#which is annoying when i'm near the finish line for the chapter

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's origin✨ || bts • kth - chapter 0.4

"you're afraid I won't wait." "I'm afraid you will."

a criminal and a doctor should be as different as the sun and the moon - but unexpected things happened every day. like him finding his safe haven in her.

© 2024 | eleni_cherie

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masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

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age 26 // 2nd year - assistant physician

13th August

Macau, China

"One, two - check, check. Can you hear me?"

Taehyung rolled his eyes hearing Jimin's dramatics in the in-ear as he was easing his way to the back of the extravagant casino. He walked behind a group of intoxicated men - who judging by their suits and platin watches were business men having come there to gamble a few hundred thousands just for fun - to cover himself from the cameras.

Reaching one of the secured doors leading to the back area, he smoothly placed a small button-like device behind the security scanner in the matter of a second while passing by.

"Yeah, I do," he eventually responded to his pestering friend with a grin. Earning an annoyed groan on the other line.

"Took you long enough!"

"Guys, don't start again," Yoongi piped up in a bored, yet warning tone. And Taehyung snickered under his breath.

Without showing any suspicion, he continued walking among the drunks until reaching the card tables. Creating eye-contact with Yoongi who gave him a brief glance from the dimly lit bar, focusing back on the whiskey in front of him. The two pretending not knowing the other.

"Bug is set," he announced in a hush, approaching one of the empty seats at the Blackjack table. "Gonna start the distraction now."

"Joining in ten."

"Good. I'm counting on you guys."

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21st August

Barcelona, Spain

Despite the evening hour, a drenching warmth laid around him. Taehyung was in fact internally dying.

After arriving from the layover in Doha, another unbearably warm place, he took a nap at their hideout outside the city first - feeling more drowsy than anything. Only then deciding to go check out his friend's apartment, out of boredom but also because he had genuinely missed her. However, she wasn't there, which in eighty percent of the time meant one thing: she was at work. 

So half an hour later, he found himself at the back of the hospital, lingering around the emergency entrance out of habit.

The late shift would finish soon he assumed - if she didn't have a double one, which he hoped wasn't the case. Eager for her to see the small succulent he had secured as a redemption for the one he'd accidentally knocked off the last time there.

It had been months ever since, but he still felt bad about it knowing how much her plants meant to her.

After awhile he got tired of walking around the sparsely illuminated area though and instead settled at the wall next to the entrance. Propping himself against it and stretching his neck as he watched people come and go.

He exhaled deeply when the automatic door slid open once again. Only this time he could hear raised voices nearing him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Pretty sure my shift's over and Dr M warned us not to exceed our hours, remember?"

Taehyung's ears perked up at this. He instantly recognised the second voice despite the annoyed undertone. He didn't recognise the other one though. His foot setting to the ground and he straightened himself while listening intently.

"You know exactly what I mean. Don't act dumb, doll."

Cassandra turned around at this, crossing her arms as she faced her colleague with a raised brow.

"What did you just call me? Doll? Since when are we on that level?" she laughed, but Taehyung could tell she was surpressing an upset scoff.

And it certainly didn't go unnoticed by Pavlo, one of the bigmouths in the hospital, either. "Since you humiliated me in front of the fcking chief physician. Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

The way he raised his voice and accusing her of things that were his own fault, only made her temper bubble right underneath the surface. Trying her best to give him a blank stare instead of a nasty eye. 

She never liked Pavlo. She found him somewhat attractive in the right angle, but couldn't say anything positive about him otherwise. Frankly, she hated him. And no, not in a hot 'enemies-to-lovers' way. Rather in a 'the-world-would-be-a-better-place-without-him' way.

"I wasn't the one humiliating you. I only corrected you by stating facts," she spoke up, surprised by her own calmness, "The one humiliating you was your big ego. Who'd ever think to use activated vitamine C to treat a septic patient with such low thrombocytes? Everyone knows it'd cause brain heaemorage. Well, -" Pausing, she folded her lips. Failing to balance out the mocking judgement in her tone. ".. everyone but you, apparently."

Her male colleague clenched his jaw and she could swear seeing a vein popping up on his neck.

He couldn't care less about anyone hearing him, everyone knew to better not get on bad terms with him. So the fact she dared provoking him after always staying in line just like the rest, didn't sit right with him.

"Look, smartass," he said through gritted teeth and stepped forward. 

Cassandra instinctively taking a step back at this. Trying not to flinch and keep a stern face instead when internally she was beginning to shake.

There was a part of her fearing that she was pushing him too hard. She didn't know him well enough to know how he'd react to that.

She had heard rumours, unsettling ones, though which only added to her dislike towards him. And she wouldn't be surprised if they were true to some extent. But there was also another part of her clenching her fists and standing firm. 

"I don't have time for this, my shift ended five minutes ago."

She was ready to walk away when she felt a firm grip on her arm. Preventing her from leaving the spot.

"I'm talking to you though."

Her breath hinched and she looked down at his large hand, then back at him with what was probably the angriest glare Pavlo had ever witnessed on her. And that coming from a usually quiet and harmless person like Cassandra did take him off-guard for a second. Although he quickly found his demeanor again.

"Let go of me," she said, threateningly slowly. Voice low but only because she was trying her best not to jump him right there.

"No, first you -"

"I think she said to let go."

Both their heads abrubtly snapped towards the unexpected third voice. Seeing Taehyung appearing from behind the wall, stepping behind her.

The waves of chocolate brown, straight and and silky , was the first thing she noticed about him as she studied his face. She was startled to see him there.

Taehyung was arching a brow, staring blankly at Pavlo. His piercing glare neither mad nor threatening, rather judgy while staring straight into Pavlo's hazel eyes. Not even blinking once, which made the assistant physician gulp in irritation over the tall stranger. His grip around Cassandra's arm loosening.

"I don't know what you two were arguing about," Taehyung began then, pretending he hadn't eavesdropped the whole conversation. He glanced down at Cassandra before redirecting his glare to the male doctor, "But trust me, you don't want to upset her." And all of a sudden he cracked a grin. Taking them both aback. "Seriously, she looks innocent but she's got a mean upper-cut. And her kick..." He dragged out a whistle. "You don't wanna experience that."

Cassandra stifled a laugh at his acting, quickly understanding what he was trying to do. So she puffed out her chest and threw Pavlo a sinister look instead to play along with Taehyung's white lies.

"Listen to him. He knows what he's talking about," she smirked widely, leaning towards him to add, "From experience."

Pavlo immediately yanked his hand away and let go of her completely. His eyes alternating between Cassandra and Taehyung, shifting bewilderedly.

At one point his lips parted, as if he wanted to retort something, but shut just as fast again. Giving up, not seeing a point anymore.

And without further ado, he trotted back inside. Muttering something incoherent under his breath, clearly embarrassed and upset about the humiliating blow his ego had taken.

Cassandra and Taehyung immediately broke into a fit of laughter as soon as he disappeared.

"Who was that idiot?" The thief huffed then, glancing down at her with a scowl.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Dr. Pavlo Romero Diaz. First class jerk. Low class doctor."

He snorted at this, his irises lingering on the door her colleague had disappeared to before falling back to her. "You okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Nah, I'm fine." She waved him off. However, his eyes caught the clear red mark Pavlo's grip had left on her bare skin and something inside him boiled. Suddenly feeling the urge to go inside and find Pavlo, when her voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Huh, what?"

He saw her smiling at his confused face, clearly not having heard anything she'd just said. "I said thanks for the support."

"Oh, that.." he shrugged nonchalantly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You didn't seem like needing my help anyway."

She wanted to argue, but then again she appreciated how he didn't let her appear as a weakling. "Still, thank you. I might've ended up doing something irrational like kicking him in the balls," she giggled, half-embarrassed about her confession.

He huffed out a chuckle, knowing she'd have probably done it if that jerk wouldn't have let go of her. Giving her a nod then. "S'alright, don't mention it. You know I got your back."

Her cheeks blushed all of a sudden. It was a nice feeling, to know that someone backed her up.

They shared a small smile before Taehyung went behind the wall only to reappearing with the small plant. And he observed her brown eyes widening, a small squeak leaving her lips.

"A jade plant!" She instantly rushed to grab it from his hands, beaming with joy like a child getting a bag of candy.

"Ah, this is what it's called. So you like it?" he asked, amused about how gleeful someone could be over a small plant.

"Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I?" she grinned, marveling over the random gift. Her eyes then narrowing on him. "Why did you buy me a jade plant though?"

He shrugged as they made their way out of the emergency area and into the parking lot. Catching her tripping over a protruding stone and almost dropping the plant, quickly composing herself. And he tried not to laugh not wanting to embarrass her. "Didn't want to appear with empty hands and besides.. I felt sorry for last time. You know.."

She giggled when recalling the accident of him knocking off one of her succulents, nodding understandingly then. "You didn't have to, but thank you."

The plant had survived back then, but it'd never been the same ever since. Something she still felt sad about it since she really tried taking great care of her plants. However, when the incident had happened, she hadn't said anything because of his apologetic expression. He hadn't done it on purpose after all. 

Peeking at him, she couldn't help but smile. She was glad he was there. Not only because of the scene with Pavlo, which who knew how it'd have ended without Taehyung intervening - worst case would've been her indeed punching Pavlo's smug face and getting fired. Taehyung's lie wasn't a complete lie after all. 

But she had also genuinely missed his charming grin. More than she liked to admit.

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"So, why are you here?" Cautiously, she put the plant aside not to distress it, making space for the drinks he brought.

Taehyung hadn't promised too much. Inconspicuous from the outside, the door at the narrow alley hid a cool tapas bar in its basement. Cool both, in the colloquial and literal way. A needed escape from the lingering heat outside. The atmosphere still needing several hours to warm down.

He shrugged, taking a tentative sip from his red wine to hide his bashful smile. "It was the furthest away from Macau."

"Huh, so can I expect a postcard from there, too?"

"Of course," he nodded firmly, "Already on its way."

She grinned, still admiring the small plant set in front of her. "What did you do there?" she curiously asked then and folded her hands on the table top to lean in closer. Looking at all sides, seeing themselves getting accustumed to going there whenever he was in town. Whispering excitedly and with a lot of mischief then: "Was it for a heist?"

Her unapologetic curiosity for his profession amused but also worried him. And breathed out before chuckling. "A curious cat as always, Doc," he smirked, "But you know I won't feed into it."

His response made her groan in frustration and she sat back. Giving him a sulky pout. "Oh, c'mon, cool guy. Give me something. You know I like stories of you and the guys robbing filthy rich people. It's entertaining and fun."

The reason he tried avoiding telling her too many infos was so she wouldn't get dragged into this world. Even if, for some absurd reason, she didn't mind his workfield and even held some kind of adoration for it, Cassandra was still a normal person, an overall good person. So he'd keep trying his best to keep her away from this other part of his life. Even if she herself would probably not even mind it, he did. Because selfishly enough, he also did it for that illusion he lived when being with her.

Besides, his main concern remained that by visiting her, she'd sooner or later get in interpol's sight. So it was better when she knew as little as possible.

Yet, when those big brown bambi eyes were sparkling so inquiringly at his direction, he rarely could resist. He exhaled deeply, setting the glass of wine down.

"All I'm gonna say is that Macau is known for its casinos."

Her brows rose at this, her excitement returning. "Please tell me you robbed a casino like in Ocean's Eleven."

"It wasn't like this," he rolled his eyes, "Seriously, you need to stop with these films."

Cassandra, however, simply dismissed him with a beaming face. "You didn't deny robbing one though.."

Pursing his lips, he grabbed his glass again and took a sip. Making her grin only wider.

"Wow.. how did you do it?"

"Surely won't tell you."

The pout found its way back onto her lips and he laughed under his breath. A whole medical doctor, ready to fight her colleague but now sitting there in front of him pouting like a child. She was something.

"Fine," she sighed then, giving up. Her eyes catching the guests at another table playing a boardsgame then. An idea popping up in her mind. She got up and before Taehyung could ask her where she was heading to, she walked to the bar. Returning a minute later with a pleased smile and a stack of playing cards.

Taehyung looking at her with suspicion.

"Let's play a game," she announced then as she started shuffling the cards in her hands and he stifled a laugh at the way she did it. Shoving one half into another and almost dropping some in the procedure. She was struggling a little, it was obvious. There were way too many cards for her smaller hands and she didn't have much practice either. It was cute. So he played along.

"Okay. What game?"

"Whatever you want, I know many."

His eyebrows arched. "Is that so?"

"Mhm," she smiled as she continued her painful looking shuffling. "But have in mind, whoever loses the round has to truthfully answer the winner's questions."

Of course, he snorted, it was a trick to get more details from him. He pitied her though, after all he was good in card games. That was how they robbed casinos after all, by playing and cheating. Although, he didn't think he'd even need to cheat this time.

"Are you sure? I'm pretty good."

"So am I."

His lips folded and he bit down on them. It was adorable how certain she seemed to be, believing she'd have any chance against him. So full of herself. However, he knew not to insult her pride so he decided to go with it.

"Alright. You know how to play Blackjack?"

Quite to his surprise, she nodded virgoriously. Placing the stack down in front of him. "Cut."

He did so, deviding the stack into two. Cassandra taking the one that was underneath, beginning dealing the first open card to him and herself. Then she dealt another open one only to him.

Six and a queen. Sixteen in total. Against her ten.

He looked at his cards, then at her. Determination was set on her soft features and he had to confess, he liked that look on her. 

If she drew a six, it'd be a draw. If she drew a seven, eight, nine, ten or an ace, she'd win.

He tapped his fingers on the table top, signaling he wanted another one.

"You sure?"

"I am."

A three. Nineteen in total.

A smug smirk growing on his features as he began playing with his necklace. "Try beating that."

Cassandra's lips moved from side to side, glancing up to see him smile at her with a pitiful look. She huffed. She knew only a ten, face card or ace could save her, but she knew there had to be one in the following cards. Her fingers laid on the deck dramatically before in a swift move, she revealed the top card.

And the corners of her lips curled up.

"King of hearts. I win, cool guy."

He clicked his tongue. "Beginner's luck," he said unimpressed and reached over to shuffle the cards this time. "But fine, a deal's a deal. What do you wanna know?"

"You know what."

Dragging out a sigh, he cut the stack in two to skillfully merge the cards. "While me and Yoongi distracted security by winning constantly and very obviously in the front, Jimin followed the staff bringing the money from the tables to the safes in the back."

Her eyes widened in awe. "That sounds so cool."

"It's not, it's very bad," he chuckled, eyeing her with a wink. "You forget I'm one of the bad guys."

Cassandra only smiled at this though, looking at him fondly before reaching for her own drink and averting her eyes from him.

"You aren't a bad guy, Tae, even if you tried."

He dealt them each one card, before giving her another one.

She had two sevens against his jack of spades.

She tapped her cards and he slid another one to her, but before he could open it, she grabbed his wrist. Giving him an amused smirk.

"What will you give me if I get another seven?"

Taehyung pursed his lips before shaking his head amused about her confidence of getting a Blackjack that quickly. "Don't try pulling a Bugs Bunny on me, there's no way."

Rising one of her brows, she accepted the unspoken dare and let go of his hand. Gesturing for him to open the dealt card. And he did. Observing how surprise drained off any smugness from his face.

A third seven staring back at him.

"Blackjack."

His brows furrowed and he blinked, trying to process what just happened. Eventually nodding then with folded lips. Trying keeping his cool. It was a mere coincidence, surely. "Fine, go ahead. What else do you wanna know?"

"Your necklace.." she said then, catching a glimpse of the golden chain peeking above his collar, "Is there a special reason it's a tiger?"

His eyes went round, following her gaze when his lips tucked into a faint smile. "Ah," he said then, while reminiscing the past for a moment. His eyes finding hers again. "When I was a kid my grandparents used to call me 'little tiger', or something like that. I don't remember exactly anymore, it's been twenty years after all."

"And you're wearing it ever since?"

He nodded, fumbling with the necklace shyly.

"That's sweet." Her voice quieter then she intended, "It must mean a lot to you."

".. yeah, I guess it does."

And she gave him a soft smile, understanding the sentiment behind it now and why he always wore it. Reaching over to get the stack of cards then.

Thirteen rounds and another round of wine later, they set the cards aside.

There were significantly more people around them now as an hour ago.

But Taehyung only had eyes for the young woman who was happily humming another victory tune. Not even trying hiding her joyous grinning anymore.

And he stared at her in admiration but also with a new found respect, feeling much more humbled than before. "How.. how did you do that?"

"Do what?" Cassandra innocently asked as she chunked down the last bit of her second glass of sangria.

She felt the alcohol beginning to kick in as she'd been mindlessly drinking too quickly, once again getting fooled by the sweet taste. She had to be careful if she didn't want to fall asleep or blurt out her deepest secrets. She'd already had to spill some embarrassing things tonight. Like her writing a love letter to her crush in middle school or almost getting caught cheating in a French test, also in middle school.

Taehyung scoffed as they left the table and walked out the bar. A pleasant fresh breeze brushing past their flushed cheeks the moment they exited. "You know what. You won ten out of fifteen rounds."

"Beginner's luck," she shrugged with a teasing grin, making him wet his dry lips before chewing on it musing.

It wasn't like she had persistent on hearing more details of the heist. Despite her liking the stories, as undetailed as he usually kept them, and as much as it was entertaining her to tease him, she respected the fact he didn't like or wanted to talk about them. Instead, she'd asked about other things, more general. Like his first crush or which one was his favorite place they'd been to. And he appreciated it. Hence why he wasn't mad that she beat him in most rounds. More the opposite, he found her beaming face cute whenever she did. He was rather astonished.

"Again, how did you do it?"

Cassandra, holding the small plant securely in her hands, only folded her lips to suppress a sassy remark. Instead she only hummed, pretending being clueless.

They walked down the street towards the beach. The streets glowing under warm lights of lamps and shops surrounding them. Loud laughs erupting from a group at one of the tables of a restaurant they passed by.

"C'mon, tell me," Taehyung pouted then, nudging her arm. His almost whiny tone making her giggle.

"Well, you shouldn't underastimate me next time," she said in a sing-song voice then. And he observed her for a moment with a fond smile.

This girl was full of surprises and perhaps not as pure as he made her out to be after all, he realised.

"I really shouldn't, you're right. So what's your secret, Doc? Are you a secret gambler?"

"Hm.. remember I told you growing up with my grandparents?"

He nodded.

"My grandpa was and still is a highly gifted card player," she explained then, "That's how we mostly passed our time together, so he showed me a thing or two. And as fate willed, we always play Blackjack on New Year's. So Taehyung, I don't wanna hurt your pride, but your skills are nothing compared to my grandpa's."

A nostalgic smile crossed her face as memories of endless summer nights spent playing cards with her grandparents flooded her mind. 

He laughed out at this. "To be honest, I'm relieved. Thought you'd tell me you got these skills from one of your films."

She puffed out a breath at his anew teasing of her love for the crime genre. "Oh please. I don't need films for that. My grandpa's the only person I've never beaten in any of these games unless he let me. So really, it wasn't hard to beat you."

"But Blackjack is pure luck, you can't win all the time unless you count cards."

"Was that what you guys did in Macau?" she smirked.

"No, I'm not good at it. I used a-" He abruptly cut himself mid-sentence. Grinning back at her. "Nice try."

She simply shrugged though. "I didn't count cards. I don't even know how to do that."

"Then how -"

"There are some other tricks which help giving you better chances."

"Like what?"

"Family secret."

And he rolled his eyes. "So your family's full of gambling geniuses?"

"No. Just my grandpa."

Cassandra was a book with many chapters, each one of them more thrilling and surprising than the other ones and he began to see her in a slightly different light.

She was still the kindhearted, smart, fun friend he knew. But there was more to her. Way more. He always knew there was more to her, but he couldn't say what. Now he found out one new facette of hers.

"You tricked me," he plainly stated then, making her laugh out.

"How so?"

"You never said you're a card playing mastermind. I feel betrayed."

She faked pity. "Aw. Can I somehow make it up to you?"

"I'll think of something and let you know."

Their gazes met, holding each other's with soft smiles.

Usually, he didn't have an issue looking someone directly in the eyes. In his job, he had to be able doing that without batting an eyelash. However, when it came to her and her gentle eyes, something inside him twitched. 

"Well," she slowly began then, letting her eyes wander to the water in the distance. The Mediterranean sea peeking between the building. "Think quickly. When you leave there's no way for me to make it up to you anymore. You'd have to wait till randomly visiting me again.."

Her tone was teasing but he could see a flicker of something more in her eyes before blinking it away. A secret she didn't want to speak out loud. Like the fact it was a pity and sad she couldn't stay in touch with him when he wasn't around.

She knew it wasn't possible. They didn't use phones except if necessary and even then, it was burner phones - untracable for interpol. And yet, she couldn't help but find it an undeniable pity. And he agreed with that.

"I'll hurry up, promise."

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29th August

A week had passed by since Taehyung had stopped by and Cassandra was getting ready for her shift at the hospital. Getting mentally prepared to see Pavlo again after having been spared of his presence for two days. She was tying her shoes when her phone on the side table next to the entrance door lit up. A new text notification appearing on the screen.

[message request]: finally came up with smth :P

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next chapter: 0.5 here

Don't forget to like, reblog & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

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[delicatesoundofthunderr]

Lock up ~ Chapter 6

{Charles Leclerc x Reader}

French GP - race 8

Y/N POV

I didn't really know how to feel towards Leclerc's words. It shouldn't affect me since I'm not even dating Max, but the fact he seemed so mad made me feel a thousand things. Mostly satisfied, since there was nothing more fun than to annoy Leclerc deeply. I don't know where his anger comes from though. Maybe the thought of me happy? The same could be said for me when I saw him and that girl laugh.

With all these confusing sentiments, I decided to open my phone.

Not this account again...

@F1.drama

MAX HAS BEEN CAUGHT CHEATING...

Yall... We don't even know who this girl is, but that is not Y/N. They've also been caught kissing :((. I feel so bad for Y/N, she's never gonna win a grand prix ever again without Max's help...

@chloe.gal: nah that's wrong... also wdym by Y/N never winning again?

-> @F1.drama: Max let her win obvi.

-> ->@faia.gg: girl shut up...

@hrts414: omg Charles predicted it in the interview... it did end badly :((

Fuck. I was gonna kill Max. First, he makes it look like he gave me the win, and now, he's cheating? He's doing the contrary of what the deal's purpose was supposed to be. He's making me look so bad right now.

I furiously get up from my chair and almost knock it over, and make my way to the other side of the RedBull garage.

I spot him near his car, and when his eyes meet mine he already knows why I'm here. He motions me to follow him. We're now in his quarters, and I explode.

" Are you fucking kidding me Max? You're ruining everything for me!" I start, with emotion.

" Listen,"

" No, I won't listen, I'm not done! Did you hear what they say about my win? About me? Fake dating or not, you should say something,"

I fume.

" It's not my place to say anything..." Max stammers.

" It is! It fucking is, because you know what? You're a man. You're a fucking man and the media likes to make your voice louder than mine." I say, pointing my finger accusingly.

" That's not even true, you're overreacting. Everyone loves you, they have to, you're the only girl on the grid." He says almost rolling his eyes.

Who the fuck was he rolling his eyes to?

" Excuse me? Oh, be honest Max, did you, or did you not let me win." I say heavily.

" I... I did." he says, looking at the very interest wall.

The silence following suffocates me and my heart feels like it dropped a thousand feet. I guess that wasn't really the answer I was expecting.

" I hate you. I will always and forever fucking hate you for this, Max." I say with a shaky and cold voice.

Max's face is already contorted with guilt. I turn away without looking back.

•••

French GP - race #9

The free practices went great, and so did qualifying. P3. I could very much make something out of this position. I was going to prove to Max and everybody else that I didn't need any help to win.

With my head clearest as possible and a shaky breath, I start the engine. The first corner in France comes rather quickly, and I see Carlos in my mirrors getting closer and closer. I brake the latest possible, and make it out.

After a few push laps, I keep Carlos behind and slowly close the gap between me and Lando in front. I lose no time and overtake him from the outside, which lifts my mood up.

Next is Max.

He is more angled towards offence, which should give me an advantage.

Apparently Max had worked on his defense.

All througout the race, he braked a split second after me, tugged the steering wheel to close a path that was forming, and overall delivered a spotless, perfect race.

My thoughts were racing faster than me. He was doing this so... effortlessly. I can't believe I thought it was my efforts paying off when i overtook him back in Italy. Turns out it was just part of his game and I hadn't actually accomplished anything.

My thoughts seemed to cross the finish line faster than me as I parked the car and got up.

Acting for the camera, I jump in Max's arms and tap his helmet. I could very well manage a P2, it's a podium and good points. Something I was managing less at the moment was the growing pit in my stomach and a distant headache forming.

•••

On my way back to the garage, I see my dad appear around the corner. The pit in my stomach seems to deepen endlessly as he spots me and walks faster.

" I heard the news. You realize that win is completely worthless, stolen?" his stare is cold, and any trace of pride he had at the last Grand Prix was completely wiped off his hard face.

I want to say something. Scream, maybe? Nothing would come out. My throat has tighten to a point where I doubt I'm breathing anymore.

" I... I'm sorry." I manage to croak out, my eyes are burning with stubborn tears and I can't find one ounce of courage to look up at my dad.

He walks away without adding anything.

My nails dug in my palm and left a stinging sensation. My dad, who I had managed to impress for the first time in my life, was now turning his back on me again. He had every right, I was yet again making a fool of myself in a world I knew I didn't belong in.

I almost missed the pair of eyes watching my every move from a safe distance. How long had he been there? This was a secluded area of the paddock, and few people were around.

Leclerc's eyes burn holes through mine, and he seems to be looking at the parts of my mind I myself can't reach. With a final blink, he shakes his head and turns around.

My legs carry me stubbornly over to him, and my hand flies to his shoulder.

Taken aback, he turns around with a perplexed look.

" I don't know why you keep staring at me like I'm some fucking gum underneath your shoe, but can you please stop?" I furiously said, emotion painting my voice. Charles’ face morphs from confusion to anger.

" I can't believe you still let your dad walk all over you like that. And Max cheating! Do you not have an ounce of self respect left in you? I don't know what happened, but something changed ever since you joined that team"

" Changed!? You're the one talking to me about changing? I cannot believe you Leclerc." I spit. "Some of us actually have to make sacrifices to survive in this sport, you know?"

" Oh, I would know alright." his tone made me stepback. No, not his tone. His gaze.

His gaze was not angry anymore, it was full of regret and something more. Years ago this expression would've made me soften my voice, but like he said, things had changed.

" You're everyone's favourite. Ferrari's golden boy. You've got a supportive team ready to do everything to see you on top of the podium, and you don't have to get shit from the media when you make the slightest mistake." I accuse, but I'm not done.

" And you know what Charles? I think all of this would bother me way less if you actually treated me like a human being. Yes, maybe the media and pressure changed me, but you have nothing to excuse your shitty behaviour towards me." I fume.

He stayed quiet. He seemed to search for something to say that would make him innocent, but nothing could save him now.

“ You wouldn’t get it.” he mumbled, which I almost didn’t catch.

He takes my hand off his shoulder, which I didn’t notice was still clutching his shirt.

A thousand things seem to spill out of his head, but none of them make it to his mouth. He simply turns around and heads back to his garage.

I do the same, and opened my phone when I get to my own room.

@chloe.gal

stop because the pic of max cheating with the flowers literally makes me think of Charles when he gave Y/N some flowers after her first podium… what the hell happened between these two??

The flowers… I remember like it was yesterday. Charles had ran after me at the airport because I had to catch a quick flight, flowers and gifts in his hands. The bouquet combined my favourite colours and flowers, which was such a thoughtful gesture.

I re read the caption.

what the hell happened between these two?

Tears start to blur my vision and a wave of sorrow suffocates me, because what the hell happened between me and him? I miss our friendship so much but he seems to be doing just fine without me.

I get a text from Carlos asking me if I wanted to do something tonight and gladly accept. I had to get my mind off things for a bit.

•••

[onepiecereactions]

24 Hours in Marineford : Mignight Report.

Note: OS number 0 on 24 of the 24 Hours in Marineford compilation.

Characters involved : Smoker, Tashigi, Monkey D Luffy, Straw Hat Pirates. (Friendhsip only).

This chapter is SFW.

24 Hours at Marineford

00: 00 : Midnight Report

“I don’t mind helping you at all, Vice Admiral!”

Smoker looked at his subordinate. He knew it wasn’t really a lie. But given the late hour, the Vice Admiral was trying to convince the swordswoman to go to bed and let him write this damn report alone. But the young woman insisted, and Smoker didn’t really understand why.

“That’s ridiculous, Tashigi, I can write this report alone.” He mumbled with his cigars in his mouth.

“It’s just… I’ve been ordered to systematically help you write your reports…” The swordwoman explained, embarrassed.

“Excuse me? And who ordered you this nonsens ?” The vice admiral's accusing gaze was fixed on the young woman's eyes, terribly embarrassed.

"From former Admiral Aokiji…" Tashigi admitted softly.

Smoker let out a large wave of smoke from his mouth as he massaged his forehead to try to make this damn migraine that had not left him since waking up disappear.

His old friend… That was just like him, just to annoy him. It was well known that the former admiral's reports were much worse than his own… when they were written.

"Well Kuzan is no longer here so this order is no longer valid." The vice admiral concluded as he took a blank sheet of paper and started writing this damn report.

"He had the support of Vice Admiral Tsuru…" The swordswoman added, still red with shame.

Smoker sighed again, feeling his patience disappear as the seconds ticked by.

Of course, Vice Admiral Tsuru had, on paper, a similar rank to him. But Smoker was far too respectful of his elders (especially when it came to Vice Admiral Tsuru whom he deeply respected) not to follow his orders.

“Well, help me then and we’ll finish this quickly.”

Tashigi sat down to his left, near the desk. The young woman’s proximity had never bothered Smoker, he considered her a talented soldier and felt it was his duty to protect her despite her countless qualities.

“Anyway, we just have to write the truth…” Smoker continued as he wrote the first lines.

“The warship was heading towards coordinates XXYX at 03:30 AM today. When we came across the Straw Hat Pirate Ship. We attempted an assault from the starboard side…." Smoker began.

"How do I write that the kid was naked on the deck?" Smoker asked Tashigi who seemed particularly focused.

"Maybe it's not necessary to specify…"

"Destabilized by an obscene diversion attempt, we opened fire. Three women started screaming."

"I'm not sure their ship's doctor is a woman. And their sniper is a man, I'm sure." Tashigi interrupted.

Smoker scribbled a few words and continued writing.

"The pirate ship also opened fire. The captain then tried to board the warship. Destabilized by his nudity, we turned to prevent him from boarding. Monkey D Luffy then fell into the water. The long-nosed sniper jumped into the water to save him. At the same time, the pirate ship made a shockwave at the back of the ship which made it take off and disappear in a few seconds. The shockwave caused a new ephemeral sea current that dragged our ship towards the west. Thus, we were unable to track Monkey D Luffy. He should be considered lost at sea and potentially naked.”

“Perfect!” Tashigi exclaimed, a proud smile on her lips.

[questinwitchface]

WIP Game

Rules: Share a snippet from whatever you’re currently working on, and then tag 5 people.

Thank you for tagging me, @sunsetmaidenwrites ! I have my hands full with my 31 Days of Halloween Advent Event right now, and I thought about sharing a WIP from that challenge, but to be truthful, I have been procrastinating working on those fics lately. So, instead, have this snippet from chapter four of The Sequel to The Pirate Fic, which I'm hoping to finish the draft of this year (though I'm currently on chapter 14 out of the 21 I have planned, and I've seemed to hit a bit of a roadblock, so we'll see if that actually happens).

I think everyone I would typically tag in a game like this has already been tagged, and I don't want to annoy anyone by double-tagging them, so if you're reading this and you want to participate, consider yourself tagged by me :)

“I’m fine, Sam,” Bucky repeats, and he even mostly means it. “You should rest with the others,” he adds, looking over at where Rita and Jim are sitting at the base of a tree as Jim bandages Rita’s hands for her. Further away, Oscar and John are sitting with their shoulders pressed together, talking quietly amongst themselves. Steve and Monty are chatting near the back of the group. Kate and Clint are both still standing guard. “I’m alright,” Sam insists. “I was mostly just hoping for some time with you.” Bucky smiles in spite of the fact that Kate definitely heard that. “Did you need something specific, or just to be around me?” Bucky asks, keeping his voice neutral. “I need to look at the map.” “I’m not stopping you,” Sam says, though his voice is tinged with a little sadness. Bucky can’t stand it when Sam sounds sad. He wraps an arm around Sam’s waist and holds him close, then puts the map into Sam’s hands. Sam grins and holds it open in front of them. “Okay, so we started here,” Bucky says softly into Sam’s ear, pointing out where they’d come ashore on the beach. “That was elephant rock,” he adds, pointing to where a drawing of an elephant appears on the map, with words in a foreign language Bucky knows Sam doesn’t speak underneath it. “Mhm,” Sam hums, nodding along. “What do those words say?” he asks, squinting at them as if that’ll somehow make their meaning clearer. “It says ‘the elephant guards the entrance to the forest,’” Bucky answers. Sam nods. “Okay, so we passed that and followed this path here?” he asks, tracing a line that intersects with the river. “Yes,” Bucky says. “Then we turned left, so we’re heading this way, along the river,” he says, tracing that line for Sam. “The next landmark is a waterfall.” Sam nods, looking at where the waterfall is illustrated on the map with more writing underneath. “This is fun,” he says after a moment. “Being out here with you, doing this.” Bucky can’t help a sardonic smile. “We just almost lost someone, and you’re telling me this is fun?” “I’ve always been a little bit reckless,” Sam admits, looking up at Bucky with those gorgeous brown eyes. “I couldn’t tell,” Bucky deadpans. Regretfully, he lets Sam go and takes the map from him. “It’s about that time,” he says. Sam nods. He pulls Bucky into a quick, sweet kiss, then turns and makes his way back toward the others. Bucky turns to watch him walk away and catches sight of Monty and Steve both giving him puppy eyes. Bucky scowls and then turns away from them. They laugh.

[tadpolesonalgae]

im bak!!! cbmthy#15 summoned me from hades me, reading self-inserts/reader x fics: 😊😊😊 me when the reader is just as stupid as me: unacceptable!!!!

anyway, Tabby, Tabs, Tabherine.... you better not go George R.R. Martin on me and kill off the main characters. That ending really threw me for a loop. I wonder if Rhys and Feyre will figure out the arrow was actually meant for her, or just throw her in the dungeons for attempted murder? Because that's what it looks like from the outside. Man, what a mess she's in. First, the Eris thing-- I never thought about the implications with Mor and their friendship (or whatever it was), even though I was a little annoyed at how quickly Azriel threw that in Reader's face. Like, sure, Mor seemed to somewhat care about her feelings but also not really? Not enough I suppose?

I don't see Mor not doing something she wants to do just because Reader would feel some type of way about it. Maybe it's just me. The IC's neglect still stings. That splinter is still under my nail and I hope it comes out as the story develops, but man that feels so far away.

Second-- I'm dying (haha) to see how her powers would affect the situation? I mean, obviously their surroundings were affected, but what will the blast do to Azriel?? Any crumbs of answers I can get about her powers i will be taking, tbh. I know you *just* finished writing part 15 but I literally cannot wait for the next, ugh. I don't know what it is about CBMTHY but it has me hooked (you know it). talk soon - 🥐

Hi hello!!!

‘anyway, Tabby, Tabs, Tabherine.... ‘

I honestly felt a twinge of fear in my blood when you started going through the names like you were going to somehow know my actual government name 😭

‘That ending really threw me for a loop.’

🤩🤩🤩 thank you!

‘I wonder if Rhys and Feyre will figure out the arrow was actually meant for her, or just throw her in the dungeons for attempted murder? Because that's what it looks like from the outside.’

Yeah, it would be pretty awful if there was a whole misunderstanding between them where Rhys finds the letter that Eris and reader had been using and then reader gets thrown in the dungeons and Feyre’s too distraught to do anything and Az can’t tell them it’s not true because he’s passed out and recovering from a near-death experience or actually dead? Wouldn’t that be awful? 😬

‘First, the Eris thing-- I never thought about the implications with Mor and their friendship (or whatever it was), even though I was a little annoyed at how quickly Azriel threw that in Reader's face. Like, sure, Mor seemed to somewhat care about her feelings but also not really? Not enough I suppose?’

I feel like the whole Eris thing is going to cause some ripples in reader’s relationships? Either things could blow up quite suddenly or she’ll be extremely isolated from everyone being disappointed with her which won’t improve her state of mind either 🤭

I think it was more along the lines of getting reader to acknowledge what she’s done because to be honest while she needed an out and a place to go, it will still have consequences on the people around her, and reader had enjoyed her time with Mor so knowing that’s she might have ruined that would be a good(?) way for her to understand her actions? Or they could just leave her alone and get over their centuries-old animosity I suppose🤷

‘The IC's neglect still stings. That splinter is still under my nail and I hope it comes out as the story develops, but man that feels so far away.’

I know what you mean? I started to write chapter 16 and it automatically went bad I think because of being so accustomed to writing reader having a bad time? I had to delete a couple of paragraphs multiple times because it felt weird to not write something that would cause a fallout of some kind, so it’s genuinely going to be an effort to get things back on track and brighten the story line 😭 it’ll probably take a while, but reader’s story will get better

‘I mean, obviously their surroundings were affected, but what will the blast do to Azriel??’

👀

‘I know you *just* finished writing part 15 but I literally cannot wait for the next, ugh.’

Hey! I’m hoping to have it done soon!! Maybe! Hopefully! I think it’s going okay at the moment!! 🧡💛

‘I don't know what it is about CBMTHY but it has me hooked (you know it).’

Ahhhh I’m so happy you’re still enjoying it!! I’ve definitely said this before, but after the gap between chapter 14 and chapter 15 I’m so relieved you’re still keeping up with and enjoying it 😭🫂🧡💛 thank you so much, it means so much to me ☹️🫂

[annakie]

Fixing The House Chapter 6: You Will Leave Some Paint

Part One: I Do Not, In Fact, Have the Power

Part Two: Let’s Spend Lots of Money!

Part Three: All These Things That I’ve Done

Part Four: I Really Want to Stay At My House

A little interlude.

Part Five: Power Down

Part Six: You Will Leave Some Paint (YOU ARE HERE)

Part Seven: Backwards to go Forwards

Part Eight: Master of Bathrooms

Part Nine: Within a Room, Somewhere

Part Ten: Rooms With No View

Part Eleven: Big Bang Room Part A and also Part B!

Part Twelve: We Can Make It On the Outside

Part Thirteen: Mauve Haze Symphony

Part Fourteen (A) - In the Kitchen

Part Fourteen (B) - Copper Green

Look, if I don't start really working on telling this, I may never finish. So I'm just going to start, and whatever comes out, comes out.

Doing this room by room probably would be smarter, but oh well. There's still NO room that's 100% done. I'd say at this point that there's still a good 5 - 7 full days of work ahead of Arturo and that's probably 2 - 3 actual weeks at this rate.

But things are definitely progressing. So let's go back to where we left off... kind of the end of the power getting fixed.

Uh yeah if I don't put a cut here, someone will cut me.

Part One: Living Color

As you can see in the pic above, and in a pic or two from the last post, a thing that had to happen on any wall on the edges of the house is that they had to cut into the drywall near the ceiling to be able to run the wire down to the outlet to fix it. So naturally that drywall had to be patched when the work was done, and then repainted. Just a part of the process. Cool. Up there is the guest bedroom and down below is the master bedroom with the patching done but not painted.

I had very smartly saved either paint chips or lids or even whole cans of the paints I'd used originally. I was able to figure out exactly who made and the name/tone of every color in the house except for one, which we didn't need anyway.

Remember guys, saving stupid stuff for 21 years sometimes IS helpful!

So Arturo went and got the paint for all the rooms, cool. He said now would be a good time to decide if I wanted to repaint any rooms but I was like nope! I like my colors! He got just quart sizes of most of the colors because that's all we needed.

...so anyway it turns out after 21 years (or even just 11 for a couple of the walls) paint changes colors so the new paint is definitely visible against the old paint.

At that point, we'd need to buy a lot more paint and repaint every room probably. The compromise was to paint just the full wall where the patching happened so the other walls would be slightly different.

There were also things like this:

Where that patching happened was just a very visible drywall line that had bothered me for 21 years. Arturo fixed it.

There were a couple of rooms that, tbh, just really needed new paint, and there were cracks in some walls that needed fixing. It started to just make sense at that point to just... maybe do full repaints of rooms. Arturo gave me a very reasonable price for that. Honestly, I think too little after seeing everything it took and how I made it harder.

I was super annoying at first though, and decided to keep some of the same colors, especially out here in the Office (which, remember, is the room most people would use as their living room) and the dining room, which were technically one big room except for one Thing, which we'll get to later.

So Arturo's crew repainted the office that dusty rose color that I loved. They also repainted the hallway, which really needed it, the same Silver Trophy you see above, which was also on the one wall that connected the office and dining rooms.

Um... hey... did you guys know that if you leave a massive framed Star Wars poster hanging in the same spot for like 21 years you can totally tell once you finally take it down?

Honestly I had no idea that wall was that dirty. It was just normally so damn dark in my house, tbh. Remember, I JUST got lights put in a week or two before this pic!

So yeah, that wall got a repaint, too.

I did decide around that time that the living room needed a repaint, partially because I didn't have a blue room in my house, and I felt like I wanted a room that was blue, and also just wanted my LR to be real damn cozy.

As a comparison... here was the before.

Some notes about this room lol... this is the room I camped out in during The Great Freeze, and starting then I nailed a blanket over the window and never took it down because I liked it dark in the room and also until the fence went up, that window looked right into my neighbors bathroom. Looked bad, but it kept the glare off the TV.

There was a big patch of drywall rubbed through from leaning my chair back and scraping the wall back when this smaller bedroom was the office. There was a big crack in a wall. There was also a recliner in there that turns out was made with the cheapest fake leather known to man that was constantly flaking off, very grossly. It was very crowded in there, and the recliner needed to go but I couldn't get it out myself.

So actually the day I spent working in the LR I asked Arturo to please get the recliner out, and they did.

Arturo ended up with a gallon of paint for the original color of this room (pictured) we didn't use because they mistakenly made that instead of the gallon for the hallway at first, but that was at least their fault.

It was around this time I was just like... fuckit, we're going to repaint the whole house. But at first, I thought, keeping most of my same colors.

My mind began to change, especially after the new color went on the wall in the living room. But I can't show you that yet.

Part Two: Cierra la puerta, por favor

I'd mentioned last post that there was a reason the sliding glass door from bedroom door to the patio got left open a lot.

That's because it was a really old, shitty door, and unless you knew how to close it just right it was likely to come off the track, and then it was really annoying to put back on the track. Also it was really freaking noisy every time you opened it. Like my neighbor on that side had complained about it before noisy.

It wasn't worth it for the workers to keep trying to close it every time they went in and out.

Also, the glass was so old that even with cleaning, it was never actually clear anymore. It was one of many, many things that were original to the house. Built in 1963.

So one of the earliest "Hey Arturo, can we...."s was "replace the sliding glass door?"

The price was reasonable, and the relief at knowing it would get done was surprising to me.

I think Arturo was almost as happy as me to get it replaced.

That's not Arturo, I think it's Antonio, removing the static plate of the door, I didn't catch them fast enough to see them removing the door itself.

And honestly I wish I'd taken a recording of the sound of opening that door before they removed it, though it will live in my brain forever.

The only picture I'll ever have of NO DOOR AT ALL. I was giddy at this point.

The first pic of... NEW DOOR. Oh my GOSH, so beautiful. I wanted to cry. You can see the pane of glass from the old door leaning against the pole out there.

Arturo brought me to see it the first time and was like "OPEN IT!" and I grabbed the handle and pulled, and NOTHING, lol. He was like "Is it stuck?" and then I pulled again and it moved and I said "IT'S SO HEAVY!" Arturo laughed and was like "Yeah, it's got twice as much glass, it's double pane!"

Like, look, I know, double pained (sp?) glass is the norm these days but my brain didn't even conceive that I could have double panes in my house until then. Oh, energy efficient double panes? WTF? In this house?!? Seemed sus.

I quickly got used to the new amount of force it took to open the door and marveled at how quiet it was after I opened and closed it a few times.

All the workers expressed their happiness that it was fixed, too, lol.

And later that night, it was still around 100 degrees outside, I was alone in the house and I just went and stood by the window and realized... it wasn't significantly hotter by the door than a few feet away from it? It was like, the same temperature? Like truly insulating, energy efficient? Is this the real life?

The new door is slightly (like 3") shorter than the old one so they did have to add a little padding at the top, they just don't make doors the same size anymore, but honestly they did such a great job finishing it, I wouldn't have even known if I hadn't seen it go in.

I loved that new door so much, so fast, that it really got me thinking... if I could have a new door, double panes, energy efficient... could it be possible for... other new... energy efficient things? We'll get back to that.

Part Three: Sea Salt

Just realized looking at the above pic that another change was visible...

I had started interacting with what would become my new best friend for the next couple of weeks, the Sherwin-Williams Color palate... what do you call it? Swatch book? My friend is still here with me, and I'm going to be sad when Arturo finally takes him away. We have spent many hours together the last month or so, I am very well familiar with all of his options and can pull up many precise colors in just a few seconds at this point.

A day or two before the door went in, Sherwin and I made our first choice together, the colors of the patio.

The ceiling would be painted Sea Salt, a beautiful, beach-inspired light green. I also decided to have Arturo paint my patio furniture the same color.

So early on, the ceiling got caulked. They also filled in the shitty job bits that Jose had done over where the roof met the house, it looked great, actually. And a day or two later, the ceiling was painted.

Hey, that's the OLD sliding glass door there!

OK so for the first day, NGL, I didn't love it? And I later realized it was because of that green paper you see there that they put up to protect the house. The paper made it look like the ceiling was just... white. I did not want just white.

Arturo said to give it a couple of days to think on it if I really wanted it a different color, he'd have to charge me for the new paint and labor, which is totally fair.

I realized when the paper was gone and you could see it against the white bits of the house, it was gorgeous.

OK even in that bottom pic, it's hard to really see the color, but trust me, you can tell it is not white.

Also, quick note, yes, the patio has looked like that OR WORSE every day since they started. The patio is the main work and stuff storage area. It's just... constantly in disarray, with good reason. Luckily Tuesday is Trash Day so Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning all the trash gets move to the curb and it's less chaotic, for a few days, lol.

A week or so later, the fan went up! Hey, this is a much better way to see the color!

The fan has to be on the same circuit as the other light on the porch, which is slightly annoying, you can't have one without the other, but it's fine! The fan is very pretty, and uh, look, I hadn't ever bought a ceiling fan myself, and especially not recently, and I didn't realize they were mostly remote controlled now? So it's got a remote next to the door to control it with. Neat!

That Ceiling Fan is the thing that started... the rest of this by the way. If it hadn't been for Joel suggesting we put a ceiling fan on the patio.. maybe the rest of this wouldn't have happened. Or maybe it would have, since the fuse box was dying anyway, but still, Arturo and I have joked about the consequences of that ONE FAN.

Anyway! Literally just today the patio furniture got painted! As you can a little bit see in that pic above and others, it was stained redwood stain, because that matched the wood on the old patio. Now...

Pic taken just hours ago!

OK it still doesn't look that green against the greenish color of the drywall it's sitting on, but it looks great, OK? I also bought grey cushions which will look good with them. The patio cement is obviously not painted yet, that'll be probably the very last thing Arturo does for me, for now. The color is picked out. When you see pics of that... it'll be done.

Part Four: I'm a Fan of this Fan

When that fan went up, Arturo and I had been discussing the dining room lighting situation, especially as it is the same room as the office, which had gotten the new recessed lighting.

Arturo was like "You know, the other fans in your house are very old. Especially the ones in your dining room and guest room. We can replace them, when we put in the recessed lights in the dining room. I have a ceiling fan that doesn't have lights that would look good in the dining room, I'll throw that in for free if you also buy a fan for the guest bedroom and we install that."

Friends, I just spent like 30 minutes scrolling through six or seven years worth of pictures and I could not for the life of me find a single picture of my dining room ceiling fan. I don't have many pics taken in my dining room at all but most of those that are, are like, specific things on the table, or in a china cabinet.

I was planning on posting "lol look at these 2003 pictures" when I started discussing individual rooms with big changes, but tbh, I'm just going to post a couple of those pics here.

These were taken in 2003 with a 2003 digital camera, so sorry that they're tiny and ugly.

So that's the best picture I can find of the ceiling fan... see? It is old and ugly and it was there another 21 years!

Oh, um, don't mind that Thing in the foreground of the first pic and background of the second.

We will discuss that Thing. Just not now. Now we're talking about ceiling fans.

I also invite you to scroll all the way back up to the top of this post (sorry) for a pic of the guest room with the ceiling fan mostly visible.

We'll get back to the dining room ceiling fan in another dining room focused post. Amazon Prime days were a key buying weekend for me, and during those I ended up buying this ceiling fan for the guest room. And then I liked it so much that it was still on sale a couple of days later, so I bought two more and put them in my Living Room and Master Bedroom.

Ceiling fans with remotes are amazing. These also have day mode and night mode for the lights so with one button you can go from bright blueish light to dimmer warmer light for night/early morning. Can also program them to shut off after 2 hours, 7 speeds of fan (though 1 is fast enough tyvm) etc. Absolutely love taking the remote to bed to shut off when I want without getting out of bed. It's a small thing, but important to those rooms.

Arturo said that all of the fans in my house were real old but the dining room one was especially old... he said it was one that was like, oil-based and very very heavy, lol.

There it is, sitting on a heap of trash... where it belongs.

Part Five: See a Little Light

Will leave this with one quick other thing.

Both sides of the house were real dark at night. There's a streetlight in the alley that shines right into my yard, which is great, it's otherwise really bright back there. But not the sides.

So I bought a 12-pack of these little solar lights. They got installed.

They work great!

There's something else happening in that last picture, but we'll get to that next time, I think. This is ridiculously long enough.

Annnnd we're just getting started.

[writerschapters]

Chapter 1

I stared at the countertop, counting the flicks of different materials. So far, I counted five near the edge of the counter and six near the pregnancy box. I was counting a different set of flicks when my phone went off.

The timer finally lets out that annoying tune. I was terrified of the result; the pregnancy test sat upside down, and my hands trembled as I lifted the test right side. I didn't want to look, but I knew this moment would change my life and potentially countless others.

I could practically feel my heart in my throat; I flipped the test, and a soundless scream came out. There they were, two perfectly straight pink lines. How could this happen? I thought of every time we had sex. Had he slipped off the condom? Or had it burst? All the what-ifs ran through my head. I was meticulous in my birth control.

I turn and throw myself to the toilet, feeling the urge to be sick rise in my throat, and it bursts out. God, I hate being sick. I finish throwing up and start pulling myself out of the toilet when I hear knocking at the bathroom door.

I whip my head to the door, then to the counter. I swipe the pregnancy test off the counter, ripping open the cabinet door and throwing the test in, slamming it shut, 

The bathroom door slowly opens, creaking. I turn to find Leo leaning on the door frame.

“Hey, Arc, how are you feeling?” he asks, walking into the bathroom and kneeling beside me. I jumped when he started to rub my back, and he started shushing me when I began to gag.

He got up and left the bathroom, only to return with a wet dish towel. He pulled me away from the toilet, and he slowly whipped my mouth to clean off the sickness from my mouth.

I groan. “God, I hate this!”. Leo laughs, lifting my right arm over his shoulder and pulling me up from the floor. “Yeah, I know you hate it”, he says, pulling me closer and letting me rest my head on his shoulder.

I blew out a breath, and Leo gagged. “God, Arc, don't fucking breathe on me”, he said, pulling me down the corridor, “Sorry,” I said, letting my head drop down, and he put me down on the couch.

He patted my shoulder, leaving me to return with a bin, a jar of honey, a tub of sugar, and a spoon. He scooped a spoonful of sugar and squirted some honey onto the spoon.

“Here, Arc, this will give you some sugar back,” he said, holding it close to my mouth. I shakily opened my mouth, letting him feed me the spoonful of sugar.

I grimace when the spoon clicks against my teeth; I suck on my front teeth trying to get rid of the sensation of the metal on my tooth; I blow out a breath again, making Leo gag.

“Man, I should have made you brush your teeth first,” he said, gagging over the bin. He got up and walked back into the kitchen. I could hear him shuffling around, opening and closing cabinet doors, and the tap turning on and off.

He came back with a glass of water and another damp towel. I barely mustered the strength to pull my arm up, but I managed. I could see it shake. I lift it, waiting for Leo to give me the damp towel.

“Not quite yet. I'm getting you a toothbrush and toothpaste 'cause Damn, your breath smells like death,” he said, placing the glass on the coffee table; he walked away, probably towards the bathroom, and he returned moments later with said toothbrush and toothpaste.

I had to let him brush my teeth, and I hated it. It felt awful that I couldn't do a basic task for myself. I wanted to scream my head off, but I sucked it up for the briefest of moments so that I could gather my strength back faster.

I spat some water into the bin, clearing my mouth of leftover toothpaste. Then, I leaned back onto the couch, feeling some weight lift off my back.

“Sooo… Arc Max is home today,” Leo says, sitting beside me and pulling the glass of water up for me to drink. I made a great face, which meant the rest of the family was coming for dinner.

“Don't pull that Face Arc. You know how happy he is when we’re together?” he said, holding the cup to my face and waiting for me to drink it. I sipped the water before I spoke.

“GOD, that means I need to make a fuck tone of food” I slump into the couch, trying to figure out a meal plan that could work out for all of us and would result in less bitching.

“Haha, don't think so, Arch. You're sick, and I don't need that, and neither does anyone else, " he said, placing the cup on the table. He then threw the comfiest couch pillow and the warmest blanket at me.

“Plus, I don't know if they are coming, especially since Dad knows,” he said. I rolled my eyes. I remember dinner, watching those two wander out of the bathroom together, her looking dishevelled and him with the look I knew all too well.

I Gagged again. Leo kicked the bin under me while I threw up again, and I whipped my mouth, fighting the urge to throw up once more. I blew out my breath, and Leo patted me on the back. I tried to wave him off, but my hand only hit the bucket instead, nearly sending the bucket of vomit flying.

“OH FUCK” Leo shouted, shooting his hand out to stop the bucket from tipping over, “Arc be careful. I don't want to be cleaning up your sick,” he said, standing.

I look towards the door, hearing a set of keys jingling. Leo turns towards the door, and we watch as the door swings open, revealing our sister, Max. Leo turns and whispers, “You are spooky when you do that.” I laugh and whisper, “I heard the keys at the door.” He looks at me like I’m nuts.

I shrug my shoulders and attempt to get up, but Leo grabs my shoulder and pulls me back. “Nope, sit back down. I’ll help Max.” Patting me on the shoulder and using me as a push-off point, I lay back on the couch.

Pulling the blanket back down on top of me, I am listening to Max and Leo talk shit in the kitchen. I laugh when Max says something about not doing something right, and then I bolt straight up; I had to hide the pregnancy test and the box before someone found it. I wrapped my blanket tighter around myself and pulled myself up into a sitting position, taking a moment when the room decided it would be great to start spinning. Before standing up, I crept out of the living room into the hall and the bathroom. I bent down, feeling the urge to throw up coming back to me, but I did what I could to swallow the urge to vomit again. I carefully pull open the cabinet door, stopping it halfway before it creaks. I shuffle around, trying to find both the test and the box. I dry heave a little as I move a few bottles of soap and spare period products. “I guess I won’t be needing those anymore,” I mutter as I find the box hidden in the far reaches of the cabinet. I pull the box out haphazardly, nearly dropping it when I hear Max’s voice. “Arc, Leo just told me you threw up at school. Are you ok?” she asks as she pushes the door open, revealing herself in her military uniform. I peek from over the cabinet, giving her a quick smile as I try and stuff the box into the inside of my trousers, flipping my top over it, “Yeah, Yeah, I’m fine”, I say, as I close the cabinet door “I was looking for those anti-sick pills dad keeps on hand” I say, trying to come up with a believable lie. Max nodded her head as she walked into the bathroom, forcing me to take several steps back. I did not want her to see the non-existent bump that I had, as if my eldest sister had X-ray vision and could see the little secret I had hidden under my clothes. I watched as she pulled at the drawer on the counter, flicking through it before a triumphant “Ah-ha,” turning around and handing me a little packet. “Arc, why would you look for them in the cabinet rather than the drawer, where they usually are?” she asks. I reach out and take the packet; I shrug my shoulders before I answer, “I guess I didn’t see them, and my next logical step was to check the cabinet”, I say, giving her a quick smile. Max squinted her eyes at me, giving me a once over before she walked out of the bathroom, she paused by the doorway turning her head to me, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” she asked quietly, I knew what she was talking about and it broke my heart a little, I didn’t like talking about him, let alone her on a good day and especially not right now. I give her a weak smile and say, “Yeah, I know.” I wrap the blanket around me tighter, take a moment, and give her one of my fake smiles. “You better go and help Leo before he burns down the kitchen. Dad put him on a permanent hiatus from cooking since the noodles incident,” I say. Max gave me a curious look before we heard a clatter and a bang, followed by Leo shouting, “Everything is fine, and nothing is on fire”.

[darsynia]

Nearer, My God, to Thee | Stony | Chapter 3

STORY MASTERLIST | TONY MASTERLIST | STEVE MASTERLIST | PREV | NEXT

Written for @zaramel as a part of @tonysbirthdaygala

Summary: Steve Rogers appreciated his unexpected promotion to Fourth Officer-- until it became clear that it was more about being a novelty American-born officer of the White Star Line than it was about his skill at the job. After another frustrating shift attending to First Class, he was rescued by the devilishly handsome Tony Stark, a notoriously brilliant troublemaker annoyed by his own role as the most tempting eligible bachelor on the ship.

Stark suggested a mutually beneficial agreement-- Steve would stand as a duty-borne chaperone to Tony's worst tendencies, thus saving Steve from endless hours of small talk in First Class. As soon as they shook on it, however, both realized their partnership carried much more potential. Length/Warnings: 3,951 words // D/s themes, sexual situations For @the-slumberparty prompt: "I'm the reason you're still alive"

Tags: @chickensarentcheap @linnadhiell @sobeautifullyobsessed @ronearoundblindly

Excerpt: A thought occurred, one that Tony had planted knowingly in his head. Steve didn’t know if he could even do it, and if he did, whether he'd do it right, but if he wanted to try. If he was going to do it at all, it needed to be now, before someone came by and saw them.

Steve moved one hand from where it was clutching Tony’s collar, sliding it along Tony’s arm along with the other, which had shifted away from Tony’s hip. Once both were close to the other man’s wrists, Steve pushed them back against the gate behind them in a sudden movement, catching the decorative twists of metal with his fingers to anchor himself.

Then he lifted his head from the kiss and said sternly, “Finish the sentence.”

Tony’s legs gave out for a few seconds, and Steve caught him with his hips, leading Tony to throw his head back against the gate and let out a deep, satisfied groan.

“This,” he managed, chest heaving. “You are the most pure form of temptation of anyone I’ve ever met, I hope you know that. All the money in the world, and I couldn’t buy you, could I?” 

Chapter Three: Angels to beckon me

Steve left Tony at eleven to report to the bridge. Captain Smith himself was there, and while the signals office sent up a few missives for Smith to look over, overall things were clear and uneventful. When the captain left to enjoy lunch, Lieutenant Wilde took over for him. Wilde liked things quieter than most, so the idle chatter that the rest of them had been engaging in died down.

That chatter had been useful in one important respect; it had helped Steve stay focused on the job at hand, instead of thinking about Tony. The kiss they had shared had been explosive in all respects, particularly the definition that involved the innards of something being violently exposed to great force. He’d very rarely felt so strongly about someone he’d just met. Somehow his skin and sense of duty was keeping him in one piece, but it was a very near thing.

He wanted to kiss Tony again.

He wanted to learn more about those ‘smudged lines.’

Just thinking about that gave Steve a forbidden kind of thrill. Their conversation had shifted to more mundane things after Tony’s imprecation to save the use of his first name, but throughout, there had been an undercurrent of explanation. Howard Stark was controlling and distant, appearing proud of his son around everyone but that son himself. Always, there had been an uncertainty of when Tony’s actions would result in mediocre praise or vehement censure.

In short, Tony had been left with a desire for order, reason, and now as an adult, he sought permission to engage in, as he’d described it, a particular kind of obedience. Steve had worried aloud that his own happy, loving childhood left him without the skills to relate to Tony’s experience in a useful way, but was quickly reassured that wasn’t the case.

“People come at these things from all angles,” Tony had said. He’d even suggested that it was quite possible his own ‘reasoning’ was borne out of a need to explain himself, and that he’d have liked those sorts of things anyway.

Steve had shyly requested a definition of ‘those sorts of things.’

Even standing as he was on the flagship of the White Star Line, looking out across the mighty north sea, Steve still felt like a simple Brooklyn boy when contemplating what Tony had described. He’d never imagined a world of such extremes was possible, much less that they could be enjoyed.

Still, the light in Tony’s eyes as he’d spoken about them had stirred something in Steve. He felt a powerful sense that if this charismatic, fascinating man was going to be involved in something that required him to be vulnerable like that, Steve wanted to be at the other end of it, protecting him. Pleasing him. Being the source of his joyful cries.

“Are you quite well, Rogers?”

Steve started in surprise, but nodded quickly. “My apologies, sir.”

“Not at all,” Wilde said. 

The moment was a wake-up call that those thoughts weren’t appropriate for the workplace. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Steve was fixated on Tony. He supposed that made an odd sort of sense, given the words he’d spoken just before he left:

“I’ve spent every waking hour on this ship looking forward to my bridge duty. Today, I wish it were already past, and we could have that time for ourselves. That’s the effect you have on me, Stark.”

The pleased look on Tony’s face still warmed Steve from within. Still, these preoccupations were causing concern and distraction, so he resolved to put Tony Stark from his mind for the rest of his time on the bridge.

That lasted all of twenty minutes.

It began with a knock on the bridge door, which was unusual in itself. Steve moved to answer, only to be confronted with the younger Stark on the other side. Tony was wearing a navy blue pinstripe suit, shades darker than his signature handkerchief.

Propriety demanded that Steve act as officer, not friend. “Mr. Stark, can we be of service in any way?”

The impish man’s lips twitched into a sardonic smile. “I dearly hope so. May I come in?”

“That would be highly irregu--” Steve was interrupted by Tony’s hand on his shoulder as he leaned in to give a jaunty salute to the others in the bridge. “Forgive me, sirs, but I find all of this deeply fascinating. You may know that my father thinks I’m an irredeemable degenerate--”

“By all means, straighten yourself and come in. Should we hit a swell…” Lieutenant Wilde said, a little wild about the eyes, appropriately enough.

“Thank you, good sir,” Tony said graciously, squeezing Steve’s shoulder before letting go. In a strange way, this situation felt different than breakfast had, even though Tony had acted outrageously both times. His lack of petulant disrespect was marked.

Steve wondered if it was meant to be instructive.

“As I was saying, Dear old Dad requested this paragon of duty to keep an eye on me, and I find myself at loose ends. Might I steal him back early?”

The sound of a choir mixed with alarm bells rang out in Steve’s head. Wouldn’t this behavior expose their affinity? Was he meant to object, and prevent such an occurrence?

“Well, Rogers?” Wilde said. He stood between Tony and Steve, his expression hidden from the other man, but as usual, his stoic nature didn’t reveal much.

“Truthfully, sir, I value my bridge time. I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

“I sensed that might be his answer,” Tony said. As Steve watched, confused, his eyes lit up and he clasped his hands in front of himself like a pleased inventor. “What of this: once his shift is complete, could I commission Rogers for a more extensive tour of the ship? I promise you that the Stark name would never find its way onto ships such as these, but I have always wanted to see the engine room of a behemoth like Titanic.” Tony sidled over to Wilde with a conspiratorial expression, speaking quietly as though the others in the bridge weren’t a captive audience. “My status is such that it would likely stress out your crew were I to take such a tour on myself, you see.”

“That sounds reasonable, sir,” Wilde conceded.

“It’s settled then! Best gird yourself with patience, Rogers!” Tony crowed, bounding over to the door and seeing himself out in a bustle of manic energy.

Blinking as though stunned, Wilde said, “That man is certainly exuberant.”

Steve found himself practically speechless. In one smooth move, Tony had secured the two of them the ostensible run of the ship for the rest of the day, while also giving the distinct impression that such a task would be more work for Steve than multiple bridge shifts. He’d also given Steve the chance to express enjoyment in doing his duty in front of someone to whom that would matter, and perhaps be remembered. 

Notwithstanding the dynamics man to man, that was the kind of power Steve wished to wield, in his professional life.

Once Steve was turned loose from his duties and went looking for Tony, he discovered that Stark was deep in a business conversation in the First Class smoking room, along with his father and some other prominent names.

It was impossible not to wonder if Tony had sought out Steve’s company earlier in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, one of the birds being the chance to avoid that exact meeting. Instead of dwelling on it, he went to check on the status of his laundry in case he would be expected to attend First Class dinner again that evening.

Only one of his roommates was in their quarters when he came back with a crisp white shirt freshly ironed. Steve was arranging it on the hanger when there came a knock on the door.

His roommate called out a greeting, and the door opened. It was Tony, dressed as before.

“Had a bit of an adventure in search of you, which is good, because that meeting was such a bore I may never struggle to sleep for the rest of my life!” he said, slumping against the door frame. “Please say there’s time for that tour before I need to dress for dinner?”

Steve checked his pocketwatch, careful to keep his hand steady. The time was just before four-thirty in the afternoon. “Looks to be. How about we start in the more grimy areas? Gives you a chance to clean up before dinner, make a good impression.”

“Perfect,” Tony said, looking down at his (admittedly still very expensive) suit.

“Best change yours then, Stevie-boy,” the room’s other occupant piped up. “If you get anything on that borrowed uniform, you’ll be finding yourself a stoker, right quick!”

“True,” he said. Inwardly, his heartbeat sped up. There wasn’t anything improper about changing around other men, of course, unless you knew how much one of those other men looked forward to watching, that was. It couldn’t be helped. He decided that Tony would forgive him if Steve avoided catching his eyes during the quick swap-over, and that proved to be a good plan, given the coughing fit Tony started to suffer from, midway.

Tony was subdued through most of their convoluted journey down into the depths of the ship. Steve had opted for his civilian clothes but with his dark navy uniform jacket from years back. It was just enough of a signifier that he belonged where he was going, but didn’t involve getting any of his important articles of clothing dirty-- which was definitely an option. 

Steve snuck a glance at Tony, finally feeling uneasy about the other man’s almost studied silence through the makeshift tour so far. It wasn’t that he seemed disinterested in what Steve was explaining, it was that the impudent spark that often seemed to drive him was missing. Steve showed Tony the signal room, waving to Harold Bride but leaving quickly, as the telegraphist appeared to be quite busy. From there, they passed the sea post office on the way down one more level to the boiler rooms.

Tony seemed more interested there, and his manner was easygoing and charismatic as usual, setting the workmen at ease with jokes and stories. Still, when they’d spent probably far too much time in the space, both sweaty, their skin collecting the ambient grime of the area, Tony fell silent again as they started back up toward more ‘civilized’ spaces. Steve’s instincts about Tony’s demeanor felt almost selfish, conceited, even. Had Tony liked seeing Steve change clothes? Was his mind as consumed with Steve as Steve’s own thoughts had been about him, on the bridge? 

Finally, they came upon an empty corridor, the first since they’d descended so far down. Tony’s hand flew out toward Steve’s chest, grabbing a handful of his shirt and dragging him backwards toward a gated alcove guarding a dis-used set of stairs. Once out of view of the hallway, Tony yanked Steve toward him, and the collision of their bodies made a horribly loud noise against the locked metal gate.

Steve couldn’t begin to care, though, because Tony’s insistent hand was at the back of his neck, and then they were kissing frantically, setting fire to each other with tongue and touch.

“You didn’t hesitate, you couldn’t hesitate. Fuck, Steve, that was--” Tony mouthed against his lips, voice rough. Steve exulted in his own head, loving how affected Tony was, loving how affected it was making him. “In my head we’re already--” Tony added, breaking off to pull Steve closer with strength that made the action all the more exciting. He wanted to hear the rest, but couldn't bear to stop.

A thought occurred, one that Tony had planted knowingly in his head. Steve didn’t know if he could even do it, and if he did, whether he'd do it right, but if he wanted to try. If he was going to do it at all, it needed to be now, before someone came by and saw them.

Steve moved one hand from where it was clutching Tony’s collar, sliding it along Tony’s arm along with the other, which had shifted away from Tony’s hip. Once both were close to the other man’s wrists, Steve pushed them back against the gate behind them in a sudden movement, catching the decorative twists of metal with his fingers to anchor himself.

Then he lifted his head from the kiss and said sternly, “Finish the sentence.”

Tony’s legs gave out for a few seconds, and Steve caught him with his hips, leading Tony to throw his head back against the gate and let out a deep, satisfied groan.

“This,” he managed, chest heaving. “You are the most pure form of temptation of anyone I’ve ever met, I hope you know that. All the money in the world, and I couldn’t buy you, could I?” 

His tone was low, as though it took great effort to be articulate, and Steve sympathized, he really did. Something about Tony’s reaction made him feel both triumphant and conscientious, like giving Tony too much of what he wanted was irresponsible, that it was his job to protect him. That protecting him would be as satisfying as watching Tony come apart under his hands, someday.

“I have to earn you,” Tony whispered.

Steve wanted to feel Tony’s hands on him again. He wanted to keep Tony pinned and kiss him till his legs really did give out-- but was his response really an answer? Something told him this was the charcoal smudge, the boundary push, the crossed line. Whether Tony meant to or not, he was testing him.

“Spell it out, Stark,” Steve said, allowing himself to stroke his thumb along the side of one of Tony’s imprisoned hands. He used Tony’s last name on purpose, and it worked exactly as he’d hoped it would. The tension between them thickened, lengthened, and Tony’s dark brown eyes regarded him with respect and maybe even a little avarice.

“In my head, we’re past the first times. Almost like we know each other by instinct, instead of experience.” Tony rocked his hips, and Steve’s shift of surprise lined them up in just the right way, clothed erection to clothed erection. “You knew just what to say.”

“I pictured what your reaction might be, and I couldn’t resist,” Steve whispered.

In the hallway, a door opened and shut, and they heard footsteps. Immediately, Steve gentled his grip on Tony and stepped back, staying close enough in case he still had trouble with balance. It felt right, even more right when Tony grabbed his hand and, standing behind Steve and mostly out of sight, bent over to kiss the back of it with all the fervor of a fifteenth century knight.

“After dinner, we’re coming back down here, right?” Tony whispered, seconds after the steward piled high with mail bags walked past their alcove without looking over.

“Yes.”

Dinner was interminable. Neither of them dared look at each other much for the first half, until Howard Stark remarked on the occurrence. Tony spent the next twenty minutes regaling their table about a completely imaginary experience the two of them had in the boiler room. It involved a stoker taking offense to something Tony said, and Steve having to use diplomacy to keep the man and his fellow workers from laying their filthy hands on Tony’s favorite white dinner jacket.

Steve was mortified, but had to admit once Tony was done that it had been a compelling story that humanized the stokers as a little twist toward the end of it. Once again, he was impressed by Stark’s ability to take a moment and bend it to his will.

Hours after they excused themselves from the company of Tony’s fellow First Class men, Steve was reminded of the phrase ‘bent to his will.’ By then, Tony had spoken more about what he wanted for the two of them, had explained that it was only from outside that it looked like one man was in total control. That in fact, often times it is the more submissive of the pair who, by virtue of being the one most obviously vulnerable, holds a certain sort of sway over how events unfold.

Most importantly, though, Tony had said he wanted to know where Steve’s boundaries lay, what he liked, what he didn’t like. That had led the two of them where they were now, the forepeak storeroom on E deck, a place no one should bother them so late at night (even so, Steve had locked the door. The sound of a crewmember jingling his keys would give at least a modicum of warning, if they were to be discovered).

Tony’s demeanor changed quite a lot once Steve locked the door. With his big brown eyes he asked to get on his knees and have Steve try out giving him orders, ones angled toward teaching Tony what he liked, what gave him pleasure.

Steve fell back against the back wall and just looked at Tony. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt, and as Steve tried to remember how to breathe, Tony slowly undid his white tie, letting it fall loosely around his neck. He started forward.

“You’ll get your trousers dirty,” Steve said. He'd probably get everything dirty, down here. This was not a First Class place.

As though he’d hit a wall, Tony spun around, marched back where he came from, and faced Steve again. He re-tied his tie, then squared his shoulders and made eye contact as he untied it again.

Steve felt like he was being filled with desire from the toes up. He’d be completely insane for Tony by the time this mad wanting of him reached his waist, and once his lungs were subsumed, there would be no going back.

“I should make you walk back again just so I can watch you do it,” he muttered. 

Tony’s expression turned decidedly smug, but he kept his slow advance on Steve’s position. The words bent to his will resounded in his head, and then he had it. Steve leaned over and snagged an empty canvas bag, noting quickly that it seemed to be cleaner than the actual floor of the place. He threw it down at his feet.

“You asked me what I like? I like to avoid making extra work for others. Kneel on that.”

Tony’s grin broadened, and he nodded. When he was close enough, he touched his palm to Steve’s chest and used him as leverage to kneel, catching the fingers of that hand on his belt.

Bent to his will. “Undo the buckle.” It wouldn’t take any time at all for him to be fully erect, not with the promise on Tony’s face. Every single American and British swear word crossed Steve’s mind as he held himself up against the wall, watching Tony make short work of his trousers. It wasn’t until he folded the pants fabric back and tugged on Steve’s undergarment that he realized he hadn’t said to. “You sneaky bastard, you’re going to have me objecting to going farther than I instructed, aren’t you?”

Tony lifted an eyebrow. Steve wanted his mouth so badly he almost demanded just that, but those blasted words were a blessing and a curse. Tony was bending them around each other.  

“Undo the first three buttons of your shirt.”

There was no wiping off the smug appreciation on Tony’s face as he obeyed. Steve realized belatedly that he was getting credit for something he hadn’t intended; Tony needed both hands for this. A punishment and a reward.

Suddenly, he couldn’t bear the thought of waiting any longer. That was a punishment and a reward as well, wasn’t it? Tony seemed to enjoy teasing.

“I need your mouth on me, now,” Steve said, only just barely keeping the whine out of his voice.

“Yes,” Tony growled, expertly unleashing him and leaning forward, one large hand steadying himself on Steve’s now bare hip. He took in several inches immediately, drawing back to look up for approval. 

“Very good, continue,” Steve managed in a strangled voice. He kept himself from making further noise only by clenching his hands around anything that wasn’t Tony he could find.

Over the next minutes, Steve dented several boxes as Tony used his hands, tongue, and his throat to completely destroy Steve for anyone else, all while looking up at him with the most expressive brown eyes Steve had ever seen. It was all he could do to issue any instructions at all, and he was beyond the ability to make them sound like he was anything but putty in Tony Stark’s capable, clever hands.

“Tell me to swallow, Steve,” Tony said, using a tone that broke through the pleasure haze. “I want to.”

“Swallow, oh please,” Steve blurted out, already coming.

Tony was sitting back on his heels with his own pants unzipped and bulging when Steve finished remembering who he was, where he was, and who he was with.

“Holy hell, Stark,” he said, catching himself too late to correct to the first name. Tony didn’t look disappointed, though he did look pained. “I forgot to continue with the--” Steve gestured vaguely downward, meaning the commands, the control, any balance of knowing what Tony needed out of the encounter. He didn’t know how to phrase it, given that he’d probably lost about half of his vocabulary in a blaze of glory just now.

“Oh, don’t worry. I learned a lot.” Tony reached up, and Steve helped him to his feet. Before he understood what was happening, Tony was pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaning him with it, before putting his trousers and belt to rights again.

“You don’t have to--” Steve started, but Tony was pulling him into a warm kiss, close-mouthed until Steve himself initiated something deeper. The respect inherent in that was so powerful that Steve reached down to cup Tony outside his clothing.

“Fuck, yes. I like everything. I like you. I want this, yes, yes,” Tony babbled against his lips, angling himself to give Steve more access.

“Everything?” Steve asked, reaching past his waistband for a long stroke.

“E.J. Smith could walk through that door and I would gladly give him a show right now. Your hand, ahhhhh.”

Tony’s enthusiasm was a powerful motivator, and if it weren’t for the fact that he hadn’t fully paid off his new uniform trousers and wouldn’t until they docked in New York, Steve would have dropped to his own knees, canvas bag or not. It had been forever since he’d gotten to touch any cock but his own, and never had he been in intimate contact with someone he cared about as much as he already cared for Tony Stark. Tony was lightning in his hands, vital, vocal, valuable.

Somewhere below them, an alarm went off, but Steve barely heard it. His eyes were shut, arm working, their kiss becoming more and more sloppy as the two of them worked in tandem to send Tony over the edge. 

“Steve, look at me, your eyes, I want to see--” Tony said brokenly. He’d been babbling praise and curses between kisses, hands grabbing at Steve in a way certain to bruise, but Steve did what was asked, locking onto the liquid-brown joy in Tony’s eyes just as he shuddered in Steve's arms.

The very next second, there was a wrenching tremor, as though the ship had struck something and, unable to stop, dragged across it.

Next Chapter...

[thesimperiuscurse]

Thanks to my bro @simlit​ for tagging me 🖤 Unfortunately, this tag requires me to acknowledge the fact that I have three previous generations 🤢 Since my stories run for such a long time, the legacy spanning nearly six years, this doesn’t necessarily cover things that appear prominently in all four, without fail—since I’ve changed so much as a writer—but more around things that have culminated in Eva’s story. 

R U L E S

List five things that you, without fail, weave into or explore in your stories, whether it be specific themes or tropes, character archetypes, allusions to other literary works.

T H E M E  —  F R I E N D S H I P

There are two things I can look back fondly on for Fallen Angels, first being sarcasm king Raphael, second being the ‘found family’ that Cherry joins when she runs away. I really liked the six criminal outcasts joining together (even if half of them were toxic motherfuckers) and I brought that into the following story, this time with five dancers and much stronger, healthier relationships. I do think friendships / platonic bonds have potential to be just as compelling and weighted as romance, so I’m trying to explore that in En Pointe, particularly with Misha and Mako. 

A R C H E T Y P E  —  F I G H T E R

Eva, her mother Cherry, and her grandmother Briar—all main characters of their respective stories—are trained in self defense / martial arts, specifically Muay Thai. Plot wise, this stems from Briar’s younger days, when she was a reckless new police officer who constantly got into danger (obviously Cherry inherited that, smh) and made sure her children learned how to protect themselves. Author wise, I just like badass female characters. They’re all stubborn and headstrong and determined to do things their way, so in that regard, the founder Fern was also a fighter. 

T H E M E  —  M O N E Y  +  P O W E R

Since my stories are now based in real life, money and how power + corruption, politics + ethics, is inexplicably linked to it is a real issue that has always intrigued me. It forms the basis of Fallen Angels, and En Pointe, except this time from the lens of the powerful. 

T R O P E  —  E N E M I E S  T O  L O V E R S

This is perhaps my favourite story trope ever. I explored it a little in previous generations, but only in En Pointe does my enjoyment of the trope come to full fruition. It just has the greatest scope for development and natural chemistry. For Evako, working out all the tiny details and silent gestures that show them very slowly evolving from enemies to friends to lovers is really fun. 

T H E M E  —  T H E  N A T U R A L  W O R L D

I think this is the single thing that has cropped up, without fail, across the four stories. Fern was always drawn to the ocean, and gave her three children nature names. Briar has a unique (supernatural) connection to the moon. Cherry, who spent much of her teen years alone in the woodlands and singing with birds, loves the earth. In a roundabout way, Eva has the deepest bond with the ocean. She grew up with her feet planted firmly in water and soil, and the natural world shaped her character and morals. Her harmony with it is the force behind her voice and experiences—natural metaphors and physical awareness permeate her descriptions. Even the fifth and unborn heir, Hikari, is fascinated by stars. All this is because of my own concern for the environment, which is the main driver for my architectural work, but since I’m petrified of insects (*cough* spiders) I make my characters go adventuring outdoors instead 😆

T A G S 

@amys-snapshots​  / @notjustabooksims / @simnights / @itheaxel​ / @itssimplythesims​

[sagau-fruit-bowl]

Chapter 22! Wrote this while bored in school. I'm lucky my teachers like me.

School is leaving me so tired with no motivation to write so guess who's back to post and then vanish for months again? Me.

Guide!Au is a SAGAU inspired idea where the Player, instead of being seen as a creator, is seen as the only outworlder god who cares for Teyvat.

Masterlist

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

 The curtains of [Name]'s room were wide open and the moon light seeped into the room.

Aether sat quietly on the edge of the bed, looking down at Bennett's sleeping face. Both teenagers had curled up on the floor and were about as asleep as physically possible.

Diluc himself had also fallen asleep in the armchair in the corner of the room, leaving Aether the only one awake to watch over Their Grace. Speaking of which, his attention snapped back to the bed as the mattress began to shift.

[Name] exhaled and began to turn over in the bed.

They couldn't recall the last time they had slept that hard, no strange dreams bothered them and they could hardly remember falling asleep.

They opened their eyes hoping to be back in their own bed but disappointed when their eyes met the stark white ceiling of Favonius headquarters.

They let out a groan of disapproval at the sight but sat up anyway, jolting backwards upon nearly making contact with Aether's head. He had moved over to check on them as they woke up, his head hovering not far above them as they attempted to sit up, causing him to jerk back as well.

As [Name]'s head bounced back into the bedding below their head, they stared up into his eyes, looking about as annoyed as one would expect when a peaceful morning is interrupted by someone watching you while you slept.

[Name]'s face showed an unamused look and they gave a glare. "Now what do you think you're doing?"

Aether winced and brought his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. "Checking on you? You seem okay though."

With a huff, [Name] sat up again and moved to step off the bed. "Checking up on me seems a lot like stalking."

"Don't pretend you're any better, you watch us all the time." Aether teased.

[Name] took a moment to contemplate that. They supposed that was a fair response. They had thought a couple times about how their watch over each character seemed in their perspective.

They didn't think they would enjoy being puppeteered but it wasn't [Name]'s intention to make anyone uncomfortable… although, did intention really matter considering what the end result is?

A noise from the floor put an end to that train of thought, they looked down to spot Bennett and Razor curled into one another on the uncomfortable marble floor of the bedroom, they weren't close enough to be on the mats set beside the bed to block out the cold floor in the morning, nor on the blue carpet in the center of the room, [Name] winced imagining how much their back would hurt in the morning.

Taking a moment to look around, [Name] also took note of Diluc resting in the armchair, the blue fabric seeming darker near where his hands rested and his neck bent at an uncomfortable looking angle onto his own shoulder.

They became aware of a weight at their feet and glanced over to see Paimon resting on the sheets, her eyes closed.

A rustle of the curtains caught their attention and their gaze moved over towards the open window, gazing out at the moon high in the sky. A whisper of the wind gently reaching their ears.

"It's time to rest" An older woman's voice said, causing [Name] to tilt their head in confusion and Aether to follow their line of sight out the window.

"Papa said I should finish this first" Another voice chimed in, [Name]'s shoulder's bristled and they began looking around carefully, Aether catching their unease and showing signs of concern.

The voices then began to pick up, carrying through the wind.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"Another drink! For further celebration!"

"My oh my everyone seems quite lively this evening."

"I wonder where she went."

"Heheh, they're gonna hate how this will taste."

"Did you hear? About the newest visitor to Mondstadt?"

"Oh this is sooo boring, why couldn't I have been assigned somewhere like Liyue?"

The voices were different, one a woman, one a child, one sounding local to Mondstadt and another sounding vaguely similar to a certain Fatui in a nearby church. 

[Name] was silent, listening to each voice that seemed to float in from the window, not aware of Aether now repeating their name, waving a hand in front of their face, [Name] simply listened closer and closer to the voices on the wind.

Aether watched in concern as [Name] stared out the window until a tap on his shoulder caused him to look at a now awake Paimon.

"Relax. [Name] simply turned on a setting." She told him.

"A setting? What are you talking about?" 

"Nothing, you should probably close the window though."

Aether sighed and stood to follow Paimon's advice, making his way to the source of the wind and pulling the window doors shut.

[Name] finally allowed their focus to change, looking away from the window before speaking. "What the actual fuck was that?" 

Aether chuckled. "I asked myself the same question. Now then, what the hell were you focused on?" 

[Name] paused for a moment, collecting their thoughts. "I… I am not sure."

Paimon made a noise causing both of them to look in her direction. 

Aether sighed "I guess you know?"

Paimon smirked "Perhaps~"

[Name] eyed her carefully. "What on god's green earth was that?"

Paimon hummed. "You turned on the 'comprehend language' setting, did you not?"

[Name]'s face twisted in a mix of confusion and annoyance. "So you're telling me the wind has a language?"

Paimon hummed once again "Is that so hard for you to believe?"

[Name] groaned and looked at the window "Should I just turn it off?"

The fairy looking menace giggled "I wouldn't advise it~ why don't you two simply go back to sleep?"

The Traveler shifted his feet and nodded. "Sounds fair. We can discuss this when we're both well rested."

[Name]'s eyes drifted up to the white ceiling once more and flopped down onto the sheets again, looking up at both of the main characters. "I'll tolerate that, barely."

Aether nodded and moved over to the soft blue carpet, giving the other two a wave on his way over. "Goodnight you two, rest well."

Paimon curled up on the edge of the bed to resume her nap as [Name] stared up at the ceiling, straining their ears for hints of the wind pushing against the glass.

They laid still for as long as they could, focus on the whispers slipping through the cracks of the window, voices that [Name] realized she could recognize.

Venti's laugh echoed through the air, Lisa chuckled and flipped pages of a book, Barbara's voice sang from the church, Diona grumbled about patrons at the Cat's Tail, Huffman lamented the reports he had to write, Klee was telling Kaeya all about her latest adventure.

It made [Name]'s shoulder's relax, it felt so comfortable, so familiar that caused them to drift off to sleep. 

As their vision faded to black, their eyes shut and head resting on the pillows provided to them.

____________________________________

[Name] stood, swaying softly in the wind with their eyes closed. The sound of a chirping bird caused them to open their eyes and they gasped loudly, the view in front of them taking away their breath.

Their sight was full of clouds and blue sky, no matter how harshly the breeze blew, it never seemed to move the clouds.

[Name] looked down at their feet to see lush green grass and they whirled around upon hearing a voice, their eyes locking onto the building in the center and they finally understood where they were. Their Teapot.

They stepped forward slowly, looking around for the source of the words they heard. 

"Yohoo! Over here."

[Name]'s gaze fell upon Tubby's blue form, its blue feathers were ruffled as it struggled to get [Name]'s attention.

As [Name] began to step forward, they couldn't help but glance around, the plants they had growing were remarkable to look at and each decoration captured their eyes, the thought that one of their characters had personally made each item filled [Name] with a sense of pride.

Tubby then spoke again, "My oh my, what are you doing here?"

[Name] shrugged, "Don't know for sure… But I'm happy to be here."

"Well, we're all happy to have you, I'll let anyone who stops by know Your Grace has finally arrived!"

[Name] winced at the thought, "Um, no, that's… not necessary. I plan on telling them personally." Technically not a lie, it all depended on how those individuals would likely treat [Name]. Surely some of them would be more reasonable than the leaders of Mondstadt.

If Tubby had a human face, [Name] was sure they would have raised an eyebrow but it nodded nonetheless, "As you wish."

"Yeah… Can- can I go inside?"

Tubby let out a laugh "It's your place is it not? Go on inside, I'll speak with you before you leave."

[Name] nodded slowly, stepping closer to the building's door, letting out an annoyed huff at the strength needed to push the solid wood door open.

The center room was empty of people but the table set up in the middle was still present and [Name] took a moment to look around, the middle floor seemed lived in but also silent as though no one was present. A bark took that thought away as [Name]'s face broke into a grin at the sight of one of the pets they had placed within the building.

They dropped to their knees and clapped their hands, the action causing the dog to come closer at a quick pace, tail wagging as it moved closer.

[Name] couldn't help but enjoy themselves as they held out their hand for the animal to sniff but instead the dog went straight towards their legs, rubbing its side against them and lifting its fluffy head towards them.

[Name] went silent for a moment, now petting the animal and scratching its sides. They realized they should likely give the pet a name, if the inhabitants of their tea house had yet to do so that was.

"Hello. Who's back?" A voice rang from the top of the stairs and [Name] shrugged. Speak of the devil they supposed.

Might as well face whoever lived in the tea pot.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

HOLY SHIT WRITING THIS TOOK A WHILE. DEPRESSION SPIRAL KICKED MY BUTT AND SO DID SCHOOL.

Tag list! Closed for the foreseeable future. If your name is bold, I cannot tag you, please check to make sure I spelled your name correctly and that you have @'s on. If I have misspelled your name, feel free to DM me and let me know

If y'all have any suggestions on who [Name] should have as characters, I'd love to see them. I'd love to give them every character but that's just not realistic.

Please, give me suggestions for what character they should have as I'm indecisive.

@chihawari  

@samuelftm  

@mizuistrying

@karylles-world

@isaywhatiwant

@multifandomvoyage

@sayomiikaye

@peacesong02 (❤) 

@chie-san  

@magica-ren

@willburzone

@brookeisqweer (you changed your name and I spent like 10 minutes trying to figure out why the @ wasnt working😓)

@sadlonelybagel

@silver-the-pendejo (❤. You bitch. You changed your name again.)

@rizakari  

@eccedentesiast-sapphic

@nasidibakar  

@yue-caelum  

@irisxiel  

@detectivexheizou  

@ello-its-me-ya-boi  

@nin3ss  

@uh-kay-shuh (love the OM pfp]

@campanula-rotundifolia  

@whispereons  

@dontlookatmeprettyplease

@loveyasaraa  

@shysbonesnstuff

@yoitslei

@trinketbeans

@a5ht-0

@B3ckisout

@anxiousazure

@poisened

@awoken-unbroken

@melveres (❤)

@bluemoonumbra

@yay-its-tj

@nassy

@local-mr-frog

@simpaghettits

@xiyou-gege

@yuulia-chan

@sunseton16

@etherisy

@genshin-impacts-me

[miraculous-trinity-leo]

Whacky Gotham, Goofy New York, and Chaotic Paris

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

Chapter 3: Kindred Spirits Always Find A Way To Assemble

•—–—–†–—–—•

Time: 5:30am

location: Louvre

Ladybug, Abeille, Bunnyx, Trickster, and Chat Noir are fighting an akuma, not anything major, just Mr. Pigeon and his pigeons trying to melt the Louvre with deadly acidic bird dropings, so yeah, nothing major. Just another early bird gets the akuma kinda day...

"Looks like the early bird is trying to melt the Louvre, what say you M'lady, shall we make this swift and- *Loud sneeze* Let me now *sneeze* when I'm *sneeze* needed" - Chat Noir

"For to long our kind has been oppressed, they feed us miserable seeds, when we beg for bread, we shall show them no mercy, as our justice shall be swift!" picks up two pigeons, holds them by their legs and aims the rear cannons "Surrender your Miraculous and your justice shall be swift and painless!!" with an evil villain laugh at the end bla bla bla.

" Anyone else getting Pigeon (French) Revolution vibes? No? just me? Cause I swear he said seeds instead of cake."

"Not the time Bunnyx." - Abeille

"Oh it so Is The Time." - Bunnyx

"Off with Mr. Pigeon Antoinette's Akumatized object!" - Chat Noir from a distance.

"Viva La Revolution!!!" - Trickster

"Dear Kwami, how did it come to a frickin Pigeon Revolution?!" - Ladybug

As the last line is said, Mr. Pigeon fires the -ehem- cannons at the heroes, only for them to be an illusion. In the confusion Bunnyx pops out of her burrow and wacks Mr. Pigeon on the head, effectively knocking him out.

"The Pigeon Revolution is over, we have taken back our home, and shall continue to defend it from the creepy Man of MOTH!!!!" - Bunnyx

and with that Bunnyx brakes the Akumatized object, and Ladybug purifies the akuma.

"Ok, I will admit that last speach was funny, now lets hurry back before hells bells go off." - Ladybug

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

" Bla bla bla, nothing important, bla bla bla bla, yada yada yada bla yada." - Mrs. Bustier

"'Viva La Revolution', that was perfect." - Whispering Alix

"It just came to me, but Chats 'Off with Mr. Pigeon Antoinette's Akumatized object' line and your 'Man of Moth' speech were really well timed !" -whispering Peter

"well of course, I'm always punctual with any time sensitive joke/pun." -whispering Alix

"Will you to zip it! we can't have these simpletons finding anything out!" -whispering Chloé

"Please, they all share a broken defective regect of a brain cell, I doubt they could ever put two and two together." -whispering Alix

"Hey, do you think we should start a protest in our classroom?" -whispering Peter

"... Viva.La.Revolution!" - whispering Chloé with a mischievous grin

"No." - Maria

•~—~—~—~ Later when Mrs. Bustier is out of class ~—~—~—~•

"I just don't know what to do." - Lie-la

" You think she finally realized how horrible that hair style is?" - Alix

"After visiting Gotham a few months ago I met Damian Wayne, you might've heard about him, he's just so amazing, kind-hearted, and brave. We had a wonderful time, but then he asked me out! And I don't want to hurt Parkers feelings, I care for both of them!" - Lie-la

"Man, she must be extremely full of it to keep pulling that sh-t out of her @ss every hour or so." - Alix

"Wow Peter, didn't know your cared for Ms. Rossi like that" - Chloé said in a sarcastic tone.

" I'd rather strap her to a supersonic rocket heading for a black hole, and I'm pretty sure this Damian Wayne would do the same... he probably has the money for it actually." - Peter

" Enough plotting, we still need to get enough money, if we want that summer trip, we've already crossed off: Baking sales, becoming a mime, jobs are out unless they're fine with you leaving right after joining, and we can't just ask for donations." - Maria

" I can use my MDC mon-" - Maria

"Oh hell no you won't! You worked your butt off to get that money, you said it yourself! That money is for when you apply to college! I refuse to let you waste your money on our ignoramus classmates!" - Chloé

Thankfully by now everyone was out of the classroom.

" Oh Kwami she's serious, she never uses her big words!" - Adrien

" Then what do you suggest Chloé?" - Maria

" I'll ask daddy to pay!" - Chloé

" I can also ask my father, he'll probably do it if Mr. Bourgeois puts in a donation." - Adrien

" But- " - Maria

" No! The decision is final all in agreement say aye!" - Chloé

"Aye!" - Everyone

"You've watched to many movies Chloé, fine, but please don't drastically overdo it." - Maria

" When have I ever drastically overdone something? Name one time." - Chloé

"Well, there was the time you over did it, by not sleeping for almost three weeks." - Maria

" and after that you got so fed up with one akuma that you kicked him with the force of a thousand suns down unda, you may have scared him for life after that honestly. " - Adrien

" Oh! or the time you went overboard with Peters B-day, and the cake landed on his face! - Alix

"Well in her defense, the cake was great, but it was kinda a mouthful." -Peter

"... I said name one time. (ー_ー)" - Chloé

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

Sooo, after all that happened Mr. Bourgeois, Fallowed by Gabriel Agreste, gave a very generous donation, so that solves that problem.And since I'm sure you don't want to see (More Lies) boring stuff, lets skip to two days before the trip begins.

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜time skip " You're welcome, I'm here all eternity." - Bunnyx〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

•—–· At Chloés Hotel ·–—•

"Ok are we sure we have everything?" - Maria

" Yes now can we please watch something already, we've triple, and even quadruple checked everything, we're good." - Alix

" I have to go out and inform Tempête and Vipère, before anything else, be back soon." - Maria then heads out calling upon the other heroes.

" So what do you need?" - Vipère

" Do you have a top secret mission for us?" - Tempête

" For the summer Abeille, Bunnyx, Trickster, and Chat Noir will be unavailable, unless they are truly needed, I however will be able to travel back and forth via portals for fights. Paris will be in your care while we aren't here." - Ladybug

"It is our honor, we shall defend Paris with our lives." - Tempête

" Agreed, enjoy your summer." - Vipère

"Thank you, stay safe."  and with that Maria headed back to the hotel prepared to watch movies, only to be bombarded with questions as soon as she got back.

" HOLD UP! You know MAGIC?!" - Alix

" When were you going to tell us?!" - Chloé

"So cool, how does it work?" - Peter

" Can you teach us?!" - Adrien

" Spots-Off, yes I know magic, I swear I've told you before. Do you want a demonstration?" - Maria

They all shook their heads excitedly.

" Ok well, I'm able to Heal myself if I get hurt, but I don't wish to hurt myself just for that, I can also increase my Luck with magic, as well as Communicate/ Manipulate plants, and see peoples Souls, thanks to Tikki. I learned Protection magic thanks to Wayzz, and Illusion magic thank  to Trixx. I'm also learning Teleportation from Kaalki, which I've almost completed, and Mutitude from Mullo, which still needs work." - Maria

" If you can really talk to plants, what did we do earlier while you where out, hmmmmm?" - Alix

Maria then walks over to the roses near the couch and whispers to them, after a moment she turns back to her friends, and calmly says "Traitors."

" What do you mean?" - Peter

" You continued watching Star Wars: Clone Wars Without me!" - Maria

" Ok we believe you, but does this mean we can also use magic?" - Adrien

"Hmmm, let me see" as she says this her eyes start to glow an almost ethereal icy blue.

" Why are you eyes glowing?" - Chloé

"Looking at you souls... ok" she then claps her hands and her eyes go back to normal "Adrien, you can use slight Destruction magic on objects, if you use it on a person it would just cause them extreme pain, you can also cast Bad Luck on someone, so I guess thats good, and you can also learn slight Jubilation magic. Peter you can learn Illusion, and Protection magic. Chloé you can Learn Subjection, and Multiplication magic. And Alix, you can learn Evolution, Intuition, and Teleportation magic." As Maria finished, she saw the star struck looks in their eyes at the thought of learning magic became obtainable for them.

"Teach us!" they all bowed only to get a laugh from Maria in response.

"You would have to ask the Kwamis that, I only know what I know thanks to them." - Maria

And for most of the night they all started practicing magic. And when they woke up, they continued to practice, they had fun and were really enjoying it.

Then came the day Maria and her friends were to head for Gotham, and it was hectic, but everyone made it in one piece after an 8 hour flight, which at this point Maria was glad she sent all of her important luggage ahead of time, because somehow her luggage with only her toiletries and pyjamas was stolen, so all she had now was her back pack on her and the Miracle box in a Pocket dimension (thanks to the training from Fluff and Kaalki)

Lila was annoyed, when Maria didn't even care that she lost her bag with all her stuff (jokes on you she sent that one to the hotel 2 days ago HA!) they ended up checking into the hotel, everyone was with someone, Peter was with Adrien, Chloé was with Alix, and Maria... just had the Kwamis, yup that's right, apparently Lila has a condition that prevents her from being in any room below a quality vip room, so now she was upgrade and without a roommate, good for Lila, and Lucky for Maira, because now she doesn't have to worry about someone noticing her climbing out the window to go free-running across rooftops as Multimouce.

Around 7:30 pm. everyone heads out for lunch... and they leave Maria behind.

"Of course this happens." and with that she asked the receptionist for the directions to where her class went, afterwards she went out and proceeded to get lost, after trying to retrace her steps, she just got lost quicker, and her phone was at 20% what luck.

After walking for a little bit, she had decided to take a break, and as she leaned up against a wall, she closed her eyes.

'Maybe if I search for the receptionists Soul I can find my way back.' as she was doing this, she saw souls of all colors walking by, she even noticed a dark emerald green soul, and a dark blue soul across the street on a rooftop... and then she felt her hair stand on end, a few feet to her right was a bloody rust looking soul, she could tell it was a male, late 20s, average build, and 5'11, he was targeting her. As she opened her eyes  she did a quick scan of her seroundings, noticing an alley, she started to walk again. Sensing the slight increase in speed from the man now behind her, as he got closer, she made a sharp left into the alley, she made it a few feet in before the man started laughing and walking closer, she saw the disgusting look in his eyes, and the outline of a gun in his front left pocket.

"Come on now girlie,  I just wanna talk."

" I am good thankz." she made sure to add an accent to make him feel like he had an upper hand, which seemed to work, if his sickening smile was anything to go off of.

He stepped closer and Maria (the little genius she was) decided to act nervous, which only lowered the guys gaurd even more, once he reached to grab her in a quick motion she proceeded to do this.

She held the guy in a lock until he fell unconscious. As she stood up, she noticed a hand reaching for her, she then grabbed the hand and flipped the figure over her shoulder hard, hearing a yelp from the man as she did so.

When she realized who she had flipped over, her face turned bright red

"Mon dieu, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you are you ok Monsieur Nightwing?!"

"Yeah I'm fine and don't apologize, reflexes like that are key to survival here in Gotham, isn't that right Robin.... Robin?"

When Nightwing didn't get any sound from Robin he looked over to see the boy a blushing mess, then Robin snaped out of it, cuffing the mugger, and turning his attention to the girl.

" Ehem. Mam it's dangerous to be out here at this time alone, please allow us to take you wherever you need to go." - Robin

"Oh thank you um, do you know where Wayne Hotel is? I was supposed to go with my class to dinner, but they... “forgot” me, I decided to try and meet up with them, but I failed horribly." - Maria

"Wait they just left you? and in Gothan of all cities?! What kind of teacher does that?!" - Nightwing

" An instegator." - Maria said under her breath in French, she didn't notice the slight shock on both their faces from what she said.

"Anyway lets get you to your hotel before it gets any later." - Nightwing

"Thank you again." - Maria

She arrived safely, thanks to Nightwing and Robin, she thanked them one more time and went inside, when she got to her room she found her friends pacing back and forth in the room, Chloé and Peter looking like they would soon become two people on a mission to find her, but thankfully she was back, she of course had to answer alot of questions, but that was no big deal. After answering all their questions, everyone went to their rooms, and fell asleep, they had a big day tomorrow afterall... ... and then Marias' Akuma alert went off, ok so it took about thirty minutes to defeated the akuma 2 more before she could cure anything and another 5 minutes before she could head back to her room, and it was now 2am, but she could still wake up early right? hehe (・–・;) right?

No, the answer was no she couldn't, well technically she was up on time for when the bus "should" have started getting ready to leave, BUT turns out Lila SOMEHOW, managed to get everyone on board without even thinking of her an hour early! Maria asked for directions once again, and the receptionist had a worried and apologetic look on her face, Maria thanked her again, and headed out, this time however, she made it without getting lost and without getting mugged, Yay! She even had enough time to get a coffe (Tim special was a wierd name but oh well it did the job pretty well) from a shop near by (double yay!) before entering the WE building.

" You have to start the tour! we've been here for an hour and thirty minutes already!" - Ms. Bustier

"Like I said before, I will not start the tour until your student gets back, and if they don't get back, then we better hope nothing happened to them, or else it's your fault for your negligence." - Tour guide

"Sorry I'm late, the bus left earlier than what we scheduled, why didn't you inform me about the change?" - Maira

"Lila said you were the one who made the changes and that you were just trying to get attention, I am VERY disappointed in you Maria, now apologize to your class for delaying the tour!" - Ms Bustier

"I think you mean “I'm sorry we left you behind in a city where murder happens to young kids on a daily basis” now you apologize to Your student that is Your responsibility." - Tour Guide with a glare that could kill a thousand armys

Ms. Bustier proceeded to apologise to half the class's disbelief.

"Alright then, now that thats all taken care of, Hello and welcome to Wayne Enterprise, where we focus on making Gotham and the world a better place. I'm Dick Grayson, and I'll be you tour guide for today."

As the tour went on Maria stood at the front with her friends, she took notes of everything that was said, and she ignored whatever nonsense Lila was spouting, somthing about saving or dating Damian Wayne, she didn't really care.

When the lunch break came, she sat with her friends until she needed a long overdo refill on her coffee, she walked over to the coffee machine and started figuring what combination will keep her brain working for the rest of the day.

"Press button 3 followed by 5, 6, 8, 1, 2, 4, 9, and 7, that is the ultimate coffee mixture, if your mortal self is up for the challenge." - Sleep deprived guy

"I accepte." she presses the buttons in the exact order and then " Wait none of the cups are big enough."

"Here, secrect cup, from beyond the mortal realm." - Sleep deprived guy

" Thanks" she grapped the very large cup, and filled it with coffee till it was almost to the rim, she put the lid on and instantly took a big sip from the scolding hot coffee (she can heal, her tongue's fiiiiiiine)

"... Not bad, taste similar to the Tim Special I had earlier, but maybe a bit stronger." - Maria

" Kindred Spirit, let us be friends, you have drank the sacred coffee and are now immortal, congrats." - Sleep deprived guy

"It was not easy, but I have come this far, and I shall go the distance with nothing but coffee in my veins." Maria said in a serious tone as they shook hands "I am Maria, keeper of all nighters, and who might you be, my kindred spirit."

"I am Tim, the keeper of sacred coffee and all that is unholy."

"It was an honor to meet you Sacred Tim, may the coffee gods guide you in your journey, sadly we must part ways, for the lunch break is over, farewell..." and with that Maria left to rejoin the group.

"Dear god where the hell did you get that much coffee?!" - Chloé

"Kindred Spirits always find a way to assemble." - Maria

"Huh, so there is someone out there who is also a sleep deprived child." - Alix

The tour continued, and Maria noticed their tour guide kept looking at her with growing concern as she slowly made her way through the lovely coffee, she finished the cup within 1 hour and 30 minutes, and most of the staff kept looking at her as she now held the empty unholy cup, that was said to put people (that weren't chosen by the coffee gods) into caffeine induced commas, but she was fine, if anything she was more awake than yesterday and today combined. So yeah Today had a rocky start, but I'd say things are only just beginning.

•—–—–†–—–—•

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 Bonus Art 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

This is what it looks like from Marias' normal vision, to her Soul Vision (~‾▿‾)~

Chapter 3 completed, hope you're all having a wonderful day, and staying positive BUG-OUT 🐞💮🐞

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 Tag List 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

1st Place★: @animegirlweeb ☕

2nd Place★: @jumpingjoy82

3rd Place★: @zalladane

4th Place★: @jayjayspixiepop

5th Place★: @arty-shadow-morningstar

6th Place★: @smol-book-nerd

7th Place★: @irontimetravelflower

8th Place★: @fandom-trapped-03

9th Place★: @meme991001

10th Place★: @buginetye

11th Place★: @blackroserelina

12th Place★: @jessigurl-design

13th Place★: @adrestar

14th Place★: @moon5608

15th Place★: @little-bluestar

16th Place★: @batgirljr72

17th Place★: @myazael

18th Place★: @our-preciousss

19th Place★: @wolf2118

20th Place★: @nyx-in-line

21st Place★: @kking13

22nd Place★: @lunerlover2024

23rd Place★: @moonlightstar64

24th Place★: @corporeal-terrestrial

25th Place★: @kashlyn

26th Place★: @tbehartoo

27th Place★: @heart-charming

28th Place★: @solangelo252

29th Place★: @t1dwarrior-of-earth

30th Place★: @lady-phoenix-of-tardis

@lupagrimm

[hms-no-fun]

what was the most frustrating and/or fun part involved in formatting godfeels?

the first thing to know is that when i started gf1 i knew jack shit about html and css. i've always REALLY struggled with coding, but i forced myself to learn when faced with the horrible possibility of publishing a homestuck fic in all-black lucida. can you imagine??

i didn't do this on purpose, but as the series went along i always found a new thing that i wanted to try to test my own meager abilities as a novice code understander. it's funny, i very specifically remember writing these lines in gf1--

--and thinking, man, that's a really cool effect! breaking the grammar rules for emotional impact by having "leave" on its own line separated by line breaks like that is pretty much where the entire meta aspect of godfeels started, and you could even go so far as to say that this is the moment when the gf universe becomes metaphysically distinct from homestuck? idk if that's the best way to put it but looking back on it and even at the time, this moment always felt extremely important as a style choice with narrative implications.

formatting is a pain in the ass, but it gets less so every time i format a chapter. i've got a whole process now that i might go into at length sometime down the line (that'll be a long post though and probably won't have time for that in the immediate future), but i can tell you that my best friend is ctrl+f. the nice thing about homestuck's dialogue style is that you have these repeated consistent handles at the start of every line of dialogue. so you write a chapter and then you find and replace every instance of "Vriska:" with "<span class="vriska">Vriska:" and by god you're like 40% there!

uh. that is, if you keep your text color to the dialogue. which i... don't.

there's a lot of the process that's really tedious, but like, i play a lot of open world games. i kinda like tedium. i've got cut/paste bound to hotkeys so when i'm going through putting </span><br /> at the end of every line of dialogue i just put on some steely dan and hit f3 a bunch. hotkeys are also my best friend, they have saved me SO MUCH wrist strain (i think it was the Risk & Dare chapter that finally pushed me to learn what the fuck a hotkey is lmao).

the most ANNOYING formatting is always always always in the narration. when terezi's narration breaks and she just has a few letters showing through? yo that shit takes forever. then the way June, Risk, and Dare show who's fronting any given thought requires me to pay real close attention to the text as i'm going (i manually format my docs so that they look how they will when finished, it's really tough for me to feel the scene if it's not visually accurate)-- which wouldn't be a problem except i'm always in such a goddamned hurry that i start formatting immediately after deciding that a draft is ready to publish, which means i've probably been writing since dawn and now it's like 8pm and formatting will only take like an hour so i might as well just get it out of the way EXCEPT IT ALWAYS TAKES TWICE AS LONG because chapter 8 was a fucking BEHEAMOTH that damn near killed me

what's nice about having a team is that they can tell you "hey, maybe you should wait until tomorrow so you can do a finally quality check when you haven't been awake for 18 hours"

the most fun part of formatting is honestly just seeing the finished product. as much as godfeels is a work of prose fiction, it's always felt distinctly visual to me in a way that was heavily influenced by the likes of house of leaves and (closer to home) nellcromancer's revolution 23 years in the making. i spend a lot of time fine-tuning the amount of scrolling people have to do to get through any given chapter to make sure it's paced correctly, make sure it FEELS the way i want it to feel. a lot of times in the doc the more abstract formatting is stuff that i leave in brackets, like for instance the huge color scroll at the start of the ch8 epilogue.

that one was hypothetical and ready to be on the chopping block until like a day before i published the chapter. a lot of the formatting tricks i've done are built off of things i did before, right- so i did the linebreaks in the screenshot from gf1 above, and expanded that style choice exponentially with each chapter. i wanted to have a cut to black in one of the early parts of ch8 that zoe figured out from me, then i modified her code to allow for Epigone's ugly-ass green background when it takes over (something i didn't plan until i realized it was possible with tools i already had --see how that works?). so when i needed to signal symbolically a physical journey through the layers of each aspect of reality without explicitly revealing WHO was doing the journeying (i wanted you to presume it was "us" and that the "us" VV addressed until July left the scene was literally "us" and not Roxy & Callie), i felt like wrangling the css to do that would be a pain... but then i sat down and just sorta mapped it out?

and by god it just WORKED. that to me felt like a huge accomplishment, that i finally understood the tools i was working with enough to be able to plan it out in advance.

there's so many formatting moments like when Dare screams "YES!" at June, or in gf2.3 when June's completely shattered and drifting as Dare and Risk through her own consciousness with this fits and starts of unknowable perspective shifts, seeing them actually WORK on the page is unparalleled. there's always so much shit getting in the way of the words when it's not done, all those fucking squiggles (which i mostly turn off but sometimes they're helpful for spelling) and all the slight differences in how they process the shape and feel of different fonts, it's never until i see it on ao3 that it feels RIGHT to me. and that's the best part, always

[magnoliabloomfield]

Possession

Chapter 2: Do the Right Thing

song suggestion: Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)- Ages and Ages

The gathering broke up pretty soon after that so things could get done. Alby and Newt started showing the girl around together while Minho went to collect his cot for her. Gally went to the gardening shed and started taking out some things to make room for it. His mind was blue as he scribbled white lines of architecture on it, preplanning what he could do that would be structurally sound, safe, and almost defend-able.

Alby said the bonfire was still on for that night so the boys could let out their excitement, but this was the first one Gally planned to sit out. He was going to get a working blue print, list the materials and put the steps in order, then he was going straight to bed so he could get an early start. He looked across the Glade and spotted her near the kitchen getting a snack from Frypan. He noticed that since she became more resigned to her fate, her expression had flattened out until it was like she had none. No emotions played on her features as she ate, listened to Alby and Newt and was blatantly ogled by boys everywhere.

She said something to Alby, he nodded, and she spoke again. Alby looked around and his gaze came to a halt on Gally, one brow raised in a mix of mild surprise and confusion. Gally tried to be nonchalant as he nodded to Alby, playing it off as giving him a sign it was going well, then he turned away, hoping he’d be left alone. His face felt a little hotter and he wondered what she might have said, but he wasn’t going to do anything to find out.

He stood at his work table, paper and pencil’s littering it as well as his dishes from dinner. He was doing the finishing touches by candle light when Alby came up to him.

“It’s weird not having you in the circle on bonfire night,” he commented.

Gally stared at him a little apprehensively, not used to him making small talk. “Yeah, well.”

“Listen,” Alby went on, leaning on his work table and peering over his sketches. “She asked to start her working rounds with the builders, she said that she should help since this is all because of her,” Alby said as he gestured at all the blueprints and lists on the table.

Gally froze. For one that was pretty shucking decent of her, but on the other hand he was not ready to babysit her first, probably not ever. “You told her no, right?” Gally asked him, trying not to sound hopeful but make it a firm statement.

“I tried,” Alby admitted as he rolled a pencil across the table. “I tried to tell her that it would be hard work and you’d be busy trying to get it done quickly, but she was pretty adamant that she do something to help.”

Gally sighed. It was admirable but annoying.

“Look, just give her something simple to do, something that will take her a while and keep her out of your hair most of the time, just let her do something. I think… I think she felt a little guilty about all the work you had to do for her.”

Right, girls had feelings. Gally hadn’t meant to make her feel bad, he wasn’t even complaining, he was just stating the facts and trying to convey the time restraints he’d be under to get it done in time for her to be comfortable.

“Alright, fine,” he mumbled.

Alby laughed. “Don’t be such a shank about it! Acting all mad that the first girl to show up picked you first.”

“She didn’t pick me,” Gally refuted even as he felt his cheeks go warm. “She’s just trying to be responsible. Which is something we need more of around here,” he said as his gaze roamed over the boys whooping it up at the bonfire. He guessed she wouldn’t be anywhere near that, probably went to bed early. After all, the first day usually came with a massive headache.

“Ah whatever man,” Alby slapped him on the shoulder before taking steps back toward the action. “I hope you don’t get too attached to her tomorrow, she has other rounds to make, remember that. You can’t keep her," his words reminding Gally of the rule the keepers made without her around to hear.

Gally didn’t even respond to that, he just turned back to his work and gathered up his papers in meticulous order and weighed them down with a rock before putting all his pencils and such away in their jar. He strayed to the bonfire for one drink, telling himself it was to help him get to sleep faster, knowing it was really to calm his nerves.

He was the only one up with the sun that morning. He didn’t wake up any of builders yet even though they deserved it for goofing off at the bonfire when they knew a hard days work was waiting for them. He took the opportunity to have some peace and quiet, time alone to really picture what it was he was going to do.

He thought he had picked a good spot for it, close enough to food and the bathrooms that she wouldn’t have to go far if she got up in the middle of the night, but far enough to avoid the sound of the kitchen and the smell of the outhouses. She’d get plenty of shade here without anyone being able to use the trees to get into her house.

Satisfied with the location he measured and marked off the area. Luckily he had been planning on building a house on stilts before this and set aside the things he’d need for it as they had come along. Pretty lucky, he thought as he ran a hand over his short hair, looking up at the place where her house would be, imagining it there in detail.

“Morning,” came a small voice behind him.

He was glad he hadn't visibly startled as he turned around and saw the girl sleepily rubbing her eyes as she walked up. For some reason he didn’t have a response to that, it felt too intimate to say ‘good morning’, he never said that to any of the boys, so he just nodded at her.

“This where it’s going?” she asked as she looked at the markers.

Suddenly Gally was questioning what he had been so sure of a second ago. “Do you not want it here?” he asked her, looking around, hoping someone else was awake by now so he wasn’t alone with her.

“Honestly that was a dumb question for me to ask, obviously that’s what’s going on,” she admitted as she gestured at the plot. “And yes, this is perfectly fine location.”

She was standing about three feet away from him, but they were otherwise shoulder to shoulder facing the plot and it took on this weird feeling that it was their project. A silence sat between them for a moment.

“I’m sorry you have to go through all this trouble for-“

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Gally cut her off, he kept his eyes on the plot even when he could tell she had turned to look at him. Why had he blurted that out so fast? “It’s just something that needs done, not like it’s your fault or anything,” he shrugged to try and keep it casual. He couldn’t explain why, but he didn’t want her to feel bad on top of everything else she must be feeling.

“Might not be my fault, but I’m still the cause,” she pointed out after she considered him for a beat. Then she placed her fists on her hips. “Well, where do we start?”

@gladerscake @crazysheeplyca @thesuitkovian @poulterholland @anniemylennox @poulterjonas @carp3d1em @neilox

I've started to make them a little bit lyric inspired but it's kind of hard atm because they're still strangers, but I think Divisionary with it's line of "Do the right thing, do the right thing, do it all the time, do it all the time" is SO Gally, so therefore it's his song this chapter as he tries to do the right thing for her.

Btw, since everyone in the Glade has a name given to them by Wicked, I was going to give her a real name instead of YN, so let me know about any historical figures you think she should be named after. In Garden of Heathen I named the girl Aussie after Jane Austen since she wasn't a genius but she had the highest emotional IQ, and then in The Reason I named the girl Nikola after Tesla.

If you want updates without following me you can always follow the tag "Will Poulter protection squad" because I'm pretty sure I'm the only one using it and from now on I'll put it in the fic tags.

Possession Masterlist

[msmarvelouswinchester]

Irresistibly Yours

Chapter 4 - My Apologies

Summary - Y/N Y/L/N moves to NYC in hopes for a fresh start after a nasty breakup. There she meets her neighbor, the cynical lawyer, Dean Winchester. A love-hate relationship starts evolving between them ever since they met in the elevator one morning but a desperate situation and a string of lies forces the two friendly rivals to go on a date or rather a fake date. Will sparks fly between them when Dean gets to know Y/N real and up close? Will Y/N finally find her Prince Charming in the grumpy, workaholic, divorce lawyer?

Pairing - Lawyer!Dean Winchester x Y/N

Warning - None

WC - 2551

Square Filled - Fluff ( @girl-next-door-writes's Make Me Feel Bingo); Neighbours AU ( @anyfandomfluffbingo )

A/N - A new chapter! Hope you enjoy reading this!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Beta'd by @miss-nerd95 <33

Series Masterlist Masterlist

Click. Click. Click.

Adjusting her glasses on the nose, Y/N toyed around with the pen in hand, blankly staring at the kitchen wall. The empty sheet of paper sat there on the table, glaring at her. It was a bit old-school, considering her laptop was lying only a small distance away but this was how she preferred to work on her novel. It had nothing to do with her laziness.

The fear of another rejection was weighing heavily on her and she was really close to giving up on her dream of being an actually published writer. However, after her little pep talk to herself last night, she had this new indomitable spirit ignited inside her. Though that spirit was fading away with every passing minute now.

Y/N dropped the pen on the table with a huff, its metallic body hitting the wooden surface of the table as she got up to make herself a cup of coffee. Now, she might not want to admit it, but her novel wasn't the only thing that was troubling her.

A stranger’s callous comments should never hurt so much but when Dean called her stupid or rather a brainless idiot, for some reason, Y/N took it to the heart. She had then come to the conclusion that he was an ass and it was futile to even try and start a healthy relationship, but the bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter in front of her changed every perception of him yet again.

Ms. L/N, I didn't have any intentions of humiliating you. I'm really sorry. I hope you accept this small token of apology.

Walking up to the counter, Y/N picked up the small, white card and read the handwritten apology for the hundredth time that day. She didn't know if she should be impressed at his tacky methods of apologies or be annoyed at him for wrecking her mental sanity. Shaking off her thoughts, she was just about to dive back right into her writing when the coffee machine beeped.

“This is not gonna work.” She sighed, pouring one cup of the warm liquid and bringing it close to her lips. After finishing her drink, she decided to go out on a walk to clear her head but just as she stepped out of her house, she heard soft pitter patters of feet out in the hallway before a small figure of a hazel-eyed girl came into her sight.

Y/N tilted her head in confusion as the little girl ran in the halls. She looked around for her parents, but didn't see anyone else.

“Hey, pretty girl. What are you doing out here all alone?” She called out to the girl, making her stop in her tracks and look at Y/N.

“Daddy says not to talk to strangers.” She said while she cautiously approached the woman anyway.

“Where's your Dad?" She smiled softly, " I'm Y/N. See now you know me.”

“Daddy's-”

“I told you to stay inside, babygirl.” Y/N’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the all too familiar voice of her ridiculously handsome neighbor before the tall figure of the man himself appeared in front of her. His eyes were focused on the little girl as he walked up to her. Dean crouched down to her height, hands gently placed on her shoulders. “Never go anywhere alone again. Alright?”

Does he have a daughter?

But she had never seen the girl before. Y/N was in awe as she saw the grumpy facade fade away when he talked with her. She realised that there were so many things about Dean that she truly didn't know. Maybe she had, after all, misjudged him on some petty conflicts.

“At least your kid was within the building.” Y/N said.

“Ms. L/N.” Dean regarded and turned to look at her. He shuffled on his feet which made Y/N raise a curious brow.

“Hello, Mr. Winchester.” A look of guilt with an underlying hurt flashed in his eyes when she didn't acknowledge him by his first name. He was very sure his effort at a decent apology had been appalling and it made him wince, thinking of the awfully cringy card he had curated by his own hand to convey his regrets.

“She is pwetty.” The girl tapped his knee, attracting his attention while looking at Y/N.

“Y-yeah.” Heat crept up Y/N’s neck when she heard Dean agree with the kid. A moment of awkward silence passed as Dean looked back up at the woman, this time his gaze not faltering making the woman’s cheeks warm up even more. “She is pretty, baby.”

“You are prettier. Look at you! You look absolutely stunning in that dress and hair!” Y/N jumped in deciding to not make the situation more awkward. She hoped that Dean was maintaining his usual poker face, but instead, the corner of his lips tugged up in a little smile as the girl diverted her attention to Y/N.

“Uncle De did my hair.” She said proudly and Y/N stared at Dean. Uncle De? Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought of him to be such a gentle soul. She now remembered that the last time she saw Dean, he had told her about meeting up with his brother.

“He did an excellent job, I see.” The woman said as Dean got up and stood up straight. “What's your name, pretty girl?” She looked up at Dean, as he nodded his head.

“Ava.” She muttered.

“So Ava, remember next time to not go anywhere without Uncle De’s permission. Promise?” Y/N said and walked up closer to the two humans as Ava nodded her head agreeing to her proposition, all the while Dean’s eyes trailed along the woman's every movement. He was the best in his profession and he excelled at reading his client's body languages to figure out conflict, but Y/N was like a puzzle to him right now so he decided to take matters in his own hands.

“I hope you liked the flowers.” There it was, subtle, but at least he owned up to his apology. Y/N observed him for a moment, watching as he was nervously wringing his hands together. He seemed nervous around her. This wasn't the Dean Winchester she had come to know in the last few, quite unfortunate encounters.

“I did.” Y/N wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. He tightly held Ava’s hand to not let her out of his sight.

“De-” she pouted, “Uncle De!” The said man looked down at his niece.

“Stay put for a moment, babygirl. Uncle De needs to talk to this lovely young lady. Then we can go and get ice cream, like I had promised.” He said, before looking up at Y/N. “Listen, I'm sorry for what happened that day. I did not-” Sighing, Dean said before he was unceremoniously cut off by his phone vibrating in his pocket.

His face scrunched up as he stared at his phone screen. Sucking in a deep breath, he let the phone ring until the caller reached the voicemail. He chewed on his plump, pink lip when his phone lit up with a voice message. Y/N had an instinct he was avoiding someone, maybe an ex. Dean must have had some girlfriends.

“I'm sorry, I was saying-” the phone rang again and Dean was so close to throwing the little device against the wall.

“I think you should take that, which seems important. And I would leave you with your work things. I was going out for a walk anyway. Have a good day, Winchester.” Y/N said and walked right past the man.

“Hold up!” Y/N stopped walking before turning around to face the lawyer. “I never had the intention of hurting you.”

“Then you know the story wrong.” She said, shrugging

“Well if we study closely, the scarecrow was actually very intelligent but he never realised it.” Dean shrugged.

“So you're saying that I act stupid.” This time Y/N wasn't offended but she liked watching him squirm.

“N-no I didn't mean that-” He struggled to come up with yet another apology. “Can we drop the subject of the scarecrow? Let's just pretend the story doesn't exist in this context.” Y/N chuckled at the poor man, making him shake his head lightly.

“It's okay, Dean. Go, get the kid some ice cream.” She smiled.

“Join me for a drink sometime.” Dean blurted out without thinking. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he stared at Y/N, trying to gauge her reaction.

“I never pegged you for a guy to ask me for a drink.” She raised a brow at him.

“The card and flowers were pretty lame, I agree…but I do owe you a drink, or maybe a coffee, whatever you prefer.” He said. He knew his method of apologising was crappy but at that moment it was the best he could come up with. Dean never was a man of many words and he sucked at expressing his feelings so it was near impossible for him to think of anything better than this, but now he realised it would have been much better if he would have just knocked on her door.

“Sure.” Y/N nodded.

“How does tomorrow sound? Ava will be back with my brother by then. As you can see I kind of have my hands full right now.” He smiled. Y/N pondered over the sudden change in her hot neighbour’s behaviour. If this was the way Dean chose to open up to her, then so be it.

“Tomorrow sounds good,” she smiled back.

“G-great then!” Heat crept up his neck as he looked at Ava, a bit flustered. He didn't know what her deal was but she always rendered him speechless or stumbled on his own words, trying to form a good comeback. Y/N had an effect on him that neither Jo nor Lisa had ever had on him. Her perky attitude made him want to spend any time he got with her. They were poles apart but Dean found a sense of familiarity in her.

“I won't hold back you two any longer.” Crouching in front of the girl and ruffling her brown hair, Y/N said, “Don't settle with anything less than a triple scoop.”

“Don't give her any ideas,” Dean teasingly warned, “I have no idea how to deal with a kid on a sugar rush.”

“Then don't shy away from asking for a little help. I had to babysit my cousin's kids many times. I know a thing or two about babysitting,” Y/N said.

“I'll definitely take you up on that if things get out of hand.” He said, “See you tomorrow night. Have a good day, Ms. L/N.” He grabbed Ava’s hands tightly, pulling her close as he started to walk towards the elevator. Y/N shook her head, an amused laugh leaving her lips. Some things never change.

“I think the cupcakes worked their magic!” Dean teased, sharing a laugh with Y/N over a glass of Manhattan. This was the first time she had ever seen him laugh. Apparently, he was a happy drunk.

“Some roots of jasmine, rose thorns, a pinch of pearl dust and voila! You have the friendship potion,” She barely made it through with a straight face before bursting out in fits of laughter.

“I had a feeling that there was some kind of sorcery involved.” He said, signalling for another glass for both of them.

“This one’s on me,” Y/N said, making Dean scrunch up his face in an adorable pout.

“No it's not. I'm payin’, I was the one who asked you out.” His eyes immediately widened when he realised what slipped out through his mouth. “Not like an ‘asking out’ asking out. This is-” Dean waved at the space between them “-just a gesture of goodwill.”

“You're adorable.” Y/N giggled.

“What?”

“I know this isn't a date. Just two friends hanging out on a Sunday night.” She shook her head, chuckling as the man picked up his refilled glass and took a sip.

Even if Y/N said it was platonic, the ungodly amount of time she had spent in front of her closet to pick out a perfect outfit would definitely make her rethink her answer. She had skimmed through her closet, trying to find the dress that said ‘just friends’ but to her all the dresses she owned screamed ‘I want you to fuck me’.

Nevertheless, she had settled on a simple pair of blue jeans and a crop top. But she had felt seriously underdressed when she knocked on Dean's door and it had opened to reveal the man in a jeans t-shirt and black slacks, staring at her with a smile on his face.

“Well duh! My first impression of you kinda sucked.” Y/N said.

“I did warm up to ya, didn't I?” Dean chuckled. “Another round?”

“Nuh-uh. Sparkling water for me. I don't want to show up at work tomorrow puking my guts out. And that while nursing a painful hangover? No thanks” She laughed.

“You're no fun!” He chuckled with her.

“I am no fun? What about you, Mr. Turn-down-the-volume?” She said as the bartender pushed a glass of water towards her and poured out another to the man.

“You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?” He shook his head.

“Never.”

A moment of silence passed as Y/N looked across the nightclub buzzing with people just like any other Sunday night. She never thought Dean would be the person to even know about nightclubs around the city but guess she didn't know him that well.

“You wanna head back home? I can walk with you to your place, be all gentlemanly,” he smirked. She liked this drunk version of Dean. He was happier, far more cheesy and funnier than his workaholic version.

“Of course. It's not like we live in the same apartment,” she teased. “Hey, you wanna hit the dance floor before we go back?”

His eyes widened at her sudden question. “No, I don't dance.” He shook his head furiously, clearly stating that dancing was definitely not on his agenda.

“Oh come on, don't be shy.” She said.

“Nope.”

“Fine! You are no fun!” She rolled her eyes, “Let's get outta here then.”

The walk back to their apartment was filled with drunken giggles and cheesy banter. “I had a fun time tonight. Apologies accepted.” Y/N said, unlocking the door to her home.

“Glad to know that. I couldn't have lived knowing you hate me,” Dean teased, “I had a good time as well. I really needed a break from work.”

“So you do accept that you work too much?”

“Agree to disagree.” He shrugged, leaning against the doorway, “Night, Y/N.”

She walked up to the man and pecked his cheek, making his eyes go wide at the sudden affection. He swallowed hard as she stared up at him with hooded eyes. Patting his arms lightly, she said, “Night, Dean, see you in the morning.”

“Only if you're running late.”

Chapter 5

Feedback is highly appreciated!

Let me know if you want to be tagged in this series!

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Summary: The reader has left the burrow trying to hide from Molly’s harsh comments. Bill’s mom doesn’t want his son near you cause she thinks you’ll hurt him judging you for your family reputation. Arthur thinks differenly so he’ll try to make amends between you two

Word count: 3.4 k. Too long I’M SORRY

Warnings: none

English not my mother language so pleeeeese tell me if something’s wrong

A/N: Hey! Another chapter for you’all. Thanks for keep reading this. The next part will be updated soon and yeah, hope you like it! If you want to be tagged just tell me and i’ll do so :D

Chapter 3: Expectations

It was bitterly cold outside the burrow, and you wondered if winter had come early. Your icy hands clenched your sides, refusing to go back inside even if your knuckles burned and your bare feet began to crack from the hardness of the grass on your soles.

You walked on the grass feeling the dew wetting your fingertips. On the other side of the garden the gnomes were burying one of Molly's ornaments with what, you guessed, the woman would be very angry when she found out, but no more than she already was. Molly's words were harsh. Even if her intention was not to make you feel bad, she had managed to put a huge weight on your stomach after the fight.

You didn't blame her, it was almost certain that Molly would react that way, however, you hoped that within her there was a bit of empathy for the situation you were experiencing with your family. It wasn’t easy for anyone to go through a war that could have been avoided in one way or another, however, for the Grants it was an even more difficult challenge knowing that the trigger for such a war was grandpa Tim Grant's half brother.

You walked around the house, crossing the barnyard, watching the chickens peck at a rubber boot on a very rusty cauldron. The cornfield grasses moved with the wind at the same rate. From right to left, right to left, right to left and then they changed the rhythm from left to right, left to right, left to right ...

The barn was just behind the thick grass rising into an old stone sty, which had several crooked stories attached to it. Four or five chimneys dotted the roof of the cellar, and most likely the entire building was held up by magic due to its crazy bolt-on construction. You took a look back at the main entrance of the house where you could hear the voices of Bill's brothers next to Molly's, deciding to get away from the Weasleys before starting a new fight.

You crossed the cornfield finding a pond full of frogs that you dodged with a little scream and a ballerina jump. Then you came across an old broom shed that was half stowed and a pervasive smell. You headed there, thinking of helping out with the cleaning and wasting some time in the process until William came home from the ministry in the early afternoon.

The brooms were on top of each other in a corner of the shed where the garden gnomes used them to play with each other. One of the gnomes had gotten a match with which he had managed to light a couple of strands of the broom of one of the twins -You knew it because each of the brooms had the initials of Molly's children painted on the base. That one had a huge G in the center - which soon expanded into the rest of the broom's dark fibers. You immediately turned it off earning yourself a tiny kick from the gnome.

The smoke from the fire mixed with dust, and the foul smell of expired wax made your eyes water . You wondered vaguely when was the last time that place had been cleaned up, however, the density of the raised dust and the rottenness of the broom wax on the floor told you about the nonexistence maintenance of the shed. The orchard was contained within a paddock, so you assumed there would be no problem cleaning it up later.

You collected each thing by hand placing them where you thought they should go. You finished cleaning the shed earlier than expected, securing the door when exiting to prevent the gnomes from entering and destroying everything again.

You continued your way in a straight line until you reached the barn where a thick layer of dust hid the doorknob. You opened the warehouse with your wand finding the worst scenario ever imagined. The walls were hidden in ghastly cobwebs, the shelves were clothed in huge mountains of dust, and Muggle stuff were strewn everywhere. Mr. Weasley's old Ford Anglia was on the left side of the barn,  storing certain flying objects that you couldn't recognize from the cloud of dust that rose and entered to your eyes.

Well, that seemed like an even bigger challenge than the shed on the other side of the garden. You started by washing the car using your wand to launch several aguamentis causing a waterfall of mud falling from the roof to the fender. Then the car doors flapped open like a pair of wings, letting out the flying objects. You raised your wand by closing the barn door blockig them the exit and initiating a chase that lasted a couple of hours to catch each object, throw it inside the Ford Anglia and finish polishing the hood before the flying, spoiled car got upset.

You forgot the last time you helped your household servants clean a simple fireplace ornament. Years before, when you were little and your brothers liked to spend time together, you helped the butler to clean some objects in the house because it was more fun when you formed competitions between you, Anthon and Margaret to know which of you cleaned the house ¿faster . You had fun and old Alfred got less tired. But that was a long time ago and in the present you didn’t remember what was the proper order of cleaning.

You were lugging box after box for several hours getting a terrible allergy in the process. The last box was made of recyclable paper where you put Mr. Weasley's old newspapers and Molly's worn recipes. You carried them to the fourth shelf from the right, previously cleaned, raising it with both hands. A speck of dust flew across the room, stopping on your nose causing you to sneeze so hard you fell backwards with the box on your face. The papers flew around the corners causing a disaster worse than the initial one.

“Shit”

You stayed lying on the floor taking the box off your face staring at the ceiling. Undoubtedly that would be a difficult life without anyone to help you doing the things more than yourself, however you were willing to try ‘cause you didn’t want to return home where things were simple but with a high cost. You weren't sure you wanted to trade your freedom for a few extra comforts. You let out a sigh ready to stand up when a singular sheet of a recent newspaper flew towards you, stopping on your chest. You caught a glimpse of a fairly familiar photograph in the ink, so you took the paper and read:

"Dark Mark sparks panic." Muggle family murdered.  Death Eaters numbers grow”  Your hands trembled over the paper, caressing each of the words, reading them over and over again. The weight on your stomach grew and grew, as if it were suddenly going to explode. A huge picture of uncle Tom stood in the middle, with that toothless grin and throbbing nostrils “Merlin’s beard”

Your fingers tingled, and you couldn't help but run your touch over your uncle's face trying to think how he got to that point. Grandpa Tim never talked so much about his half brother and you never had the courage to ask him even if the curiosity was eating your insides. There were few times where Tom Riddle's presence was in the family conversations and if that happened, then your father changed the topic from one second to another. It was annoying living in the shadows, but it was even more to be tied to a cause that no one sympathized with, not even his own brother. But Tim Grant was reserved, perhaps too reserved. Maybe that was the reason why he allowed the actions of his little brother to escalate to those levels and allowed too that his only son had choose the wrong side. However, you didn’t understand - or support - Voldemort's ambitions, neither did your grandpa and that cost you to be rejected by the rest of your family.

Your eyes watered and you didn't know if it was because of guilt or if the damn dirt had entered your eyelids. You looked at the ceiling in the haze. You searched your mind and realized that the situation affected you too much. You weren't welcome with the Weasleys, nor with the Grants. You felt desolate, as if the barn walls were closing in on you.

Molly's reaction was valid, you repeated yourself as many times as you could, because anyone who had lost a large part of it’s family to a member of another's would have done the same thing or something so much worse. You shook your head, once again feeling the rejection you were used to.

The barn door opened suddenly, letting in a gust of wind hitting your body directly on the ground. Your skin prickled from the cold causing the newcomer to laugh.

You looked up to find yourself face to face with the distorted figure of Arthur Weasley who was holding a couple of drinks along with a weird smile that made you laugh. The man sat on the floor next to you leaving the glass next to your face.

"I'm sorry I scared you. it’s freezing cold out there and in my defense, nobody comes to this place”

“It’s okay, I wasn't expecting visitors”

"Fine, then" Arthur took a sip of his drink licking his chapped lips, but still showing you that smile so much like Bill's. You folded the newspaper on your lap, nervous. "So ... what are you doing lying in my barn?"

"I ... I was trying to clean this place up”

"Is that so? ‘cuz It seemed like you were about to take a nap."

“Yeah, i had a little mishap here”

"I see, do you want to get up?"

"Yes, thank you." Arthur held out his hand, slowly pulling you up to leave you sitting in front of him. He offered you the drink and you clinked glasses before drinking. It was hot chocolate, you guessed, made by Molly. Your stomach churned.

Mr. Weasley glanced around the barn, surprised to see more than half perfectly arranged

“This place hasn't been so clean since Bill was born”

“Sorry?

"No, no, it's okay," he mentioned, waving to play it off, "Molly had been asking me for a long time to do it, so I think you just made my job easier."

"It's nothing, Mr. Weasley

"Did you see something you liked?"

"Uh, yeah," you answered wiping your lips. "Ignoring the fact that your car almost killed me, I noticed that you have a lot of muggle stuff."

“Ah, yes. They are fascinating, don't you think?”

"Certainly, but I also realized that most of them are useless, why do you still have them here?"

"I like to collect them," he replied, taking another sip of his drink. You mimicked his action “to be honest, I don't even have a clue how these things works, but I suppose I'll find out in time. Muggle devices are not as advanced as ours, much less functional, however, I find them entertaining and special somehow, did you know that they use a subway to transport themselves underground? And they must leave coins in a machine so that they give them a little ticket. A ticket! The first time I used one I was deadly excited!

You smiled, imagining how it would to see Mr. Weasley that happy

"I could help you understand how they work." You winced when Arthur looked at you with wide eyes. "My ... my grandfather lived with Muggles for a while and knows a lot about this artifacts. Several times he spoke of his usefulness to my brothers and me”

“Fantastic!” He replied cheerfully. You smiled “It's wonderful (Y/N), thank you”

“No problem”

Then a silence settled between you, being cut off only by the babble of the gnomes outside the barn kicking the timbers trying to get inside. Arthur cleared his throat as he ran his little blue eyes over each of the walls of his newly renovated barn. He smiled again placing one of his hands on your shoulder

"I found out what happened with Molly in the morning," he mentioned. You nodded “My children told me what you said to each other and ...”

"I'm sorry I spoke badly to your wife, Mr. Weasley" you interrupted, sipping your glass all at once, leaving it on the floor. "I know after this I'll have to talk to William and find another place to stay."

“She is not like that. She rarely has such behavior with the people and I can only think that my Molly has a lot of mixed feelings. The war has us all nervous and the fact that the memories of the past have arisen again ... they make her have reactions that are not very usual in Molly.”

"I'm not blaming her. I think she's right”

“Why?”

"What I did to my family ... running away, betray them..." You started playing with your fingers on your lap, embarrassed. "It's not something a trustworthy person would do."

“What are you talking about?”

“For the Grants, it’s very important to support the family in their endeavors without stopping to think if that could be harmful to the others. With uncle Tom becoming the most dangerous dark wizard of all times ... people would think that his relatives would follow his steps and they did “Mr. Weasley listened attentively, ignoring the screams of his wife announcing that the food was ready “At least most of them. Now all of us are tied to the He-who-must-not-be-named, whether we want it or not. It ruined our lives and I couldn't stay in that place forever

"Why aren't you on his side?"

"Because I can't see my brothers make a wrong decision" You crumpled the newspaper with your hands looking at how the pic of Lord Voldemort turned into a streaked stain "I have my own convictions, even if you don’t believe so”

"I don't believe anything of you, (Y/N)" Arthur's voice turned stoic as he stared at you harshly. "Neither the good nor the bad. I am a believer that you should judge someone by what demonstrates, not by what it’s said about them. Right now you aren’t showing me anything but that there is something in your family that you don’t like and that the dirt in my barn is intolerable to you”

You smiled

"We're all here waiting to see what are you capable of. Good or bad, you get to decide who (Y/N) Grant is from now on. Starting over. Forget that the Grants' actions make you worthy of the consequences”

Warmth attacked your chest. It was comforting to feel for the first time the acceptance of someone who wasn't doing it out of mere compassion or that it was Bill. That Arthur gave you the benefit of the doubt encouraged you to continue as before: trying, trying, trying.

"I think his wife doesn't think the same."

Arthur Weasley patted your shoulder.

"I'll talk to her, she'll understand. Meanwhile let's go home, it's time for lunch”

"Did Bill come back?"

"Yes, my son and I came back from the ministry a while ago.He wanted to find you, but I asked him to let me do it. You know, because sometimes it's good to have the daughters-in-law on your side”

Your cheeks heated up and then the rest of your face turned completely red. Arthur studied your reaction, smiling as he realized you were just a kid looking for approval. He patted your shoulder again, inviting you to leave the rest of the mess and accompany him to the burrow.

"These aren’t a good times to trust the Daily Prophet," Arthur mentioned, noticing the crumpled newspaper in your hands. You skipped the pond and skirted the cornfield until you reached the garden entrance where Bill's brothers and Bill himself had set up a long table near Molly's apple tree where they planned to spend the afternoon. One of the twins raised his wand putting the cuterly across the table, one set for each of the family members. You wondered if there would be a place for you at the table “Honestly, these are not good times to trust anything or anyone, so if you accept my advice, don't worry too much about reading the newspapers, they will leave you more questions than answers, Hey, you will break that!

Arthur scolded his twins when they fiddled with forks in a battle to find out which of them would wash the dishes after eating. Arthur ran towards them while Bill approached you greeting you with a kiss on the cheek. He frowned, watching you closely and then removed his coat, draping it over your shoulders.

"What the hell were you doing outside without a sweater?" It's freezing!”

"You worry way too much," you told him, pressing the faux fur against your shivering body. The truth was that, after the exchange of words with Bill's mother, you didn’t have the time to get a sweater before leaving and of course your wounded pride wouldn’t let you get dressed again before going to hide in the barn. Bill clicked his tongue rubbing your arms. "I'm fine, I just lost track of the time cleaning your father's barn and I didn't feel the cold until now”

"You're bad at lying, did you know that?"

"You should stop asking so many questions." You smiled at the grimace on the older Weasley's face. "Nothing happened."

"That's not what the twins told me," he suddenly mentioned. You felt the tension in Bill's body when Molly passed by him giving you a dangerous look, however you decided to ignore it for the good of both of you “ What my mom said ...”

"It’s okay, it doesn't matter I discussed it with your father and we worked it out”

“Are you sure?” You nodded “I hope so. Not because she’s my mother I will let her offend you in any way”

Your smile widened. You couldn't possibly love that man more than you already did. You approached his body, throwing your arms around Bill's neck, having to stand on your tiptoes to reach only to kiss his chin. He lowered his head, managing to bring his lips together.

“Help your brothers set the table, I'll go take a bath”

"Don't you prefer i help you instead?" You laughed

"I can do it by myself, thanks”

"Hmm ... you sure?”

"William ...”

"Okay, okay, okay," he urged you leaving a couple of kisses on the corner of your lips. "Don't be gone too long. i’ll miss you, love."

“I will not. Wait for me just here, yeah?”

You went upstairs to the room you shared with Bill and jumped into the shower enjoying the warmth of the water above your head. You leaned against the tiles thinking that your first day in the burrow had turned out very bad, but better than you had thought. Even if Molly didn't believe your words, you would do your best to fullfil the expectations of the others members of the Order. You would be loyal to them, to the Aurors, and you would fight whoever you had to to prove that your actions were worth more than the rumors surrounding the Grants did.

You were going to prove how wrong they were with you and, incidentally, you would forge a reputation of your own, one of which you would proud of

Tag:

@purple-vodka-99​

[tuancore]

Purple Hearts || { Part 5 } :

Starring- Jinyoung x reader.

Genre- Angst | Non-Idol AU, Disorder AU.

Summary- I will continue to love you for as long as I'm breathing, but I'm won't let my love come in between your happiness.

*GIF not mine, credits to the owner*

Yugyeom didn't come home last night which was actually good, had he been home things could've gone to South, you were beyond vulnerable the previous night and if Yugyeom was to walk in on you then there was a huge possibility of you telling him the entire thing.

You couldn't actually concentrate in your job as the events of yesterday started to play in your brain on loop like some broken record.

"What do I do?", You stared at your laptop blankly lost in your own wandering thoughts.

The call of your name along with a loud clap made you flinch, "Is something bothering you?".

You shook your head slightly with a small smile before getting back to your typing, "I'm fine Youngjae".

"Well....", He trailed off pulling a chair in front of you and sitting, "It doesn't look like you're fine at all....your face is full of.... exhaustion".

He booped your nose, giving you that million dollar laugh which automatically made you giggle.

"See that's the girl I know", He declared pointing his index finger at your lips, "The cutest". The smile not leaving his face even for a second.

Your lips now pressed into a thin line as you stared into his eyes, he seemed to notice the little transition in your facial expressions, "Okay, For real now....where your mind is?".

"What—".

"You're clearly stressed about something, mind telling me what has gotten you this upset?", He asked warmly with genuine concern written all over his face.

"Nothing special, I'm all good", You cleared your throat eyeing the sheets on your desk preventing any sort of eye contact with him. He hummed at your reply, "Then re-typing a draft which was finalized two months ago...is a time pass?".

Frowning at his words you shut your laptop with your head resting on top of it, groaning at your foolishness, "I messed up, I had to type the draft of Mrs. Francis's contract and now I'll have to do it all over again", you sighed heavily.

Youngjae laughed at your little fit, walking over to stand beside you, he crouched down on his knees slowly turning your chair so that you could face him.

"I know I look stupid", You pouted with your entire face now covered with your locks which only made Youngjae smile wider, "I don't think so", he said tucking your locks behind your ears.

"Youngjae...", You mumbled sending him those indescribable looks. He furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out and that's when it clicked him, shaking his head vigorously he yelled, "No! I won't".

"Mmm....you can't turn me down so mercilessly!", You whined hitting his arm continuously, "Ouch Ouch!....I have so many files to go through and you want me to type that draft after analysing the whole case?", He asked in disbelief.

"Please! Please! I'll do anything you ask me to do", You tried again which made him smirk in return, "Anything...".

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"You've been sulking the whole morning Jinyoung? What's with that face ?", Mrs. Park asked handing Jinyoung his vanilla latte.

Jackson tried to stifle his laughter but failed to do so and started squealing like some college girl, "Aunt that's the interesting part, I thought he would tell you but since his ego is at stake I'll spill on his behalf".

Jinyoung shot him an annoyed glare, but it only made the things two times funnier for Jackson, "So yesterday at your store, instead of sitting in the cabin..Jinyoungie felt like strolling around the store.... briefly looking at the product on the display—".

"Get to the point Jackson...I want to know the reason why my kid is pulling that frown so gracefully", Mrs. Park asked him casually pulling on Jinyoung's cheeks.

"Okay okay...so when he stood near the shelves. Some lady approached him and asked for him about some of the products which he knew nothing about which created a huge fuss in the store", Jackson stated nonchalantly, "And I don't know why he's frowning over such a small thing?".

"I'll throw this over your head!", Jinyoung threatened gesturing towards the drink in his hand.

"That's it?", She asked eyeing Jinyoung.

"No! That lady approached me thinking of me as some salesman! I tried telling her that I'm not one of them but she started to throw tantrums saying that I'm not suitable for the job etcetera....and that I must be fired for mistreating her—.....Gosh! I ain't going there anymore. She was literally hard headed, she didn't even want to hear me or the staffs out", Jinyoung shook his head with an exasperated sigh, "That lady's voice is still ringing in my ear. I mean just look at this handsome face, from which angle do I look like some salesperson?"

"Ouch....that must've hurt you real bad", Mrs. Park teased him followed by a high five from Jackson.

"Eomma! You too!" Jinyoung whined picking up his blazer dashing out of the house in annoyance, "See you later aunt... Jinyoung! Wait!", Jackson greeted before running after his friend.

"Where are you going?", Jackson asked catching up to Jinyoung.

"Nowhere", Jinyoung shrugged off slipping into the driver's seat, "I swear if you're sour about a little joke then that's not reasonab—".

"It's not about that Jack, I have somewhere to go. Go home, I'll see you afterwards...hmm..", Jinyoung cut him with a wide smile.

_____________

Glancing at the clock you heard your stomach grumble, sighing loudly you slammed the file on the glass table in front of you, "Youngjae-ah! It's almost break time let's just grab something to stuff our mouths with!".

"Just....a....minute", He said not sparing you a single look still busy with typing out the said draft, "I'm almost done....".

"You can't finish it that quick! I'm not even done examining the first file", You spoke pacing back and forth in Youngjae's cabin, "You started it like what...let me check, twenty-five minutes ago, Not poss—".

"Done!", Youngjae shouted with a victorious grin cracking his finger bubbles.

"Are you kidding me!", You strode towards him, checking for yourself if he was saying the truth, "Woah! Woah there! I wasn't expecting that but—Okay....How did you..". You were not only shocked to see his pace but also grateful that he saved you from going through a detailed lecture from your boss.

"You literally saved my ass from catching fire!" You clapped your hands.

"Eww...Nasty", He joked swinging his arms around your shoulder, "Come on let's get something to feed you".

You took the elevator to the cafeteria but Youngjae didn't seem to share the same thought as that of yours, as you were about to step out of it he grabbed your wrist pulling you back inside.

"What are you doing?", You asked as the doors closed shut when he pressed the button to the ground floor.

"We're not going to eat in the cafeteria today", He smiled warmly too lost to comprehend his thoughts to notice your hand still in his, "Remember you promised me that you'd do anything I ask you to?".

You nodded maintaining the eyee contact with him, "So I thought of taking you to Burger King". At the very mention of the name made you mouth water, it has been days since you had your last junk food.

The shimmer in your eyes didn't go unnoticed by Youngjae as your lips curved upwards into an excited smile.

That's the smile I've been missing on for weeks, he thought.

"Happy fill?", Youngjae asked as you wiped your mouth with the tissue, "Thanks Jae....the food was lit, hope you keep bringing me to my favourite places".

"Will do that, can't miss the beast consuming everything at once", He laughed trying to piss you off which indeed happened, exiting the place you stuck out your tongue at him running towards your office.

But he ran up to you pulling you towards him by your arms, your hands instictively flying around his shoulders, "You can't leave me like that", he whispered. You stared into his eyes trying to search for something which could explain the things he has been doing.

Jinyoung drove to your office with a bright smile, he was desperate to see you, to talk to you, to tell you how much he missed you in these past weeks. Getting out of his car, he stood glued to the ground watching the scenario in front of him.

There you were standing in front of your office's entrance wrapped in the arms of some other man, not only was the man holding onto your waist but seeing your arms around his shoulders while you both stared into each other's eyes, had something snapping inside of Jinyoung, his gaze darkened the longer he continued to stare at you and Youngjae, involuntarily he clenched his fists turning his knuckles white.

Part 4 | Masterlist |

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[A/N :- Hey there lovelies! I hope you enjoy reading this part, I've been writing this for a month now after erasing the chapter again and again, and finally settled for this one! And once again thank you for reading!]

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