#went overboard with the lighting but its okay. in the words of my friend 'sad gays get attacked by a swarm of fireflies'

[crescentfool]

parting ways

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ THE PROPOSITION ❜

with Angel Reyes.

Chapter Three, final. Index.

Request #1: Hola! Angel asking for Felipe to have Marisol's ring cause he went to propose to his girlfriend. But Felipe says No cause he thinks EZ deserve its more. ( And cause WE know he love EZ more ) So Angel is like " Fuck this shit" And either is breaks in Felipe house to steal this ring Or Either he go brought the biggest and perfect ring ! 🤩

BY ANON

Request #2: Hey! Angel do something very impressive for his girlfriend ( like big and impressive asking for marriage or Travel 5 states just for see her) and this ending by Felipe being very impressive by his Sons and take conscience he is a bad dad for Angel. 🙏❤️🤟🤟

BY ANON

Warnings: none.

Word count: about 3k

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: @pantherclawz

Masterlist.

Almost one week without hearing his voice. Receiving one or two text messages per day, just to tell you that he's tired or that he's working. You know he is hiding something, confirming your suspicion when EZ began to decline all your calls. And, when you talked with Felipe three days ago, the only thing he told you was that he didn't know anything about his kids. So you started to think the worst. At first you thought that maybe Angel had an accident and his brother was trying to cover him, but when you called Bishop this morning, you heard your boyfriend's voice saying that he was ‘going to pick up the girl’. And now, you don't know what to think.

Licking your lips, sitting in the back garden of the house, you play with your phone between your fingers. It's almost midnight and it's a little cold outside, wearing nothing but an Angel's shirt. You decide to call him again, but it's his voicemail who answers again, even if you shouldn't be doing it after drinking too many beers, while your friends are sleeping and resting for the last seminar the next morning. But you wait for the last tone.

“Hey, it's me… your girlfriend, remember? I've been calling you… I don' know, maybe the fucking whole day. Where the fuck are you, Angel? And don't you fucking dare to tell me that you were working, 'cause I heard you this morning talking about some bitch to pick up. But fo' say something, first you have to answer the fucking phone!”

Sounds pathetic the way you are talking to him, saying all the things that you wouldn't say to him being sober. Hiccuping, you find yourself crying unconsolable, with an agonic pain oppressing your chest and squeezing your heart.

“Just… two fucking weeks, Angel! You couldn' keep your fucking dick inside your pants, for two fucking weeks! Is that the… shit I mean to you? Two years thrown overboard because of what? How many times have you done it, ah? All these… shit about not calling during a run… were you doing the same shit, Angel? How many fucking times has you betrayed me?!”

You can't help but laugh bitterly, cleaning your tears with the back of your hand, trying to calm yourself and to not wake up anyone.

“I fucking love you… with all my heart. I didn' complain about anything, never…” Although your voice sounds low and a little bit calmed, inside you there's a storm devastating you. “I put you first, always, since the first moment I met you… I can't fucking believe you're gonna lea—leave me and… the way you're doing it… I thought you were different, but I guess I was wrong”.

Hardly sniffing, you close your eyes letting go everything inside your chest, before finishing the message. Curling up your legs to surround them with both arms, you rest your chin over your knees. You can't avoid thinking about all those times he has promised you a future together, living in a big house and having children. Or about all those times he has been crying clinged to you, talking about how his father has been always putting him apart. You have cared about him more than anyone in his life. You have given him all. Without asking anything back, more than loyalty. And you wouldn't even have to ask for it.

Even so, you're starting to regret all the things you have said, without knowing if it's true or not. But how are you going to find it out, if anyone says nothing?

“Oh, shit… Oh, shit, shit, shit…” Angel is sitting on top of his bike, with a hand holding his phone and the other rubbing the bridge of his nose.

His brothers are looking at all the gestures that he's drawing unconsciously on his face. Rage, sadness, incredulous… When the message ends, he lies down over the handerball, softly hitting his head against it. He tries to call you, but your phone is practically dead, off of battery. Bishop walks towards him, having a sip from his beer.

“All good, Angel?”

“She thinks I'm fucking cheating her, because he heard me say about picking up Leti, this morning”. Stepping out from his motorcycle, he looks for Tori's number, hoping she answers the call.

Walking around the parking like a locked lion in the zoo, he's starting to think about driving right now to Los Angeles.

“The hell is wrong with you, shithead?” The female voice sounds tired, being interrupted by a long yawn.

“Tori, listen. Find (Y/N). She's drunk, thinking I'm cheating on her”.

“Yeah, 'cause you have been ignoring her ass”.

“I've been workin—”.

“Nah, c'mon, Angel. Tell these tales to someone wh—”.

“I was working to buy a wedding ring”.

Silence. Tori suddenly sits up on her bed, turning on the lights and waking up Sarah. The girl who was sleeping peacefully, now is being woken up by shaking her left arm. Having some growls as response, she looks at her girlfriend frowning, while she hears Angel's voice through the speaker.

“Just listen, please. Calm her down, okay? 'Am coming tomorrow to LA. I already talked to your boss and I can't tell you anything else. Just… calm her down, please”.

“Okay, we got this, Angel”.

Hanging up the call, both girls jump off from the bed, walking towards your room. Empty. But following your crying, they stick out their heads by the window, finding you in the garden. This hurts them too. They were with you the night you met Angel, and they also love him a lot. They know how much he cares about you and even if Sarah and Tori couldn't believe that he was with another girl, it wasn't normal his way to act the last days. But now, everything has sense, and they are pretty excited to see him tomorrow and discover what he has been preparing for the proposition.

Going downstairs and trying to hide their happiness, your friends sit by each side to hug you. A collective hug to make you feel somewhat better, but you can't stop crying.

“Baby… what's up?” Tori asks, caressing gently your hair.

“This… fucking bastard… I fucking gave him all, the best of me!”

“You talkin' 'bout Angel? C'mon, (Y/N)! He told you he made the most of his time to work a little more, and not miss you. Two weeks is too much time for you both”.

“I heard him talking about another girl”.

“So, what? Since when he can't have friends, ah? I have slept with him at his house… hundred times, and that doesn't mean that I cheated Tori, or he cheated you. And believe me, your boyfriend is a fantasy even for me”. Sarah says, making you chuckle in some way. “I'm sure he has been working hard, as you do when he is traveling. So, don't think any bullshit about Angel. He loves you more than anything, okay?”

“Let's go to bed, okay, honey? We have to be awake in five hours for a long, long, long seminar. Lucky it's the last one”. Tori says standing up on her feet, helping you to get up from the grass.

Angel comes into the clubhouse with an excited smile on his lips, like a child on Christmas Day, rubbing his hands and clapping happily calling everybody's attention.

“You got it, hermano?”

He nods energetically, walking fast to the main round table, where the oldest were waiting for him to come back from the jewelers. The Reyes tucks a hand inside his pocket in complete silence, putting over the wood a small red velvet box. Between his fingers, he supports the bottom part to open the top, showing the ring for what he has been working too hard the last two weeks; without sleeping, without resting, without a drop of alcohol, without partying. Nothing. Just working hard. The fine gold ring is perfectly resting inside a small gap, showing only the top of it. A king's crown with a diamond in it, that shines so easily with natural light that could illuminate a whole room. The crew is looking at it fascinated. And yes, the ring couldn't be perfect, but it's the feeling of pride for Angel that makes them smile.

“Fuck, brother… If she doesn' want to marry you, I will”. Creeper is captivated by the jewel, with his eyes fixed on.

“Why the fuck she wouldn't want to marry me, dumbshit?”

“Ignore him, carnal”. Coco palms his back, resting his arm on a shoulder.

“So, what you say, ah?” He asks, anxious to hear Bishop, Tranq and Taza's opinion. Without them, it couldn't be possible.

“Fuck, man, I would marry you too if you propose me with this ring”. Che is the first one, taking the step to grab the small box and have a closed look from it.

“You did a good job, Angel. You deserve it”. Tranq just says with both arms on the table.

“Prez?”

Bishop keeps looking at the box, seeming thoughtful, slowly raising his eyes to the others after some seconds in silence.

“I think you are doing the right thing for the first time since I know you. That girl deserves a man like you, Angel. And I know she is not the kind of woman who would care about the ring, but you found the perfect one”.

Your boyfriend can't feel more proud. It would be impossible.

“Go change your clothes, you have four hours of road ahead”. El Presidente places a hand on Angel's nape with a soft narrow over it.

He just nods, keeping again the box inside a pocket to get up and leave the place to his dorm, where he has been sleeping the last two weeks. The black jeans and the white shirt are perfectly stretched over his bed. The Reyes hurries up to have a shower, not wasting a second more, brushing and doing his hair with trembling fingers. He hasn't known anything about you since he talked with Tori and Sarah some hours ago, hoping that they finally calmed you down and got you rid of those ideas about him cheating you. When he's already dressed, sitting on the edge of the mattress to put on his boots, Angel grabs the black bomber jacket trespassing the box from a piece of clothing to the other, zipping the pocket to not lose it.

Coming back to the main room of the clubhouse, his brothers receive him between whistles and cheers.

“Man, you smell good”. Coco says coming too close.

“Ah, ah. Take care, brother. Don't want you to stain my fresh clothes”. He says taking a step back.

“My apologies, your grace”. He chuckles.

“Bishop?”

“Templo”. Taza says having a sip from a coffee.

Checking the hour on his phone, assuring himself that he has enough time, the Reyes leads his steps to the meeting-room, closing the glass colorful door behind him.

“Already leaving?”

“Yeah, prez, I just… want to thank you for giving me the three k left. I will continue working to gi—”.

“Take it as a wedding gift”. The mexican stops him with his own words, shaking his head and making a light gesture with a hand.

“I couldn't do it without you, Tranq and Taza”.

“I heard what you told to your brother. In the office”. He says then, lying back on his chair. “I am not going to… give you my opinion about your father, but he shouldn't behave like that, Angel”.

“I know, Bishop. And… I would thank you for not telling anything about it to (Y/N). She loves my pops”.

“That honors you”.

“Don't know, but I don't wanna be like him”.

El Presidente simply nods.

“Bring back Mrs. Reyes”.

Your head hurts like hell, having to use your glasses because of the blurry gaze you have got by the hangover. The seminar is turning out eternal. The last thing you care about right now is how to operate with an open heart, you have already done it and you could skip this part. But it's for compulsory attendance. So there you are, drawing nothing on your iPad as if you were taking notes, fighting against the pain, the tiredness and the uncertainty about Angel. He continues not answering your text or calls, and you can't help but think about what Sarah told you last night.

“... you for coming, and I hope that these two weeks have been productive for your learning”.

The claps flood the conference room, while the other doctors begin to pick up their stuff and finally leave the place. You can't believe that it's already done and that you're allowed to come back home, checking again your muttered phone expecting to find something. But the notifications bar is empty.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'm going to steal you a couple minutes. Sit back, please”. The voice of your boss through the speakers makes you raise an eyebrow.

“The desire to be noticed by that man fucks me up”. Tori chuckles with a low tone, sitting again over her seat.

“I know that we all are tired, but it's just going to be a couple minutes, I promise. I just want to help a friend”.

“No…” Sarah looks at her girlfriend really surprised, making you frown confused.

“Girls, the fuck you did?”

“You just… enjoy the show, my dear”.

You can see your boss making a gesture to someone by a side of the stage, to come closer. But when your eyes find Angel walking over it, your blood freezes and your heart stops. Lucky you're between almost more than two hundred doctors and surgeons. Leo gives up the micro to your boyfriend, looking for you. And obviously, your two friends start to yell like crazy to call his attention.

“Hey, ahm… You don't know me and I don't know you, but… I'm Angel. Dr. (Y/L/N)'s boyfriend and I came to… give her an important message”. He says with a nervous tone, before smirking at you, clearing his throat. “Hey, baby, can you… can you come here, please?”

“Go”. Your friends push you to get up, but your legs feel like butter about to fall downstairs.

As soon as he's able to hug you, he does, not caring about the claps from the people in front of you.

“Okay, okay, listen”. Holding one of your hands and pulling himself away, he laughs a little bit nervous for a second. “We met two years ago, in the middle of nowhere. I was fuc— sorry. I was hurt because of a fight. And you fixed up my wounds with so much love, patience and care, that I fell for you”.

“Angel…”

“Sh, listen. I think I'm going to have a heart attack, so let me talk before falter to the floor. Listen, you have been my best friend, my anchor, my reason to live since then. I love you more than I could ever love anyone... I can't live without you, baby. And before you say anything else like last night, no. I didn't try and I'm not going to do it, because I'm lost without you, (Y/N). So, ahm… Hey, boss, can you hold the mic'?” Turning to Leo, the man takes it back.

You're trembling, looking at your friends for a moment trying to find an explanation. But when your gaze is again on your boyfriend, he's already kneeling with a hand inside a pocket grabbing something. A small red box. And you can't believe what's happening. Taking a step back and covering your face with both hands, you start to cry like a child, with your pulse racing under your skin.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), would you marry me?”

The crew is waiting anxiously at the porch, after not receiving any news back from LA. But they all get up from their seats on the sofas and the stairs, when they hear Coco's car being driven by Angel coming closer. As soon as he parks it close to the bikes, not finding you on the passenger seat and looking at the devastated gesture on his face, they know that the proposition wasn't as they were expecting. Stepping out of the car, he just shrugs his shoulders.

“Hey, carnal, it's okay. She will reconsider it”. Coco says hugging his friend, trying to comfort him.

“She will say yes, Angel, don't give up”. Bishop palms softly his nape.

And you are drowning in laughs hidden on the floor of the back seats. Looking slightly through the window, you find the crew very affected because supposedly you said ‘no’. Taking some air, you jump out of the car yelling with a huge smile on your lips.

“Surprise, madafakas!”

“Jesus fucking Christ! I'm too old for these frights!” Taza shouts at you back, indignant with a hand on his chest barely breathing.

“I'm confused”. Gilly says from nowhere.

“What? Doesn't sound good Mrs. Reyes for you?” Walking towards them, raising the hand with the amazing ring, they all look surprised.

“I'm going to fucking shoot you, Angel”. Bishop threats him, before leading his steps to yours. “Welcome home, querida”.

“Thank you”. Hugging him, you rest your head against his chest. “Angel told me you help him”.

“It was nothing, kid”. Clicking his tongue and pulling himself away, he caresses your cheek for a second.

“Yo! Mami! You look stunning now that you're engaged”. Coco lifts you up between his arms, narrowing you under his grip.

“Yeah, you see?!”

“Hey, hey, social distancing”. Your future husband takes you off from his friend's hands, to hold you closer with an arm surrounding your neck.

“Look at you, Mr. and Mrs. Reyes”. Creeper says very proud, nodding in accordance.

“Let's celebrate it that you didn' kick my ass, mi dulce”.

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[lumosinlove]

so sirius is this tall dark handsome badass who is an addict but in love with his boyfriend smol cute remus and when they go around to parties he has remus under his shoulder yk? And they are very committed to each other but one day Pads finds out remus tried hard drugs with his friends he gets so mad because he already ruined his life he doesn't want to ruin remus's

WARNING: DRUG ABUSE

Quick disclaimer, I know NOTHING about cocaine so don’t listen to any of this. Don’t do cocaine, don’t try cocaine, don’t cocaine, cokay? Okay. Here we go:

“Are you going to tonight?”

Sirius looked from the door down at Remus, “Why?”

Remus tilted his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. They could hear the bass beating its way through the windows and walls, and it looked like someone had strung up colored lights from the way the shrubs surrounding the house were painted yellow, red, and green in strange streaks.

Remus lifted one shoulder, “I just want to know.” I don’t think you should, “So I can be prepared.” He withdrew one hand and pinched the thick leather cuff of Sirius’ jacket between his fingers, “Just in case something goes wrong.” Please don’t.

Sirius made a soft sound in his throat, and looped his fingers through Remus’, lips pressing to the back of his hand, “You know I won’t go overboard. It’s just…”

Remus could see the twitch in Sirius’ mouth begin, the slight sweat beads on his temple telling him how much he needed what was inside the house, “Okay.” He pressed upward, and Sirius leant down for his kiss, “Alright, let’s go then. Hey, c’mon,” He drew their hands over his head, his own arm across his body now, and Sirius’ over his shoulders.

Sirius let out a loud laugh, and, for a moment, Remus could pretend that tonight, he wouldn’t have to watch Sirius stoop low over a table. He wouldn’t have to watch the euphoric bliss cross his face when he stood straight again, head tilted back and hair in his eyes. He wouldn’t have to endure the strange gloss that accompanied Sirius’ smile for hours afterward. But he was still Sirius. He still kept him tucked against him, still pressed small kisses to his temples, brought him sealed beer cans and water when he wanted. He kept him close, which was all Remus wanted at these parties.

“Re.”

Remus looked up from where he had been watching the door, preparing for it to open, “Hm?” When he saw the sudden sadness in Sirius eyes, he turned again, “I know.” He laced his fingers with Sirius’ that were dangling over his left shoulder, “It’s alright, I know.”

Sirius said it anyway, jaw tight, “I have to. I…I need—“

“I know.” Remus said gently again, squeezing their hands, “Let’s go in. James will want us to stay for a bit after you…” He swallowed, “but then we can go back to my place and do whatever, yeah?”

Sirius nodded, “Okay.” He ducked low, pressing another quick kiss to Remus’ lips, “Okay, let’s go.”

The music hit them like a wall. Bodies were pressed together in twos and threes—sometimes fours—grinding and breathing through the smoke and alcohol. Remus pressed closer to Sirius’ side, turning his head a little into the collar of his leather jacket, preferring its familiar scent.

“Padfoot! Moony!” James grinned from them over the heads of the rest of his unnamed guests, most of which were there because they’d heard of the infamous “Potter Parties.” James waved them over, “C’mere, c’mere, ‘m beating Lils at pong.”

Lily swiped her hair out of her face once they pushed their way over, “Does it matter? You’ll drink your weight either way.”

James laughed, “Alright, alright, fair. Moony, you want in? I’m still waiting to beat your ass in payment for last time.”

Remus smirked but shook his head, “I beat you once and I’m pretty sure it was beginners luck. I’m staying out while on top.”

Sirius laughed, “I’m out for now too. Where’s Lestrange? The back?”

James’ expression darkened minutely, smile faltering, “You sure you need to know?” He glanced at Lily, who looked more openly saddened.

Sirius laughed again, but it was edged this time. His arm tightened around Remus, and Remus leaned into him more, knowing he needed the comfort.

But listen to James his mind was screaming. I don’t know how to help you, maybe he does.

But saying no is easier said than done.

“James.“ Sirius was trying and failing to keep up his easy demeanor.

“Yeah.” James said flatly, turning back to the triangles of red cups, “In the back.”

As they walked away, Remus faintly heard James’ voice murmur, “I should stop letting him come.”

He wasn’t sure if he meant Lestrange, or Sirius.

It was significantly quieter around Lestrange and his crew. The Carrows and Finnigan grinned at them when they entered. Lestrange sat above them all, on a high stool.

“Aw.” He grinned, “Black always brings his boy toy, it’s adorable. Alright, Lupin?”

“You don’t talk to him.” Sirius’ eyes were hard, but his fingers were twitching, his eyes on the place where Lestranges hands disappeared into his pockets, “You know why I’m here.”

He withdrew his arm from Remus’ shoulders, the air feeling much colder without it, and stepped forward, taking cash from within his jacket.

Lestrange barely had to glance away for one of the twins to lean forward and take it.

“Back of the house. By Potter’s bins.” Finnigan mumbled, then turned away.

Sirius blinked, “What?”

The other Carrow thumbed through Sirius’ bills, counting, “New system. Safer for us. They know you’ve paid, don’t worry.”

Remus creased his brows. He didn’t like the idea of going into a deserted ally to finish this transaction, but one look at Sirius, the sweat lining his collarbones, and he knew it would happen whether either of them wanted it to or not.

Sirius turned his back on them, eyes soft and on Remus. He reached out subtly, thumb brushing the inside of Remus’ wrist, “You wait here, alright? Go find James, and I’ll meet back up with you in a few minutes, okay?”

Remus glanced behind Sirius, then grabbed his wrist, pulling him farther away from the group, “Sirius, I don’t like you going out there alone. I—I mean, what the hell? This is different, you’ll be completely outnumbered, I don’t trust them—“

“I know.” Sirius said lowly, lips barely moving, “I…” He closed his eyes, “I know, but,” When they opened again the pupils were dilated to near black, “fuck, Re, I went too long. I don’t really have the option to be picky right now. I hate it, but…”

“Then change it.” The second the words were out of his mouth, Remus couldn’t believe he had said them. But then he couldn’t stop, “I…Pads, you just said it yourself, you went, what, a week? Maybe…” Remus looked away from Sirius’ pleading eyes, “Maybe you can stop this time—“

Sirius’ tight grip on his shoulders cut off his sentence and Remus sighed, looking back up into his handsome face. Sirius leaned down and pressed a slow kiss into Remus’ lips, a kiss that made Remus think of tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow morning, when Sirius would have had his fix but it would have worn off and, for a day, maybe a little less since his tolerance was kicking up a little more these days, he would be happy. The drug wouldn’t be the first thing on his mind, the the second, or the third. He would wake up slowly, pressing himself tightly to Remus’ side, warm and happy. And Remus wanted that. He lived for those moments. When they started to fade, and the pull started to press at Sirius’ system again, he told himself he would go to another party, watch him take the chemical that would bring him back into Remus’ arms.

Fuck.

“I’ll be right back. I love you.”

Sirius slipped from his fingers, pushing out the back door.

Remus went to the window, watching the street lamps glint off of his leather-clad back.

“What do you say, Lup-y?”

Remus closed his eyes, releasing a hard breath through his nose, “To what?”

When Lestrange didn’t respond, he turned, eyes immediately finding the line of cocaine that had been neatly scraped into place on the stool. Lestrange raised an eyebrow, grin sharp, “Hmm? Wanna give it a try? I’ve heard tripping while in love is wild.”

Remus meant to say no. His brain said no. His body said no. But his eyes found their way out the window again, to Sirius bent over while Malfoy flicked a lighter over and over, smirking. Even from this distance, Remus could see Sirius shake. The air held still as he didn’t, and didn’t, and didn’t again, say no.

“Oh,” Lestrange whistled, “Oh, do we have hesitation? Wanna join Siribaby? C’mon, you do, you do, c’mere, Lupin.”

Sirius was still bent, doing another line. His tolerance was up, and Remus’ was down. He wanted more than just a few moments with Sirius. He wanted a whole lifetime. Fuck, and this could give him—give them—

Hours. Hours of being on the same level, the same planet. Sirius straightened, he turned to come back inside.

Remus wheeled from the window to the stool, bent, and did what he’d watched Sirius do countless of times. The powder burned his nostrils, he wanted to throw up.

“Don’t tell.” He spat at Lestrange. The other boy just laughed, cackled.

When Sirius found him next, he was beside James, watching the still-going beer pong competition. Lily had subbed out for Marlene, and Remus still thought he was going to throw up.

“Hi, baby.” Sirius tucked him back under his arm and, now, along with the rolling nausea, Remus wanted to cry.

“Hi.” He pressed up on his toes and kissed Sirius, pushing at his shoulders until his back hit the wall, “Hi.”

Sirius smiled, and it had the familiar haze twisted in it, “Hm.” His sentence was cut off by Remus’ lips again, long slow presses and bites, “What’s this?” Slurred by the drugs and Remus’ skin, Remus barely heard his words, just twisted his fingers in his hair. Make me forget make me forget what I just did.

“Re.” Sirius’ fingers were gentle on his shoulders, “Remus.”

Remus gasped, falling back on his heels, nearly rocking backwards before Sirius was there to hold him up, “Nothing.” His blood felt hot, “I—Pads.” Everything felt hot, slow. He wanted to smile, he wanted to throw up, he wanted to cry, “Sirius.”

Sirius, despite the haze of drugs, now looked alert. He took Remus’ face in his hands, “Re, what’s wro…” His entire face dropped, eyes going cold, cheeks pale, “Remus.” His eyes were flicking back and forth between Remus’ own, no doubt seeing the pin pricked pupils that mirrored his own. His grip only tightened, “Oh god—“

Then he was pulling Remus away, through the lights, through the bodies, the stale smell of alcohol and pot. Away from the heat, and the life-ruining things.

Cool night air hit Remus like a wave, like a cool, lapping tide, and he pushed as Sirius’ shoulders until he moved and bent over, wrenching nothing into the grass.

“Shh, it’s okay, Re. You’re okay.”

Remus hadn’t realized he was crying until Sirius pulled him into his chest and, when he pulled back to look up at him, his t-shirt had dark splotches of tears staining it, “I just wanted to have you back. I could—“ Remus let out a shaky breath, another sob, “I thought I could follow you to where you go. Wherever you g—“

“No. Fuck, fuck—“

“‘m sorry.” Remus was tired, he swayed on his feet, “Sirius, I just wanna be with—“

“You are with me.” Sirius’ gentle fingers stroked over Remus’ cheek bones, eyes hard, “Listen to me, Re.” His voice cracked over the word ‘listen’ and he clenched his jaw, “I,” he shook his head, “I’m the one who hasn’t been with you. I’ve been leaving you, Re, don’t you ever think, no, look at me, look at me.”

“I hate this.” Remus mumbled, closing his eyes against the dull ache that was starting at the base of his skull, “Come back to me.”

“I will.” Sirius let out a shaky breath and tears slipped with it as he pressed the hair out of Remus’ eyes, “I will, I will, I promise you.”

Remus’ face crumbled a little more with each slow shake of his head within Sirius’ palms, “You’ve promised before.”

Sirius’ breath hitched against the tears in his throat, “I know,” he whispered, “I know I have.”

Remus slumped into his chest and Sirius cursed, scooping him into his shaking arms, legs draped over one forearm, head cradled to his chest.

Remus’ voice was soft when he spoke next, but his eyes were open, the drugs spinning through his heart, “Can it be real this time?”

“Yes, baby.” And when Sirius said it, he felt it in his veins, felt it burn more brightly than any of the drug ever could, his love for this boy in his arms, “It already is.”

The car ride back to Remus’ was silent. Remus fell asleep, wanting to be unconscious until the drug had fled his system, and Sirius hated himself. For doing this to Remus, for ever doing it to himself in the first place. He carried Remus up the four flights of stairs to his tiny apartment, and laid him gently in the still unmade double bed. He was gently taking Remus’ shoes off when his sleepy voice rang out.

“You’ll stay here, won’t you? While you get clean?”

Sirius looked up, meeting Remus’ soft amber eyes. He held his socked foot in his palm, rubbing his thumb along the gentle, fragile arch, “Re, you don’t want to see that.”

“Yes, I do.” Remus winced as he pushed himself up on his elbows, “Yes, I do, I want to see that. Pads…” They stared at each other for a moment, then Remus licked his dry lips, “Sirius, that’s the strongest thing you’ll have ever done.”

Sirius tucked his socks into Remus’ shoes, neatly, the way he liked, “Or the weakest for even letting it happen—“

“The strongest thing you’ve ever done.” Remus pushed forward, sliding off the bed and right into Sirius’ lap, knees on either side of his hips. His palms pressed to his neck, sweat erased by the powder that still echoed, even after the long drive, “The drug doesn’t fucking define you, you define you. You know that. Now realize it.”

Sirius tilted his forehead against Remus, “You’ll never do it again, will you? No, stupid question, I know that but…Fuck, Remus, if you had ruined your life like I did mine…” Sirius looked at the neat socks, the perfectly alphabetized bookshelves, this perfect boy in his perfect sweater, “Fuck, Re. I would have fucking offed myself, I swear to god.”

“Don’t say that.” Remus growled, “Don’t say that, don’t say that,” Remus pressed their mouths together, “Stop it, and you didn’t ruin your life, look at you. Look at you. You’re going to be okay.” He gripped the hair that curled around Sirius’ ears, soft and thick, “You didn’t ruin your life, your life is with me.”

Sirius’ lips shook as he let out a cry, nodding, but unable to speak. Remus tucked Sirius’ head into his neck, closing his eyes at the soft kisses Sirius pressed there. If by the time the sun rose they hadn’t moved, it was only because sitting there like that, pressed up against each other, felt like the only way either of them would survive these next few hours: lending each other strength. But that’s exactly what they did, what they had always done, and always would do.

part 2: http://lumosinlove.tumblr.com/post/177295662750/okokok-deep-breath-so-i-know-you-said-you-dont

[pinkykitten]

I can be Loved

Marvel

Stephen Strange x plus size & fire power! female reader

Warnings: some curse words, violence, reader being self conscious, death, also i did not re-read this cuz i made this too dang long!

Specifics: death, sadness, romance, comedy, Avengers: Infinity War, man vs man, fire power, pictures, videos, plus size reader, race neutral reader

People: Stephen Strange, you, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Wong, Peter Parker, Ebony Maw, Black Dwarf, Peter Quill, Drax, Mantis, Thanos, Gamora (mentioned), Thor (mentioned).

Words: 4,229

Requested: By anonymously Hi doll❤️ I love your writing please keep doing what you are doing! Do you write for chubby girls or plus size cause I live for that!!!! If so could I request a plus size reader, where she is with doctor strange and many think she is all scrawny and can’t stand up for herself but she proves them wrong by fighting like a bad ass like Thanos makes fun of her and tries to degrade her but she is just too cool and she fights along side Dr. Strange so fluff and angst cause she reacts to his death

Authors Note: hi there anon! thank u so much for ur kind words. i do write for plus size beautiful woman! i luved this request and it makes me kinda sad to not see a lot of fanfics for dr. strange cuz he is such a cool character and it is the benedict cumberbatch. i went a lil bit overboard with this its just i really lived for this request also i made the reader have fire power because i wanted her to be powerful hehehe. but there is a lot to read so im srry. i loved writing this i didnt reread this so there may be mistakes but my back, fingers, legs hurt so yeah. thnx for requesting and i hope u enjoy this. remember i luv to hear ur guys thoughts. 

The world as you know it was going to change, one way or another it was going to either perish or fight.

You all looked outside. The wind was strong and the noises of people screaming was all you could hear. Your heart racing in fear you consciously grasped Stephen, your fiance’s hand. 

As Tony opened the door many citizens raced the opposite way of..something. Some falling, some terrified, like you. 

“Y/n, I should go see what it is. You stay here,” Dr. Strange ordered you, letting go of your hand. 

“No Steph, where you go I go. I can fight too you know.” With that you walked ahead of him following Tony. 

Stephen quickly grabbed Wong’s attention. “Whatever you do, you keep y/n alive. Alright?”

Wong saw the seriousness in his friends eyes and just nodded. 

As you turned the corner a ship that was a circle with a hole in the middle landed on New York City grounds. You gasped loudly at how large it was. This was no human tech, this was some alien crap. 

Stephen, Wong, and Bruce followed you and Tony. Suddenly, a blue beam appeared and out came a skinny alien guy that looked like Voldemort, and another alien guy except he was huge and kinda looked like a dung beetle. 

Your group walked to them, curious expressions. 

The skinny alien then started to say how they were Thanos children, and that you all were about to die from them and it was a privilege. 

You turned around all sassy to Bruce, “Is this guy serious?”

“I’m sorry Earth is closed today,” shouted Tony Stark to the alien men. “You better pack it up and get out of here.”

The skinny alien then focused his attention on Stephen, “Stone keeper. Does this chattering animal speak for you?”

“Certainly not, I speak for myself!” Stephen using his magic to maybe scare off the aliens and show that he was not playing. (god that part that he does that hand thing is kinda hot......anyways enjoy reading) “You’re trespassing on this city and on this planet.”

Wong after him brought out his magic. 

Just then the huge alien was walking towards your group, hitting his giant hammer on anything he sees. 

You tapped your foot impatiently, “hey guys are we gonna do anything? I really don’t think this guy likes us!” 

Well since he was big you all then looked at...Bruce...well you all wanted the Hulk. You all stared at him awaiting for the green monster to rage on out. Instead, Bruce was having trouble getting him out, “c’mon man, c’mon.”

He was still pushing, and pushing, and pushing some more. Everyone awaiting, and staring impatiently. 

“Ugh men!” You stated placing a hand on your plush, curvy hip. 

“Wheres your guy?” Tony Stark asked looking as if Bruce lied to him. 

“I don’t know we’re sorta been having a thing.”

“There’s no time for a thing. Thats the thing right there, lets go.”

The big alien man was coming closer and closer. Then he started running towards you all. You quickly turned your whole body into fire, your skin turning orange, and your hair turning into flames. Your eyes a bright sun orange (kinda like flame princess from at). “Step away boys.”

“I love it when she does that,” Stephen said as he stared all amazed at you. 

(not my art! do not own!)

You stood in front of the massive alien, ready to shoot him with some fire balls.

(TONY’S COOL MOVE YASSSSSSSSSSSSSS srry) Tony decided to help as well. He turned his track suit into his Iron man suit. But in a cool way. 

He added some blasters to his suit and all of them came out to shoot at the alien. You and Tony shot at the same time making the alien fall back onto the skinny one but surprise surprise, his powers were telekinesis. 

He, with the power of his mind moved the other alien harshly to a car. 

Tony put his blasters away. 

“Holy crap that was frickin amazing!” A excited Bruce yelled, making you turn around and chuckle. “You turning into fire and you, Tony, where’d that come from?”

“Its nano tech, you like it?” Answered Tony, turning around to you all. 

“I got to say that was pretty awesome,” you smiled placing a hand on Tony’s shoulder. 

Tony placed a hand on his mouth and gasped, “ooohhh wizard man, how you feel about your fiance touching me and oh wait, yeah, calling me awesome?’

Stephen shook his head and his cloak smacked your hand off Tony’s shoulder, “she was only trying to be nice to you...she calls me better things in bed.”

“Wow,” Tony said. 

“Babe! Thats private,” you shouted, laughing at the end. 

“Wow, that was so unneeded, like to the point where you didn’t need to do that.” Tony shook his hands, shaking his head. 

Suddenly, the skinny alien man used his powers to throw a car at you all. The other worked on it while you and Tony threw it back to him. He used his powers to cut it in half. 

Tony then used his boosters to try to fly to him. You used your fire power to fly to him as well. As you tried to fly, Stephen brought you down. “Hey sweetheart, why don’t you stay here, I really don’t think you going over there is such a good idea.”

“Are you serious? Honey, I’m fine.”

Bruce came into the conversation, “yeah y/n, maybe Stephen is right. Maybe this is a little bit too much for you.”

“You know what, I know this isn’t a woman thing because you all let Natasha fight. This is a size thing. Are you all serious? You think I can’t fight cause I’m too big, too fat for the normal superhero.”

Wong then raised his hand and tried to tell you something, but you just ignored him. “Thats fine think what you want to think,” you almost cried, Stephen going to you and saying that thats not it, and of course it wouldn’t be it.

“Y/n, I think you’re the most beautiufl woman on this Earth, and trust me I know you are capable-”

“Save it. I don’t need any of you. I am going to fight, whether you like it or not, and I’m gonna show you all that bigger woman can do things in this world, especially be a superhero!”

Your fire became more intense and you flew next to Tony. The skinny alien was using his powers to throw some of the road on you two. The big alien threw a claw at Tony and this set Tony back. 

“Stark!” You shouted. “You are not eleven from Stranger Things, are you?” You raised your eyebrow to the skinny alien. “Thats okay, you look more like the demogorgon.” You blasted flames at both aliens. Dodging one of the punches of the big alien. 

The skinny alien threw the fire back onto you. You just chuckled, “You do realize I’m made of fire, right?”

The skinny alien smiled and heaved a huge piece of building onto you. 

“Y/n!” Yelled Wong and Stephen. They tried to get to you but they had to fight the skinny alien. 

“Ouch!” You quickly burned the piece of building into ashes and saw the skinny alien go to your fiance. “Steph!”

He put Stephen to the wall and placed bricks on him. You knew he wanted that stone. You also knew Stephen placed a spell on it. 

“-then I’ll take it off your corpse.” The alien took Stephen and threw him to you. 

“Oh my god babe, honey,” you took off your fire power to touch him, carressing his face. “Steph are you okay?”

His cloak brought him up and he nodded to you. He tried to use the time stone but the alien wrapped thorny vines around his arms. 

“Let him go!” You try to burn the vines away but its not use, they just keep reappearing. The vines go around his neck and knock him out unconscious. 

“Are you serious?” You try to take the vines off of him, they are strong and grab on real tight. “C’mon babe, stupid frickin things get off!”

The alien brings Stephen with him and you fall off the platform. The cloak then takes Stephen away from the vines. You, your fire power ignited, go after him, with the skinny alien following you two. 

“Steph I am right here. I got you.”

He then goes by Tony, and you notice Tony fighting with the big alien. You also notice your favorite...SPIDER MAN!!!!!!!!!!!

“Hi sweetheart!” You wave to Peter. 

“Hi Ms. L/n!”

“Kid thats the wizard and y/n, get on it,” ordered Tony to Peter. 

“On it!”

You flew backwards now, your attention on to the alien behind you. “Go away freak!” You started shooting fire at him, him dodging every time. Peter tried to get the alien but he through a piece of debris at Peter.

“Peter!” You shouted look at his state to make sure he was fine. 

“Not cool, yeah Ms. L/n, I’m fine!”

As Stephen was getting away from the alien, the alien used his powers to stop Stephen. By bending the street lights one of the lights caught Stephen by the cloak making Stephen fall out. You tried to catch him but you would of burned him. In that moment you felt defenseless, helpless, unworthy. You couldn’t even do a simple job as saving your future husband. They were all right about you. 

Peter came to the rescue and saved Stephen. With a sad face you thanked the young boy for doing something you couldn’t do. You just followed them slowly, until you were lifted in a beam. You tried to hold onto something but it was no use. You were going to die, how did you know this? What use were you, they didn’t need you, nor want you. You were garbage to them. You were garbage to everyone. You tried to shake the self conscious thoughts out of your mind, but you couldn’t. They were eating at you, telling you things that were not true. 

Peter tried to hold on with his spider web to Stephen but the skinny alien used his powers to bring Peter up. 

You entered the ship with Stephen and ran to hide behind a piece of the inner ship. Watching to see someone come by. 

“This is bad,” you thought. “Really bad.”

You meet up unexpectedly with Peter and Tony. You see in the distance the alien is pointing these needle like things to Stephen to get the time stone. The needle things go into his skin and you hear his screams. Tears coming out of your eyes you try to go to him but Tony stops you. 

“Don’t blow our cover y/n, we will save him.”

As you all try to think of a plan Peter says, “hey have you guys ever seen a really really old movie called Aliens?”

As the alien is threatening Stephen, you and Tony go behind him ready to blast him away. He turns around to the sound of Tony’s high pitched suit. 

The alien uses his power to bring out pieces of the ship to you and Tony. You smirk and say, “have fun in space.”

You and Tony blast a hole in the ship sending him and Stephen flying.

“Steph! Peter get him!”

Peter grabs Stephen with his web and then a new feature of his suit comes out. HE HAS SPIDER LEGS!

“HOLY SH*T THAT IS AMAZING!” You squeal in excitement. 

Peter jumps up and brings Stephen in. Tony closes the hole. 

You quickly run to Stephen and hug him, “oh my god, I thought I lost you. I’m so happy you’re alive.” You look into his eyes and he looks into yours. 

“Sweetheart about earlier, what I was trying to say is that-”

You stand up quickly, the emotions and self conscious feelings interrupting your mind again. “It doesn’t matter right now.” You turn around, shyly placing a hand on your arm and rubbing it. You then mutter as you’re walking away, “I don’t matter.”

Stephen tries to go to you to help you and to make you feel better but Tony places a hand on him to decide where to go. 

Stephen thinks Earth but Tony thinks wherever the ship is going. His thinking is he feels wherever this ship is going Thanos must be there, if all of you were to go then it would be an element of surprise. Stephen disagrees in the begging but you agree with Tony. 

“If Thanos is going to be there then maybe this isn’t such a bad idea. I mean I know, we have to protect the stone but I don’t think Thanos is awaiting this much of an impact or this much of a plan. I say we go for it.”

The ship lands harshly on a planet named Titan. 

A smoke bomb lands between you all and with impact you all go tumbling back. 

“What in the world!”

You look up to see some wannabes trying to fight you all. You fly to the one with the funny looking goggles. 

He shoots you with his gun while you blast a hole power of fire. 

“I call this roast some buns,” you blast harder your fire at him. He dodges it with his cheap looking jet pack thing. 

“What are we in The Krusty Krab?” The unknown person jokes along with you. 

You all fight with each other and form a circle of whos killing who. 

The person you were fighting takes his mask off and point the gun at Tony. “I’m gonna ask you this one time, where is Gamora?”

“Yeah, I’ll do you one better,” Tony took his mask off. “Who’s Gamora?”

And then the alien, buff man talked, “I’ll do you one better, why is Gamora?”

“I’ll do you all one better, why are we still talking about this Gamora?” You stopped your fire powers.

After going back and forth on where this Gamora was at the guy holding Peter mentioned Thanos. 

“Wait, what Thanos. Alright let me ask you this one time, what master do you serve?” You looked at Stephen as he questioned the new comers. 

“What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say Jesus?” The guy answered back, still holding Peter. 

After explaining that you were trying to defeat Thanos as well Peter took off his mask, “We’re the avengers man.”

Just then the alien bug looking girl said, “you’re the one Thor told us about.”

Tony asked, “you know Thor?”

The Missouri guy nodded, “Yeah, tall guy not that good lookin, needed saving.”

You eyes widened, “oh my god Thor’s alive. We may still have a chance...I say we all work together on this. We all want to take down the same purple raisin so we should combine all our powers to become one and destroy Thanos.”

“Thanks for the input lava girl, didn’t know we were all gonna turn into Voltron with all our lions.” The blonde hair man said as his eyes were on you. 

You walked up to him with a serious face, “my name is y/n, and I don’t think fragile skin can stand against hot fire.”

You walked to the exit while Tony, Peter, and Stephen giggled. “Gotta love her,” Stephen said as he followed you. 

You all came out of the ship and stood on the planet, trying to come up with a plan. You learned all the names of the new people.

Mantis in a low voice asked, “Does your friend do that?”

You all look back to see Stephen moving his head quickly back and forth. You go to him and place a hand on his cheek. He comes back to reality with a startle cry. 

“You okay?” You ask worried. 

Stephen was using the Time Stone to look into alternate futures. You ask about if you win the battle, but out of the millions of futures he foresaw, he sees that you are all victorious in none but one alone.

Your heart pounds and you squeeze your hand shut, tightly. All in your head was how you are going to die feeling worthless, feeling like you contributed nothing to this world. Tears start to form in your eyes and you walk to a nearby rock, covering yourself from the others. 

You wanted to show Stephen that you were not just the girl that got made fun of in high school because of her weight. You’re not someone you can make fun of and push around as if you don’t have feelings. You wanted to come out victorious and explain these terrible feelings you’ve been having lately to Stephen. 

Stephen see you crying behind a rock and walks over to you. He kneels down to you and takes your hands in his. 

“Sweetheart please talk to me, I’m here for you.”

You wipe your tears, “I know I can’t do many things in life, I can’t prevent many things. But I can try to fight. I know I’m fat and ugly and big but I want to try to prove my worth. To you and to them.” You pointed to the group. “I’m so useless, aren’t I?”

Stephen kissed your hands. “No. You are so much more than those degrading words. Back there I wasn’t trying to make fun of you honey, or bring you down in any way. I didn’t want you to get hurt, I didn’t want, I don’t want anything to happen to you. You are so important to me and to so many others, you just don’t see it. You prove to others and to other young girls, just women in general that even if you feel useless and nothing you can make something of yourself, you can save the world. You are beautiful in and out y/n, you are my superhero, my hero, you save me y/n. It will always be that way. I know you are so capable of so many great things and I encourage you to do everything in your power to be you, to be the amazing, powerful, strong you. This means so much to me,” Stephen said holding up your ring on your finger. “It means that soon you and I will be one, we will be husband and wife. We will not just show love but be love. You are my everything y/n, thank you for standing by me sweetheart.”

Your eyes were wide and you were shocked. “I love you so much Steph, thank you for saying those things. I really needed to hear that, you make me so happy Stephen Strange. I can’t wait to get married to you and when I call you mine. Thank you love.”

You sit on his lap, not caring about your weight. Stephen holds you upright with ease, resting his hands on your hips. You trace massage your fingers into his dark locks seeing his ice blue eyes look into yours. You place your hands on his cheeks, taking in his complexion of high cheekbones and milky white skin. You kiss him on the lips lightly, enjoying the presence of him. He deepens the kiss his right hand going to your cheek, making the kiss more passionate. In the middle of the kiss you hear a cough. You and Stephen turn your heads to see a startled Peter, and a annoyed Stark. 

“Sorry am I interrupting something, cause we’re in the middle of a war if you haven’t noticed. Anyways, you two, The Notebook, we have a plan.”

Thanos had come to the planet Titan and tried to explain his belief of genocide. It all seemed so crazy to you. You all almost got the gauntlet off but you all especially Peter Quill learned that Gamora was dead. Peter got so mad at Thanos that he punched him knocking him out of the sleep phase he was in with Mantis. 

It almost worked the plan, now it was to make it up as you guys went. 

You gave this war, this battle everything that you had. All your being your strength, everything. 

Everyone was focused and paying attention to other things in their way that you were left with Thanos. 

By yourself.

All the struggles in life, all the beat downs, the I’m not good enough have led you up to this moment. You were going to show this monster, this demon that you are good enough and you do deserve love and happiness.

“I, I’m not afraid of you,” you stood proudly in front of this giant. 

“No my dear child not of me, but of others.” Thanos said as he walked slowly to you, bringing out his hand to your cheek. You gave him a scowl, scoffing. 

“What do you mean?”

Thanos shook his head, “I know your deepest fear. Y/n, you are afraid of how others perceive you, how they think of you. You try your hardest to please others. You are the coward, you say you are not afraid but I know deep down you’re terrified.”

Your eyes were wide, “no, no, no, I’m not like that. Stop.”

“But of course you would be young one, you know how it feels to have your inner demons. To know your not good enough, not even good enough to be in this world.”

You started to shake your head, hands clutching the sides of it trying to not listen to those terrible words that have scarred you. Thanos smiling, knowing that he was getting to you. 

“Stop leave me alone you monster,” you cried out. 

Stephen came out and stood by you, “Y/n don’t listen to him. Remember what I told you. You are better than this.”

“Leave her be, let her make her own decisions. Y/n you are not happy with how you look, when you see yourself you see disgust. You are not afraid of me.”

You started shaking your head while tears were starting to come out, “no stop, stop!”

Stephen tried knocking sense in you, “Honey don’t listen to him, you are better than this. Remeber how much I care for you.”

Thanos kept going, “you are not afraid of death.”

“STOP! Just stop it!”

“No, you are afraid that no one will love you for who you are.”

At that being said it ignited something in you. All your power, the fire held inside you spilled out with a cry and shriek. 

Thanos eyes widened and he used the power stone to be able to go through the fire you ignited. 

“You are wrong about me Thanos! I have love, I have someone who loves me! You don’t, you know why, because you KILLED HER!”

Thanos used the power stone again on you to try to destroy you, but you were too powerful and uncontrollable to stop. 

All the fire coming out of your body amazed everyone, you were so powerful. With another cry more fire came out making Thanos go behind some boulders to shield himself from the flames. Stephen stared at you with immense respect, amazed at how you fought. After a time your body was drained from all the power you used. Your eyes felt heavy and your body wanted to just lay down. The fire stopped and you were normal now, you fell from up in the air but you were caught in a pair of strong arms. 

“I got you sweetheart,” came the soothing voice of your dear love, Stephen. 

You smile weakly, “I know.”

Thanos came to you both threatening to kill you. Of course Stephen loved you so much that he gave up the infinity stone to save you. 

He risked the whole world to save you.

“Why would you do that?”

Stephen just hugged you tightly like his life depended on it while kissing your forehead, “we’re in the end game now.”

You all waited for a sign, for something to show..anything. You hugged Stephen the whole time, enjoying what you didn’t know was the last moments together. 

Suddenly, Mantis disappeared like the wind. Your eyes widened and then it went to worse. Like a list, others started to become ashes right before your eyes, and you could not prevent it from happening. Next came Drax, then Peter Quill. Tony then went and looked at Stephen. Automatically you started crying, “no, please, don’t tell me...no please no.”

Stephen looked so guilty and so pained at you and Tony, “There was no other way.”

Stephen grabbed your face and kept his forehead to your, “Time is so important yet so short. No words can describe how much I love you and will always love you even in death. I love you y/n, I love you.”

Stephen starts to disappear making you sob. Your heart is broken and all that is left is his ashes. You start to feel strange and notice in your hands you are also turning into ashes. Tears start to form in your eyes but you welcome this feeling because no feeling is worse than the feeling you just experienced of losing Stephen. 

[btshodown]

With Eyes Wide Shut

↳ A Halloween movie marathon is in order when you find Jungkook shyly asking about your plans for the night. Although, it seems as if lines are getting a bit blurred and you decide that for just this one night you’ll keep your eyes wide shut. 

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader Genre/Warnings: A super fluffy and sweet cake that somehow makes you sad, Staff/Chubby Noona Au Word Count: 2k+

➭  Happy Halloween! This totally isn’t late at all Anyway yeah, please enjoy this baby of a drabble that I started while at work. This one is in the same AU as the Yoongi and Jiminnie one. I’ll probably go back into my masterlist and create its own section.  Its up now under the OT7 category <3

“Noona, are you going to dress up for Halloween?”

At hearing the youngest call to you, you turn around to face him, momentarily pausing your work of arranging the 7 costumes. You blink your eyes at him and purse your lips in thought, glancing down at the red Power Ranger helmet in your hands. Normally back home all you would do on the holiday was simply decorate your studio apartment and buy a big bowl of candies for the Trick o’ Treaters; passing the night with boozy hot chocolate and scary movies. You rarely went to parties and couldn’t really remember when the last time you actually dressed up was.

Now that you moved countries and worked at Bighit, you hadn’t even spared Halloween a second thought. Too busy helping out with what the boys needed and getting their costumes arranged for their yearly Halloween dance practice.

“Probably not,” you answer after a second of silence with a shrug, “I was thinking of just going home and watching movies honestly.”

You watch with fond amusement as Jungkook slightly pouts at your answer, no doubt hoping to hear your costume idea and possible plans. Usually at least half of the boys would do something for the holiday, whether it was going with friends or amongst themselves, but from what you had heard, the youngest wasn’t going anywhere. With a twitch of your lips you gently go back to arranging the outfits, half of your body still turned to the maknae.

“Did you want to join me on watching scary movies and munching on snacks Gukkie?”

You try your best to bite back your giggle when you see him startle from your peripheral, witnessing his ears begin to go a little red.

“I – can I?” His voice is soft and his words were slurring from his obvious nervousness; you also had to swallow down your squeal from how adorable he is. “It’s just…the hyungs are going out or staying at home, but I don’t wanna be alone. B-but I also don’t want to impose –”

Your small chuckle cuts his rambling off as you place a gentle hand on his hand, stopping his nervous picking of his nails. “You’re not imposing since I invited you Gukkie. Don’t worry about it okay? I haven’t spent time with you lately so it’ll be a nice way to catch up.”

Your heart squeezes in emotion as he unleashes his wide, happy smile on you, nose and eyes scrunched with his bunny teeth in full display. You had a soft spot for all of the boys, but there were no lies in the youngest being able to endear just about anyone; Jimin being right at his neck with his charm. Having both of them come at you with their smiles was lethal to your heart and you always swore they’d end up killing you.

“Thank you so much noona! I can’t wait for it! I have so many movie ideas too!”

You continue your work as you listen to him list off the different movies he has in mind, chiming in with your own agreements and additions. It was hard to not get excited about it when you had him practically bouncing from giddiness and it only made you wish the next week would pass by quickly.

Excitement bubbles in your stomach as you put the final touches in your living room, not wanting to admit that you may have gone a little overboard with decorating for your movie marathon with Jungkook. Orange fairy lights gently fall above your couch and over the glass of your TV stand, giving off a soft glow that complimented the tiny pumpkins you spread out. An assortment of chips, popcorn and candy fill your coffee table as you finish pouring out some boozy hot cocoa into some Halloween themed mugs; just in time it seems as you hear your doorbell ring.

You try your best not to skip over to the door and take in a breath, pushing away the thoughts of how long it’s been since you’ve celebrated Halloween with someone else, only thinking of how much fun tonight will be instead. With a determined nod, you open the door and greet the younger boy with a grin.

“Right on the dot, hey Gukkie,” you step aside to let him in, watching him with curiosity as he shuffles in shyly with a large backpack, hands clutching the straps as he looks around your decorated apartment with wide awe filled eyes. “What do you got in the bag Guk?”

“Oh!” Jungkook comes back to life as he animatedly swings the backpack around to his front and squats down, rummaging through it until he takes out two articles of clothing. One pair you realize is his Cooky pajamas you’ve often caught him wearing in their filming and the other was a Cooky one piece, the hood adorned with the characters eyes and floppy ears. “I uh, I remembered you said you wouldn’t dress up so I thought maybe…we could kinda dress up together? You don’t have to! I just thought…yeah.”

Your lips slowly stretch out into an endeared grin as you watch him shuffle timidly, his slight nervous slur coming back as he doesn’t look you in the eyes, too busy staring holes into the one piece was no doubt brought for you to wear. There was no denying the rapid beating of your heart from trying to contain your cooing and sudden need to squish his cheeks; he had no business being so fucking adorable when he was a damn 21 year old man.

With tentative hands, you reach out to take the pink onesie from his fidgeting hands and offer him a kind smile when he peeks at you from under his dark fringe. “I think it’s a great idea Gukkie and I kinda wish I had thought of wearing pj’s if I’m being honest,” you pause as you grin slyly at him, holding the onesie to your chest, “is there any reason why you got me the Cooky one specifically?”

His eyes widen a bit at your question and you can’t hide your soft snort as his cheeks get a bit pink, his hand coming up to pick at the baby hairs on his cheek before he tries his hardest to come off as composed. “Because Cooky is the best one, duh.”

Letting out a soft laugh you shake your head and motion to the bathroom, before turning around to go into your room. “Of course, how can I forget? The bathroom is over there if you want to change while I go change in my room. If you finish before I do, just start picking out the first movie.”

You didn’t even need to look behind you to know the maknae dutifully nodded his head and quickly took off his shoes before heading to your bathroom. Now your only problem is wondering how you’ll fit in the onesie once you close your door, frowning softly at the material. You have no doubt that this was the onesie Jungkook owned, the scent of it alone was a clue were it not for the obvious size difference. Deciding to ignore the fact that he gave you his own onesie as opposed to getting a new one, you keep a light camisole underneath and trade your jeans for spandex shorts, knowing that later on you’d end up getting hot in the suit.

A sigh escapes you once you have the onesie on, staring at your reflection with a frown as you see the way the buttons on your chest are barely holding on and the ones on your stomach seem tight, but the sleeves and pants are comically long. Before your thoughts can take a one way ticket to the Depressed Bitch train, you pull the hood over your head and quickly look away from the mirror as you walk out your room. You’re greeted with the sight of a snuggly looking Jungkook cross legged atop your couch, with a ps4 controller in his hands as he flicks through the different scary movies provided. Your mood instantly lifts again as you waddle over to the young idol and can’t help yourself from smacking him softly in the face with the long sleeve of the onesie, practically cackling as he sputters out in surprise. But before he could whine at you for hitting him with the sleeves of his onesie, he stops short as he really takes you in.

“Wow, you look really cute in my onesie noona, you look so small.”

It was your turn to feel your ears get hot, thankful for the hood as you flop onto the couch beside him, smacking him with the long sleeve again as you pull your mug off the coffee table and into your hands. “Stop trying to flatter me, I know I look stupid. Just pick a movie Gukkie.”

Jungkook pouts a bit, but decides to not argue on how wrong you were and instead goes back to his choices; eventually deciding on the ever classic Friday the 13th. With his own mug of boozy hot cocoa in his hands and a bowl of popcorn balanced in his crossed legs, your marathon begins; mainly you hugging your throw pillow for life and Jungkook laughing at you when he wasn’t absorbed into the TV. The night rolls along and before you know it, it’s past 2 am, Insidious is playing and you nearly let out a shrill scream when you feel something heavy land on your lap.

Instead, you swallow your scream and only jump a bit before looking down to stare in confusion at the dark head of hair now resting on your lap. It takes a few moments to process that the head on your thighs is Jungkook’s and he must have fallen asleep at one point, gravity doing the rest. Your belly warms at the sight and before you can stop yourself, your fingers begin to thread through his soft locks, while the other hand is quick to click out of the horror movie and back onto the main screen. Not having the heart to wake up the maknae, you grab your phone and type of a quick text to the group chat to let the rest of the boys know the youngest member would be sleeping on your futon tonight.

After turning off your console and TV, you begin to gently try and move Jungkook over so that you can turn the couch into the futon, but a sudden pair of arms around your waist prevents you from even moving. Glancing down, you realize with a start that sleepy doe-eyed eyes are staring into your own and Jungkook apparently had woken up sometime during you trying to move him.

“Can we sleep like this?” his voice is soft and full of sleep, but at seeing you pause long enough to show your hesitation, he quietly adds, “Please?”

Despite how close you are with the boys, there is no doubt an invisible line you do not and should not cross; any feelings that weren’t professional and amicable were always a slippery slope and something your superiors frowned upon. Even if it meant feeding into emotions that were being given to you, but in spite of knowing this and trying your hardest to not cross that line, you’re not sure how you somehow managed to suddenly be in Jungkook’s arms. His mouth is dangerously close to your ear as he nuzzles his nose into your hair and his legs easily tangle into yours, the attempt to take out the futon long forgotten as he slots your bodies into the small couch.

The night is soothingly still as you close your eyes, trying your hardest to ignore how at ease you feel despite the red alarm blaring behind your lids; there was no use in stressing out about the blurred line, not when Jungkook held you so close to his chest as if cherishing a moment that would never happen again. You both knew that the moment the light of the sun spilled through the cracks of your curtains, this small moment being shared would have to be shattered, never to be known outside of your small apartment.

“Thank you noona,” his voice is only a breath against your ear as his arms tighten around you more, as if trying to erase any remaining space that may have been between your bodies.

Your only response is a gentle flutter of your lips against his jaw, not a kiss or peck, but just the simple touch of your skin against his; something that could easily be mistaken for imagination come tomorrow morning.

[bestiatexere]

what even is this idk @lachalaine

From the familiar scent that had lingered on the path and that still floated around his front door, Kavik knew his brother was already inside the house (and had been there for a while).

Huh. Chesh was early? That was a rare occurrence for sure unless…he was up to something.

Of course.

Kavik rubbed his face and mentally prepared himself for what might come. Was it going to be a confetti explosion again? A hundred strings of twinkling lights wrapped around every surface? Or maybe, irritating Christmas songs playing each time he moved?

It had been a while since Chesh last did something crazy or went overboard. He loves this time of year, Kavik reminded himself in the effort to increase his tolerance, it helps him, just go with it.

Pushing down the dread, he opened the door and headed inside the house. His eyes immediately swept around for traces of trouble or Chesh, but aside from the shoes, travel bag, and clothes strewn around the entryway, there were no traces of the younger shifter’s antics.

No confetti. No lights. No songs or even decorations.

Kavik stepped further inside with slow, soundless steps while continuing his visual search. Nothing was out of place...How unnerving...He made his way through to the lounge, vigilant the entire journey, eyes restless.

Like the rest of the house, this room was designed with nature in mind, in natural tones and materials so that the shifter blood and soul would feel at ease. It was an open plan space, with support beams mimicking trees, and the impression that fauna and wildlife were blending into the building, welcoming each other.

The animal hearts were relaxed and free here, unlike within the stifling concrete and metal of the cities.

And there was Chesh. Unsurprisingly shirtless (shifters took every opportunity to be free from clothes) and flopped face down on the couch. Kavik approached with a frown and then jabbed a finger against his brother’s shoulder as if to wake him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kavik asked, his words heavy and blunt like a hammer, cracking the silence, his focus absolute.

Chesh flinched and groaned at the sudden touch, turning his head to eye him with a petulant pout, “What was that for?”

Kavik was immediately reminded of when 5 year old Chesh would give him that same look after being told it was time to get up or that he wouldn’t get his way. The image was clear in his mind, the little boy with messy curls, bright eyes, and expressions that would change in an instant. Chesh had been, and would always be, an emotional sort, the type who swung from mood to mood and wore his heart on his sleeve. To a degree, anyway. He hid things from most people, charmed his way out of reach, never let anyone see him down unless it was for some other purpose of his...

After growing up together, Kavik could tell (with 90% accuracy) when Chesh was being genuine or not, and it helped that he was one of the few that his brother did lower his guard and pretenses around.

The way Chesh currently slumped on the couch, like a fallen puppet whose strings of motivation and life had been cut, told him that something was not right. It was…uncharacteristic of Chesh to be so still and unenergized.

Kavik’s hard tone came again. “Just tell me. What’s wrong with you?”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Yeah, there is. There’s no Christmas shit all over the place. Where’s all the tinsel and lights?”

“Huh?” Chesh glanced around with a touch of confusion, a frown forming again. “You hate all that stuff.”

Hasn’t stopped you before, Kavik wanted to say with a snort, but instead he gave a little shrug and countered, “But you love it, always make a mess of my place with it. And besides, I don’t really hate it, I just don’t wanna do it or have it all through my house.”

Chesh blinked and seemed to take a minute to process that, then he shrugged too but otherwise made no move. “Oh, well, I just don’t feel like it this year.”

“That’s my point,” Kavik said with a roll of his eyes, “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s not very nice asking it like that. And it’s the first thing you’ve said to me. Don’t I even get a hello anymore?”

He could sense the faux hurt Chesh was gathering, the attempt at guilt-tripping and distraction. Oh, here we go. He pinned him with a serious look to cut it off, “You’re avoiding the question.”

Perhaps Chesh realised that there was no fooling him, because he then sighed and seemed to somehow slump down more with a defeated grumble, “There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m just tired...”

With a slow breath to try shove down his frustration, Kavik rubbed his forehead and then studied his brother once more. Chesh was right, there was nothing wrong with him…physically at least. He was still fit and healthy, no scent of sickness on him. The emotional indicators were a little strange (seeming to signal a deep sadness) which would explain the current mood…but what he found most unusual was the strong presence of a human’s scent on him, and the fact that it seemed to have partially merged with Chesh’s own scent signature.

It was the sort of thing that happened when a shifter started to bond with someone else, most often when a pair became long-term mates at least. Had Chesh really connected with someone so much? With a human?

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” repeated Chesh, likely feeling the stare burning into him.

Bullshit.

But Kavik didn’t push further, choosing instead to ask, “Where have you been hanging around lately? You haven’t been to your place much and you haven’t gone around bothering me and everyone else in a while.”

“Aww, have you missed me?” The teasing, playful tone Chesh was most known for finally made an appearance, along with a smile. And it made Kavik roll his eyes yet again.

“No. Just answer the damn question.”

Chesh’s face, though half pressed against the couch, lit up with a momentary grin at the irritated response. It then faded, and he turned his face against the couch more, his voice a mumble, “I made a friend, that’s all...Is that okay?”

The question, despite being quiet, held the trace of a challenge. Rarely did Chesh ever push like that, even during his ‘rebellious’ phase as a teen. Strange.

Kavik’s expression tightened, but he took another breath and then relaxed and sat himself on one of the armchairs. “Depends if it’s gonna be a problem or not…-”

And it could easily become a big problem.

“-Why you getting so close to a human anyway? It’s affecting you.”

They both heard it. Chesh’s heartbeat speeding up.

Kavik watched him closely; watched the way his eyes darted away, and how he chewed his lip in an almost guilty way. He saw the faint flush on his cheeks and the moment the casual, nonchalant appearance took over his features to cover up the worry.

Chesh spoke the lies easily, “It’s not. It’s just that I’m around her a lot, yknow? It’s just scent transfer and all.”

Easily spoken, yes, but Kavik was not the easily convinced type. He raised an eyebrow and adjusted himself in the chair, affecting a more relaxed and nonthreatening position.

“Uh huh, right…” he said slowly, “So who is ‘she’?”

The heartbeat, which had just started to settle down, kicked into higher gear once again. Funny, how the sign of life was such a dead giveaway...

Hesitation permeated every inch of Chesh, brought in and held there by reluctance. He looked like someone who would make a run for it out the nearest exit at any moment, shouting something like ‘you’ll never take me alive!’

What was the big deal? Was he in some sort of trouble? Was the woman dangerous?

He’s not gonna answer…

Should he push him? Or just drop it? Curiosity and a certain protectiveness and worry prodded at him to push and push, but his logical side warned him that it might go very wrong. Chesh might close up completely and leave, the usually buried stubbornness coming out to the forefront and digging in.

Hmm. Maybe it was time to give Chesh a taste of his own medicine. A dose of guilt-tripping shouldn’t be too hard to come up with, right? Kavik was the direct sort (Chesh only liked to be so when it suited him) and disliked mucking around with games and manipulation, but it couldn’t be beyond his capabilities to mimic his brother’s methods. Just because he didn’t usually bother with it, didn’t mean he would be bad at it, did it? All he had to do was what he would do and get him talking-

“Jackie...”

The name came out in a sigh from Chesh and drew Kavik’s complete attention back to him, in time for him to see a soft smile brighten.

And suddenly Chesh twisted around and sat up, his words spilling out in a rush of energy, “She’s Jackie, and she’s the best. She’s really funny, and cute and so pretty and she’s a DJ and she has a cute kittycat called Lemon. She has amazing purple hair, Jackie I mean, not Lemon, Lemon is a white fluff ball. Jackie is not a fluff ball, except sometimes in the morning if her hair is crazy…but she is sooo cute and short! And really good at petting and cuddles and she has such a nice voice and she loves swimming and diving and she has treasures! And she has really pretty eyes and the best smile and laugh…”

The energy evaporated and Chesh trailed off, his eyes unfocused, his mind clearly elsewhere. If Kavik was the fanciful type, he might have imagined seeing love hearts floating around his brother’s head, like in some sort of cartoon. As it was, he could pick up on the emotional signals from him, the subtle scents that were now as obvious as flashing neon lights, and were perhaps the equivalent to the floating hearts, telling him that Chesh was filled with affection for this human, and their bond was growing stronger with each minute spent together.

Holy shit.

Silence flooded the room with its heavy presence, creating heightened awareness of what had just been said.

Chesh, who was never usually the type to be affected by embarrassment, held a faint blush once again and turned his face away to hide it.

Jackie. Funny. Cute. Pretty. Purple. Short. Petting.

It took a moment for Kavik to process the key words, and the fact he had never heard Chesh ramble about a woman like that before. Cute animals, games, movies, food, places…yes, he’d heard many excited rambles from his brother about those things, but…another person? No, it just didn’t happen. Unless famous people counted perhaps. Was this woman famous? It sounded as if Chesh almost idolised her…

There were feelings there in any case. Maybe Chesh would give everything away now.

Kavik let the silence sit for a moment longer before going against his usual behaviour and breaking it, “So…you’re ‘friends’ with this ‘Jackie’?”

“Yeah…” It was another of those lovey-dovey sighs, but was followed by a hesitant hum and addition, “Kinda.”

“Kinda.” Kavik repeated it flatly. Leopards were generally patient, able to wait until the right moment to strike during a hunt, but this had gone on too long. He wanted answers already, it wasn’t normally so difficult to get them! 

“What the hell does that mean?” he asked, forcing a growl out of his voice, “You’re either friends or something else. How’d you meet her? At a club? Or what, is she one of your hook-ups but you got attached?”

“No!” The scandalised look accompanying that emphatic answer might have been funny in a different situation. It was hard to believe that Chesh would linger long enough with someone to get attached…oh but maybe the reaction was more to do with not wanting to relegate the woman to the side of meaningless sexual encounters?

An ache began to push into Kavik’s head and eyes, as if he’d spent too long staring at a complex puzzle. Something was going on. Chesh was changing, had already changed, and he’d missed it, clueless about what his little brother was going through. His heart and stomach sunk with the failure but were lifted by a sense of determination to improve.

He rubbed at his temples and huffed out a breath. Frustration at himself and at being in the dark was starting to turn into confusion and curiosity, “So you’re not fucking her?”

He wasn’t sure what he expected from the crude question, another emphatic ‘No’ maybe…but Chesh gave a short, low growling huff instead and looked away.

“Of course I’m not…”

‘Of course I’m not’…Kavik’s mind stumbled over the words. He even leaned back further in his chair, as if distance from his brother would somehow help him see the bigger picture of what he meant.

Of course? As in…obviously? As in…’don’t be ridiculous, there’s no way I would’.

His brother. Chesh. The playboy. The flirt. The guy whose sex-drive was through the roof and who had the charm and looks to never have to spend the night alone…was not having sex with the woman he clearly had feelings for? ‘Of course.’

The headache grew stronger. Maybe everything was being thought about a bit too much.

“Alright then...” said Kavik, starting to have an uncharacteristically creative worry that he might have walked into some sort of alternate universe when he’d entered the house. It was simply too strange to see Chesh this way. ‘Jackie’ must be one special woman. “Does she know what you are?”

Chesh sighed and flopped back on the couch. “No…She doesn’t even know I exist.”

Relief eased Kavik’s shoulders, but confusion scrunched his face as he processed the second statement, which was not even delivered in an overly dramatic fashion for once. “…What?”

“She doesn’t know me.” Chesh’s hands came up and covered his face, muffling the next words, “We…haven’t actually met properly.”

If the human scent wasn’t all over him, Kavik might have thought Chesh had well and truly gone nuts, and he might have doubted whether or not the human really was human. A witch seemed more likely. Some sort of love spell being involved would make sense.

“What do you mean you haven’t met? Who the hell is she?”

Chesh seemed to realise he’d said too much, he lowered his hands but avoided eye contact and appeared to find the couch cushions very interesting. But then there was a casual shrug. “I’m kinda…her…roommate? Uh…Pet? As a leopard…She, uh…calls him Kit.”

The recollection gave Chesh a smile, but apparently woke up ‘Kit.’ Kavik caught sight of the leopard in his brother’s eyes, and there was a light imprint of rosettes along his skin, a proper shift threatening to happen. Chesh shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. There was a faint, feline whine, but Chesh cut it off with a soothing ‘shh’ to his other side under his breath. He must have regained full control then, as the signs of the shift disappeared like they’d never been.

Likely to pretend that small incident hadn’t happened, Chesh spoke up again, this time with an explanation. “It was night and I was at the park, in a tree because I needed some nature time, y’know? And then she came along, and I accidentally scared her and made her hit her head a few times, and I couldn’t just shift back, but I wanted to make sure she was okay and all and then just…I dunno…I ended up staying at her place for a bit…and then more. And I really like it there…with her. We watch movies and stuff together and she pets me lots and she smells really nice and she’s so cuddly and soft. She decorated her place all pretty and Christmassy, but she’s gone to be with her family for the holidays…which is good, because I can be here without her wondering where I am…so it just works out well really…”

Silence settled in once again as the words faded and Kavik tried to wrap his head around them.

Oh, if only there was a rewind button, so that the rushed-out story could be recounted again (and maybe ‘paused’ so there could be a Q&A session). Maybe it would make more sense the second time. The only thing that was clear to him was that Chesh was trying not to miss the woman. And he was failing completely.

It was coming together now. He understood why the leopard had to be talked down moments ago, and why Chesh was struggling and moping. Shifters were not wholly human and were not wholly animal. They were both, two sides, two souls. Both needed acknowledgement and attention, especially from loved ones. It was never a good idea to suppress one side over the other…but of course there wasn’t much choice in this situation, Jackie was a clueless human, and that was another reason for caution.

“You need to be careful, Chesh, I don’t want SIAP on my ass. You know what could happen. Hell, it’s a miracle they haven’t already taken you in about this.”

Supernatural Incidents and Awareness Prevention. They weren’t afraid to interfere for ‘the greater good’ and wipe memories of humans that got too close to things they shouldn’t, the ones that freaked out and risked the balance of things.

Chesh winced, looking very much like he had just been punched in every vulnerable spot he had. No doubt he was imagining being banned from ever seeing Jackie again, at the very least. “Yeah…I’ll be careful. It’ll all be fine though, I’m sure she’ll…be okay with it.”

He didn’t sound all that sure. Kavik knew his brother well enough to know he would be second guessing ever telling Jackie about being a shifter, for fear of bringing the organisation down on her. 

But Chesh wouldn’t have to worry. Nothing was going to happen to him or to his human. It was a big brother’s job to take care of the younger and to stop bad things from happening after all, and Kavik might not have been perfect, but he was a damn good big brother when it came to protecting and things like this. He would do whatever he had to in order to protect the pair.

His mind was already running through the various possibilities and what he might have to do. It would be best if he gathered some more info on Jackie, gauged what sort of person she was, and it was probably a good idea to check in with his SIAP contact soon too, she might be able to see if there was anything going on there. 

With all of that in the back of his mind, he nodded at Chesh.

“Yeah, she sounds crazy enough to handle it,” he said, “She is living with a leopard already. Hasn’t she even questioned that?”

Chesh hummed and shrugged, “Sometimes she gets kinda suspicious of me…but I think she doesn’t wanna know or think about it, but…” He sighed and went on, “I wanna meet her properly. Talk to her…”

After he trailed off yet again, Kavik thought that was it, and he almost asked him what was stopping him from meeting her, but then Chesh grinned and added, “I did bump into her once, in person, nearly knocked her over. She was so cute, all dazed. And man, her hair has the most amazing colours in it! And it looks so soft and pretty, I just wanna touch it…But I can’t…”

Although he could understand and sympathise with the struggle Chesh had, of the position of being unable to do the simplest things with a loved one, of having to deny instincts and parts of himself…he didn’t really want to hear any more. Chesh gushing so much and being so lovesick was just too damn weird.

“Alright, alright, enough about all that.” Kavik stood and moved around the couch, lightly shoving his brother’s head on the way past. “Getcha ass up.”

Chesh huffed and tried to bat the hand away, rolling off the couch and following with a pout as he did so, “Why?”

“Because we’re gonna decorate this damn place.”

“But you-“

“Yeah, well you need a distraction and I know you like this shit.  S’better than having you mope around or be mushy, so hurry up and grab the box of stuff from wherever you hide it.”

His inner ‘Chesh sense’ started to ring in alarm. Oh no.

He tensed in preparation and half turned, in time for Chesh to dramatically fling himself on him like dying man onto his only hope. Kavik’s face screwed up and he huffed at the contact, having to adjust his stance so their combined weight wouldn’t topple them to the ground.

“The fuck are you doing? Get off me.”

Of course Chesh did the opposite and climbed up to cling even more with a whine, “But Kaaaaviiiiiiii…I miss her so much! I need lots of hugs!”

The statement was followed by the grip increasing and Chesh pressing his cheek against his in great affection. Kavik tried to turn his face away from him and pry him off, “That’s not my problem. Just don’t think about her.”

The crushing hug relented slightly, and Chesh seemed to be considering things.

“Just don’t think about her? Hmm…well I guess you’re right, decorating probably would be a great distraction…”

The Chesh sense started to ring again, and Kavik’s dread kicked in.

“But I dunno if it’s distracting enough, yknow?” Chesh went on, “It might not take up enough of my thoughts, because I do miss her sooo much. And she is the most amazing, most beautiful, bestest woman ever. And she doesn’t know who I am and its really sad and everything.”

They might be cat shifters, but Chesh had mastered the ‘puppy-eyes’ technique and was now aiming it fully at Kavik (who’s expression had not changed from distaste since the uncomfortable hug began).

“I could talk about it forever and ever…” added Chesh.

And Kavik sighed. “Unless...?”

There was a thoughtful (but unconvincing) hum, “Well…it would probably take up more thought if I had to tell you where to put all the decorations and stuff…don’t you think? Directing you instead of us both just doing whatever we want on our own.”

You little shit.

“...Fine. You can boss me around this one time, but no more hugging and no more going on about your woman.”

Chesh grinned and climbed down, clearly satisfied now that he had gotten what he wanted from the situation. He patted the top of Kavik’s head (earning a growl from him) and then went off to find the boxes of lights, tinsel, and baubles.

Regret was already knocking, but surely an annoyingly bossy and high-spirited Chesh, back to his manipulative trickster self, was better than a lovesick and mopey one…wasn’t it? It was okay as long as he was happy…right?

A tinsel tangled Kavik, only ten minutes in the future, would struggle to keep that in mind.

[sunnysidewrites]

Best Friends to Lovers!Seokmin

HAHAHA THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS!!!!!! I PULLED THIS SHIZ ON YALL!!!1!11!! this is part 2 of seokmin’s bday present. and yes i know im over a month late leAVE ME ALONE!! THIS IS THE FIRST BULLETPOINT AU OF 2018!!! AND YES ITS AT THE END OF MARCH!!! FORGIVE ME CHILDREN!!!! i had SOOOO much fun writing this but maybe a bit too much bc i think i went overboard,,, but i cant help it that he needs so much love!!!

this is THE. LONGEST. BULLETPOINT. AU. I’VE. EVER. WRITTEN. it has definitely surpassed assassin!cheol pt 2 by a long shot and im a little concerned honestly bc i go OFF whenever i talk about my biases, especially the underrated ones. (wonwoo, you’ll get your turn one day wait for me bby)

happy bday to my sunshine pt 2. i love you so much that words will never be able to express it, even as a writer who writes as a hobby and has to Put Things Into Words. you’ve been such an amazing influence not only on the members, but also on carats and other diverse fans. i’ve always believed the saying that the brightest smiles hold the most pain, and i may not know all of your struggles, but i know how much you have to hide behind this idol front. we love you unconditionally, so please keep shining for us. also allow yourself to be sad and other negative emotions, but there must be darkness in order for the light to be appreciated, right? thank you for being the ball of sunshine we so deeply love. 💕💕💕

warnings: might give you diabetes on how soft and sweet i was feelin!!! as a double bias, it is hard to give everyone equal love so this is the 1 time i could fully dive into it!! also seokmin is a flirty and jealous drink sipper

Part 1: Be There In Spirt

Seokmin was your go-to for anything and everything

Whether it was to find a movie buddy or seeking advice, he was always there

You first met him at some social event your friend dragged you to

“So you can talk to more people!” Your friend would respond when you asked why

You really didn’t care much, if at all, for parties unless someone you’re acquaintanced with was also there

Your friend was too occupied with other people, so you just grabbed some food and juice and settled yourself in the kitchen

Someone entered the door and you could hear the volume of his muffled voice even from the other side of the door before he entered

You were just chilling at the countertop with your back to him and munching on your tortilla chips with salsa that you didn’t care who entered

He noticed that you were the only one there and you were eating and occasionally sighing mood tho

As he was opening his soda, he asked you pointedly, “is the food good, at least?”

You were startled and slightly jumped at the sudden sound of someone’s voice

You turned around to be greeted with the goofiest yet brightest smile

Is it possible to see that bright of a smile or one at all when someone’s drinking? Bc he definitely made it work

You just finished swallowing your food and merely brushed your hands and shrugged, “it’s pretty bland like this party,” which earned a heart laugh from the boy

“You got dragged here, too?” You nodded and cracked a smile. “What, was the whole antisocial ‘take refuge in food’ act a dead giveaway?”

He smiled and lightly chuckled, “that, and how you were muttering about getting dragged here as you munched on your chips,” he gestured to your now empty plate

“Hey, correction — I said that I was brought here against my will”

“Like that’s such a big difference,” he says with a smile on his lips as he finishes up his soda

“And it’s not every day that I meet a cool, tortilla-chip-eating person at a social, but maybe I would let myself get dragged out more often”

You kinda stared back at him and slowly blinked bc like

Was that a hint of flirtation in his tone or were you just that self-centered?

Maybe best of both worlds

You raised an eyebrow at him, “you want to see a loner at the snack table?”

“It’s easier to approach you or anyone like this, isn’t it?” He flashes another one of his infamous pearly grins and reaches in your bowl to steal a chip and pops it in his mouth

You jokingly say, “Oh, you think we’re friends now?”

He laughs throatily and puts his hands up in defense

“I think we’re past the stage of bonding over stale chips and salsa at this point”

And you’re cut off shortly when his rowdy group of friends interrupts the friendly banter y’all had rip :(((

Those darn cockblockers

“I’ll see you around, Tostitos,” he throws in a wink and gives you a short wave as he backs away from the door and leaves you as quickly as he entered

You shake your head and look at the sad, crinkled bag of chips and salsa

“Did he just nickname me after a brand of this stale party food??????”

What an iconic first impression tbh bless

Ever since then he would have this weird nickname system of naming you after foods you would eat to make fun of you or just joke around

“Cheer up, cheese puff!” ok this actually sounds kinda cute and now I’m soft :’(((

“Be there or be square, you pretzel”

You: “that didn’t even make any sense”

“Don’t be salty” ba dum tss

“Can you help me out, (peanut) butter cup?”

“Whatever you say, nerd...s”

“Okay you’re not getting any of my other candy then, seok”

He’s the only one out of your friend group — actually just everyone in general — to yell directly into your ear as a greeting

He calls it “cute”………………….. ok seok

But it’s ok bc he gives out the best hugs

Or maybe it’s just the best to you heheh ;)))

Invented!! Bear!! Hugs!!

The best ones that crush your lungs and you can barely wheeze out a breath

Your ideal hang out session with him involves screaming at the top of your lungs while playing Mario Kart and having a whole junk food feast sprawled out on the coffee table

“bRO YOU MADE ME SWERVE”

“GET OUT YOU’RE IN MY WAY”

Bonus: the chips and candy are also sometimes used to pelt at each other

It’s honestly more of a damn jungle when y’all are together it’s amazing LMAO

The type to crash at your place unannounced whenever he wants

You would open the door and he would just stroll in and look through your fridge like he’s lived there all his life

“WHY are you going through my fridge??? You need to go home, I have things to do today”

“Eh, we can just work alongside together—you’re running low on juice”

“Imma juice you boi if you don’t leAVE”

Your friend group most likely carries a pair of earplugs whenever you’re together

But underneath their rolling of eyes, they lowkey highkey ship the hell outta y’all

They even sometimes drop gigantic hints for you to get together but,,, things don’t exactly go their way

“Hey, Seokmin, my parents are having a barbecue this weekend. Maybe bring a plus one? Like uhhhhhh Y/N?” Real subtle

And he’d be like “what, Y/N??? Why would we need a plus one??? Aren’t we all going together anyways?”

The same thing happens on your end too smh

“My cousin is having a birthday party, you wanna come with? You can bring a date or whatever, probably Seokmin or something”

“Seok??? He would probably burn the place down HAHA but ya I guess I can bring him *shrug*”

And every time, both of you would ask: “but why (that other person)??? I can bring (insert another random member)”

GET A CLUE BABES!!! OH MY LORD

And they would just shake their head like sigh look at these naive kids

Mingyu: so are we just gonna let them be dumb like this orrrr????

Cheol: yeah let’s just leave them alone — nO THEY DON'T SEE HOW PERFECT THEY ARE TOGETHER WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING I’m with u on that one cheols

So this is the O Great Seungcheol’s plan: make each other jealous without knowing y’all would get jealous

A foolproof plan, amiright folks????

And what other cliche perfect way to do that than a WEDDING

it just so happens that Seokmin’s aunt is conveniently getting married and he’s inviting the whole crew

And the guys are like mwHAHAHA THIS IS PERFECT

Everyone’s talking about who’s bringing who as a date and things like that and you’re just chilling and scrolling on your phone

And everyone’s making eyes at each other without you knowing bc they’re like ok y’all time to initiate I Still Get Jealous Plan

“how about you, Y/N? who are you taking?”

And Seokmin subconsciously wants to know too bc he’s tuning in with the rest of them LOL

And you don’t even bother looking up at your screen bc that’s how indifferent you are to this whole thing

“I don’t really care, I guess anyone who doesn’t have a date or something”

Seokmin is about to open his mouth and ask you since that’s your usual thing

BUT SHOCKER!! SOMEONE BEATS HIM TO IT!!

“How about going with me? I don’t have anyone”

And you expected Seokmin to say those words, but you look up and see Jeonghan smile at you

THE LOOK OF B E TR A YA L ON SEOKS FACE DID THE TEMPERATURE JUST DROP BC IT IS C O L D IN HERE

Admittedly, you feel a little odd going with someone who’s your best friend and go-to for everything but hannie is your friend, so you don’t mind too much

So you’re like “o-oh sure that works”

And you steal a glance at seok but he has an unreadable expression and is smiling like usual

And for some reason you feel your chest drop just the slightest bit bc you thought he would at least fight for you a little bit and say something like

“heY HEY Y/N IS MY GO-TO FOR THESE THINGS”

But he doesn’t at all,,, and his lips looked a little strained when he smiled

and jeonghan is looking all slyly at seok bc he knows just a minute ago he could feel the back of his head being burned off by Seokmin’s glare

The convo picks up from where it previously left off and things are back to normal but the atmosphere is a little heavy

The day of the wedding comes and you’re about to finish dressing up

You’re waiting for half of them to pick you and meeting the other half at the venue

And ofc, in this half includes seok and jeonghan yikes

You hear your doorbell ring, and you’re like oh they’re here!! You say bye to your parents and put on your coat and shoes

When you open the door, you find yourself in front of Jeonghan and he’s like holy crAP

He’s awestruck and is looking at you like :OOOOO

“Jeonghan! Uhhh,,,, do I look weird???”

And he snaps out of it and is violently shaking his head like nO NO N O ofc not you look amazing

And you’re like heck yea I do I spent time looking this good :)))) (you don’t actually say this but it’s a thought)

and you get a funny feeling in your stomach and you realize you’re anticipating what Seokmin would think

If you got a good response from your “date,” surely your best friend would say smth good too??? Right??? That’s how this works???

Little did you know Seokmin (and everyone else) witnessed what happened and they’re like oMG Y/N LOOKS GOOD

Seokmin couldn't help but feel it should be him in Jeonghan’s shoes but he couldn’t refute the fact that you did indeed look like a million bucks

As you get in the car you lock eyes with him and you’re like hey Seokmin!!!

But you’re instantly b l o w n away by how CRISP HE LOOKS

His brown hair that’s usually sitting down and hides his forehead is now slicked back but in a way that still stands up and exposes more of his forehead and outlines his masculine face shape

His sharp suit perfectly fits on his toned body and you’re fully convinced you’re looking at an angel

YALL KNOW WHAT LOOK IM TALKING ABOUT. YOU KNOW.

You have to actually hold back a squeak bc you’re shook af

And he’s dying bc of how cute you are and wow are his palms sweaty???

You end up sitting in the middle of him and jeonghan and you’re just sitting happily and waiting to see what kinda food is at the wedding lmAO

but the real meal here is you eh??? Eh??? ;))))

Seokmin seems a little nervous and tense sitting next to you looking that good like he’s actually a little intimidated

You’re waiting for him to speak up and he’s clearing his throat and stammering a little bit

“Y-you look really nice, Y/N”

And you’re like ahahahhahhdgdhhhcjdbdhhd

“Thanks, seok, you clean up really nicely too”

And both of you can’t look each other in the eyes bc you’re gonna actually combust if you do

And everyone in the car is looking at each other like hehehhehehehh it’s workinggggg

When y’all finally arrive at the venue, you get out of the van with the help of Jeonghan’s hand

Seokmin: conceal don’t feel :))) channel your inner Elsa man :))))

And jeonghan is glancing back at Seokmin every so often to test him

And Seokmin is starting to catch on like ,,,, why is hannie always looking at me

He tests him even more when he casually holds your shoulder and drapes his arm around you

And Seokmin is like !!! ELSA WHERE ARE U

Jeonghan is being a little too touchy in seok’s eyes and Seok is silently fuming over the drinks

Soonyoung is like dude I can feel your dark energy all over my soup what’s up with you???

Seok is about to explode at this point and anything can set him off

“isn’t Jeonghan being just a little too touchy-feely with Y/N? That looks like borderline harassment. They’re not even dating!”

And soonyoung is silently laughing bc he’s like oh you fool lmao

“You sound a little too overprotective over your best friend. Well — if that’s really the reason why you are”

“Of course I’m just worried — dID YOU SEE THAT ARE THEY FEEDING EACH OTHER”

Soonyoung: u need help bro

“Steal a dance with her later” soonyoung says and seok is like uh what Im not gonna make a fool out of myself

All soonyoung does is shrug and winks and he goes back to eating

Soon enough the dancing portion begins and jeonghan takes you out to the dance floor

And it’s nice bc you’re just having pure fun and dancing goofy moves, not to mention Jeonghan is great company

But you’re a little disappointed you and seok weren’t able to talk and have fun the way y’all usually do

Jeonghan has sensed this the whole day and he says “I’ll be out of your hair soon enough”

You’re taken aback by his statement and you’re like “what no you were really fun to be around tonight!!”

And he laughs and ruffles your hair like “no need to cover it up. I knew this would provoke him” and you both look across the room where seokmin is standing alone, sipping on his drink as he pretends he wasn’t just looking at you dancing for the past ten minutes

The upbeat song transitions to a slower song and jeonghan pats you on the shoulder

“Here’s lover boy’s cue ;)))” and he bends down to your ear and whispers

“But I could stay here longer and mess around with him a little longer”

You push him away laughing and say “let’s not torture the poor guy any more than you already have”

Both of you are laughing and SURPRISE SEOKMIN APPEARS

and he claps his hand on hannie’s shoulder and says “May I?”

And jeonghan nods and looks between the both of you and is all ;)) have fun kiddos and winks at you right before he leaves

And now there were only 2

You didn’t realize you would be so nervous until your heartbeat nearly spiked up when he came into contact with you

DHHDHDJDJ SORRY IM FREAKING OUT WRITING THIS WOWIEURJ SCREAMS

It’s good I’m good we’re good this is good

His cheeks are tinted pink as he attempts but fails to make eye contact with you once again

He gently takes your hands and places them around his neck and then places his own around your waist

It’s only at this moment that you’re able to make proper eye contact for possibly the first time that entire day

You’re slowly moving to match the slow tempo and you can feel your face getting hotter in the heat of the moment

It stays intimate and silent for a few moments before the both of you try to break the silence

“Umm,,” “So,,,”

Androgen you laugh at how awkward you’re both getting

“This is probably the first time we’re not screaming for the whole area to hear”

He chuckles and nods slowly

“I think my breath is just taken away” he says so softly that the music could have drowned his voice out if it weren’t for the close proximity of you and him

and you’re like ??? By what??? Are you feeling ok??

“By you”

And you’re like bLUUUSSSSHHHing big time

“A-ah, stop it, I only tried to look a little more presentable today,,,,”

Jeonghan somewhere in the distance: that’s not what you told me this morning!!

“You always look beautiful no matter what”

And now you’re at a complete loss of words bc well how do you respond to your best friend who’s shooting compliments one after the other so easily????

You’re desperately trying not to melt into a puddle in his arms but it’s a little hard

“You’re charming as always, Lee” and he’s like ;)) ofc ofc

“You’re a good-looking fellow yourself, not just me. Have you seen the girls who were drooling over you today??”

He blankly blinks at you and shakes his head

“Well, I didn’t notice actually. All of my eyes were on you tonight,,,,,”

FUCUEHEYDH IM SCREWMJRN IM SC REA MIN F

You’re a full fledged tomato by now and you’re trying to bury your face in his chest so that you could save face from this horrid embarrassment

“Okay, tone it down, Seok,,,, I cant handle all of this complimenting for a night”

He laughs and pulls you closer to his chest, his grip on your waist a little more secure

“I don’t know where this is all coming from either, but now that it is, I might as well say it all”

“What was that drink earlier???”

“I swear I’m 100% sober rn ask soonyoung!! Anyways, I didn’t think much of anything when I first met you honestly, but looking back at it, I think there was already some bit of attraction since then”

“You liked me when I was eating chips and salsa??? Really???” You look up at him incredulously

“It may not be the most flattering moment, but it was cute how you were hunched over your bowl LOL”

You: lemme just DIE

“If Jeonghan weren’t your date today, I’m not sure if I would have ever realized this. Maybe at some point, but at a much later time. I think it would have consumed me anyways”

He notices you’ve gone quiet and he’s like oh lord what if I messed up omgofkfkkf

“So,,,, yeah,,, i get it if you don’t feel the same way,,, I don’t wanna make things weird if you’re uncomfortable knowing this,,, but it was made crystal clear tonight that I really like you more than a best friend. I think I always have”

And you’re breaking out into giggles bc you realize how dumb you’ve both been

And he’s like !!!???!!!! why are you laughing omg I’ve done it you think I’ve gone mad

“tbh Seokmin I was disappointed that you weren’t my date since you usually would fight the members if they asked me”

“I kinda thought maybe I’ve been forcing you to do it too much with me?? and the other guys and you can do whatever you want”

“Seokmin, we’re best friends i would have picked you in a heartbeat”

And he’s like skdjjdjh is it suddenly hot in here it’s just you ;)))

“But as for the feelings…… it is weird”

He’s like oh :((,,, yeah I knew it would be kinda weird—

“—that we’ve liked each other all this time and it took us this long to realize it through some dumb wedding date thing”

And his face immediately lights up and you’re about to clutch your heart by how pure he is :’))))

He almost blinds you with his smile and he pulls you in so that your slow dancing position turns into a hug and he’s giggling into your hair and is spinning you around

*INHALES DEEPLY* MY GOD SOMEONE PROTECT THIS PURE BUN IM GONNA CRY I LOVE HIM SM

You can't help but giggle with him since his laugh is so infectious and you’re both a bubbly giggling mess my lord I think I just got diabetes

Poor baby was deathly scared you were gonna reject him but he’s so relieved you didn’t!!! :’))))!!!!!!

He slowly pulls apart from the hug and you’re both looking at each other hesitantly, bashfully

and In The Moment all you’re thinking about is how warm and how right it feels to be in his arms

You’re both still in your hugging position, his arms wrapped around your upper back/shoulders and your arms around his torso

You’re a little out of breath because of all the laughing and spinning, and both his and your eyes flicker to the other’s lips

You’re not sure who leaned in first but the next thing you know, your faces are only centimeters apart, his hand on your cheek

And then you feel something warm and soft on your lips

Holy hELL, am I really kissing Seokmin???!!! You’re silently freaking out and it’s just like

Your brain: ⁉️⁉️‼️‼️⚠️⚠️⚠️

You can feel his smile against your lips as he lightly tugs you closer to him and engulfs you in his embrace

But your mind gets fuzzier with every passing second so you let yourself enjoy the moment

Until you hear distant cheering in the back

“yyyYYYEESSS WE DID IT BOYS FREAKING FI NA L L Y”

You and Seokmin pull away and look back like wtf is happening

Sure enough, the other 12 guys are whooping and cheering and you would have thought it was your own wedding

,,,,refer to husband!seokmin

Seokmin’s just like “wait y’all planned this???”

Jeonghan: ya it was so fun teasing you this past week lmao you’re welcome tho :))))

Seokmin: I’m gonna eat your share of ice cream for the next month :))))

And everyone’s just like “y’all literally took years to realize this you should thank us uhhh”

Seokmin’s about to open his mouth to spout out some more objections but you tiptoe to peck him on the lips to make him shut up

“eeeEW UGHH nvm I already regret doing this”

“Seungcheol I will eat your share of ice cream too”

On the ride back home, you’re both comfortably leaning on each other, your head on his chest and his on top of yours

You’re so worn out that you sleep the whole way back home

Bonus: the guys in the car are giggling softly and take secret pics

Extra bonus: they taunt you both and use it as blackmail but in reality they’re jealous and want you to use it as your phone wallpaper

Extra extra bonus: he gives you a goodnight kiss at the front of your door and the guys scream in disgust and hurry him to return home :’)))))

ICONIC COUPLE OF THE FREAKIFN CENTURY OH NY GODHD!!!!! I LOV!!!!! MY PURE CINNAMON ROLLS!!!!!

[stylo-xx]

Eyes Closed (M)

G-Dragon: Angst/Small amount of fluff/Smut

PART 9-A: Telephone Games

A/N: more to come soon

P.S: songs for your listening pleasure (The Horrors)

(Part One)||(Part Two-A)||(Part Two-B)||(Part Three)||(Part Four)||(Part Five-A)||(Part Five-B)||(Part Five-C)||(Part Six)(Part Seven)||(Part Eight)||(Part Nine-B)

Ji-Yong twirled his phone in his hands before unlocking it for the hundredth time before sighing heavily and locking it back up.

“You know, they say doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity right?” Young-Bae raised an eyebrow.

Ji-Yong ignoring his best friend, absentmindedly scoffed as he stared at the black screen of his phone.

“How many weeks is it now that you’ve been waiting for her to hit you up?” “I don’t know I lost count...but I’m betting less than the amount of texts I’ve sent her” Ji-Yong sighed as he plopped his phone on his chest as he slunk into the couch “the fucked up thing is that she never has her read receipts on but she turned them on just so I could see she that she left me on read...” “Ouch, that’s a bit harsh” “A bit? She’s rubbing that bullshit excuse for a relationship in my face” he furrowed his brows. “By not responding to your texts?” “In case you’ve forgotten, any of those millions of pictures she’s been posting of her and that asshole, she made it official. Like to the public! God! it’s like even when we first got together we kept it as low key as we could for a while but suddenly she just wants everyone and their mother to know how great her newfound relationship with Satan is” “I mean you did kinda rub your non existent, happy relationship with Cassie in her face so—” “So nothing! That wasn’t an invite for her to stay pissed at me while she’s out ‘having the time of her life’ and rub it in my face” “What did you want her to do exactly?” “I don’t fucking know! Tell me that she’s sorry and she made a mistake and she needs me back” “So you basically want her to feel guilty for being in a functioning relationship with someone else?” “I guess when you put it that way then...yeah, kinda...yeah” Young-Bae sighed as he sat on the couch beside his best friend. “I’ve done everything she wanted me to do and yet here I am still not with her! I mean I got sober!—for the most part at least...I haven’t fucked anyone else!—except for those three girls in Japan I tried to distract myself with...but she practically has me crawling on my hands and knees begging her to get back with me” “I mean she does think you have a girlfriend…”

“That’s beside the point!”

“I don’t know maybe just tell her Cassie isn’t your actual girlfriend? Maybe just tell her the truth? Ever think about that?” “And run the risk of her getting even more pissed at me for lying? I think I’m good” Young-Bae sighed heavily “you ever think about just moving on? Clearly she has” Jiyong raised an eyebrow “you’re joking right? Besides, I can’t just ‘move on…” “Why not?” “Because I love her. And I know I fucked up, on more than one occasion, but I wanna make up for it before I don’t get the chance to” Young-Bae nodded his head absentmindedly “Also because I just can’t...I can’t. Physically, mentally I can’t. And I know it sounds stupid but I can’t” “Doesn’t sound stupid, just tiresome for the both of you” Ji-Yong bit his lip as he sat in deep thought for a moment. “Okay let’s say that, for instance, I were to just let her go and I ‘move on’ with someone else” he air quoted “--further down the line we’re able to see each other happy with someone else and not have any kind of feelings for one another and we manage to be best friends again—” “Doesn’t sound like a bad scenario to me” Young-Bae interjected.

“—let’s say that even further down the line, a year from now, two years from now things go great with both of our significant others and one day she calls me up all excited to tell me she got engaged to him—” Young-Bae opened his mouth to speak, Ji-Yong held up a hand to shush him before he could utter a single syllable “Then it hits me like a ton of bricks that I in-fact am not only not over her, but this wave of panic takes over me and come the day of her wedding all I’m gonna wanna do is to get wasted and tell her I’m still in love her and that she’s making a huge mistake marrying him and she should just run away with me. But then she tells me that she doesn’t feel that same way anymore and she marries him any way. But where the hell does that leave me Young-Bae? Huh? Where does that leave me? All alone wishing I had done something earlier”

He had gotten so worked up he stood up mid monologue. “I mean you see I’m in the right here, right?” Ji-Yong turned his body toward him. “Honestly I’m not so inclined to tell you where I stand on this whole mess between the two of you” “What why not?” “Because no matter what I say, you two do the complete opposite and frankly just don’t know how to help anymore. I will be here for you until the very end but I just don’t know how to help either of you” Ji-Yong furrowed his brows. Young-Bae crossed his arms across his chest “sure you say you got ‘sober’ and you haven’t screwed anyone else, not counting those three girls, but...do you honestly think you can change at this point?” “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” “What I think I’m trying to say is, Ji-Yong nobody believes you anymore. You’re a sad ass liar” “What did you just call me?” “You deserve to be lonely”

“What the fuck Young-Bae?!” “You can’t change. You wouldn’t know how to even if you actually tried” Ji-Yong squared up to his best friend. “She is much happier with him...you? You’ll only be the end of her...you’re just poison” The words and the image of his best friend started to become distorted as his words began to echo in his head as if in some horror movie. Tossing and turning in bed he awoke in a cold sweat

“Fuck!” He ran his hands over his face before he turned to face the glowing green numbers on his alarm clock on his night stand. Three AM.

‘Goddamn it’  he thought He sat up on one elbow to reach across the night stand to grab his phone. He groaned as he hit the home button prompting the screen to turn on blinding him with the light. He shut one eye as he turned down the brightness and began to scroll through his texts. He bit his lip contemplating opening the thread that read ‘Alex’.   He had finally changed her name in his phone, considering he had called her now on more than one occasion, he wasn’t afraid of drunk dialing her anymore. What he was afraid of was that the reason she wasn’t responding was because she had blocked his number and all together tossed any and all memory of him in the figurative garbage. For the past month and a half, Ji-Yong had for the most part managed to stay sober despite his own brain clawing at his skull telling him to just down a few bottles until he wound up in the hospital again; that way she would have to come see him. And with his onset new sobriety, he’s even managed to stay celibate somehow. Though in retrospect he thought he went a bit overboard with trying to clean his act up. With his body not used to not having some sort of release it had inadvertently made him sensitive to the human touch. Just days prior at press junket during the translators speaking to the press, Seung-Hyun had leaned over to whisper something in Ji-Yong’s ear and it almost instantaneously sent shivers down his spine. Since then the others had teased Ji-Yong relentlessly randomly blowing on his neck, massaging his head and so on and so forth. Not having sex for as long as he had, had only made him rely on his imagination and his right hand. Though admittedly it just wasn’t the same as watching the person beneath beneath him squirm and claw at his back in ecstasy.

His thumb hesitantly hovered over her name in bold black text in his recent calls list; he weighed his options in his head as his bit his lip.

‘Was twenty-two unanswered calls one too many past desperate?’ he thought.

He sighed heavily placing one arm behind his head and leaning back into his mountain of pillows.

“Fuck it” he muttered to himself pressing dial anticipating the robotic voice he had come to know far too well.

Sure enough, not even a full ring on the receiver and he was sent directly to voicemail. Sighing again, he pulled his phone away from his ear readying to hang up as the robotic woman delivered her speech he had come to know by heart. Just as his finger was mere centimeters away from the red button he retracted his finger placing the phone back up to his ear.

‘--Please leave your message after the tone’

He took a deep breath before speaking

“Hey uh Alex its me...Ji-Yong” he chuckled awkwardly “I mean I guess you already know that ‘cause of the caller ID...umm it’s three AM here...I--I thought I’d actually leave you a message finally. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay...you hadn’t called me back so--just let me know how you’re doing...even just a--”

Two beeps signaling the call ending cut him off mid sentence.

“Mother fucker...” he muttered as he plopped his phone onto his chest and slunk even further into his sea of pillows and bed sheets.

He wasn’t sure where to go from here. He had tried his best to backpedal from when his own plan backfired straight onto his face the night of the dinner with Suho and company, though his efforts were all for naught. It had been a month and a half now and he still hadn’t heard back from Alex. At this point things weren’t looking to be in his favor; or so he felt that way.

“A-Bomb, calm down!”

“Liar!” she slurred as she drunkenly threw another half eaten chocolate at the mural advertisement on the side of the building.

“You’re wasting perfectly good chocolate!” Sash struggled behind Alex trying to grasp her by the wrist “besides the Guess model with the nice ass didn’t do anything to you!”

“No!”

“Alex, give me the box of chocolates!”

“No!” she wriggled herself free sprinting in the opposite direction.

“Alexandra!” Sash panted as she chased behind her.

“No, she’s fine...” Saige sighed as she looked behind her “we’re walking back from the pub to the hotel now”

‘All that yelling doesn’t sound fine to me’

“Don’t even worry, she’ll be over it soon”

‘I just don’t want her to have some sort of meltdown at that award show for it to be broadcasted for millions of people to see. Saige, you promised me that this new guy was going to help keep her reputation in pristine status’

“Chill out Davis, trust me on this. This guy is actually good for her, if not just making her look good”

‘Looking good is part of her job, that’s not the problem Sai--’

“To the public!” she scoffed “you know what I meant”

‘Listen, all I want out of this is that this show makes it look like she got her shit together and judging by how things sound on your end I am not so convinced’

“They’ve made it this far without her looking like a complete lunatic--”

‘Have you gone deaf or am I the only one hearing her screaming ‘fuck these stupid fucking chocolates’ Saige?’

“Trust me--”

‘You keep telling me to trust you Saige but your argument is mute!’

“Listen to me you hard headed genius of a man!” she huffed into the receiver “you asked me to take over her social media and make it look like she’s unbelievably happy and in love, and did I deliver?”

‘Yes…’

“You asked me to make sure she didn’t run her career into the ground when she came back to Seoul a few months ago, and did I not do that?”

‘It didn’t exactly go as smoothly as I asked...’ he sighed.

“Did I or did I not manage to turn that scandle into making her look good?”

‘Yes, but she almost went completely off the deep end with that asshole again Saige! Don’t think I didn’t find out about that’

“That is besides the point!” she scoffed “point is I got her to open her eyes, and with a little coaxing from Suho and from the douchebag’s own stupidity, she made the right choice and chose Suho”

‘This isn’t another episode of Grey’s Anatomy of McDreamy VS. McVet we’re talking about here kid, we’re talking about one of my biggest money makers almost running away with the Rebel Without a Cause and costing me lots of money when she can’t film anything because she’s either too distraught to work or because studios don’t want her because she has too much baggage following her!’

“Okay, first of all don’t talk about her like she’s some piggy bank” she furrowed her brows “you’ve known her since she was like twelve! And secondly the big picture here is Davis, she didn’t run away with that egotistical sadomasochist--”

‘The big picture here Saige, is she’s drunkenly running around throwing confectioneries on the darkened street corners of London at two in the morning!’

She sighed heavily.

‘Listen…’ he paused ‘I get that you have got your work cut out for you especially since you are her best friend, and I know sometimes it’s hard to draw the line between PR rep and her best friend but I won’t allow her to make her make a mockery of herself and this agency again. Only way I’ll let her even show up to that award show is if you guarantee me she and that new guy make as big of headlines as the Royal Wedding and if she has absolutely zero contact with that dragon mother fucker’

“Don’t even worry I’m already way ahead of you on that…”

‘Meaning?’

“Meaning that since you’ve had me manage her social media that means I am in full control of her phone...”

‘Go on keep talking’

“And ‘dragon mother fucker’ for the past month and a half since they saw each other last, has been relentlessly trying to contact her so I’ve just--more or less been withholding that information from her and deleting the messages; hence the drunken meltdown, she thinks he’s completely forgotten about her”

‘You keeping secrets from her now?’

She could hear the amused grin spreading across his face.

“What she doesn’t know wont hurt her...besides her being this pissed at him will only make it easier for her not wanting anything to do with him at the award show or any time after that. If she thinks he just up and moved on with that girl he’s supposedly dating she has no choice but to swallow her pride and move on too; for good”

He chuckled ‘wouldn’t be show business if a little scheming wasn’t involved. I love it, keep her as far removed from him as possible, soon enough he’ll be nothing more than a memory; if we’re lucky he won’t be anything at all to her any time soon’

“We can only hope, and Suho is completely onboard with the idea so that’s another person in our corner”

‘The new boyfriend is even in on this?!’ he cackled ‘oh Saige, I knew you were the best of the best but this is just fantastic! But aren’t you scared of what she’ll do to you if she finds out this whole plan of yours?’

She bit her lip “I’ve thought about it--”

‘And?’

“And she might--no, she will hate me but it’s in her best interest. Besides he’s been helping keeping her distracted by taking her on dates and umm… keeping her physically entertained…”

‘She hates to work out, she likes this guy that much?’

“Sometimes I wonder how you’ve managed to become a multimillionaire with the things that come out of your mouth” she scoffed “sex Davis, I’m talking about sex!”

‘Oh! Well why didn’t you just say they’ve been fucking then?!’ he cackled again.

“Didn’t really think that’d be suiting conversation to have with my boss”

‘So what happened tonight then? Sex got stale all of a sudden?’ he chortled.

She made a eugh noise “oh no they had sex, multiple times so she said. She just came knocking on my room door saying that she couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to bother him and since the pubs stay open late here she said she just wanted to get a few drinks to maybe help her chill out and then two hours and three heart-shaped boxes of chocolates later and well here we are...she’s piss ass drunk throwing chocolates all over the place and yelling at denim advertisements”

‘Well aside from her drunken rampage it seems like you have things more under control that I thought. Keep it that way, and keep that dragon guy as far away from her as possible’

“Oh, believe me I plan to”

[thorne93]

Inexplicable Fate (Part 20)

Prompt: When a blinding pain overtakes you at work, what will be in store for your life when you run into the Winchesters and learn Lucifer’s son is about to be born?

Warning: Language, pain, angst, violence, fighting (verbal and physical)…fear of insanity??

Word Count: 2143

Notes: This is for @roxyspearing gif challenge. It’s a Jack x Reader fic (so Season 12 and 13 spoilers) Long, slow burn, (a little slow paced at first).

Feedback always appreciated. Feel free to send a message, ask, or leave a comment! :D

Beta’d by the ever fabulous @like-a-bag-of-potatoes

Forever Tags: @capsmuscles @cocosierra94 @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @missinstantgratification @thejemersoninferno @rda1989 @munlis @thefridgeismybestie @bubblyanarocks3 @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @hardcollectionworldtrash @igiveupicantthinkofausername@kaliforniacoastalteens @feelmyroarrrr @kaeling @friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo

IF Tags: @iamafishandigosplish @myfamilysincarolina @ilovemyangelforever @kazuha159 @bisexualdolphinthings @mysteriouslydeliciouswerewolf@justiceiswater @millard-our-savior @polkadottedpillowcase  @hunter-demigod-timelord @octo-cow52 @damnedangel98 @bad-moose @weirdoblogger69

Dean Winchester: @akshi8278 @mogaruke

Sam Winchester: @mogaruke @lenawiinchester

Castiel: @lenawiinchester

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following night was when you’d set your date for. You were giddy, excited, and nervous, as you began to pick out an outfit. Seeing as it was midsummer, you opted for jean shorts and a tank top, pulling your hair into a ponytail and swiping on some very light makeup. You figured you’d help Jack out by picking out a place in the park to just hang out. He didn’t need any extra stress of trying to figure out a date for you two.

Yet, when the time came for you to go get him, it was Castiel who retrieved you.

“Oh, hey Cas, I’m just on my way to Jack. For our date,” you said, giddier than a school girl.

“I know. I wanted to lead you there,” he said proudly, holding his arm out for you to take.

“Oh, okay,” you said with a grin, placing your hand on his arm. He lead you from your room to the war room, where Jack stood in a nice new button down shirt, new jeans, boots, and his hair slicked back. Your mouth fell slightly agape at the sight of him. He looked like the perfect gentleman, the perfect date, with a sweet smile planted on his face.

“Y/N, your date for this evening,” Castiel said, bowing slightly and gesturing to Jack.

You looked up at him, grinning with a fond smile, before you let go of his arm and walked over to Jack. He handed you a small fistful of flowers that were wilted and half-dead. They looked like daisies and wildflowers.

“Dean says--Dean said that flowers are a good idea for a first date,” he informed, his voice cracking a little, shaking in it. You couldn’t help the pull at the corner of your lips. It was more than endearing to know Jack was nervous for your date as well.

“They’re lovely, thank you,” you said, greatly appreciating his effort. Sure, the flowers weren’t fresh and vibrant, but he did the best he could and he went and got you flowers. That’s more than you could ask for. The two of you sat off, arm in arm towards the garage as you said you had a place in mind, but Jack was quick to interrupt, stating that he’d like to take you somewhere. You reminded him he couldn’t drive, but he said he’d direct you to the place. Slowly, you obliged, intrigued at where he was leading you.

The two of you hopped in the car, and he began directing you through the small streets of town, until you reached an area you didn’t recognize, but it looked serene and beautiful. The sun had about another hour before it would start setting, but it cast a warm orange-yellow glow over tall grass on your left, but on your right, a sparkling lake, twinkling in the sunlight.

“Come on,” Jack urged happily and you eyed him with playful curiosity as it got out of your car and got into the trunk, pulling out a picnic basket, a blanket, and a brown bag.

“What is all this?” you asked, a small laugh coming out.

“You’ll see,” he informed before grabbing your hand and pulling you to a grassy patch of lawn, right under a tree, only feet away from a sandy shore. The smell wasn’t quite the same, the scenery a little different, but this certainly reminded you of your cherished time in florida with Jack.

He spread the blanket out, laid the basket on top, and sat down, commanding you lightly to sit with him. Without question, you did so, sitting with him. He proceeded to pull out sandwiches, a cheese plate with crackers that had been wrapped, a bowl of fruit, and two candy bars.

“Wow, this is...quite a spread,” you remarked, eyeing all the delicious food.

Jack worked on getting the food uncovered as he answered, “Sam said to be sure we had food.”

“Went a little overboard,” you commented with a laugh and smile. “How did you manage to do all this?” you wondered as he worked on handing you a plastic plate and utensils.

“Uh...I asked for help,” he admitted sheepishly. “I hope that’s okay. I don’t really know anything about any of this but I wanted to make it special for you. For us…”

“Jack,” you eased in a soft voice, reaching over and taking his hand, the light and warm languid feeling pulsing through both of you. “It’s fine. I’m honored you went through this much trouble.”

He peered at you with amazement and bewilderment. “You...are?”

“Yes...Jack...I...I think I’m falling in love with you,” you confessed, quickly adding, “I know that might not mean anything to you. I know that you might not understand what that means, or if you do you might not fully grasp the concept--”

“What do you mean?” Jack questioned, cutting off your word vomit.

“I...I’m starting to fall in love with you,” you echoed. “I started from the moment I met you, and then we spent that amazing time in Florida and what we feel when we touch. I love how caring and careful you are. I love how you’re courteous. I love how you’re gentle, when you have the power to obliterate anything. I love how you’re defying the odds and being good, and nothing like your biological father.”

A moment of quiet passed, and you fiddled with your fingernails before you asked, “Do you know what love means? Or to be in love?”

“I know...how I feel about you, and Sam and Dean and Cas,” he slowly answered. “That I would do anything to keep you all safe. I’d do anything to protect you, see you happy… Is that love?”

You nodded with a smile as you brought your face back up to look at him. “Yeah. Love is...unconditional. It means you’d answer the phone at three am if they were drunk, just to make sure they got home safe. You can love your friends, your parents, your siblings, your mates...All of it at its core means the same thing...But depending on the person, it shifts. The love can be stronger with some people. It can mean different things when you’re around that person.”

“And falling in love? Is that different?” he questioned and you gave a slight laugh.

“A little bit. See, family or friend love is something that just happens naturally, almost instantly. No matter if you have the same interests, views, hobbies or anything. It’s what you said, about protecting them, being there for them, taking care of them. It’s about being honest with them, telling them when they’re wrong or need to see things differently. It’s about being loyal and kind and understanding. But...falling in love, is something two people do when they start to grow and learn about each other. As you learn more about the other person, you find out quickly that you like those things. You like the music they listen to, you like the way they see politics, you like the way they drink their coffee. It’s the little things that make you smile, to the big things that make you want to kiss them and shower them with affection.”

“Affection…” Jack mused. Grazing his hand over the blanket as he reached for your hand in your lap and holding it. “Like this?” he quietly asked.

“Mhm,” you hummed.

“So...Falling in love...It’s learning about a person...and loving those qualities?” he summarized.

“Yeah,” you softly answered.

“Then I think I’m falling in love with you too,” he answered with a soft, sideways smile.

After staring at each other a moment, your hands staying lit, you broke the trance and said, “We should eat the food before the ants do.”

With that, the two of you dug in to delicious food, laughing and talking. Sharing your memories of times at lakes just like this or other vacations. Once the food was gone, Jack got up and grabbed your hands, pulling you to your feet.

“Come,” he urged.

“Where?”

“The water,” he said, gesturing with his head toward the shore.

“Oh, Jack, I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” you informed, a little sad you didn’t have one.

After he took off his shirt, he said, “I know,” with a proud smile on his face. Just as you were about to figure out why he was so proud, he lifted you quickly, bridal style and started walking down to the shore.

“Jack!” you squealed. “No! No! Not in my clothes!” you begged, laughing the whole time as your skin lit from where he was touching your thighs and back, ignoring your struggles.

Once he was thigh deep, he tossed you into the cool water, when you emerged, you glared at him playfully. “Bad move, Jack,” you said in a sinister voice as you lunged at him, knocking him into the water, but he wrapped his arms around you as the two of you went under together. For some time while the sun set, all you did was swim, play, race, and splash, in the water, feeling so alive and so...happy. It felt so freeing. Even Florida had a dark cloud hanging over it with Jack going through his guilt and frustrations. But not this. Not tonight.

At one point, you swam up to each other, just as the sun had set all the way and you put your arms around his neck, his arms wrapping around your waist under the water.

The moment went from playful, to serious and tension filled within the blink of an eye. He was gazing at you, and your eyes cast down to his lips and you moved closer to him. You slightly tilted your head, pressing your lips to his, hoping to guide him. He didn’t seem to need guiding though, the response from him was ignited. He quickly picked up on the patterns your mouth was trying to make and he matched them, the kiss soft, but yearning, desire in every atom of the action.

All too soon, the contact broke, leaving you feeling empty.  

“Affection?” Jack quietly mused, water droplets falling from his perfect features.

“Affection,” you concurred, nodding slowly as he grabbed your hand, pulling you to shore, back to your blanket.

“I want to show you something,” he informed, explaining why he brought you two from the water. He sat down and you sat across from him, feeling slightly chilled from your time in the water. He noticed, ran back to your car, and pulled a towel he’d packed at some unknown time and brought it back, draping it around you. He pulled some pieces of paper from the basket, clearing his throat before reading. “It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, that a maiden there lived whom you may know, by the name of Annabel Lee--”

“Annabel Lee?” you questioned, perplexed. “How did you know that was one of my favorite poems?” Your eyes flashed between his gaze and the papers he was holding.

“You told me once. I thought...Well I thought you’d like if I read you your favorite poems,” he offered, a meek grin.

“I’d love it.”

With that, he nodded and looked back down at his paper, continuing with the poem. He went through Shakespeare, Frost, Poe, and so many others. He remembered all the ones you’d mentioned as your favorite, reading them all. By the end of it, he said he was going to build a fire for you two. To this, you smile and welcomed the warmth and the joys of a bonfire.

He got it built and while you were looking at the poems again, recalling your favorite lines and smiling, Jack worked on getting s'mores going. You had just started reading the second line when Jack called your attention.

“Okay! Got the first s'more done!” he announced and turned to you, handing you a black, ashen, gloppy mess.

“Jack?” you asked, turning the object over between your index finger and thumb.

“Yeah?”

“Did you maybe...burn the whole s'more?”

He frowned at you. “Is that not right?”

“No,” you said, shaking your head and laughing and throwing your arms around him. “That’s okay. I’ll show you how,” you said.

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

The rest of the evening, you lied together on the blanket, staring at the stars, your head nestled in the crook of his under arm. Chatting casually when the desire struck, touching each other softly with your fingertips, and enjoying each other’s company.

By the time you got home, it was a little after 10 pm, and you bid each other a goodnight with another soft, gentle kiss, not wanting to let go of each other. Eventually you did, your hands sliding down, holding onto each other for a moment, then letting the grip fall, your fingertips the last thing to touch, a streak of gold mist in the air between you two.

[prismofwords]

Love is an Illusion

Pairing: Umimaki

Words: ~1800

Rating: K

Domestic AU

AN: As promised, a birthday fic for Umi! And only a day late, too.

Maki was late.

She ran out of the classroom as soon as the teacher said they could go, not even waving goodbye to Hanayo and Rin. Of all the days the teacher could go on some tangent that went on beyond the bell, of course it had to be this one. She was sure Umi wouldn’t mind her not showing up on time—surprised, maybe, but not upset—but it was embarrassing being late to a meeting she herself had asked for, especially when it was the other person’s birthday. She sprinted through the halls, almost colliding into someone more than once. She just breathed out a quick ‘sorry’ and kept going.

Finally, her destination was in sight. And indeed, her upperclassman was standing there, serene and graceful as always. “Umi!” Maki cried out, coming to a stop in front of her. “Sorry, were you waiting long? Today’s lesson went overtime and—”

Umi held up a hand. “It’s alright. I only just got here myself.” She was lying, Maki could tell. Her polite smile was strained (although not forced), as if Umi really wanted her to know she wasn’t mad. Such a kind soul. How could Maki possibly deserve her?

Maki’s eyes shot open, the sun’s rays piercing the curtains and dancing on her face. A rare occurrence. By this hour she was usually at the hospital already. But not this day. Never this day.

Umi lay beside her, still asleep. Maki smiled. Umi was the only person she knew busier than herself. She deserved as much rest as she could get. She leaned over and lightly planted a kiss on her lover’s forehead. The older girl mumbled incoherently in response.

“Right, gotta get started,” Maki said, swinging her legs off the bed and standing up. The echoes of the memories that had resurfaced in her dreams resonated in her mind. It was Umi’s day, and Maki would be damned if her wife had anything less than the best experience from start to finish. They would be having a bigger party with their friends of course, courtesy of Kotori and Honoka, but that wasn’t until the weekend. Today, it was just the two of them.

“Anyway, shall we get started?” Umi said, turning and sliding the music room door open.

Maki’s fingers twitched. “Yeah. I’ll try to make it quick, I’m sure Kotori and Honoka have some big party waiting for you.”

“Oh, definitely not,” Umi said. “You’re right, those two have always liked to go overboard for my birthday, to a point where last year they could barely stay awake in class the next day. I made them promise to save it for the weekend starting this year.”

“Ah.” Then again, Maki supposed, if those two had had plans with Umi then there was no way she would’ve been able to arrange this meeting for just the two of them, alone. Maki started having second thoughts. Would this really work? Maybe she was just wasting both Umi’s and her own time.

Maki stopped by the piano, making a trail in the dust with her finger. The old thing looked so sad sitting neglected here in its corner. When was the last time she had played it? It couldn’t have been more than a few months ago, but it seemed so far away. Moreover, when was the last time she had played something with Umi? They were both so busy nowadays. They used to spend so much time together by her beloved instrument. Even after they stopped their activities as μ’s, the pair had continued to compose and write songs together in the school music room as if nothing had changed. They couldn’t keep meeting up after Umi went off to university, of course, but even then, they would send each other their work online and collaborate digitally. They must’ve had several hundred pieces by now. Some of them they had worked on until it was professional quality—Nico had asked them to write a few songs for her career—but most of them were short little numbers that were for them only. A blank sheet paper notebook lay open on the music stand, still ready for its owner to inscribe her next creation.

Maki removed the cover and tested some of the keys. Still in tune. Maybe later. First she had to make breakfast.

Maki marched herself to the piano bench, sat, and pulled up the cover. She told the doubt in her head to stuff it. It was too late to turn back now. In a few weeks, Umi would be gone completely, off to university and her future, leaving her behind. They would try to stay in touch, of course, but Maki knew the two of them. They were such bad texters, they were liable to drift apart if they didn’t make a conscious effort otherwise. And how could she expect herself to do that if she couldn’t even make this effort right now?

She turned her head to Umi, who was digging through her bag for the notebook she used to work on their lyrics. “You don’t need that today,” she said.

“What? I thought you had a new piece you wanted to show me and get started on some lyrics for.”

“Well…I lied to you a little bit.” From her own bag, Maki produced a handful of music sheets, which she spread out in front of her. There were lyrics already scrawled between the staves.  “This is a song for you, Umi. My present to you. You don’t need to write anything. Just listen.” Maki looked her straight in the eyes. “I mean it. Really, truly listen. Okay?” Umi nodded dumbly. Maki took a deep breath and started playing, her fingers dancing across the keys, her voice joining in the melody soon after.

The lights of town are a blur

I could almost touch the crescent moon gently with my hand

On those special days when I get to see you

My fingertips are glittering diamonds

I wanna be with you

Longer than usual

Sooner than usual

I’m not used to wearing high heels

And stagger in them, so lend me your arm

Would that be too obvious?

…

The door opened, and Umi stepped out, still blinking the sleep out of her eyes. “G’morning Maks,” she slurred.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Maki said, stifling a laugh. She still couldn’t get over the image of the otherwise prim and proper Sonoda Umi staggering in a daze in the morning. Usually she shook it off as soon as possible with a cup of coffee since she had to get herself together and in order for the day, but when they had the day off like this, the unkempt beast reared its head for Maki’s amusement.

“I made your favourite for breakfast,” Maki said, sliding a plate over to Umi.

“But anything you cook is my favourite.” Apparently Umi was awake enough for this kind of banter, at least

“I know,” Maki said, rolling her eyes, “that’s why I made my favourite.” She flipped the second omelette onto her own plate, and carried it to the table. They said their thanks, and dug in.

“Tomato omelette,” Umi said. “I especially love it when you make this.”

“Eh? I thought anything was fine by you.”

“Yeah, but I love the way your eyes light up when you take a bite out of anything tomato.”

“Blegh. You are such a sap.” Maki tried her damnedest not to smile, but Umi was too much of a dork. It was hard to believe this same girl used to be scandalized whenever Maki so much as tried to hold her hand. Then again, Maki herself could get so easily embarrassed when Umi found the courage to make comments like that. “Hurry up, you dork, I still have to give you your birthday present.”

“Present? I thought you were going to give it to me at the party along with everyone else.”

“Well yeah, I’m giving you something then too. But I just realized I wanted to give you something right now, too. Here, come on.” Maki grasped her hand and dragged her to her feet. Umi barely managed to stuff the last forkful of omelette in her mouth before being whisked away to the piano.

“I refuse to believe you’ve somehow found the time to compose a song in the scarce free time you’ve had recently.”

“You would be correct,” Maki said. She placed her fingers on the keys. It had been a long time, but the memory of that song and the feelings she had poured into it was burned into her mind. She could practically picture the notes and the words on the blank sheets in front of her. “This is an old one, actually. Thought you might like to hear it again.” She waited for a response, but Umi just nodded. Taking that as a sign to go ahead, Maki began, her fingers dancing across the keys.

…

Love’s an illusion

Amazingly romantic

Unexpected warmth I didn’t see coming

Love’s an illusion

Quite fantastic

My heart’s beating too hard to hide

Maki let the last note ring. Slowly, she turned to Umi.

“Maki, that was beautiful,” the older girl said, a light blush on her cheeks. “You wrote that…for me?”

“…I wasn’t sure you’d get the message,” Maki muttered, playing with her hair. “But, uh, yeah. Umi, I…”

“I know.” Umi stood up and walked beside the piano bench. She took Maki’s hands in her own. Umi’s hands were so strong, and warm, and soft, even though they should’ve been callused from her years in archery. Maki didn’t get insecure about her body that often, but her own rough fingers felt undeserving of Umi’s. “Maki. I like you too.”

Maki let the last note ring. Slowly, she turned to Umi.

“As beautiful as the first time I heard it,” the older girl whispered, tears in her eyes.

“…I wasn’t sure you’d remember.”

“Of course I remember, you dummy.” Umi moved to sit on the piano bench. Maki shuffled over to make room. “That was the happiest day of my life! I cherish every detail of that moment, of that day.” Umi leaned her head on Maki’s shoulder and inhaled deeply. “Thanks, Maki. I love you.”

Maki gazed lovingly at her as her right hand found Umi’s left. So many years had passed them by, but it was still as strong and warm as she remembered. “Happy birthday, Umi. I love you too.”

The song I used in this story is Mimori Suzuko’s 恋はイリュージョン (Koi wa Illusion / “Love is an Illusion”). In case anyone doesn’t know, Mimorin is Umi’s voice actress. The song, of course, is in Japanese. The English translation I used is from here