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merakiui · 3 years

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hello!!<3 can i request an angst scenario (it can have a happy ending it's up to you!!) childe x fem!reader where they are together for some time and she didn't know he's fatui (she hates them bc her parents were in debt and overall they ruined her life and he's too scared to tell her) but she finds out and wants to broke up?? THANK YOU

In which you discover Childe’s ties to the Fatui.

cw: angst, debt, small mention of depression as a result of debt, female reader note - I woke up and chose pain with this one. >:) it also got long;;; oops!

You hate the Fatui. And although that’s such a strong, hurtful word it's your true feelings. You’ve never experienced their wrath firsthand, but you have witnessed what it can do to people. Your sweet, loving parents, who took loans out of the bank in order to pay for repairs to their shop, were reduced to frightful messes at the mere mention of that harrowing F-word.

It’s horrible to see them in such a state, especially since a few agents had come by once and practically demanded the money. As a result of such a distasteful discussion, you refuse to go into any sort of monetary career: trader, merchant, and even a wandering saleswoman. You’ll find a way to make things right by getting a job that will bring in lots of riches for your poor parents. Then the Fatui will have no choice but to leave your family alone.

Your own funds have dried up, having gone into another Fatui agent’s gloved hands. You can’t even argue because you have an inkling as to what will happen when you finally run out of money to give. Ever since this entire debt charade, your parents have become hollow shells of their former selves: paranoid, depressed, and starved of the happiness that comes with being in a regular, debt-free family.

Childe tunes into your rant as if someone had just turned on the switch that designates his listening skills. The two of you are sitting on a lovely hilltop, watching the stars twinkle in and out of focus. Liyue Harbor can be seen from afar, glittering in warm colors of gold and red. If Childe remembers correctly, another festival should be right around the corner. He’ll have to take you when he finds time to slink away from his work.

Speaking of his work, he’s never actually told you about it. When you asked, he simply said it was a job that allowed him to travel. It sounded like a traveling merchant to you—perhaps even a fishmonger specializing in exotic types—considering he was seemingly loaded with Mora. It made you jealous that he was so well-off with his finances, but you couldn’t complain when he so readily emptied his pockets for your sake.

“And then that stupid agent shows up at our door right when I get home! It’s the worst timing ever. My parents were pretending to be out of the house and I showed up and ruined their plan.” A heavy sigh tumbles from your lips as you flop back onto the grass, where Childe fixes you with a lopsided, sympathetic grin. “I hate it. They’re not even themselves anymore. It’s like they lost all sense of life. I’m picking up as many commissions as I can, but it doesn’t even help. The Fatui just take it all faster than I can save it.”

“They’re the worst, aren’t they?”

“And the sky isn’t blue. Of course they’re the worst!” You inhale softly. “No use getting mad about something that already happened, though.”

“You’ll just give yourself more stress and you don’t need that.” He joins you on the plush grass, turning his head to look at you rather than up at the inky night sky. “I can help with your commissions, you know. I’ve been itching to smash some hilichurl camps.”

“I can handle it myself. It’s fine.” Only it’s not and you’ve started realizing that. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Funny. I was going to ask you something, too!”

“Oh. Uh...”

He chuckles, staring at you with blue eyes that don’t sparkle. “There’s this festival coming up and I wanted to take you. It’ll be just the two of us for one night. You can forget all about work and money—”

“What about you? You said your job has you traveling all over the place. That’s why we’ll rarely see each other in the future. Once you’re done here in Liyue, that is.” You move onto your side, holding yourself up on your elbow. “I don’t think it’ll work.”

“Well, my boss doesn’t have to know. It’ll be our tiny secret!”

You roll your eyes, smiling a little. Deep inside you’ve always felt like something was off about his story. For the past few months, he’s remained in Liyue and once you even caught him slipping into Northland Bank when you were running some errands. You hope he isn’t in a similar situation concerning debt and poverty. No, he wouldn’t need to be. He’s shown you just how many lavish things his funds can afford. Why would he be in debt if he has a stable job?

“Are you...doing something bad?”

You could’ve phrased that better, but it’s already out in the open now. Sheepishly, you avoid his befuddled stare, opting to watch the moon as its light becomes obscured behind a dark cloud. An airy chuckle escapes him, but he doesn’t say anything. His silence confirms your fears and it dawns upon you that he hasn’t been truthful this entire time.

“This mask.” It’s in your hands before he can stop you. You’re tapping at it with a finger, equal parts curious and apprehensive. You refuse to beat around the bush; your doubtful gaze catches his and it hardens at once. “You’re Fatui, aren’t you?”

He sits up calmly, holding out his hand. “That’s quite the accusation, my dear. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

“I’m not jumping to any conclusion. I’m right, aren’t I?” Now you’re sitting up, staggering to your feet to find some sort of leverage over him. He’s taller than you and far more powerful than he once let on. “Childe, why would—“

He sighs, lowering his hand out of defeat. “I suppose there’s no point avoiding it now. You were bound to find out one of these days.”

“One of these days? What? Like, when my family’s on the streets because the Fatui took our house?”

It hurts that he wasn’t honest and it hurts even more knowing that he has the power to help. He could’ve spent his time working out ways to get you out of debt, yet he decided to shower you in affection and useless trinkets! Trinkets that are only good for selling and receiving money to pay off the debt. You could cry; that’s how much it hurts. And when he makes no solid effort to comfort you, the tears begin to form.

“Of course not. I’d never let that happen!”

“Then why would you lie about it? Why not help me? Why can’t you just be honest? You always avoid questions you don’t want to answer and I hate it! I’ve been with you long enough to know that that mask is bad news. I was just waiting for you to confirm it, but you didn’t.”

You think it’s selfish for wanting his help—for wanting help from a Fatui agent, no less—but you’re too upset to care.

“(Name), you know that’s—“

“What else haven’t you told me? What else have you lied about? I don’t care if you’re trying to protect me. I’m already on a list. The Fatui still show up to my house and you just...let them. Why?”

“If I interfered, it would look bad in front of Her Majesty. You know I can’t go against her orders. I want to help you—I do. But...”

You’re fumbling for new words, at a complete loss with yourself. No matter how many questions you spout, he’ll evade them like they’re optional. And even if you want answers and honesty more than anything right now, you know he’ll fail to provide it. You shove the mask into his hands, shaking your head in disbelief. A swell of emotions overcome you: sadness, anger, and regret. You feel utterly betrayed. The sweet Childe, whom you once thought was your perfect match, is working for the Fatui—the people who have turned your life into misery.

And that’s probably not even the half of it.

“Let’s break up,” you say before he can spin another false tale. Another easy excuse to avoid this downfall. Childe stops short to stare at you in surprise and it’s weird to see that emotion scrawled across his face. He’s usually smooth and collected; he always knows what to say and how to act. Not this time, though. “It’s not going to work if we’re together while the Fatui are hounding my parents. And they wouldn’t approve of our relationship either.”

“Now, (Name), wait a moment. You’re not thinking straight. You’re just—” He struggles to find the correct words and in that small moment between foggy clarity and paralyzing uncertainty he plasters another plastic smile on. “Look. I know you’re upset, but I didn’t mean to lie to you. I was going to tell you eventually. Just had to find the right time to do it, you know?"

“I know. And that’s why we should go our separate ways.” Like Childe, you also put on a faux show, building up your walls as high and strong as his are. You don’t think you’ll last another minute in his presence, as you’re far too close to tears. “Thank you again for tonight. I’ll take my leave now.”

Rather than pain, it’s bitter when your lips fall upon his soft cheek. And the gesture stings harder than a slap on the wrist.

The searing pain returns when you pull away and begin the descent from the hill as fast as your trembling legs will allow. You refuse to look back and fall into his arms in hopes that he’ll reassure you. The fact that he doesn’t chase after you—doesn’t even call out—stabs your conflicted heart and it’s more than enough confirmation. Childe isn’t exactly boyfriend material. He’s callous when it comes to a battle and he’s driven by his own ulterior motives. Surely this relationship was just a means of spending his extra time when he found himself bored and lacking a fight. Maybe he thought of his work when the two of you were on secretive dates. Maybe his heart was empty when the two of you were intimate. Maybe you were just the glue holding this crumbling bond together.

Childe remains on that hilltop, watching you disappear into the distance. And it’s then when realizes he’s lost you. The feeling is different from the battlefield and it’s far more real than when he’s snooping around as a Harbinger. You’re just a normal, good-natured citizen and he...ruined that part of you. With his ties to an enemy that has crushed your family. He’s partly, if not fully, responsible for what transpired just now and for the first time in a while real guilt gnaws at him. He’s left wondering why he did all of that—why he couldn’t just face your questions head-on.

It’s his fault, isn’t it?

On that windy hilltop, under the silent, disapproving darkness of the sky, he’s left to pick up the pieces of a fractured relationship. And it’s all because he couldn’t admit the truth to his precious girlfriend.

In a way, the Fatui have taken something from him, too, and he’s not sure if he’ll be able to patch it up with honeyed promises.

Looks like we won’t be going to that festival anytime soon...

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact scenario #genshin impact childe #genshin impact tartaglia #genshin impact ajax #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #ajax x reader #childe #tartagila #ajax #i hope it was good!!#i wanted to capture childe's undesirable #personality traits in this #such as his tendency to lie smoothly #and avoid prying questions #tw: angst

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nerdzzone · 3 years

Text

-More Hearts Than Mine-

Summary: Raising a child is hard. Raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars is even harder. And raising a child with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars who you’re not actually in a relationship with is even harder still.

Especially when a global pandemic is sweeping the world.

With lockdowns and stay at home orders looming on the horizon, the uncertainty of their situation becomes almost too much for Whitney Taylor to handle. Chris suggests that they quarantine together to avoid any potential separations but, given what happened the last time they spent more than a few brief moments in each other’s company, that could cause more problems than it solves…

Chris Evans x OFC

Sequel to: Once Bitten - Twice Shy

Note: I’ve decided to make this five parts instead of four. I was originally going to combine this part and the next one, but I feel like it flows better with a bit of separation between them!

Part One

____

Part Two

The rest of our first afternoon together was spent lazing around. Grayson was tired, but continued to refuse his nap so we kept things low key to avoid any exhausted toddler meltdowns. By the time the evening rolled around, I was tired from the stress of the day myself and since I still had to unpack, I went up to my bedroom shortly after we'd tucked Grayson into bed.

I slept a lot better than I thought I would given everything that was on my mind and when I woke up, I could already hear the sounds of breakfast echoing up from the kitchen. Taking a few minutes to let myself wake up properly, I checked my phone and scrolled through social media before getting up, stretching and heading downstairs.

"Good morning," I smiled, finding Chris and Grayson sitting at the island eating some scrambled eggs while Scott leaned against the counter with a cereal bowl in his hands.

"G'morning, Mama!"

Grayson's greeting was said through a mouthful of food and Chris reminded him that wasn't polite before greeting me himself.

"Help yourself to whatever you want," he insisted. "There's some eggs left in the pan or cereal, whatever you can find. Maybe Grayson will even share his apple slices with you if you ask nicely."

Grayson gasped at that suggestion and frantically shook his head.

"No, Daddy!" He protested. "I don't want to share!"

I laughed as he reached over his plate to move the little bowl of sliced fruit closer to his body where he could keep it guarded.

"Not even one slice?" I asked. "But I'm so hungry!"

"Over there!" Grayson giggled, pointing at the counter.

I turned around and saw a few more apples in a bowl, making me smile as I turned back to the boys.

"But they're not nicely sliced like yours," I pointed out. "How can I eat those?"

Grayson shrugged and plucked one of his apples out of his bowl. He looked smug, thinking he'd won, but he was so distracted while he took a bite that he didn't see Chris' hand sneak over until he'd snatched one of the slices and tossed it to me.

"Catch!"

I did as Chris instructed and Grayson's jaw dropped. An indignant huff fell from his lips as he looked between the two of us.

"That's not nice."

Chris laughed, but I bit back a smile and returned his apple.

"You're right, baby," I agreed, kissing the top of your head. "That was mean, but we were just tricking you. You don't have to share your apple."

"Thanks, Mama."

The frown on his face turned back into a grin and I scraped the rest of the eggs that were in the pan on the stove onto a plate before turning back to the boys once I’d pulled a fork from the drawer.

"So, how do you want to work it with things like groceries while I'm here?"

"Just tell me what you want and I'll order it," Chris told me. "They've started doing curbside pick up pretty much everywhere so I was thinking I'd just do that."

"Oh, that's handy, but I meant like money wise. Should I just transfer you my share or do you want to alternate who pays?"

Chris stared at me for a moment as if he was trying to figure out if I was joking before he chuckled.

"I'm not taking any money from you, Whitney."

His voice was firm, but I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"What? Why not? I can't let you pay for everything."

"You're not still working, are you?" Scott asked. "Or is it different since, as a photographer, you're so far away from whoever you're taking pictures of?"

"I'm not working," I admitted. "I think it would be doable if it was, like, family portraits or something like that, but the big photo shoots involve too many people. Everyone cancelled on me last week or delayed my contracts until at least the summer."

"So, don't worry about paying for anything then," Chris shrugged. "It's not like you're going to eat that much, I think I can handle the cost."

He was trying to do a nice thing. He was a very generous person with those that he cared about, but I wasn't going to take advantage of him.

"I have savings, Chris," I insisted. "I'm not completely helpless."

As if sensing a rising tension, Scott put his bowl in the sink and grabbed his coffee mug before turning to Grayson.

"Hey, Gray, let's go see what cartoons we can find."

Grayson nodded eagerly and Chris helped him down from the tall stool so he could follow Scott out of the room, taking his little bowl of apples with him.

"I wasn't trying to imply that you're helpless," Chris assured me once they were out of earshot. "But you're tiny, I don't think that buying you a few groceries for the next couple of months will financially cripple me."

I tried to temper my defensiveness before I answered him, reminding myself again that he was trying to be helpful.

"I know that, but I don't feel comfortable living here for that long without contributing," I told him. "You already give me more than you need to every month for Grayson."

It was true. Since our custody agreement was that Grayson spent fifty percent of his time with each of us, he wasn't required to pay me any child support. But he did anyway. It was something we’d argued about on and off over the years because the amount that he gave me was way over the top. I appreciated his generosity and I did use all the money to buy things for Gray, but most of it ended up in a bank account that I'd opened for him because there was no way to spend it all in one month without Grayson becoming the most spoiled child in all of Massachusetts.

"I like to make sure he's taken care of."

"Which I am capable of doing with my own money when he's in my care," I reminded him. "But I don't want to start that whole conversation again. I just want to feel like I'm doing my part while I stay with you."

"And I appreciate that gesture, but it won't be necessary," Chris insisted. "You can clean, you can cook, do anything like that to help out, but I won't accept any money, especially while you're not working."

I sighed as he stood up to put his plate in the dishwasher while I put mine on the counter, too distracted by our conversation to eat. I knew it would be a struggle to get him to agree to take money from me, but I wasn't ready to back down so I thought of a compromise and hoped he would accept.

"How about we drop it for now," I suggested. "But if this thing goes on for more than a couple of weeks, can we talk about it again?"

Chris paused and crossed his arms. I could tell that he wanted to argue, but I was relieved when he agreed.

"Alright," he nodded, hesitating for a moment before adding a stipulation to the deal. "But we're going to talk about your car too before you leave here."

"My car? What about my car?"

"Grayson told me that it's not working properly," Chris admitted. "He said it sounds angry sometimes and that you haven't gotten it checked out yet."

I rolled my eyes, guessing that was one of those 'secrets' that he mentioned.

"It's fine," I assured him. "It made a weird sound one time last week when I tried to start it, but it's still working. I was going to take it in, but then all this virus stuff happened and I didn't have chance."

"You need a new one," Chris informed me. "That one is getting old anyway. I'll take you car shopping when things reopen."

I laughed at the absurdity of that statement, but I could see the annoyance on his face at my reaction.

"You're not buying me a car, Chris. The one I have is perfectly fine and if it's not then I will take myself car shopping, thank you very much."

"Why do you get so defensive when I try to help you?" He asked, his eyes shifting into a glare. "I'm not going to accidentally think that you're in love with me just because you accept a nice gesture from me. I can take a hint, Whitney, I get it."

My jaw dropped and I couldn't hold back a disgruntled scoff at his insane change of topic.

"What are you even talking about? This has nothing to do with that," I argued. "I wouldn’t have accepted your invitation if I knew you were going to hold that over me and throw it in my face all the time."

“All the time? This is the first time I’ve mentioned it!”

“Yes, but I’ve not even been here for twenty-fours hours and you’ve already brought it up!”

Perhaps it was my harsh, snappy tone that did it or my very valid criticism of his low blow, but Chris' body language softened.

"I just don't get why you get so worked up when I'm trying to help you..."

"Because I don't need help, Chris," I explained. "I might not be Captain America rich, but I do just fine and I can take care of myself. I can buy my own groceries and if I really needed to, I could buy myself a new car. You throwing money at me for things like that makes me feel like you don't value the success I've had in my career or my ability to manage my finances which is, quite frankly, offensive."

Chris dropped his arms so they were no longer crossed and his shoulders relaxed. Clearly, he'd been getting quite defensive as well and had realized it, whether he would admit it or not. I held my head high, proud of myself for explaining my feelings so well and taking him down a notch, but that feeling disappeared as soon as Chris spoke.

"If you were the richest woman in the world, I would still want to buy you a car," Chris started, looking more nervous than the dismissive, self-assured attitude I was getting moments ago. "I'd still want to buy you anything you could ever need because making you happy makes me happy."

My face fell at his confession and my heart clenched again, knowing what the underlying sentiment behind his statement was. It stung more than any hurtful words could have as the sincerity, the genuine care and appreciation, in his voice was heartbreaking. I regretted not adding a condition to our cohabitation that specified he wasn't allowed to say such nice, guilt inducing things as I stared at him for a moment, trying to think of a way to get out of this conversation that was more polite than just bolting out the door.

Too much time was passing as his words hung between us so, short of any good comeback to his words, I shrugged.

"If you want to make me happy, let me contribute for the groceries."

It was Chris' turn to look shocked now, as he was obviously expecting a more thoughtful response to his rather vulnerable admission, but he pulled himself together quickly and a dry laugh fell from his lips.

"Nice try, Whitney," he smiled, shaking his head. "But that's not going to happen."

Without giving me any more time to argue, he turned on his heels and walked out the door leaving me alone to wallow in my guilt and wonder how much longer I'd be able to keep up my act of nonchalance.

There was a weird sense of restlessness in the house that day. Usually, killing a few days at home would be no big deal but, as soon as the stay at home orders came into place that morning, the knowledge that we were now unable to do anything else made it feel slightly more suffocating.

Chris wasn't lying though when he said that he planned to make this lockdown as enjoyable as possible so we managed to keep ourselves entertained as we planned out some of the things we could do. Chris and Scott were compiling a list of old movies they wanted to watch again, I ordered a bunch of puzzles and books (some more child appropriate and some for the adults), Chris dug out an old wiffle ball set he had from when they were kids and Scott organized Chris' video game collection, pulling out all the good ones like their favourite: Mario Kart.

By the end of the day, we were all feeling much more optimistic about how our time at home would go. Especially Grayson. It was finally starting to sink in for him that he got to spend the foreseeable future surrounded by all his favourite people - something that was unfortunately a rarity for him given our situation. He was bouncing off the walls as he threw his ideas into the mix and couldn't wait to get started on all the fun.

The excitement of the day led to another early night for him and I excused myself shortly after, declining the invitation to start practicing my Mario Kart skills.

After our conversation that morning, I was trying to keep a bit of distance from Chris. I wasn't mad and it didn't seem like he had any lasting feelings of annoyance either, but our earlier discussion proved to me that there was still tension and resentment between us. I wanted to let it settle and give him some space so our small disagreement didn't turn into a full-blown argument. Living together after everything we'd been through would be an adjustment period and easing into it would probably be the safest route.

So, I took myself off to my bedroom and lounged in bed watching some new mystery show on Netflix. I started it thinking it would just be a good way to pass a few hours until a reasonable time to go to bed but as usual with Netflix, I got sucked in and before I knew it, it was almost midnight.

I closed my laptop, knowing I needed to get some sleep as Grayson was an early riser, but I noticed the glass of water I'd taken upstairs with me hours ago was empty and my mouth was dry. With a sigh, I dragged myself out of bed, taking the glass to the kitchen to fill it up.

I crept down the stairs, assuming everyone would be in bed already, but I was surprised when I got to the kitchen to see the light on. I poked my head into the room and saw Scott sitting at the little island in the middle of the room, a drink in his hand and a melancholy look on his face.

"Hey," I greeted him, alerting him to my presence. "You're up late..."

"I was just FaceTiming with my boyfriend. He's in LA so it worked with the time difference."

"Boyfriend?" I questioned as I headed over to the sink to fill up my glass. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"It's pretty new," he sighed. "We've only been together about a month now."

"That's so exciting! You didn't want to stay in LA and quarantine with him?"

"No, we thought it was too fresh for us to, like, fully move in together and if I was in LA and not living with him then we wouldn't see each other anyway, so I decided I may as well come here."

"That's really hard," I frowned as I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. "I'm sorry that you had to make a decision like that."

"It's alright," he shrugged despite the sad look on his face. "A lot of people have had to make much tougher decisions than that lately."

"That doesn't mean you can't be upset anyway."

"I know, but I'll be alright. I'm just glad we've got so many ways to stay in touch." He flashed me a smile and I was glad to see it. Scott was a good guy and one of those people who was usually so positive and upbeat that it was hard to see him feeling down. "What about you? How are you doing with everything?"

"Oh, I don't know," I sighed. "Do you mean the deadly virus plaguing the world? Or the fact that I'm in lockdown with the father of my child who I have a fairly complicated history with?"

"Both," Scott chuckled as he sipped his drink of what looked to be whiskey. "But I was more referring to being here in lockdown with Chris."

"It's hard, but I'm doing okay. It's just a weird situation."

"It'll definitely take some time to get used to for both of you," he nodded. "He felt really bad this morning. He told me what you said about how offensive it is when he throws money at you all the time and I totally agree, but I hope you know his heart was in the right place. He tells everyone how talented you are, he would never want to belittle your career."

"I know," I winced. "I overreacted a little bit."

"No, not at all!" Scott assured me. "He needed to hear it. I've been on the receiving end of it too so I know how you felt, but he doesn't realize how it comes off some times. He's just trying to be generous and help the people he loves."

I nodded and I knew that I should just end the conversation there. Tell him that I understood what Chris' intent was and leave it at that. But my heart overpowered my brain and I found myself opening up before I could stop myself.

"I just don't exactly deserve to be on that list," I reminded him. "And I shouldn't take advantage of any feelings he might have for me after the decision that I made."

"You really do deserve to be on that list," he told me with a smile. "He's really in love with you."

"Love might be a bit extreme," I scoffed. "He's made his feelings clear, I know he cares about me, but it's not love."

"He's not made his feelings clear enough then," Scott countered. "Because he's been head over heels in love with you since pretty much the moment he met you."

My mouth went dry as my brain fought to comprehend that claim while all my instincts were telling me that it wasn't true. Scott wouldn't lie to me, he wasn't that kind of person, but he could be exaggerating especially since he had been drinking. There was an honesty in his eyes though, a look that told me he was telling the truth, but I couldn't accept it, it just didn't make sense.

"That's not true," I argued. "He only ever saw me as a friend until that one night and that night was a mistake."

But Scott was confident in what he'd shared and he shook his head.

"He never saw you as just a friend. You were his endgame from day one."

Perhaps it was a delaying tactic, perhaps it was a nervous response or I was subconsciously trying to buy myself some time to make sense of what he was trying to tell me, but a giggle slipped out at Scott's choice of words.

"Endgame? Is that an Avengers joke?"

"It wasn't intentional," he assured me with a laugh, but he was quick to get us back on topic. "But I mean it. We had a conversation just a few weeks after you met and he was talking about you like you hung the moon. He's been enamoured from the start."

I couldn't wrap my head around it. He was speaking with such confidence, but the words he was saying might as well have been another language. Knowing what I knew about our situation, how things had unfolded between us, how that first night together went down and the aftermath of it, there was no sign that Chris had been in love with me. He cared about me, that much I knew, but to be in love? That didn't add up.

Especially when I'd had those feelings all along as well. Surely, I would have noticed had they been reciprocated.

I'd fallen silent as my brain buzzed, scrambling for any gesture or obvious evidence that I'd missed that might prove Scott's claim, but when he spoke again, I was pulled from my thoughts.

"Do you not feel the same way about him?" He asked. "And there's no judgment here, I can see both sides. I love Chris and I want him to be happy, but I respect what you're trying to do."

I felt my heart rate spike again as my palms grew sweaty in a way that was becoming annoyingly familiar.

I was aware of the importance of this conversation, but I was also aware that I wasn't having it with the right person. If Scott was being honest then Chris must have had his reasons for not sharing the depth of his feelings with me and it felt sneaky and deceitful that I was finding out from someone else. It also felt wrong that the answer to Scott's question was on the tip of my tongue. Chris deserved to know before his brother, but I was tired. Fighting through this mess all by myself was wearing me down and Scott had always been one of those people that compelled you to pour your heart out to him. He was a better listener than most and I needed someone, anyone, to give me some kind of guidance. So the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"I do feel the same," I admitted, my eyes firmly locked on the glass of water on the table in front of me as I worried I'd be too anxious to speak if I looked Scott in the eye. "I love him very much."

"Then why are you so scared to give him a chance?" He questioned. "Just because of Grayson?"

I nodded, but even I was starting to doubt my own motivations.

"We work together so well right now, but if we give it a shot and someone ends up getting hurt then we might not be able to put our feelings aside and keep things peaceful."

"But aren't you hurting each other every day that you spend in love with each other, but not together?" He pointed out. "Yet, you manage to put Grayson first through all that pain."

His words hit me like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

It was an excellent point.

We were both hurting from being apart, it was clear from how defensive we got over silly little things like we had that morning. I could only imagine how Chris felt, but it was hard for me to be around him all the time and just keep things friendly when in my heart I wanted more. I ached at the sight of him every time I dropped Grayson off or picked him up, but we still managed to be friendly and polite through that.

"How many of those drinks have you had?” I teased earning a laugh from Scott. “They’ve made you too wise.”

"Not enough," he joked. "But it's true, isn't it?"

"It is true, but it's different," I insisted. "If we were together and broke up, that kind of hurt can come with a lot of anger. Right now, we might be sad or disappointed about the situation, but there's no anger."

"Oh, there was anger," Scott informed me, grimacing slightly. "After Christmas, when he came back from dropping Grayson off at your house there was definitely anger. He slammed doors, stormed around the house, got drunk off his ass and ranted about it for hours. I've never seen him that upset over being turned down before."

My heart sank at that news. I knew that he'd been upset, but I didn't think he'd taken it that badly. I thought he was just a bit sulky, but now my guilt intensified.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, my voice thick with emotion. "I feel bad enough as it is..."

"Oh, honey, I'm not trying to make you feel bad," Scott assured me, reaching over to rub my back as I forced back the tears that had sprung to my eyes. "But it proves that even if one of you ends up heartbroken, you can still put Grayson first because you just did it."

"I didn't, Chris did," I pointed out after clearing my throat. "If it wasn't up to me, if Chris came to his senses and ditched me for some beautiful actress, then I'm not sure that I could be so forgiving."

"Why would he ditch you?"

As promised, there was no judgment in Scott's voice, just genuine curiosity and I shrugged as I answered.

"Because he could have any woman in America."

"Maybe not any woman, let's not get carried away," Scott smirked, his teasing tone making me smile. "But for such a relationship loving guy, don't you think it's interesting that he hasn't been in a serious relationship in about five years?"

That wasn't something I'd put much thought into, but it wasn't the 'gotcha' moment that it seemed like Scott had hoped it was.

"Not really. He's been busy with work the last few years," I pointed out. "And having a baby with me must have complicated his personal life a bit."

"You complicated his personal life the moment he met you," Scott insisted. "That's my point."

He sounded so sure of himself, but the words he was saying were still hard for me to comprehend. I'd always been so confident in my understanding of our relationship and if I was to believe him, it would shatter everything I thought I knew.

"I just don't see why he wouldn't have mentioned this by now..."

"You know how he gets with his anxiety. He's not always the over confident hotshot that people assume he is," Scott reminded me. "But you'll have to talk to him if you want more information than that."

I let out a sigh as I knew he was right.

"There's a lot that we need to talk about," I admitted. "Thank you for this though, Scott, you've given me a lot to think about."

"Anytime," he smiled. "And I completely respect that you're willing to put Grayson first despite whatever feelings you have. You're a wonderful mom and I would be proud to call you my sister-in-law."

I laughed at his outrageous leap from even considering a relationship straight to marriage and shook my head.

"You need to go to bed, Scott," I instructed. "You've clearly had too much to drink tonight."

"I probably have," he agreed. "But I meant everything that I've said. Think about it, okay?"

I nodded as I slid off the stool I was sitting on, wrapping my arms around him in a quick hug.

"I'm here for you too, you know that right?" I asked as I stepped back. "If you ever want to talk about your situation or vent and complain about the distance, whatever you need, I'm here."

"Thanks, Whitney," he smiled before dragging himself off his stool as well. "Goodnight."

I returned his smile and mumbled a 'goodnight' of my own before heading back to bed with all the new information that Scott had provided echoing around in my head. While it had been a very informative conversation, I wasn't quite sure whether I came away from it with the clarity I was looking for or just more confusion.

Part Three

Tags: @maggotzombie @moonlacebeam @mizzzpink @zaylaugh @flowery-mess @flowerjewels @njrronaldo7 @hockeychick10

#chris evans fanfiction #chris evans fic #chris evans fanfic #more hearts than mine

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filthficdump · 3 years

Text

Good Thing This Job Has Benefits.

AN: I wrote this in one day, I’ve developed a hyperfixation on The Walten Files, so you get to enjoy this absolute mess I’ve made.

You can also read it here on AO3. There’s no romance, it’s a gender neutral, nameless reader fict. There’s no death, because I am NOT about to write angst about a happy family :(

When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around. Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd.

The gravel under my tires crunched as I drove through the night, bopping and tapping the steering wheel to the beat of the song, singing along. It was late, most likely near or after nine PM, but I wasn’t about to take my eyes off the road to check. That’s just asking for trouble.

But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance was all it took. Now it's much too late for me to take a second look.

New job, it’s been going great! I wouldn’t have thought I’d get to use my programming degree so soon, but I’m so happy I got this job. Sure, it’s for a kid’s burger joint, but there’s animatronics and other stuff, plus that finance minor rocketed me straight to an assistant manager position!

Oh, baby, give me one more chance, to show you that I love you. Won't you please let me, Back in your heart.

In the distance I could see a pair of headlights and slowed my car a bit and moved a bit to the side to provide them more room. These roads were narrow and I really didn’t think I wanted to get into a car crash and have to deal with that with what’s left of my savings and likely my first check.

Oh, darlin', I was blind to let you go (Let you go, baby) But now since I see you in his arms (I want you back)

The thought ‘That car looks like it’s moving really fast- too fast’ is the last thought in my head as the car got close, too close to stop the car or move away, there’s a ditch and trees on my side of the road. My hand hit the horn hard, blaring, but they served and-

CRASH!!!

Yes, I do now, I want you back. Ooh, ooh, baby, I want you back.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I want you back. Na, na, na, na.

When I come back to, I’m upside down, held up by my seat belt. Ho-ly-shit. I got into a fucking car crash.

Oh shit! I got into a car crash- The other car! I struggle to turn to look out the window and I see the other car against the guard rail. It’s hard to get a good look at the other car, seeing how I’m upside down and in the goddamn ditch, but I need to get out of the car.

I instinctually went for the pocket at the door, looking for my seatbelt cutter, but it had fallen out. Thanks, gravity. Thankfully, it’s on the roof of the car and I grabbed it before grabbing the handle of the door, pushing it open before I pressed my free arm against the roof of the car and-

“ FUCK! ” I yell, feeling the pain shooting up my arm and shoulder. Holy fuck, why did it hurt so bad?! We’re in the middle of the woods and I can’t remember the last home I passed and my car is upside down.

Either someone comes or I’ve got a long walk. I grit my teeth and cut the seat belt, falling head first into the ceiling and then out the door, tumbling until my butt hit grass. I flung the seatbelt cutter to the side and struggled up, using my door as support before I had to climb up the slippery slope of the ditch and onto the road.

My more useful arm held the other to my chest as I limped. Just about everything hurts. My chest, my shoulder, my leg, my face. Why did this have to happen? I was having such a good night, and now I’m in a wreck and about to give this jackass a piece of my mind. If he’s not dead.

I got closer to the car and looked inside. The man was unconscious, leaning against the steering wheel. I looked to the back instinctually, not expecting to see two terrified children! Oh god, wait- No, they’re alive. They’re looking at me.

I pulled open the driver door, still looking back at the kids, “Uh… Hey. Are you kids okay?” I asked, leaning down to look at them better. A boy and a girl, clearly siblings. They were sniffling and crying, but nodded, “Is this your dad?” I asked, pointing at the unconscious man. The car reeks of booze.

“N-No…” The boy sniffled, “He’s our uncle!”

“Okay, okay… Well, I’m gonna get us to help.” I said and went over to the passenger side, opening it up. The paint was scratched and the panels dented, but the car was still running. It would be shorter to keep going the way I came from, the city and a hospital is that way.

I reached over and wrapped my arm around the unconscious man’s chest, dragging him over into the passenger seat where there were beer bottles on the floor. Not even a seatbelt? He’s lucky he didn’t die.

I buckled him in and shut the door, walking back around to the driver’s seat before getting in and shutting the door. I tested my foot on the gas and hand on the wheel, my other arm resting in my lap.

Thank god the car still worked! I just started driving, the car feeling quite literally fucked as it went over the road, but it’s a working car!

It was perhaps ten or fifteen minutes down the road, “Um… So, what’s your guys’ names?” I asked, looking back at them through the crooked rear view mirror. They must have been so terrified. They were just in a car crash, and now their jackass drunk uncle was unconscious and a stranger was in the car with them.

“I’m Edd… She’s Molly…” Edd said, his sister was holding a grey bunny toy. Looked like one of those prize stuffed animals we keep at Bon’s Burgers prize counter, but it wasn’t blue or purple, and the restaurant hasn’t been opened yet.

I introduced myself and really focused on the road, “That’s a really cool bunny. It’s like the ones we have at my work.” I said, smiling, “Ever heard of Bon’s Burgers?”

The girl looked confused, “Y-Yes? Our dad works there.” She said. Oh no, were they my co-worker’s kids? Which co-worker?

“O-Oh? What’s your dad’s name?” I asked, glancing over at the man in the passenger seat. I couldn’t see him very well in the dark car, but I could hear his deep breathing and slight snoring.

“His name is Jack Walten. Our mom is Rosie!” Edd said, and for a moment I thought I was going to get into another accident. Jack… Walten…?

My boss's kids?!

“Ha-Ha, oh wow… Small work. I started working there. Today was my first day, actually…” I said, muttering a few swears under my breath, “I met Jack! Um… Do either of you know his phone number…? We’re gonna need it when we get to the hospital.”

The boy nods and I sighed- Wait, if these are Jack’s kids, then the man...

Another glance. We’re getting to the part of the road with street lights. I recognize those glasses. This was my other boss, wasn’t it? Please don’t say it is, I just crashed into my bosses’ car. Wait, no, he crashed into me! This wasn’t my fault!

The bastard is too drunk and irresponsible. He could have killed himself, the two kids, or even myself! For god sakes my car is in a ditch!

“Let’s just… Listen to some music, okay?” I offered and put on the radio, driving with my knee for the moment since my injured arm was starting to go numb. It better not be broken, I swear to god.

Once we got into the city I went straight to the hospital, parking in the emergency parking lot. “Okay, can you guys walk?” I asked, unbuckling my belt to look at both of them. They opened their doors and the girl winced.

“My ankle hurts!” She cried. Edd thankfully didn’t seem too injured, but he had a burn from the seat belt.

“Okay, okay. Hold on, I’ll carry you.” I said and got out. My leg felt like it was covered with biting fire ants, but I wasn’t about to leave her alone for them to just get a wheelchair.

I bent down and she reached up, one hand clutching the stuffed bunny as she wrapped her arm around my neck and I held her up on my hip, my only good arm holding her up, “Okay, okay, okay.” I mumbled softly and the boy was by my side, “Okay, grab my hand.” I said, offering my injured hand. I didn’t care that it hurt, I knew he was putting on a brave face.

He took my hand and I walked them both in. The tired nurse at the desk looked up at us and looked terrified before she quickly called for help, “We have another in the car. The black one out front.” I said, “We were just in a car crash.”

“Oh my god!” She said as more nurses came, one that had a gurney and I put the girl up on top and the boy got to sit in a wheelchair, “Are you their mother?” The nurse asked as one of the other nurses tried to sit me down in a wheelchair as well.

“No… I’m the one their uncle crashed into.” I said and reluctantly sat down. I didn’t realize how fast my heart was beating, it must explain all of the wandering thoughts that clouded my mind.

I was brought to the same room that they were, but curtains separated me from them. Doctors and nurses came shortly and my vision grew quite spotty. Information was exchanged, my nearest relative was an hour away and it was late, so it’s a toss up if they got the call.

One of the children gave a nurse the phone number to their home, and already my head was coming up with the worst thoughts of what would happen. Will I be fired? Is he going to sue me? I’m probably just as guilty as Felix in his eyes.

Speaking of Felix, if Jack doesn’t fire me he will! If he doesn’t get arrested.

“Pardon me…” One of the nurses said, drawing my attention, “We need to cut off your shirt. Your arm is likely dislocated and we don’t want to move it.”

Oh god, if they cut off this shirt I’ll have to pay 25 dollars to get another. “Um… No, it’s my only uniform.” I said and with my one good arm undid the buttons before another nurse pulled from my uninjured side and I pulled it the rest of the way off, letting the nurse take it.

Unfortunately, pants and shoes too, but I got a nifty gown and now they could resume looking me over. What I didn’t appreciate was them having to pop my arm back into place, that was awful.

They had to bandage up my cuts and test me for brain damage (just a mild concussion) and put my arm in a sling, my ribs were also likely fractured. Molly's ankle had to be splinted as it was strained and Edd had a slight concussion.

At least I got to change back into a spare set of plain clothes that they happened to have, but that required a nurse's help with the newly relocated arm that ached and hurt when I moved it.

Felix hadn’t been brought to our same room, and an officer came to question us. I told the whole story, and just to be sure they breathalyzed me. Unlike a certain driver I blew a 0.0 BAC.

Our stories matched up and they pulled back the curtains to allow us to see each other and talk. They were still shaken up, but they were told their mom and dad were on their way a while ago. Great. I’m just glad their parents were still awake and were on their way, even though I knew there was going to be so much to talk about and I was going to have to justify myself to both of the worried and likely angry parents.

I talked to them about school and what they liked to do, how they just came from a school party. Molly was excited to have her friends sign her ‘cast’ and Edd thought he would be the coolest kid in school for surviving a car crash.

I remembered being their age and smiled and nodded along as I was put on a low grade painkiller and we were given water to drink. After about 20 minutes I could hear a commotion and a man and two women calling out for the two children. They called back and moments later a frazzled looking man, my boss Jack Walten and his wife Rosemary, along with his worried looking teen daughter Sophie rounded the corner of the doorway and in that moment I had never seen anyone look so relieved.

The reunion was toothrottingly sweet, all five hugging and just overjoyed to see their children okay and alive. I couldn’t help but smile, even though it felt like I was intruding on something that should have been private.

Edd brought me up and Molly joined in, the both of them talking at once and practically over each other as they tried to explain everything that happened. I’m not sure if their parents or sister fully understood, but what was grasped was that Felix crashed into me, and I drove them to the hospital.

Both Jack and Rosemary looked at me and I awkwardly waved. He looked confused, like he recognized me but unsure from where, “Hi, boss…” I said, introducing myself for the second time that day.

We only met for ten minutes earlier today, but his eyes widened in surprise. “You… Felix crashed into you?” He asked, “And you got my children to safety?”

I timidly nodded. Please, please don’t be angry.

The officer presented himself and cleared his throat, “Your employee here was driving home when Mr. Kraken, who was intoxicated, who was driving the other way crashed into them and knocked them from the road into the ditch while Mr. Kraken’s car hit the guardrail.” The officer explained.

“I um… I was upside down but cut myself free and climbed out to check on the other car, and I saw that he had Molly and Edd in the back and my car wasn’t about to get out of the ditch any time soon so I just… drove them here.” I finished, punctuating the end by nervously drinking the rest of my water.

“He was drunk?!” Rosemary said, stunned and clearly angry. The officer nodded while Jack’s fist clenched, clearly enraged. I would be just as shocked and angry if I had children and they were put in danger by someone who’s supposed to be their friend.

I should probably be just as angry that some drunk asshole- who is my boss no less- nearly killed me, but I was just glad that we were all still alive. Sure, my car is fucked, and so is about 50% of my body (exaggerating), but my bones will heal and I’ll repair my car or get a new one. I mean, that’s what insurance is for, right?

What I didn’t expect out of all of this was to be hugged by Rosemary. Oh yeah, it fucking hurt but I just kept that to myself. She sniffled and I awkwardly patted her back with my one good arm, “Thank you for keeping them safe…” She said quietly.

“I-It was nothing, really.” I said timidly, “I wasn’t about to leave them alone.”

“Nothing? You saved them!” Jack said and shook my hand when his wife pulled away to dry her eyes and hug all of her children once more, “I can’t ever thank you enough for what you did for my family. I… I couldn’t stomach the thought if…”

I gave him a reassuring squeeze of his hand and he clasped my good shoulder, “It sucks that this happened in the first place but… I’m just glad everyone is alive…” I said, giving a nervous smile.

“Is he alive?” Jack asked, looking at the officer as he let go of my hand and shoulder.

“Yes, he is. We will be pressing charges, he blew above a 0.3.” The officer responded and Jack nodded, seemingly ‘pleased’ with that.

After exchanging contact information and addresses with both Jack and myself he departed, leaving the family to resume their reunion. I smiled awkwardly and looked away awkwardly, scratching my neck.

I haven’t heard anything about my relative having called or if they were coming, so I could only assume I wouldn’t be getting a ride from them. Or a ride tonight at all.

For a moment I was lost in my head, feeling a bit too sorry for myself. I moved all the way out here because there were jobs and rent was cheap, but I was so far from my family and friends, and even though I helped their children would I even still have a job?

I refilled my paper cup and sipped on the cold water before a nurse came to let us all know that after a final check over, we would be set to go home in an hour or so. Great, I better start making calls or something.

For a moment I didn’t realize that Rosemary was talking to me. I looked up as she repeated my name, “U-Uh yeah?” I said, looking a little confused.

“Do you have a ride home…?” She asked. Ah, oh no. I’m not about to ask these clearly exhausted parents for a ride home, I could only imagine they just wanted to get home and be with their children.

“No… But I can get one, don’t worry.” I said, but Jack shook his head.

“Nonsense, it’s the least we could do. You look like you need some sleep.” He said, making me chuckle.

“So do you two.” I laugh, “Really, you don’t need to. I’ll get a hold of someone eventually. Really!”

Rosemary shook her head, “No way, sincerely it wouldn’t be a bother. Where do you live?” She asked, and I reluctantly gave my street address, “Oh, you live just a bit down the way from us!” She said. Looks like it’s out of the question.

The doctor came and checked us all over one last time before giving me a prescription slip for painkillers for the next week and a half and we were permitted to leave. Jack carried his daughter while Rosemary held her son’s hand and I followed behind them.

I won’t lie, I’m pretty damn nervous. Checking out of the hospital took a little while as well, but soon we were free to go. That will be a fun bill to pay.

Rosemary sat in the back with the children, not giving me any chance to protest as I had to sit in the passenger seat next to Jack. Edd and Molly were clearly tired, cuddling up to their mother as Jack turned on the car and carefully pulled out.

It was incredibly clear that Jack was very, very focused on the road, not wanting to get his family into a car accident as well. I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, but I was just so glad that this didn’t end in tears.

The car ride to their home was mostly quiet, only some light conversation made. Jack was interested to know how I enjoyed my first day on the job.

“It’s been exciting…” I chuckled and he laughed softly, but I wasn’t all that comfortable or any less nervous. I did just want to get home and rest, because tomorrow morning I likely had to call my insurance and figure out how I’ll be getting to and from work.

If there even was a job anymore. With one half of the business owners likely going to jail I didn’t know if Jack would take on the massive workload, or if he would even want me to work there anymore.

“We’re here.” Jack let them know.

We pulled into their driveway and Sophie was the first to get out to help her mother take her siblings into the house with Jack telling them that he would be right back after he dropped me off.

“Have a good night, everyone…” I smiled and waved at them. Edd and Molly sleepily waved back before they went inside and shut the door.

It was surreal, everything that had happened. And now I was alone with my boss as he started to drive towards my home.

“I can’t believe he happened to crash into you…” Jack said and I nodded silently, “I could never thank you enough… You… I just can’t believe…” His voice cracked and he brought his hand up to wipe his cheeks.

“I’m sorry this happened… I’m just glad your children are safe…” I said, fidgeting with a stray string on my pants, unsure if I should pat his back or would that be too far? “You have a beautiful family, Jack, I’m sorry that you’re having to drive me home…”

“Don’t be sorry, you drove them to the hospital with a dislocated arm! I couldn’t imagine what it was like, being run off the road and into a ditch, upside down!” He said and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“To be honest, it was like a dream. One moment he’s coming towards me and I move aside since the road is pretty narrow, the next I see that he’s a bit too close over to my side and then finally I’m upside down in the ditch.”

“And- It was you! Who would have thought that my new employee would be the one to get hit.” He said, smiling softly, “Oh and don’t you worry about rushing back into work! I will be paying you your wages, you helped my family out, I’m going to help you too.”

“You-You really don’t have to do that. I’ll be okay!” I insisted, but he shook his head. He wasn’t having it.

“I want to, you don’t understand how stressed and worried we were…” He said, “I called Felix over 20 times, I thought the worst had happened and I… I started to lose hope I would ever see them again.”

“He’s going to jail for this, no doubt…” I said, “Will you be taking over the business…?”

“Yeah… It’ll be a lot but I think I have someone who I can rely on to help.” He said, smiling.

“Oh, good! I’ll try my best to pull my own weight.” I said, smiling, “I know you guys took a big risk hiring me fresh out of college but-”

“I- It’s you!” He said, “I know you just started, but your finance and programming degree is going to be a massive help!”

“Wha…?” I gaped at him. Me? Did I get a promotion? “I would be honored to help!” I smiled. I think I just became a manager or something, I’ll figure that out when I go back to work.

I pointed out my house and he pulled up in front, “I won’t let you down, I promise.” I gleamed and he smiled, holding his hand out for me to shake.

I did, not expecting him to pull me in for a hug. Looks like this was a really huggy family, it was pretty similar to my own family. “I know you won’t. Would you mind if you gave me your number so we can speak tomorrow? I imagine Edward and Molly would like to hear that you’re okay.” He asked.

I nodded and waited until he got a pen and a small black book to put my number in it before I opened the door, “I’ll speak to you soon, then… Have a good night, boss.” I smiled and he laughed.

“Just call me Jack. Really.” He said, “Have a good night.” I nodded and got out before shutting the door, walking to the front door. I grabbed the spare key from the mail box and gave one last wave after I unlocked the door. He flicked his high beams at me before he started to back up and I opened the door, shutting and locking it behind me.

It’s been a really strange night.

#the walten files #twf #jack walten #Rosemary Walten #Edward walten #Molly Walten #Sophie Walten #Reader #gender neutral y/n #No romance #No smut #Gen #Alcoholism

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eerythingisshaka · 3 years

Text

Ficmas Day #9 “Rio rings, are you listening?”

[Rio x Reader]

Word Count: 1.4k

Across the street from the church, you grow more and more hesitant. It has been a while since you stepped foot in one and even longer since you practiced any faith. You take a minute to look up at the steeple, illuminated by the warm glow behind colored glass in the window. Your breath creates quickly dissipating clouds in front of your face as the wind whips in your direction. You push your hands deeper into our pockets, looking both ways before stepping out into the street.

Your boots crunch over the salt rocks scattered over the concrete steps as you make your way to the heavy wood doors. Even through your mitt, you can feel how cold the brass handles our as you pull it open and step inside.

The atmosphere is instantly quieter once you pass the threshold and the door closes with a low tone thunk. Looking around you see an effigy of Jesus on the cross with a spotlight on him. Your eyes cast downward at the sight, feeling instantly judged and fearful that lightning might strike you down for presenting yourself this late in your life. Walking down the pew lined aisle, you look around at the candles that line the windows, decorated with faux holly leaves. You take a seat in the middle of the right side, squeaking under your weight.

Breathing in deeply, your nose catches a faint smell of frankincense in the air, bringing back memories of blessed oil and healing.

“Well, I’m here,” you say out loud, at first to know one in particular but looking up, you remember your audience. “Or I guess you know that already.”

Looking down at your mittened hands, you have many thoughts but none of them fully prepared to come out.

“Good evening.”

You hop up out of your seat as you look to see a man in all black walking across the front of the church slowly, hands behind his back and looking down. His voice did not match his stance as he sounds very strong and commanding.

“Hi! Uh, I just was looking for somewhere quiet to sit awhile,” you explain.

He stops in front of you, rows of pews separating yourselves from each other.

“Are the library’s closed?” he asks.

“Yes. I mean, no? I don’t know actually, I can leave though if-”

He raises a hand. “No need. Take a seat.”

“Yes, Reverend. Or Priest?” You struggle to get his proper titling down.

“You can just call me Rio. For now.”

The rasp in his voice seems calming and also violent, as if he just got through yelling at someone or is just about to at any moment because his vocal cords have been worked out. Preachers do enjoy a stirring sermon to work a collection plate flow.

“Ok, sure.” You sit down again, even more uncomfortable than before. Rio looks over the altar, peering up at Jesus for a while. You can’t help but to stare, curious if he’s going to remain here with you.

“Are you a member of this church?” Rio asks with his back to you.

“No. I was a while ago, but I don’t think it counts now.”

Rio looks back at you. “I don’t think God has a re-registration process for His sheep, right?”

You shrug. “I think that’s when it’s up to interpretation.”

Rio shakes his head with a small smirk. He starts to slowly walk his way up the aisle, looking around the sanctuary.

“If it’s how you interpret it, then that is based on what you feel you deserve. Your inner bias creates that narrative you think is true,” Rio states.

Biting your lip, you take this in. “Still, I think there is something to be said about not giving Him the time required to fully show one’s devotion.”

Rio sits in the pew on the other side of the aisle, right across from you. He stretches his leg out, leaning on the end armrest and looks curiously at you. For the first time you notice some marking on his neck.

“So you decide to spend your holiday having a religious debate instead of spending it with family?”

“Oh, yeah. Anywhere is better than having to deal with the mess they bring into my life.” You say this half heartedly, looking to Jesus at the front again.

“Then why are you at your childhood church?”

You scoff. “Do I look that young that you assume I was a child here?”

RIo smiles, looking away. “Maybe. Just a guess.”

“You’re right. And I came here to try and resolve some things. My family doesn’t know I am here yet. They will be here tomorrow for Christmas service and I got curious what the place looks like now while...searching for some spiritual courage.”

Rio nods. “You and your family separated on bad terms then?”

You nod.

“I see. Then I give you credit for coming up in here even thinking about them. You seem to be doing alright for yourself, you could just go on and work on yourself without them.”

You turn to him, stretching your face in confusion. “I am really surprised you would say that. First, thanks for thinking that. Life is trash, but you can’t tell so yay! And two, I thought you would be like I need to keep family close and repair and reach out.”

Rio shakes his head. “Cuz I wouldn’t say that. People think too much about how what they do affects others when you have to think is what you do better for them in the long run? If they don’t respect you or try to, you showing up is going to be disrespectful. But if the peace is kept between you while you’re gone, stay gone.”

“I can’t help but think that’s pessimistic.”

Rio shrugs. “Maybe it is, but some pessimism gotta be healthy. It’s looking at the world for what it is and accepting what you can’t change then adapting. Just because you’re away doesn’t mean you can’t love them or they love you less. But some people just can’t get along. It’s water and oil.”

You sit there flabbergasted by this man of God’s advice. Have you been looking at this completely wrong? Has the spirit of Christmas made you think of an artificial means of reconciliation that you aren’t prepared for and may never will be?

“Hey, Rio…” you ask in mid-thought.

“What’s up?”

“Before I head out, I just gotta know, what are those markings on your neck there?”

Rio reaches for his collar, holding his neck with a smile on his face. “I don’t think you need to see this in a church. I’ll let you guess though.”

You squint your eyes at him. “If I had to guess, I imagine it’s something from...a past life? Maybe you used to be into somethings and you got a...tattoo?”

Rio puts a finger to his lips with a wink. “Past lives never really are the past though.”

You sit back intrigued. “Wow, I have never seen someone in church...like you.” You laugh nervously, enjoying his smile back at you when a man from a back door comes out in a jean jacket, skinhead with more tattoos you can see. Rio stands up, smoothing out his shirt.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to take care of. I have to help the preacher prep for tomorrow’s service.”

Your eyes widen with surprise. “You’re not the preacher? Oh man, I’m sorry! I just assumed, being in all black and I thought you were here alone.”

“It’s ok. Black is just more professional. It’s my color. It’s powerful. You can consider me the preacher's assistant with...finances. But I’m glad we got to have a talk while you were here.”

You stand up, reaching out a hand. “Me too. It’s nice talking to someone with their head on straight. I’ll think about all you said.”

Rio takes your hands firmly, looking down from it to you. You feel exposed under his gaze but unwilling to turn loose from it.

“I hope I’ll see you tomorrow. Should be a good turn out. Good message from the big man.”

He lets go of your hand and you’re only sad you didn’t take your mitt first to know how soft or rough they were. He makes you want to know more about him but the night is getting later.

“Ok. I’ll be here. You have a good Christmas Eve.”

“You as well.” Rio nods to you as he joins his counterpart in the backroom. You walk toward the doors you came from, looking back at the empty sanctuary, leaving with a feeling you didn’t think you’d have but is as close to a holiday spirit than you ever had.

@chaneajoyyy

#shakafic #rio x reader #ficma

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remmushound · 3 years

Text

Not a request, but a random bonding idea I came up with for my one-shots, so enjoy!! @assanmaharielsreblogs

Michelangelo was making dinner like he always did. While the brothers frequently indulged themselves in pizza and other fast food, that was usually a lunch thing for them. Breakfast and dinner always fell to Michelangelo, just how he liked it. On the odd occasional Michelangelo was hurt or sick or exhausted from a long night out on a mission— too exhausted to get up early or too tired to make dinner— Splinter or Leonardo always substituted (though Leonardo’s substitution was almost always takeout he tried to pass as his own cooking, even when Donatello’s cash count said otherwise. Leonardo always left a generous tip.) Splinter’s cooking wasn’t bad, but it was always some obscure, vaguely familiar dish from his heritage, such as unagi or tempura, that they almost never had all the right ingredients for. Splinter’s supplementation for the missing supplies never really turned out right, though he insisted it tasted just like the real thing. Still, if finances allowed, Donatello always made sure to splurge on supplies at the end of the month so that their father could make the dishes properly and bring some joy to his life. Something to hold onto from his human days.

One time, he remembered, Leonardo had a complaint about the dish Splinter had presented (hiyashi chūka, if Michelangelo was remembering right) and Splinter just about blew a gasket.

“You will eat what I served you..” the old, angry rat had said to his then twelve year old son, “...or you will eat nothing at all!”

Michelangelo carried a similar mentality into his cooking, though he’d always switch to Doctor Feelings before dinner to get everyone’s recommendations, and if they still complained even after the alterations were made, then Doctor Delicate would come out to play.

“Not all of us have your iron stomach, dad.” Twelve year old Leonardo had argued back to his father, to which Donatello had added:

“Only one of us did, actually.”

Then all eyes had turned to thirteen year old Raphael, who was onto his third bowl and was absolutely demolishing it with a savage, starving ferocity.

“RAPH STILL HUNGRY!” The teen had spat before throwing one of their good bowls at the wall, which earned him a time out (and also more soup to keep him content).

But that was then, and this was now. Michelangelo was cooking a new recipe— a four cheese ravioli with marinara sauce and pepperonis. He remembered the New Brothers asking about something called Pizza Gyoza and he wanted to try it out for himself. It didn’t take him long to realize he was being watched. Still with a smile on his face, he turned to meet the spy.

“Hey!”

Mikey gave a yelp and tried to shrink back out of view around the corner. Michelangelo frowned and tilted his head as he left the ingredients to go investigate.

“Hey.” He repeated again, holding a patient hand out to his counterpart, “didja wanna help?”

Mikey seemed surprised by the offer. “I’m not a good cook.”

Michelangelo shrugged. “And I don’t know how to play the tuba— doesn’t stop me from practicing every Sunday night! Just ask Donnie.”

Mikey laughed, and it made Michelangelo smile to see the other him not so scared anymore. Through the laughter, Mikey sputtered out words that Michelangelo couldn’t quite make out, but it seemed to bring the speaker joy so he didn’t mind.

“So?” Michelangelo prompted after the giggle fest had run its course.

Mikey gave a few last giggles before he was still and sad once more. “Are you sure...? You don’t think I’ll ruin it?”

Michangelo took the older turtle around the shell and began to guide him to the counter.

“There’s no wrong way to mess up a recipe you’re making up! Besides, even if it’s bad, raph’ll eat it like it’s five star lobster! I don’t even think he can taste anymore.”

“Really?” Mikey gave a look that showed he didn’t quite believe, “my Raph’s really particular about what he’ll eat....”

Michelangelo snapped. “Ah, a picky eater! I got one of those! That’s why I gotta make Donnie’s portion separate on most nights. Splinter tried to use the ‘can’t leave the table until you eat it’ technique and Donnie say there for almost two days refusing to touch it before splinter gave in.”

Mikey whistled. “I don’t think I could go two hours without food...” he clutched at his stomach, “let alone two days...”

Michelangelo gave a patient smile and patted Mikey’s shell to urge him closer to the counter. Mikey looked out over the perfectly laid out supplies, and then back nervously at the other.

“W... what are you making?”

“What do you think?” Michelangelo motioned to the ingredients. “Take a guess!”

Mikey narrowed his eyes as he took a second look. Several jars of Marinara, four different cheeses laid out... pepperonis and meat-cutting scissors... flour, salt, eggs, olive oil...

“Are... you making pizza gyoza?” Mikey could feel his stump of a tail beginning to wag excitedly at the thought of the soft, cheesy goodness of the treats his friend murikami often made for them.

Michelangelo tisked his tongue and bopped his other on the nose. “Close~ I’m making my own version! The best chef can improvise with what he has in his kitchen! The gyoza you described would be put in a dumpling, but this one will be improvised to fit in a ravioli! I could have done the traditional gyoza, but I like putting my own spin on things! It’s gonna be a four cheese ravioli with pepperonis mixed in and topped with marinara sauce! I call it Mikey’s Masterpiece!”

Mikey could feel his mouth running at the thought and swiped his tongue across his lips. “Sounds tasty...”

Michelangelo nodded, almost about to open his mouth to offer more praise before he saw that the poor mutant was still looking nervous and unsure.

“Here,” Michelangelo slid over several cups of flour and a measured amount of salt. “Mound them on the the counter and Make a well.”

Mikey poured the ingredients in the table and stared at them for a few seconds before Michelangelo recognized his mistake.

“Oh! Mm. We’re gonna make... a lake! See, the flour and salt will be our sand and the wet ingredients...?”

“Will... be our water?” Mikey offered tentatively.

“Exactly! So make the sand, but leave space in the middle so we can put in our water!”

“Oh!” Mikey giggled as he began to make a surprisingly well-crafted well, “this is fun!”

Michelangelo let the turtle have his fun before bringing over his egg mixture and offering it.

“Your ‘Water’ my liege~”

Mikey took the bowl and, after an encouraging nod from his other, carefully poured the mixture into the center.

Michelangelo cleared his throat. “OH NO! The tides coming in!”

Mikey gasped.

“And it’s taking a bunch of sand back with it!” He knew lakes didn’t really have a tide, but it worked for the euphemism. He took his hand and swiped some of the flour into the liquidy center. “Do you know how tides work, Mike?”

Mikey shook his head, his eyes in awe as he imagined the water cutting across the Sandy shores and taking them away into the cold depths.

“Well, tides come in a little at a time, so they can only take a little sand at a time.” Michelangelo explained, “and then!” He began to mix the liquid around with his hand, “the waves all get crazy in the middle and have a party! Now the tides gonna take even more sand! You try!”

Mikey knocked some of the sand into the mixture and, when he wasn’t scolded for doing something wrong, he began to carefully mix it. Michelangelo guided him through the rest of the steps until the ingredients were all mixed into a soft, doughy ball.

“What now?” Mikey giggled— his face and hands were now coated in flour to add to his genuine enjoyment of the activity.

“Now: feel how it’s all gooey-ooey?”

“Ya!” Mikey poked the dough.

“That’s like mud!”

“Mud?”

“After it rained all day and the earth got soft! But it’s January! What happens when night comes?”

Mikey scratched his head. “It gets all cold...”

“Aaaand...?”

“And the mud freezes!”

“Exactly!” Michelangelo folded the dough safely in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. “So now it’s night!”

“So we go to sleep?”

“No silly! We’re ninja! We stalk the nights!”

“We own the night!”

“Exactly! So let’s own the night and keep busy while the dough freezes!” Michelangelo hummed as he looked over the cheeses. He took a handful and showed it to Mikey. “See these?”

“Cheese?” Mikey took a piece and ate it happily.

“No! It’s not cheese its... mystic crystals! Do you have those in your world?”

“No.” Mikey gaped, “Well, there was this one time that April got an evil Crystal from an alien planet. Does that count?”

“No. These are mystic crystals! They take on the properties of whatever they’re added to!”

“It just looks like cheddar to me...”

“That’s exactly what it wants you to think.” Michelangelo winked. “Now, we’re gonna make a magic potion with our mystic crystals!”

“What does the potion do?”

“It’s a... warmth potion! For when you’re cold! So we gotta add a lot of heat for it to form proper!”

Michangelo put a skillet on the stove and added olive oil, half a fan of marinara, and garlic. He offered a cup of heavy cream to Mikey, who promptly took a sip before pouring the rest of it into the concoction— it was going to get boiled anyway, so it shouldn’t matter. After a few minutes of standing over the heat, Michelangelo offered his friend the cheese.

“Now is the time to add the crystals— slowly!” He quickly added as Mikey went to pour the whole thing, “we don’t want the crystals to be on top of each other! They need to melt for the potion to work!”

Mikey nodded and obeyed, and while he did, Michelangelo started to warm up the rest of the marinara on a separate pan and preheat the oven. He checked in quickly on the brewing potion and removed it from the heat once it was ready, taking a wooden spoon to scoop up a small bit and taste before offering the rest to Mikey. The box turtle practically melted as the heat overtook his body in a pleasant mix of sauce and cheese.

“Mmmmm...” he moaned softly, “that’s really good!”

Michelangelo grinned, and began to sprinkle some pepperonis in and begin to mix it around. “Oh good other of mine~! I think it’s daaaaawn!”

Mikey gasped and hurried over to the fridge and pull out the flattened dough, giving it a poke. “It wooooorked...”

“Now! Roll it on the table, quick!” He tossed Mikey a rolling pin, “before the dough worms come out!”

Mikey’s jaw fell open. “The whaaaaat?”

“THE DOUGH WORMS! They live in cold dough and steal all the flavor! Now hurry and smoosh them before they can escape with the taste!”

“OH NO!” Mikey slammed the dough on the table and began to roll it out.

“No thicker than a nickel— the worms are really small and can survive otherwise!”

“I WONT LET ANY OF THEM ESCAPE!”

Mikey did an excellent job of flattening out the dough into a large, thin sheet. After reassuring him he had gotten all the ‘dough worms’, Michelangelo carefully cut the sheet in half and began to lay his cheese mixture.

“See these?” He held up the spoonful of the mystic potion, “when mystic potion is added to dough and boiled, it’s affects increase tenfold!”

“Ooooo!”

“So put them in piles like so...” Michelangelo began to lay out spoonfuls an inch apart, “so we can make a bunch and share it!”

“Good idea! We all need to stay warm and toasty!” Mikey grabbed another spoon and began to help.

With the playful assistance of Mikey, they had finished making the ravioli within two hours and Michelangelo let Mikey serve to to the hungry brothers.

“Mmm...” Leonardo moaned almost sensually at the explosive taste in his mouth. “This is really good.”

Leo had been hesitant at first when he found out it had been Michelangelo preparing the dinner, but a quick sight test showed nothing awry. A smell test yielded only a warm fragrance, and lastly a taste test...

Leo’s eyes shot open and he was sure they had fallen from his sockets in his surprise. One small nibble had turned into swallowing the chopstick-ful whole and almost purring in delight as the warm, perfect mix of sauce and cheese and dough rolled down his throat. Once their brother had taken the dive, Raph and Donnie exchanged shocked glances and began to scarf down their shares as if they hadn’t eaten in days.

Mikey didn’t open his mouth, except to eat his extra tasty dinner of course. Just seeing his brothers happily scarfing down something that he’d made was more than enough.

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #tmnt au #donatello #donnie #leo #leonardo #Mikey #Michelangelo #raph #raphael #one shots

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dansantat · 3 years

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NOW WE ARE TWO: A Eulogy for My Father

Adam U Santat (October 21,1943 - April 27, 2021)

Today is April 27, 2021.

When I was very young and we lived in New Jersey my father took us to the beach and he lifted my tiny frame over his neck and we walked out into the ocean together. My mother watched us from the coast as we wandered 50 yards into the shallow sea. I was terrified of whatever lurked in the water convinced that sharks would come and eat us. My father gripped my legs and whispered, “I’ve got you. You don’t have to be afraid.”

I don’t exactly know why this particular memory rests so clearly in my mind, but it’s a good one. That was my father in a nutshell.

I interviewed my parents for a memoir I’m currently working on. This is what I know of my father.

He was born in the small village of Khlong Dan, Thailand on October 21, 1943, though the official birth certificate indicates October 27 because of a typo (21 sounds like 27 in Thai) He was the youngest of nine kids. His parents immigrated from China and started a merchant business. For fear of being racially ostracized by the local Thai people the oldest brother changed their name from “Lim” to “Santativongchai” (he found the word in an old book)

They collected rain water off the storm gutters in order to drink. He didn’t get hie first pair of shoes until he was 10 years old. They were sandals, really. Knowing facts abut Western culture was cool and he had an insatiable desire to learn everything he could about America. Coming to the United States was a dream of his obsessed with Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, and movies like “Shane” He admits to being spoiled by his mother and says he was lazy during most of his childhood, but was gifted in math and science. And he truly was. He attended medical school, paid for by his older sister, Yawanit, and he came to Newark, New Jersey in 1969 to do his internship.

My mother followed a year later

His first car was a Red ‘69 Camaro. No air conditioning. He ran the car into the ground because he was unaware of the fact that you had to change the oil. He never owned a car before then.

This was the American dream.

I was born in 1975 and they soon made a mass exodus to Southern California along with many of their Thai doctor friends with brief career stops in Wykoff, New Jersey and Hopedale, Illinois until we settled in our newly built four bedroom home in Camarillo, CA.

He worked for the state of California as a pediatrician, and eventually as a cardiologist, and then a psychiatrist continuing his education over the years to fill the needs of the state. He was an accomplished man in his field.

He loved golf, tennis, and buying things he would see on TV. He loved Ralph Lauren clothing, he owned one of the first Apple computers, and he loved making weekly trips to Los Angeles to buy classical CDs and audio equipment.

Three weeks ago I stepped inside my parent’s home for the first time in over a year. The COVID-19 Pandemic had kept us apart . “Stay at home. We’ll see each other after this is all over.” my parents told me.

Under normal circumstances I would happily avoid their company for fear of constant nagging about a plethora of reasons which mostly dealt with my weight, or my political views.

But this was different.

My father had been diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer and he returned home to hospice care. My mother was helping him get situated on his favorite couch because he refused to use the hospital bed that hospice had offered him and recommend that he use.

They say that doctors make the worst patients.

Besides his stubbornness my mother was angry at him for not putting up a fight, turning down Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy and opting to just let the cancer take him. She herself having been a breast cancer survivor over 25 years ago (along with living with lupus for 45 years) could not comprehend the thought of just giving up. But my father knew the odds. He had taken one look at the CT scan and he knew the primary source was in the liver and it has metastasized to the lungs, his jaw, and his pelvis.

His body was dying but his mind was still as sharp as a tack.

I understood the diagnosis, as well. When speaking to the doctor on the phone he did not mince words by emphasizing quality of life. My father’s days were limited, and I was there to make the most of the time that was left between us before he departed.

“I have one last question for you before I go.” he said to me.

“Anything. What’s your question, Dad?”

“How much....do you earn annually?”

My mother and I quickly glanced at each other and we both immediately let out a huge laugh. “HA HA HA! You have one last question and that’s what you want to ask me?!”

He was always curious about my finances.

He is my Asian father.

Normally, this type of question would be a point of heated contention and it would typically result in an argument at a restaurant, and yet, here he is living his last weeks and he STILL wouldn’t let the question go. And this time, without argument, I simply tell him.

Why deny a dying man his last wish?

“I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” he shouts as we all share in a good laugh.

“I have one more question...”

“What is it, Dad?”

“Why do you always get upset when I ask you that question?”

This too would have normally resulted in a heated discussion, but I simply gave him an honest and simple answer, “Because you taught me that it was rude to ask people that question.” And I left it at that.

My mother gets up and heads to the kitchen and it’s in this moment that my father pulls me in closer to discuss more pressing matters.

“I don’t want you to worry about me. I’ve accepted my fate and I’ve lived a good life. I’m worried about your mom. I want you to take care of her after I’m gone.”

“Of course.”

“I’ve saved up a lot of money. Use it to buy a house with a guest house for her. Make sure it has a big yard so she can do her gardening and she’ll be fine.”

“I promise, Dad. I’ll spoil her.”

“Good.”

My mother returns to the family room with an assortment of shirts for my father to wear. I grab a blue button up collared shirt from Tommy Bahama. “This shirt actually isn’t too shabby.”

“It was originally $125 and I got it for $90!”

Always in pursuit of looking his best while also landing a great deal.

He is my Asian father.

“If you like the shirts they’re yours now. All of this is yours.”

None of the items that my father owned interested me. What interested me was giving him one last amazing experience before he was gone. The one thing my father truly treasured among all his possessions was a one of the finest wine collections I had ever seen. It contained over 500 bottles of wines he had collected over the course of twenty years housed in three separate wine refrigerators, which were spread throughout different rooms in the house and sent their electricity bill skyrocketing to the moon, and my mother’s nerves to the very edge of insanity.

“Hey, what do you think about going into your wine collection and we drink the most expensive wine you have?”

“No,” he says hesitantly.

“But don’t you want to know what you bought? Don’t you want to at least know what the best wine you own tastes like? I don’t think you should leave this world without enjoying your one great vice in life.”

My father looks away from me and mutters, “No...It’s yours now. All of it.”

This is not how I want it to end. I want him to have one last good memory.

My mother interrupts, “I’m hungry. What are we having for lunch?”

I try to keep my father focused on his bucket list. I’m hoping for just one last memory, “Whatever you want, Dad. My treat.”

He looks at me and says, “I want a Pink’s hot dog.”

My mother and I look at each other in shock. This request from a man who was obsessed with his blood pressure. A man who constantly avoided salt like it was Kryptonite to Superman was now requesting for one of the saltiest most nitrate rich foods in America.

“With mustard and relish.”

25 minutes later I returned home with three sodium bombs per his request. My father, who hadn’t eaten in three days, grabbed a hold of his hot dog, and ate the entire thing. My father, a man who did everything in his power to stave off death by cardiovascular disease to the point of obsession, was indulging in the one thing he avoided like the plague.

SALT.

As I sat on the couch and watched him eat his hot dog I could see the look on his face as he solemnly took each bite thinking, “What was the point of being so scared for all these years?” I took solace in the fact that for the first time in my life, I saw him as a person unafraid.

Later that day, a few of his closest friends came over to wish him well. I met them at the front door, “Hey, do me a favor. Can you see if you can make him agree to having one last glass of wine?”

It was a good idea.

HIs friends all walked in, paid their respects, and then peppered him with little hints like, “Hey, how about one last sip of wine before you go?”

My dad finally agreed.

“That fridge has the best stuff!” my dad shouted as he pointed to the fridge closest to the door.

I was not as knowledgable about fine wines as my dad and his friends were. That’s what Google is for.

I reached into the back of the fridge and found a bottle of Opus One from 1995.

This was $600 bottle of wine. It wasn’t his best but it it would do nicely.

The room let out an audible “oooooh” when I entered the room with the bottle.

His best wine glasses were brought out, we each poured a glass, and we toasted my father. We share stories about his life, he boasts to his friends about my accomplishments, and we are basking in a moment of complete harmony.

For this moment in time, I was his perfect Asian son.

He thoughtfully studied the peaks generated by the swirling of the wine on the edge of the glass

“It’s been a good life. No regrets.”

I was glad I could give him this.

This week I bought that house for my mom. I told my father this as I fulfilled his last dying wish while I held his hand.

“I’ve got you, Dad. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“I’ve got you.”

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vantaenims · 4 years

Text

chocolate milk | jungkook

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: childhood friends au | fluff, humor

word count: 6.8k

warning/s: smoking and jimin’s younger than jungkook here lol.

summary: You never planned to catch some feelings for Jungkook but you didn’t know that he’s the mastermind of all these fickle thoughts. It’s all thanks to Psychology and Human Behavior.

masterlist

Every year you and your family go to the Jeon’s rest house for your annual summer vacation along with the Kims. Your mom is best friends with Jungkook and Taehyung’s mom ever since they were in high school – soul sisters, as they like to call themselves. So it left you no choice but to also form the same kind of friendship with their sons whom you practically grew up with.

The tradition started when you were eight when the rest house was completed the year before. Jungkook’s mom invited your family and Taehyung’s to spend the summer there. You’re in awe as soon as you stepped inside the premises of the newly built house that you thought you were in paradise.

You remember that summer clearly, your eyes immediately landing on the swimming pool where you can see Jungkook refilling his water gun as he shoots you with it, the moms singing along to the 80s music playing in the background, the dads making barbeque as they set up everything for lunch, and Taehyung putting on a sunblock on Seoyun, her little sister, inviting you to swim with them as soon as he saw you arrive.

It was supposedly meant to be a one-time thing until you pestered your mom every single day of that summer with questions like ‘are we coming back here next summer?’, ‘can we live here?’, or even a bratty remark like ‘I’m gonna cry for the whole year if we don’t come back here.’

It was insufferable considering Jungkook and Taehyung decided to join you in consistently pestering their moms too. Looking back, it’s funny when you all screamed with joy when all of your parents agreed to come back here next summer thus marking the start of the annual summer vacation in the Jeon’s rest house.

You and Jungkook are in the kitchen, assigned to cook and prepare for today’s dinner. Jungkook instructed you to chop the necessary ingredients needed for the meal as you can’t cook to save your life.

“You nervous for the grades?” he said, stirring the pot filled with kimchi stew.

You’ve gotten in the same university as Jungkook’s, with you majoring in Finance while Jungkook majors in Psychology.

“Kinda” you exclaimed with a huff, sitting yourself on the kitchen counter after you’ve done everything he asked you to do. The grade results will be out next week and the achiever in you can’t wait to see how well or bad you did for your first year in college.

“Don’t ponder too much about it” he said, motioning for you to get the bowls for him. But knowing you of course it’s been on your mind 24/7 ever since the finals ended, you were one of the top students in high school after all.

“College made me feel so mediocre” you frowned.

“Said every freshman ever” he laughed, pouring a generous amount of stew into separate bowls.

He messed your hair after he looked up to see you still frowning, “I believe in you.”

You remember two years ago when Jungkook came into your house unannounced even though his dorm is approximately an hour away from you just because he wanted to rant how he can’t handle the amount of work load he has, saying that he’s not good at multi-tasking.

He brought his backpack with him as he entered your room, sitting at the floor beside your bed, asking if you could help him do some of his homework or requirements.

“Jungkook, I’m a senior student in high school. How am I supposed to do a college homework?” you looked at him if he’s being really serious. “Couldn’t you ask some of your college friends to help you?”

“Well, I’m a freshman who clearly doesn’t have enough friends yet so can you please help me?” he sighed, pleading at you with those big doe eyes. “Plus you’re smarter than me anyway, I believe in you” he said winking at you.

“Fine” you said, rolling your eyes. He took out his laptop and passed you a pad paper and his thick textbook in Developmental Psychology.

“I’ve already written the questions there, I think the answers are in Chapter 3 and 4” he peered at you, a discontented look displayed on your face but he knows how you can give in to his request, he took out a box of your favorite chocolate milk and placed it right in front of you.

“Got it Sir!” you said a little too enthusiastically as you grab the paper and textbook from him.

Jungkook called everyone to come down after you finished setting down the dish and plates in the table. Situating yourself in the middle of Jungkook and Seoyun. You looked at the empty seat next to Jungkook. Taehyung was supposed to seat there but he’s not here

“Will Taehyung be coming here?” you asked Taehyung’s mom just to make sure. You messaged Taehyung when you noticed his absence right after you arrived in the house but he hasn’t replied to you yet.

“He’ll be coming here on Monday” she informed you. “He went on a trip with his college friends.”

As soon as she said that, your phone buzzed. You checked to see that it’s a message from Taehyung.

[Sat, June 13, 12:38 PM]

Taehyung: hey Y/N! Sorry I can’t reply awhile ago, signal’s weak here. Don’t be sad, I’ll be coming there on Monday. I know u and Jungkook miss me already ;)

You: where did you go?

You: shut up we don’t miss you

Taehyung: Japaaaaan!

Taehyung: that’s too bad I was about to buy some green tea chocolates for u but ok

You: I miss you!

You: we miss you our handsome kim taehyung!

You: haha anyways, enjoy!

“So Y/N” you chucked your phone away in your lap as you glanced at Jungkook’s mom. “I heard you had a boyfriend.” You’re confused to say the least, brows furrowing with the sudden ridiculous information. You didn’t even know you had a boyfriend until this point.

“Your mom told me a certain someone frequently visits your house” your mom laughed as he slapped the arm of Jungkook’s mom, shushing her.

“I think she’s keeping it a secret for a while, don’t push her” your mom whispered as if you were not there in front of you to hear it. Rolling your eyes, you know who that someone is but her assumptions are wrong.

Your mom always assumes that every boy – except Jungkook and Taehyung – who comes into your house is your boyfriend considering the fact that you studied in an all-girls school from nursery to high school.

That someone she’s referring to is Jimin, a fellow freshman finance major who you’ve become good friends with. Upon knowing that Jimin lives in the same city as you, you’ve mutually agreed to accompany each other every time you return home weekly to make the one hour trip less boring.

But she was totally convinced that Jimin is your boyfriend after your mother saw him dropping you off for the fifth time, giving you a knowing smile once you entered the house. An impassive look on your face as you told her that he’s just a friend.

“You have a boyfriend?” Jungkook turned his head to look at you with wide eyes.

“I don’t!” you whispered shout, “And if I do why is it such a big deal?”

“Because you’ve never had a boyfriend” he said like it’s a common knowledge for you all.

“And you’ve never had a girlfriend either so”, Jungkook was about to retort something when his father asked him to get the fruit salad they made in the refrigerator for dessert.

He stood up, albeit reluctantly, as he squints his eyes at you, “We’re not done yet” he mouthed while you childishly stuck out your tongue at him.

You thought catching feelings for Jungkook was out of the question but you were wrong. It started when he’d always invite you to study with him and he would always give you your favorite chocolate milk. You appreciate the gesture but you set aside those funny feelings, thinking you’re just happy to see him. A happy crush is what you’d like to say it is.

Not too long, you confirmed your feelings for Jungkook is dangerously heightening after you saw what he looked like on your sister’s wedding a year ago. A black suit paired with a neatly white polo tucked in his slacks, his hair swept to the side.

It bothered you how he suddenly looked different, actually ten times more attractive. You just saw him as this cute annoying boy but tonight he switched to be a fine looking man. Jungkook caught you gawking at him, a smirk displayed on his face as he watched you scramble for your phone to make it seem you were busy with it.

Panicking, you started to video the wedded couple’s first dance until Jungkook blocked your camera. Asking if you want to dance with him as he held his hand to you, leaving you with really no choice but to accept the offer.

Suddenly, you felt awkward as you don’t know where to put your hands until Jungkook guided you to put it around his neck whilst he put his hands around your waist. Eyes avoiding his as you try to get a hold of yourself.

“Why are you shaking?” he laughed, sensing your nervousness.

“It’s cold” you lied. He’s too close for your liking hence you can see the scar on his right cheek and can smell the cologne he only uses on special occasions.

“Is this better?” he asked, leaving no space in between you as he reeled you into him, slow dancing in a hugging position. Shock overcoming you though this is not something new between you two, it’s normal for the both of you to be openly affectionate but it’s incomprehensible why you’re suddenly feeling butterflies in your stomach.

In conclusion, you’re starting to fall for Jungkook.

After taking a shower, you descended down the stairs to see Jungkook and Daecho – Taehyung’s younger brother – playing Tekken on the Playstation. Smiling to yourself as soon as you saw how cute Jungkook looks in a matching gray hoodie and shorts, eyes wide and mouth agape as he concentrates on defeating Daecho.

Opening the kitchen cabinet, you got yourself some potato chips as you sit cross legged beside Jungkook on the couch.

“Can I have some?” Jungkook asked, eyes still glued on the screen. You reached the bag of chips towards him, nudging your shoulders against his when he made no movement to get one. He opened his mouth towards you, waiting for you to feed him.

“I’m playing” you rolled your eyes but feed him anyway. Daecho also chiming in if you could feed him too, making you their servant.

Soon after, Daecho was called by his mom to go upstairs telling him that he should sleep since it’s late. Grumbling, Daecho stood up and bid good night to the both of you before ascending the stairs. Jungkook turned off the console and switched the television to Netflix.

“Pick what you want to watch”, he tossed the remote control at you, standing up to go to the kitchen.

You scan over the wide selection of movies until your eyes landed on your favorite anime film, “How about Spirited Away? For old time’s sake.”

“There are Studio Ghibli Films now on Netflix?” he jogged back to the sofa to look at the screen while he hands you the uncooked pack of popcorn. You laughed as you grabbed it, finding it hilarious how he’s still scared of the microwave.

It all started when he was 10, he grabbed the leftover chicken wrapped in foil in the refrigerator and put it straightaway in the microwave. Taehyung entered the kitchen just in time to see the ruckus, unplugging the appliance right away when he saw Jungkook just standing still and not moving from his spot as he watched the foil sparked into a fire.

Taehyung scolded Jungkook for almost destroying the microwave or even almost causing a fire but immediately felt bad when he suddenly saw the younger one bursting into tears, thinking that he was about to die from a microwave explosion.

Laughing at the memory, you walk and sat back into the sofa as you share the bowl of popcorn with Jungkook who’s laying down, placing his feet on your lap. The screen showing the scene where Chihiro and her parents enter the tunnel.

“I still remember that one summer when you would watch Spirited Away every single day because you have a cartoon crush on Haku” he said as you threw him a popcorn to shut him up.

Jungkook laughed as he eats the popcorn that landed on his chest until he sat up to remove the bowl of popcorn from your hands to place it in the table as he plopped his head on your lap. As an instinct, you ran your fingers into his now long wavy hair.

“Your hair’s long” you said as you mindlessly braid strands of his hair.

“Do you like it?” he’s touching the braids you’ve made, his hands almost touching yours before you move it to the next strand of his hair. You hummed, loosing his braids to undo it. He grabbed your hands as he sniffed it.

“Why are you sniffing my hand idiot?” you laughed as you booped his nose with your finger.

“It smells nice”

“It’s the strawberry body wash you got me for secret santa last year” you said as you watched him play with your fingers and even giving you a hand massage.

“Do you really have a boyfriend now?” he asked out of nowhere.

“No” you firmly said, annoyed once again for what your mom said. Jungkook whined as he put a hand on his side of the head where you unconsciously tugged his hair a bit too strong. Laughing as you apologized for taking your annoyance out at him.

“Who was she referring to?”

“It’s Jimin” you said, “You know how we always go home together.”

“You’ve never told me that” Jungkook turned his head to look up at you, “Besides, isn’t Jimin the guy who you had spent time that one Tuesday night right? The one when you stood me up”

Jungkook was being petty once again, he had brought this topic too many times for it to be annoying by now but you can’t blame him though since you’re the one at fault in the first place.

Tuesday and Thursday nights are meant for study dates with Jungkook in a café but you had spent one Tuesday night with Jimin in the library because you had to do a paper with him that is due for submission that night at 11:59 p.m.

But you were so busy that you forgot to message Jungkook that you wouldn’t be able to study with him. You only realized it when you checked your phone in bed, ready to sleep. Your lock screen is filled with missed calls and messages from Jungkook.

“Hey, I at least rushed to the café to still meet you” you said, pushing his head to the side.

Jungkook was thankfully still in the café by the time you got there. You sat in front of him as you try to explain and apologize but he just blatantly ignored you until you stole his pen from him to write ‘I’m sorry :(‘ in his notebook.

“I could drop you off at home you know” he said, eyes focusing on the television.

“I live farther from you, Jungkook” you reminded him, fingers making it’s way back from his hair again as you massage his scalp. The action made Jungkook close his eyes, humming at how relaxing it is.

“If it’s you, I don’t mind” he whispered. You stared at him because he doesn’t know he could make your heart race just by saying that, he doesn’t know that you have developed feelings for him and you know It deep inside that it’s a case of unrequited love.

You reminded yourself that he’s being like this because he’s older than you which could mean that’s he’s only just being protective but times like this you’d think that Jungkook might possibly have feelings for you.

“Do you have the list with you?”

“Yeah, I got it” you said as you enter the car, situating yourself in a comfortable position while you buckle your seatbelt. You forgot the grocery list in the kitchen so you made a run for it while Jungkook stood by in the car.

Switching the gear to reverse, Jungkook looked back with his hand steering the wheel while his arm is placed behind your seat as he fully backed the car from the garage to the driveway. Oddly enough, the view of Jungkook reversing the car with that arm position is inexplicably attractive.

“It’s weird, we’re now assigned to do the grocery run” you said in kind of a rush to cover yourself after Jungkook noticed you’ve been staring at him, causing him to shoot you a playful smirk.

“Isnt that fun? We get to be the older ones now” he said albeit enthusiastically.

The grocery runs were usually done by your older sister and Jungkook’s older brother every sunday but they’re both absent for this year’s summer considering your sister is on a vacation with his husband while Jungkook’s brother is in America for an internship.

You propped your elbow on the window, placing your chin in the palm of your hand. “Yeah but you know the older we get, the lesser we are in the house”, you frowned in disappointment.

“Taehyung’s not even here”

“He will be here tomorrow though”

“But you know I think I just get attached to the idea that I spend every summer with you guys then for it to be gone one day”

“We still do exist in autumn, winter, and spring you know” he said trying to cheer you up as he pets your hair, “plus you almost see me everyday now that we’re in the same university.”

“Yeah, right” you chuckled. Ever since you started college, it’s been kind of a routine to spend at least once or twice a week with Jungkook in a café nearby your dorms to study and possibly hang out.

You’ve basically camouflaged yourselves to be one of those college students dressed unapologetically in their hoodies and pajamas with their textbooks, highlighters, and laptops sprawled out on the table while you’re both focused in your own worlds.

Jungkook would casually get your post it notes to draw something random like a dog or a flower but he would mostly draw your eyes, even captivating every single detail of it. He’d stick it to your book, laptop screen, or wherever your attention is. In fact, you had collected every single drawing of his as the sentimental person you are.

Your thoughts are quickly interrupted when the car engine was turned off, looking around, you didn’t notice that you were already in the parking lot of the supermarket. You opened the door as you walk to the entrance.

Grabbing your arm, Jungkook stopped you as he waved at the camera placed at the entrance of the supermarket encouraging you to do the same thing. Laughing as you watch yourselves being childishly silly.

“You know, sometimes I think you’re actually younger than me” you said as you grabbed a push cart and head to the dairy section.

“Hmm you wish” Jungkook hastily put his arm around your shoulders, ruffling your hair. He maintained his arm around yours like that, telling yourself to pay no mind to it and that it’s a casual thing to do.

To calm yourself a bit, you brought out the list and handed it to Jungkook, instructing him that he’s in charge of getting the items while you’ll be pushing the cart around. You let out a breath you didn’t notice you were holding when he detached himself from you.

“Do you want to play for a while?” you pointed out to the arcade as you exit the supermarket.

Jungkook turned to look where you’re pointing at, “Sure, it’s been a while” he smiled, grabbing the cart from you, telling you he’ll follow soon after he unload the groceries in the car.

As soon as you entered the arcade, you were hit with a sense of nostalgia as you remember when you would always tail with your sister and Jungkook’s brother for their grocery run so you, Taehyung, and Jungkook could play in the arcade while you wait for them to finish.

You brought out the old arcade card you unnoticeably still had in your wallet as you gave it to the staff to load it.

“You still have that?” Jungkook’s sudden appearance made you jump a little as he laughed at you when you placed a hand on your heart. “Disappointingly, I misplaced mine it was even a limited edition Pokemon design”, he said frowning.

You laughed at his bummed state, nudging him what would he like to play first. He looked around, eyes widening at his sudden idea, “How about we make a deal? Loser gets to do whatever the winner says.”

You squinted at him as you contemplate if it’s a good idea to take the deal because there’s a high probability that Jungkook would win anyway. “Okay, deal” you laughed, shaking his extended hand.

For the first game, you chose to play the car racing game where you surprisingly defeated Jungkook thus making him more competitive as he is. He chose to play a round of basketball for the second game wherein he won by five points ahead of you. It is now up to the last game to determine the winner.

“We should pick something we have never played before so it’ll be fair” Jungkook said, his eyes landing to a group of kids cheering for their friend whose holding onto two metal handles in front of the hands of a gorilla. It’s called Raging Ape as he read the sign above.

Jungkook tugged you towards the game after the kids left, “Have you played this before?” you shook your head to say no. After observing the kids, he informed you that the game is all about hand hold strength basically you just have to hold onto it as long as you can while the vibrating frequency increases.

There are three buttons; low power, med power, and high power. Jungkook volunteered to be the first one to try it as he swiped the card through the slot, pressing the high power button.

“Does it shock you?” you said, noticing the lightning drawing patterns.

“I don’t know, let’s see” he grabbed the metal handles as he waits for it to start. The machine emitted a low whirring sound signaling that the game has started, sound and vibrations increasing by the second. Jungkook turned his head to your side as he scrunched his nose when it got to the highest intensity.

“I can’t feel my hands” he laughed as he successfully held into it the whole time, shaking his hand to get rid of the numbness. Jungkook swiped the card right away, not even giving you time to get ready.

You hesitantly put your hands on the handle, nerves quite going up. “Does it hurt?” you peered at Jungkook for some assurance, “A bit but you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, no pressure” he teased but you can also be competitive just like him so you ignored his comment as you went with it.

It made your hands feel ticklish and tingly at first but then as the intensity escalated it became more unbearable. You yelped making you loosen your grip around it as you felt a shock coursed right through your hands.

You rub your hands together, looking at Jungkook as he excitedly points at himself proclaiming that he’s the winner. “No, let me do it again”, you protested.

Jungkook crossed his arm while he put his fingers in his forehead, eyes closed as if he’s deep in thought whether he should give you another chance but of course he wouldn’t – not when he’s already the winner.

“No, let’s go” he said making you sigh as you thought so. He grabbed you by the wrist as you exit the arcade, his hands momentarily sliding down to your hand, fully taking a hold of it. You stared at your enclosed hands, a different wave of shock surging in – a much stronger one than the game.

You situated yourself on the lounge chair beside the pool, eyelids drooping from the late afternoon breeze. You placed your phone you’ve been scrolling through out the afternoon in your stomach as you closed your eyes, lulling your head to the side.

“I’ve made you a mango juice” you opened your eyes to see Jungkook’s mom propping herself on the chair as well placing the shake on the table between you two. She apologized when she noticed she must’ve woken you up but you dismissed her saying that you’re hungry anyway.

“How’s the first year of college for you dear?”

“It was great, I’m glad Jungkook’s there for me” you smiled at her.

“I told him that he should always look out for you” she said while she sips from her juice, “Does he always check on you?”

“Don’t worry, we make sure to see each other every week” you informed her, “Ah I forgot to thank you for the Chicken Pesto Pasta.”

She looked at you as if she’s confused, “It was during my birthday, Jungkook told me you made it for me”, you reminded her.

Sleep. That was how you plan to spend your birthday after your class ended for the day, you have no energy in you anymore to bother going out for your birthday not after taking an all-nighter the day before for a presentation.

Not until Jungkook invited you at his dorm the night of your birthday, telling you that his mom had sent you a meal. He begged you to come by telling you he would go to your dorm if it isn’t an all girls’ dormitory. So you spent your birthday at Jungkook’s dorm, eating the pasta in a microwavable container in his bed as you watch About Time in his laptop.

“Did I?” Jungkook’s mom questioned as she tried to remember but nothing came to mind however she did recall when Jungkook called to facetime her, asking her to stay in the line while he cooks the pasta and listens to her instructions.

“Oh yes, did you enjoy it?” you nodded eagerly, “I think it was the best one you’ve ever made yet.”

She chose not to mention that it was Jungkook who made that for you, already taking the hint why his son hid the fact that it was him who prepared that.

“Dinner’s ready, let’s eat” you turned around to see your mom’s head peeking out the sliding door. You stood up, taking the two empty glasses in your hand as you made your way inside.

“Y/N can you call the kids upstairs?” your mom said, taking the glasses from you.

You went up as you quickly knock on the doors of Daecho, Seoyun, and Jungkook, shouting that dinner’s ready. Skipping down the stairs, you sat on your seat after calling them too lazy to check if they’ve heard you but you munched on your food right away as soon as you saw Daecho and Seoyun going down.

“Y/N, did you call Jungkook?” your mom asked while you looked at her with your mouth full, nodding to say yes, “Can you call him again?”, putting the chopsticks down, you stood up, grumbling quietly as you made your way up.

“Jungkook, dinner’s ready” you knocked on his door ready to go downstairs again but then you didn’t hear any answer from him. Growing impatient, you twisted the door knob as you entered his room.

“Jungkook, wake up dinner’s ready” you stood at the end of his bed, annoyed at the fact that he probably wouldn’t wake up just yet as the deep sleeper he is. You grabbed the blanket and tossed it on the floor, revealing his weird sleeping position – crossed legs and arms.

“Please, I’m really hungry, just wake up” you pleaded as you threw a pillow on his chest. Jungkook groaned as he hugged the pillow closer, you tried to pry it away from his but his grip around it is too strong.

“Jungkook!” you dragged his name in a deep voice deciding to seat at the side of his bed.

He finally opened his eyes, laughing at how you look so annoyed. He rubbed his eyes as he gently grabbed your arm that is placed on his bed, sitting up in a position where his elbows supported his upper body weight.

You’re once glaring eyes then turned into wide ones at how close his face is to yours – it’s not that actually close but it’s enough to make your heart race. Also, it isn’t helping how his half closed eyes and long fluffy hair made him look cuddlier but you wont let him know that.

You’re just friends, that’s it. You repeated to yourself but his intense stare – you’d like to believe – says other wise. You wanted to break away from his gaze or say something but you found yourself to be stuck in a trance until you heard your mom calling for you and Jungkook to go down.

“Let’s go” you stood up, maybe a bit too fast as you exit his room while Jungkook laid down again, smiling that maybe his plan is coming to fruition.

All those all nighter in college changed your body clock. It’s 2:30 a.m. and you’ve done everything like reading a book and listening to your sleep playlist in order for you to sleep but you still found yourself wide awake.

Staring at the ceiling, you thought that maybe if you do something tiring then it’ll be easier to sleep. With that thought, you stood up as you made your way to your drawer, taking out your one-piece swimsuit you used to wear during your varsity swimmer days in high school.

You made your way down as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone up at this hour. Sliding the door, you made your way outside as you lay down the towel in the chair and slipped your flip flops off.

Being in the water feels like a second nature to you, you’ve been swimming since you were seven. Swimming was fun but then it’s more of like a hobby rather than a dream, that’s why you decided not to partake in the university’s swimming team so you could focus on your studies.

With your hands on the gutter, you pushed your feet against the wall of the pool as you do a freestyle. You tried to follow one part of your old training routine which is doing 15 laps of freestyle.

After completing the set, you evened out your breath by bubbling five times underwater. The freestyle was supposed to be followed with laps of 15 backstrokes, 15 breaststrokes, and 15 butterfly strokes but you think it’d be impossible to do more at this point.

“I’m not good anymore” you mumbled to yourself, eyes closed as you rest it on your arm that’s placed on the gutter, feeling exhausted but also disappointed because you’re clearly out of practice.

“Your Olympic tumble turns are great though” you were surprised to say the least once you heard Jungkook’s voice. He’s sitting on the lounge chair as he laughed when you splashed him bits of water for scaring you.

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing” he raised his eyebrows, cunningly smiling at you.

“I couldn’t sleep” you said, retreating back your head to position it once again on your arm.

“Well then, that makes the two of us” you looked at him then your eyes flickered at his hands, you come closer to the side of the pool just to make sure if you’re eyes are deceiving you.

“Is that a cigarette?” you looked at him but he’s looking at the ground as he hid the cigarette from you, avoiding your stare.

“Can I try?” you managed to say after he chosed to ignore you, his bewildered eyes immediately looking at you.

“No, it’s not safe Y/N” he said in a hushed stern voice. You were just messing with him, of course you wouldn’t even try but it’s the only way to catch him off guard.

“When did you start smoking?”

“Just this year” he looked at you but you were giving him a look as if you want him to explain further, “My friend asked me if I want a hit so I tried until I asked him for one”, he said as if he’s disappointed in himself, you did remember when he said he doesn’t like it when his dad smokes.

“Don’t worry I just smoke occassionaly though, I’m trying to stop before it gets worse” he assured you, putting the cigarette out even though it’s not yet close to being finished. You nodded, relieved that he’s at least trying.

An idea must’ve been popped into his mind as he stood up to get the kickboard, “Let’s do the kickboard stand.” You rolled your eyes as he tried to change the subject but you let him have his way.

You, Jungkook, and Taehyung invented this game wherein you all stand on the kickboard as you push yourselves further to the deepest part of the pool. It’s all just about withstanding the kickboard from surfacing until you lose balance.

Suddenly, Jungkook took off his shirt and threw it on the chair. You can’t help but stare at his defined body, you’ve seen him shirtless a lot of times but this is the first time you became flustered about it.

He threw the kickboard in before he dipped himself in the pool. As instructed, you sat yourself on the ledge while you placed both of your feet on the kickboard, standing slowly while Jungkook pushed it down with his feet.

The distance between you two is close to being non-existent given that the kickboard is small. You tried to balance on it while Jungkook pushes the board into the deeper part of the pool.

As it almost reached the end, you felt the board move a bit. The movement made you hold on to Jungkook’s shoulder so you could steady yourself, you both chuckled as he reached down to your elbow to keep you in place.

You looked up at him see the moonlight reflecting on his face, making him more ethereal. He’s looking down as he tries to focus keeping the board from emerging. It’s one of those times where you unnoticeably get lost just by looking at him.

Unable to resist, you swept his hair that made it’s way down to cover his eyes. The action made Jungkook quite surprised as you both silently stare at each other like what just happened back in his room.

You were about to break the silence not until you saw Jungkook glancing at your lips which made you do the same. He gently tugged your elbow towards him as he slowly lean towards your face only for it to be ruined as you both lose your balance on the board.

The kickboard aggressively rocketed on your face before you toppled and submerged. As soon as you surfaced, you saw Jungkook laughing his heart out, embarrassed you splashed him a water as you made your way to the ledge of the pool to sit.

You tasted something metallic in your mouth, putting a finger on it you saw blood. “I busted my lip” you frowned.

Jungkook tried to contain his laughter as he came closer to you, inspecting your lower lip with his fingers on it. Your heart’s beating erratically with how he’s touching your lip and him being in between your legs.

“Wait” he said as he got out of the pool, muscles flexing when he pushed himself up through the gutter.

Stop thirsting over Jungkook, you reminded yourself.

He hurriedly came back with a chocolate milk in his hand and got in the pool. He was about to place the box of milk in your mouth until you stopped him.

“Jungkook, why would you put that in my mouth?” you ask him confused as to why he thought of this as a remedy for your busted lip.

He chuckled, putting it to your mouth anyway, “It’s the only thing that is frozen, there are no ice cubes unless you want me to put a frozen chicken in your mouth.” He figured that you must be thinking why it’s frozen so he explained that he plans to eat it as an ice cream.

“Are you okay?” he said, stifling a laugh as he remembered the look on your face.

You shoved his shoulder, glaring at him, “This was your idea.”

“I know, I’m sorry”

Your mind is going crazy again as you noticed your back in the same position before he got out of the pool – you sitting on the ledge and him in between your legs. Also, you remember when he started leaning in towards you before the incident.

“I like you” you mumbled but quickly covered your mouth after you realized you voiced out your thoughts.

Jungkook looked at you with wide eyes but was quickly replaced with a smirk, “I know” he said as he placed back the box of milk to your mouth.

“What? What do you mean you know?” you’re curious if you were really that obvious.

“I liked you first before you even like me” his confession was a surprise to you though it’s somewhat not the answer to your question.

“Okay? Congrats?” you’re confused as to what he meant.

“I learned Pavlov’s Theory of Classical Conditioning in class and decided to test if it works” now you’re even more confused whilst he chuckled before continuing, “To explain it, he theorized that a dog salivates whenever he sees food. The salivation being the unconditioned response and the food as the unconditioned stimulus. So he-“

“Jungkook, why are you telling me this?” you said, cutting him off.

“Let me finish, you’ll know later”, he chuckled as he squeezed your knee, “So he introduced the bell, he rings it just before he gives the food. After a while, the dog now associates the bell with the food thus making the item a conditioned stimulus. In conclusion, the dog salivates whenever he hears the bell because he associated it with the food.”

You blinked slowly at him, “That’s nice to know but what?”

“This is your favorite right?” he referred to the chocolate milk, you nodded your head to say yes, “And what do you feel whenever you see one?”

“Uh happy?” he clicked his tongue, winking at you. “Right, so I kind of conditioned you to feel happy whenever you see me because you associated me – the conditioned stimulus – to this milk.”

It finally made sense now, Jungkook does always give you chocolate milk whenever you do your weekly study dates. The gesture made you feel happy but then you remembered that one time he didn’t gave you one, it made you feel very confused why you’re all happy to see him; you called it a happy crush after all.

Smartass.

“What am I? A science experiment?” you shoved him albeit playfully.

“The theory worked anyway” he shrugged as you rolled your eyes at him. “As the winner of the game, I could do what I want right?” you nodded.

He removed the box on your mouth, his hands had made its way to your cheek as he takes in your beauty before he gently grabbed your chin to lean you towards him.

“May I?” you smiled as you nod your head. Jungkook finally pressed his lips with yours, can’t believe you’ve been waiting for this moment just as him. You reeled him further into you by placing both of your hands around his neck whilst his hands travelled down to your waist.

“Ow it hurts” you hissed, pulling back as you placed your fingers on your lips, “I don’t think I can kiss you right now” you mumbled as you try to hide your smile, shy at what just happened.

He smiled as he gently lifted your chin, kissing the corner of your mouth then moving to your cheek and jaw until he rested his head on your shoulders, placing you both in a hugging position.

You stayed like that for a while as he traced different shapes on your back with his fingers, his head moving further in to the crook of your neck. Giggling as you felt his breath tickling you a little when he kissed your neck.

Smiling, you rested your head against his as you stroke his wet long hair along your fingers. Thinking how you never expected your sleepless night to go like this but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

A/N: Here’s a Jungkook one shot for you to read while we’re all in a quarantine or lockdown lol. Hope you liked it! Stay safe and be healthy!

896 notes · View notes

shameless-notashamed · 3 years

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why are they making them fight over every absurd thing in the book? first the whole job thing even tho mickey's always been a hard worker in the past so that's OOC, then the monogamy thing out of the blue even tho they've not cheated unless they're separate or under duress, and now the who's the man BS? what actual LGBT people even talk about that? i mean i've always just heard straight people projecting that narrative, not what this mess was? it's just so much pointless drama, like why this?

hey anon! thank you so much for the ask! i need to apologize up front though because i don’t think i’m going to give you the answers you are looking for. i most certainly can’t answer why the show is making ian and mickey have so many disagreements, but it does make sense to me. figuring out finances, fidelity and a future doesn’t seem absurd to me either. it’s been bumpy, but they are figuring out their expectations now that they are married, and since communication is still sometimes difficult for them, tensions are going to run high. i can totally understand the frustration you’re feeling though. it just seems like they should be past all this by now, right?! but everything is so different for them. they aren’t navigating in that old reality of abusive and controlling fathers, understanding mental illness, constant separation and prison sentences. they’ve never lived this life and they’ve never really had good role models for what a marriage could or should be. their learning curve is steep, but i just know they are going to get through all this and that they will figure it out together. and when they do, it will be all that much sweeter.

i didn’t personally think that the whole “who’s the man” thing was meant in the way it’s being perceived. there are different roles for each partner in every relationship, a balance must be found between sharing the responsibilities of caretaker and provider, but neither role is more important than the other. ian and mickey both had valid reasons to be upset with each other throughout the episode. ian wants to tell mickey what to do and mickey doesn’t want to be told what to do, so then this absurd question of who’s the man in the relationship becomes a ridiculous thing that they spend the rest of the episode asking everyone else what they thought, instead of just talking to each other. but for me it all comes down to that look they both had on their faces after v put them in their places. and she was right. they do need to stop one-upping each other and acting like they need to keep score. i believe they really heard that and in that moment it sunk in that trying to prove “who’s the man” is a fool’s journey that would only end in ruin.

is this all pointless drama? yeah, you’re probably right. we are watching shameless after all. but i’m honestly really liking this season. yes again, it’s a bit messy right now. but we’ve still got a lot of season to go and i for one am looking forward to it and there’s still a lot to look forward to! (ahem, that steamy kitchen kiss with our boys decked out in their camo gear. *swoon*) i’m really sorry that you’re frustrated, but hopefully if we just give it some time we might see that all this drama is leading to something and that it might just all be worth it. 🤞

#you all can throw this back in my face if and/or when i’m wrong #until then i shall choose to be optimistically naive #asks #anon #thank you!#shameless #gallavich #ian x mickey #sarasays #my shameless thoughts

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chayacat · 3 years

Text

Devil’s Sweet Star (33)

Fandom: Dead by Daylight

Ghostface x Female Reader

Rated M for Violence, Language and Smut

***

Aaaah...(Y/N), (Y/N), (Y/N). What mess are you in? You don't realize how much your life is going to change. Certainly, your career, your business, flourishes day by day, to the point that you are solicited for great events. Well, I recognize that for the moment, you have just been asked for cakes for the local festival. But imagine the success you could have! the whole area could hear from you. But... It may not be for that reason.

Your life could change... because of this "deal" that you have made with Ghostface. I have to admit that, if I had been given the same proposal, I would have finally accepted it. But not as quickly as you did. The curiosity and eagerness you felt to know the true identity of the Roseville Assassin... could destroy you forever. How... it’s still a mystery. But back to our business, will you?

The whole city was aware of your participation in the festival. The information spread very quickly, and in a city like Roseville, it's not very surprising. Everyone is wondering about, this famous cake that you are going to prepare for this special occasion. And it's a good opportunity to get ideas. Even if you already know what you are going to do, having or rather hearing people come up with ideas, can give you new inspirations. Amy and Corey also stay on the lookout for any ideas that might be interesting to explore. As you were preparing the next batches of cakes, the phone rang. Amy being too busy taking the orders, it’s you who take the call.

“Welcome to the Nebula, where our pastries came from Outerspace! How can I help you?”

“(Y/N) sweety!!! How good it feels to hear you after all this time!” said a woman cheerfully.

“Aunt Marnie! How did you get the number of... Oh that's right. Mr Parkson had to tell you about my business and had to give you the number. it's so nice to hear you after... You know what. How is Uncle Joey? And Daisy and Tobias?” you respond with a smile.

“Daisy has managed to get a scholarship for her studies in geology, she will be able to start this year. Tobias still plays on Gary's American football team. The city has not changed. some people come to settle there while others go elsewhere. As for Joey... Let's say he hangs on as he can. You know how much he cared about your mother; She was his little sister... he feels guilty for not being there to protect her.”

“Me too you know. I'm sorry if I left the area but... I needed to change the landscape. To start from scratch.”

“Oh, don't worry you Butterfly, we all understand that you needed to do that. You are much stronger than us, never forget that. So, tell me! How does it go in Roseville? is your business going well?” She replied.

“Everything is fine! I was offered to make cakes for the local festival and Jed and I will move in together!” you answer.

“Jed? Who’s Jed?”

You suddenly realize that you have made a slight blunder. When you separate with Alex, your aunt Marnie protects you like a mother hen. And this is even more the case since the death of your parents. No boys could approach you without her being around to watch for any suspicious movement on their part.

“Jed is...is my boyfriend. He works for the Roseville’s Gazette. It's recent, but don't worry about it, aunt Marnie, he's very nice! this boy is... he’s an angel. He’s the complete opposite of Alex.” you explain, worrying about her reaction.

“... Well, if you're sure what you're doing... And from what you say, I want to believe you. A journalist you say? Well, he had to live things from it! You will have to present him to us one day. And if possible before you are married.”

“Don't worry about it, we're not there yet. As I told you, it's recent but... he’s someone of trust. Believe me. Listen aunt Marnie, I have to go back to work, I'm going to give you my number like that if you want to call, you can call me directly on my phone! you always have the same, don't you?”

“Yes of course! I'm not going to bother you for very long either, I have a few groceries to do on my side. I hope we can see each other soon, and with your boyfriend! I love you very much (Y/N). See you later.”

“See you later Auntie. I love you too.”

You hang up before you get back to work. It felt good to have talked to your family again since the death of your parents. Poor Uncle Joey. He is your mother's closest brother. They both adored themselves. And yet, they couldn't help but argue about something. by force you were used to it and you wondered each time how long they would resist before arguing. And especially on what. And every time it ended in the same way: in the water of the pool, laughing like two idiots. They couldn't even remember why they were arguing.

When your parents died, Joey didn't say a word. For several weeks, he had locked himself in the guest room, without eating or even talking. It was you who managed to get him out of his silence. You sigh as you think back to all this. From the whole family... he’s the one who has suffered the most. And he still suffers today. Luckily, he has a wife and two children who love him and help him. Otherwise, who knows how he would have turned out. Bad, very bad if you want my opinion.

You return to work when Melina enters the café with Mattew and Jed. The three greeted you from afar and went to sit down at a table that Corey had just cleaned. The latter took their order, which did not change the habit. You won't even need to ask them what they want by force. But Jed looked... annoy. You were wondering why.

“This guy is really twisted anyway. Hiring a guy to kill his own partner, it really goes too far. McKellan was an asshole, but Hoggins is twice as much.” said Melina, crossing her arm on her chest.

“What amazes me is that the guy Wilhelm interrogated is not responsible for this murder. Are you sure that he didn't lie?” asks Mattew.

“Wilhelm passed him twice to the lie detector, left him alone for several minutes to see if he was going to say something and the results showed it well: he did not lie and he said nothing. Wilhelm said he knew Devon well, we can ask him anything and everything, but killing someone is not in his ropes and in his principles. At least he doesn't kill when the person has done nothing to him.” said Jed.

“What do you think in this case?” you ask suddenly, making all three of them react.

“... Either Hoggins hired someone else... or he was the one who killed. But in this case, you have to prove that he went at McKellan’s home. But Wilhelm has interrogated the guards. They did not see, neither Hoggins, nor his car in the vicinity. So there remains only the first option, remains to know who he hired.” responds Jed.

“It doesn't seem to be going. Do you have a problem?”

“Let's say in short, that if I had this asshole in front of me, I would beat him to death.”

“Hoggins said things about you two that... didn't really please Jed.” explain Mattew.

“I think I know what he said. But you don't have to care, I won't leave you for anything in the world.” you said, kissing Jed on the cheek which made him smile.

You suddenly remember the conversation with your aunt and take the opportunity to tell Jed about it. If at first, he was a little reluctant, worried and uncomfortable about the situation, he was rather reassured to know that your aunt was delighted to know that you are in a relationship with someone. Luckily for you, she doesn't know anything else... and so is Jed. Better to avoid talking about Ghostface.

*You have all the cards in hand, and two lives. Let's see if you get to the end of the game. *

Two lives...No, more. It’s not your life and Jed's that is in your hands, but also that of all the people who are close to you, Melina, Mattew, Corey, Amy... and even your family. So many lives in your hands, which may or may not be a victim of your choices. It's way too much for your shoulders, but you have no choice, you can't go back now. All you can do is say nothing to Jed. Even if it bites your lips, that your heart tightens at the thought of having to lie to him, you must hold. For the good of all of them.

The day went smoothly, although for once, a few annoying customers gave you a hard time. It takes everything in this low world, otherwise everything would be wonderful. Corey and Amy helped you clean everything up before returning home completely exhausted. Jed was waiting for you outside leaning against his van. You close the café after checking that everything was locked and then join him.

“Still worried about my aunt? I told you, you don't have to worry, they will adore you, I'm sure.” you said when you see his face.

“No, it's not related to that... It's... it’s in relation to Hoggins. How can such a guy appropriate someone like common merchandise? When I heard him say that you were a bird of paradise and that it was a shame that you were with a guy like me... I refrained from sticking my fist in his face. It's easy for him to have a woman by his side, he has the money and the luxury.” He responds, clenching his fist.

“Hey! Don't say that. I could have hanged out with him, not worrying about finances and having everything I want. And I chose you. So, he can do whatever he wants, offer me all his fortune if he likes it, I would say no. He is repugnant, narcissistic, old, a real head to slap. It’s out of the question for me to go out with such a moron.”

“Hahaha that’s why I love you honey. Ready to go?” Jed replied, holding you close.

As you were about to leave, a group of men surrounded Jed's van. And obviously they weren't there to talk. Jed gently pushed you behind him, blocking you between him and the van.

“Get in the car. Right now. And lock yourself in.” He said seriously.

“But Jed...” You start.

“I said RIGHT NOW.”

You get into the vehicle and lock it as Jed asked you. The men came a little closer, revealing iron bars. Some of them made them spin while sneering, others hit the ground with them. Jed didn't seem panicked, he didn't tremble. He gently removed his glasses, tapped against the glass so that you would take the glasses with you and then turned to the group of individuals.

“I suppose... that you were hired, were you not? It's Hoggins I bet.” He said calmly.

“We have nothing against you, man, but the boss... he can no longer stand you. On the other hand, he paid us to bring the girl back to him too.” said one of the men.

“Just try to see.”

It was then that the fight began. Despite the fact that there were several of them, Jed managed with disconcerting agility to dodge punches and iron bar blows. He even managed to put some men on the ground, before unfortunately being blocked and punched before being thrown to the ground. You knock against the window of the truck screaming his name, actually starting to worry when you see him spitting out a light trickle of blood. Suddenly, as if caught in a sudden rage, you see Jed throwing himself at the man in front of him, hammering him with fists.

He took the iron rod to knock one of the men who was trying to attack him and then returned to the one on the ground. Despite the windows you could hear the man on the ground begging Jed to stop. But he kept on. As if he was taken with an uncontrollable rage. A monster. Jed again took the iron rod and raised it to hit the man on the ground, when suddenly he stopped and turned his head towards you, realizing that you were still there. Then police sirens were heard.

“Hands up! not a gesture you are surrounded!” shout an officer.

“Olsen! put this iron bar down! Right now!” said inspector Wilhelm.

Jed dropped the iron rod before collapsing next to the man he had just beaten. You unlock the vehicle and get off it to go see Jed shouting his name. The officers handcuffed the men one by one, while another called doctors to take care of Jed. It took them only a few minutes to arrive and take care of Jed. This one grimaced when the doctor applied the disinfectant.

“Are you okay, Olsen? nothing serious?” asks Wilhelm.

“I'm fine, nothing too serious except spitting a trickle of blood. These guys told me that Hoggins had hired them. They did not say it directly, but they made it clear to me.” responds Jed.

“We're going to take them to the station for that. Both of you go home. Miss, I count on you to take care of him.”

“You can count on that Inspector. Thank you.” You said, turning to Jed. “Does it hurt?”

“A little, but don't worry, I've experienced worse. And then you're fine that's the main thing. I guess I will have to give a deposition tomorrow at the first hour?” He responds.

“Yes, unfortunately for me, it’s I who will have to take your deposition. It looks like the roles have been reversed between you this time. See you tomorrow Olsen. Miss.” said Wilhelm before leaving.

You and Jed go back to the apartment. There is no question of leaving him alone tonight. He will sleep at home. You both go to bed, Jed hugging you. He wished you good night, told you that He loves you and that he will not let anyone harm you. And you take his word for it. The Jed you saw tonight, scared you. He has protected you and protected himself in a sense. But from there to almost kill a man...

Now you understand better why you should never piss him off. And it scares you.

***

(I’ve to finish RE8 Village but I don’t want to kill Heisenberg! He’s my favorite Lord! I must admit I’m a little disappointed about the fact that we can’t choose to help Heisenberg or not. While we could choose between saving Mia or Zoe in RE7. Even if in the end both survive (Thanks the DLC: the End of Zoe). This could have led to an alternative path! But I'm quite curious to see the DLC that CAPCOM is developing for RE8! I hope you’ll like this chapter like the others ones! Well, it's time for my brain to rest! Have a great weekend to you all! See ya!)

#dbd fanfic #dbd #dead by daylight #ghostface #danny johnson #jed olsen

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