Alright, I was getting to it!” She looked at Noie, and held out her hand. “Hey. I’m sorry I freaked you out.”

Noie glanced down at her hand. She gingerly took it. “Uh, no problem, Bea-”

We need to talk.

She froze at a clear voice in her head - Bea’s voice. Still smiling, the elf nodded once, and let go.

“Alright, glad we reached an understanding.” She dusted her hands off. “Now, what was I doing? Oh right, paying for junk! Sara, get over here!”

Sara put a hand on Noie’s shoulder - it was strangely warm, or maybe Noie was strangely cold. “Are you gonna be okay?” She asked. “You’re shivering.”

“Me? Um,” Noie gulped. “Y-yeah, I’ll be, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“You should go stand out in the sun for a bit. I’ll cover for you.”

“Yeah, that… that sounds good. Thanks.”

Sara gave her a quick smile, a squeeze, and then headed off. Noie watched her go, then looked towards the front doors. She stumbled as she made her way over, and struggled a little to open them.

She stepped out into the sun, into the harsh rays beating down on her face, her shirt, her soul…

And still she shivered a little.

She needed… she needed to sit down. Wow.

_____________________________________________________________

The little study session ended much sooner than usual - only a little after the end of Noie’s shift. It was a bit awkward the whole time, with Gus touching his hair and Sara shooting daggers into the back of Bea’s head. For Noie it still felt like an eternity; she’d managed to warm up, but there was still a strange weakness in her knees, a sluggishness in her mind that was hard to shake.

It was strange. The looks Bea kept shooting her didn’t help either. What was going on?

“I think I’ll be heading out,” Gus said, closing his textbook. “Gonna go hat shopping.”

“Oh, if you’re heading out, I might too.”

“Yeah, it’s getting late.”

As everyone started packing up, Noie felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey,” Sara spoke quietly. “You, uh, want a ride home?”

Noie glanced over at Bea, who was ostensibly cleaning her magi-orb; somehow Noie still felt watched.

“Uh,” she started. “That’s okay, thank you. I think I’m gonna walk home - uh, with Bea.”

Sara frowned. “You sure?”

“Don’t worry,” Bea spoke without looking up. “I won’t tackle her again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Noie gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, it’s fine. It’s fine, Sara. Thanks.”

Sara didn’t look entirely convinced, but she hugged her goodbye and left the shop. The rest of the group filtered out shortly after, leaving only the two of them, sitting across from each other.

Bea didn’t immediately talk. Noie tapped her fingers a little on the desk; she made a face, and then opened her mouth.

“Bea-“

Bea stood up. “Walk with me, will you?”

“What?”

“Just follow me.” She reached out an arm. “Take my hand.”

“Why?”

“I wanna show you something.” She flashed a smile. “You’ll like it, I promise. Trust me on this, Silver.”

Noie hesitated… but after a moment, she did take her hand. Bea gently pulled her upright, and led her out the door. Immediately they turned into a back alley, and Noie frowned.

“Uh, where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Why are you being so weird about this?” She stumbled as they made their way down the edge of a parking lot. “What happened back there? And, uh, not to be rude, but did you do something to me? I feel kinda weird after you tackled me back there.”

“Hmm?” Bea suddenly turned and lead them through a dead bush. “Oh, yeah, sorry about that. It’ll go back to normal in the next few days.”

A twig slapped her in the face. “What? What’ll go back to normal?”

“Your, uh, magic.”

“Magic? What?” Noie could hardly see her through the greenery now. “Okay, where are we going, seriously? There’s got to be an easier way to-“

She stumbled out of the bushes, and blinked hard. Her eyes went wide.

“To…”

They were inside the biggest forest Noie had ever seen in her life. Old growth trees with trunks wider than a car towered way overhead, up into a canopy of leaves that caught all but little flickers of sunlight. Beneath her feet was suddenly ferns and mulch, and all around her were animal sounds - caws, chirps, cheeps, foliage cracking, woodpeckers hammering. This was… Noie looked to Bea, and found her grinning back.

“This…” she managed. “This isn’t Arizona.”

“Sure it is! Also it isn’t. Don’t worry about it.”

“Did you teleport us?”

“No, no.” Bea let go of her hand. “This is, uh… well, there isn’t really an English word for it - let’s call it the Elfscape!” She snorted. “Stars, the Elders can never catch me calling it that.”

“Elfscape? Like the Mindscape-”

“It’s complicated, it’s, uh… well, kinda, but it’s more physical than the Mindscape. Or maybe it’s the Earth’s Mindscape?” She shrugged. “Look, it’s complicated even for elves, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Oh, okay?”

“Also, uh, if you see anything between the trees, try not to stare at them.”

“What?” Noie followed her gaze, and saw a shadowy figure far in the distance. There was something eerily… angry, there - she could feel it like a pit in her stomach. She looked back at Bea. “Uh, what’s that?”

“Another elf. They’re probably fine - they just get a bit touchy about outsiders coming here.” Bea gave a laugh. “I’m gonna get an earful about it when I next visit for sure.”

Noie frowned. “Then, uh, why’d you bring me here?”

“Because you are gonna test something for me real quick.”

“Test something?”

“Yeah!” Bea touched her hand, and gently lifted it up. “Alright, that goes - yeah, there. And point for me; any finger’s fine. Yeah, that looks good!”

Noie found herself pointing straight forwards. She raised an eyebrow at Bea. “Uh, okay?”

“Now, I want you to say flammula ex studio.” A small flame appeared on Bea’s thumb; she winked when Noie’s eyes went wide. “Can you do that?”

“Are you trying to get me to do magic? I don’t think I can do that kinda stuff; don’t you have to really practice for it? And-“

“Just! Just indulge me for a second, Silver.” Bea stepped back. “Try it. Please?”

Noie made a face at her, then turned to look forwards again. She felt a little ridiculous standing here like this, but Bea shot her another smile and she sighed.

“Okay… fine. Fine. What do I have to say again?”

“Flammula ex studio. Whenever you’re ready.”

Noie grimaced. “Okay, here goes nothing. Flammula ex studio.”

She’d hardly finished the incantation when she felt a rush of heat. One moment she was standing there, the next all she could see was a great ball of fire coming out of her fingertip.

“Wha- oh, shit!” Noie jumped back and instinctively tried to shake it off. “Bea! Bea! Help, I’m on fire! I’m on-”

With a chuckle, Bea walked over and put a hand over the flames. They seemed to extinguish it, and Noie was left standing there, eyes wide, heart thudding in her chest. Distantly she could hear Bea laughing.

“Now that is what you call no flow control!” Bea patted her shoulder. “You really haven’t done magic before, huh? Wow!”

Noie gulped, and tried to steady her breathing. She forced herself to meet Bea’s eyes, and opened her mouth. “W-w-what was that? Why did th-that happen?”

“Why’d you think? Magic!”

“Magic?”

“You better believe it! Seems like you’ve got a bit more juice in your tank than the average human! A lot more juice, but of course,” Bea winked at her. “I already knew that.”

Noie blinked. “You did?”

“Course I did! Magic’s not subtle, Silver. It’s written all over you!” She patted her shoulder. “Honestly, the only thing I’m surprised by is that you didn’t know. Don’t human schools have those little magic exams in elementary school these days?”

“Magic exams?” Noie frowned. “I don’t remember those… but I was exempt from magic stuff as a kid. Dipper has magic sensitivity, so he-” She glanced at Bea. “Oh. That was, uh, his cover when we were growing up.”

“Huh, not a bad cover.” She rubbed her chin. “Well, that definitely clears it up, but that’s still nuts to me that you didn’t know. I guess that’s just me talking, though; I dunno what I’d do without magic.”

Noie laughed a bit at that, but the sound faded away quickly. She found herself looking down at her hands, rubbing her fingers. They still felt warm, and she frowned.

“Bea?”

“Yeah?”

“You said…” Noie clasped her hands against her chest. “You said I had more magic than most humans.”

“I did.” She chuckled. “Gus’d have a way worse day if he could do what you can.”

“But - how? Is it just… random chance? Do you know?”

“Do you know?”

Bea had that strange shine in her eyes again. Noie hesitated as she stepped a little closer.

“I’m asking you seriously.” Bea was studying her face; after a moment, she looked away. “You know, it’s a common joke that humans suck at magic, but you know why they do?”

“Why?”

“Cause of the Transcendence. Or at least, all that time leading up to the Transcendence, living in a world without magic. Y’know, elves were in their forests, mermaids were in the seas, all your city preters kept themselves under wraps.” Bea touched a budding leaf, and watched it open. “Magic follows magic, and for thousands of years, you guys just weren’t having much sent your way. Now you’re playing catch up.”

She looked at Noie with a knowing smile.

“So that leaves us two possibilities,” she said, and pushed off the tree. “Either you’re just a real lucky human - and that happens! - oooor, someone in your family was a little more in touch with their magic, if you know what I mean.”

“More in touch-” Noie started, and then she stopped dead. Oh.

Oh, she knew exactly where she got this from.

“Anyway, you don’t have to say anything. Just telling you what might be going on” She passed by Noie. “You wanna head home? I’m thinking I should probably take you back to your brother before he thinks I trapped you in an alternate dimension or something.”

“But- what do I do?”

Bea raised her eyebrows. “Do about what?”

“I-I nearly burned everyone back at the tea shop without even realising!” Noie stammered over her words. “What if that happens again? I was lucky you were there - I don’t know how to control that on my own!”

“Hey, don’t panic. Panic makes magic explode, I’ve heard.”

“Wh- that’s not funny, Bea!”

“I know, I know.” She chuckled to herself. “Couldn’t help myself, but, uh, if you’re asking for serious advice, I guess you could just make sure you never read anything that sounds like a spell again. Oh, also, since you don’t have to speak it out loud, try not to think too hard about that spell I taught you, flammula ex studio.” She gave a sly grin. “Yeah, don’t even think about flammula ex studio, don’t even think the words flammula ex studio, don’t-”

“Please stop.”

“Okay, or what you could do - and I think this is better - you could maybe learn some basic flow control so you stop going full blast on every random spell you see. It’s not hard to learn, I bet I could give you a handle on it in a couple hours.”

Noie just stared at her. Stared, as she reached out a hand.

“C’mon, Silver. Let’s get you home.”

After a moment, Noie took a deep breath, in, and out. She swallowed, and then she took Bea’s hand. Bea smiled, and then took them through a bush; they made their way through the greenery, through cool leaves brushing past her face, and then came out in the garden bordering Noie’s dorm. She looked behind her, and saw not a forest but a shrub and the corner of a building. There was a chuckle from Bea.

“Yeah, don’t tell the others about that little trick. They’ll be asking me for shortcuts until the end of time.”

“Hah, yeah-”

“Wait.” Bea held up a hand. “Do you hear that?”

“You!”

A shout. Someone was stomping over to them - someone with a suit, glowing eyes, and a shadow that sported wings. Noie blinked.

“Dipper?”

“You’re okay!” Dipper hugged her tight, then turned to Bea. “Okay, where’d you take her?”

“Back to her dorm, of course.”

“Don’t play games with me, mortal.” He stabbed a finger at her. “I just spent the past hour tearing through pocket dimensions to see where the hell my sister went. Where’d you take her?”

Noie patted his shoulder. “Dipper…”

“Nah, it’s okay, it’s a fair question.” Bea brushed his finger away. “It’s just a little hangout place for elves, it was totally fine.” She chuckled. “I’m glad that’s the part you noticed - you know, not the part where I totally broke her arm a tiny bit. I thought I was a dead girl walking there.”

“You did what?!”

“You broke my arm?”

“See? She didn’t even notice before I healed it, it was fine.”

Noie watched Dipper make several attempts to speak. He clenched his clawed fists - and then, with some effort, unclenched them, and pinched his forehead.

“You… make it very hard for me to like you, you know?”

“Aww, I try.” Bea winked at Noie. “Anyway, I oughtta be heating out.” She took a step away, and then clicked her fingers. “Oh, you know who else could totally help you with magic? Demon boy over here’s pretty good at it, I’ve heard.”

“Magic?” Dipper looked over at her. “You want to learn that? I could definitely help.”

Noie stared back.

“What?”

“You knew I could do magic too?”

“Yeah?” Dipper frowned at her. “I could always tell, why?”

There came a chuckle from Bea as she walked away. “Yeah, you two have fun now! Bye!”

_____________________________________________________________

“So, you had a bit of a day.”

“Tell me about it.” Noie unlocked her dorm’s door and collapsed into bed. “I can’t believe you knew this whole time. You didn’t think to mention it?”

“I mean, no!” Dipper closed the door; immediately he shed his human form, and floated close to her. “I’m sorry, I just - I didn’t think you were that into magic!”

“Yeah, and why wasn’t I into magic when I was a kid again?” She huffed as his face dropped. “No, that’s not a- you don’t have to feel bad about it, but that’s just the truth. I didn’t know about this because of your magic sensitivity.”

“Yeah…” Dipper looked down. “No, you’re right, you’re right.”

Silence hung there for a second. Noie rolled her eyes, and pulled him into bed.

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself.” She hugged him close. “Stop looking so sad; seriously, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m not really ‘into’ magic anyway; I was only annoyed because I’m not ‘into’ accidentally blowing myself up if I read some Latin.”

Dipper snorted at that, and she smiled. Stared up at the ceiling.

“Yeah…” she said. “It’s not important to me, you know? It’s not something I grew up with, or even knew that much about. Even if I had found out earlier… how much would it really matter, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” Noie looked at him. “I know where it came from, you know?”

“From where?”

“You don’t know?”

Dipper stared blankly.

“From Pinni, of course.” Noie made a face. “From… my mother.”

“Your mother?” He sat up. “Oh, right, I remember now! She was a selkie, right?”

“Apparently.”

“Yeah, yeah, I see that now. I totally forgot you’re a half-selkie-”

“I’m not a half-selkie, you can’t be half selkie.” Noie cut in, and then stopped herself. “Sorry, it’s just- it's a hereditary enchantment, not a separate species. And I'm long past the age when they were supposed to do the skin thing and everything, so I'm not a selkie, I'm fully human."

Dipper was looking at her askance; suddenly Noie heard how that came off. Her cheeks flushed.

"Not that it'd be bad if I was! I'm not, like, ashamed of it or anything, but it doesn't affect me all that much!” She gave a shrug. “Seriously, I live in a desert. I've never been to the ocean in my life - heck, I don't even know how to swim. Why would I go around telling people 'ooh, did you know I'm half selkie?' That'd be so obnoxious."

Dipper didn’t say anything to that. She rose to her feet.

“It’s just - what do I know about any of this, right? What do I know about magic, about selkies - fuck, what do I even know about my own mom?” She gestured at him. “At least Leon left videos, right! At least you and David met him, right! But who the fuck is Pinni? All I ever got was, I dunno, she’s nice? She’s shy?” An angry shrug. “Apparently she came from the ocean, whatever the fuck that means, so it sounds like I’d have a hell of a time tracking down any family on that side!”

“Noie?”

“It’s just - I’m fine that I never met these people, okay? They’re literally strangers to me, I don’t know why people expect me to feel devastated about them or something.” She stared at her hands. “I guess I just… that everything could’ve been so different, you know?”

A pause. Dipper said nothing, and she sighed.

“I could’ve known about magic. I could’ve actually met my parents. I could’ve been a fucking selkie - how weird is that?”

She chuckled, but then she looked back at Dipper. He had tears in his eyes, and she watched him hang his head.

“You could’ve,” he said, softly. “I’m sorry, Noie. If it weren’t for me, you could’ve had so, so much better-”

“No!”

Dipper glanced up sharply. She ran back to his side.

“Dipper, that’s - that’s not what I mean!” She put a hand on his shoulder. “You know, I think about how stuff could’ve been, a-and it scares me! I don’t want that!”

“What do you mean? You deserved so much better, you deserved to know your parents-”

“And if I had them, I would never have had you!” Noie snapped. She put her arms around him. “I don’t care if it would’ve been better. I don’t want to imagine myself in a timeline where you aren’t my brother, okay?”

Dipper hugged her back - lightly for a moment, but then he squeezed.

“And there’s… it feels like if just one thing had changed, I would never have known you at all, and I hate that… you know?”

There was a thick chuckle. “Oh, you might have known me. You’re still a Mizar, after all.”

“But you wouldn’t have been my brother.” Noie hugged him tighter. “And I’m so glad you are. I’m so glad. I love you, Dipper.”

She heard him say something like “I love you too”, but it was too shakey to make out, and when he buried his face in her shoulder, she felt wet tears on her shirt. She smiled at that, at his wings enveloping her, and just held him for a long, long time.

It was a warm kind of quiet. Neither of them quite let go, but eventually Noie shifted her leg, and Dipper pulled back a little to wipe his eyes. They looked at each other, and laughed a little.

“We’re a pair, aren’t we?” She said, and Dipper gave a chuckle.

“We are, we are…” He cleared his throat. “So, uh, I take it you aren’t up for magic lessons?”

“Huh? Oh, no…. Bea was right, I probably should learn the basics.” She brushed some hair out of her eyes. “You know, just so I don’t go blowing myself up accidentally.”

“Yeah.”

“After that… I dunno, maybe it’ll be fun? We’ll see how it goes.”

“I liked learning magic.” Dipper said. “Of course, my magic’s kind of… different from yours, but I think you’ll like it.”

“What, I won’t be making demon deals? Darn.”

“Oh, very funny.”

“I’m hilarious,” Noie said, and lay back down in her bed. Looked out her window, at the setting sun. After a moment, Dipper laid down next to her, and that warm silence descended on both of them again.

Words were needed no more. They held each other like that as Noie’s eyes drooped, as she drifted peacefully to sleep in her brother’s arms.

#transcendence au #naomi argenta #toothwrites #Noie's Brother #magic #worldbuilding

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popculturebuffet · 3 years ago

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Goof Week: Sports Goofy in SoccerMania: GoofTales Woo-oo! (Paid For for WeirdKev27)

Gorsh all you happy people and welcome back to Goof Week, my Weeklong Celebration of everyone’s favorite goofus.

And today we have a special treat, something nice and obscure but something that still has a vital place in Disney History. Welcome folks to Sports Goof in Soccermania!

So yesterday in my Goof Troop review I wished there had been another DuckTales episode with Goofy, you know maybe find out what happened to Peg, see Max and Roxanne again that sort of thing. Whelp SOMEONE must’ve hid a Monkey’s Paw around here somewhere because I got this special instead on comision. This is a VERY intresting little artifact as it came out only 4 months before DuckTales, was produced around the same time, and was written by Tad Stones, who would both go on to work on DuckTales and even more importantly create Darkwing Duck.

Not only that but it has some odd things attached to it: it’s the first major production starting Scrooge, as he had an educational short about him, the first animated appearance of the Beagle Boys and most important the FIRST time Russi Taylor would voice Huey, Dewey and Louie, something she’d do till her passing a few years ago. At the time of this article she has not been recast, though I personally vote for Cristina Valenzuela, who took over the role of Young Donald and frankly does such a good job with that voice I didn’t know if Russi had already recorded lines for Season 3 before her passing.

So what IS Sports Goofy in Soccermania you ask? It was a TV Special from 1987, again four months before DuckTales, that was later sold on VHS. My guess is Disney intended for this to become a regular thing like the Charlie Brown or Garfield specials, but my honest guess is with DuckTales MASSIVE success they wanted to put all the TV Animation resources into making more shows to go with it. The fact the special is essentailly a Scrooge story with Goofy in it and Scrooge and the Boys were now tied up in DuckTales probably helped the decision. So we only got one of these and i’m proud to share it for Goof Week. So join me under the cut to see what a Sports Goof is, what Scrooge sounds like without Alan Young or David Tennant andto see me refrence the film UHF because I likes it.

So we open with the titles which are neat and then open at the Money bin, we even get a great sign gag that looks like something Carl Barks would write.

So Scrooge greets his nephews the way he greets everybody.. with a canon to the face... though he backs of firing once he realizes it’s them. The boys ALL wear red this special so .. I guess Huey won and now rules all three bodies with an iron fist? So the Huey Hive Mind asks Scrooge for a donation, a standard Scrooge setup, ask the rich asshole for money, as their trying to help the local soccer program and they need a buck fiddy for a trophy.

Scrooge’s voice here.. is terrible. I do not like to bash voice actors, they are hard working talented people who do a lot of great stuff, often for less pay than they deserve, and this blog ALWAYS makes that painfully clear. And Will Ryan is not without talent: While he hasn’t done much i’m familiar with he did play Petrie in Land Before Time and was great in it. So while I don’t dislike him as a person.. he did an utterly DREADFUL Scrooge. He dosen’t really attempt to do a scottish accent despite the character still saying cannae at one point, and as for what accent he is going for...

His Scrooge just sounds like someone trying to do a “foreign” accent and failing. It just sounds weird and makes every bit of his dialouge aside from one a chore to sit through. And the dialouge isn’t bad dialouge, it’s a well written and animated Scrooge even with the lower budget than Ducktales, but the voice just ruins it for me. Even without Young and Tennant to compare it to this just blows and the fact it’s paired up with the iconic Russi Taylor voice for the triplets.

This being Scrooge he instead fishes a Trophy out of the bin that’s all banged up and dinky and shoos them out. So in natural Barksian fashion the trophy turns out to be worth a million dollars. So we get some reaction shots.. INCLUDING GRANDMA DUCK!

For DuckTales fans joining us who have ZERO idea who that is, since she sadly did not make it into the reboot and Frank did have ideas, Grandma Duck is Donald, Della and Gladstone’s grandma. She’s a sweet old country woman who lives on a farm and is in fact the one who sold him Kilmotor HIll, with her husband renaming it from Killmule hill. I like her a lot since she reminds me of my own grandma and like her she still works when she can. Donald’s cousin Gus loafs around and eats as her farmhand. As you can tell I like her a lot, agani because she reminds me of one of my grandmas so this was nice even if she was only around for 20 seconds of screentime.

This ends up in the paper and sends Scrooge through the roof, literally when he finds out.

Two notes before we move on: The bin has a unique really cool design , though I get why other productions haven’t used it: besides this one’s obscurity while cool it just looks a bit TOO nice for Scrooge. Even in 2017 while still damn cool looking it still looks practicle. This .. is not that.

This looks like MC Hammer built this. It still looks awesome bu tit’s just not Scrooge sadly.

The other is that his Butler is named Jeeves here, but looks almost exactly like Duckworth. Just feels weird is all.

Naturally the Beagle Boys happen upon the paper too and their leader, no name given has a plan: Enter legitmately and win the cup all legal like, which dosen’t sound like it lives up to the beagle code of no hones twork.... until he brings up theri going ot cheat their asses off.

Meanwhile Scrooge tries bribing the boys with a giant trophy at their house... with Donald oddly absent despite Anselmo having taken over for Nash by this point. I know he was still a bit rough at the roll, but come on. It’s just.. weird especailly for reasons i’ll get into soon.

So Scrooge agrees to sponsor the boys teams so he can get the trophy back square, and is forced to buy a knew ball and here we FINALLY get Goofy. I say finally because this special is 20 mintues long and it takes almost a fourth of it for him to arrive. It’s just weird for him to not be in it for so long. I mean I don’t want THIS

Flashbeagle didn’t take a fourth of the special to get to Flashbeagle. It did take longer than that to get to the title track but when your sitting on THIS

youtube

You gotta use it JUST right. Goofy here is not played by Bill Farmer, which IS odd as he did start playing him that year, but my guess is they weren’t sure if they were going with Farmer or the actor who played him in this special, Tony Pope, so they were trying out both as whoever DID get the role would have it for life. Disney takes the casting of the sensational 7 VERY seriously, as evidenced by the fact most cast changes are caused by death and unlike with Tony and Donald it’s clear Colvig hadn’t picked a succesor. I can also see why it’s a hard choice: while farmer IS excellent and was the right man for the job, Pope is still excellent in the role, bringing the warmth and energy you’d expect from Goofy and having excellent comedic timing that’s vital to getting the dog man right. I can see why this was such a hard choice, even if I also see they went with Farmer: Farmer just has slightly more energy to the roll. It’s a small diffrence and something that dosen’t effect the special, but it is a KEY diffrence and the reason Bill’s THE goofy to me even over his original voice actor Pinto Colvig.

Also I may of mispoke there... see it’s not Goofy in this special it’s SPORTS Goofy. No really every bit of dialogue refers to him as Sports Goofy. It’d be like if they refered to then CEO Micheal Eisner as Won’t Think Through Eurodisneyland Micheal Eisner.

So Sports Goofy helps them get a ball in an honestly awesome way and shows despite his clumsy manner, he’s damn cordinated, easily putting everything up and showing some real skill with the ball. So Moneygrubbing Scrooge decides Sports Goofy is his ticket to get the trophy back and recuits goofy as coach and star player for the boys team.

So Asshole Scrooge meets his team the Greenbacks.. which are a bunch of random animal characters with no real personality. They are a hippo, a goat, expresso the ostrich, a navy (blue) seal, an elephant in a beanie, a killaroo and a cheetah or leopard. But I have one question, really simple really easy one...

You need 11 players for a soccer team, thank you google. So they DID get that accurate. With Goofy and the Triplets you only need 7 more. THIS is why Donald’s absence is glaring: he’s just oddly not there when they needed 7 other characters but Elephant in a Beanie gets in there. And it’s not hard ot fill either: Donald , Daisy (Because duh), Gyro and Grandma Duck (Because both cameoed but I only mentioned Grandma Duck, though this is ALSO Gyro’s first apperance), Gladstone (who as it turns out had a cameo storyboarded that didn’t make it into the final product), Gus (Since grandma duck) and Scrooge’s butler since he was in an earlier scene anyway so why waste the character model. They could still play the same roll as easily steamrolled underdogs and it’d make more sense. It just baffles me that with such a deep bench to play from, they don’t use ANY OF IT in favor of the cast of Animal Soccer World.

The Greenbacks can’t play for greenjack, which worries Scrooge.. but Goofy is able to carry them to the finals, while the Beagle Boys make their way there too. We find this out.. via newspaper transition. We get a bunch of headlines telling us what happened instead of you know a montage because that costs money and they already spent 1.50 making this special.. they only have 50 cents left.

So the Beagles recognizing Sport Goofy is the only thing in their way plots a kidnappin. We get a gut busting scene of the beagles all hiding in Sports Goofy’s house with him being oblvious only to spring on him.

The next day with Sports Goofy a no show the team is bummed, even mor ewhen they find a kidnapping note from Don’tGetNotToLeaveEvidence Beagle Boys. Seriously give that to the officals.

So Asshole Scrooge tries to give a rousing speech... and it is a sight to behold and the one highlight of pope as scrooge... it’s why I picked it as the article image. That glitching isn’t me by the way: it REALLY does that. Coupled with the yellow eyes i’ts just fantastic. So the team decides to morosely play the game and Hivemind Huey boos scrooge for not having faith in him. Instead of again you know telling the officials. Maybe assimilating the other made Huey dumber. I

So the game begins and the Cheating Beagles cream the Give Up To Easily Green Backs, while Sports Goofy watches from the other Crime Beagles hideout. It honestly reminds me of UHF: a dumb well meaning guy whose vital to something succeding is kidnapped.. it dosen’t involve Weird Al dressing up as rambo but still. It also makes me want UHF but with the disney cast. Fethry as weird al, Donald as his best friend, Fethry’s girlfriend for the comcis as weird al’s girlfriend, Gyro as philo, Goofy as Stanley, and Pete of course is Stacey Keach. I could go on but you get the point. Someone draw this. Sport Goofy is a clever bastard and escapes by working one of his shoes off, taking a nearbye knife and cutting himself free.. and almost stabbing a beagle boy in the face but that would just make two. Sport Goofy escapes and the lunkheaded beagle boys chase after him IN THEIR CAR WHILE GOOFY RUNS AHEAD OF IT. Goofy, he can really move! Goofy, he’s got attitude! Goofy HE’S THE FASTEST THING ALLIIIIVEEEEEE. Sport Goofy makes it in time fo rhalf time, rallies the troops and it goes how you’d expect: They overcome the beagles blatant cheating, win the cup, the beagles attempt to cheat with a rigged ball backfires and they all get arrested. It’s by the numbers stuff. We end with Scrooge deciding to dontate the trophy instead (though in a great bit asking if it was tax deductible), and posing for a team shot> We get some awesome credits music and we’re out

Final Thoughts:

This special is mediocre: There are only a handful of great jokes, it’s your standard “teamwork makes the dreamwork plot” that dosen’t work because our underdogs really CAN’T play without their star, and Scrooge’s voice hurts to listen to. Pope and Taylor are great and while Will Ryan is an awful Scrooge, he is a good Beagle Boy or five.

It IS worth a watch though. It’s riffable enough with the sometimes sloppy unfinished animatoin in the last part and Scrooge’s terrible voice, and it is still is a neat oddity for 90′s kids like myself to not only see Russi’s first thing as Huey Dewey and Louie, but to also see Scrooge and Goofy with vastly diffrent voice actors, as well as Gyro and the Beagle Boys first animated apperances. The fact this came just months before Ducktales makes it all the more intresting. So if your looking for a legit good Disney product.. this is shoddy at best if well meaning. But as a bit of disney history, especially only clocking in at 20 minutes so it’ sa brisk watch, it’s worth a look if your into that.

Next On Goof Week: We come on in To The House of Mouse where goofy becomes faster than a speeding punchline, more powerful than pete when his family has to wrestle him to the ground to take him to the doctor and able to make tall leaps of logic in a single bound. it’s SUPER GOOF!

So thank you for reading and if you liked this review give it a like and consider joining my patreon at patreon.com/popculturebuffet. As a patron you’d get access to exclusive reviews, the patreon’s discord and to pick a short each time I do one of these shortstaculars. Donald’s comnig next month and the deadline is in only a few days to join up for said month so the clock is ticking. Even a dollar a month helps me reach my stretch goals so please i fyou can sign up today and if not, I understand and i’ll see you at the next rainbow

#sports goof #soccermania #goofy goof #goof #scrooge mcduck #ducktales #huey duck #the beagle boys #gyro gearloose #grandma duck #animation #disney #soccer #football

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strawbrrysun287 · 3 years ago

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Office Chaos #1

Hi everyone!! Recently I got into writing again and decided to cross post on here and AO3! If you take the chance to read it I hope you enjoy it <3 This will be part of a series of one shots! Happy Reading <3<3<3

If there was one thing Seokjin could safely say, it was that he was a confident gay. He would always throw a wink or a kiss to baristas, those who held the door open for him, or just anyone within the distance of him if he was feeling particularly playful.

That being said he was also openly gay. In no way shape or form was he afraid or worried about showing the person he truly was. Be it soft pink off-the-shoulder sweaters, a pair of heeled boots that made his bum look like it was carved by the gods (fun fact: it was), or even a black shirt with pastel lettering literally saying (I’m Gay, Suck It).

This was amazing for his social and love life because there was no confusion platonically or sexually. However, a certain middle-aged squat ugly fuckwad who was too dense to realize sooner Seokjin’s sexuality despite all the signs decided to fire him solely for Seokjin giving a customer, a fellow gay, his number.

In his defense, the customer was cute, was hitting on him, and was even interested and gave his own number to Seokjin as well. So all in all, who could blame Seokjin? He was young, horny, and single.

But back to the original issue. He was fired for being himself which led him to where he is now. Walking down the busy streets of Seoul heading to some gaming design company for an interview as a personal assistant to the CEO. It was a major jump from a barista to PA but he had experience… in high school, he was student council president, led three clubs, and even fixed their student budget so that way they could throw a fun concert/overnight party for the graduates.. Okay, maybe that one was a little selfish. It was still experience though! College didn’t exactly go as planned but he still was involved in the radio station and another club… although he couldn’t for the life of him remember what the club was about.

As he arrived in front of the building he could feel his heart beating against his rib cage just the tiniest bit more. He was confident though, he could do this. It would be a breeze. Throw a wink or kiss at whoever was interviewing him, talk about his experience, talk up himself and his abilities, then leave with the job and start the following Monday.

Walking inside of the building left him just the slightest breathless. Fuck. Who designed this building? Who PAID for the building? Or the interior decorating? As he tried calculating it in his head he vaguely heard someone clearing their throat but didn’t pay it any attention. After a few more minutes he finally snapped out of his calculations when the throat-clearing wouldn’t stop. He was two seconds from shoving a glass of water down the person’s throat only to look around and realize the throat-clearing had been directed at him.

With a guilty smile flashed towards the main receptionist, Seokjin finally made his way up to the desk gripping the strap of his bag even tighter.

“Kim Seokjin? I’m here for an interview with a Mr. Kim? For his personal assistant?” Despite the flash of nervousness when he was caught staring into space he quickly put the confident smile back on. The receptionist seemed less than pleased though.

“Elevator down the hall to the right. Floor 35. Park Jimin will help you from there. Try not to stare off into space again, yes?” With a sinister smirk, the lady lifted her hand just to point down the hallway and Seokjin took that as a dismissal which is exactly what it was. It didn’t stop him from mumbling down the hallway the whole time though.

“Honestly? With that kind of attitude, it’s amazing someone hasn’t dumped their coffee over her by… accident... “ Once inside the elevator he hit the button for the 35th floor and listened to the boring music as the numbers flashed above the elevator doors showing what floor it just passed. Once the doors opened for the 35th floor he took a deep breath and stepped out.

Immediately he noticed an adorable guy, younger than him with bubblegum pink hair and the cutest smile when his eyes crinkled. Okay, maybe this place wasn’t all bad. That was until he heard a deep voice shouting, seemingly the pink-haired man’s name if the way his head snapped over was any indication, and then there was a body colliding with his sending him straight to the floor with the other man on top of him.

“Kim Taehyung!! You need to watch where you are going!!” Pink-haired guy’s voice rang out. Seokjin wouldn’t be surprised if the entire floor didn’t hear the shrill yell. Which seemed plausible as there were four other heads that poked out from different rooms like little peeping parrots. Well, this was turning out to be quite the impression to leave on the people he would hopefully soon be working with.

“Sorry, Jiminie! But!! We got the house! I just got the email and we can close on the house today but we have to be there within the next hour!”

“Taehyung I swear on Yoongi’s new laptop th-”

“Don’t be swearing on my things Park Jimin! I will skin you alive!!” A voice seemingly coming from nowhere yelled in offense.

“... that you better be telling the truth or else I will make you sleep our on the balcony for the rest of the week.”

“It’s real. Like really real. The realest real you can really real kind of real! But we have to GO. NOW!”

“Okay okay! Fuck. I gu-.. Oh… Hello there. I uh… kinda forgot you got thrown to the ground in the process. I hope you aren’t injured? No injuries right? Taehyung can’t afford to be sued we are closing on a house today. Uh… if I make Namjoon Hyung give you the job would you be willing to forget this entire mess? He still owes me because of that ridiculous picture I took of him a few weeks ago when he decided to get shit-faced.”

It was official. Seokjin clearly hit his head too hard on the floor and now he was in some kind of dream drama. Shouldn’t the drama involve some super hot guy? A best friend who has his own issues but they support each other no matter what? What about the chaotic couple who he questions how they are still alive? Well… he might have found the chaotic couple. But that didn’t mean anything else. Once he realized he was being spoken to he had to blink a couple of times in order to clear his head and only vaguely caught the end.

“You… you would force your boss to give me the job just so I don’t sue the guy who knocked my ass to the ground? What if I tell you I wasn’t planning on suing him anyway? Although it did kind of hurt but if you could still get your boss to give me the job that would be fantastic and I would kiss the floor you walk on because this job is desperately needed and I’m too handsome to be walking from building to building begging for a job.”

Finally getting up from the ground he rubbed the back of his head where it hit the floor before fixing the wrinkles in his shirt. As he finished getting straightened (HA) out again another deep voice that was almost addicting echoed from down the hall along with heavy footsteps and deep down Seokjin just KNEW that the person coming towards him was the big boss. AKA the one who would hopefully be signing his checks if he got the job. Before he could utter a single word bubblegum hair spoke up again.

“Namjoon Hyung! This is Kim Seokjin, your new personal assistant. Long story short, Me and Tae got the house but in his excitement he kind of barreled into your new assistant here and sent him hurtling towards the floor, and because I’m a good honest person I told him I would assure him the job.”

Namjoon stared at bubblegum hair, Jimin?? In what seemed like absolute boredom like this was a daily occurrence. Well then again, it might be. Things were already more than a little chaotic but chaos is where Jin thrived.

“Jimin. You can’t just give people jobs because Taehyung knocked them down. You have so far given away a car, an apartment, a date, a fashion shopping spree, and part of your investment in the company which I was thankfully able to get back all because Tae didn’t watch where he was going. You know, apologizing in a HEARTFELT way will do the job nine out of ten times.”

“Okay you may speak some facts but I already gave the job to Seokjin and I already read over his resume. He seems like he can tolerate you well enough and you need an assistant to start ASAP because Tae and I have to go sign for the house okay hyung? Make sure you show him the ropes and don’t fuck it up! Bye!!”

With that Seokjin and Namjoon stared as Jimin dragged Taehyung along into the elevator with a cheeky smile and flirty wave before the elevator doors closed on the image that left the pair sputtering.

“Well… I guess they won’t be back till tomorrow afternoon. At least all my morning meetings are finished so I shouldn’t have to worry too much. Ah. Kim Seokjin-sii I apologize for the uh..”

“Chaos?” Jin supplied with a cheeky grin of his own.

“I suppose that is the best possible term for what happens on the 35th floor. Since Jimin already gave you the job I am in no way able to deny it and if I’m being honest I am in desperate need of an assistant as all my paperwork is piling up and I’m not sure where the mailroom is or where the place I normally get coffee from is and the coffee here is made by my director of media and he makes it as black as his soul is what he says at least and no amount of sugar makes it any better.”

And that’s when it happened. When Jin went from being the confident flirty gay to the shy flustered panicked gay that he always read about in stories. Namjoon smiled and he had dimples. Fucking dimples. There was no way the man standing in front of him was real. Tall, handsome, successful, understanding, kind, big hands, muscled if the fabric fighting for its life stretched over Namjoon’s biceps and thighs were anything to go by, and he had fucking D I M P L E S. Who did this Kim Namjoon think he was? God? Actually, that may be true. It wasn’t until he realized he was about to suffocate did Seokjin exhale the air he was holding in before stuttering out a hasty reply.

“Assistant? Now? Like now now? Me? For you? Coffee? I’m good with coffee and with paperwork. Yeah. I can 100% do that for you, Mr. Kim. And there is no need for formalities you can just simply call me Jin as I will be working closely with you. With you. Closely. Working. Yeah. Now?”

Seokjin knew the second the last syllable left his mouth that he was an idiot. A certified idiot who shouldn’t be allowed to be the personal assistant for a business of Namjoon’s caliber but like hell, he was going to give up the opportunity to get to know the taller man and completely wow him. Fuck was he even gay? It didn’t even matter. He could figure that out later down the line but first…

“Just tell me where to sign Mr. Kim and we can begin our new… partnership as boss and assistant. I promise I’ll do everything to learn the ropes quickly to help make your life a little less hectic.”

“Namjoon is just fine Jin. Even though I’m your boss I like to keep a close relationship with those who work close with me. You will find everyone on this floor is on a first name basis and the chaos is real and alive everyday.” And there were those fucking dimples again.

Maybe Seokjin needed to send a gift basket to his homophobic ex-boss because this new adventure at Kim. Co was going to be fun.

Chaos and all.

#namjin vmin bts btschaos chaos btsfanfic fanfiction yoonkook ceokimnamjoon assistantkimseokjin

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djchika · 4 years ago

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RNM fic: 5 Times the Malex Squad tried to intervene and one time when Kyle Valenti, self-proclaimed best friend to Alex Manes, had enough.

Kyle hadn’t been too proud to admit he was hurt Alex hadn’t said he was playing at the Pony. He’d stared at Alex all wounded and betrayed when Greg had gone on and on about how Alex’s song made him cry.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Alex gave him a look then mockingly repeated, “I really hate Open Mic Night.

“I meant country music and crappy spoken word poetry. I don’t mean you!”

“For the record Forrest is an organizer and he does spoken word. Maybe don’t say that around him if you’re serious about coming next time.”

Kyle had grimaced. Someday he was going to stop inserting his foot into his mouth, but it had not been that day. He did however, concoct a great plan to make up for missing Alex’s performance and accidentally dissing Alex’s new boy wonder and that was grabbing a table front and center during the next Open Mic Night.

He was even there early which was nice cause he was able to hang out with Alex and Forrest. What was unfortunate was that they had to excuse themselves the moment the program started – Forrest to host and Alex to do whatever musicians do to pump themselves up before a game. Unfortunate, because Isobel arrived dragging a surlier than usual looking Guerin and commandeered the empty seats.

“Um, someone’s sitting there.” Kyle pointed out.

“We’ll move when they get back,” Isobel said, “We’re just here for one song.”

Kyle scowled. Fine. He could just ignored them. He was gone after Alex’s anyway. There’d already been one guy singing about dusty roads and pick up trucks and that was already one song too many.

The moment Forrest said Alex’s name Kyle hooted embarrassingly loud grinning brightly when Alex rolled his eyes at him. He didn’t miss the softer smile Alex aimed at Guerin.

Kyle also didn’t miss Isobel’s soft “Oh no,” when Alex called Forrest up to perform with him.

It was a new song. One about hope and new beginnings. Alex sang and played the piano with Forrest reciting bits of poetry during the refrain. It would have been cringe-worthy if Alex’s music didn’t turn Forrest overly dramatic words into something heartfelt and beautiful.

Kyle could almost say he was enjoying it.

What he was not enjoying was the furious whispering between Isobel and Michael.

“This is stupid,” he heard Isobel hiss. “You should be the one up there singing with him.”

“We’ve talked about this.”

“Yeah, yeah. That was before you spent the last month and a half moping. Tripp and Nora never got their chance at happiness. I don’t want you to lose yours too.”

“You know what would make me happy? If you two shut up while Alex is singing,” Kyle interjected quietly. He trained a glare at Isobel. “Regardless of who’s up there with him this is a big deal for him singing with a guy and you’re ruining it."

Isobel huffed, but stayed silent.

Michael stared at him for a second looking like he’d swallowed curdled milk, before finally gritting out the word “Thanks.”

Ah. Apparently, that sour look was him experiencing gratitude towards Kyle. Figures.

“Your doctor said you can go back to work slowly. That doesn’t mean jumping straight into a 12-hour shift.” Kyle gave Maria his sternest doctor face, but Maria just brushed him off.

“It’s been two months. I’m not doing anything excessive. I was doing paper work, but Max needed a break.”

The fact that Max was now a bartender still broke Kyle’s brain sometimes. Not because there was anything wrong with bartending, but nerdy Max Evans was no bar hound.

“I said I could watch it for him,” Guerin grumbled from where he was brooding like a gargoyle on a bar stool.

“If I left you to watch over the bar, I’d be out of business and your liver would be one big alcohol rag.” She paused, then whispered low, “Wait, do you have a liver?”

“They do,” Kyle confirmed. He’d been intimately acquainted with Noah’s for a while.

“And we all know you really have a heart,” Maria said, poking Guerin in the chest. “Although why you enjoy breaking it, I have no idea.”

Kyle turned when he saw that Michael was no longer paying attention to them and was in fact, staring across the room where Alex and Forrest were alone in a booth.

Nope.

He gave Maria another stern look, this time coming from the guy who was fast considering Alex Manes as his best friend. “Your doctor definitely advises against meddling in other people’s affairs.”

Maria rolled her eyes, but didn’t press further. The pained grateful look Michael threw at Kyle was still hilarious.

“Valenti.”

“Evans. Guerin.” Kyle said, eyebrows up to his hairline. The two of them showing up at his doorstep at any time of day meant trouble.

“We need your help,” Max said, pushing Michael gently forward. The two of them showing up at his doorstep with Michael’s hand wrapped around a bloody shirt definitely meant trouble.

Trouble in this case was thankfully not of the alien variety. More like Guerin was apparently a genius who turned into a clumsy idiot around Alex. Kyle had known that for a long time now, but he’d figured after half a year of the whole tortured unrequited love schtick, Michael would at least learn to be less self-destructive.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Michael said, when Max pointed out the same thing.

“You’ve been fixing cars for how long?” Kyle asked as he wrapped a proper bandage around Michael’s hand.

“Since I was thirteen.”

“And you accidentally slammed the hood of your truck on your head then on your hand because?”

“Alex was out jogging shirtless,” Max said when instead of answering Michael huffed petulantly. “Which I still don’t understand, man. You’ve seen him shirtless before.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have some acetone, would you?” Michael asked Kyle, completely ignoring Max. “And another bandage to cover his mouth.”

Kyle ignored the second request, leaving to grab a bottle of acetone from the stash he’d started keeping for alien emergencies.

When he got back to the living room, Max still seemed to be ragging on Michael. “He doesn’t even know how you feel.”

“He doesn’t need to know. Not right now.”

“You keep saying that. It’s been more than ten years of waiting for the right moment.”

“Then what’s a couple more?” Michael snarked back.

Jesus. This again. His friends needed more hobbies aside from going after alien murderers and prying in people’s love lives.

Kyle thrust the bottle of acetone at Michael then told Max, “The patient needs to rest. You need to leave.”

“I drove him here.”

“You can come back for him after a few hours when I’m sure he doesn’t have a concussion,” Kyle said, practically pushing Max out the door.

“Thanks,” Michael said, resting his head against the back of Kyle’s couch and grimacing slightly.

He wasn’t sure if that face was because of Michael’s injuries or because he had to thank Kyle again.

"I’ll get you some ice for your head,” he stopped halfway to the kitchen and turned to Guerin. “You know whose side I’m on in this, right?”

Michael gave him a small lopsided smile. “I still hate you for what you put him through, but you’ve been a good friend to him lately.”

Kyle nodded. Yeah. It took him a long time to stop hating himself for that too.

True to her character, Rosa didn’t even try being subtle.

She gave Alex the stink eye when he walked into the Crashdown with Forrest in tow. “Wait, I thought Isobel said you were soulmates with Gu—”

“—Guh-regory.” Kyle blurted out, then backpedaled quickly when all three of them gave him confused looks, “and she said service mates, not soulmates. Which is wrong because Greg was in the Navy.”

Rosa raised her eyebrows then proceeded to sip noisily from her milkshake.

When Alex and Forrest moved on to their own booth, Rosa eyed him suspiciously. “Are you trying the protective older brother thing on Alex too?”

“I’m not trying to be anyone’s older brother. And you’re both older than me. Technically,” Kyle added. “Besides, Alex doesn’t need protecting. He’s happy. People should just let him be happy.”

“Whatever,” Rosa said with a roll of her eyes. Then she grinned. “You’re totally on Team Malex though right?”

“Malex?”

“It’s what Isobel calls them.”

Kyle shook his head. “People in this town have way too much time in their hands.”

The last straw was Liz literally lifting a straw from Alex’s leftover milkshake.

She had barely arrived back home updated on all the gossip thanks to Maria and Rosa and had apparently not changed one bit.

“No,” he said, grabbing the straw from her and grimacing at the sticky mess now in his hand.

“Rosa said Isobel mentioned a cosmic connection. If I checked for proof then maybe—”

“No,” Kyle repeated bringing the straw with him when he left the Crashdown.

Seriously, was he the only adult amongst his friends? This was getting out of hand.

“What’s the big emergency?” Isobel asked the moment the three aliens arrived at their newest secret bunker. Maria, Rosa and Liz were already sitting there, waiting impatiently for the reason Kyle had called the meeting.

Michael looked around, then froze. “Wait, where’s Alex?”

“Oh god, did he get kidnapped again?”

“No, he’s safe!” Kyle clarified quickly when six pairs of stricken eyes stared at him.

“Then why are we here?”

Kyle paused then said gravely, “This is an intervention. You all need to lay off Guerin and Alex. I know lately he’s been more sad, pathetic cowboy than angry cowboy, but he did the right thing walking away. It would have been a dick move rejecting Alex then going after him again just when he started going out with someone else. He’s right to wait until they’re both ready. So leave them alone.”

“You called us here to tell us to mind our own business, but aren’t you also technically minding their business by telling us to mind our own business?” Isobel asked, obviously faking confusion.

Maria and Rosa giggled, while Liz tried looked like she was trying not to smile and failing miserably.

Kyle crossed his arms, mustering his dad’s patented disapproving look and giving them all a good dose. “Alex has made his choice. If it’s the wrong choice then it’s his wrong choice to make. If we’re really his friends we need to respect that.”

Pulling out the friend card quickly sobered up Maria, Rosa and Liz who looked at each other guiltily. Max just sat there quietly seeming unsure why he was there in the first place, while Isobel finally huffed then finally nodded.

“Good,” Kyle declared. “No more pushing. No more meddling. Now we’re all going home, and Guerin is going to drown his heartbreak at the Wild Pony.”

“You really think Alex is that into Forrest?” Isobel asked, when everyone else had left and it was just her and Kyle.

Kyle let slip a small smile. Now that he had her word she wouldn’t interfere; he had no qualms in telling her what he knew. “Alex said it’s been fizzling out for weeks. They finally called it quits a few days ago.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything? Michael could have rushed off to wherever Alex is and declared his undying love, black cowboy hat in hand.”

He gave her a look because 1.) they just went through this and 2.) Isobel was clearly watching too many soaps.

“Right. No meddling,” She pouted, then brightened immediately. “Doesn’t mean we can’t still watch in the sidelines. Where did you say Alex was again?”

“I didn’t,” Kyle paused and then added casually, “But we’re supposed to have drinks at the Pony tonight.”

Isobel gasped seeming to remember Kyle directing Michael to the same place. “You are such a hypocrite.”

“It’s not meddling if they just happen to be at same place at the same time at the right moment.”

She grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the door. “You and I are going there right now. We deserve to see this pay off.”

Kyle didn’t resist. As cheesy as all this was, he’d love to see Alex’s epic happy ending too.

#malex #alex manes #kyle valenti #michael guerin #kylex brotp #just pure kylex brotp #this is awful #but also pure id fic lmao #deej writes #deej writes malex #deej writes kylex brotp

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paodequeijofeliz-blog · 4 years ago

Text

I would do it all again

Ride or Die Fanfiction (characters and main story belongs to Pixelberry Studios).

Pairing: Mona and MC (Annie)

Information: this takes place after the first book.

Summary: After what happened at the parking lot, each member of the crew tries to build a new life, following the “every man for himself” motto. But Annie doesn’t agree with that and tries to pull them back together, especially Mona, who she has been waiting for too many years.

Warnings: some Angst talk, but not much.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

I would do it all again - Part 7 (FINALE)

People weren’t allowed on campus after 10 p.m. The gates were closed, and securities would wonder around, keeping it safe. From what, Mona had no idea, it was just a huge old building with lots of books in it. Even the computers were too old to worth robbing. She just smiled at that vision, not much of a challenge for her. Sneaking in the darkness, the woman found her way to jump over the wall, fast and silent.

In a few minutes, Mona was already walking through the hallways, clever to keep her distance from the windows. Where did you hide… It looked like the classrooms were all empty.

“Library.” Said a man’s voice. It was the janitor, standing next to the restroom’s door. “She likes to stay there. I leave it unlocked.”

She studied him for a moment but nodded her thanks.

Library was on the third floor and had a light on. Of course Annie would hide between books. Mona crossed it like a lightning, following the heart-breaking sound of a soft crying only to find her girlfriend sitting on the corner. She had a huge coat covering her body, probably something kept in the trunk for cold days. Her face was flushed under the yellow light, a few slow tears still rolling down.

Slowly, the Lebanese took a step closer and sat in front of Annie. Nobody said anything for a while, as the girl kept her gaze down, wiping the tears away. It was so quiet there that Mona could swear she was hearing their hearts beating: hers, faster, like a race car; Annie’s, slow, sad, tired.

After what it seemed like an eternity, the sobbing girl took a deep breath and said something.

“I never meant…”

“I’m sorry.” Mona interrupted. Were her hands shaking? She shoved them into the jacket’s pockets to hide it. “I didn’t want you to find out that way. I didn’t want you to find out at all, actually. You’re right to be upset. I should’ve told you about Ada and our… Short relationship… In prison. You asked me not to fool you and I did. I lied. Fucked it up.”

Annie blinked, her mouth opened, but there was no sound, so the Lebanese took it as a sign and carried on.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I really am. You gave me all the time and space to come clean, I guess I was just… I was just…” she roamed her hands through the dark hair, searching for the right word. “Scared.”

Again, silence. The girl fixed her posture, bit her lower lip, but didn’t say a thing.

“I was scared you would leave.” That was barely a whisper. “That this would be too much for you to accept.”

“I’m not upset about that.”

Mona arched her eyebrows, surprised. “No?”

“No. Of course not. You never promised me anything back then, Mon. I can’t demand or be mad at your for being with someone else. How selfish do you think I am?”

“Wait. So, you’re not upset about Ada?”

“Well, I am bothered that she was standing so close to you today, cause now we are truly dating. But that’s not what really hurt me.” Annie sighed and reached for Mona’s hands. They were warm and squeezed hers in a reassuring way. “I never meant to trap you into a boring life. I don’t want to change who you are, never did. After all of that, I just wanted you to be safe. And that’s all I have. I’m sorry, I can’t keep you safe in a big house, with all the wonderful stuff you deserve. I’m a teacher, a doctorate student, who drives an old car and buys cheap red pens. I’m so sorry. I love you, but I can’t give you what you want.”

That’s when it hit Mona. It wasn’t the part about being together with another woman that made the girl run away. Not jealousy or disappointment.

She was just feeling small.

“Babe, what Ada said about the things I want or enjoy, that wasn’t true.” The Lebanese let out a laugh of relief. The problem was so much easier. “Gee, is that what’s hurting you? Then look at me, and I’ll repeat it: I want to be here. I want to be with you. I want you and everything related to you. Screw the fancy hotels and jewels. They’re from a part of my life I was dead inside, in rage, alone. I’d trade all of it to run an auto shop with two great friends and a hot girlfriend who sneaks into a freakin’ library when she’s sad.”

Annie had her eyes filled with tears again. But she was smiling. A broad, happy smile. “Do you mean it? Are you sure? Cause if I’m doing it wrong…”

Mona stopped her sentence midway by pulling her into a kiss, straddling that silly, cute girl while making her run out of breath. Now she had the face flushed again, but it wasn’t of crying. “Yeah. Dumbass. I’m sure.”

“So, you’re not sad about living a calmer life from now on?”

“As calm as we can make it. You know problems will follow me forever. I still have to pee in a cup for my parole officer. And Ada won’t leave me alone for too long. You heard it. I gave her my word when we did… It.”

Annie tilted her head, slightly confused. “When she said, ‘when we killed that girl’? I thought she meant you. When she turned you into a high profile criminal.”

“It wasn’t a metaphor.” Mona eyes darkened, but her hands were holding the girl close. She didn’t want to lose her. “Ada had a fight with my cell mate. She suffocated her with a pillow while I… While I was watching. At the door. I didn’t do anything to stop her. It felt like I was frozen there.”

“I’m sorry.” Annie touched her cheek.

“She has been holding it against me ever since. I didn’t do anything to help. I didn’t move. I didn’t…”

“You were in shock. I know you did a lot of bad things in your life, Mon. But you’re not a murderer. That’s why you froze.”

“This will haunt me forever.” Her voice became a whisper again.

“We’ll find a way to get through it. Trust me.”

Mona took a deep breath. Foreheads together, they were losing themselves in each other’s gaze. The Lebanese felt broken in so many ways, and yet somehow, she could find peace in that girl’s face.

“After everything you did for us? I trust you. Blindly.”

“I would do it all again.”

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

“Here’s more beer!” Toby lifted two boxes while walking inside the shop, a credit card hanging in his month.

“Leave it on the fridge and take a cold one for you!” Ximena was sitting on a nice red car’s hood, next to a smiley Annie.

“Nice!” he grabbed a bottle and threw himself on one of those rolling chairs that was left around, spinning closer to them. “The food?”

“Mona’s bringing it.” Said the tattooed girl, stopping him with her foot. “You’ll get dizzy.”

“She’s taking forever. Isn’t the diner just across the street?” Toby took a gulp of his beer, too distracted to notice the expression on Annie’s face.

“Yeah, well, she had a doctor’s appointment today too. Just some check-up. X, do you have the camera?”

“Sure thing, all set!”

A couple minutes later, the old dusty car, Harold, parked beside the fancy red one. Mona jumped out of it with huge bags of burgers and fries. Ximena gladly took it out of her arms and went to leave them on the table, followed by a hungry Toby. “Finally! I’m starving.”

“Hey, babe.” She gave her girl a kiss on the cheek, pulling her closer by the waist.

“Hi, you. How was therapy?” Annie kept her voice low, careful so they wouldn’t listen.

Mona only rolled her eyes, giving the same answer as always. “Boring.”

But it wasn’t true. She was enjoying it. Well, at least, respecting it enough. Otherwise, the Lebanese wouldn’t be going there again every month for the past year. Annie knew it, but why not let the woman have her tough attitude?

“I bet it was.” She lingered for a while on those dark eyes, before suddenly realizing the noises in the kitchen. “Hey, you two! No eating now! Let’s take the picture first. Just bring the beers!”

Toby showed up with a mouth filled with French fries and two extra bottles on his hands. “He’ ya gu.”

“Did you steal some fries?” Annie shook her head dramatically, pretending to be hurt. “How could you????”

“No, I…” he swallowed the rest of it, taking a gulp of beer to help. “No, I didn’t. Me? A thief? Never! I’m totally against crimes.”

“Alright, timer is set to ten seconds! So, everybody, get into place.” Ximena had put the camera on top of a few boxes carefully positioned in front of the shop. It could frame them together with the neon letters on the top.

Mona took the extra bottles from Toby, giving one to Annie while sitting next to her on the car hood. “Cheers to that. Let’s go, X!”

“Annnnnd, now! Ten seconds!” the tattoo artist ran towards then, sitting on the floor, right in front of the red car, her long arms grabbing each one of the women’s legs. Toby preferred to stay up next to them, sticking his tongue out while his right arm was in the air with the bottle of beer in his hand.

The flash blinded them for a second. The first picture as a group again.

“So?” Mona took a long gulp, throwing an arm around Annie’s neck.

Ximena was still shaking the polaroid. “Patience!”

“Oooh I look like one of those dangerous bass players in a Rock band.” Said Toby, peeking over her shoulders.

“Here! What do ya think?”

“Nice!” the Lebanese smiled, proud of how hot she looked in that picture.

Annie needed a little longer. She held the photo and admired it for a moment. They seemed so cool. The cars, the pose, the purple neon letters forming the name RIDE OR DIE.

It was just the beginning of their new lives.

Tagging: @kamilahsayeet2063 (hope you like it <3)

#mona x mc #choices: stories you play #choices: ride or die #now this one #now I'm going to stick with one shots

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s1cparvism4gna · 4 years ago

Text

PuNK

WARNINGS: cursing

Pairings: Rafe Adler x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch, @courtenbae, @tiecladartist

Chapter 7

Rafe’s POV

“No.” I said firmly.

“And why not?” I was on a call with Nadine Ross. Since Samuel evidently had decided to take matters into his own hands and steal from me, I had to do a bit of damage control. I enlisted the help of Shoreline, a group of mercenaries for hire. Nadine was the leader and was currently fighting me to bring her men to the auction. But to me, that was unnecessary. I didn’t need a bunch of goons walking around a high class area flashing their guns at every suspicious person. The whole room was going to be full of suspicious people.

“Because I’m the one writing your checks. What I say goes. It’s either just you or nobody at all.” I was trying my best not to yell. When I looked up from my maps and books, I noticed Lyric passed out on the couch across from me, her hair hanging in her face and snoring a little. I smiled to myself and stood to grab my jacket.

“Rafe, what if—”

“‘What if’ nothing. I have it under control. Security will be tight enough and if anything goes wrong, they’ll handle it.” I said to her as I placed my jacket over Lyric’s thin frame, gently moving her hair from her face. Her thick lashes fluttered on her cheekbones as she groaned and turned in her sleep.

“Fuck…” she said rather clearly, scratching her head and pulling my jacket closer to her face. I smirked as I went back to my seat, wondering what she could possibly be dreaming about. I could hear Nadine arguing about whatever in my ear as I leaned back into my seat, just watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful. Like she needed the rest. Like she needed this trip. I hated to admit it but I needed it too. Things at work had been so stressful. Two or three days in Italy with someone who didn’t entirely piss me off seemed like a good way to wind down.

“No muscle at the auction, Ms. Ross, and that’s final. I’ll hear no more about it.” I eventually said, tired of the nagging in my ear. “I will see you at the auction.”

“Alright…” she answered defeatedly. And with that, she’d hung up.

I pulled the ear piece out and tossed it into my briefcase. I’d been working since we finished dinner and it was time I took a break. I organized my desk, putting my files and maps into a neat pile and sipped on my wine that I happened to forget about. The glass was no longer chilled but I didn’t care. It was a little something to relax. After a few sips, I reclined the seat, crossing my fingers and resting them in my lap as I threw my head back. I closed my eyes hoping that maybe I’d fall asleep. I was on the brink of drifting away when I heard a sigh. I opened my eyes just enough to see through my eyelashes. Lyric was moaning and whining in her sleep. Not the disturbed kind of noise though. More like arousal. For about ten minutes she went on like this, just shifting in her seat. I bit my lip as I listened to her sweet voice crying out softly in need. Now I definitely wanted to know what she was dreaming about. A high pitched soft moan and sharp gasp passed from her lips, causing my heart to skip and a twitch in my pants. It was absolutely inappropriate to think about but as my eyes wandered over her face, they landed on her lips. I wanted to kiss them. They looked so soft and warm and smooth. I could feel my face frowning, upset that I wasn’t the one making her sound this way. After a while, she quieted down but my thoughts did not. I wanted to dig my fingers into her wild blonde tresses, have her long long legs wrapped around my waist. I wanted her. The real her. Not the one she shows me at work. Even though I realized at that point that I barely knew who she was to begin with. I could only hope that would change throughout the weekend.

Eventually I found myself falling asleep. Not for long though. The stewardess ended up coming to wake me 15 minutes before we landed. When I opened my eyes, she gave me a kind smile. I looked out of the window next to me, blinking myself awake rather slowly as I admired the sunrise and the aerial view of Rome. In my opinion, it wasn’t such a bad thing to wake up to. I yawned and sat up in my seat, stretching my back, cracking my neck. She patted my shoulder in a motherly fashion and disappeared into the back of the plane again. I stood up, brushing the random strands of hair off of my face and sat on the couch next to my sleeping assistant. I yawned again, running my hand down her shoulder, shaking her awake gently as I whispered her name. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately her face turned a bright red. She jumped a little, startled by seeing me and I held my hands up in defense.

“It’s just me!” I said softly with a smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She blinked at me a couple times as she sat up, my jacket falling off of her as she did. “We’re about to land and I, uh…. figured you might wanna see the sky view.” I told her, raising the blind that covered the small window near her head, pointing at the view. She turned around and the look on her face was priceless. She brought her fingers to her lips, concealing the wide grin that spread across her lips and gasped in wonder. The sunlight seemed to make her eyes shine a bit brighter than normal and I tore my gaze away to enjoy the view with her. It was a fantastic sight.

“This is amazing…” she said in awe.

“Wait til we actually get into the city.” I said, standing as I began to gather up my things to put them into my briefcase. She scooted to the edge of her seat and threw her arms in the air, stretching out her long limbs and I tried my damnedest not to look. She picked up her heels and put them back on her feet before leaning into the couch. I could feel her eyes on me as I got my things together. I looked up with a chuckle as her eyes narrowed.

“Did you finish what you needed to do?” She asked me.

“Uh… yeah.” I lied all too easily, sitting back in my recliner. The way she twirled a lock of hair around her finger told me that she didn’t believe a word.

“And did you get any sleep?” She asked. I forced a puff of air and ran my hand down my face tiredly.

“Actually, yes. More sleep than I would at home if you can believe it.”

“I don’t but okay.” She smirked. That time I was actually telling the truth. Normally I’d get maybe 2 or 3 hours in before I had to go to work. This time I got maybe 5. I could really feel the difference. If it were up to me though, I wouldn’t have gotten up at all. “You’re taking another nap before we go anywhere.” She told me boldly. I laughed. At least she cared enough.

“I think you missed the part where I’m your boss and I tell you what to do.” I said. But like a nagging wife, she was right. I could’ve used an hour or two more. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll both take some time to wind down before lunch.”

“What are we having?!” She damn near jumped out of her seat.

“I’m feeling like pasta.” I hummed. “With an excessive amount of Parmesan.”

When we landed at the hangar, we were greeted by a shiny black car, ready to take us to where we’d be staying. I booked a villa for us instead of a hotel. I figured it’d be quieter and not to mention there was a killer view from every balcony and patio. It was a nice 75 degrees out that morning. The wind pushed against us as we descended the stairs. The driver greeted us with a smile and opened the door for us before retrieving our bags. Lyric slid into the car and rubbed her eyes before groaning loudly.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I forgot I had makeup on… I probably look a mess now.” She grumbled.

“I don’t think so. You look good.” I told her truthfully. She stared at me as a blush tinted her cheeks.

“Thank you?” She wasn’t sure what to make of that. The fault being my own, I didn’t compliment her much. That was something that could change. The car began to drive us through the city and into the country just on the outskirts. A massive change from the big city buildings turning into rolling hills of green, some plots of land with small houses nearby. Everything looked so fresh and alive. A stark comparison to the area of New York we’d just come from. The skies were now blue and the clouds were perfectly fluffy.

It wasn’t long before we pulled into a long winding driveway, each side lined with well kept bushes of flowers. We pulled up to a two story beautifully stone built house, parts of it tastefully covered with vines and tall trees stood at its corners. There was a lovely little patio outside from what I could see. I could hear Lyric gasping as the car came to a stop. “No way we’re staying here….”

“Well I don’t feel like staying at a hotel so yes. We are.” I told her as the driver got out and opened my door. I then rounded the car and opened the door for her. Her eyes widened as she stepped out and looked around. The first thing she did was take her shoes off to walk in the soft plush grass out front. The grin on her face was something magical. I stood there a while and watched her wiggle her toes in the earth and my chest began to swell with adoration. She giggled and covered up her smile with her hands before looking at me.

“So… I can go inside there?” She asked rather childishly. I forced a laugh and nodded, shoving my hands in my pocket. She practically bolted into the house, throwing the doors open.

“And she’s off...” I chuckled as the driver began to grab our bags. I could hear her squealing from the upstairs.

“Holy shit!” I heard her swear and I burst into laughter. The house was pretty nice. Clean above all things, which I loved. The living space was open and looked cozy. The flooring was a pale hardwood and the walls, a detailed off white. Bricks molded the rounded archways and there was a fireplace as well. That bit I got excited about. I walked around, letting my fingertips grace the backs of the white couches and chairs, over the sea foam green colored pillows. That’s when my eyes landed on a massive, dark wood baby grand piano. Tucked in a corner was a beautiful Spanish guitar. ‘She’ll get a kick out of that…’ I thought as I pressed a few keys on the piano with a smirk. The driver placed our bags by the door and I paid him a generous tip, thanking him as he left us. I closed the double doors and sighed. It was going to be a long weekend.

Suddenly, Lyric appeared at the top of the stairs. “Did you see the piano?!” She exclaimed excitedly. I nodded.

“Yeah I did.” My heart was pounding from the beauty of her broad grin. “Did you see the guitar?” I asked.

“I MISSED A GUITAR?!” She began flying down the stairs to the corner I pointed at. She picked it up and her eyes seemed to light up.

“Do you play?” I asked feigning ignorance. Of course she played. You can’t be the lead singer of a band and not play.

“I play a little.” She answered coyly. I smirked.

“You’ll have to play for me some time.” I said, resting my jacket on the back of the couch and taking off my neck tie.

“You’ll have to get me really drunk. I get shy at small audiences.” She mumbled, running her thumb down the untuned strings of the instrument. The words just fell from my lips without thinking.

“You never have to be shy with me.” I said. She looked up and bit her lip nervously before setting the guitar back down. I tore my gaze from her to look down the hall. I could see the corner of a refrigerator. “Have you checked out the kitchen yet?” I asked. She shook her head no. “After you…” I gestured down the hall, stepping away to make room for her. She sauntered by and shuffled into the kitchen, me strolling behind her.

As we stopped at the bricked threshold of the kitchen, Lyric gasped. Turning around, she had the goofiest expression and let out a silent, whispery scream. I was impressed. The cabinets were all white and the countertops were a sandy granite. There was an island with a few stools and a massive refrigerator, complete with a wine cooler, stocked with the finest Italian wine. She gave an exaggerated gasp as she opened up the wine cooler and pulled a bottle of red. She looked at me with wide eyes.

“This kitchen…. I have to cook in this kitchen!” She exclaimed with an excited laugh. “Oh my god and look!” She said pointing to a massive rounded archway with double doors that led to the back. There were pillars wrapped in the greenest vines and on the bricked patio, a couple of dark arm chairs with white cushions, a coffee table was set in the middle of them decorated with a few candles and an ashtray. Along the outside wall were a few torches that could be lit on fire. Behind it was a set of bricked stairs, lined with small candles, that led into a grassy area. There was a small, rounded table near the edge where there was a magnificent view of the Italian countryside. I followed Lyric down the steps and we both stood by the edge of the grassy platform to stare at the sun still rising in the sky over the rolling hills. Further around the corner, was a decently sized pool and a hot tub. In an instant I began to think of all the things we could do. This was an unintentionally romantic place to be. If I had to be there with anyone though, I was glad it was her.

“Mr. Adler…. Thank you for taking me….” She sighed in awe, hugging the red wine bottle against her chest.

“Don’t thank me. Your research brought us here. You should enjoy it.” I said, leaning into the archway.

“No, Mr. Adler you don’t get it…. This is so much space… I…”

“If it’s what you wanna hear: you’re welcome.” I smiled. With that, I clapped my hands together and smiled. “Now. Since you’ve seen the upstairs before me, have you picked a room?” She turned to look at me with a puzzled expression.

“I was just gonna take the one you didn’t want… I mean I’m not picky.”

“Oh, please. Don’t women need their space to do…. woman things?”

“Yeah but you’re also my boss.” She told me. I stared at her a moment. Even away from the office, she tried her best to be a good employee.

“Such manners.” I mumbled. “Alright. I’ll go take a look and I’ll holler when I make a decision.”

It didn’t take long for me to choose. Both rooms were big and clean with their own bathrooms, both had nice TVs, both came with a massive window for a fantastic view of the countryside, both had decent closet and drawer space. The only difference was one had a vanity complete with a mirror and the other did not. I sighed, imagining Lyric sitting there, putting on her makeup or doing whatever it was she did to make her skin glow the way it did. I walked back down the stairs to grab my bag and took them to my room. Then I grabbed hers and laid them on the loveseat in front of her bed. Decisions made. “Lyric, I put your stuff in your room for you!” I hollered down the steps. I could hear the small pitter patter of her bare feet on the hardwood as she approached. Not wanting to swoon more than I already had, I grunted from behind my bedroom door.

“Are you sure that’s the one you want?” She asked me. I just nodded.

“I’m sure. Listen, you were right. I’m still a little tired so I’m gonna shower and take a few more hours.” I told her.

“Okay! Well… I’ll work on getting us a car and maybe do some grocery shopping.” She smiled.

“Alright. Be careful walking around by yourself. If you need me, you have my number.”

“Of course, sir—”

“You can drop the formalities, Lyric. We’re not at the office.” I assured her. I wanted her to be comfortable. Here and around me. I could tell it baffled her a bit by the way her mouth hung open. I smiled at her a moment and took off my neck tie. “Go do what you need to do.” I told her before closing my door. I pressed my back against the door and groaned. Behaving around her was certainly going to be difficult. Especially with her just being so cute. And then there was hearing her on the plane. Those moans weren’t something I could easily forget. Shaking off the nerves, I began to unpack and ready myself for a nice long shower.

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todisturbtheuniverse · 5 years ago

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FIC: Liminal Grief [1/3]

Rating: T Fandom: Stardew Valley Pairing: Shane/Female Farmer Tags: Pre-Relationship, Developing Friendship, Grief, Alcoholism, Depression Word Count: 10,613 (total) Summary: The new farmer has a level of equal-opportunity-friendliness that reminds Shane of an old friend, but when the mask comes off, it's more like looking in a mirror. Also on AO3. Notes: Very much based in the game, but littered with my own headcanons, both for this particular farmer and for Shane. Like other stories in this series, this could be considered standalone, but follows the same farmer (named Lydia) and the same Shane, and shares continuity with those other works.

It had taken a while—most of the spring, actually—but Lydia had finally fallen into a routine.

The routine involved sticking to the farm, mostly. It needed a lot of work—a lot of work she didn't know how to do. She spent her days trying to replicate the tips she'd unearthed in Granddad's old books, his journals on the seasons and crops, and her nights sleeping more soundly than she'd slept in her whole life.

It was hard work. Scary work. Every time she took hold of a weed, she prayed she wasn't about to pull up one of the precious crops she'd spent her dwindling money on. But she was getting through it.

And when she'd done all she could do for the day, there was always the distraction of town.

Thinking of Pelican Town's square that way—town, because the farm was technically in some kind of rural unincorporated area—always made her feel a little like some Austenian heroine, donning her gloves and coiffing her hair to visit civilization. In reality, the best she could muster was a shower before the long, dusty walk, but she'd always liked stories. Something she'd had in common with Granddad.

And this story was full of characters: the downtrodden but enduring mayor, the rebellious daughter of the local grocer, the hardworking big-city doctor, the gregarious saloon-owner…

As the days passed, and she made an effort to greet everyone with cheer, she got more and more back: brief small talk peppered into her days, friendly waves, smiles losing their wariness.

Well. From some people, at least. The runner-up town drunk sure hadn't taken to her friendliness so far.

Interactions with Shane followed, more or less, the same pattern as the first. She offered a pleasantry. He found a way to reject it.

When she crossed paths with him again at the bar on a Friday night: "Hey, Shane. How's it going?"

And in return: "Why are you bothering me." With his inflection, it sounded more like a complaint than a question. "I want to be alone."

On a Tuesday as she stood outside Pierre's, when Shane passed by on his way to JojaMart: "Nice day, isn't it?"

It would have been easy enough for him to agree and keep power-walking on by, but instead he said, "No, I don't have time to chat with you." Like she'd asked him to reflect in detail on the most recent Queen of Sauce episode.

But these were downright polite interactions compared to last week's, when she'd been fishing at the river south of the ranch, well after sundown. She'd spotted him walking home, weaving slightly on the beat-down dirt path, catching himself every few steps as if gravity was making its best effort against him.

"Hey," she called out, ignoring the tugging on her line, "are you okay?"

"What do you want from me?" he demanded, his whole body swinging around so that his red-rimmed eyes could glare at her. Once they'd managed to focus, anyway. "Money? I'd give you a pot of gold to leave me alone!"

"I could use a pot of gold, actually," she began, but he was already in motion again, stomping up the path to the ranch house and slamming the door behind him.

She certainly didn't need to keep putting herself out there. There were plenty of other people who were already nice enough to her, going on friendly, even: Gus and Emily, who were always excited when she brought in one of her crops for them to experiment with; Abigail, who came up with imaginative renovations for the farm Lydia now inhabited; Harvey, who was a bit distant but earnest.

But she'd seen the paths that Shane beat through Pelican Town. To JojaMart, hunched into his sweatshirt, scowling; to the saloon, no longer glowering but run down; to the ranch at the end of the night, a slow and meandering walk, like he already dreaded doing it all over again. She recognized the patterns. She hadn't been a shelf-stocker, but she knew a kindred soul. Another person caught on the conveyor belt of the corporate machine.

That was probably her dramatics again. Her character-profiling. Maybe Shane was just a grouch, happy to scare off anyone every opportunity he got. But on the off chance that that wasn't the case…

She wasn't going to stop saying hello just because he glared at her for it. Just in case.

On a Saturday night, as spring began to wilt beneath the pressure of summer, she donned her metaphorical white gloves and committed to a night at the saloon. She'd tried to keep working after sundown a few days this past week, but she still just didn't have the stamina for it; she felt like one of those limp weeds she kept tearing out of her land.

A drink was just what she needed. A drink, and maybe some food. Her stomach rumbled despite the meal she'd eaten at mid-afternoon; the smell inside the Stardrop was greasy, and cheesy, and tomato-y, and she drifted toward the counter, following the smell. Gus was busy chatting with Pam, but Emily noticed her right away and came over with a smile.

"Hey, Lydia!" she said. "You okay?"

Lydia blinked at the concern and picked up a nearby spoon to examine her own face. "I look that bad? I showered and everything."

Emily tipped her head to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Not bad. Just tired. Your aura's a little pale."

"My aura is accurate, then." She dropped the spoon and leaned against the bar counter. "I think I'll just have a beer tonight. A fancy cocktail might knock me out."

"I won't tell Gus," Emily said in a conspiratorial tone, grabbing a glass. "We're making pizzas, if you're interested."

Pizza. The source of that divine smell. Lydia's stomach rumbled again. She'd had a favorite pizza place back in the city; it had been her last meal before she left for the valley. She wondered if the stuff Gus cooked up was any good, if he was hiding a wood fired brick oven somewhere out back.

"Hey, Shane," Emily said, just as cheerfully as she'd greeted Lydia, and Lydia realized that Shane was standing at the bar a few feet away from her. "The usual?"

"Yeah." He laid his money on the bar.

"Coming right up," Emily said, picking up a second glass.

She retreated to pour the beer, and Lydia glanced sidelong at Shane, gave a little wave. He looked even more wretched than usual, eyes hooded, five o'clock shadow thick.

She smiled like she didn't notice any of that. "Hey. Happy Friday."

He met her eyes and sighed. "Sure."

Well, it was monosyllabic, but it was an improvement. Emily returned with their beers. Shane picked his up, gave what might have been a nod in Lydia's direction, and wandered away to his usual table. During the walk, Lydia estimated that he'd already downed half the beer.

"I'm wearing him down," she said, impressed with her own prowess.

"Well done," Emily said. Somehow, she kept the congratulatory tone of her voice from being condescending. "So, how about that pizza?"

Lydia tallied up her funds in her head. She could spare the money, probably. She shouldn't, though. If she wanted the farm to succeed, if she wanted to have plenty for the summer planting, if, if, if—

But the smell was just too overpowering. "Yeah, I think I'll have one," she said. "There a choice of toppings or anything?"

"Just the special, really. Green peppers and sausage and onions."

"Sounds perfect."

Some part of her told her to cancel the order. To take it back, keep the paltry pocket money where it belonged. She just couldn't seem to unstick her jaw to do it. She'd eaten a lot of fresh-caught fish and wild spring onions lately, and not much else; she was dying for a little variety.

She sipped her beer while she waited, people-watching. The kids swarmed in and occupied the arcade; she probably could have caught Abigail's eye and joined them, but their company seemed a little boisterous for her at the moment. They were only a few years younger than her, technically—not kids at all—but she felt out of step with their conversations. Too old, too worn out.

She snorted at her own melancholy. Give a girl a farm she didn't know how to run, and she'd turn into a mopey navel-gazer in no time.

"Fresh out of the oven," Emily said, sliding the platter of pizza across the bar. It was much, much too big for one person to consume, even a person as hungry as Lydia. "Enjoy!"

"Thanks," Lydia said, reverie broken, and surreptitiously scouted for somewhere to sit.

She'd been making inroads, definitely, but it was still an insular community. People tended to pair off, huddle up in their groups—treading the same boards they did every Saturday night. She wasn't sure where to stick a foot in the door, who wouldn't just crush it as they pulled it closed.

Her eyes landed on Shane's table. It didn't get more insular than that. Party of one. Two, maybe, if you counted the beer he was staring at. The look in his eyes suggested it might be his last.

Well, he'd been...amenable, sort of, earlier. There was an empty chair at his table. She had a bribe in the form of pizza. And if he was a jerk to her in front of the whole bar, someone else would definitely take her in. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way over.

Trying to treat this like any other night had been a mistake.

Most of the time, the Stardrop cut a sharp contrast to the bar back in the city. Rustic instead of divey, an old crowd rather than a young one, local beer instead of twenty-seven varieties on tap. And that suited Shane just fine. Remembering that bar meant remembering Patrick and Charlotte, and it was better not to remember. Better to immerse himself in scenery that couldn't get confused with memories.

Especially tonight.

Only problem was his brain, which had had it out for him for just about a year now. Isn't this the song that was playing when they told me they were getting married? it said, and, Look, that bottle Gus is keeping up on the top shelf looks like the whiskey me and Patrick split when Charlotte got pregnant, and, The new farmer girl sure reminds me of Patrick.

He wasn't drunk enough for that kind of thinking yet. Brain should've gotten the message by now. It needed to be damn near pickled before he'd go anywhere near those old memories.

And the farmer girl—yeah, maybe she had Patrick's wide-eyed friendliness, but he wasn't interested in discovering any other similarities between her and his dead best friend.

"Hey," a breezy voice said. "Can I sit here?"

Slowly, he lifted his head. Like his reluctance had summoned her, Lydia stood over his table, balancing a platter of pizza in one hand and holding her pint glass in the other.

He meant to say No. As rudely as possible. Maybe something snide along with it, like, Don't you have other people to annoy? Maybe better than that. A real zinger. Something that would send her scurrying for good. Apparently none of his other comebacks, reiterated at increasing volume whenever they crossed paths, hadn't been severe enough.

But a ghost possessed him instead, and he said, "Why?"

Like an idiot. Give this kind of person an inch, they'd take a mile. Hadn't he figured that out the first day they'd met? He knew exactly how this went.

He knew exactly how this ended.

"Empty seat." She pointed, as well as she could with her hands full. "Unless you're waiting for someone."

It was an innocent-enough assumption, but regardless, it felt like she'd stabbed him in the gut and twisted the knife. It sure felt like he was waiting. Waiting for Patrick and Charlotte to walk through that door, waiting until he knew how to parent his friends' orphaned daughter, waiting to wake up from this unfeeling nightmare…

He could lie. He could say he was waiting for someone. She couldn't have been paying enough attention to him to know the truth, and if she gave him the stink-eye later when it was clear his "company" wasn't coming, well, that didn't matter to him. Maybe it'd put an end to her niceties. Maybe it would be a good thing.

"I'll share the pizza," she offered.

He hadn't allowed himself to look at it too closely before, but now that she'd pointed it out, he could smell it. Bread, cheese, sauce...Gus had really stepped up his game recently. Nothing went better with a beer than pizza.

Well, pepper poppers, maybe, but nobody was making those around here.

"Sure," he said, before he could think better of it. Free food was worth a little inane chatter. "Whatever."

She beamed like he'd greeted her as an old friend, put her pizza down, and sat. "Thanks," she said. "I'm never going to get through this whole thing on my own."

Her timing was a little unbelievable. That she'd forgo rubbing elbows with the rest of the bar—something she did reliably—today, of all days. That she'd bring a pizza along with her. Almost like she had been the one possessed by a ghost—a ghost trying to reach him.

But that was even crazier than all the local superstition. And maybe a little part of him wanted to believe it, but the rest of him couldn't take comfort from something that wasn't true.

He picked up a slice of pizza, though. "I love this stuff," he admitted. "Thanks."

"Sure," she said. "You're doing me a favor, honestly. I don't have the energy to hang out with the kids tonight, and the oldies all want to talk about the farm." She pulled a face. "I work my ass off twelve hours a day at the place. Sometimes I'd rather not relive it all again at the end of the night."

"Hmm," he said. A nice, noncommittal syllable. He took a big bite of pizza—a good excuse not to elaborate.

"Still beats Joja," she sighed. "How is the old place, anyway? Still soul-sucking?"

He swallowed, surprised into responding. "You worked at Joja?"

"Not storefront. Desk jockey." Her nose crinkled up like she'd bitten into a particularly sour lemon. "Carpal tunnel instead of knee problems. I really suffered." He snorted, and she smiled. "Shit, I'm kind of glad to hear you didn't know. Feels like I've been the lone rider of the rumor mill for weeks. But somewhere out there, conversations are happening that are not about me."

"No," he said. "I just don't participate in conversations."

She rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. "Right. How could I forget?"

He felt sort of unsettled by her careless attitude, the same way he had when she'd shaken his hand at the bar. Like his brusque commentary didn't put her off; like she could have a conversation with even an unwilling participant. The exact opposite of him, when it came right down to it. He couldn't tell if he was jealous or repulsed.

"They'll move on eventually," he said. Not a reassurance or commiseration, but a statement of fact.

She eyed him thoughtfully. "You'd know," she conceded. "You're new to the area, too, right?"

"Yep." He didn't elaborate. There was pizza to eat, beer to drink. Conversation to avoid.

Marnie and Jas were the only people in this town who knew exactly why he was here. He was not about to explain it to anyone else.

"You like it here?" she asked.

"Why, are you having second thoughts? Kind of late for that, isn't it?"

"No! No." She frowned, and he realized it was the first time he'd really seen her do so. "Just curious what other people from outside the valley think of it here. I want this to be long term, but…" She shrugged.

But farming isn't exactly easy or profitable? Probably a hell of a shock for someone who'd had an office job. All that sudden, manual labor. All those razor-thin profit margins. A day that didn't end promptly at 5.

"The people are busybodies," he said.

She chuckled. "I've noticed."

"This saloon is the sole source of entertainment."

"Hey, don't forget the museum. And library. Same building, but..."

"All the young people want to leave," he pushed on, ignoring her. "Or they're here on a whim, thinking the valley's gonna cure them of something."

He shot her a pointed look. She raised a single eyebrow, as if to acknowledge his point, but she didn't volunteer what that something might be for her. Fine by him.

"All the old people either feel like they're trapped here, or that it's their job to protect the place against modernization, or both."

"Ah," she said. "Explains that scene I witnessed at Pierre's the other day." She paused to take a deep drink of her beer. "So is there anything you like about the valley?"

"Not really," he said, automatic, even though it was a lie. But he wasn't about to tell her—he wasn't about to tell anyone—that he liked the way the air smelled after dusk, or that he liked the sounds the frogs made at the dock on the lake, or that he liked the way the chickens flocked to him all bright-eyed in the morning even when he was dreary-eyed himself.

There were very few things left in the world he liked, all fragile as bubbles blown by a child. If he drew attention to them, they, too, would vanish.

"I'll take it under advisement," she sighed. "I only spent summers here as a kid. It seemed magical, back then." She picked up another slice of pizza, considered it. "Still does, actually, I'm just...having a harder time believing it."

"It's not magic," he said flatly. "You just had a big imagination."

She laughed, as if she'd never learned how to take offense. "Come out to the farm sometime. There's some creature out in the woods that makes a noise like nothing I've heard anywhere else. We'll see who believes in magic then."

"Once you've seen the backroom of a JojaMart, you realize humans are incapable of magic," he muttered.

"Who said anything about humans?" she said with an exaggerated wink.

He huffed. Her absurdity was sort of funny, just the way Patrick's had been. Over-the-top, ridiculous; he would've loved that wizard guy in his tower west of the lake, or the crusty old adventurer up in the mountains with the eye patch…

But the similarities meant nothing. She wasn't Patrick. She wasn't being nudged along by his ghost. He couldn't, wouldn't, believe in that shit.

Even though she'd brought him pizza on his birthday. On the anniversary of the day they'd died.

"Well, you ever want a break from that backroom, come out to the farm," she said, serious now. "Get a look at what it's like to live free—and broke." She smiled, a little crookedly, and finished off her beer.

True to her scary sixth sense, Emily turned up right as Lydia put down her glass. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked, beaming between the two of them like she was the proud mother of a child who'd finally gotten a playdate.

He didn't exactly want to encourage that thinking, but...he didn't want to be indebted to anybody, either. Especially not somebody down to their last dollar, when he'd eaten half her pizza. He was an asshole, but he hadn't fallen quite that far.

"No thanks," Lydia began, but Shane cut across her, "One more round. Put it on my tab." He nodded at her glass. "Same thing, or you gonna make Gus mix up another one of those city-girl cocktails?"

For a moment, she looked downright surprised—startled by the offer, maybe, or finally stunned by his ability to insult people. But then she grinned, wide and sincere.

"Just the beer," she said.

"Coming right up," Emily said, and wandered away.

Lower, heartfelt, Lydia said, "thanks."

He shrugged. "Seemed like you might need it. Drown your sorrows, and all that. You want a reliable source of magic, it's at the bottom of a glass."

"Never heard that one before."

"Trust me." He knocked back the rest of his own beer. "Secret backroom wisdom."

She didn't look at him reprovingly, the way Marnie always did when he made one of these jokes; she just nodded, sagely, like she believed him completely.

He doubted it, but...it was kind of nice, feeling like someone wanted to listen to him, for once. Feeling like somebody heard him.

Things could go back to normal tomorrow.

Go to Part 2 ->

#stardew valley #shane/female farmer #sdv shane #sdv farmer #universe writes #i'm going to spread out posting of the other two chapters here but they're already up at AO3 #just fyi #depression cw #alcoholism cw #developing friendship #pre-relationship

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sunnyville36 · 3 years ago

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Mamihlapinatapai {part 4}

We're almost to the end!! Much love to all of you for reading 💜

Need to catch up? {overview} {part 1} {part 2} {part 3}

Pairing: Bang Chan x Female Reader

Themes: royal au, medieval au, court intrigue, arranged marriage, original characters, mutual pining, slow burn

Warnings: mentions of death/war/murder, mentions of torture (brief), mentions of physical abuse (brief), emotionally abusive parents

Rating: Mature

Word count: 5.4k

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

Mamihlapinatapai - (noun, Yagán origin) a silent acknowledgement and understanding between two people, who are both wishing or thinking the same thing (and are both unwilling to initiate)

Instincts | Kingdom of Gu, present day

You’d slept maybe a total of twelve hours in the three days since the poisoning attempt. Things were still tense between you and Chan after your outburst at the pond. The king didn’t want him leaving the safety of his chambers, not knowing if there would be another attack on his life, which meant you only really saw him at mealtimes. You’d tried to apologize for raising your voice at him a few times but could never manage to look him in the eye, always leaving the room before he could say anything more than a thank you for the food. You were also avoiding him because you felt you’d revealed something in those words, a small part of the way you felt about him, and you weren’t ready to confront any of the implications from that just yet. At night, you couldn’t sleep, your thoughts full of fear for Chan’s safety and concern for what would happen between Gu and Lajor. So you’d spent the hours wandering the outskirts and corridors of the castle, lingering especially in the wing where the prince’s room was.

It was on the third night of your rounds, as you were walking the eastern side of the castle that faced the forest, the air humid and suffocating on your skin, that you spotted a flash of gold hair headed for the base of the closest tower. You turned and followed the hooded figure as they approached the castle entrance, and the growing sinking feeling in your stomach was confirmed when their face caught the light.

You had to hand it to her, she either had a death wish or nerves of steel to show up here again.

Korenna was attempting to break through the bolt on the door when you pulled up behind her, bringing a hand to her mouth and a knife to her throat.

“I could kill you where you stand, and no one would protest at my decision.”

“You could, but I don’t believe you will,” she responded, voice calmer than you expected.

You whipped her around to face you, snarling in a whisper, “Don’t you dare use my own words against me. I said that to you when I thought I could trust you, and you’ve made it blatantly clear that was a misjudgement on my part.”

“Y/n no please listen it wasn’t. I know I was rude and standoffish - “

“Rude and standoffish?!” you repeated in disbelief. “Sure that’s definitely what we’re talking about right now. You know, I always thought maybe it was because you were a shy person, or because you were jealous, but, as it turns out, you just aren’t one of those people who likes to get really close to the person she’s trying to murder.”

Korenna looked like she was about to cry, leaning forward as if to grab at your arms despite the knife still pointing at her throat. “Please, Y/n, that’s not what I meant, I can explain! Do you really think you were so wrong about me; do you really think I could kill a man in cold blood?”

You shouldn’t even be entertaining her excuses, you thought to yourself. She was trying to use your pride against you, to trick you into letting her explain herself so you didn’t have to admit you were wrong. But, like always, as you watched her, trying to discern any ounce of deceit or malice, you found none.

You lowered the knife, stepping back and motioning for her to continue.

“You know that my father was crazy enough to try to invade Gu all those years ago. What you don’t know is that he’s only gotten more delusional and power hungry over all these years, hell bent on taking down your kingdom as revenge against King Bang and completely disregarding the well being of his own. Last year, I had been trying to gather support from the ministers, to show them just how corrupt, how evil he had become. That was when my mother died and my father finally snapped, leaving me and my nine year old sister completely at the whim of his wrath. He locked Paige away at some secret fortress and told me that if I didn’t agree to his plan of killing Prince Chan and wreaking havoc on your kingdom, he would leave her alone to starve to death. He gave me three weeks to decide and I searched for her desperately, but at the end of it I was no closer to finding her and was forced to agree to the marriage he had arranged to initiate his plot.”

“Why should I believe any of this?”

“Because she’s here, right now. We crossed the border with a small group of knights who are sympathetic to our position. They wanted to help me, and I want to help you, but I had to make sure my sister was safe. Now that she is, we can work together to protect your kingdom and hopefully preserve mine.”

You were silent, taking her and her story in.

“If you could just bring me to Chris, let me tell him all of this, apologize for what I did,” she pleaded, eyes begging even more than her words.

“Fine. I will bring you to His Highness, and he will decide what to do with you.”

***

You led Korenna past the guards, neither of them giving you a second look when they saw it was you despite your concealed companion. Chan was known for burning the midnight oil, and tonight was no different. You could see the light drifting out from beneath his door as you knocked lightly, and were met with his quiet, “Come in.”

You opened the door, remaining in the door frame as he turned to face you. “Your Highness, there’s someone here to see you,” you said, stepping aside and pushing Korenna in front of you before you followed in and shut the door.

Chan sat still for a moment, then leaned back in his chair, legs and arms crossed in his most casual yet intimidating pose.

“Unless my oldest friend has decided to kill me tonight, which I certainly hope is not the case, you must have had a pretty convincing reason for her to bring you here.”

Korenna remained silent, looking between you and the prince nervously.

Chan rolled his eyes, clearly frustrated. “Well? Let me hear it.”

She told him everything, about her father’s plot and her involvement, the threats against her sister, how she had support from the knights and probably a fair majority of the people as well.

“I know you could never forgive me for what I did, but I am truly, sincerely sorry,” she said, head bowed.

The prince seemed to be contemplating her story just as you had. Finally, his voice broke the silence.

“Show me this sister of yours and then I will decide how we proceed.”

***

You walked next to Chan as you followed Korenna into the forest where her sister was supposedly waiting with the Lajoran knights. You didn’t like this plan, knew if Korenna’s description was true, you and Chan would be severely outnumbered should things turn south, but Chan had insisted on only taking you with him. He looked unusually pensive as you walked, and you decided to take this opportunity to give your apology, in case it happened to be your last.

“Your Highness,” you said quietly, “I’ve been meaning to tell you how sorry I am for how I spoke to you by the pond. You were only trying to comfort me and I took my insecurities out on you and you didn’t deserve that.”

He put his arm out in front of you, stopping you in your tracks.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? Y/n, I’ve been trying to ask you for three days if you were alright and all this time you’ve been feeling guilty? Please, please don’t feel that way, I would never blame you for what happened and I was never upset about our conversation. Promise me you won’t keep anything like this from me again?”

You looked at each other and you nodded, both silently agreeing not to touch on the part of that previous conversation where you revealed something else you’d been keeping from him.

The two of you jogged back up to where Korenna had stopped at a small, raised hill surrounded by rocks. It certainly was a good vantage point and hiding spot. Once again, you hoped your instincts about this woman and her intentions would be correct.

Korenna led you around the corner of one of the rocks, and that was when you saw the young girl. She was lying wrapped in a blanket despite the heat, and her hair looked dirty and matted. The men sitting around her straightened as Korenna approached the group, but she held up her hand to show them you were on their side. The girl lifted her head when she heard your footsteps, her gaunt face morphing into a smile at the sight of her sister.

“Korenna, you’re back,” she rasped as the elder knelt and wrapped her in a hug, and your heart broke at the sound of her barely there voice.

“Your Highness…”

“I know,” he said, reading what you were going to say from the tone of your voice, “we need to get her to Felix.”

You both approached the pair and you knelt down next to Korenna, speaking softly to the younger princess.

“Hello Paige. My name is Y/n. I’m a friend of your sister. She’s brought you a really long way to make sure you’re safe, and we’re going to get you some help now so you can feel better. Would that be alright with you?”

The little girl nodded, and you looked up at Korenna, silently asking permission to pick her up. Korenna nodded as well, so you gathered Paige into your arms and began the trek back to the palace, some of the knights following along with you. You looked behind you to see Chan place his hand on Korenna’s shoulder.

“Thank you for showing me. Together we’re going to make this right.”

Conscription | Kingdom of Lajor, present day

“Your Majesty, the villagers are reporting they have no more men to send, and those in the city have been rioting for two days since the conscription announcement went out. The knights can barely keep the peace and we have more and more deserters every day. I’m just not sure we should continue hounding the people - ”

King Eunther looked up from his seat in the throne room, cutting the man off with a steely, impenetrable gaze.

“Sir Bavrard, do the people control this kingdom?”

“N-no, Your Majesty.”

“And do the knights?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Then please explain to me why you are suggesting we listen to the complaints of those ungrateful, insubordinate traitors over my own direct orders?!” the king shouted, Sir Bavrard cowering beneath him.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I just don’t know what else we can do to compel such a large uprising - “

“I’ll tell you what you can do,” King Eunther snarled, rising from his chair, “you can tell them that if they don’t cooperate, you will bring them to stand in front of me and I will personally remove their head from their body. Do I make myself clear?!”

32 men died that day.

Checkmate | Kingdom of Gu, present day

You entered the infirmary, walking over to where Prince Felix sat at the bedside of a much healthier looking Paige.

“Y/n!” she called, her head peeking around Felix’s shoulder to smile at you.

“Hello little princess,” you said, returning her smile as you came to stand beside Felix. “I’m glad to see you doing much better. Do you mind if I borrow your companion for a moment?”

“Nope!” she pronounced, going back to the book she’d been reading as Felix followed you to the corner of the room.

“You were right, her condition is much improved,” Felix said. “I’m still a little worried about her malnourishment, but as long as she remains well fed and warm, she should be alright.”

“That’s good news; Princess Korenna will be glad to hear it. She wanted me to thank you for tending to her, Your Grace.”

“I’m delighted to!” he exclaimed quietly. “She’s got quite the personality in that little body of hers, kept me on my toes the last few days.”

As if on cue, Paige piped up from behind the two of you, “Felix, could I have that glass of orange juice you’d said you’d bring me? I waited ten minutes like you said.”

“See?” he said with a smile and a raise of his eyebrows, turning to leave the room. You followed after him, sending a wave and a wink to the princess on your way.

You headed back to the throne room, where King Bang, Chan, Korenna, Minho, and the rest of the head knights were gathered. They’d been discussing their plans for the imminent Lajoran attack for a few days now, Korenna and her knights filling in any gaps of knowledge or speculating on Eunther’s strategies when they could. You’d been in attendance as well, taking notes, marking maps, and giving suggestions every once in a while. Battle planning had never been your favorite task; you couldn’t help but think about all the senseless loss that came from two men getting into a pissing contest over who should control what land or trying to ‘avenge their honor.’ Surely there had to be a better way, especially in this situation where it was clear the Lajoran people were not exactly in support of their ruler, to defeat a rogue king without the death of innocent people.

Entering the room, you caught eyes with Korenna, who walked over to meet you in the far corner.

“Prince Felix says she’s still stable, Your Grace. As long as we keep her here and watch that she’s getting enough food, she should recover just fine.”

“Oh thank god, what a relief,” Korenna sighed, placing one hand on your arm and one over her chest. “I can’t begin to thank you all enough for what you’ve done for us.”

Your ears perked at that. Korenna seemed like she also despised the loss of innocent life, considering she hadn’t even been able to kill her father’s enemy despite her own sister being in danger. Maybe you could suggest your proposal to her and she could advocate for it, as a way of repaying you all and preventing more death.

“Actually, Your Grace, if I may, there is something I was considering. There may be a potential way to prevent an all out battle between our two peoples, if what you’ve told us is true about your father’s current standing amongst your citizens. If you were to propose it, the others might take more kindly to it than if it came from me.”

Korenna didn’t say anything, so you took that as a sign to continue. You explained what you had been turning over in your head for the past few days, checking a few of the details with her. When you finished, the princess looked a little apprehensive.

“I am in total support of that plan, Y/n,” the princess explained. “But I worry that if it comes from me, King Bang is going to reject it outright. I can tell he is not as convinced of my intentions as you and Chris are.”

She had a point. If the plan were to come from her, it would probably seem more suspicious, more likely to be a trap. However, you feared the king wouldn’t consider you proposing such a plan to be much more trustworthy.

Korenna seemed to be reading that exact thought on your face as she said, “Why don’t you angle it towards Chris; I know he holds your input in high regard.”

You felt your heart tug at her statement, but pushed those thoughts to the back of your mind. Korenna was right; you could do this. You nodded at her and you both returned to the table.

The men were talking, so you tried clearing your throat, but that seemed to do nothing to get their attention. Noticing your hesitation, Korenna interrupted.

“Gentlemen, I believe Y/n has something to say.”

You smiled gratefully at her then turned your attention to Chan. If you could just remain focused on him you were confident you could explain your plan and maybe even convince them to buy in to it too.

“Your Highness, I’ve been thinking of a way that we could perhaps avoid any direct conflict with Lajor. We already know that Her Grace has many supporters, as evidenced by our friends here. And according to their reports, the people are in no position to support a war; this is all one man’s doing. So if we can eliminate that one man, our problem would be solved.

I propose we arrange a meeting with King Eunther. Somewhere neutral, away from the majority of our armies. We frame it as a truce meeting, have him go into it thinking he will get some concessions from our side in order to prevent a fight. In reality, we use it as a chance to capture him unawares. Her Grace can confront her father, and if our information is correct, the knights and soldiers will take her side and we can end this situation with zero loss of life and a new friend on the Lajoran throne.”

You glanced at Korenna and saw she was smiling brightly at you. Looking back at Chan, you could tell he was seriously considering what you had said, head pressed together with Minho in quiet conversation. The Lajoran and Guan knights were murmuring to each other, indicating agreement with what you’d proposed. The only person who appeared to be against it was King Bang.

“Using deception and ambushing a man has always been considered dishonorable,” the king spat, as if you had insulted the very foundation of the kingdom. “Wars are meant to be fought on the battlefield and our army could easily outpace Lajor’s; there are expectations and traditions that should be upheld.”

It took everything in you not to scream at him, to unleash a lifetime’s worth of anguish caused by his ignorance and arrogance. You’d had enough of hearing this man talk about all the noble pursuits of battle without ever having to face the consequences of one. You turned to him, your chin held high.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but this is not about the “honor” of taking him down on the battlefield. This is about not sacrificing the lives of men to maintain your own sense of righteousness.”

The room went silent at that. You kept your eyes on the king, could feel him seething under his impartial expression. Under any other circumstances, the punishment for what you’d just said would be severe. But everyone in the room was starting to come to the realization that your plan had merit. It would be faster, easier, less costly, and less deadly than simply bracing for an attack, no matter how “dishonorable” it might seem. And even the king knew now was not the time to berate you, though you were sure it would come back to haunt you later.

You felt Chan press his hand to the small of your back, the sign of support giving you more strength. “Y/n is right. Even if we would be likely to take a victory in battle, her plan has the best chance of rooting out the cause of our problem here and now and placing both our kingdoms in a better position for the long term. If anyone disagrees, they should speak now.”

Everyone kept silent, some nodding their heads in agreement with the decision.

“Then we shall prepare to execute it.”

***

You avoided the throne room as much as possible for the next few days as preparations were made, wanting to have as little interaction with the king as you could. Chan had praised you after the meeting, had said he was proud you’d spoken up to his father. You knew the prince had the best of intentions, but you also knew he could never understand what it was like to know that by doing what you did, you’d surrendered yourself to whatever punishment the king saw fit to assign after this ordeal came to an end.

A rider had been dispatched to Lajor to deliver the terms of your meeting. In the letter, Gu had agreed to secede the western most portion of its territory as well as deliver half its military forces to Lajor. The only stipulation was an in person meeting to sign the documents. As suspected, King Eunther was too tempted by power to see through your guise, thin as it may have been. The meeting was set for today at noon.

Armies from both sides were prepared, in case this peace offering did not go smoothly. The plan was to bring you, Chan, Korenna, King Bang, Minho, the Lajoran knights, and a few members of your own royal guard to the meeting place, which was designated to be the same spot in the forest where the earlier attempt on Chan’s life took place.

Hours before the meeting, you were making your way through the forest as quickly and quietly as you could, bow strapped to your back and dressed in your most inconspicuous woodland attire. You were to arrive at the grove early so you could take your position prior to anyone else arriving, or, in the worst case, report back if an enemy agent was attempting to do the same. It was decided earlier that you would walk there alone, in order to leave as little trace as possible.

You didn’t mind the solitude as you meandered through the woods, trying not to leave an obvious trail behind you. Before you’d left, Korenna had come to confirm with you the signal for your part of the plan. Then, just as you were about to enter the forest, a voice called your name.

“Y/n!”

“Your Highness, you should be preparing with the others.”

“I know I-I just had to see you before you go. To tell you goodluck.”

You looked at him and, steeling yourself for what you were about to do, tugged him into a crushing embrace. He returned the hug, his head close enough to hear you whisper, “You too.”

Both of you were well aware of the hundreds of unspoken things behind the brief words you exchanged, but they were all that needed to be said for now.

You reached the clearing and found the tree with the best camouflage that had the vantage point you wanted. Climbing up, you settled in for the long wait until the rest of the players arrived.

***

After about two hours, you heard the distinctive clopping of hooves coming from the direction of the Gu palace. A few moments later, your friends came into sight of the clearing. Remaining hidden, you watched as they fanned out into a semi-circle facing the direction of Lajor, King Bang and Korenna in the center.

Minutes passed and the Lajorans were nowhere to be seen. It felt eerily quiet in the forest, and you began to worry King Eunther had caught on to your plan and was in the midst of attacking the city as you all stood here waiting for him. However, after another few tense minutes, the Lajoran party arrived, consisting of King Eunther, his most trusted advisor Sir Bavrard, and thirty or so additional knights on foot, far more than the agreed upon fifteen. You surveyed them as they formed a group behind Eunther. Most looked anxious, like they weren’t quite sure what they should do in the event they were told to act, others seemed outright bored, and they all appeared to be sorely lacking in food and armament. Just as Korenna had predicted, and just as you’d counted on for your plan to work.

“Sir Alfrey,” Eunther began, spotting Korenna’s biggest supporter on his horse beside her, “I should have known you’d be behind all this.”

Your friends remained silent, their expressions blank.

The king seemed slightly unnerved at the lack of response, and decided to try another tactic. “So, am I to believe you brought my daughter here as a gesture of good faith, an additional item to be returned to me in the terms of our... arrangement?”

Chan’s even tempered voice rang out. “She is not our prisoner; she came to us of her own free will.”

“And what of my younger daughter, Paige?”

“Don’t. Speak. Her name,” Korenna gritted out.

“Oh Korenna, you stupid girl; you’re the whole reason we’re in this unpleasant mess, so just stay quiet and let the men do the talking.”

You felt an angry coil rise in the pit of your stomach at his words, more resolved than ever to execute your plan and free Korenna from this abuse for good. Taking your stance, you kept your eyes trained on the Lajoran king.

“No, father. I will not stay quiet,” Korenna spoke again. It had been agreed she would do most of the talking; the more riled up the king became the more reckless he would be, and his daughter talking back to him seemed to do the trick perfectly.

Eunther opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, Korenna continued. “We did not ask you here today to sign a truce or give you any concessions to appease you. We came here to put an end to this feud and an end to your rule. You have irresponsibly and unjustly led our people, going so far as to torture and kill them when they do not agree with your machinations. It is my obligation to remove you from the throne for the sake of our kingdom. You will surrender to us now and I will walk our men off this battlefield and home to their families.”

You knew it would be your cue soon, your arm pulling back to anchor an arrow at the corner of your mouth.

“I think you can see my forces far outnumber yours at the moment,” the king said, gesturing to the knights behind him. “And sadly you seem to believe our people are as disloyal as you are, an unfortunate misjudgement. Why would I ever agree to your weak-minded, insolent little proposal?”

You let the arrow fly, and watched as it sailed just past Eunther, nicking his ear and drawing the tiniest drop of blood.

In the ensuing chaos caused by the seemingly rogue arrow, your team of knights rushed the Lajoran side, many of them laying down their weapons immediately in the face of the much healthier, much better armed Guan force. You looked to see Minho drag Bavrard out from where he was crouched under the legs of his horse, lest an arrow attempt to find him as its target. The other royals from your party remained safe in their position below and slightly to the left of your own. Satisfied, you notched another arrow.

King Eunther put his hand to his ear, feeling the cut, and rose his gaze to find you perched in the treetops above. “You missed.”

“I assure you,” you heard Chan say, “if she’d wanted it, you’d be dead.”

“I don’t want to kill you father,” came Korenna’s softer-edged voice. “But if your choice is not to surrender, well, I’m afraid you’ve forced my hand.”

The smug look finally left the king’s face, his eyes darting around to see his companions abandoning him. He got down from his horse, arms open wide in a begging posture mirroring his attitude that had shifted on a dime, hoping to win over his daughter with fake apologies and promises. Damn, you thought, this man really doesn’t have a principled bone in his body.

“Korenna, daughter, please don’t do this. I’m sure we can - “

An arrow landed in the grass between his feet. He’d taken one step too close for your liking.

“Sir Alfrey,” Korenna instructed, “please take my father into custody.”

The king blanched as the knight dismounted and stepped forward, a steady stream of curses leaving his lips.

“I will get my revenge on you, you impudent little girl! How do you think you will succeed in this plan of yours without me; you know nothing of running a kingdom! You should watch your back, dear daughter, for I will always be lurking; I swear to you, you will never be rid of me!”

“Actually, father,” Korenna said, riding past him on her striking white mare, “I already am.”

Reign | Kingdom of Lajor, present day

Standing outside the palace gates hand-in-hand with Paige, you couldn’t keep the smile off your face. You’d just exited the carriage that had carried King Bang, Chan, you, and the little princess back to her kingdom. Korenna’s coronation was happening today, and luckily Paige had recovered enough to travel just in time to make it for her sister’s momentous occasion.

After Korenna had successfully confronted her father, she had made her way to the waiting Lajoran army and proclaimed there would be no battle. They’d rejoiced and, unlike her father’s deluded assumption of the opposite, the kingdom had welcomed her as their ruler with open arms. You and the others had returned to announce the good news to your own citizens, and to Paige, who was ecstatic at her sister’s triumph. The last few days had been spent drafting amendments and additions to your trade agreements and foreign policy documents; with Korenna on the throne, Lajor and Gu’s relationship would transform from one of hostility to one of cooperation. In all the bustle, you’d somehow managed to avoid a confrontation with King Bang over your behavior at the war table that day, but you couldn’t help thinking it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped.

You were ushered inside, hundreds of people weaving in and out amongst the beautifully decorated corridors as you found your way to the throne room. You left the royals to take their seats at the front of the crowd while you went in search of your mother.

Many attendees from Gu, knights, servants, and citizens alike, had come to observe the ceremony, as a kind of display of support and camaraderie for your kingdom’s newly found ally. You found your mother along the left side wall in a relatively uncrowded spot and took your place to watch your friend as she approached the priest who would bestow upon her the title of Queen of Lajor.

Between the hum of the clergymen reciting holy texts and oaths, you heard your mother whisper, “She knows not the sacrifice she makes to hold this position.”

You thought back to every conversation you’d had with Korenna, how in each and every one she demonstrated a profound devotion to her kingdom and her people. “I think she does,” you responded.

“It must be daunting, knowing that responsibility sits on your shoulders from the very beginning.” She saw your gaze shift from Korenna to Chan, seated at the front of the room next to his father, looking proudly up at the princess.

“I can only imagine.”

She paused, then continued, “Do you think you could bear that burden?”

Your mother was well aware of your feelings for the prince, had been since you tearily confessed to her the night of your one and only kiss. So you knew what she meant. Knew the question she was really asking, the question you’d pondered yourself more times than you could count.

Would you sacrifice the relative freedom you enjoyed now, agree to be beholden to a people and their wellbeing, in order to be with Chris, the man you loved?

Surprised at this line of questioning though you were, you answered honestly. “If given the chance, I would bear it a hundred times over.”

Your attention was drawn back to the ceremony then, the priest announcing in a booming voice that Lajor had a new queen, Queen Korenna Dormio, first of her name.

The crowd erupted in applause, and you saw Paige dash up the dias steps to wrap her arms around her sister. You felt the presence of eyes on you and looked to see Chan, his head turned to smile at you in the crowd. You smiled back, and the answer you’d given your mother rang in your mind, as true as you’d ever felt it.

You would give anything for him.

{part 5}

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nightglider124 · 5 years ago

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Dickkory Week: Day 3

Okay so I am a day late bc I spent yesterday just basically fixated on Titans trailer and venting/chatting about that. Like, I barely even did any stuff at work bc I was like on tumblr about it lmao.

ANYWAY. Here is Day 3 for yesterday. Today’s prompt will be posted later tonight.

I used 3 of the supposed 5 love languages. I used: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time & Physical Touch. I also just happened to use the literal idea of language as well lmao.

Hope ya like it.

Oh and if you couldn’t guess... I based yet another of these in the DCAU world bc I just really love writing them in their cute lil apartment.

________________________________________

Love Language

Laughter bubbled up from the characters on screen, some kind of pun having fallen from the main guy’s mouth at a rather inappropriate time. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head as a blush took control over his cheeks.

Kory and Dick both smiled lazily at the comedy movie they had on the TV as they relaxed in the comfort of their apartment, sat upon their sofa. Dick was sat with one arm leaning against the cushions of the sofa and the other draped across the back of it, behind Kory’s head as she remained huddled in the corner of the sofa.

Her legs were draped over her boyfriend’s lap, crossed at the ankles with a fluffy blanket strewn over their lower halves, protecting them from the slight chill in the air, signalling that Fall would soon be coming to an end if that and the orange leaves that fell from the tree outside were anything to go by.

Kory suddenly shifted, keeping her legs over Dick’s but snuggling into the arm that was just around her shoulders. She deeply inhaled his familiar scent before she rested her head on his chest, her smile widening as Dick played with a few tendrils of her long, auburn locks.

Her fingers found the material of his shirt, playing with it as she idly watched the movie. Dick smirked as he watched her movements, toying with his shirt simply for the want to be in contact with him in some way.

The thumping beneath the skin of his torso seemed to grow stronger; louder, like her presence alone raised his heart rate in a way akin to if he had just sprinted a marathon.

He peered down at her, a true swell of contentment inside his chest.

Dick leaned down a little, just enough so that he could press a small kiss to her neck, making her squirm.

Kory giggled and sighed, “Yiv tu daktar…”

He blinked, having grown so accustomed to only hearing her speak English; the random use of her mother tongue had him thrown.

“What?” He chuckled,

Kory inclined her head to look up at him, “Hm?”

“You just said something in Tamaranian.”

Her eyes widened and a blush dripped across her face, like paint spilling down a wall, “Oh? I did not realize… I said ‘you are so sweet’.”

Dick smiled at the compliment but his curious mind and continuous thirst for knowledge had him pause and shuffle away from her a little,

“You know… I don’t think I ever really hear you speak it anymore. The only time really is when we first found you… and sometimes when you sing in the shower or mumble in your sleep.”

Kory raised a brow at him, “I mumble in my sleep?”

“Sometimes and it’s not always in English.”

She shrugged her shoulders and played with a long piece of hair cascading over her shoulder, “I know a selection of languages; some that are of this world and some that are from other planets… English and Tamaranian are the ones I know most… I suppose I cannot help but deviate to my first language every now and then.”

“Seems to be when you aren’t really thinking about it.” Dick surmised,

Kory nodded, “Yes… English is not my first language and… I believe it takes more concentration.”

“I think it’s cool. You’re like some kind of translator.”

His Princess laughed and shook her head, “So, if I get bored of leading the Titans and decide to get a day job like you have… translator is the one I should pursue?”

Dick grinned, “I mean, you could do a lot of things if you wanted to. Modelling would definitely be one for you too.”

Kory rolled her eyes, “Mhm…”

“I mean it. You’ve got the height and the looks. You could do it.”

She smirked and folded her arms over her chest, “Oh? And you wouldn’t mind if I were to model clothes and lingerie and be all over posters and billboards for all men to see?”

Dick stared at her before he shook his head and waved his hand dismissively, “Okay. Nope. Translator. Do that instead.”

Kory burst into laughter, letting her hands fall back into her lap, “Do not worry, my love. I think that a translator would be more enjoyable anyway.”

He chewed on his bottom lip, eyeing her with a sense of question riddled on his own face, “Hey, babe?”

“Yes?” She asked, her head rested against the back of the sofa so she could watch him,

“Do you think… you could teach me some Tamaranian?”

Kory sat up straight, her eyebrows at her hairline in surprise, “Really?”

He lifted his shoulders and rubbed his neck in that sheepish way of his, “Well, yeah… I mean, I’ve always liked learning new languages and… what other humans can say they know a language from another planet that isn’t a fictional one?” He paused and smiled, “Sides… I think it would be nice. We always do things that are influenced by Earth since we live here… I’d like to know more about where you come from too.”

She tilted her head and smiled, one that softened her entire facial expression, “Oh, Dick…”

He grinned and shuffled to get comfortable as he sat opposite her on the couch, “C’mon… teach me a few things now.”

Kory giggled, mirroring his position, “Like what?”

Dick shrugged, “I don’t know… whatever comes to mind.”

Tapping her fingertips against her chin, Kory considered and mulled over what things she could teach him that were simple enough for him to grasp. With a light bulb going off in her mind, she smiled and focused on him, clearing her throat.

“Gultach.”

“Gul-tack.” Dick tested, already knowing his pronunciation was off,

“Gultach.” Kory paused, “Tamaranian is more guttural than English… along the lines of German but more. My language is… aggressive sounding. The end sound should come from your throat… like when you are sick.”

Dick furrowed his brows in concentration and tried it again, “Gultach.”

He peered at her for approval and felt his heart melt when she beamed back at him, looking as though someone had just given her the best gift in the whole world.

“Was that… better?”

Kory nodded enthusiastically, “Oh! Much better, Dick. It is a case of grasping the somewhat scratchy roll in your throat.”

He nodded in understanding, “What does it mean?”

“Hello.”

Dick grinned, “Cool. What else?”

Kory thought for a moment until she straightened her back again, signalling she had one for him, “Shu kareth Gu’anrei… Dick Grayson.”

He deadpanned, “Seriously? We’re going from ‘Hello’ to something that sounds… way more advanced?”

She smirked, “I assure you, it is quite simple.”

“Easy for you to say, Miss I know a thousand languages fluently.” He scoffed,

Kory rolled her eyes, “I don’t know a thousand… It is more around a hundred.”

He did a double take and chuckled, “Oh, that’s better.”

She grinned and tapped his knee, “Try it.”

“Shu… kareth... ” He sounded out, his forehead crinkling in confusion, “Uh… what was the next bit?”

“Gu’anrei.”

“Gunray.”

“Gu’anrei.” Kory prompted, “There is a small pause which changes the words. Gu is like goo. Then, anrei is like… and ree but without the ‘D’ sound.”

Dick nodded and cleared his throat, “Shu kareth… Gu’anrei…”

Kory smile and looked at him expectantly.

“Was… that not it?”

“You must say your name at the end.”

“Oh… Shu kareth Gu’anrei Dick Grayson.”

Kory gave him one of her thousand watt smiled and lightly clapped her hands together in appreciation for his efforts, “Very good, my love.”

He felt a jolt of pride spiral through him, feeling like he had achieved something special to be able to utter even one syllable of her language.

“I can probably guess what that means in English but…”

“It means, ‘My name is Dick Grayson.’” Kory elaborated,

Dick smirked and nodded his head, “Anything else you can think of?”

Her emerald gaze befell him and Kory could feel her heart swelling more and more with how much of an interest he was taking in her language and despite living on Earth for such a long time now, it was still nice to be reminded where she came from; for the right reasons.

She let her mind wander over how many times Dick had asked about Tamaran. From how she grew up, to Tamaranian traditions and even extending to learning about her family; Dick had always made sure to ask about her place of birth, rather than simply expecting her to conform to a lifestyle on Earth, with complete disregard to where she initially came from.

It was one of the things she truly adored about him; the level of respect and care he held for her was astounding and she loved him for it.

That’s when another idea popped into her mind of what to teach him next.

“I think I have another.” She murmured, her eyes clouded with warmth for the man sat before her,

“Shoot.” He grinned, oblivious to the inner emotions she was experiencing,

“Aku d’marai.”

Dick brightened, “That doesn’t sound as difficult as the last one.”

Her eyes shimmered as she watched him, “It is not commonly used on my world but it is an important statement, nonetheless.”

With a curt nod, Dick went over it multiple times in his head before he lifted his chin, “Aku… d’marai…”

She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself smiling too much but she did nod to him, “Perfect.”

Dick beamed at her like a kid who had just received the seal of approval from their parents or something, proud of himself for managing to get some of her language right. He was still a long way off being fluent, he knew that but it was definitely a start.

He noticed that in all of his excitement of learning a few foreign phrases, he’d absently shifted closer to her, so much so they were merely inches away from one another. With a slight lean, he could be brushing the tip of his nose against hers.

Suddenly breathless, his eyes searched her heart shaped face, printing everything to memory. The gorgeous haze in her eyes, the soft glow of her skin, the perfect line of her nose before he let his eyes drop to her mouth. Her lips were just flawless; a cupid bow shape that was full and completely kissable.

“So… what did that one mean?” He asked, his blue eyes locked on her solid green ones,

Kory smiled softly and tilted her head, gently raising her fingertips to his face and running them along the angle of his jaw,

“It means… ‘I love you’.”

Dick suddenly matched her expression; every feature softening on his face as he reached a hand to her neck, just cupping her face,

“I’ll need to remember that one.”

“Mhm.” Kory murmured before Dick closed the distance, molding his lips to hers and reveling in the spark sensations that made her whole mouth tingle.

As she continued to kiss her boyfriend, Kory couldn’t help but wonder why she had never thought of teaching him until now. But, she decided, better late than never.

#dickkory #dickkoryweek2019 #dickkory week 2019 #DC comics #fanfiction #DCAU #dick grayson #koriand'r #this is yet to be proofread #surprise surprise #nightglider124

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tj-and-cyrus · 6 years ago

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what’s in a name?

aka: instead of finishing a tarty fic, i accidentally wrote tyrus in one sitting because i had an idea and if i didn’t write it down i would Die Immediately.

AO3

Summary: Cyrus gets a call in the middle of the night from someone he doesn't recognize.

“...And who’s this?”

“The name’s James.”

Cyrus squinted at the clock on his nightstand “Okay…James, can I ask you why you’re calling me at three in the morning?” The boy on the other end of the phone swallowed audibly, and Cyrus made a face.

“I…might…have…feelingsforyou.” James spat out, stumbling over his words at every turn. Cyrus shifted around on his bed, frowning at the moonlight that glared right in his eyes throw his bedroom window. He blinked, trying to process this.

Some poor kid was crushing hard on a boy, and probably couldn’t sleep with everything going through his head, and it being a school night probably made it worse. So, rather than mulling and feeling anxious, he gets up at three in the morning to call said crush and confess his feelings. Cyrus didn’t judge him, almost everyone he knew made bold decisions while high off their own emotions.

He combed through his thoughts for a moment, trying to say something that wouldn’t upset the poor guy. Unfortunately what came out of his mouth was:

“I don’t really know you, I’m sorry. Who is this again?”

What the hell was that?!

“Eh, it’s fine,” James yawned, and Cyrus heard him moving around his room on the other end. “I should be getting some sleep anyways. Thanks for picking up, I guess. Man, I really shouldn’t do this while I’m stressed out from homework at… Christ, is it that late already? I have a game tomorrow. Shit.”

He’s trying to change the subject, I fucked up.

“Oh, cool! Do you play for the Jefferson basketball team?” Cyrus’ face went blank for a moment, his sleep-deprived brain struggling to piece together sentences like a normal human being. “I mean, assuming you go to my school that is, I don’t know where else you would have seen me.”

“No,”

Any longer in this conversation, and I’ll start sweating from anxiety. Awesome.

“— I play for the Otters…the Space Otters! You know, the Ultimate team?” James said cheerfully.

“Oh. Well, I’ve heard you guys are pretty good! I have a friend on the team.” Cyrus twisted his sheets around his finger, and James laughed rather awkwardly. “Are you feeling okay now? You sounded kind of upset before I asked who was calling me, you seem to be going through a lot.”

You sound like your parents!

“Yeah, I guess. School’s been kinda hard, I— I don’t know, I’ve only ever talked to one person about it.”

“Hm. Well, if that’s all you wanna say, that’s cool. I’m not the best with advice anyways.”

Why are you lying to him?

“I might call tomorrow or something, I don’t know. I’m sorry for bothering you.” James’ voice broke, and Cyrus’ heart went along with it.

“Don’t apologize!” Cyrus blurted. “You can call me at any time, I promise I’ll pick up.” He smiled softly, but mostly to himself, because James couldn’t see him right now.

“Hey Cyrus?”

“Yeah?”

The boy was very clearly crying now, or at least he was close to. His voice was wobbling up and down as he spoke, as if he was trying hard not to cry, but was about two seconds away from giving up. “Thanks for listening to me. I hope this didn’t ruining anything between us.” The low tone sounded through the phone speaker, and he knew James had hung up without waiting for a response.

Cyrus turned over and slammed his face straight into his pillow.

What a mess. Ughhhh. I’m usually so articulate!

He lifted his head up and unlocked his phone again to check his notifications. Usually he had a few from the Good Hair Crew’s group chat, (which Cyrus had set as the permanent name, much to the girls’ dismay,) but he was too tired to read through thirty-seven messages that probably weren’t important.

However, when he did open the app, he was reminded that the last person he had sent a text to was TJ Kippen. None of his friends were quite ready to invite him into their silly little group chats, but Cyrus texted him enough to make up for it, for sure.

He checked his calls. He hadn’t missed any, that was good.

Call at 3:14 AM: 747-393-8572

Would you like to start a conversation with 747-393-8572?

[ yes ] [ no ]

Cyrus selected ‘ no ’ almost immediately, opting to create a contact for him instead, in case he followed through on his promise to call again.

New Contact:

[First Name:] James [Last Name:] ???

- plays for the space otters team!

- lowkey crushing on me? hh??

- how does he know me?

But I don’t even know you.

Cyrus shut off his phone and set it back on his nightstand. He fell asleep a moment later, with those words ringing in his ears.

“Hey, Underdog!” Cyrus stifled a giggle over TJ’s stupid nickname. As much as he hated (but secretly liked) to admit it, it had stuck between the two of them. This whole nicknames thing.

“Hey!” Cyrus called out in response, and waited until TJ reached his side so they could walk to class next to each other. “This might sound weird, but this random kid called me in the middle of the night, or morning I guess, and apparently he goes to our school.”

“What did he say?”

“I think he just called to say he has feelings for me. I don’t even know him, it was kind of weird. But I’m glad I helped him sort his feelings out at…three a.m. I don’t even know if I have feelings for anyone right now, I’m pretty inexperienced with all this stuff. I hope I said the right things.”

TJ shook his head and laughed through his teeth, and then switched the conversation. Cyrus caught it, but didn’t say anything.

“Dude, the homework last night was such shit. I lost so much sleep over it, I’m fucking exhausted.” TJ rubbed at his eyes and yawned.

“I don’t even know anyone names James. I mean— shit, sorry— tell me about it, it took forever to get done.” Cyrus agreed, gripping the straps on his backpack anxiously.

“I don’t even think I finished mine.”

Cyrus’ brow furrowed, but he tried his best not to look disappointed in him. “TJ, we talked about this.”

“I know, I know. I’ve just had a lot going on lately, what’s one more zero on my report card?” TJ asked, but he knew it was a stupid question.

“Like, a lot, actually. We’re almost at the end of the semester, I kinda worry about your grades,” Cyrus laughed, but he wasn’t joking my any means.

“What are you, my parents?” TJ asked rhetorically, and got nervous when he saw Cyrus’ expression fall. “Sorry— you know what I meant. I don’t think the teacher can hate me any more than she already does.” When Cyrus still looked worried, he added “Plus, I have a B-minus in the class right now. If the semester’s almost over, all I have to do is make sure it doesn’t drop below a C, I’ll still be passing.”

Cyrus sighed, and TJ tried his best to pretend it didn’t hurt.

“Kippen,” the teacher began flatly when she reached his desk. “This is the second week in a row you haven’t been turning in your homework. Or actually completing it, I assume. At this point, you’re rather lucky to be doing well on your actual class work assignments, they’re the only thing keeping your grade afloat.”

Cyrus raised an eyebrow at this.

TJ turned a dark shade of red as he felt the stares of a million kids burn into the back of his skull. “What? But I turned it in all of last week!”

The teacher peered down at her clipboard checklist over the rims of her old 70’s-something-looking glasses. “I’m afraid Mr. Goodman here turning in your homework for you while you were ‘out sick’ doesn’t qualify for you actually doing the work, Mr. Kippen.”

Both of the boys’ eyes shifted back down to their desks in embarrassment, and the teacher collected Cyrus’ homework, marking an ‘X’ through TJ’s name on the list. She announced that “last night’s homework will be graded by your peers, to take away some of the difficulty of entering all these end-of-the-semester grades”.

Cyrus was about to ask Gus to trade homework with him, since Jonah was absent at a therapy appointment for the period; when TJ slapped a pile of papers down of his desk. Cyrus looked through it, and it was all of his homework for the past month, completed, but untouched by the teacher’s pen markings.

“What? You did the homework?! TJ, what the fuck!” Cyrus exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice low, even over the ambient chatter of other students’ voices.

“What’s the point?” TJ groaned. “I would have gotten everything wrong anyways.”

“You don’t know that!” Cyrus reminded him, still a little hysterical. “I thought your tutor was helping you!”

“I don’t have one, I only said that so you didn’t have to watch me fuck up every day after school for the whole semester.”

“But…I… that’s…TJ! Why did you wait to tell me until just now?”

TJ brushed it off rather immaturely, and shrugged. “Don’t know, just been feeling a little risky lately.” Cyrus was immediately terrified of the several implications of that sentence; but TJ had slid the top paper in his stack of homework onto Cyrus’ desk, and stuffed the rest in the recycling bin near the classroom’s doorway.

“Okay, uh…what’s your answer for the first question?” Cyrus asked, once TJ sat back down in his squeaky metal chair.

“Forty-five point six.” TJ replied, without looking up from his phone, which he hid on the inside of his desk from the teacher’s view.

“Really? Because the correct answer isn’t even close to that, and your paper says something else—“

“Yeah, Cyrus! No shit! I haven’t had above a C in this class all semester, everything on that paper is so fucking incoherent to me at this point, I’ve given up. And you can’t try and fix me anymore, alright? So just, please , leave me the fuck alone!”

All Cyrus did in response as TJ stormed out of the classroom, was blink rapidly to keep tears from inevitably forming in his eyes.

What was that?

He’s never been that...sudden.

“Would you like to accompany him, Mr. Goodman?” He heard the teacher ask him from the back of the room where she sat. Cyrus nodded.

“Yeah I just— give me second.” His gaze fell on the recycling bin, now filled almost solely with TJ’s math homework. Most were crumpled up in some form, except for the ones Cyrus had helped him work on after school. Cyrus held the previous night’s assignment in his hands.

Several questions had been erased and redone several times, some were covered in numbers that overlapped, and a couple were scratched out entirely, in ugly dark led that tore into the paper. Cyrus looked back at all the papers in the bin, and they were all in the same general condition.

And on the top of every single paper, it read ‘Tyler James Kippen.’

Oh no.

Oh my god, no.

Cyrus stared at the name until tears blurred the words out, and he felt them start to fall.

He doesn’t like you, he doesn’t even know who you are yet. Because you didn’t tell him! You lied! You lied so much. You’re awful, do you know that?

TJ ran his shaking hands through his hair. He’d been crying for a good twenty minutes, still unsure of why he was so stressed and emotional over a stupid crush. It was already eleven, somehow, and he had skipped dinner with his parents to shut himself inside his room like the loser he was. He turned to his bedroom door when he heard a knock, and Amber walked in, looking concerned.

“Hey. I heard the door slam shut when you got home earlier, but I wanted to wait until you were feeling a little…” TJ scrubbed his swollen eyes and glared at her through them. “...better.”

TJ didn’t look up at her, until she shoved something in front of him. “You can use my phone again, if you plan on calling him tonight.”

“How d—”

“I know you stole it yesterday.” She sighed, and set it down on the bed next to him. TJ stared at the phone, like it would shock him if he touched it. Amber tried to change the subject. “How’d the game go today? Did you guys get crushed by the Raptors again?”

“Shut up,” TJ sniffed, but smiled at her through his drying tears. “And I skipped. I’ve probably got a million texts and calls from the team, I promised I wouldn’t miss this one. Well, after I got suspended for failing class. I don’t think coach would let me play anyways.” He put his head in his hands before continuing. “God, I fucked up today, Amber. I really did. I think Cyrus hates me.”

“Well, you don’t have to tell me what happened today, then. But there is someone you should be be calling right now. She tapped on the dark phone screen, and TJ stared at it for a good minute before picking it up and dialing Cyrus’ number.

He drew in a deep breath, and pressed “ call ”.

Why are you lying to him?

Why did you have to pretend?

“Oh thank god, he picked up. Uh— hey, Cyrus. It’s uh…it’s TJ. I know you probably don’t want to hear from me right now, but can we talk for a second? Like, in person? I’m uh. I’m outside you house. Amber drove me here. Please answer the door.”

The line went dead, and Cyrus bolted upright from his couch.

“You look…upset.”

“Nothing gets past you, Cyrus.” Tyler James Kippen himself stood on the Goodmans’ porch in a gray shirt and patterned pajama pants, with a dark teal flannel thrown over it. His sister, Amber, stood behind him, looking just as tired and disheveled. But she was smiling at him, and shoved him closer to Cyrus’ open doorway.

“Are...you mad at me, TJ?” Was the first thing he managed to ask.

Unfortunate.

TJ shook his head, which was full of far too many things to comprehend right then. “What?”

“From class today. Was it something I said?”

“God damn it, Cyrus, I like you!” TJ almost shouted, but was quick to stop himself from waking the whole neighborhood with his confession. Amber chuckled from the porch steps, and stopped when TJ shot her a look.

“I’ll…go wait…in the car.” She covered her mouth with a hand to hide her growing smile.

“Oh, yeah…that.” Cyrus continued after Amber had shut the car door.

“Did you know it was me? I thought it was kind of obvious. I’m a pretty awful liar.”

“I didn’t until I saw your papers in the trash can,” Cyrus replied. TJ stared at the ground and nodded. “You write your full name on them, you’re such a dork.” He added.

Cyrus suddenly surprised all three of them, including himself, when he pulled the taller boy in and kissed him. He noticed TJ’s wide eyes when they broke apart.

Amber tried not to smile like an idiot at her brother, who had fallen for this absolute nerd . She turned away and acted like it was none of her business so TJ wouldn’t be pissed off.

Now it was TJ’s turn to smile and lean in for another. Cyrus happily accepted, and wrapped his hands around the back of the boy’s neck, angling their lips to fit perfectly. When he pulled back to breathe at last, Cyrus ran a hand through TJ’s hair. It was much softer after the gel had been washed out of it.

“Hmm. I think I like it better like this,” Cyrus hummed in his ear.

“I’ll be sure to wear it like this more often, then,” TJ whispered back, and rested his head on the shorter boy’s shoulder. “I’m tired, Underdog. I think I used up a month’s worth of emotion in these two days alone. I’m burned out. Can I stay at your house?”

“My parents are already asleep,” Cyrus reminded him, and gestured to their bedroom upstairs and down the hall, where his mom was snoring loudly. “Maybe tomorrow, though?”

“Ughhhhh.” TJ groaned, and turned to look back at Amber, who smiled and waved innocently from the car window at the pair. “I’ve gotten like two hours of sleep in the past two days.”

“Go and fix that then, I’ll see you again tomorrow, Kippen.” Cyrus said, and moved TJ towards the porch steps. He kissed him quickly, one more time, and TJ stooped down the stairs as slowly as possible. When he reached Amber, he sat in the backseat on the driver’s side, so he could blow Cyrus a kiss from the window. Amber reached behind her seat to smack him, but TJ was lost in his own his thoughts. He was totally in love with Cyrus Goodman.

Edit Contact:

[First Name:] TJ [Last Name:] Kippen

plays for the jefferson high basketball team

my boyfriend??? :)

#andi mack #tyrus #my writing #tyrus fic #tyrus fanfic #original

168 notes · View notes

ixeliema · 6 years ago

Text

Insecure - Shane x my farmer, Terra

By popular demand (sort of, I mean I have never posted content on Tumblr out of fear it would get stolen or that I’d get harassed for it, so “popular” means like 2 reblogs and around 30 likes, THANK YOU ALL), here’s my fic about Shane being an awkward scared bean!

Summary: Terra and Shane had grown really close over time, and have formed somewhat of a routine. Shane goes to the saloon after work, Terra meets him with a beer for conversation. When Terra stops coming to the saloon, Shane begins to wonder what he did wrong, and if he messed up.

TWs: Implied self harm near the end, Talk of Suicide and Suicide Attempts, Anxiety and Depression, General Angst, Language (let’s be honest, Shane definitely swears a lot)

Word Count: 5373

Thursday, 18 Spring, Year 2 – 3:40 PM

I hadn’t seen her in days, and I was beginning to wonder if I’d done something wrong.

Stocking those infernal shelves day after day made it hard for us to see each other as it was, even though we’d been dating over half a year by now.

At the end of last summer, she’d approached me shyly and handed me a bouquet and a beer. The beer, I’d come to expect, as she’d began greeting me at the saloon on a nightly basis when I got there at 6, drink in hand, and during the summer, sometimes with a freshly grown hot pepper.

Even after starting my therapy, she was always there with something, whether it was a beer because I’d “earned it” or a sparkling water because I was still trying to get away from my past emotional crutch and she knew that. Hell, she knew that all too well.

But two days ago, she wasn’t there. I was worried so I sent her a letter, and even then, no response. With work, I didn’t have much time to ask around town or visit, so I’d asked Jas and Marnie to tell me if they saw her anywhere, and even then, nothing.

I was becoming increasingly more convinced that I’d upset her somehow. What had I done in the last week to upset her? Had it been my tone when we talked on Saturday? Was it the beer can on the floor when she came to see me at home on Sunday? What WAS it?

I shook my head. Deep breaths, Shane. I channeled my counsellor’s advice. “Don’t panic, just breathe.” I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

“SHANE.” Morris’ voice boomed behind me. Startled, I stood up quickly, can of chili still in hand.

“Yes, sir?” I somehow managed to say without stuttering, despite my nerves still being high from the voice behind me.

“Your shift ends in an hour and a half, and you still have two aisles to stock.” Morris didn’t really sound angry at me, but he wasn’t exactly known for being a pleasant person to work for. There was a reason the girl with the ginger hair at the counter looked like a corpse from dawn until dusk every day.

“Sorry sir, I was taking a quick breather.” I made up the excuse knowing that Morris wouldn’t care whether I was 5 centimeters from a mental breakdown or not. He wouldn’t care what I said.

“Just don’t let it happen again. You still have plenty of work to do.” He smiled at me, and I felt ill.

He turned around quickly at the sound of the doorbells jingling. “Hello, welcome to JojaMart!!”

I rolled my eyes. What, am I not allowed to breathe here anymore?

“Oh! Miss Terra!”

My shoulders shot up from the pouty slumped state they were in upon hearing her name. Terra? What was she doing here? She hates JojaMart almost as much as I do at this point.

I heard a hushed voice to Morris and rapid footsteps away from my direction. I rushed to the edge of the aisle, desperate to see her face, to ask what was wrong, if she was okay. If WE were okay.

Nothing, just the same tired cashier, and no Terra, no Morris.

I looked around a bit, but to no avail. She must have gone to his office to talk with him in private.

What for though? She literally talks shit about him every time we hang out. What would be so important that she’d be willing to talk to Morris PRIVATELY?

With a sigh, knowing that Morris would fire me if I was caught loitering around the aisles, I went back to work.

Thursday, 18 Spring, Year 2 – 7:20 PM

Never in my life had getting blackout drunk sounded so appealing as I sat in the corner, completely alone, and with far too many questions spinning around in my head.

Seriously, what was this afternoon all about? Even after changing out of my uniform and clocking out, Morris wouldn’t talk to me, and even if he did, I doubt he would have said anything. Not like he owes me anything, I’m just a pawn to him, and he has always made it clear he doesn’t “care” about us.

I felt my heart sink again as I remembered watching Terra walk away from the store through the glass doors in the rain, wanting desperately to call out to her but feeling completely powerless in the face of my fears and my douche of a boss.

Not even Lewis and Willy’s banter about fishing off the docks when they were young, or Gus’ finest pizza could snap me out of the funk I was in. The only thing I could understand tonight was that Terra blatantly didn’t want to see me today.

I stood up and left the saloon, far earlier than I ever had before. Maybe, just MAYBE, I could run into her, especially if she was trying to avoid me. She knew my schedule well, not like it was difficult to memorize. Wake, eat, work, drink, sleep; rinse and repeat. She knew exactly where I’d be and when, and if I had any chance of finding her, I needed to use that to my advantage.

I started out toward the forest. Maybe she was fishing by the lake? She had a particular fondness for the dock where we’d first sat down and really talked, and she loved fishing there. Something about a “constant flow of 25-inch-long smallmouth bass.”

Upon finding nothing, I checked my phone. 8 PM. Maybe she was home? It was a longshot, at this hour, but worth a try. She really pushed her body to the limit when it came to sleeping.

I headed north to Vervain Farm, sidestepping some weeds and a fallen tree branch as I headed up the docks. Her farm was very much right in the middle of a number of small rivers, and the numerous “isles” that made up her farm were traversable only by small bridges.

“Terra?” I asked softly, almost as if my voice didn’t really WANT to be heard. Clearing my throat and shaking my head, I called again. “Terra?”

My voice echoed in the wind, as a chilling breeze swept through my tattered jacket and into my bones. No response. I approached her cabin and stood on the doorstep in the rain for what seemed like forever before I finally gathered the courage to actually knock louder than a pathetic tapping.

I heard silence, then a shuffle, and then nothing again. I knocked again, hoping she was there, but all that answered my knock was a muffled “mrow?”

Terra’s cat, Citrus, emerged from the cat door and rubbed up against my leg, before realizing I was soaked and shaking his head indignantly at me.

“Hey boy,” I said under my breath, well aware that it was cold enough to see my breath fogging up the night air. “Have you seen Terra?” I asked, stroking his fur with my cold hands.

He looked up at me, green eyes wide and curious. “Mrow?”

I sat down on the porch beneath the gable, petting Citrus for another few minutes, listening to the rain and his purring, and trying to breathe normally.

Where is she? My mind was going crazy, and I swore I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes.

I grabbed Citrus close and let out a single sob. The cat, more than a little disgruntled by my actions, meowed loudly in surprise and growled at me until I loosened my grip.

“S-sorry.” I stuttered, feeling my jaw tensing up and chattering from the cold. “I’m sorry.” I repeated, scratching the cat behind his ears.

The orange tabby mewled at me once more before reentering the house, and I sighed heavily.

Alone again.

I stood up and shook my head aggressively, feeling the raindrops flying out in all directions from my messy purple hair.

The rain had lightened up, and I knew that this was the only chance I had to get home without receiving another cold shower from mother nature.

As I descended the stairs, I swore I heard a voice inside, but then again, at this point, I was too tired, cold and sad to know if it was merely an auditory hallucination or not.

I fell into bed at Marnie’s place at 9 PM on the dot, and as I did, I tried to empty my mind of all these thoughts. Terra, my insecurities, my loneliness, everything. And as I eventually drifted off the sleep, around 2 in the morning, I dreamed of Terra and I’s first date.

The gridball game with the Tunnelers, the game where I kissed her suddenly out of excitement, and panicked, thinking I’d just ruined my chances with this wonderful woman who had given me hope again. As she kissed me back, I remember feeling everything fading into the shadows. The game’s noise, the crowd’s screams, the tipsy feeling inside my head, everything was gone. Only her and me.

And god, was it wonderful. The last Sunday of Fall, and the last game of the season. We’d won, but I barely even remember that part. I remembered the taste of her lips on mine. The faint scent of beer and fried food as I inhaled deeply, taking it all in.

Moments like that could drive an atheist to Yoba, because in that moment, I had kissed an angel.

On the bus ride home, she fell asleep with her head on my shoulder, hair messy, and a little bit tipsy herself. She was just so beautiful. Even as she drooled a bit on my jacket and made strange noises in her sleep, I just fell harder and harder for this woman every time I took a breath.

“Terra, I love you so much.” I said under my breath. “You give me hope that there is a future for me after all. You make me feel like I actually mean something to someone. You give me a reason to try harder, and I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

A small snort answered my statement and I felt my face start to hurt from how wide I was smiling. “Terra, I think that I want to marry you someday. No, I know I do. Terra, I want to make me the happiest man alive…god this sounds so cheesy. I’m trying to say that…I love you. And I hope I can make you happy for the rest of my life.”

After the bus stopped in Pelican Town, I woke her and walked her home, thanking her for the wonderful time, and laughing at her jokes and her story about a funny dream she had on the ride home.

Of course, she didn’t know what I’d said, but I did. And those words were tattooed on my heart now. I want to marry her. I really, REALLY do. But I can’t propose without a Mermaid’s Pendant, and lord only knows how the hell you get one of those anymore.

Morris appeared in my dream, sly and shrewd. I knew he knew something, but there was no point in asking what he knew, because he would never tell me so long as he lived and breathed. He owed nothing to a stupid subordinate.

The night was long, and full of miniature dreams and nightmares in which I was alone and drowning in my fears.

God fucking damn it.

Friday, 19 Spring, Year 2 – 8:20 AM

A rolling fog had settled over the valley, and the walk to work was much chillier than usual.

The milky white haze was so thick that I could barely to the end of Marnie’s cow paddock. As I continued my walk, I wondered if maybe Terra would answer her phone.

I dialed her number and stared at her contact name as it rang. It read “Brat” with a purple heart emoji. I always wondered if she had me named something in her phone, especially since she was literally the only person in my contacts WITH a nickname.

“Hi this is Terra,” Her voice jolted me out of my daze.

“Terra, oh thank god, I was so worried—”

“Unfortunately, you caught me in the fields, on in the mines, or…whatever. Anyway, I’m not able to talk right now.” I exhaled. God, I was so stupid. Was I so desperate to hear her voice that I didn’t realize I’d gotten her voicemail? It’s not like I hadn’t heard it before.

I hung up. Even if I could competently leave a voicemail without enough “Uh’s” and “Um’s” to outdo Jeff Goldblum, I didn’t know what I’d say to her, much less if she wanted to hear it at all.

I sighed heavily, feeling like all my happiness was draining out of my fingertips into the foggy air.

I clenched my fists, in a vain attempt to stop myself from feeling so rotten. I didn’t have much say right now. After work, I could go to Pierre’s, or sit outside her house until she got home…actually no, the last one would just come across stalker-y. And at this point, the last thing I needed was to drive her further away.

God damn it! Damn it damn it damn it!

I kicked a rock into the mists of oblivion, hearing it splash into the river. I needed to get my dumb ass to work before I lost my job. Not like anyone else in town was hiring, so I’d be fucked if I lost the job.

So, dragging my feet more than I ever have in the past, I dragged my shallow corpse of a body into JojaMart.

Friday, 19 Spring, Year 2 – 4:40 PM

10 minutes until my shift ends. I said to myself, feebly attempting to ground myself in reality after the most out-of-it shift I’d ever had, even including all the ones I’d been forced to work while hungover.

The clock’s incessant ticking had me so high strung I was convinced that the next tick I’d hear would make me break the fucking thing over my knee.

A constant reminder of where I was, that ticking. A steady reminder that I’m wasting away stocking canned goods in a dead-end town for a corporate dunghill while the love of my life refuses to speak to me.

My eyes felt hollow, like they weren’t really seeing things, more like they just stared off into the blackness of nothingness and stayed there.

The snapping of Sam’s fingers in my face startled me back into reality. “Earth to Shane, hellooooo.”

“Sam?” I sounded almost drunk in my bewilderment, which wasn’t ideal right now. The last thing I need is for my coworker to think I’m zoning out because I’m drunk off my ass on-shift.

“Yeah, me.” He grinned his borderline obnoxious sunshiny smile. “Your shift ended like, 3 minutes ago. You’re usually out of here in a flash.”

I stared back at the clock I’d been fantasizing about murdering, surprised. He was right somehow.

“You’re one to talk, your shift ends at 4, what the hell are you doing here still?” I retorted, indignant at the younger man’s tone for no good reason.

Walls up.

“I fell asleep in the break room, don’t tell Morris.” He sniggered; way too proud of himself. “You going to the saloon? I’ll come with. I’ve got about twelve games of pool to lose tonight.”

I wasn’t thrilled by this bright and smiley tagalong, but it wasn’t like he was wrong. Where the hell else would I go? Not like anywhere else felt right today.

May as well let myself relapse like the coward I am.

“Sure. Give me a second to get out of this shitty uniform.” I said, disappearing into the break room.

Friday, 19 Spring, Year 2 – 5:10 PM

Sam wasn’t a bad guy really, but right now he was the worst guy for me to be around. He was too cheery, and far too talkative.

I thought the clock was annoying, but Sam reminded me far too much that I was a total wet blanket just by breathing with a smile.

“How was work, dude?” My mind didn’t really register the question until I heard the bells jingle as the door shut behind us.

“Uh?” I answered gracefully. “Oh, right. Work. Uh, um.” I stammered. Pathetic, Shane, you seriously suck shit at conversation. Why does anyone bother with you to begin with?

“Yeah, work. Good ol’ Joja.” Sam rolled his eyes. “Long day, huh?” He seemed sympathetic, but to me, that meant pity. And I didn’t need his pity.

“Yeah, sure.” I said.

Walls fortified.

“You okay?”

The fucking worst question of all. In the deluge of questions this kid asked me, that one bothered me most, and for really no good reason.

It made me angry, it made me want to cry, it made me want to scream, and it made me, most of all, just feel empty.

“Not really, Sam. Please stop talking.” Was the politest response I could manage.

Sam raised his finger as though he had something to say, but quickly decided against it.

Good. Please stop pressing me before I throw myself in the river and pack my coat full of stones.

We walked in silence for a while until we were passing the Mullner’s house, when Sam piped up again with a smile. “Hey Shane, I think tonight will help you get your mind off of…whatever’s going on.”

I stared at him, actually stopping in my tracks. Why did this kid sound so fucking condecending? And why did he give two shits about my mental wellbeing?

No one gave a shit about that, except Terra, and now she was gone.

“Why are you acting like you know me?” My voice was steeped in venom, probably more so than I’d intended. “Why do you give a fuck what’s going on with me?”

Sam stopped too, staring at me, worried.

“Stop acting like you understand me. It’s pissing me off.” I felt my face getting hot. It wasn’t anger, it was tears. “Get lost, kid.” I suppressed a sob, hurting my chest and making my eyes burn with tears.

Sam stepped toward me. “Shane, I didn’t mean—”

“SHUT UP!”

I turned around quickly as the tears fell. “Just…please…go away.” My voice choked. “Pl…ease.”

Sam took a deep breath, and then grabbed my arm, dragging me around the corner and through the door of the Stardrop Saloon.

“What the fuck are you--? Get your hands off me! Let me go! Get off!—” I struggled against his grip, but to no avail. I fell to the ground, and Sam dropped me. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice.

“Shane?”

Turning around in a daze, I saw Terra. Golden earrings, brown hair tied neatly in a bun, familiar purple sweater, leather boots, and gorgeous blue eyes. My heart stopped for a moment, and then began rushing again as I realized I was still crying, on the floor, and in complete disarray.

“Terra—! I, um, hang on, I, wait, uhhhh…” I panicked and basically spilled out words like a semi-truck carrying nothing but alphabet soup crashed into a wall.

“Shane, what’s…?” Suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh my god, Shane.”

Her arms were around me instantly, her lips on my forehead, and suddenly I couldn’t feel anything. Numbness covered me the instant her hands made contact with my skin, and I couldn’t hear anything.

None of the noise from the tavern, none of the eyes staring, none of the tears on my cheeks, just her arms around me. I felt like I was home again.

I snapped out of it to hear Terra apologizing profusely, on the brink of tears, as I stared into nothing. “I’m so sorry, Shane, I didn’t think about how you’d interpret my actions, oh my god, I’m so sorry…”

“F…for wh…what?” I rasped, throat dry from dehydration. “It’s…my fault. Right?”

She stopped moving, stopping to stare at me. “Wh…what?”

“I fucked up…and…you…you finally realized…that I’m…just a…piece of shit.” I was dizzy, and Terra was growing increasingly more concerned.

“Baby, baby no!” She shouted her pet name for me, turning a few heads from the arcade area. My face was burning. No no no no don’t look at me. I bit my lower lip, suppressing a sharp inhalation that would have certainly made me start hyperventilating.

“Baby I…” Terra stopped and sat back, staring at me. “I was gone because I was…” She paused, pursing her lips.

“I was looking for this.”

She reached into her sweater and revealed a blue conch shell on a leather string.

It was a Mermaid’s Pendant.

Everything went white for a moment. Wait. She wasn’t serious, was she?

Me?

I stared at her in complete shock, jaw gaping, breathless and completely incapable of saying anything. “Terra, you…”

“Shh.” She put her index finger to my lips and put the necklace around my neck. “Shane. Breathe.”

Right about now I noticed exactly how many people were surrounding us. Almost everyone from town was here. A Friday night at the saloon was busy enough already, but there were some new faces, like Jodi and Caroline, both of which I’d never seen in here before.

Everyone. Sebastian, Abigail, Alex, Willy, even LINUS, was staring down at us, as I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. She’d been planning this for days. Everyone was here. For us. For me.

“I…” I cleared my throat, scrambling to sit up straight, and try to recover whatever dignity was not currently ablaze in the depths of hell. “I…”

Terra looked concerned. Oh my god, she thought I was going to say no.

She’s just as scared as I am about what this means.

“I accept!!” I shouted.

Silence, then eruptions of applause.

Terra tackled me with a hug and began to cry into my chest. And unbeknownst to even myself, so did I. Gus cheered and turned on the jukebox to the oldies channel he always played. Sam smiled down at me, Sebastian congratulated me…Lewis tried talking to me about how to go about arranging a wedding, but I couldn’t hear him.

I was far too busy crying. Someone, no, not just anyone, TERRA, just told me that they want to spend the rest of their life with me. ME!

Part of me wondered if it wasn’t somehow just an elaborate prank, but the tears in her eyes and the pendant around my neck snapped me out of that illusion immediately.

Terra was going to be my wife.

Holy shit.

After the commotion died down I asked her everything I’d been meaning to ask over a well-deserved beer and basket of chips. “Why did you actively avoid me for the last week?”

“I’m a really bad liar and I know how perceptive you are, and I was really worried you’d find me out. I wanted to invite everyone because they’re all really important to me, but it was hard getting around without running into you.”

She looked incredibly guilty, and I felt my heart tighten at the sad look on her face. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” I laughed a little. “Just…give a guy a warning…or something.” I took a huge sip of beer. “I mean, I was basically staying up all night thinking you were ghosting me because I left a beer can on the floor when you visited on Sunday.”

“The what?” Her oblivious question made me realize exactly how stuck up in my head I was about the whole thing, of course she hadn’t even noticed.

“Wow.” I exhaled. “I feel…stupid.”

“That makes two of us.” She replied, putting her head gently on my shoulder. “I didn’t even think about how this might affect your anxiety.” She bit her lip. “God, I’m an idiot.” She slumped, seeing her so broken up over my mental state destroyed any lingering doubts I may have had about how genuine she was being with me.

“Terra, baby…I…” I stopped. I was about to tell her that she wouldn’t have HAD to worry if I were normal, but I stopped myself. I wasn’t great at sitting and talking feelings with a borderline stranger, but there was one thing I’d learned in abundance in the short time since I began therapy.

I couldn’t keep blaming myself for everything. I would consume myself and end up even worse off. And it had been a battle to stop, especially considering recent stressors.

“We both messed up, baby.” I answered. “You made a mistake, and I got super worried and convinced myself that you were breaking up with me in a slow and painful way. And worst of all, I was convinced I deserved it.” I paused as Terra looked up at me. “Baby, I want to marry you. I’ve wanted to marry you since that night at the gridball game, but I’m such a goddamn trainwreck that I wanted to get better before I proposed. I…”

“I wanted to be worthy of you.”

Terra looked into my eyes with a lot of confusion and a lot of love.

“That’s when I decided I wanted to marry you, too.” She blushed a deep pink and looked at the floor. “I…heard you saying how much you loved me in my dreams.”

I froze. Wait. Had she also heard the—

“I heard you tell me you wanted to marry me, too.”

I felt my face burning. Fuck. I was hoping she wasn’t going to say that.

“After a few days of thinking about it, I decided to look into how to propose.” She continued, laughing. “I eventually found out, about halfway through winter, that I needed to propose using a Mermaid’s Pendant, which can only be received from a ghost you can find in the RAINY season.” She scoffed. “I was really angry about having to wait, actually.”

Seeing her pout about this was adorable, even though I had no goddamn clue what she was talking about with a “ghost” and the “winter” and “rain.”

“I only got the pendant yesterday, actually. I was on the beach at like 6 PM and I saw the Old Mariner standing on the island across the bridge.”

“It cost me a lot of money, so I spent the rest of the night at the beach, fishing up some big fish to sell to repair the dent in my funds.”

Wait. “How much did it…cost?” I said, concerned.

“It’s…not a big deal now. I got the money back from a good harvest and quality fish.” She smiled a toothy grin. She knew what I was doing. I was fishing for a reason to blame myself, and she put an end to that right quick.

“Hey Shane,” Sam’s voice came from behind me. “Hey dude.”

I turned to face him. “Hey…uh, I’m sorry about earlier.” I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. This kid was just trying to help and I’d just yelled at him and made myself out to be a total ass.

“No, no, I get it, man.” He held up his hands as his two friends ducked out the doors of the saloon. “I would have been really confused and angry too. And I know now that you have a lot of anxiety and…a lot of baggage.” He paused, glancing at me, as if looking for approval. “I shouldn’t have forced you, and I’m sorry too.”

I smiled, and Sam looked at me as though he were witnessing a unicorn cantering through the fields of heaven. I guess it really was true how little I smiled in public, good lord. “I appreciate what you did for me, Sam.” I put my hand out to shake his hand, and he reluctantly accepted. “Thanks.”

“For…wait, what?”

“Thank you for being such a good friend to Terra, and for helping me out, even though I’ve been nothing but unpleasant to you.”

“Uh, no problem, man, I just…I’m glad that it all worked out.”

Sam ducked out, and I felt my nerves cough and sputter out like a dying lawnmower.

“Shane,” Terra said my name and snapped me out of my drowsy stupor. “You should get home. You’ve had a long day.” She smiled. “We can get together and plan the wedding tomorrow. I’m thinking the 22nd would be a good date.”

Wedding. God that word sounded foreign to me.

“Alright,” I sighed. “Let’s blow this joint.”

Waving at Gus and Lewis as I left, Terra and I ventured out into the cold.

As we started toward Marnie’s ranch, I paused.

“Wait, Terra, the 22nd is a Monday.” I felt my heartbeat trying to race, but falling victim to my slightly intoxicated bloodstream. “We can’t possibly get married then, I have…ugh…work.” I grimaced.

“Oh, about that.” Terra laughed. “I may or may not have prematurely gotten the next week of work off for you by talking to Morris.”

The pieces connected suddenly. “Wait, that’s what you were doing?”

“Well, yeah, what, did you think I went in there to blow the bastard? I’d rather die.” I laughed loudly at her crudeness, spooking a rabbit into a bush nearby. “It wasn’t easy. We can do Monday, Tuesday, any day. I just think that Monday is best because then we’ll have a whole week to move you in and get adjusted.”

Moving in? Oh god, that was something that made my heart leap. I’d be living with Terra. Holy shit. Married and living with the love of my life, and by MONDAY? This was clearly all a ridiculous dream.

“Fuck, pinch me.” I said breathily. “I have GOT to be dreaming.”

“Why so?” She laughed. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.” She added coyly.

“Oh shaddup.” I retorted. “I…still can’t believe any of this is real.”

She leaned over and kissed me square on the lips, tilting her head to the right and bending into me with a passion that not even the horniest dream could manifest.

Her tongue danced behind her lips, asking permission, and I opened my mouth, allowing her access, grunting slightly as her hands caressed the back of my head, stroking my hair.

She pulled away, leaving me wanting more. “Are you convinced now?”

I shook my head. “God damn, how did I get so fucking lucky?” Laughing, I caressed her cheek, kissing her forehead. “Seriously, what did I do to deserve you?”

She beamed at me, grabbing my hand and continuing to walk toward Marnie’s. “You went through hell every day, waiting for someone to love you.” She turned back. “It took me…a long time to realize what I felt for you. I realized rather suddenly actually, after…that day.”

She couldn’t meet my eyes for that moment, and I knew that it still haunted her. The blood, the broken glass, the cuts, the beer, everything. I realized in that moment what I would have lost, had I succeeded. I would have missed out on everything good that had ever happened to me.

She interlaced her fingers with mine. “We fit like a pair of puzzle pieces.” She said. “And without you, I don’t feel like I’m complete anymore.”

“Terra, I…I don’t think I knew what “complete” felt like until I heard you talking to me when I was resting at the clinic after…all that. I heard you saying that you might love me, but that being in love scared you. You kissed my cheek, my bandages, and when I officially “woke up”, I just remember feeling…whole.”

Terra blushed. Clearly we both had said things to the other when they were “sleeping” that we were shy about saying to the others’ faces. “Terra, you’ve made me the happiest man in the world, and EASILY the happiest man in Stardew Valley.” I said, turning to her.

I took her hands in mine and kissed her gently, feeling all the worries and fears of the day wash away like the tides rolling out to sea. “I will never stop loving you. And I will do my damnedest to make you the happiest woman alive.”

“I love you.”

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axrelio · 6 years ago

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[ maxence danet-fauvel, cis male, he/him, 24 ] LOVE ME DEAD by LUDO? whenever i hear that song, it reminds me of AURELIO BEAULIEU. maybe because they’re PASSIONATE but also DUPLICITOUS. they’ve been living at mulberry apartments since DECEMBER of 2018 in APARTMENT 412 and have 1 ROOMMATES. ( ANIMAL, SWEET BUT PSYCHO, & TURN )

i’m still not sold on his last name so if it changes, don’t clock me. it means beautiful place and truly he is a beautiful place but i don’t know any french so i can’t pronounce it ANYWAYS

this is aurelio and here are lots of bullet points about him

he spent the first 7 years of his life in france with his single mother, liliana. he was the product of a one night stand and a young pregnancy, no one really expected the couplet to flourish but, at least in france, they did.

aurelio was a little sunshine of a boy. liked to be the center of attention. kind of a ‘theater kid’ without the theater. loved to be over the top and dramatic about things but in a cute endearing sort of way.

then lili met a smooth talking american man who convinced her and after a whirlwind summer romance, he convinced her to up and move to the states. it was a hassle and aurelio -- who was a loving charming little boy with a big smile, messy hair and a lot of love to give aw -- hated leaving behind all his friends

a very social child, he was constantly surrounded by people and going some place new where he didn’t even know the language was SCARY! but he was small and adaptable and so baltimore became his home for his 8th birthday

socially he adapted fairly quickly. the language barrier was the hardest for him and he was teased for his misspeaking / mispronunciations but he took the bullying in stride. kind of an ‘i am rubber you are glue’ situation. very resilient boy

it might have been an easy transition otherwise but his mom’s relationship soured fast. this man and elio’s mother got pregnant pretty quickly after the move and from then on she just sort of popped out babies one right after another. it put a strain on the finances and so the relationship waned quickly. elio soon foiund himself with six little brothers and sisters all under the age of 10 by the time he was entering high school

i think that math more or less works

anyways, having so many small children in the house meant that elio was getting like , negative 3 attention at home. some part of him didn’t mind because he really loved taking care of his lil sibs but it also led him to seek that love and attention in other avenues

he came out as bisexual very young -- like around his freshman year of high school. it was a non issue since his stepdad (his mom and her boyf married) generally didn’t care about him and his mom was actually super sweet and supportive. that meant that he felt comfortable exploring the world of romance early on

became a serial dater. craving the attention and affection he wasn’t getting at home, elio dated. a LOT. he never cheated and he made sure things were broken up amicably but he was pretty much always either on someone’s arm or had someone on his. a player without even intending to be.

he’s also a natural flirt. he flirts with his friends! he flirts with his enemies! he flirts with straight boys! it truly does not matter, he loves the attention flirting brings him and does it automatically now. it’s something his romantic partners have had to rein him in on probably

very popular for his looks and his charm and his general blase take on life. like personality wise he’s just really chill and cool™ and i’d want to be his friend probably

then come a lot of his song connections so :

close friends with wyatt! i imagine they bonded over the international student struggles and he helped him out in adapting to high school life. kinda cool kinda cute having a ‘popular’ boy be an actual nice guy rip

was also friends with august in high school and would constantly? make moves on him but without intention. that is until gus got engaged and then it was like... not long after that they began a passionate affair. i’d say gus was his one true love because there’s no way he’d have been involved in cheating otherwise. until they got busted and not so amiably broke things off

a few short months after the gus thing happened, elio got himself a rebound boyfriend. it was mostly just to rub it in gus’ face that he didn’t NEED him okay. he was fine. only it was a really shitty situation and kind of turned elio from a hopeless romantic into a cynic.

fast forward to semi recently, aurelio got into a fling with someone and felt a little too strongly for them. see, you can take the boy out of the romance field but you can’t take the romantic out of him. he’s essentially transferred his emotional needs into something physical and finds himself falling for people who give him physical attention. that’s clearly going to get him into trouble because while serial dating satisfied that well enough, catching feelings for physical flings won’t blow over as easily -- OPEN CONNECTION TBH

this is already getting long so quick bullet points to summarize his life PRESENTLY

aurelio is like broke, broke. he tried going to a college but had to drop out once he failed to make scholarship so he’s got very little money

laidback and easy going, he’s not too concerned about finding a super lucrative career anyways. he just needs something to pay the bills.

currently he’s working as a stripper and it satisfies a lot of his needs for attention and also to just like return to his childlike need for the spotlight and to perform in some way. he gets to be a completely different person when he’s on stage and he digs it

we also love the idea of a stripper that isn’t necessarily a walking sex god outside of work like he enjoys sex as much as the next guy but he’s mostly just going with the flow and having a good time

other interests include: skateboarding, smoking, video games, learning new languages, finding little oddball places around the city and visiting his siblings.

his song love me dead is basically like his willingness to let himself be stepped on if he means he still gets that attention and gratification he’s looking for. especially in his stint with dolly like, he’ll let himself get played if it means he still gets his emotional needs filled. poor sad bub.

that’s like..... all i’ve got for now. wish me luck trying to get his shit in order.

#soundintro #intro.

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rhodirachel · 7 years ago

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Fray | Chapter 10 | A BTS Fanfiction

Chapters

| FRAY NOTICE |

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 [END] |

Summary

What you thought was your life turned around by losing your job at a publishing company, another unexpected twist occurs as your life crosses into the fate of someone else- a boy by the name of Min Yoongi, a gang member.

Rating: M (for language only)

Words: 4918

Relationship: Min Yoongi (Suga/ Agust D) x Reader

Warnings: Explicit language, gang details, violence

“The bell tolls

And suddenly

I can’t bring myself

To let you go

Anymore.”

All you could hear was the sound of your feet hitting the pavement and the whizzing cars around you.

It had been over a month since you had actually been outside, and the smell of fresh air set your lungs on fire as you simply kept running.

Every thought that you possibly could have whizzed throughout your mind, running as fast as you were down the sidewalk.

The sun was just beginning to set, and it began to dawn on you further and further that you had just run from the house… a house that you had begun to call your home, truly, and with people that you could confidently say you were quite close with now. Especially one, in particular.

Still, Namjoon lied to you this whole time. How could he have just kept you there? How could he have simply treated you as a solution to his case, his problem, and not recognize that you were a human being, with a life, with friends? What about the others, did they know as well? It hadn’t seemed like they did, with how shocked they all were. They didn’t even know about the case in the first place, or that Namjoon was working with the police…

All these thoughts clouded your mind, demanding answers. You hadn’t stopped running since you left down the fire escape, and you felt like your lungs were going to give out any moment. Even so, you knew you couldn’t stop running. You didn’t know if Bangtan would now be looking for you, but that wasn’t your greatest concern. CHAN was your greatest concern; you knew, after living with the boys for over a month, just how much they flooded particular areas of the Dongjak-gu and Yongsan-gu districts. You knew that there would be more activity as well, considering the fact that Yoongi wouldn’t let you go to your home in fear that they would already be there.

That reminded you of the first question you should have asked yourself. Where were you going to go? You couldn’t go back to your home, especially since CHAN would be there no doubt. You had no family, so where else would you go? Could you maybe get to Allison’s? If all else failed, would you have to go to the police?

It’s not like Bangtan would get hurt if you went to the police; they already had a deal with them. CHAN, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. As for Allison… there was no way you could bring her into all of this. If anything she had probably been worried sick about you, and would lose it when she found you. For now, you had to leave her alone until everything was solved.

You made the decision to find the nearest police station, however, this wasn’t the area of town that you lived in and you didn’t know where anything was. The sun set further and further, with the shops around you beginning to close as night began to settle. The last time that you had been out alone this late at night, alone, in this part of town, you got stabbed and almost died. Your heart rate sped, as if it could have gotten even faster, and you had to find the station before anything happened. One wrong step and CHAN would find you- and you’d be dead.

You began to turn your pace into a walk as to not attract any more attention to you than you already had, staying close to the shops and far away from the road or any other pedestrians. Every once in a while you would glance behind your back, but for the most part you had seen nothing suspicious. It was only until you heard the screech of a car and yelling that you ran and threw yourself into the nearest alley, hiding behind one of the trash chutes.

You knew that the sound was somewhat farther away from you, but you were too scared to think coherently. You thought that maybe if they were that far away from you, but they were still looking for you, you’d have enough time to go down the alley and hide and maybe they’d leave. The people that alarmed you, however, weren’t people who saw you. You could hear their shouts getting louder and louder before they were in the alley, however another voice that you hadn’t heard before was yelling as loud as he possibly could.

You carefully brought yourself to the edge of the chute, peeking your head ever so slightly to see two men throwing another man onto the ground.

“Please! Please, just leave me alone, I promise I have the money-”

“Oh, shut the fuck up already,” one of the men barked from above. The man beside him grabbed the fallen man by the hair and yanked him up somewhat, the other coming inches close to his face.

“CHAN expects the money. And they expect it now. So, unless you have five million won in those fucking pockets of yours,” chuckled the man, “well, I think you know what comes next, then.”

The two men threw him down on the ground again, the debtor screaming and crying for their mercy as they sifted through his pockets. One of the men covered his mouth to keep him from being so loud in the alleyway.

The man from before scoffed after they searched the debtor, finding only a wallet on him. “Barely a hundred thousand won in here.”

The debtor began to sob, practically convulsing. “Please… please, don’t do this…” he cried, grabbing onto the men’s jeans in desperation. “I’ll do anything. Anything.”

“Goodbye, Jeong Won.”

You covered your mouth to stop yourself from screaming as you saw one of the men pull out a pistol and shoot the man in the head. Tears streamed down your face, fear making you crawl further away from the opening of the chute, trying to regulate your breathing while your heart felt like it was about to beat out of its chest. Sobs threatened to wrack your body, screams were pounding against your throat to be released, but you knew that the two men were still in the alley. After a few minutes of composing yourself, albeit not that well, you crawled towards the opening once more to see if the two men had left.

The scene before you was horrendous. Blood had pooled around the man’s head, and it pained you to see the impulsive muscle spasms that were taking place in his arms and fingers. The men were gone, though, and now it was just you and the dead man, Jeong Won, in the dark alley.

You slowly stood up from where you were hiding and walked towards the man, being careful not to step in the blood that was pooling around him. You looked at him for only a moment, the sight of it all making you sick to your stomach. Before you could even register anything else, your feet were hitting the pavement as you took off running once more.

You could feel your legs beginning to ache from running, but you simply couldn’t stop. The idea of screaming for help ran through your mind over and over, but you knew that you’d only be putting yourself in danger. There was nothing that anyone could do for the man, anyway. He was dead; you can’t bring someone back from that.

As you kept running, you saw the areas around you begin to become more and more dilapidated by the block. The buildings around you were crumbling beneath themselves, with roofs threatening to cave in. Suddenly, what should have been pretty homes turned into shacks- and trash littered the ground to the point where there was nowhere you could walk without stepping on some cardboard of a potato chip bag.

“Hey honey, looking for some fun?”

You cringed at the sound of the woman’s voice, for it practically sounded like she smoked five cartons of cigarettes a day. She suddenly touched you, however, trying to put her hands on your waist before you jumped away in fright.

“Um!” you gasped, shuffling away from her as much as you could. “No- no thank you. Could you tell me, um, where I am right now?”

The lady’s eyes widened in shock, the lids painted in weird and fluorescent hues making an unsightly image. She began to laugh as she realised you were being serious. Leaning towards you, she grinned, “Oh, honey, you’re in red-light district.”

Your eyes widened as well once you heard the words leave her mouth, and suddenly the lady was laughing at you again- finding is so funny that she began to clutch her ribs, bending over in laughter. You muttered a quick thank you before leaving, keeping a quick pace as you trekked through the area.

Fear kept you on edge as you kept walking, trying not to attract anyone’s attention. You felt people trying to grab you, but you kept walking off as they attempted to cat-call you. Even several girls in quite revealing dresses tried to flag you down, yelling how they’d “do anything for the right price”.

The worst part of the situation to you was that you had no idea if there would be a police station once you made it through this part of the area. You had no idea if you should turn around or keep going, and it made you feel sick to your stomach with worry.

“Hey. Have you seen this girl?”

You looked over to see where the commanding tone was coming from, only to see a group of men holding up a few pictures and cornering a few of the residents.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, I haven’t seen anyone like that-”

“Look again,” one of the men barked, getting closer to them with the pictures. “Have. You. Seen. This. Girl.”

Something about the situation set you off edge, and you didn’t want to believe what you thought it was until you looked hard at the pictures. Even though it was dark, there was no way you couldn’t recognize your own face. You let out a panicked breath, freezing in your tracks out of fear.

“Wait, isn’t that- oh my god, that’s her! Right there!”

Someone had shouted your whereabouts to the men, however you couldn’t see who it was as you were immediately grabbed and pulled away from the alley. A hand covered your mouth as you tried to scream, but a voice came from behind you.

“Shut up, or they’ll hear you. Trust me.”

You couldn’t help but keep yourself tense, watching the outside world disappear as you were brought into what looked like one of the area’s shacks. As soon as the person kicked the door closed whilst dragging you into the house, he let you go and turned you around. The man was definitely older, with dirt and soot covering his face and hair. Unfortunately, you couldn’t say much about his clothes, either- he looked as if he was a homeless man- and he probably was one, at that.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now,” he smiled.

His smile was absolutely radiant and welcoming, opposing everything about his outward appearance. It almost completely disarmed you as you began to somewhat relax your body, but you knew the situation you were in. You knew what kind of area you were in, that CHAN was just outside, and that you were hiding with a complete stranger.

“Why did you save me from them? You don’t even know me,” you asked suspiciously.

His eyes widened in alarm as he realized where your suspicion lied, and he held his arms up in defense. “No! No, I don’t know you… but please, trust me. I know who they are.”

“I could be a bad person, too, you know,” you deadpanned. “I could be a drug dealer, or some sleazy-”

The man laughed at you, waving you off as he walked into one of the other dilapidated rooms. “Yeah, very funny. You? Look at you. You look like fresh meat, that’s what you look like. No drug dealer, or anything else like that.”

Your cheeks burned as you followed him, giving up your act. “Who even are you?”

“My name is Eun Chan, but you can just call me Eun.”

The room that you had followed him into was the kitchen, and you saw him striking a fire under one of the old stove burners. While he began filling an old teapot with water in the sink, you looked around to observe the shack that he had dragged you into.

The whole building, to say the least, was distasteful. It looked as if it was decades old and had somehow survived through two wars. The brick walls were cracking, with soot and dust all over the floor- as well as assortments of trash and mattresses for sleeping on. The kitchen was especially poor and lacking- you could tell that someone tried their best to clean up as much as possible, but everything was still extremely old and rundown.

“Is this where you live?” you asked, somewhat unsure if you wanted to know the answer.

“Yes, I do,” he replied, watching the teapot on the stove. “It’s not much, not at all, but it’s a place to call home. Sometimes, that’s all we can really ask for. Don’t you think?”

What he said reminded you of the boys back at home- their home- and you choked on your words as you tried to reply, “Yeah, it really is.”

The teapot gave a signature scream as the water was finally boiled, the sound ringing throughout the kitchen. Eun took the teapot off the stove and grabbed some cups from the cupboard above, as well as tea bags for the two of you.

“I had been saving these for a while,” he said, holding up the teabox and another box of some food he grabbed from another cupboard. “You look like you could use it, though.”

As he shuffled past you with the items, you followed him back into what seemed to be the living room with a quizzical look on your face. “What do you mean?”

“Honey, your cheekbones look as if they’re about to start hollowing out.”

You hand immediately went to your face to feel your cheeks before you gasped. You could feel how they were becoming almost pits, and you looked down at your arms to notice after just a month, you had begun to lose weight just like the boys had. It didn’t surprise you that when you had gotten to the house they had little food to begin with, and when you were adjusting you pushed aside your hunger pains because you knew that there was nothing anyone could really do about it. However, you had not known it had gotten this bad till now.

Eun could see your bewildered state, and he asked, “What, you don’t own a mirror from where you’re from?”

“I just… I guess I just hadn’t noticed…” you said, wondering yourself how you could have missed a dramatic change like that.

“Come on, sit down. Let’s get you fed, at least a little bit, and relax.”

You sat down across from Eun, where he had set up everything on a cardboard box to use it as a quasi-coffee table. He began making your tea for you as you grabbed the box of cookies from earlier.

“Yakgwa? What are these?” you asked.

“Oh, yakgwa are amazing,” he said, perking up at your question. “Their main ingredients are ginger and honey. Go on, try one!”

You decided to listen to him and bit into the cookie. The thing tasted so sweet, and was so soft in your mouth you were taken aback.

“Mm,” you responded shamelessly with the food still in your mouth. “This is really good!”

“Yeah,” he laughed, “they’re my favourite.”

There was a moment of silence as you ate. You had already finished half the box of the confections, but Eun hadn’t said anything about it at all, despite the yakgwa being his favourite. You kept the thought to yourself, but you wondered if he was just doing it because he figured how hungry you were. Still, living like this, you assumed that Eun probably didn’t get as much as you- and so you left the rest of the box alone.

“So, you said that you knew who they were? CHAN?” “Yeah,” Eun replied solemnly. “Wish I didn’t, though. For some reason, too, they’ve been occupying the area much more than they used to. It’s absolutely crippling for these people; I mean, they used to be around here, yeah, but never this heavily.”

After spending your time with the boys, you had known that CHAN was a gang that had taken over parts of Seoul, but other than that, there was not much else. The fact that this man knew about CHAN as well made you almost excited, in a way. You wanted to know who the people that were trying to kill you were.

Leaning forward, you asked, “Can you tell me anything about them?”

He scoffed. “I thought someone who was being hunted down by CHAN would at least know who they are.”

“I would think so as well. Maybe you could help me with that.”

“Well,” he sighed, grabbing one of the cookies. “CHAN rules over parts of Seoul as a gang, but they’re so much more than that.”

“It’s common knowledge that CHAN runs multiple fields of business as they do territory. The one who runs the whole operation is Hae Chan I, and he divvies the land and fields to his progeny.”

“You said Hae Chan I,” you said, curious, “how many are there exactly?”

“There are six of them in total, if you count the father,” he said. “All named Hae Chan; it’s as if they exist to be carbon copies of the man- I heard they don’t even refer to each other by name, only by their number.”

“The one that runs our area, Dongjak-gu, is Hae Chan VI- and his business is mainly with booze. He usually extorts other people for it, or just outright steals it or gets it from the black market. Then he deals with all the bars in the area and other places that sell spirits, selling it at such a discounted price that the owners would be a fool not to buy it- which in the end just gives him a fat income. I mean, with that many people buying from him, he could lower the price as much as he wanted to and still get rich.”

“How do you know all of this?” you asked in disbelief.

“Honey,” he chuckled, “when you live in this shithole for as long as I have, you learn things. But listen,” he said, leaning closer, “you didn’t hear any of this from me.”

“Okay,” you said, nodding your head.

The room became silent once more as you blew on your tea before taking a sip of it. A realisation came to your mind as you were drinking, however, and you put the cup down.

“Eun, do you by chance know where the nearest police station is?”

“Yeah, it’s… I’m not sure, maybe three kilometers away from here? You were walking in the right direction earlier. After… four blocks, I think, you’d need to turn a right, but other than that you should be okay.”

You nodded, looking back down at your cup as you contemplated the situation you were in. Eun must have seen your troubled expression, because only a moment later he set his teacup down, staring at you intently.

“You really are in trouble, aren’t you?”

You kept looking at your teacup, laughing when he asked the question. “Yeah… yeah, you could definitely say that.”

Drinking the rest of your tea, you set the cup to the side before standing up. “Thank you so much for everything… especially for saving me back there. I think I should be going, though. I really do need to get to the station.”

Eun nodded his head, standing up along with you. “I understand. I wish you the best of luck getting there, with all the hell that’s been out in the city lately.”

You smiled earnestly at him as he opened the door and stepped to the side, waiting for you to depart. “Thank you. You too.”

You left the shack, immediately looking around to see if there were any others who were trying to look for you. However, the place seemed somewhat empty, and you decided this was your one chance to get out of here before anything else happened.

You decided to keep only a brisk walk, since even though there weren’t as many people, you still were set on not drawing any unwanted attention towards you. There could be a chance that someone was already asked by CHAN about your whereabouts, and you didn’t need anyone seeing you and putting the information of your whereabouts into the wrong hands. By what Eun said, keeping a brisk walk would mean that police station was less than an hour away. It wasn’t long, either, until you were making a right and continuing to go straight like Eun said.

While you were walking, you tried to stay as far away from others on the street as you could- even going as far as to keep your head down with your hair in your face, masking your appearance somewhat since you had no jacket with a hood on. What you thought would help you proved to be a problem, as someone who was running onto the street from a nearby alley dramatically bumped into you without you being able to see them at all.

The person moved away from you, beginning to jog again as you turned around and said a quick apology. While you were turning back around to keep walking, however, you didn’t see the man stop in his tracks at your voice.

“(Y/N)?”

Upon hearing your name, your lungs felt like they were paralyzed. Turning around slowly, you saw the man do the same as his lips turned into a snarl. You quickly realised that it was the man who had attacked you.

You immediately broke off into a sprint on the street, running down one of the alleys you could find to try and lose him. You could hear the sound of footsteps following quickly after you, revealing that the man was chasing you. The alley that you both had gone down where a part of a series of other back alleys, all connecting in some sort of maze-like finish. That’s especially what it felt like as he was chasing you, with it being helpless to call out for help. As you kept running, you realised there was no way you could both outrun him and find a place to hide until he left. However, if he was around, there must have been other CHAN members- and who knows how dangerous it also would have been to stay out in the open like that.

By this point, you had completely lost all sense of direction once more. You didn’t know if you had gone north, south, east or west, and now your life was on the line amongst all other problems. The maze of alleys simply expanded and expanded, seeming almost never-ending to you.

“(Y/N)!”

…What?

You turned around to see if that was the man, but something already told you that it wasn’t. The voices didn’t sound the same…

“(Y/N)!”

“Y-… Yoongi?” You called, your lungs feeling like they were on fire again.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)!”

You didn’t know if he could hear you, and so with all your might you screamed his name so you knew he would hear you. “Yoongi!”

“(Y/N)? (Y/N)! Where are you?” he shouted.

“I’m over here!” you screamed, trying to understand where his voice was coming from. After going down alley upon alley, you heard his voice louder and louder as he kept calling for you. Just when you were about to turn another alley, another voice called from behind you.

“Oh, no you fucking don’t-”

Without being able to react, you were suddenly brought to the ground and being crushed by another person on top of you. The man who was chasing you looked hysterical, and you tried screaming before he grabbed you and put his hand over your mouth.

He began to drag you away, his strength simply stronger than however badly you thrashed about. Even though he was covering your mouth, you screamed until you felt like your throat was raw. At one point, as he was trying to drag you down another alley, you were able to kick him in the shin at least. He cursed when you did so, and you could tell that your kick had done something as he began to limp while he carried you.

He pressed you into the cold cement once he had dragged you into another alley, taking out a pocket knife, bringing it to your throat and covering your mouth all the while.

“I swear, if you scream again I’m going to fucking kill you.”

You looked dead into his eyes as he said it, and although you wanted to be strong, you could feel water begin to pinprick the corners of your eyes. You didn’t want to die. You didn’t. You weren’t going to die- not like this. While he said those words, though, you knew he would kill you anyway. It didn’t matter if you didn’t scream for Yoongi. The ending of this story would be clear- there would be no more story.

So, you decided you were going to scream.

With every ounce of energy in your body, adrenaline pumping and all, you brought your legs up as high as you could and kicked him off of you. He was sent flying back, which even surprised you. At the top of your lungs, you screamed Yoongi’s name, running away from the man as fast as you could.

You made it into the alley you were trying to reach earlier, still screaming to tell Yoongi where you were, but before you could turn the corner you were yanked back by your arm. Barely turning your head, you received a swift punch in the face that sent you stumbling back into one of the brick walls. “Ugh! Just fucking stay still already!”

You were surprised to find the man screaming now, letting both of your whereabouts known. He gripped the knife he had earlier in his hand, reaching to grab your neck and begin to choke you.

“Six!?”

Six… Hae Chan… Hae Chan VI? That’s… that’s who he is?

After the punch, and now the lack of oxygen, the world began to spin around you as you slowly left consciousness. Everything tinged black in the next few moments, and suddenly you were dropped onto the ground. The sudden oxygen reached your lungs and caused you to gasp, your arms shaking as you took in your surroundings.

You could see the man again, but now he was on the ground- and Yoongi was on top of him. You closed your eyes as you saw he was punching him, the impacts so hard that you saw blood running down the man’s face and skull onto the cement. Your body began to quake as you tried to calm yourself, the world still dizzy as your heart rate refused to slow and your body going cold.

It wasn’t until you felt someone grabbing your arm that you opened your eyes, not wanting to see Hae Chan VI and what Yoongi had done to him. You opened your eyes slightly to see Yoongi kneeling above you, running his fingers through your hair lightly.

“Hey,” he whispered.

His tone was so loving and caring that you couldn’t help but tear up before outright sobbing. He lifted your back up and wrapped his arms around you, holding you to his chest as you cried right there.

“It… it wasn’t even a day… I missed you so- I’m so sorry I didn’t answer you, I know it’s not your fault, that you didn’t think that- I shouldn’t have left you like that-” you sobbed, gripping onto his jacket.

“Shh,” he muttered, holding you closer. His head was laying on top of yours now, but he leaned into your ear before whispering, “you say sorry too much, you know that?”

In the distance, the loud ringing of trains sounded through the city. You gripped onto him tighter, bringing yourself closer to him. “Please, just don’t let me go right now.”

“I won’t, (Y/N), don’t you worry. I won’t.”

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