#total honesty i did not recognize his voice until he introduced himself

[cirrus-grey]

RQ newsletter: You may hear a familiar voice on this week's Protocol episode!

Episode summary: Architecture (liminal), Temporal Distortion, Spatial Distortion, Altered Reality

Me: Michael? Helen?? How interesting...

Jon Gracey: Hi

Me:

[just-some-random-blogger]

Bootylicious

Stray Kids Bang Chan x Idol!Reader Summary: You're known as the gym rat in your group, and quite frankly, you only have two moods: shredding or chilling. This was why when you're not asleep in between schedules, you're spotted with a male idol you happened to meet in the gym you were at that day. It's a known fact though, that you and Bang Chan are gym buddies and each other's spotter. Word Count: 2k+ Warnings: Internet toxicity, sasaengs, vulgar language, sexism, misogyny, pining, fluff, mentions of Pentagon because why not <3, etc.

A/N: Girl, i shouldn't do this but I did. It's so funny to me someone requested this cause I have recently become an exercise junkie lol. Also, if you can't tell, there is a pov shift after the cut so yeah. I also wanted to keep the reader gender neutral but I want to write about how psychotically different people treat male and female idols because that stuff aint it. It's most definitely not what anon was expecting me to write but I hope they enjoy it nonetheless.

There's compilation in YT with growing parts centered around you flexing your physical fitness and prowess. It ranges from you affectionally touring your fans, which really meant the cameraman, through the gym, introducing your trainer, and doing your routine on camera, to your group (and others) both fawning and bragging about how strong and how hot you are.

CLIP #1: A scene from an interview of your group in Japan, struggling to talk about how you can do 40 straight push ups.

There was a male interviewer in a suit you could all faintly recognize was talking about your recent Instagram post of a gym mirror selfie.

One of your youngest members smirked and in broken Japanese, cutely said, "Wah, she does 100 push ups! Everyday, every night."

You snap your head to the maknae and raise your brows, "nani?" You begin to shake your hands in protest and begin to explain your truth, "absolutely not 100. Maybe around 40, but nooooo, not 100."

The interviewer and your group comically react in awe. The man in the suit urges, "can you show us?"

You give a face, "Excuse me, but I'm not getting paid to do that in this miniskirt."

Everyone, including the film crew, break into laughter.

CLIP #2: A scene from a variety show where you had to prove you were, in fact, yourself, by doing a shortened version of your exercise routine.

One of the hosts of the show asks, "Wait, do you honestly do all of this in your workout? Like you can do all of it?"

The list of your exercises were written on a colourful cardboard, held by the one who just spoke. It was a range of exercises in 10 sets, from jumping jacks to sit ups, to vague sounding exercises like crab pinches and robot arms.

You purse your lips at the last question asked of you, not really liking the tone in which it was asked. You answer quickly and nod proudly, "I actually do more, cause when I get in the zone and I'm already really sweaty, I feel like I should keep going until my whole body burns." You chuckle.

The older hosts, tilt their head and mutter lowly under their breath something along the lines of, "I'd rather die."

You finally do the routine, quickly, continuously, earning impressed reactions from everyone.

"That's hot," one of the hosts note.

"Ya, for some reason it looks easy to do."

The hosts begin to clamour at that statement, and force whoever said to do the exact thing you did. Clearly, they don't work out as much as you do and cannot even get halfway through it without stopping.

You break out into a breathless laugh in amusement of the comical attempt but then protest, explaining how bad it is to force yourself to do more than you can

CLIP #3: Pentagon, Hongseok especially, fawns over how fit you are

Trailing a conversation about how your group is close with Pentagon because your companies are situated closely to each other and you wind up eating together a lot, there is an anecdote about how there was a jar no one could open, no one but you, that is.

The interviewer asks no one in particular, "wah, none of you could open the jar? Really? Or did you all just pretend so she could open it?"

There is a chorus of answers concluding with, "no really, she was the only one that was able to open it."

The story is backed up by how the jar had a really small lid and some hands were too big. Then came an explanation how you were recently into the new rock climbing machine in your gym.

Hongseok speaks up, "I was invited to go to rock climbing in, like, an actual rock climbing place and I was honestly so surprised when she began to climb. She said she never actually tried rock climbing on a wall, but it seemed like she had been doing it for years."

Shinwon agrees, "Right, right. I was also really curious about what they did that day," he points to Hongseok, "that I joined them one time. I never felt so out of shape in my life. I just stayed back and filmed everything."

Pentagon laughs, and then agrees that you were exceptionally fast and just super fit in all honesty.

The interviewer catches Hongseok's expression then suddenly asks, "do you like a woman like that?"

"Yeah, I like my women strong."

Then came a lot of teasing remarks from Pentagon, and a plethora of complaints from delusional fans who did not want Hongseok to ever breathe in your direction again.

With all that's been said about that, in all the parts of this series floating around in the internet, one thing remained, there was a slightly larger population of impressed fans than the still large portion of antifans who wanted nothing to do with it and only came around to hate.

It's hard not to think about it, but even the slightest back handed compliment can sometimes linger in one's mind.

And right now, as much as I kept my mind on my counting as I finished my set high knees, I couldn't help but think of how much backlash I got from posting a post workout photo with my midriff exposed.

Apparently that was not only enough to merit hate for being both a whore and an attention whore, but people baselessly began to hate on my groupmates simply for being associated with me.

It's kind of sad really, how, say Wonho, can post a fairly exposed photo of himself and get so much praise for it, and yet I couldn't even do anything remotely close to that.

And I don't even mean to come at Wonho, we all know he's a beast at the gym and should be able to show as much of his hard work as he is comfortable in showing, but why can't I?

"Hey trooper. I thought you said you were only doing 80 counts?" a voice cracks me out of my train of thought.

I turn to whom spoke and chuckle at myself as I stop my leg raises, "ah yeah, I got lost in thought, and your really good song."

I pull on my earphones and give a lopside smile, "I love working out to God's Menu."

He gives a soft, "he he, thanks."

"No need for a thank you when I'm only giving my honest opinion, Chan."

"Yeah, well still, it makes my kokoro go doki-doki," he sniggers, crossing his arms and flashing a dimpled smile. I raise my upper lip and reel back, "EWWW!"

I playfully shove him. He acts hurt, "this is violence against children."

"Chan, you're literally older than me."

"That doesn't mean I'm not a child at heart."

"You mean, it doesn't mean you're not a drama queen."

"Hey, I have no interest in having a throne, my only interest is," he leans in and whispers, "you."

I feel my soul leave my body as he snorts to himself and runs away. I regurgitate in surprise, "YA!"

"You better do your next set properly," Chan says heading off to a cable row machine, "I'm always watching."

I try to ignore the blood rushing up your neck, "creep."

He shrugs, "rather that or have you get injured, sweet heart."

Yeah, Chan has saved me from a lot of injuries I could have had. It was a bad habit. It stemmed from the same thing that made me mess up my count a while ago, my overthinking.

Sometimes I thought of rather harmless things, but sometimes I began to fixate on the hate I received for simply being. I do a lot to get my mind to realize that they hated me simply because they could and because it was easy. Exercising helped tremendously, especially when I had someone fun to work out with, especially when I was with Chan. He just... made me feel safe, y'know.

But when the news of us being work out buddies surfaced, a lot of sasaengs came for me. Of course, a lot of Stays and my own fans were really kind about, speaking out that we were our own people and exercising together did not mean anything in particular really.

But some really went for it, and made it a hobby to comment on everything I was in that I was a slut for 'working out' with different men every day."

I let out a breath as I finish my routine. I catch my breath and go for a swig of my water. I take a moment then sit down by the mirror, which was near where Chan was currently working out.

"You're doing it again."

I turn from where I was blankly staring at turn to Chan who gave me a soft look, "you good?"

I release a sigh then purse my lips, "maybe."

He pouts, "what happened?"

I shrug and stand from where I sat, "you know, the usual."

Chan then comes up to me and takes my water bottle from me, "you know, no matter how much people say you don't need water to live, you can never change the fact that you are extremely dependent on water to live."

I look at him and half- heartedly point, "are you calling me thirsty?"

He begrudgingly groans and releases a chuckle. He calls my name out in a scolding tone. I feel myself relax, "I know what you're getting at Chan."

He nods, "good. I'll always be here to remind you of that."

I smile and feel an urge to hug him, "if you weren't so sweaty, I would totally hug you right now."

Chan then gives me a look then does not hesitate to crush me into his arms. I groan and whine in protest. He chuckles, "you literally just said you wanted a hug!"

"YOU'RE LITERALLY SO SWEATY. NO ONE WANTS THIS TORTURE."

Chan huffs and gives a wounded look, "hmp. You better spot me while I lift or else I'm unfriending you."

"Hmm... I think I'll be good without you as a friend."

I half expect Chan to whine about it, but he instead smirks, "ahhhh, you must want me to be your boyfriends so badly huh."

I- I mean...

CLIP #4: A crack edit of Chan when he gets asked about his gym relationship with me in Chan's Room.

He was looking through the questions and suddenly chuckles, his ears noticeably began to redden. Cue a zoom in of his face and his red ears. Cue a clip of Cardi B saying, "that's suspicious."

He says my name then continues, "am I close with her? Yeah. I would say I'm close with her-- and her whole group actually."

Captioned: Nice save, Chris.

"The kids and I are close with her group," he says, clearing his throat.

A clip of him clearing his throat is repeated about ten times.

Chan adjust the beanie he was wearing as he thinks of what he was going to say next, "we actually do work out together a lot because she's under a trainer that works with my trainer."

Captioned: Sure, Chan. That's the only reason, right?

Chan catches another question, "Is she a beast in the gym like Hongseok says?" He breaks into a laugh. He then rubs his cheek and grits his teeth.

A clip of someone saying, "Oh he's jealous," flashes on screen.

"Yeah," Chan finally says, "she's got a really high stamina."

Cue the clip, WHAT DID HE SAY?

Chan continues, "she can go between exercises without stopping. she doesn't even take that much time to catch her breath. In fact, she sings while exercising sometimes, which helps make her vocals stable."

Captioned: Queen Tingz.

The next thing that happens is Chan breaks into a laugh and begins to chuckle. He says, "Sorry I saw a funny comment."

Captioned: WHAT HE MEANS IS HE SAW A COMMENT SAYING 'SHUT UP CHRIS, YOU'RE WHIPPED."

Then came these comments:

LITERALLY LOOK AT HOW FLUFFY BANG CHAN GETS WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HER DONT FUCKING TOUCH ME MY SHIP IS ALIVE

They are dating period. prove me wrong. you cant

Chan literally blushes over anything, buT HE TURNED INTO A TOMATO WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HER BYE

if you hate on your faves loving each other, you most definitely need Jesus (:

PLEASE CAN YOU SEE HOW WHIPPED THEY ARE FOR EACH OTHER

Yeah... it's not been confirmed to this day.

[devilrainbunnie]

DATING SHIGARAKI HEADCANNONS

shigaraki x fem!reader 

(can post a male or gn one but due to the nature of what i wanted to cover, i decided to do a fem!reader)

cw: slight angst, sexual themes 18+, and soft tomu baby (slight mommy kink i literally can’t help it bye)

a/n: don’t feel bad! i love seeing your messages on here, and my requests are dry as heck. i don’t mind at all, thank you for being so kind all the time. i appreciate you! @milkyywavee

-

Tomura Shigaraki is a hard man to read. While he isn’t just straight up mean to people, he might come across as apathetic or aloof just due to his sometimes socially inept nature. While he isn’t totally shut out from the world, and understands most things, the nature of any sort of relationship is completely new to him. He’s never really understood the want, or need for it. He doesn’t really seek out affection in anyone, but he doesn’t mind when Kurogiri pats his head from time to time, or Twice forces him into a hug-- after all they’re his family.

But romance is something completely new to the boy, he doesn’t get it in the slightest. Even more so less than friendships, the thought of loving someone seems fake to him, how can someone be so unconditional? He’s very pessimistic in his view of romance and love.

In all honesty, I can’t see him caring much about people who aren’t already villains. What would he have to gain from chasing after someone who’s probably terrified of him? He doesn’t have the time or want to try to teach someone he’s worthy of love.

But one day, as he’s interviewing new recruits for the League of Villains, he sees someone mindlessly tailing behind Giran, looking a bit lost. A bit too innocent to be here. Tomura freezes as he watches you nervously look around the room, not saying a word and letting Giran do the talking to Kurogiri. He’s found countless people attractive, but there’s something just so alluring about the way you are. He can’t tell if you have some sort of quirk, or he’s really physically attracted to you. You notice his stare, but out of respect you keep your eyes elsewhere. 

After you introduce yourself, show them your quirk and get to talking about why you want to be there, you’re stunned at how quickly Shigaraki is like “okay, you’re in then”.

Once you’re settled in, you notice Tomura doing the smallest amount of things for you that he doesn’t do for anyone else. He’ll acknowledge you more than anyone else, he’ll offer a spare controller to you if you say you’re bored, he listens to advice you give (even if he doesn’t agree with it), once he even was out to get himself food, and remembered what kind of snack you liked most, when he gave you the snack, you lit up. You were smiling ear to ear as he handed you the little package, you thanked him, and for a second you thought you saw him blushing, he mumbled something incoherent before awkwardly speed walking away. Ever since that day especially, your crush really developed.

One time, after a bit of banter and some light drinking, you were given a confidence boost. 

You were talking with Twice, and Spinner at the bar. Cracking jokes, and telling stories. It was great to bond with them, and they really seemed to like you. After a bit more of laughter, the two gradually decided to end their night. Leaving you to sit alone at the bar by yourself. Not even Kurogiri was around. But suddenly, you noticed the faint sound of clicking, similar to that of a controller. You look at the couch you assumed to be empty, noticing Tomura deep within his game. You feel guilty that you didn’t even see him sitting there this entire time. Deciding to say fuck it and finally converse with him, you chug the rest of your bitter tasting drink. Letting it burn down your throat and chest, the feeling going straight to your head. 

You walk over to the couch, plopping right next to Tomura. His nose in his handheld console, he took a second before realizing who was sitting next to him. You couldn’t really grasp his reaction as he was wearing father like usual. With the help of your liquid courage, you put your head on his shoulder. “What’re you playing?”

“I’m uhhh, I’m p-playing Breath of the Wild, i-it’s a Legend of Zelda game.” he stuttered, shocked by the sudden closeness of the two of you. “Can I help you or something?” he managed to spit out without stuttering, he was nervous.

“Mm, just watching. You’re so cute when you’re nervous.” you giggled at him, you couldn’t tell but his face was bright red. He was becoming even more flustered than usual around you. His legs felt weak and wobbly, his game console losing hold in his grasp.

“Whatever.”

“Do I make you nervous?”

“Why?”

“Just wondering.” you smiled at him. 

“I-I don’t know.” he tried to brush you off, trying to shrug you off his shoulder but you just leaned into him more. There you sat for around ten minutes in silence watching his little game, it was interesting even though you had no idea what was going on. After a while, you realized how sleepy the alcohol was making you. You covered your face with your palms as you yawned, and shifted your body, not realizing you gradually had been against his chest. Oh my god, you thought internally, listening to how fast and hard his heart was beating. 

“M’tired. Good night Shiggy.” you slurred, not moving.

“Night.” he replied, it sounded a bit standoffish, but even when you were half awake and intoxicated, you understood he was nervous. You sat up on the couch, putting a hand on the side of his face you weren’t next to, and kissing the top of his head.

“Night-night, good night.” You said as you crawled off of him, and walked your way back to your room. Failing to know that you left your boss in a shambled, confused and nervous wreck. He was beet red the entire night, and now because of you he was horny upset. Were you just drunk and messing with him? Were you actually interested in him? Was he reading into this too much? You couldn’t possibly like him, could you? I mean look at him, he has messed up skin, too much scars, and a mop for hair. He thinks he’s disgusting but, he’s a monster. Monsters are supposed to look scary.

Over the next few days after, you were embarrassed with yourself. You felt like a terrible person for stressing out Tomura the way you did. You tried your hardest to avoid him out of embarrassment, any time you ran into him you’d smile and make up an excuse to leave. You were planning internally a way to tell him how you felt, without making him feel weird. Your avoidance of him however, made him feel like you didn’t want anything to do with him. Tomura was more closed off, and passive than usual to everyone. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed.

That was until you stood in front of him as he was on the couch. Like usual, it took him a bit before he was able to recognize someone was there. You handed him a little letter, on the back was his name, with a little heart. Before he could ask you what it was, you disappeared as quickly as you came. His heart was stammering in his chest again. 

He stared at the envelope, curious as to what it was.

He opened the envelope, noticing how your writing was nice. He read the words carefully, wanting to be able to grasp every single sentence. Your kind words, and confession made his entire body feel light. There, again, he though internally;

She called me cute, again.

After reading so, he quickly go to his feet. Making his way to your room. Knocking on the door and waiting for you to answer. You were nervous behind the door, nervous he was going to be upset with you. So you peeked through the door with only your eyes, and quickly he began.

“Did-did you mean all of that? Everything?” he seemed a bit different to you, his tone was unusual to you.

“Yeah.. I-I did.”

“Can I come in?” he sheepishly asked. 

You opened the door, and Tomura took off father rather quickly, his face was dusted red and he was stammering, which was highly unlike him. He hoped you understood what he was meaning by taking off father and showing you his face. You both talked about what happened. It was mostly you talking, and Tomura answering. After you began to question him, he got very closed off. Like he didn’t want to answer you. 

“Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“You’re so cute when you’re nervous.”

You loomed to his side, brushing his hair from his face. His eyes were watching you intently. What the hell are you--

You kissed him.

You-- kissed him.

Your hands were nestled in his hair, as you kiss his rough lips softly. Tomura began to feel a familiar dull ache in his stomach, looking up at you with lidded eyes. He wanted more, more and more and more. He wanted to kiss you until his lips fell off.

“God, you’re so cute Shigaraki.”

“Tomura. Call me that. Tomura.”

“Tomura.” you smiled at him, kissing him once more.

After that, things gradually progress into a relationship.

Now things have progressed, and you both have grown together.

Tomura really likes kissing you, and being kissed by you. Nothing picks him up better when he’s sad than you kissing his cheek, and telling him to come to you when he’s ready.

He’s like a cat though, sometimes he really needs his space. He’s touch starved, and touch can overwhelm him. He won’t always let you know, but over time you learn a sixth sense with him. You’re able to know without having him voice it to you.

He likes cuddling you when he wants to relax, he’ll snuggle up to your chest and lay his face between the valley of your breasts. Inhaling your sweet perfume scent, and he immediately relaxes. He also likes to kiss and suckle on your breasts as a way to show affection. He might slobber all over your chest, but he does that only because he’s comfortable with you.

He likes to sleep with you, but it took him a long time to get there. He was so worried he’d wake up and you’d turn into a pile of dust. But now he’ll sleep with gloves on, but not all of the time.

You two don’t really go on dates, I mean you both are wanted criminals. So where could you even exactly go?

Well, that didn’t stop the two of you from having at home dates.

You’d just order some take out to eat together, sometimes you’d cook him food so he’d eat something good. You’d watch a movie and snuggle, or play some games. Whatever the mood for the night was.

Sometimes he’d take you out for sight seeing, he really liked going to a specific meadow. He just likes to relax around you.

Tomura doesn’t like to fight with you, despite how sour his attitude can be from time to time. Neither of you fight much to be honest, when you do, if you get sad he might not notice right away and only will if he sees you sulking or crying. Then he’ll get sad. Feeling guilty, and asking for forgiveness. He might seem rough around the edges, but you dove right into his soft spot. He loves you too much now.

Tomura likes bathing with you, not in a sexual way. Sometimes he enjoys having you massage his shoulders and scratch at his scalp. He likes the hot water against his skin as you lay on his chest. The mix of the heat, your comfort, and the rich smell of soap in the air, makes him feel like nothing will ever be wrong in the world. He can forget for a period of time.

He also will usually make you stay home during missions, he’s worried about your safety. If he lost you, he’d lose himself. He’d rather die a million deaths than lose you to anyone or anything.

He also likes when you do things for him to show you care. Like when you clean up his room, make his bed and do his laundry. He gets ecstatic, it makes the feeling of your love feel so much more real.

Tomura shows his love in different ways, however.

He thinks leaving you with bike marks and hickies means that he’s showing his affection. He’s always been a bit aggressive in the love department, he just can’t help it. He loves covering you in affection.

He likes to buy you food whenever he thinks you’ve earned it. It’s his way of showing you that he thought of you, and he went out of his way to do something for you.

Tomura also enjoys being gifted clothes of yours. He’s not gonna wear it, but the scent soothes him turns him on. You’re his favorite person, everything about you is perfect to him.

Nicknames are also a way of showing you how fond he is of you, no one else is called player two, or mommy baby than you.

This might be weird, but Tomura loves to nuzzle into your cheek and neck. Your soft skin is perfect, he can’t get enough of it. He’ll act like a clingy kitten the way he’ll rub his entire body in you to when he wants to be loving.

Tomura overall really likes being babied by you, he’s never had that and you’re perfect for making it up. He might be more dominant in other areas of his life with you, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t enjoy you brushing his hair, making him healthy meals and humming him tunes when he needs to drown out the voices in his head.

If you read to him, he will melt. He loves when you tell him stories or read one of his favorite books. It makes him feel at home, it makes him feel safe.

Tomura also willingly leaves his clothes with you, he thinks it’s cute when you walk into his room ready to cuddle and sleep wearing a shirt of his he ‘forgot’ about a few weeks ago. It makes him feel proud. He’ll never admit to that though.

Sometimes Tomura will compliment you by comparing you or things you do/wear to anime girls he likes. He doesn’t understated that it might be offensive or hurtful by others, but you understand that if he’s willing to compare you to characters he adores, he thinks you are beyond beautiful. Don’t worry, he does think you’re prettier than them anyways.

Whenever you’re on your period, he’ll be there helping you through it. He doesn’t know exactly what to do, but he knows that you get a lot more hungry and want to be comfortable. If you get cramps, he’ll get confused and be like “just drink water, you’re probably dehydrated” like no baby that’s— you’re so sweet, but just... no.

And whenever you’re sad, he’ll be sad too, but he’ll try his best to kiss it better. He likes to hold you to him, and distract you from your sadness. Sometimes he’ll offer doing something he usually doesn’t like doing, like putting on facemasks or letting you paint his nails. Or if you’re up for it, maybe even cooking with him or having a little dance party. He just wants to do anything to make you happy.

Tomura doesn’t always tell you how perfect you are, or how much he loves you but he tries to do that in other ways. He’s not good using his words, it’s foreign to him.

Tomura is also dangerously horny, and loves pleasuring you. Which is another way to show you that he loves you, making you cum.

[eredins-a-king-aint-he]

Geralt/Gaunter + 5? Because I feel like Gaunter def looked jealous in the tavern when that guy interrupted him right before he stopped time 😏

hey anon?? Have I mentioned that you’re the best?? I love doing these, they’re a great writing exercise, and Gaunter/Geralt is so much fun to write >:3c

(I hope you don’t mind that my head went to a slight different place with this prompt though)

Prompt:  “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

~~~~~

     Geralt is not sure how he has managed to get dragged to yet another fancy masquerade party, yet here he is, dressed to kill, masked, and already deeply wishing he could get back into his comfortable armor. His collar itches, so he scratches it, earning himself a disgusted look from a nearby nobleman. 

      “Why am I here again?” he grumbles to his companion. 

      “Because you’re my friend, and I asked you to be here,” Dandelion replies loudly, drawing stares from all around.

      “Don’t start with that again,” Geralt says irritably. “I know you, and I know exactly the kind of shit that you pull—”

      But Dandelion is clearly not listening.

      “Ooh, I’ll bet five crowns on that being the fair countess Merallia,” the bard says, adjusting his peacock mask, and he makes a beeline for the woman, leaving the annoyed witcher behind.

      “Every goddamn time,” Geralt grunts, but he’s used to Dandelion’s antics so it doesn’t really bother him. He scans the crowd, taking in the array of fancy clothes and colorful masks. Spotting a tray of drinks moving past, he snags a few and downs them all, once again ignoring the resulting dirty looks. Warmth blooms in his stomach from the alcohol, and he sighs.

      “Why, if it isn’t the White Wolf,” a smooth voice from behind him says, the sound ringing familiarly inside Geralt’s mind. He turns and looks down into a face that he recognizes despite the mask it wears. The sparkling eyes behind the mask are completely and totally unmistakable. 

      “Gaunt—” he begins, but the man shushes him. 

      “Naughty,” Gaunter O’Dimm says with a curling smile. “No naming names until the party ends, and we all remove our masks.”

      The witcher scowls slightly, but the heat inside his belly is no longer from the alcohol alone.

      “How did you get in here?” he asks.

      “Are you surprised by my presence? Masquerade balls are one of my favorite types of parties. I wouldn’t miss one for the world.”

      “Yes but this is a private event,” Geralt replies, snatching another drink from a passing servant and downing it.

      “I got in the same exact way as you,” Gaunter says, surprisingly direct. “I was invited. Is that so unheard of?” 

      “Wasn’t trying to be rude,” Geralt mumbles into his glass. “Just curious.”

      “Ah, dear witcher,” Gaunter says, patting his arm. “Haven't you ever heard the saying, ‘curiosity killed the—’”

      “Wolf!” someone calls. It’s another voice Geralt recognizes, but the pleasant thrill of hearing it is suddenly tempered by worry as he watches Gaunter’s eyes shift slowly toward the newcomer, full of deadly good humor. He remembers the last time he witnessed someone interrupt Gaunter O’Dimm, and hopes that this instance will end differently.

      “Wolf,” Geralt replies, turning to clasp hands with the man he knows is one of his closest friends, and they embrace. “It’s good to see you.”

      “And you,” Eskel says, pulling back and sounding pleased. “It’s been months! How have you been? How on earth did Dandelion manage to get you to one of these after last time—”

     “Gods, don’t bring that up here,” Geralt groans. “Are you going to be in town long?”

      Eskel takes a drink from a nearby tray.

      “For a couple days, yeah. Why?”

      Geralt casts a slightly nervous glance toward Gaunter, who is being unusually quiet. 

      “Why don’t we meet up at The Clever Clogs tomorrow evening after sundown and catch up? These events aren’t the best for that kind of thing.”

      “Sounds great, I’ll see you then,” Eskel says cheerfully, clasping hands with Geralt once more. He sends a friendly smile toward Gaunter, wishes them both a good evening, and disappears back into the crowd.

      Geralt turns slowly back to the man, dreading what he might find. Gaunter is still staring at the place where Eskel had just disappeared, but time hasn’t stopped, so that is probably a good thing.

      “Sorry about that,” Geralt mutters. “Please don’t kill him, I’m actually quite attached to him, and would rather he stay alive if possible.”

      This makes Gaunter look back into his face. The sparkle in the man’s eyes has vanished, leaving them black and eerily empty.

      “You know how I feel about being interrupted,” he says softly, dangerously. He adjusts his doublet, and there’s something about the rigidly straight set of his usually curling mouth—

      “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

      The words leave Geralt’s mouth before he can think better of them. Cold fingers of dread slide down his spine as Gaunter seems to consider them.

      “You think I’m jealous?” Gaunter asks slowly, sounding almost amused. He steps forward, moving purposefully into Geralt’s space, until the scent of him— spices and smoke— tickles Geralt’s nose. Unable to stop himself, the witcher swallows hard. Fear and desire rise in him, coating his insides. The cocktail of feelings is one that Gaunter seems to brew in him every time they meet.

      “Shouldn’t have said… sorry,” Geralt manages. Belatedly, he realizes that the design on Gaunter’s mask is a clock, then movement draws his eyes downward. He watches anxiously as Gaunter reaches up to him, but the man’s fingers close gently around his chin and not his throat. With Gaunter he can never be sure. The man holds his eyes for a long moment, searching his gaze with focused intent, then his mouth curls into a slight smile.

       “Relax, witcher,” Gaunter says. “It’s a party, lighten up.”

      “But you—”

      The fingers around his chin tighten briefly, then they let go.

      “Yes, I do still hate being interrupted, but for the party’s sake, I won’t make a fuss.” 

       Relief spreads through Geralt like sunlight. Eskel is safe then. Good. 

      “Not for my sake at all?” his traitorous mouth says. Gaunter chuckles. 

      “Come with me,” he says, and walks away. Geralt’s legs obey before he has a chance to consider the action. The crowds part before Gaunter as if large, invisible hands grip them and move them to each side of his path. Seeing this, Geralt shivers, but he still trails after the other man, following him into a secluded alcove. Gaunter stops, then turns to him, eyes sparkling once again.

      “Yes, a little for your sake,” the man says quietly, conversationally, “but I can’t just have that spreading around. I have a reputation to maintain, you know.”

      Startled by this apparently blatant honesty, the witcher simply stares down into Gaunter’s masked face. The desire to reach out, pull the mask off, and kiss him flits across Geralt’s mind. As it does, Gaunter’s smile broadens. He slides a hand around the witcher’s waist.

      “Tip up your mask,” he whispers. Geralt doesn’t hesitate. He lifts his mask and bends down, hungrily pressing his lips to Gaunter’s, feeling the man respond with warmth. After a moment, they pull back. 

      “As much as I would love to torture you by introducing you to each and every one of my acquaintances here,” Gaunter says softly, his eyes twinkling as Geralt shudders, “I’d prefer to continue this somewhere else. How about it?”

      “But you love parties,” Geralt replies through a haze of arousal. “You said so earlier. Don’t you want to stay and uhh, mingle?”

       “I do not.” The words are said with a steely decisiveness that erases any question of a doubt from Geralt’s mind.

      “Let’s go, then,” he says, tentatively reaching for Gaunter’s hand. Gaunter accepts, lacing their fingers together in a gesture that sends heat throughout Geralt’s entire body, and his mouth curves into a slow, meltingly sweet smile.

      “After you.”

[emisfritish]

Our gift to the world - Episode 2

Pairing: Pang/Wave (The Gifted/The Gifted Graduation)

Summary: Episode codas of an established Pang/Wave in The Gifted Graduation.These can all be read as standalones, but they fit into the same canon-compliant universe. Episode 2 -  Scene set at the end of the episode after the whole talk with Time. 

Previous parts : Ep 1.

Next parts : Ep.3 / Ep.4 / Ep.5 / Ep.6 / Ep. 7 / Ep. 8

Series on Ao3

Notes : Okay, and that’s the coda for episode 2 ! Enjoy this weird mix of angst and fluff, all into one fic. 

Later in the evening, once The Gifted students have answered all of Time’s questions and after Wave’s continuous monitoring of school cameras to make sure that the group of Anti-Gifted students were found and picked up by school staff for what they hope will be severe disciplinary actions, Pang finds himself back in his bedroom, sitting on his bed. 

Today has been exhausting, he thinks to himself, as he lets his head fall backwards until it hits gently against the wall behind him and closes his eyes, trying to hold off the migraine he can feel building within him. The evening definitely hadn’t gone down like they planned, and although the mission had been a success and no one had gotten hurt in the end, Pang still feels uneasy with how close a call it had been, and the many thoughts and questions still plaguing him. 

First, this was all his fault. Sure, he disagrees with everything the Anti-Gifted stand for right now and he hates the way they go at things, but he’d also been the one to bring them into the fold, to impress upon the other Gifted students that it was a good idea. Blinded by his ideals, he inadvertently created them, and every single action they do now indirectly falls back on him. 

Which leads him to the second thought that is currently so imposing it almost paralyzes him in fear… Was he repeating the same mistake with Time ? 

Sure, Time looks like his heart in his the right place and he only wants to help make things better too, but that’s exactly what Pang thought when he first introduced the non-gifted students to his friends, and one only has to look at the situation today to see how bad that particular decision had been. 

Pang hates the idea of potentially putting even more people in danger by bringing Time into the fold. The idea that the decision he took by not forcing Time to forget everything that’s happened recently could ultimately harm his friends, could harm Wave… he doesn’t think that’s something he could live with. Not again.

“I can hear you overthinking things from all the way over here,” a voice suddenly cuts into his thoughts. 

“You don’t read mind, that’s not what your gift is,” Pang says as he lifts his head to look towards his boyfriend who is currently leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, studying him. 

“Trust me, I don’t need it to be my gift to be able to read you like an open book right now,” the other boy answers, before he pushes his way forward to make his way into the bedroom. 

“Move over,” he orders once he reaches the bed, prompting Pang to scoot to the side to leave enough room for Wave to sit next to him, which he does instantly. The immediate comfort coming from the warmth of their sides being pressed loosens Pang’s shoulders a bit.

Neither of them say anything for a couple minutes, and Pang can feel Wave’s stare burning into the side of his face, his boyfriend studying him intently before he finally breaks the silence. 

“Are you okay ?” 

Wave’s voice when he asks the question is low and soft, in a way it so rarely is, and even in the midst of everything going on, Pang takes a second to appreciate that he’s one that gets to see this Wave, and appreciate this softer side of him. 

He shrugs in answer, not quite knowing how to put all of his feelings into words, and Wave nods back, as if that reaction was to be expected. 

“Talking about her never gets easier,” Wave confesses, looking away from Pang to look at the cupboard sitting in front of the bed, where they both know a picture of Ohm, Pang and Namtarn is hidden from view, safely taped on the inside of the door.  

Namtarn.

His discussion with Time and the rehashing of the past has left a sour taste in his mouth, and even after all these months, talking about her and what she’s been through never gets easier. The fact that most of the school seem to think that him and his friends are to blame for hurting her, for hurting one of their own… well, that just makes it even more painful.

Of course Wave would know that Pang’s head has been filled with memories and thoughts about her ever since his talk with Time earlier. If anyone outside of him and Ohm understands the feelings of loss, it would be Wave. Both because he loved her as much as Pang himself did, and because he feels the same sense of guilt at what happened to her. 

They rarely talk about it, but the fact that they were the ones to ask her to go back into the room where they knew a bomb was, the room where she got hurt, is something they’ll both have to live with for the rest of their lives. In that way, no one understands him the same way Wave does. 

“She’s okay by the way,” Wave says, pressing his thigh a little closer to Pang’s, his own version of physical comfort. 

“You texted her ?” Pang asks his boyfriend hopefully, turning towards him, and he sees Wave nod in answer. 

Because they were paranoïd about their phones being tapped and about people finding out Pang had regained his memories, they’ve set a rule that Pang isn’t allowed to contact her directly, not unless he was sending a message through Wave’s secure phone, for both of their safety.

And of course Wave, knowing Pang the way he does, he would have known the only way to ease Pang’s mind a little tonight would be to hear from their friend. Trust his boyfriend to cut right to the root of the issue and find a pragmatic way to fix it.

“You can text her later, if you want. She said she likes her new school, and that she’s met some nice people,” Wave continues, and a little bit of the sadness that had been weighing on Pang for the last hour chips away at the words. 

“Of course, I’m fairly certain they’ll never hold a candle to us, but you can’t have everything. Not everyone is as great as I am,” Wave says with a cocky smirk, and Pang can’t hold the small snort that escapes him in the face of his boyfriend’s arrogance.  

“Thank you,” he says after a second, appreciating the fact that Wave took the time to reach out to her to ease both of their minds, which causes Wave to shrug in response.

“Well, this night certainly turned out differently than I expected.”

There’s no judgement in the words, but Pang still feels guilt and doubt swim at the bottom of his stomach. 

“Do you think I made a mistake telling him all of this instead of forcing him to forget and stay away from us ?” he finally asks the question that has been lingering on his mind all night. 

Wave stays silent for a couple seconds, thinking over his answer, before he turns towards Pang and shrugs again. 

“I think you did what you thought was right,” he ends up answering.

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mistake though.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Wave tells him, direct as ever. “It doesn’t mean it was a mistake either though.”

“If you were me, you would have used my gift to make him forget,” Pang affirms, knowing his boyfriend enough to know it to be the truth. 

“I would have,” he answers back, not denying the words. “But I’m not you.”

Simple as that. 

Because he’s right, it is an answer. In many ways, Wave and him are nothing alike and have very different ways of solving problems, but that was also their strength. That was why they worked so well together to begin with, both when it came to shutting down a corrupt system, and in their personal relationship. 

“I know you think I’m an idiot for trusting him,” Pang continues, and Wave turns towards him and frowns. 

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” he replies, and Pang raises an eyebrow in disbelief. 

“Okay, I think you’re an idiot sometimes,” he amends, which makes Pang smile, very used to being an idiot on many subjects when compared with his math and technology genius of a boyfriend. “But I don’t think it’s the case right now.”

Pang nods at his words, thinking them over. If there’s one thing he could trust Wave with, it was brutal honesty, even when it came to things Pang didn’t necessarily want to hear. Knowing that Wave doesn’t think him trusting Time was totally stupid eases his mind a little. 

“It’s just… I truly think he could help,” Pang explains. “I know you think he’s a liability.”

“Oh, he definitely is a liability,” Wave cuts him off. “He’s a naïve idiot, he believes what everyone tells him too easily, and we can’t predict where he’ll go and what he’ll do, which makes him dangerous. But that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why you wouldn’t use your gift on him.”

Of course. Wave is the only one in their group who knows just how scared Pang is of one day turning into someone he doesn’t recognize anymore. Of one day being so power hungry with his ability to control people, that he becomes just like the director, if not worse. 

“Plus… he may turn out to be more useful than I initially thought he would be,” Wave continues, and Pang feels another weight being lifted off of his shoulders. 

“So you don’t blame me for not forcing him away ?” Pang asks in a small voice, and Wave turns towards him again.

“How could I blame you when you being this way is precisely the reason I lo…” he stops mid-sentence and swallows nervously, which makes Pang smile, before he nudges his shoulder against his boyfriend’s. 

He knows Wave won’t finish the sentence, the words being difficult enough for him that he very rarely says them out loud. It doesn’t make it any less true though, and Pang doesn’t need to hear the words to know that he means them with every fiber of his being. 

Seeing the way Wave has changed and opened up since they got together, the way he’s sometimes softer and kinder, while remaining the same Wave that drove him absolutely insane last year, is enough proof for Pang to know exactly how his boyfriend feels. 

“My boyfriend is a softie, I got used to it,” Wave ends up saying with a shrug instead of the words that had started to come out. 

Pang turns towards him and smiles brightly, which he didn’t think would be possible after the evening they’ve had. 

“You convinced him to trust me tonight,” Pang reminds him, remembering the words Wave told Time earlier and how they warmed his heart. 

Trust isn’t an easy thing for Wave to give away, not after everything he’s been through when he was younger. So for him to choose to put his trust in Pang, over and over again… let’s just say the significance isn’t lost on him. 

“Don’t let it get to your head,” Wave says dismissively with a roll of his eyes, which causes Pang to snort again. 

God, his boyfriend could be so dramatic when he was trying to keep up his cold front. 

“I trusted you, and it turned out pretty well for me,” he continues his thought, prompting Pang to turn towards him, fake outrage written all over his face even as the words warm his heart again.

“Pretty well ? Pretty well ? I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to you, don’t even try to pretend otherwise,” he teases him, only to stop when Wave turns towards him and looks at him seriously.

“You are,” he says simply, and Pang feels his breath catch in his throat at the words. 

Before he has the time to say anything in response, a grin lights up Wave’s face. 

“What is that Mr.Sermrittirong ? Is that you blushing I’m seeing right in front of my eyes ? What, the king of cheesy lines himself can’t take a little flirting ? I guess I win again,” Wave teases back, cocky smirk in place. 

God, Pang had clearly been a terrible influence on him if this is what Wave uses his newly found confidence in their relationship to do. 

“Are you seriously trying to win at flirting ?” he asks deadpan, which only causes Wave to laugh. 

“Oh, I’m not just trying. I think I’m succeeding. Quite easily actually.”

It’s funny how things change, Pang thinks to himself. How Wave, of all people, had managed to steal his heart when Pang was expecting it the least, and how easily they fit together. 

This boy that can go from being cold and calculating, to cocky, flirty and yet sweet the very next minute. This boy that can be so very arrogant, and yet so insecure at the same time, always keeping Pang on his toes. 

Yet, as Pang looks at his boyfriend now and sees the cocky grin the boy is wearing, he can remember that particular expression from the very first day he met Wave, and the predominant thought in his mind right now, is a very familiar one. He would like nothing more than for Wave to shut up.

Some things do change, but others remain exactly the same. He just has way more enjoyable ways of shutting Wave up now, which he puts to use right this second, pushing forward to kiss Wave and get him to stop talking for a while. 

“Maybe everything with Time will turn out okay and he won’t cause any issues,” Pang ends up saying wistfully a while later, after shutting up Wave for a few good minutes. 

“Oh, he’ll definitely cause us trouble. Mark my words,” he boyfriend negates the thought, and Pang turns towards him. 

“And even knowing that, you don’t blame me for not using my gift on him ?”

Wave bumps their foreheads together before reaching forward to grab Pang’s hand in his. 

“I trust your judgement,” he ends up saying, causing Pang’s heart to beat double time in his chest, before he looks up at his boyfriend gratefully.

“Besides… I kind of have a thing for naïve idiots anyway.”

[football15-7fics]

Little Princess - Chapter 11

June 24, 2017

After having a medical stay at the clinic for three days, Adrianna was finally allowed to return home.  The doctor had signed her medical release form in the morning, but she still had to be cautious about her health and the baby.  She was prescribed some pain relievers for her painful hand and arm, and tons of pregnancy supplements that should be taken on a strictly daily basis. Now that she decided to get the baby, her lifestyle would change drastically, as well her food habits, physical activities should get monitored as well.  Adrianna agreed to follow her doctor's advice carefully.

Despite of the fact she had her medical stay at Dortmund's best private clinic with all of the VIP treatment, Adrianna couldn't wait to get back home. Her dad being off the city due to another business commitment, her mother Ericka and Claire would come to pick her at the clinic. The nurse had Adrianna's stuff already packed in her bags.  These have been so nice to her during her stay, Adrianna couldn't complain at all.  The medical staff of the clinic was known for its efficiency and the wellbeing of their patients were their top priority. The patients had a meal menu card of their choice, as the clinic had a four star cooking chef.  With all of that luxury, the clinic had more the aspect of a hotel which seemed to be well appreciated by the richest Dortmund's people.

During her hospital day, her phone had been her dearest companion.  It allowed her to keep in touch with her friends, family, the boys and her fans. As the daughter of Philip Braün, Adrianna was a nice aim for the local press.   As they spread the news that she was implicated in a car accident, Adrianna received comfort and support from her fans on Instagram.   Pictures of her wrecked Porsche SUV looked terrible, questioning herself many times how did she survived this. Mats has called her since the moment he found out about the accident, he promised he would come to pay her a visit. BVB'S boys had her phone buzzing with tons of messages and comments via her Instagram.  Their sweet words made her melt with happiness, she just couldn't wait to see each of them.

Sitting on the bed, her phone in hands, she had called her mom for the tenth time as she was supposed to come at one in the afternoon and the clock was showing half past one. "Come on, well the hell are you mom!" She grumbled.  Impatience was starting to get on her.

"Hello baby…" Claire erupted in the bedroom, exuberant with joy, as her mom followed behind.

"Hey… oh gosh where have you been, I Was getting worried!" Adrianna sighed with relief, her lips curved with a gorgeous smile.

"Aww boo, I'm sorry, my phone battery died… you feeling good?" Ericka bent over to kiss her daughter's forehead.

"My wrist is still in pain and I feel tired, but I'm okay, can we leave already?" Adrianna made her puppy eyes that none of her parents could refuse anything.

"Yes love, I just need to get the medical bills paid and we can go!" Her mom said as she looked up for her wallet in her black Chanel bag but didn't find it to her bad surprise.

"Damn, I can't find my wallet, I think it's in the car, I'll get it then head to the billing office!"

"Wait, I'll get it for you, just hand me the car key, then you head the billing office because this procedure takes ages!"

"Alright, here is the key, and I won't be long Adri, just hold on for a few minutes and you'll be home!" Ericka smiled as she and Claire left Adrianna on her own again!

"Really, thank you for leaving me alone!" Adrianna pouted with a childish face expression.

"Thank you very much!" Adrianna shouted in annoyance.

"Thank you for what?" A familiar voice to Adrianna echoed in the room, she could recognize his voice anytime and anywhere.

"Roman…" She screamed with excitement as she threw herself in his arms for their friendly hug.  He had her so tight against his chest.

"Hey baby, you okay?" He asked caressing her hair.

"Now yes!"

"I brought a friend, he really wants to see you!"

"Who?" Adrianna asked curiously until her voice cut off.

"Hey Adrianna!" She recognized Jadon's sweet voice which made her smile.

"Jadon, what a surprise!" She shook her head.

"I have wanted to see you at the moment I knew you had your car accident!"

"Aww yes, did you!"

"Yeah, but I thought you might need some rest first, and I'm really sorry about what happened to you!" Jadon spoke with the sweetest voice ever.  Adrianna could feel all of his honesty through his brown eyes and his voice.

"Thank you Jadon, really thank you, you are being too nice!"

"You deserve it!" He smiled, his eyes never went off Adrianna.

"So, are you free to go home?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, mom and Claire are paying the bills, and I should be okay and free to go!"

"Great, well Jadon and I are heading off to Brackel, the Champions League game is on Tuesday and we're fucking stressed to play against Madrid, gonna be a tough one!"

"Oh gosh, is it on next Tuesday? Shit I totally forgot about it!" Adrianna exclaimed foolishly.

"It's okay, after what happened it's alright to forget some memories!" Roman tried to reassure his friend, his hands on Adrianna's shoulder.  Unknowingly, Jadon witnessed that friendly moment of theirs, but was fuming inside.  He just hated the idea that other men had the right to touch her. He tried to maintain his coolness by checking his phone notifications.

"Really, no way, but anyway, I'll come to the stadium, not a few scratches and a painful wrist won't make me stay home, I'll come!"

"I wouldn't advise it, you need rest, but that's my point of view, you decide!" Jadon introduced in between Roman and Adrianna conversation.

"I do feel good Jadon, but thanks!"

"Bae, I think I'll agree with Jadon on this one, you still need plenty of rest, and a stadium to the fullest won't be of any help!"

"No, I'll go to the stadium, even with a fever I'd come!!!" Adrianna bragged herself, shrugging her shoulders.

"Damn, you way too much stubborn Adri!" Roman gave in, earning a laugh from Jadon.

"Blah blah blah!" Was her response to Roman.

"Miss Adrianna Braün?" A nurse invited herself to the conversation.  She had several pills boxes in a white tissue bag with the Clinic symbol printed on it.

"Yes…" Adrianna answered politely.

"So here are your medicines, the painkillers, iron tabs and the pregnancy supplements, make sure to take them, and read the prescription please!"

Adrianna remained mouth opened, she felt a cold running down her spine.  The word pregnant had her to feel the creeps. She stared at Roman with big eyes, sending him a message to get help from him on this one, then stared back at Jadon then back again to the nurse.  Jadon looked extremely confused, his eyes never ceased blinking. The tension grew to its peak, Adrianna felt she was losing her own shits.

"Oh, eum, there must be a mistake with the prescription, I'm not pregnant!" Adrianna smiled idiotically.

"Euhm, but it's written down here Miss, read and signed by your doctor!" The nurses looked carefully again at the prescription.

"Are you insinuating that I'm lying Madam?" Adrianna fumed aggressively at the nurse.

"No, no, I'm just reading what's written down…"

"I don't give a shit what's written on that damn paper, do you need me to have a pregnancy test just to prove I'm not pregnant!" Adrianna was totally yelling.

"Miss, please calm down, please, I'll ask your doctor again, maybe there is a mistake, someone will come to you shortly!" The nurse's hands were shaking with fear, her face turned pale, a completely astounded left the bedroom with tears down.

"Wooow, you went hard on the nurse, she is just doing her job!" Jadon exclaimed eagerly, with awkward eyes staring at Adrianna.

"Well, she is not doing her job that well I guess!"

"It's a… it's a mistake, and mistakes do happen, remember that!" Jadon said as he left the bedroom with unhappy feelings.

Adrianna could breathe again, the heaviness on her chest eased off, but left with mixed feelings.  She did feel so bad for the manner she had spoken to the nurse being conscious she was so wrong.

"My godness Adrianna, what was that?" A puzzled Roman asked.  "That was fucking close, fucking close!" He insisted on the two last words, blinking his eyes constantly.

"Gosh… fuck!" Adrianna said, shaking her head.

"Oh yes fuck Adri, do you realise what just happened here?!" Roman asked straight.

"Yes, I'm not that dumb, I realize it's uneasy for you!"

"Do you, really, do you!!!! When the fuck are you going to tell Jadon he is the father of that baby!" He said straightly pointing his finger to her belly.

"I don't know!" She yelled, raising her voice.

"Adrianna, listen to me, I don't want you to get sick with all this stress going around you,   but, Jadon is young but far from stupid, hiding your pregnancy forever is never going to work, your bump will get bigger, and he will know, today was a reminded, have you seen his face expression when the nurse told about your pregnancy supplements?"

"I know!"

"He should know, he's still so young but he's a great guy, try to get to know him better, spend some time together, it's not like you're gonna get married, you must tell him before it's too late!"

"What do you mean by too late?"

"He likes you, a lot, you better tell him he's going to be dad while he's still liking you, instead of telling him when he'll found out by himself and hate you for good, think on it and quick because time is running out, excuse me but I have to go now, take care of you!" Roman kissed Adrianna's forehead and immediately walked away from his friend.

"But I'm too scared to do this on my own, I'm so afraid to go through this again!!" Adrianna mumbled under her breath, swiping off the tears with her finger, flowing from her eyes.

[angelkurenai]

Imagine Dean meeting you when he was living with Lisa and being unable to get you off his mind because he fell hopelessly in love with you, more than with any other woman. So much that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you.

“Dean?”

His body froze, it felt like everything automatically shut down. Every single cell stopped functioning. Or maybe, it felt as if everything came back to life but he was so used to feeling empty- no, even better, he was used to his heart feeling empty and constantly longing for that one true and unconditional love he never actually got to himself from a significant otherthat he thought he heard it wrong. That this was his wildest dream finally having taken up so much of his mind that he was seeing it with open eyes too.

“Dean?”

But then he heard it again and he just could swear it couldn't be a dream or his hopes getting the best of him. He could recognize that voice and the way it spoke his name anywhere in the world, simply because no other person could make his heart leap like that to his throat. He could recognize it anywhere because even after all these years he had no forgotten how it sounded. Not after countless nights of dreams filled with that sweet voice saying his name in any and every way beautiful way possible. Not after countless nights were he woke up panting, his heart soaring in his chest until he looked by his side and the bed was empty. Not after countless nights spent only with the a deep longing to have you in his arms and an equally deep disappointment when he realized it was all just a dream. He only held onto those dreams and the beautiful memories to keep him going.

But he couldn't admit it, especially not after all these years.

“Dean, is that you?” it was soft, barely spoken above a whisper.

As much as he didn't want to look like an idiot, his body instinctively felt the need to turn and look in the direction it came from, as if every fiber in his body was pulled towards you. Part of him feared it was his own wishful thinking but when he actually looked into those eyes, all air was knocked out of his lungs just like that first time.

“(Y/n)?”

“Oh my gosh.” you clasped a hand over your mouth, the small breathless laugh managing to swip him right off his feet “It's really you.” you went to hug him but stopped mid-way, your smile falling a bit just like his heart which craved the hug so bad. But he understood your reasons very well, he had just vanished into thin air and never gave you a reason why, you probably didn't even want to see him again “I'm- I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, I guess that you probably wanna be left alone or someth-”

“No” he breathed out faster and more urgently than he ever had in his entire life “No, no by no means. It's-” he let out a small shaky breath “It's really good to see you.”

And, despite not knowing the whole truth that slipped into his words, you let out a sigh of relief and smiled “It sure is very good to see you again too, Dean. I- I missed you.”

The fondness in your words and softness in your voice, the way you smiled at him and your eyes shone again in that beautiful pure way made you look like the ray of sunshine he had met years ago and still believed shone brighter than the sun itself. He didn't even realize it when his lips pulled into a smile of their own that had never felt more real, the wrinkles that appeared by his eyes proving it. His eyes moved back and forth, taking all of you in as if you'd disappear any given moment, yours doing the same.

He only gazed at you, taking in every small detail and compared it to the image in his head that he felt so sad to admit had started to fade from his made. Or it wasn't at least as sharp as he wanted it to. He savored every small change and similarity, feelings that not many things had changed the more he got to look at you. You were and, proved, you would always be gorgeous. And very so capable of taking his breath away.

You didn't mind it when he didn't speak, even silence with Dean had always felt so comfortable. Nor minded the funny looks you got from the man standing next to him, whom in all honesty you hadn't looked at for more than 5 seconds. He looked back and forth at the two of you, shifting a bit in his place. He earned your attention, making you blink and you gave him a polite smile which he returned. You looked at Dean as if asking for him to introduce you, but he was still so caught staring you that he had to clear his throat and give him a look in hopes that he'd get it.

Dean blinked, looking at him and then back at you “Oh uh yeah. Right. This uhm this is Sam. Sam, this is (Y/n). She's... a friend. A really good friend.”

The younger Winchester couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his brother, but the whole scene before him had seemed surreal so he went with it anyway. He extended his hand for you to shake just like you did “Nice to meet you (Y/n).”

“It's great to meet you too, Sam.” you offered him a smile before a small frown formed “Sam. Like- like Dean's brother? You look a lot like him, at least based on Dean's descriptions. But I- I thought you- you lost him, didn't you?” you glanced at Dean.

“No, yeah. Of course. This is just-” his eyes widened, almost having forgotten that he met you when Sam was in hell and he... well, he was with Lisa.

“I'm a colleague. Of Dean's.” Sam offered a tight-lipped smile, putting you a bit more at ease “Wilson. Sam Wilson. Not-not someone that came back from the dead.”

“Of course.” a small laugh left your lips “Of course, that would make a lot more sense than the dead rising. That- that was so stupid of me to ask, I'm sorry.” you shook your head.

“No, it's- it's fine.” Sam said a bit awkwardly, when he realized his brother wasn't going to say a word anytime soon “You two know each other?”

“We-” your eyes met Dean's for a brief moment “We're good friends.”

“Friends?” Sam questioned with a small laugh of his own and very soon it dawned on you.

“Oh oh no, just- Just friends. Friends. Well, maybe Dean is maybe a big fan of my pie too, so there's that.” you shrugged with a small laugh and he smiled, nodding his head.

“Sounds like him.” he nodded his head “You- you live in the town, (Y/n)?”

“Yeah uh been livin' here for a couple years now. Got a job offer I couldn't say no to and even got my own house, not the dog yet sadly but I'm planning on it. 'S all good. It's stable. You guys are here for work or something? Wh-what is it that you do now?”

“It's uh well- it's-” Sam struggled to come up with something, his brother's awestruck state not helping especially since he was the one that apparently knew you the best. Did you even know about the life? You seemed like someone Dean would tell everything to about himself but at the same time someone far too important to put in such danger. And you didn't seem like a hunter.

“You look great.” much to Sam's surprise Dean finally spoke and in a way helped in the situation.

Your eyes jumped to meet his eyes, slightly wide as a small tint of red dusted your cheeks and Sam was sure you had instantly forgotten all about your question; especially as Dean looked at you with such a warm and tender gaze. You looked down a bit shyly, smiling back up at him as you whispered a bit nervously “Well, I'm still as you remember. Nothing special b-but thank you. You- you look good too. I even-” you bit your lower lip “I thought I was never gonna see you again.”

“I- I wish things would have been different. I never wanted to leave like that and it's certainly nothing you did wrong. I was just-”

“In a bad place, I know.” the real understanding in your words and eyes instantly put his worries aside and his heart to rest. Well, sort of. It still skipped beats here and there. “I know, I don't blame you. I don't have the right to. It just makes me really happy to see you again.”

Dean shook his head softly at your words at first but as his lips parted for him to speak, no words came out because he didn't get the opportunity too. Your phone buzzed and as you checked the message your smile dropped, as did his heart. “My- my friend. I was supposed to be at her place after grocery shopping and-”

“You gotta go.” he couldn't help the disappointment that slipped both in his features and voice. His smile totally vanished. It was all too good to be true, and it was true, as it was. Didn't mean it would last long.

“I really wish I could stay longer. I'm- I'm so terribly sorry.” you whispered, the sadness that slipped into your voice was impossible to miss. It sort of made him feel better and, well, more hopeful. Because he wasn't the only one that wished this small moment could turn into forever.

“'S ok, princess. It's not your fault.” he shook his head, voice still tender as he gave a reassuring smile. It was far from ok, at least for him. After so long he'd gotten a real and deep breath of fresh air and he just wasn't ready to drown in the darkness that surrounded his life again. He wasn't ready to look away from those breath-taking eyes. “It was still great to see you after all this time. We- we should get going too, I guess. We'll just-” he couldn't swallow over the lump in his throat, the nervousness making everything even harder “We'll be in town for some time , if- if you-”

“I'd love to see you again.” you breathed out faster than you had in your life before and his shoulders relaxed a bit, the corners of his lips lifting into a smile “My house is not far from here. The town's small anyway and you can get there by foot. My weekends and evenings are usually free a-and I'm sure I've got-” you searched through your bag for the small pen and pad you kept, scribbling your number quickly and tearing the piece to hand it to him, his hand holding yours for a second longer than it was appropriate.

You tried to hide your smile, Dean holding his own breath, before you slowly pulled away and whispered a bit shyly and hesitantly “I- I'll just- wait for that call?”

“Sure thing.” it was breathless, like a small prayer, the way he'd whisper your name in his sleep or when he was alone in his bed at night. And now that prayer, that wish he hadn't dare admit wanted so bad to come true, stood before him and in his hand. And he didn't even hear the words himself from how loudly his own heart was beating in his own ears. A heart that he could swear stopped beating when a bright and wide smile spread on your lips and with a swift move you fell into his arm and hugged him.

But he knew that like a prayer, it was only something his soul craved so bad but his body would never get, he wasn't deemed worthy of you. So like every prayer, he just whispered the words for a second time with more pain as he cradledyour body in his arms.

“Sure thing.”

~*~

“Alright-” Sam cleared his throat, snapping his book shut and looking at his brother straight in the eyes – almost, at least, because the older Winchester refused to look at him just like he'd been doing for the past hours. Hell, he'd even volunteered to do extra research so that he could avoid the topic. “I've had enough with it. Spill.”

“Don't know what you're talkin' about.” he only mumbled, typing mindlessly on the computer. He had been doing so for hours and he knew that he'd be doing so for many more. Because it was all just images passing through, hell only colorsand words that didn't record for a split second. The only thing he could really see was your image, every detail, every small move and expression you made was forever imprinted in his mind.

“Oh you know very well what I'm talking about but you're just really good at hiding it.” he crossed his arms over his chest “What is it, Dean? What's the story you're not telling me?”

“Nothing.” he muttered, eyes still on the screen “No story.”

“No story? And you looked at each other like that? Come on, Dean, who are you fooling. Look if you don't wanna talk about I- I get it. I really get it and you could just tell me you don't want to and I'll accept that. I'm not trying to pry but I just-” he let out a small sigh “I have never seen you like this. Never. A-and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, no, it's actually so good I- I guess I only-” but he stopped himself.

His smile fell when he saw his brother had not even looked up at him and his smile fell “So that's how you gonna keep it up huh? Fine. Let me make another question then.” he straightened his back “When are you gonna call (Y/n)?”

At the mention of your name Dean's eyes jumped up to meet his brother's, his breath getting caught in his throat as he Sam smirk in satisfaction at the reaction he got. Instead Dean only let out a heavy sigh and as much as it hurt him to say it out loud he did, in a gruff voice “I won't be calling her, Sam.”

“What?” Sam's eyebrows shot up, surprise actually taking over his features “Why? I thought that you and her were- With the way you looked at each other I- I expected you to be trailing after her right then and there. Heck, she seemed like she wanted you to. What was it with you two that didn't-”

“There is no two, Sam.” he nearly growled, bitter but not with his brother “There never was a two in all this, and there was definitely no (Y/n) and I. We-” he felt his throat tighten.

“Dean?” this time he got worried and a bit sad “If you're scared that getting involved with her will put her in danger because of the life then- it's not worth losing something so... important. If you did it once then-”

“Yeah well that's the freakin' problem. I never did it, Sammy.” his voice nearly cracked “I never got the courage, I never got the chance. When I said there is no story I meant it. (Y/n) and I were never- we were never together. We were just friends... we, I guess, still are. And that's good, it's the way it should be. She doesn't- she's good, she's just so good she doesn't deserve this.”

“B-but how?” Sam blinked, truly perplexed “I- I thought- The way you acted around her isn't- It can't be just- That's not what you want, I know that.” his eyes moved back and forth and when he saw Dean clench his jaw and look down at the beer in his hand with such bitterness, he realized there was something more “Dean... what is it? There's something you're not telling me.”

His lower lip trembled and a shaky sighed escaped his lips “When I met (Y/n), I- I was in a really dark place. Everything had crumbled down. But that wasn't what's stopping me, no. She was- Gosh, Sammy you should have seen her. Right there at my door with that breathtaking smile, beautiful sundress, hair a mess from the wind, sparkling eyes and a smile that shook me to the core. Looked like she was the sun itself, heck even shone brighter. And I wanted that warmth so bad, I need it but I couldn't be-” he choked on his words, shaking his head and taking a bis sip of his beer “I never could. Because.... I was with Lisa.”

Sam's frown disappeared and his eyes almost widened. His shoulders fell and a small gasp left his lips “Oh no.”

“Apparently, oh yes.” Dean muttered bitterly, taking another swing of his drink “I was with Lisa and all I could think about was the girl that lived right down the street. But I- I couldn't stop it. Hell if I tried, Sammy. I knew it wasn't right a-and I knew Lisa didn't deserve a guy who-” he dragged a hand down his face “A guy who sleeps next to her and dreams about someone else. I- I didn't want to be that guy but my God, I couldn't get (Y/n) out of my head. They way she made me feel, I have never-”

But he stopped himself before he could get too carried away. Instead of feeling emotional he focused on the anger and disappointment he felt for himself “I slept with Lisa and all I could see was (Y/n)'s face. I tried to find so many excuses but I-”

“Do you think she knew? That they knew?”

“I never told (Y/n) a single thing. You saw it yourself, she has no idea. But Lisa-” he pursed his lips, shaking his head “We fought many times, and not all of them were about hunting or your return. I- I think she might've realized something or at least sensed it. I don't know, she seemed jealous many times that's for sure. And I just know I wasn't the same anymore and it showed. But we- we never-” he shook his head, swallowing thickly.

“I never even told her, she was too good for that. I- I couldn't make her the mistress, the other woman. Wasn't right for her but I... I was on the verge so many times. Showed up at her doorstep drunk many times too and she always took me in, Sam. Always. And she never asked a single thing. I never knew how she did it, but I guess it was what stopped me. She-” he rubbed his eyes “She had been cheated on before and told me it was one of the worst things that happened to her. Kept repeating how lucky Lisa was to have me because I would never do something like that to her. I just- I couldn't, Sammy.”

“And you... felt this way about her but never told her? Because of Lisa?”

“I- I honestly have no idea anymore.” he breathed out shakily, avoiding Sam's eyes “All I know is that (Y/n) was a story that took place only in my mind and it's better if I just leave it to-”

“Dean” Sam said much more firmly this time “No, just no. You can't leave it like this. Seeing her again must have meant something, it must have-” he paused “C-can I ask you something? If- if it came to... choosing. If it came to choosing between Lisa and (Y/n), if it came to having to be with just one, if you could go back in time and change it all... who would it be? Do you even know who you'd chose?”

Dean's lips parted but no words came out. His lower lip trembled and he closed it again. He looked out of the window for a good few seconds, as his eyes got glossy. He clenched his jaw and turned to face his brother, no words being needed for Sam to instantly under his answer.

His eyebrows shot up and a small gasp left Sam's lips “Oh wow.”

“In a freakin' heartbeat.” Dean breathed out in a raspy voice “Faster than a blink of an eye. I'd just- I'd take her, all of her. I'd grab her a-and even run away, Sammy. From all of this. I- I would take that leap into the unknown. I'd do it all better, I would be better for her. Everything she asked me. I would it all for (Y/n). Without a second thought.”

“Well-” Sam smiled softly at his brother, pushing Dean's phone closer to him “Here's your second chance.”

[sevenpabosandabunchoffans]

The Meaning of Family | The Beginning or the End? {Part 1}

Characters: Kim Taehyung, Original Characters, Park Jimin, Kim Seokjin, Kim Namjoon, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Jeon Jungkook

Words: 5028

Genre: High School Student!Taehyung, Soccer Player!Taehyung

Warnings: lots of fluff, Jimin is suffering from a broken heart so give him lots of love, angst, smut, unprotected sex do not do what they did in this unless you are fully prepared to take on any consequences that may come from it

Summary: “Does anything ever happen between Taehyung and Kortni?”; A new person shows up and Taehyung is not too happy with their presence; Time Period - Taehyung and Jimin’s senior year, ranging over a 3 month period; Ages: Jin - 38, Namjoon - 37, Yoongi - 20/21, Hoseok - 19/20, Jimin - 18, Taehyung - 18, Christian - 17/18, Kortni - 17/18, Jungkook - 16, Sammie - 19-22 months

A/N: So since this first part answers that question, any subsequent parts to this storyline will come if it gets requested....I know, I’m evil :D Hope you enjoy! <3

“Look who finally decided to show up, Mr. Captain~” Kortni called out as Taehyung approached their regular soccer field. It was their last day before school started back up after Christmas break and their final soccer season of their high school careers was about to begin. It had been announced after tryouts that Taehyung would be the captain of the boys’ team. “I heard Joy was very eager to congratulate you.” Taehyung set his sports bag on the sideline of the empty field and pulled his soccer ball out, smirking as he joined Kortni in the center of the field. Kortni scoffed at his expression and reached out to playfully shove his shoulder. “Why are you such a manwhore?”

Taehyung held his finger up to stop her. “Ah, ah, ah, manwhores will sleep with anybody. I have standards.”

Kortni held back a laugh at that. “Pfft, what standards?”

“Well, I’ve never tried to sleep with you, have I?” Taehyung flashed her a smile as her jaw dropped in irritation.

“Oh, you are such a jerk!” She punched him on the arm as he laughed before taking the soccer ball out of his hands. “I start~” As she set the ball in the middle of the field, Taehyung took his spot across from her, still laughing. He only turned serious once Kortni nodded to him that she was ready, and they began their regular scrimmage.

After nearly an hour of playing, the score coming out to a tie, the two of them sat on the ground, sipping from bottles of water that were kept cool by the January air. “How’s Jimin doing?” Kortni asked, and Taehyung gave a small shrug.

“He’s still heartbroken.” He brought his bottle of water back up to his mouth but spoke again before taking a sip. “I don’t blame him, it’s the first holiday season since she dumped him.”

“Not to mention that she was his first love.” Kortni commented. “That would be hard for anyone to get over.” Taehyung stared at her with interest until Kortni looked up and noticed. “What?”

Taehyung shrugged. “I never took you for a romantic.”

Kortni shot him a playful glare. “Watch it, I can still kick your ass~”

“I’d like to see you try~” Taehyung laughed, leaning back as she tried to swat his arm. “Alright, I gotta get home for dinner." He said once he’d calmed down, standing up and gathering his things. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“No, I was totally planning on dropping out of school with one semester left just to avoid you.” Taehyung laughed sarcastically as the two of them made their way to their respective vehicles.

“I’m home!” Taehyung called out as he entered the house, immediately seeing Hoseok lounging on the couch on his laptop. He made his way to the kitchen where his dad was. “What’s for dinner?”

“Caprese pasta~” Jin responded as he drained the pasta. “It’ll be ready in a few minutes; can you go ask Jimin to come set the table?”

Taehyung nodded and made his way to their shared bedroom, unable to do anything but feel pain for his brother as he saw him curled up on his bed completely covered by a blanket. He sighed as he set his sports bag down, getting ready to use his normal tactic to get Jimin out of his funk. “Come on, Jimin, time to get out of bed.”

The lump on the bed shifted until the other 18-year-old was peeking out of the comfort of his blanket. “Leave me to suffer alone~”

“Sorry, no can do. It’s against the rules of this family.” Jimin retreated back into his makeshift shelter. “But seriously, it’s your turn to set the table for dinner.” Jimin stayed quiet and didn’t reveal himself again. “Alright, you asked for it.” Taehyung walked over and pulled the blanket off of Jimin, throwing it to the corner of their room so he couldn’t pull it back over himself. “Up~”

“No.”

“I will literally drag you out of this bed.” Taehyung threatened, only honesty laced through his statement.

“I don’t doubt you will.”

True to his word, Taehyung took hold of his brother’s ankles and tugged him until he was off the bed, Jimin going limp and subjecting himself to his fate as Taehyung dragged him across the floor and out of their room. Taehyung didn’t let up as he crossed the living room where Hoseok and Jungkook, who had arrived home from hanging out with Yugyeom at some point while Taehyung was trying to coax Jimin out of bed, didn’t even bat an eye as they were so used to the action. “I got him!” Taehyung announced as he entered the room with Jimin’s body.

Jin turned around and his eyes immediately widened. “Taehyung, what have I told you about dragging Jimin around like a ragdoll?”

“How else was I supposed to get him in here?” Taehyung retorted as he let Jimin’s legs fall to the floor. Jin just ignored him and moved to Jimin, pulling him to his feet, at which point the 18-year-old moved to grab plates from the cabinet.

The next day, Taehyung dropped his lunch tray on the table with irritation before sitting across from Kortni. “If my child care teacher wasn’t such a bitch then my life would be perfect.” He angrily bit into his breadstick.

“Someone’s still salty about the one time he got a B on an assignment.” Kortni snickered.

“My dad, who has worked in a preschool for 20 years, helped me make that activity plan, and she turned around and said it wasn’t age appropriate for preschoolers because it involved word labels.” Taehyung stared at Kortni, who shrugged.

“I get it, she’s a bitch who doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Thank you~” Taehyung popped a grape in his mouth. “She’s the main reason I’m happy summer break starts early for seniors.”

“On the plus side, you can now let off your frustration towards her during practice.” Kortni pointed out before taking a bite of her pasta.

A few days later, Taehyung arrived at the soccer field for practice, waving at Kortni who was on the designated field for the girls’ team, before setting his bag down and beginning to stretch. “Alright, boys~” The coach gathered them around. “Before we actually start practice, we have a last-minute tryout today. This is Christian, and he just transferred here from Cabot.” Taehyung vaguely recognized the male as the new student in his AP Lit class. “So, let’s give him a fair tryout. Taehyung,” the 18-year-old immediately looked at his coach. “Although I get the final say, I would love the captain’s input.” Taehyung nodded and waited for the coach to begin the tryout.

All throughout Christian’s tryout, the most prominent thought in Taehyung’s mind was wow this dude is cocky. His arrogance permeated through the air any time he successfully made a goal, stole the ball from someone else, or was able to escape without losing the ball. Taehyung thought he might be imagining things, but he was sure Christian was targeting him by sending smirks his way each time. Even though something was off about the guy, Taehyung knew he had to put that to the back of his mind when the coach asked for his opinion. “I can’t lie, the guy’s good.”

Christian was immediately welcomed to the team and everyone cheered, although Taehyung obviously wasn’t into it. He noticed as Christian looked over towards the girls’ team and shot a wink. When Taehyung looked over, he felt something bubbling in the pit of his stomach as he saw Kortni blushing and trying to avoid looking over.

Soon after practice picked up, Taehyung forgot about the small action, and his new teammate went to the back of his mind until a week later when he was at the first rehearsal for the school musical. “Summer lovin’, had me a blast~” Taehyung sang quietly, already running through the songs before rehearsal officially started.

“Tae,” Mr. Spiridigliozzi caught the 18-year old’s attention, “I wanted to introduce you to your new understudy.”

“Understudy?” Taehyung looked at his teacher in confusion as he stood up from where he had been sitting on the stage.

Mr. Spiridigliozzi nodded as he stepped aside to reveal none other than Christian here. “This is Christian-“

“Oh, I know Christian,” Taehyung responded, trying not to glare at the guy.

“Well, Christian expressed his interest in the musical and since he was unable to audition back in December, due to him not being  a student here yet, we went ahead and let him have a special audition, so would you mind getting him caught up to where you are with your role in these next few minutes before we start?” Taehyung nodded, not trusting his voice at that moment. “Great~” The teacher pat both students on the shoulder before walking off to speak with the choir director.

“This ought to be fun,” Christian said, that smirk once again displayed across his face.

That Friday, Taehyung sat at his and Kortni’s usual table, picking at his chicken rings as he waited for Kortni to join him. When she finally did, Taehyung’s face morphed into one of slight horror. “What did you do?!”

“Oh, shut up~” Gone were Kortni’s signature curls pulled back into a ponytail, and in their place were straightened locks that flowed a few inches past her shoulders.

“No, seriously, who are you and what have you done with Kortni Stephens?” He then squinted his eyes and leaned closer to her. “Are you wearing lip gloss?!”

Kortni reached out and smacked the top of Taehyung’s head, causing him to quickly lean back and rub it. “You know, most girls like to fix their hair and makeup on occasion.” Kortni snapped at him as she opened her bottle of water.

“Yeah, but you’re not most girls.”

Kortni scoffed. “Wow, thanks, Tae~”

“No, I mean that as a complete compliment.” Taehyung said honestly. “You’re real, unlike most girls.” Kortni rolled her eyes and didn’t respond to him, nor did she attempt to hold a conversation with him for the rest of lunch.

He got an explanation for the body invasion in 7th period AP French. He was sitting next to Jimin, furiously finishing up his homework assignment when a familiar giggle reached his ears. He looked up to see Kortni with Christian, just standing outside the open classroom door and talking in the hallway. His grip on his pencil tightened when his gaze moved down and landed on their intertwined hands. He wasn’t sure how long he stared, only snapping out of it when he felt the pencil in his hand snap in half.

That evening, Taehyung paced around his and Jimin’s room as Jimin watched him from his bed. “I can’t stand him!”

“I can tell,” Jimin mused. “If looks could kill, he would have been dead ten times over.”

“I’m serious!” Taehyung exclaimed. “It’s like he’s trying to steal my life! I used to be my AP Lit teacher’s favorite student, now he comes along and becomes the teacher’s pet. I’m the lead in this year’s musical, he becomes my understudy, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he turned out to be planning out some sort of ‘accident’ for me.” Taehyung ignored Jimin’s eye roll to continue with his rant. “And finally, he’s obviously trying to take my captain spot from me.”

“You forgot how he has Kortni.”

Taehyung stopped in his tracks. “What? This has nothing to do with Kortni!”

“Are you sure?” Jimin raised his eyebrow. “Because you’re looking a little green.”

“This isn’t about Kortni~” Taehyung said firmly just a few seconds before a light knock sounded on their bedroom door.

The door pushed open to reveal Sammie toddling into the room, Yoongi standing behind her and watching her fondly. “Pizza~” She said in her cute voice, which bettered Taehyung’s mood, but only slightly.

“Woah, did I just enter a war zone?” Yoongi asked as he bent down to scoop Sammie into his arms.

“Don’t worry,” Jimin told their older brother as he stood up from his bed. “Tae’s just a little jealous.” He and Yoongi walked out of the room to join the rest of the family for movie night.

“I’m not jealous~” Taehyung grumbled, following after them.

The semester went on and it seemed to Taehyung as if his frenemy no longer existed. What started off as just straightened hair and lip gloss turned into dresses and full on makeup. Not only did her appearance change, but so did her behavior. She became gigglier and was almost always seen clinging onto Christian’s arm. She also went from spending every lunch with Taehyung to every other day to not at all. The final straw was during early April at a party. He was leaning against the wall, flirting with Emily, one of Kortni’s teammates, when he looked up and noticed the aforementioned girl standing in the corner, looking around awkwardly. “Excuse me~” Taehyung said to Emily before making his way across the room. “What are you doing here? You don’t even like parties~” Those were the first words Taehyung had said to her in months other than during French class.

Kortni looked up, seeming surprised that Taehyung had approached her. “Christian wanted to come by for a little bit.” She answered.

“Of course, he did~” Taehyung muttered. “And where is Christian right now?”

“Oh, he just had to go to the bathroom, he should be right ba-hey!” Taehyung had grabbed her by the wrist and started to tug her towards the front door. “Let go!”

“I’m taking you home.” Taehyung said, not stopping until Kortni yanked her arm from his grip.

“No, I’m staying here with my boyfriend!”

“Do you really not see it?!” Taehyung asked, whirling around to face her. “Your so called ‘boyfriend’ is changing you!” He finally got off his chest what had been troubling him since the beginning of the year.

“He is not changing me.” Kortni insisted.

“Really? Because you literally told me six months ago that you would admit I’m a better soccer player than you before being caught wearing makeup and guess what, you still haven’t admitted it.”

“You don’t know anything about relationships, all you know is how to get in some girl’s pants!” At this point, neither of them cared that they had become the center of attention at the party.

“Well I do know that if you have to become a whole different person to please someone, then that’s not any relationship you need to be in!”

An expression of realization crossed Kortni’s face. “I get what this is really about. You’re jealous because this is something I beat you at.”

Taehyung looked at her incredulously. “What?”

“Yeah, I got into a serious relationship before you did, and you can’t handle coming second in anything, so now you’re lashing out. Grow up, Taehyung!”

“This has nothing to do with our rivalry, Kortni!” Taehyung exclaimed. “This is about how Christian is a jerk and the person I consider to be my closest friend is going to end up hurt by him!” The two of them remained silent after Taehyung’s confession.

Christian arrived a few seconds later, obviously noticing the tension between the two. “Is everything okay over here?”

Before Taehyung could tell him to fuck off, Kortni spoke up. “No, Tae was just leaving.” Taehyung shot her a look, one full of hurt, before walking out of the house.

Kortni didn’t show up to school for a few days, which gave Taehyung time to think over their argument and plan out a way to apologize to her. On the exact day he’d picked out to share his apology, he was elated to see a familiar ponytail sitting on the wall at the edge of the courtyard. He headed straight towards her, wanting to go ahead and patch things up before going to the band room to get some morning rehearsal in before class. “Well, look who’s back~” The smile fell from Taehyung’s face when he heard a sniffle and saw Kortni angle her body away from him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Go away, Taehyung~” If the sniffle hadn’t already done so, the waver in Kortni’s voice made it obvious that she had been crying.

“No, tell me what’s wrong?”

“Why?!” Kortni’s head shot up, revealing just how red and puffy her eyes were. “So, you can gloat about how you were right? Just leave me alone~” She grabbed her backpack and stood up, running off to find somewhere more private to let out her feelings.

Taehyung clenched his jaw before turning back to the parking lot, heading to where he saw a certain someone hanging around their truck with their friends. As soon as he arrived at the group of young males, he was shoving the owner of the truck. “What the fuck did you do to her, Christian?!”

“Dude, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That smirk was still painted across his face as he looked around at his friends who were snickering away.

“Kortni.” Taehyung said, shoving him again. “What did you do to her?”

“Oh, you mean the prude!” Taehyung felt a fire burning inside of him after hearing Christian refer to her in that way. “Yeah, I got tired of her. I mean, three months and no action, come on~” He fakely smiled at Taehyung. “You understand, right?”

“No, I don’t understand, because I don’t string girls along and make them cry.” Taehyung glared at the boy.

Christian sucked air through his teeth as he shook his head. “That’s not what I’ve heard. Then again, you have been working on her for years now, right? Maybe you’ll actually get lucky now, thanks to me.” Taehyung took a step forward, but Christian held his hands up. “Woah, woah, you don’t want to do anything to risk your precious captain spot. And we all know who Coach would pick to take your place.” Taehyung clenched his jaw and with one last glare towards Christian, he walked away.

In his child care class, Taehyung finished his assignment early, so he took the extra sheet of construction paper he had grabbed and started drawing and writing on it, hoping to have it finished by lunch. He did, and he went straight to his and Kortni’s usual table, happy to see her sitting there. He set his tray down and began digging through his backpack. “Tae, I told you to leave me alone-“

“And I will,” Taehyung assured her. “I just want to give you this first.” He pulled his hand out of his backpack to reveal the card he had made in class and the small gift-wrapped box he’d placed in there that morning before school. “Happy birthday, Kortni~” After setting the gifts on the table in front of the shocked now 18-year-old, he went to sit with Jimin. He didn’t attempt to talk to her later in French, not wanting to push her until she was ready, but he couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face as he saw her already wearing the charm bracelet that he had spent months collecting charms for.

That Saturday, he was laying on his bed reading when he received a shocking text. Are you still coming over tonight? Long before Christian appeared in their lives, the two had planned to have a movie night that weekend, prom weekend, since neither of them found the appeal in going to the school dance.

He unlocked his phone to type back his response. Is that still happening?

He received a reply just a few seconds letter. I’ve already made a pillow fort big enough for two.

And that’s how Taehyung found himself at Kortni’s door that evening. “So, your mom’s allowing you to have a guy over for an indefinite period of time tonight?” Taehyung asked as Kortni let him into her house, knowing just how conservative the girl’s mother was.

“She doesn’t exactly know.” Kortni answered. “She’s out of town on some gospel retreat.”

They didn’t speak again until a few movies later, other than commentary on the films. “So…” Taehyung turned his head on the pillow to look at Kortni, “I haven’t thanked you for my bracelet yet…thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Taehyung responded, sitting up. “Do you like the charms I picked?”

“Yeah! At least the ones that I know the meaning of. Like the soccer ball is obvious, it didn’t take much to figure out the fleur de lis or the ponytail.” Taehyung reached out and lightly took her hand in his, admiring the way the bracelet looked on her. “But I can’t figure out what this 4 is supposed to mean.” Kortni fingered the gold charm dangling from her wrist.

“Oh, that’s just the number of years we’ve known each other, going back to the very first time you approached me at the soccer fields.” Taehyung explained, smiling at her.

Kortni bit her lip and took her hand out of Taehyung’s. “This seems kind of sentimental for your supposed arch nemesis.”

“You may be my arch nemesis, but you’re also my best friend.” Taehyung said softly.

“So, you don’t actually hate me and aren’t just doing the whole ‘keep your enemies close thing’?” Kortni teased, bringing small laughter from the pair.

“Trust me when I say I’ve never hated you. In fact, believe it or not, I actually had a crush on you when we first met.” Kortni was rendered speechless, only able to tilt her head as she watched Taehyung talk. “I even talked to Jimin about how in love I was. But then you came out with all that shit about trying to take me down and that was the end of that.”

“Wait, you loved me?” Kortni asked, seeming to have latched onto that one part of Taehyung’s confession.

“I mean, I was only 14 and had never had a girl actually talk to me without openly flirting with me, so-“ Taehyung froze when Kortni leaned in and pressed her lips against his. After a few seconds of registering what was going on, he let his eyes fall closed and began to move his lips against hers, soon after bringing one of his hands up to caress her face and letting the other one fall to her waist. He tensed up when he felt her hand fall on his upper thigh, extremely close to his crotch, but relaxed as he convinced himself that it didn’t mean anything, only for her hands to creep up his chest and tug at the top button of his flannel. “Wait, wait~” He lightly pushed her away. “I didn’t mean to make you feel pressured or anything.”

“You didn’t~” Kortni stated, completely serious and Taehyung could see it in her eyes. “I want to.”

She leaned in again, and Taehyung welcomed the softness of her lips on his for a few seconds before pulling back. “I don’t have a condom.”

Kortni bit her lip again, and Taehyung moved to lay back down to start watching the movie again but stopped when she spoke. “I’m on birth control, if that helps.”

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Wait, your mom, the queen of conservativeness, let you-“

“It’s for period control, like cramps and stuff.” Kortni shrugged. “And you could, you know, pull out too if you needed to, right?”

Taehyung knew he probably should have said no and stopped things there, but he found himself unable to keep from leaning back in and molding his lips to hers. They didn’t progress past kissing for a few minutes, as Taehyung didn’t want to rush through things. When he finally decided to deepen the kiss by slipping his tongue between Kortni’s parted lips, he gently pushed her to lay back onto the pillows and climbed over her. They continued to take their time, slowly removing articles of clothing piece by piece until they were finally down to just their underwear.

Taehyung fingered at the clasp of her bra without making any moves to take it off. “Are you absolutely sure?” He waited until she responded with a ‘yes’ before unhooking the clasp and removing the undergarment from her body. Before she even had the chance to cover her breasts out of shyness, he leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to the top of her chest, beginning a trail down her body to the hem of her panties.

It was when he reached the top of the fabric and had started to tug them down that Kortni spoke up again. “You’re not going to do anything down there, right? Like, no oral?” Taehyung paused in his movements and looked up at her. “The thought of it just kind of weirds me out.”

“Not if you don’t want me to.” Taehyung assured her before slowly tugging her panties down her legs. “But it’ll probably hurt more if I don’t.”

“That’s okay~” Kortni said as Taehyung pulled his own underwear off. “I trust you.”

He leaned down and kissed her once more, taking hold of his member to guide it towards her entrance before parting from her lips. “If we go on from here, we can’t go back, so are you 100% sure?”

Kortni reached up and encased his face in her hands. “Yes, I am absolutely, positively, 100% sure.”

Taehyung allowed her to pull his face down until their lips met, using it as a distraction as he pushed the tip in. He stopped once he felt her tense up and whimper against his mouth and pulled back from the kiss. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered, taking hold of her hand and intertwining their fingers as he looked at the pained expression on her face. “Just tell me if you want to stop.” She shook her head and squeezed his hand. “Am I okay to move?” She nodded, and he pushed deeper, stopping again after a few seconds to allow her to adjust. He continued this until he was fully inside her, letting out a quiet groan at the feeling. “You still good?” He asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead afterward.

“Y-yeah, just wait a little bit~” She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close until there was absolutely no space between their bodies, burying her face in his shoulder. With the new position, Taehyung nuzzled his face against her neck, leaving gentle kisses everywhere he could reach in hopes of providing comfort to her.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually her grip on him loosened. “Okay, you can move now.”

Taehyung pulled away from her neck and propped himself on his forearms, leaning in for their lips to meet yet again as he began to rock his hips against hers, only making shallow thrusts so as not to push her limits. Everything was blocked out of Taehyung’s mind except for the feeling of his lips on hers and their bodies moving together. Even the pain from her fingernails digging into his back was nonexistent as they connected in a way that before that moment, Taehyung never would have imagined to be possible.

He woke up the next morning to Kortni’s curls tickling his nose and his phone vibrating loudly. He opened his eyes and immediately realized that Kortni was curled up against him, her head resting on his chest. Once his phone began to vibrate again, he slowly moved out from under her without disturbing her slumber. When he was free, he sat up and leaned forward to grab his jeans, pulling his phone out of his pocket and immediately answering it once he saw who was calling. “Hey, Dad-“

“Don’t ‘hey dad’ me!” Jin cried into the phone. “Taehyung Kim, you better have a good reason for staying out all night and ignoring my calls and texts!”

“I’m really sorry, Dad! Kortni and I fell asleep while watching movies last night and I just now woke up. Trust me, I was not intentionally ignoring you.” Taehyung whispered, still trying to not wake Kortni up.

He heard his dad breathe a sigh of relief. “As long as you’re okay…just come home soon, alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll be home in a few minutes.” Taehyung hung up the phone and got up, gathering his clothes to redress himself. Once he was situated, he walked over to Kortni’s desk, softly smiling when he saw the card he made for her propped up by her picture frames and tore a piece of paper out of one of her notebooks, grabbing a pen and writing a note for her so she wouldn’t be upset when she woke up and saw he was gone. After the note was finished, he kneeled next to Kortni on the floor, pressing his lips to her forehead before leaving, making sure to grab the plastic cup he had ended up finishing in the night before to throw in the trash outside to limit the risk of Kortni’s mom seeing it and finding out her daughter wasn’t as pure as she thought. As he closed the door to her room, he failed to notice that the slight wind created from the action cause the note to move slightly, just enough to fall off the edge and become lost between the furniture and the wall.

That next Monday, he sat at their usual lunch table, waiting for her to arrive, but she never did. He convinced himself that she was busy meeting with a teacher or talking to her teammates as he gathered his trash to throw away. That was proven untrue by the end of the day. He perked up in his seat as he saw Kortni enter their French class, only for it to feel like he had been punched in the stomach when she chose to sit across the room from him rather than in her normal seat in front of him. He could feel Jimin’s eyes on him, silently asking what was wrong, but all Taehyung could focus on was how what he thought was the start of a relationship between them was actually the end of their friendship.

Next Part

[onlystraightforjongup]

Daeup - Navigational Error

Next chapter! (on AO3)

AO3 Account

Summary: "Don't worry. It's not gay if it's on the moon." "Then that's a problem, sweetheart, considering I'm the only Moon here."

Daehyun's excited for his first mission on the moon as a tactician working to reclaim Mars from Moon Jongup. The base he lands on isn't anything like what he expected the moon base would be like. The real question here is how can Yoo Youngjae be the smartest navigator in the galaxy and still manage to fuck up this bad.

Daehyun slammed the door to the ship open, taking a breath of the fresh moon air (okay, well taking a breath of the slightly-smelly, definitely-recycled fake air of the moon’s space station) and scanning the facility. No signs of life. He frowned; someone was supposed to meet them outside but no matter.

“We have arrived!” Daehyun announced, throwing out his arms and grinning out into his lack of an audience.

“Good for you?” a quiet voice answered, and Daehyun jumped, spinning to his right and peering down to find whoever spoke. He couldn’t find the man who spoke, but the ship next to him (who was using such an old, run-down ship?? That couldn’t be safe) had a light coming out from under it.

“Hello?” Daehyun called. He bit at the inside of his cheek, unsure why he didn’t get the expected welcome. The light under the ship moved, and Daehyun watched as legs emerged from under it, followed by a torso, and finally a whole person slid out from under the ship. The garish lighting allowed Daehyun to see him quite well even as he flicked the light off.

He had a big oil smudge on his cheek, and Daehyun grimaced as he ran an oily hand through his hair. The man looked decidedly unimpressed with him, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Please tell me you know how to get down at least.” The exasperated tone made him sound older and much more tired, but as he crossed his arms, he almost resembled a grumpy child. Daehyun would have smiled if – you know – the man hadn’t just questioned his education.

“Oh course I do!” Daehyun said, his mouth opening a little because why the hell would the man think he was that stupid? He slammed a finger onto the button to lower the walkway. “I trained for five years for this mission! I am not incompetent!”

“Oh?” the man said, still not looking very impressed. “We got a graduate on our hands. Cool.” Daehyun walked down the walkway, taking a better look at the man as he did. The guy had a mark on his nose. Daehyun wasn’t sure if it was dirt or a mole. He also looked very handsome, and Daehyun appreciated his facial structure more than he should have but that was a thought to consider later, when the man wasn’t practically glaring.

“Why do you sound surprised?” Daehyun asked. “Everyone attends training!” He’d thought they’d left the games behind at the academy, but apparently this guy – engineer? Maintenance worker? – wanted to play some power game with him. Daehyun scowled. He wasn’t going to let anyone push him around here.

“I didn’t.” The man rubbed one of his blue sleeves across his eyes, and Daehyun wondered if all the maintenance people wore blue as opposed to the normal red. It made sense; they’d be easy to recognize around the ship. He smeared the motor oil around further with his sleeve.

Daehyun grimaced at the sight before the man’s words really registered.

“You didn’t? How are you working here then?” Daehyun couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice; he’d never heard of another worker going to the moon without heavy training. His friends had been shocked when Daehyun told them of his mission; usually, students completed at least six years of training before even being considered for a mission. “Are you a genius or something?”

“Something like that, I guess,” the man shrugged, looking unconcerned even for as shocked as Daehyun seemed. “So why are you here?”

“I’m Jung Daehyun, rank silver and communications and tactic specialist. I briefed command central about my arrival only a couple hours ago.” The engineer nodded, pausing and Daehyun heard him make a quiet, rhythmic clicking sound as he thought.

“First time on the moon then?” the man asked. He smiled at Daehyun for the first time, soft and serene, and Daehyun felt his heart jump at how it looked. Wait, what the hell? Daehyun held back the urge to touch his hand to his chest because what just happened? Sure, the man was attractive and all but he – Daehyun shook his head to clear his thoughts. He shouldn’t be thinking about this. Instead he focused on the man before him. For as weird as the man seemed, Daehyun wanted to make a good first impression.

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s my first mission. So please, if you know who I should talk to –”

“What’s your impression of the Moon base?” the man asked, and Daehyun watched a faint amusement cross his face. He realized the asshole totally enjoyed messing with him. Daehyun looked around, considering the high metal walls and how his ship was clearly the newest in the entire hanger. And shouldn’t the hanger be bigger? Daehyun knew Youngjae steered them into the largest one.

“It’s… smaller than I thought?” Daehyun admitted, frowning a little as he considered the walls. He looked at the floor and saw a small pile of food wrappers sitting near where the man had been working on the other ship. “Older and dirtier too.”

The man’s smile grew larger and more amused, and Daehyun wondered if should have held his tongue or lied and said the base looked really nice when it so obviously didn’t.

“I appreciate the honesty,” he said. “This is my hanger.” The man shrugged. “’Round here everyone just calls me Moon.” Daehyun let a smile tug at his lips at the name, raising his eyebrows.

“They call you Moon? Because you work on the moon? That’s creative.” Moon chuckled, looking back past Daehyun and towards the empty space behind them.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when an engineer has to make a catchy name.”

“You’re an engineer then?”

“Among other things,” Moon said. Daehyun wondered if he meant to sound so mysterious or if Daehyun just had gotten way too used to the Academy. The Academy preached always introducing yourself with your rank and specialty for maximum efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, Daehyun really should go find the commanding officer before Youngjae finished changing the settings to the ship.

“Could you lead me to the CO’s command center?” Daehyun asked, hoping the strange – though friendly – Moon would help and not leave Daehyun to wander the halls alone.

“He’s quite busy right now. I’ve been asked the entertain you until he can meet with you,” Moon said, his face morphing into that soft smile. Daehyun wondered how old he was; his expression changed Daehyun’s perception of his age drastically. The cute smile he sported now made him look years younger, and the smeared motor oil gave him an innocent aura.

Daehyun found him quite cute honestly. Even if he just told Daehyun the CO was apparently too busy for Daehyun to brief him about the mission.

“Well, in that case,” Daehyun said with a grumble he tried to hide from his voice. “Can you show me where to get some food?”

“Can’t leave here,” Moon said. “I’ve got some snacks though?”

“Sounds good to me,” Daehyun said, ready for anything as long as he got to eat. Moon handed him a protein bar and Daehyun felt the warmth of his skin as he passed it over.

“Want to help me with repairs?” Moon asked.

“I – I’m not an engineer!” Daehyun protested. “I can’t make repairs!”

“Sure you can,” Moon said. “Just listen to what I tell you.” He led Daehyun back to the other ship, and Daehyun hastily finished the protein bar and followed Moon, watching him bend down and grab a tool. His eyes flickered to Moon’s ass – which was not respectful or professional in the least – and Daehyun mentally slapped himself. This was not the time for that, and he refused to make a fool of himself after working so hard for this mission.

Moon handed him a pair of goggles, for safety, his brain so helpfully told him. Moon smiled, and Daehyun looked between him and the goggles.

“You ever been under a ship?” Moon raised an eyebrow as Daehyun shook his head. “You’d think they teach that at the Academy.”

“Not an engineer. Communications and tactics are more my thing,” Daehyun admitted. “They had to send Youngjae up here with me because I once caught a ship on fire.”

“Ah, Yoo Youngjae,” Moon nodded. “Heard of him. They say he’s the most talented young navigator in the galaxy.” A funny smile played on Moon’s lips, as though he knew a joke Daehyun didn’t. Daehyun tried to ignore how uncomfortable it made him feel. “Must be important to get you here for them to send him.”

“Well, I am working to reclaim Mars,” Daehyun said. “But, yes, that’s Youngjae.”

“Reclaim Mars, you say?” The weird smile grew even further. Daehyun pushed down more discomfort. “How d’you plan going about that?”

“The Mars base is old. It can’t have that many defenses.”

“So people say,” Moon said with a shrug. “Where’s the proof?” He knelt down to run a hand over the metal of the ship, and Daehyun bent over beside him. Daehyun frowned as he noticed a name inscribed onto the ship. The metal was too scuffed for Daehyun to read it, but he hadn’t seen a ship with a name inscribed on it in years.

“Well, Jongup and his men may be known for their accuracy, but a full, all-sides attack would overpower them. Besides, Jongup expects sneaky. I think full-frontal attacks scare him.” Daehyun had spent years developing a specific battle plan against the Mars invader. He wouldn’t go into detail, not when there were ears everywhere, but he couldn’t help but brag a little about what he knew.

Sue him for his pride. Daehyun didn’t care what people thought.

“Really?” Moon said. He sounded amused. “Isn’t a full-frontal attack predictable though?”

“Not if we send a drone in to dismantle his shield first. Convince him it’s a sneak and then just take out the shield and go all out.” Daehyun held back his smile. He’d developed the plans for that drone, and the CO’s secretary informed him they’d finished its construction. Moon frowned.

“That’s actually a decent plan,” he said, nodding at Daehyun. “You’ve earned my respect.” Daehyun held back a retort about not caring about some random engineer’s respect, not happy he’d called Daehyun’s plan only decent. “Now, back to work.”

He slipped under the ship with ease, and Daehyun did an awkward wiggle to look under with him, slipping the goggles onto his face. Moon must have given him his own goggles, Daehyun realized, because the man didn’t have any on.

“What are you doing under here?” Daehyun asked, flinching as Moon flicked the light on and lit up the bottom of the ship. The bottom had been opened and Daehyun only saw a mess of tubes and wires reaching out like the limbs of an octopus around the bottom of the ship.

“General checkup,” Moon said, sounding distant as he prodded at a tube. “There’s an oil leak somewhere in here. Problem is there’s lots of tubes.” Daehyun nodded, watching him move tubes around. He noticed he focused on the gray tubes, and figured those, as opposed to the blue and red, were the fuel tubes.

Daehyun felt a little proud he’d realized anything about the mess of technology above him. Moon poked at a tube, shifting it to look for a hole and a small waterfall of oil flowed out. Daehyun flinched away from it, not wanted that on him, thank you very much. Moon had less luck.

“Dammit! Fucking hell!”

Daehyun looked at him to see him clamping a hand over his eye. Moon rolled to his side, groaning in pain as he pressed his hand firmly against his eye. Daehyun noticed the motor oil drip onto his lips and grimaced before realizing he really should take care of this situation.

He pulled Moon out from under the ship, ignoring the one-eyed glare and the huff from Moon as Daehyun manhandled him out. Daehyun rolled his eyes.

“That was stupid,” Daehyun told him, pulling him up to his feet. “You didn’t have to take me under there. Where’s your safety kit?” He pulled off the goggles and tossed them to the floor.

“Bathroom,” Moon said, hissing the word out as he kept his hand firmly clamped over his one eye. Daehyun was happy to note he wasn’t rubbing it at least. With the other hand, Moon waved towards an inconspicuous door on the side of the hanger. Daehyun wrapped an arm around Moon’s waist to lead him over there.

“I can walk on my own,” Moon said, voice low. Daehyun could see red creeping up his cheeks and wondered whether it was because of embarrassment or pain. Motor oil dripped down his face, and Daehyun reached out and wiped some of it off with a sigh.

“Maybe so, but then you’d run into something.” More oil ran towards his other eye, and Daehyun stopped before it could. He raised the bottom of his red t-shirt and wiped the oil off Moon’s face, protecting his other eye. Daehyun noticed the mark on his nose was definitely a mole.

Moon’s good eye widened with shock, and Daehyun noticed it flick down to his stomach and back up to Daehyun’s face. He tried not to smile at the fact Moon definitely checked him out. Daehyun dropped the shirt and moved back a step, watching the red continue up Moon’s face. Definitely embarrassment, he realized.

Once in the bathroom, Daehyun ordered Moon to sit on the counter. He did, replacing his hand with a wash cloth that Daehyun handed him. Daehyun looked around for an eyewash station, sighing when he didn’t see one.

“Where is the eyewash station?” Daehyun asked with a frown, hoping he wasn’t just stupid and missed it.

“Don’t have one,” Moon said with a shrug.

“They’re protocol.” Daehyun frowned. He’d never even seen a training facility without one. “Here.” He filled a cup with water and handed it to Moon, who took it with a grimace and carefully pulled the rag away, running water into his eye. Moon cringed, and Daehyun reached over and took his free hand, letting Moon squeeze it as his eye stung.

“Thanks,” Moon said grudgingly. His good eye flicked to Daehyun and back again. Daehyun smiled at him.

“No problem.” Daehyun grinned, his confidence growing as Moon regripped his hand. “I don’t mind helping cute guys.”

“Think I’m cute?” Moon glanced at him again. “Thanks. You’re not bad either.”

“Not bad?” Daehyun echoed, knowing Moon thought he was more attractive than that. “I’m offended.” Moon smiled at him again with that softer smile. Daehyun liked that one a lot. It softened Moon’s features and gave him an innocence that wasn’t even lost when he tried to break every bone in Daehyun’s hand.

After about ten minutes, Moon finally stopped hissing with pain and blinked his eye open. Daehyun winced at how bloodshot it was, and Moon rubbed at it with his free hand.

“That - was a poor decision,” he said, and Daehyun had to laugh.

“So now you admit it.” Daehyun continued to hold his hand as they walked back towards Daehyun’s ship. “Youngjae should be done soon,” he mused. “When can I meet the CO?”

“He’ll call for you,” Moon said, waving a vague hand towards the door that must lead to the main facilities. Daehyun frowned at the answer.

“So, you doing any other work here? Other than the battle plans?” Daehyun felt Moon’s eyes sharpen and wondered why he cared so much.

“Not too much. Helping out here and there with efficiency. Although I thought the technology here was much further along than it is…”

“You’ll have to keep me updated on all that.”

Daehyun nodded. He wouldn’t mind spending more time with Moon at all. Something banged hard in his ship, and Daehyun turned to face it, lines creasing his forehead. “What is Youngjae doing in there?”

“CO, sir!” almost at the same moment, a voice yelled from the doorway Moon had gestured towards. Daehyun started.

“Is that for me?” he asked, confused by the unfamiliar summons. Moon chuckled.

“No, it’s for me. Nice meeting you, Daehyun. I wish you luck.” He leaned in and kissed Daehyun, whose eyes widened for a brief second then closed. Daehyun brought up a hand and ran it through Moon’s hair, not even minding the still-present motor oil. He deepened the kiss and felt Moon’s chuckle as Daehyun’s tongue licked across his lips, asking for access. Moon’s hand trailed up his back, running over tight skin and a little muscle.

Breathing heavy, Daehyun broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against Moon’s and staring into his eyes. The eyes were amused but also… cold? Daehyun’s smile fell a little at the sight.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered against the lips he wanted to kiss again. “It’s not gay if it’s on the moon.” Moon chuckled, kissing him once again but this time much shorter, then pulling away.

“Then that’s a problem, sweetheart. Because I’m the only moon here.” Before Daehyun could ask what he meant, Youngjae raced out of the spaceship.

“Daehyun! We need to get out of here!” Daehyun spun around and saw Youngjae’s eyes widen almost comically, fixing on something behind him. Moon, Daehyun realized, just as Youngjae began to stammer. “J – Jongup!” Daehyun froze, spinning back around. Moon – Jongup because his full name was Moon Jongup and now everything made sense and that’s why he was wearing blue and oh my god, Daehyun was an idiot – laughed and turned away.

He waved a casual hand behind him as he made his way towards where a woman waited for him. Daehyun watched, open-mouthed until he reached the doorway. He turned back, grinning at Daehyun.

“Those battle plans were good, Daehyun! But… I’d suggest revising them now.” Then he was gone, and Daehyun stared after helplessly until Youngjae yelled for him to get his tiny ass back on the ship.