#i am so afraid i will never hear his husky voice again on the story and relax time

[ryllen]

pov: me super sad on them altering zayne's ENG voice on the recent update

#love and deepspace #love and deepspace zayne #zayne #noooo he doesn't sound the same on the event and he doesn't sound the same anymore on claw machine date #they are trying to overwrite the soft husky him that i love #i am not sure if i am just very paranoid now but i feel like they are overwriting his voice on phone calls too #i am so afraid i will never hear his husky voice again on the story and relax time #his soft voice is so gentle and romantic #i hate his other voice it is so stern and commanding #o(---< #i am mourning so hard #i hope his new voice doesn't make it to new chapters of the story #but i c a n only hope #not everyone seem to like his husky voice #but his newest voice is much more monotone to me than his husky voice i hateee it sooo muuchh........................ #this post has no effort #i just want to veeentt..................... #zaynee come back to meeee #i put suggestion on discord to keep his old voice #but it doesn't seem to bring much eunthiasm sobbing...... #help me.... #DROP ME THE SURVEY AGAINN #I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT HIS NEW VOICEEE

[mypoisonedvine]

𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 (𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘐) || sub!bucky barnes x dominatrix!reader

𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 || every client is different, with different needs; but this client is, in every way, exceptional.

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 || 5k

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 || smut (cnc), dom/sub relationship, ‘mistress’ title, pain kink, cockwarming, orgasm denial/control, use of a cockring, slapping, objectification/degradation, some angst and hurt/comfort, crying after sex, touchstarved!bucky

new parts posted on thursdays!  join the taglist here

"And you can promise complete and total discretion?” the deep and husky voice on the other end of the line repeated, low enough that it was almost a whisper.

You laughed a little. “Of course,” you answered. Most clients were serious about privacy, but this guy was next level. He must be famous, you thought to yourself, or married. Or both.

But just as much as your clients wanted to keep you separate from their personal life, you would rather they know nothing about who you are. Of course it was always a risk, since nobody could hide their face and you had to work out of your apartment, but you did what you could to keep your job just that— a job.

You told your friends you were a consultant, because people didn’t question that. Sure, it was hard to keep up the lie sometimes when you got last-minute bookings and had to cancel plans, but it was worth it for the money these men were willing to pay.

And this new guy? He was shelling out all kinds of cash, on a long set of conditions. Including an NDA. You wouldn’t have given him up either way, but if the contract made him feel better (and made him pay more) then you were happy to sign it.

“So it’s all anonymous, then? No ID, no credit card…?” he pressed.

“I mean, if cash is easier for you—”

“It is.”

You were starting to worry that this was a major red flag, as if he didn’t want to be traceable back to you at all. It was almost a dealbreaker, until you glanced down at the legal pad you’d written his offer on and remembered that you couldn’t afford to turn him down. “Then cash is fine,” you decided, making a note to yourself to have 911 already dialed when he came by in case his aversion to ID was really about a desire to get away with something.

“When can we start?”

“Um, well the soonest I can do is tomorrow at seven” you explained.

"Great, I'll be there," he answered firmly, apparently about to hand up.

“Hey, hey, slow down!” you chuckled. “Can I at least get a name?”

“I didn’t think we needed to do names.”

“We don’t… but if you’re willing, I’d like to know something to call you.”

“James,” he answered after a tense pause. “James is fine.”

“Alright, James, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Upon opening the door, you instantly noticed three things about him: he was tall, he was big, and he was sexy.

You had sort of been hoping that his appearance wouldn’t match his voice, but it did, and it was going to make this so much harder.  Maybe easier in a few ways, but overall worse.  It was important that you didn’t get too emotionally invested with your clients.

His eyes were dragging over you like he was just as taken aback.  Which was odd, because he must have seen your picture online before he called you.  

“James,” you greeted. “Glad you made it.”

You stepped aside to let him enter, guiding him to take a seat in your living room.  Before clients came by, you hid any signs of life and kept the space as neutral as possible, which was why the only furniture was the white couch he sat on, the black chair across from it, and a glass table in between.

You sat in the black chair and crossed your legs, noticing with pride the way his eyes studied your every move.

“It’s important that we have a discussion about boundaries and limits before this goes any further," you explained sternly, and he nodded slightly.  "Tell me what you do and don't want."

“Uh, well, I guess I was just looking for… somebody who can administer, um, discipline… you know, someone who sets rules and enforces them.  But could also be kind of, uh, sweet I guess, to.  Not too sweet, just… not too mean either."

You smiled a little; he sounded right up your alley.  "I can do that."

"You should know I… I have a… disability.  My left arm it's, um, it's a prosthetic."

"How would you like me to accommodate that?"

"Just don't say anything about it, please.  Treat it like a normal arm.  And, uh, if you could ignore my scars, too…" he added awkwardly.

"Of course,” you nodded, “I would never want to make you feel insecure."

"Well, I mean, I'm not against degradation," he admitted sheepishly, making you smile a little.

"Right: that's different.  Anything else you're distinctly not against?"

“I can take a lot of pain,” he explained matter-of-factly.  “However much you think I can handle, double it.  I wanna feel it.”

You could almost hear the words he wasn’t saying: I wanna feel something.

“Okay, we can do that.  You’ve probably heard of the color system," you posited.

“I haven’t.”

"Oh."  That threw you off slightly… how new was he to this scene?  “Well, it’s traditionally green, yellow, red; like a stoplight.  Red means stop.  Yellow means proceed with caution.  Green means continue.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“Too simple for me, in fact.  I have my own version: ‘red’ will make me stop what I’m doing, but only ‘black’ ends the scene entirely.  And then there’s ‘blue.’  That means you want more.”

He smirked a little; a strong show of emotion compared to his stoicism so far.  “I think I’ll use that one most.”

“Just don’t be afraid to use anything else, alright?  I’d never be disappointed in you for safewording, or even just needing a break.”

He nodded.  “Can we get to it then?”

“You’re rushing as always,” you laughed.  “I’m not charging you for this part.  We have plenty of time— don’t we?”

“Yes, but—” he sighed.  “You look really… I walked in and, I guess I’m just really looking forward to this.”

You almost would’ve smiled at the compliment but you thankfully suppressed it.  “And what is it that you’re looking forward to?  What do you want me to do to you?”

His jaw tightened as he looked away from you.  “Um, there’s a lot.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Ropes.  Strongest you have.  I can buy you stronger ones if you need them, for next time…”

He’s already thinking about next time?  He’s already thinking about buying me things?

“Alright, I can do ropes: wrists and ankles?  Or more than that?”

He seemed a bit confused by that question.  “Is there anywhere else?”

“Torso,” you enumerated, “neck—” you stopped because you saw his reaction to that, and it made you smile a bit.  “Okay, so maybe the neck is something to try.  Do you like being choked?”

“I… I don’t know…” he sighed.

“Have you ever been choked before?”

“Not… sexually...”

You felt your eyebrows rise, but didn’t want to press; a story for another time, perhaps.

“We’ll have to discuss silent safewords and signals so you can tap out, but if you’d be willing to try it—”

“Yes.”

You laughed.  “Eager, are we?”

He swallowed, and you wondered if you shouldn’t have let your ‘dom voice’ slip out in that moment… but he looked so good flustered like that.  He adjusted himself slightly in his chair and you hoped he was already hard.  And with that thought in mind, you couldn’t stop yourself from teasing him further.

“Do you like being called certain things?” you asked, voice lower as you leaned forward.  “How do you feel about ‘pet’?” 

He almost kept up his poker face, but his gaze faltered at the same time he moved in his chair again.  “Um, ‘pet’ is okay.”

“Baby boy?”

“Not really my speed,” he shrugged.

You slipped out of your chair and stood up, approaching him slowly as the click of your heels echoed across the tile.  He watched you with wide eyes and quickening breaths.

“What do you like?  Tell me,” you demanded, though you kept your tone light.

“Uh,” he paused, watching your hand as it rested on his leg, “I like… I like being called a good boy.”

You grinned as you pulled your hand away, watching him tense up with disappointment.  “I can do that,” you agreed, lifting his chin with a finger until he looked at you with those beautiful, desperate eyes, “if you actually are being a good boy for me.” “I will,” he promised quickly, “I’ll be so good.”

“Mmm, I bet you will,” you purred.  “So willing to please…”

“Tell me how,” he sighed as your hand trailed from his chin down to his chest, slipping under the loose collar of his henley and rubbing his chest.  “Tell me how to please you.”

“Well, for starters, I have a name, too: Mistress.”

He sighed like the wind had been knocked out of him, but nodded.

“And if I ask you a question, I expect you to answer ‘Yes, Mistress’ or ‘No, Mistress’.  Is that clear?”

“Uh-huh,” he agreed before suddenly correcting himself, “um, yes, Mistress.”

“I’ll let you have that one,” you frowned, “but further infractions will be punished.”

“Yes, Mistress; I’m sorry, Mistress,” he moaned, melting under your touch as your hand moved down to rub his thigh through his jeans.

“Now, just for fun,” you smiled, leaning down until your lips were nearly brushing his ear, “tell me what you want.”

“Please touch me, Mistress,” he sighed.

“But I am touching you.”

“Touch my… touch my cock," he clarified, adorably embarrassed. "It’s so hard for you…”

“We’ll get to that eventually.  Let’s go to the bedroom first, okay?”

However good he looked standing in your doorway half an hour ago, it was nothing compared to how he looked naked and hard and tied to your bed.

Yes, the prosthetic and the scars that attached it to his body were hard to ignore.  He had failed to warn you that it was metal, so you couldn’t hide the slight shift of your face when it caught the light; you hoped he didn’t think it was a look of judgment or disgust, because you truly didn’t think it was anything upsetting.  Maybe the scars were a little worrying… but they didn’t seem to bother him now, at least physically.

But truly, if anything was distracting about his body, it wasn’t the arm.  It was his muscles— no wait, it had to be his cock, right?  It’s tough to call: on one hand, his entire body was toned and hardened beyond the peak of human conditioning, his thick thighs making your mouth water already, his chiseled abs almost making you jealous; but on the other hand, between those lovely thighs and curving up against those perfect abs was a cock that rivalled anything you'd ever seen before, with a blue vein running up one side and a drip of precum rolling down the other.

You finally sauntered up to the bed and ran your fingers over the taught ropes, pretending to ignore him watching you impatiently.  It was almost hotter knowing that he could pull out of the ropes if he really wanted to.  More than most, he was choosing to submit to them and to you.

“How’s this knot feel?  Too tight?” you hummed, tugging the rope just beside his wrist and watching his hand move limply with it.

“No, it’s good.”

You stepped back to the foot of the bed and stripped slowly, peeling off your black dress to reveal a matching lace set underneath.  You left your heels on as you stepped out of the dress and kicked it aside.

Turning back to face him, James looked like he was all but drooling.  You could see in his eyes how much he wished the ropes weren’t holding him back so he could run his hands all over your body.

But you could tell he craved being denied what he wanted, by the way his cock flexed of its own volition.

You let yourself smile as you crawled your way up the bed and over his body, like a panther stalking its prey, and boy did he look ready to be devoured.

"Are you scared?" you asked quietly.  He shook his head.  "Are you ready?"

He nodded.  You sat up as you straddled him, positioned just right such that no part of you was really touching him, and watched with delight as he tugged against the ropes slightly to try to get closer.

"So needy," you grinned, somewhere between praising and scolding him.  Your fingers ghosted over his chest and he shivered; he asked you to treat his prosthetic like a normal arm, so you dragged your nails down the metal and watched his eyes flutter shut.  When you pulled your hand back and left him untouched again, he whined slightly.

“Aw, poor thing,” you pouted as you examined him, desperation emanating off of him in an invisible aura.  “Your cock is all red and leaking… it must hurt, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, Mistress,” he groaned.

“What if I touch it a little?” you offered.

“Please…”

You traced your fingers lightly up and down his length, tickling the skin and giving him the least pressure that you could.  He whimpered and you chuckled mockingly.  “I said I’d touch it a little, sweet boy, are you not satisfied?”

He bucked up into your touch as best he could, causing you to pull your hand away.  “Baby, please—” 

You cut him off with a slap to the face, as hard as you could muster.

“Mistress!” he corrected with a whine.  “Mistress, please… please wrap your hand around it.”

“Around what?” 

“Around… my cock.  Stroke me, please…”

“All you had to do was ask,” you grinned, finally tightening your hand around him and moving slowly up and down the shaft.  His head fell back with a soft moan, just from that.  Your teasing had certainly helped get him this worked up, but you knew it wasn't just that… he was plenty sensitive all on his own, apparently.

It made your mouth water.

"Does this feel good, James?" you asked huskily.

"S-so good," he whimpered, "please can you… stroke it a little faster, please, Mistress…"

"Hmm, not yet," you decided, feeling him tense up beneath you.  "Relax," you instructed with a free hand rubbing his thigh gently.  

You continued to teasingly stroke his length, never quite giving him the pressure or speed he needed to get closer to his release, savoring every whimper and whine and sigh from him along with the satisfying weight of his cock against your palm.

It felt like you'd never get tired of wielding so much power in your hand.

"Please," he sighed, "I need more…"

"You want me to stroke you faster?" you pressed, already knowing that wasn't what he meant.  He shook his head and you grinned, leaning in closer but letting go of his cock. 

Slowly, you let the lace covering your core rub up against his shaft, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.  "Ohhhhh," he moaned, "oh fuck, Mistress…"

You grinned and kept rocking against him, easily feeling the warmth of him through your panties— meaning he, in turn, could feel the warmth of you.  "How does it feel, baby?" 

"Good," he choked out, "really, really good… fuck, I want more, I need more, please…"

"Are you my good boy, James?" you asked in a low purr.  He nodded eagerly, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed nothing.  "Do you want to be inside me?" you finally whispered against his ear, letting a finger run lazily up his spine and feeling him shiver so hard it was more like he was convulsing.

"Please, Mistress, I'll do anything…"

You didn't touch all of your clients sexually, due in part to the fact that they usually wanted a lot more pain than pleasure.  You'd only had sex with one or two of them, and it wasn't a routine thing.  Before today you never would've imagined doing this with a first-time client, but to be completely honest… he was fucking hot.  The kind of guy you'd be spreading your legs for instantly if you weren't at work and he wanted to buy you a drink or grab lunch.  And he was here, at your disposal, begging you for more.  How could you say no?  

You pulled your panties aside and gripped his cock tightly to guide it to your entrance, studying his face twisted in anticipation before sinking down and watching him gasp and sigh all at once, somehow.

It took a lot of effort to hide your own pleasure when he was stretching you out so perfectly, but you managed to suppress the desire to moan and just smile at his fucked-out expression instead.

Finally, your hips met with his and you got to sit there and enjoy the look of dawning agony as he realized you were staying completely still.

“Move, please,” he sobbed, “oh god, Mistress, please move…”

“But I thought you wanted to be inside me?  Isn’t this what you asked for?”

He whined and tried to wiggle his hips; all that got him was two hard slaps to the face.  

“No whining,” you instructed through your teeth.  “Good boys don’t whine.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whimpered, “‘m your good boy, I promise.”

“I know you are,” you grinned, “or at least, I know you can be.  Show me how good and patient you are.”

Reaching to the side a bit without getting off of him, you pulled a vibrator from your drawer.  His eyes went a little wide when he saw it, and you laughed.

"Don't worry, this isn't for you.  It's for me," you explained as you turned it on, inserting it between your body and his to touch the toy against your clit.  He winced as you sighed contentedly.  "Fuck, it feels good.  Can you feel it on your cock?"

"A… a little…" he hissed.

"I bet it feels good for you too," you posited, "but not good enough to make you come."

After a little pause, he nodded breathlessly.

"Good," you smiled.  "I just wanna come with your cock inside me.  I wanna know how it feels to get off with my favorite toy while being full of my newest toy."

"Fuck," he groaned.

"Do you like that, pretty boy?  Do you like me using your cock, being your Mistress' dumb little fucktoy?"

"Yes," he sobbed, hips shifting ever so slightly beneath you as he sought more stimulation from your flexing walls.  Shifting the vibe to hit right on your clit, you cried out— and he did too, at the feeling of you tightening around him.

"God, you love being Mistress' dildo, don't you?"

He nodded, biting hard on his lip until you worried he'd hurt himself.  He moaned again as another jolt of pleasure forced your channel to clench on his cock.

"You're making too much noise for a fucktoy, you need to be quiet."

He opened his mouth for a second, but closed it again and nodded instead.  

"You can do it yourself right?" you pressed, seeing him nod.  "You don't need me to gag that pretty mouth?" 

He whined but shook his head, keeping his lips pressed together.

That went on for a few more moments as you teased yourself with the vibe, hoping to draw this out for the sake of his struggle.  Wanting to up the ante, you took the vibe off your clit and turned it off for a moment.  "I think this would feel better with a little lube… will you get it wet for me, James?"

You brought the toy to his lips and he eagerly wrapped them around it, sucking lightly on the silicone with those pretty lashes resting on his cheeks.

"There you go, that's a good boy," you praised, pulling the toy from his mouth, "that's my good boy…"

"Yours…" he repeated weakly, "wanna be good for you, just for you…"

This time when you turned it on and pressed it to your clit again, you instantly gasped and felt your walls bare down on him; turning up the vibration, you actually moaned aloud and saw him wince.  "Oh, can you feel it now?" you asked tauntingly.  He bit his lip and nodded.

It really wasn't even intentional but you felt your hips start to rock, making him gasp as his eyes shot open.  For a guy who had been begging you to move not too long ago, he looked pretty overwhelmed by it now.

"Fuck, I'm gonna make myself come on your cock… do you wanna feel me come, baby?"

He seemed conflicted, which was exactly what you were going for.  You wanted him to struggle, just enough, between his need to satisfy himself and his desire to please you.  "I… I want to make you come, Mistress," he finally choked out, notably answering a slightly different question than the one you'd asked.  

You smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear: "Are you afraid that if you feel me come around you, you won't be able to hold back?  That you might accidentally come inside me?"

He made a needy little groan and nodded.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm gonna help you," you promised sweetly, but of course as soon as he saw you grab a cockring from your drawer he changed his tune.

"N-no, Mistress, please," he begged with wide eyes, "I'll be good, just not that— don't put that on me."

You smirked and sat up, pulling off of him and slowly slipping the ring on his throbbing length as he quietly pleaded for mercy.  He winced when you pushed it down to the base of him, his cheeks burning hot red now.

"Is it a little too tight, baby?" you cooed, grinning when he nodded.  "Good."

You sank back down into him and let your hips grind on his, working your clit with the vibe and even kicking it up to the next highest setting.  He jolted beneath you, clearly feeling the vibrations strongly now, and you let the view of his beautifully broken facial expression egg on your own climax.

"Mm, I'm close, baby," you whispered, "just stay still and let Mistress use you like a good little boy."

He made a small noise through his teeth but seemed to manage okay, even when your walls began to pulse rhythmically around him and your head fell back, your free hand palming at your breast through the lace bra just to add that last little edge of sensation.

"Oh fuck, fuck," you moaned, "that's my good boy…"

You shakily pulled the vibe away and turned it off, still a little numb on your clit but feeling your channel still rippling slightly with aftershocks; he seemed to feel them in spite of their subtlety, if the panting breaths that filled his muscular chest rapidly were any indication.

As slow as you could manage, you pulled your body off of him and sat back on his legs to stare at his cock.  The remnants of your orgasm left plenty of lubrication to stroke it, focusing on the head which had turned almost purple now.

"M-Mistress," he groaned, writhing under your touch.

Amazingly, his cock was already flexing in your hand, and a growl of pride and hunger echoed in your chest.

“Oh fuck, can you come for me, James?” you moaned, pumping him so fast your hand was a blur.  “Can you be my good boy and come right through the cockring?”

“Yes,” he sobbed, “gonna come, Mistress, please—”

“Come right now,” you demanded, watching his face instantly fall slack as he spurted out onto his own chest and stomach, cock flexing and pulsing in your hands as his legs quivered and his hips thrusted wildly.

And the tears were flowing soon after.  You weren’t sure if it was sub drop or just the power of his release, but between weak sobs he whispered broken apologies.

“You did so good,” you cooed as you slipped off the ring and wrapped your arms around him, subtly trying to reach over to untie the ropes.  But you didn’t need to; he flexed his arms and the restraints popped like floss.  He embraced you in return as you let his head fall onto your chest.  “You’re so good, it’s okay,” you continued, stroking his hair.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated again, breathing quickly and wetting you with his tears.

This, you realized, is what he had made you sign the contract to protect.  It wasn’t that he was excessively embarrassed about his sexual proclivities, but that this was his space to be soft, and weak, and broken.  Apparently he wasn’t ready for anyone else to know that he wasn’t steel all the way down.

“Shh, it’s okay… you’re okay…” you breathed, indulging him in this moment even though it was more intimate than you preferred to get with customers.  Aftercare was an important part of your job, certainly, but so was enforcing boundaries.

He began to soothe as you kissed his forehead gently, whispering well-deserved affirmations and praise.  As his breathing slowed and moved back to normal, he pulled back and looked up at you.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated one more time, but not as wavering as before, “I didn’t think I would… that was unexpected.”

“No, it’s somewhat normal,” you exaggerated slightly, “this kind of thing… it’s taxing, I pushed you to your limits.  You were really tough, and it’s all very vulnerable.”

“Thanks,” he sighed, sniffling and wiping his eyes.  “And sorry about your ropes,” he smiled as he noticed the frayed ends coming off of where his wrists were still tied.

“Let me help you get those off,” you smiled, loosening the knots and sliding the binds off of him, quickly massaging the places that the rope had constricted.  “Blood flow’s okay?”

“Yep,” he nodded.

“You numb anywhere?” you pressed.

“Uh, just my dick.  And my brain is all fuzzy…” 

You smiled.  “Can’t help the first one.  Let me get you some water for the second.”

“No!” he yelped suddenly.  “Um, don’t go yet, please…”

“Of course,” you smiled.  “I’ll untie your ankles, then.”

He still seemed disappointed, as if he expected you to hug him for hours and never move.  He let you go this time, though, and loosened his grip so you could slide down to the foot of the bed.  

"Was that sort of what you were hoping for when you called me?" you asked as you untied the ropes slowly and took a moment to massage the skin underneath, hoping to restore any lost blood flow.

"So much better than what I was hoping for," he admitted with a breathless chuckle.  "You're… really good."

"Well, thank you," you shrugged, "it comes with practice and experience.  You held your own, too."

"I wish I could say that was from practice and experience.  I didn't want to say anything before but I've, uh, never actually… been to a domme before."

You smiled slightly, coming back up and being pulled into another embrace.  "Um, I'll admit I can kind of tell…" you mumbled.

"I'm not supposed to touch you like this," he realized quietly, relaxing his grip on you and pulling back.  "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright, just don't get too comfortable because we only have—" you glanced at the clock— "eight more minutes until you need to leave."

"I'll get up and get dressed soon," he offered with a sigh as you got up and quickly slipped on a robe, grabbing him a damp washcloth for the drying come on his torso.

You tilted your head as you watched him clean up, and you wanted to offer some touch that was a bit less intimate than a hug, so you found yourself blurting out: "do you like having your hair played with?"

"Um, I don't… I don't know," he admitted as he reached up to card his fingers through the hair in question.  "No one else has ever really touched my hair before."

"Really?" you laughed, getting back on the bed to sit beside him.  "It looks pretty luscious.  I figured any girlfriend of yours would want to get her hands on it."

"Oh, well, the last time I had a girlfriend… it wasn't long then," he explained, and you kept on your best poker face.  His hair looked like he'd been growing it out for at least two years, unless it grew crazy fast or something.  How long had he been single?  With a body like that you could barely believe that he was single now.

"Do you mind if I touch it?" you offered quietly, and once he gave you a nod you reached forward and combed your fingers through it, reaching deeper to scratch at his scalp, occasionally pulling the strands lightly into loose braid-like patterns that fell away almost immediately afterwards.  He sank into your touch until you found yourself supporting his head against your chest, mindlessly playing with his hair until you noticed his eyes were shut, his breathing was slowed, and his body was limp on top of yours.

He fell asleep.

You laughed silently to yourself, realizing that you couldn't get him off of you without his cooperation since he was so heavy and you had no shot at lifting him.  And, of course, his cooperation required his consciousness… which required waking him up.

And, for some reason, you couldn't bring yourself to do it.  He just looked too peaceful, for a guy who had never seemed truly relaxed around you.

Was there any other way he could relax?  Cause it kinda seemed like he really, really needed this.  And you were in the business of meeting needs, to say the least.

So, with an apologetic text to your last client of the night that you needed to reschedule, you let James sleep on you as you closed your eyes and drifted off as well.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes smut #sub!bucky barnes x domme!reader

[kiribaku-queen]

The Blood King and his Queen [8]

Pairing: Bakugou x reader

Romance, Angst, Drama

Word count: 2.3K

Summary:  From being a mere servant girl to marrying the scariest prince in existence, your world changed right before your eyes. Exchanging places with the princess, you knew, wasn’t going to be easy. But could you have found love on the way? Or was it never meant to be?

A/N: I've introduced two new characters this chapter! Kazuhiko and Katashi, the first born and second born respectively, brothers of Bakugou. If reader thought Bakugou was intimidating at first glace, best believe that these two are even scarier than him.

Also, I've tried tagging some of you but it seems that I am unable to do that. Please make sure that your Tumblr is visible when typing it in the search bar. I think that's the only way I'm able to tag you :) Please enjoy and see you next Monday!

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You were woken up by the golden sun rays hitting your resting eyes. Squinting your eyes to open them up a bit, you saw that you forgot to close the tent completely, allowing the sun to fully brighten up the place. You sighed. You didn’t want to get up just yet. Maybe a few more minutes. You tried to move to get a bit of a stretch before going back to sleep, but quickly realized a powerful arm around your waist prevented you from moving. When your eyes looked up, Bakugou’s face was only inches from yours. Even though it was so early in the morning, that didn’t stop a rush of heat from appearing across your cheeks. And despite his face being so close to yours, you didn’t look away.

This was probably the first time you actually took a good look at his features. He looks so peaceful when he’s asleep, despite the fact that his eyebrows were still angry. His mouth was slightly ajar and you could hear him softly breathing. His skin may look rough upon first look, but when you touched his cheek, was much softer than you thought. You wanted to keep admiring his handsome face. It wasn’t everyday that you could stare and not get caught. Taking advantage of this chance, you snuggled right up to him, sighing in satisfaction.

You heard a deep chuckle and suddenly, your body was even more flushed against Bakugou’s body. He had rested his chin on top of yours and wrapped his arms around you tightly.

“Good morning,” his deep, husky, morning voice startled you.

“You were awake?” you asked, embarrassed.

“The whole time,” he chuckled.

“Why didn’t you say something?” you whined, lightly hitting his chest, making Bakugou laugh even more.

“I thought it was cute,” he admitted.

“Was not. It was creepy!” you disagreed.

“Everything you do is cute, my princess,” he declared. You looked up at him, shocked.

“What did you say?” you asked. He looks down at you with the softest expression and repeats,

“My princess,” he softly says. Your heart wants to leap out of your chest. The way he’s looking at you, the way he’s claiming you as his, and the fact that his lips was only a breath away was making you fall harder. As if that was even possible at this point.

Bakugou stops smiling and suddenly becomes serious. You see his eyes move from yours, down to your lips. As if on cue, yours do the same. Bakugou’s lips were getting closer to yours as your heart does summersaults across your chest. Right as you were about to share your first kiss, the tent entrance opens wide, the sun rays now emitting more light than what you wanted. Standing there, a dorky, smiling Denki Kaminari.

“Gooood MORNING!” he sings with the widest smile on his face. “Oh…” his smile slowly dissipates when he sees Bakugou’s killer glare and your hiding face. From behind, Sero and Kirishima both grab Denki by the face and drag him away.

“You idiot!” Sero scolded.

“We told you to see if they were awake! NOT barge in on them!” Kirishima continued.

“I’m sorry!” he cried. They continued to argue until their voices faded in the distance. Bakugou grumbled, smacking his forehead in annoyance.

“Fuckin dumbass,” he muttered under his breath. He looks to you apologetically, but you couldn’t help but giggle at his friend’s antics.

“What an interesting group of friends you have,” you stated.

“They’re one of a kind, that’s for sure,” he complained even though he was bidding them a compliment. He happened to look back at you the same time you met his eyes. Without hesitation, he leans again but you were quick to turn your head and clear your throat.

“We should uh- probably get ready,” you suggested.

“Right,” he whispers and you quickly get up, exiting the tent to leave the prince behind.

After a quick breakfast that Sero had whipped up for everyone, it was time to head back on the road. But this time, you were enroute back to the palace. The ride back to the palace was more relaxing than before. You were fully calm and comfortable in Bakugou’s arms, despite last night and this morning’s events.

Thinking back to when this trip first started, you were so uptight and tense sharing a horse with the mighty Blood Prince. You couldn’t even breath properly with him being so close to you. Now, you were fully able to relax into Bakugou’s arms. You allowed your back to touch his chest, since you were no longer afraid of the Blood Prince. Bakugou had leaned forward to rest his chin on your shoulder. You two were too digested into your own conversation to see the fond looks his crew was giving them.

He was pointing to different landmarks and areas, able to give you stories about anything and everything. Some were sad, some were adventurous, some were silly, some were dangerous. You were able to laugh with him and his men, not believing that this was the man that everyone feared.

Halfway on the trip, you started getting sleepy, yawning your butt off every few minutes. Bakugou took notice, leaning closer to you.

“Sleepy?” he asks. You only nodded your head, trying to rub the sleep out of your eyes. “You can take a nap.” He offered.

“Is that really alright?” you made sure. He nodded in approval. So you didn’t hesitate to turn your body to the side, snuggling into his body. The moment your head rested against his chest, you were out like a light. Bakugou softly smiled at the sight. Mina and Sero silently fangirled to the side, but thanks to Bakugou’s sharp hearing, he heard them. He glared in their direction causing both of the soldiers to turn their heads and whistle like it was no one’s business. Bakugou then pointed to everyone else, making sure they weren’t loud enough to wake you up. His finger stopped at the electric blonde, extra cautious of his loud ass. Denki locked his lips and threw the key away. Far away. He wasn’t ready to get beat up again.

You fell asleep most of the way back, but his highness didn’t mind. When you awoke, you found yourself back in the palace estate. You stretched your arms out with a big yawn.

“You looked like you got a good rest,” Bakugou joked.

“I did,” you said as a matter of fact, smiling up at him.

The horses pulled up to the front of the palace and other soldiers and maids alike were helping to unpack your belongings. Bakugou had helped you down from your horse and took your hand to head inside. You offered to help bring something in, but Bakugou insisted that you go see someone.

When the doors opened, you were greeted by two masculine figures whose auras emitted such a strong presence, dare you even say malevolent. Kazuhiko and Katashi, the older brothers of the Blood Prince, were there in the flesh. They were much older looking than Bakugou, with even more scars on their bodies. Their build was impressive but the enraged and annoyed expression was prevalent on their faces. Honestly, Bakugou couldn’t compete when it came to how scary and afraid you were on these men.

“Little brother,” Katashi, the second born, greeted mockingly. But that didn’t faze Bakugou one it.

“Where’s father?” Bakugou ignored them. Your eyes widened. Father? As in, the King? Bakugou wanted to take you to meet the King?

“Where he always is. Any reason why you’re asking?” Katashi interrogated.

“I have matters to discuss with him,” Bakugou simply told them. Kazuhiko, the first born, leaned to the side and raised his eyebrows when he saw your cowering body behind Bakugou.

“Ah, what do we have here?” Kazuhiko got closer to you and circled around you to get a good look. “I see you brought something for us to snack on.” He licked his lips repulsively. You shrunk behind Bakugou, holding his arm for dear life. Luckily for you, Bakugou moved to make sure that he was in between you and his brother.

“Be careful with what you say. We wouldn’t want to puncture another eye, would we?” Bakugou threatened. Kazuhiko backed up, covering up his right eye that contained a long scar running in the middle, most likely caused by Bakugou.

“I wouldn’t want to be talking to your future queen like that,” Bakugou pointed out. Both brothers looked at you with slanted eyes as if they couldn’t believe someone like you could be queen.

“Forgive us, princess. We misspoke,” Kazuhiko was quick to bow, but his attitude was more forced.

“Tell us, from which kingdom do you come from?” he asks.

“The Northern Kingdom,” you respond, rather nervously. Katashi raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“The Northern Kingdom? I thought the King only bore one daughter,” The second oldest questioned. Your heart started to pound and cold sweat was running down your back. You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t know what to do. Were you going to be caught just like this?

“Enough. Tell Father that we are to hold a ball to celebrate our engagement. In a week’s time. No later,” Bakugou spoke up before you could respond. You could let out a big sigh of relief but you’d do that later.

“Go get some rest. I’ll see you later?” Bakugou spoke softly to you. The way he spoke to you compared to his brothers was night and day. You nodded in agreement and Bakugou smiled. His brothers were watching your interaction closely, frowning in dissatisfaction.

“Princess?” Kirishima came from behind you, ushering you to your room. You let Kirishima lead the way, but not before looking back at Bakugou who was talking to his brothers.

“Worried about his highness?” Kirishima asked.

“N-No! I was just…” you tried to make an excuse but failed to come up with one.

“He’ll be fine. There’s a reason Bakugou is in line for the throne and not his brothers,” Kirishima explained. “Despite being the youngest, he is stronger, more powerful, and more ruthless than his brothers. He earned his title as next in line.” Even still, you couldn’t help but worry when you’re not by his side. And Kirishima could see that.

“Now, now. Let’s freshen up for his highness later,” Kirishima took you shoulders and forced you to keep walking, to distract you from the problem.

Bakugou was about to walk away but Kazuhiko stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

“Oi, you aren’t serious, are you?” Kazuhiko questioned.

“What are you going on about this time?” Bakugou huffed in annoyance.

“You. Have feelings? For that princess?” Katashi doubted like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Is that so hard to believe?” Bakugou raised a brow.

“Yes! It is! Come on, do you really think it’s going to work out with her? Do you think we love our wives? No! We are using them, just like you’re about to do. Don’t steer away from the prize,” Katashi tried to manipulate Bakugou, but he wasn’t having it. He swatted him away like an annoying fly buzzing around his head.

“Go back to your own kingdoms and take your shitty ideals with you.” Bakugou dismissed them and walked away, now in a bad mood. Katashi was about to run after him, as he has a shorter fuse than the Blood Prince, but Kazuhiko stopped him.

“Don’t. He’ll come around. There’s no escaping it,” Kazuhiko was convinced and watched as the angry Pomeranian retreated back to his quarters.

Back at the Northern Kingdom, the real princess grumbles as she maneuvers around in her maid outfit, trying not to get caught by anyone. After putting you on that mission, she has been stuck serving as a maid all this time. Day after day after day, she was waiting for the moment you come back and announce that this silly arranged marriage was off, but you had yet to show up. And what’s worse, the brother of the Blood Prince is now requesting to see her. So here she was, waiting outside for this prince to show up.

“Nice of you to show up,” the princess complained when Katashi appeared from the shadows. He chuckles upon seeing what the princess was wearing.

“What are you wearing?” he laughs but the princess wasn’t having it.

“Oh, shut it. What is it you want to say?” the princess snapped, wanting to get straight to the point. Katashi clears his throat, suddenly getting serious.

“You don’t happen to have a sister, do you?” he asks. The princess just rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest.

“Of course, I don’t. You’ve known me how long? You would’ve known if I had a sister. You probably would have slept with her by now,” the princess mumbles. She wasn’t wrong there. But now everything clicks in Katashi’s head.

“Ah, so the princess back with the Blood Prince is an imposter?” Katashi asks in a high pitched tone.

“Not really. I asked her to make the prince hate her so that he could call off the wedding and I wouldn’t have to marry him. When that happens, I’ll be back to my gorgeous dress,” the princess told of her masterplan.

“I don’t think you’ll be having that any time soon. You see, this maid you sent on a mission, is living happily with the prince as we speak. And will be celebrating their engagement within this week,” Katashi said. It took a minute to process what he was saying. The more she understood, the more her blood started to boil.

“What?”

“Oh yes. They traveled the kingdom together and supposedly are very in love with each other,” Katashi spit his poison, whispering these tales like a snake wrapped around her neck.

“That explains why she hasn’t come back yet,” the princess hissed.

“Lucky for you, I am willing to take you as my date to their little party,” Katashi gave a devilish smile. He offered his hand to the princess. “Let us crash this party?”

“Let’s.” the princess agreed, taking his hand, their evil plan now in motion.

A/N: DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA! We live for it!

We are almost done with the first half of the story so... enjoy and be happy while it lasts :)

I'd love to know your thoughts and maybe predictions or wants for the story???? ooh that'll be fun! I love reading every one of your comments and DM's and asks. Don't be afraid to send me something! I'M NICE I PROMISE! Love you all!!! <3 If you'd like to be tagged, please let me know!

Tagged: @superblyspeedydragon @melasnchz-things @animexholic @bkgwrites @sam-i-am-1025 @apexqueenie @katsukibabe @germfart3 @tspice283 @angie-1306 @bakugous-trauma @bakugousmrs @random-fandom-girl-24 @monetfatalia @triviajeongin @readingslumpfanfic @softredrobin @daddy-daichis @stardream14 @spicysherlock @cathwritestragediesnotsins @luvtaromilktea @aaannabbanana @i-ameri-cant @shyonigirichan @aomi04

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[brockadoodles]

morning flights to toronto - b. boeser

AN: I couldn’t give you too many Christmas fics without a splaaasshhhhhhhh of angst, that simply would not be true to my brand. Sorry fic Brock for how often I break you? But it’s okay because it’s just a character and not real hehe. Hope you enjoy this one, it’s a concept I really love.

Word Count: 2613

Warnings: Angst but a good ending I promise. 

A month and a half ago, if someone would have asked you what you were doing for Christmas, you would have smiled at them and told them you’d be in Minnesota, likely cuddled up by the fireplace with snow heavily falling outside, your boyfriend asleep next to you and your dogs at your feet. You would have told them how excited you were to go back to the place you had started to realize felt like your second home, a place where you pictured yourself raising a family, transitioning to a stage in life that you were starting to feel ready for. A month and a half ago, you would have been happily in love, instead of mending a freshly shattered heart during your favorite time of the year. 

You replayed the conversation in your head, circling over and over his words that echoed through your mind, wondering how you could have misinterpreted the signs for so long. You thought you and Brock were on the same page, you had moved in together, and had even adopted a second dog together, a husky mix named Milo. But it turns out, you weren’t on the same page at all you were two souls who had found yourself so consumed by the love story you thought you had that you ended up not realizing that Brock was still on book 1, while you had steadily moved to book 2. 

“I just don’t know that I see all of that right now,” he sighed. His head was resting in his hands and his eyes were blurry from his own tears that had started to fall as he spoke to you, a conversation that to him was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He loved you, that was never the problem. But sometimes, love isn’t enough to build a life with someone, sometimes you need something more than a connection that the two of you had. 

“Right now? Or ever?” You whispered, your own tears falling freely as you desperately wished for him to say anything but ever. You could give him space, you could give him time, but you couldn’t rationalize the idea that you had loved him in a way that he didn’t love you. You couldn’t accept that it had been one-sided, not when you were starting to build a life together. Brock ran a hand through his hair, his voice was scratchy from the dryness settling into his throat, the lump choking back his own tears as his voice pulled your heart out and tossed it on the ground. 

“I think we need to not be together right now.” 

That phrase struck you in a way that nothing else had before. It settled into your chest and pitched a tent there, a tenant that wasn’t paying rent who you couldn’t evict. You weren’t even sure it felt entirely real until you were sitting with him and having a serious conversation about moving out, and taking Milo with you.

You tried not to think about the reality of it all, losing a three year relationship seemingly in a matter of moments. It didn’t matter how long you and Brock spoke in circles that night, it didn’t matter what shape you tried to construct to fix everything and hang onto him, he was holding a box and you were holding broken pieces that didn’t fit. 

You were doing your best at what you hoped looked like starting over. You were trying to navigate finding yourself again after being so tied into one person, but it was nearing Christmas and as you sat in your friend’s sublet apartment with boxed of things around you that you and Brock had bought together and Milo at your feet, you wanted to be anywhere other than Vancouver for the holiday.  

It had taken you four days to call your parents. Four days of replaying everything in your mind and wondering if maybe he’d call and say it was all a mistake. Four days of cycling through the same routine of going from the bed to the couch on autopilot, tears springing to your eyes each time something reminded you of him. Four days of wondering if he even was hurting at all, a question that you weren’t sure you even wanted the answer to yet tortured yourself with anyways. But it only took five minutes for your mom to convince you to come home. 

That’s how you ended up back in Toronto, tucked away in your childhood bedroom that had been converted to be a guest room looking out at the blanket of snow that was dumping into the city. You settled into a new routine, waking up each morning and watching Milo out back playing in the fresh snow. You tried not to think about if he was missing Coolie as much as you were. You also tried not to notice each time Brock’s photo popped up as a viewer on your story, knowing that losing Milo was probably killing him. 

Brock spent the weeks following the breakup leading up to Christmas poorly attempting to convince himself that what he did was right. He agonized over it, constantly telling himself that you were two people who had been lost in each other for so long, that you needed to find yourselves again. He tried to convince himself that the codependency was the problem, that you weren’t growing together anymore, hell, he even tried to convince himself that he was the one holding you back from your dreams, feeling guilty for just how willing he knew you would have been to follow him if he were ever traded. But the thing about telling yourself something until it's true is that it doesn’t work, and that was a lesson that Brock was painstakingly learning the hard way. He couldn’t even pretend it was any easier when he was back home in Minnesota, because at each turn his dad asked him things about you and it broke his heart each time he had to remind him that you weren’t. 

Brock watched your story of Milo in the snow for what felt like at least the tenth time that morning. He heard your laugh in the background and you calling for Milo softly. He knew you were back home in Toronto, probably at your parents house running through the traditions your family had at Christmas. He remembers when he got to experience all of those with you, the year before. As he heard your laugh one last time from your story, he thought back to that Christmas, his own heart twisting when he thought about how he was always the one who could make you laugh, stealing wine drunken kisses in the kitchen in the dim light.

It took Brock one hour after you left to know that it was a mistake breaking up with you, but it took him three weeks and a Christmas Eve without you to come to the understanding that maybe, just maybe he could fix it. 

You groaned softly as you blindly reached for the source of the buzzing on your bedside table. You had half of a mind to turn over and curl up in your blanket and ignore it, the last month your phone had been filled with messages and calls, each person offering what felt like faux sympathy at your broken heart. It got to a point where you dreaded seeing a notification, just wishing that your friends would give you space to heal on your own. They could only express so much sympathy for a situation that they didn’t understand. But it was Christmas Eve, and as you adjusted your eyes to your phone screen, you thought about how whoever was calling this late must have been important. As soon as you picked up the screen and saw the photo on it, him with Coolie curled up against his chest, you felt your eyes water and your mind twist. You wondered if you were hallucinating, but your finger slid across the accept button anyway and you held your breath as you lifted the phone to your ear.

“Are you there?” His voice came through when you didn’t say anything. It was soft and strained, and you felt your heart clench at hearing it after trying to forget about how he sounded over the last month. You sniffled slightly, wiping your eyes and sitting up in bed as you nodded as if he could somehow see your movements through the phone. Milo shifted slightly at your movements, and your heart broke even more. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry it’s so late. Fuck, it’s like 2:30 there. I’m- god please don’t hang up.” He whispered. For a moment you felt like you could see him, probably pacing back and forth in his condo, hand running through his golden hair. You didn’t know why he was calling, and you didn’t know why you chose to answer, but you stayed on the line anyway, because what’s a broken heart at Christmas without the added pain of the one who shattered it waking you up at 2 am? 

“I’m here.” You said, your voice shaky. You leaned down to scratch Milo’s ear, your heart-tugging a big at knowing the breakup had not only affected you and Brock but the dogs as well. 

“Uhm, I..” Brock started, and you sighed softly into the phone.

“Brock, why are you calling?” There it was, the question he had expected. The question he had spent the last month preparing himself for, running through the lists and reasons in his mind constantly, and now that he was here, listening to you cry on the phone, he seemed to forget all of them. He felt like shit, not only for himself for ruining the best thing he ever had with you, but for calling you in the middle of the night on Christmas and making you cry all over again. 

“Come home. Or I’ll come there, I was wrong. I was so beyond wrong and to be honest, I’ve spent the entire last month knowing that. We were so happy, you know? I was thinking about rings and starting this whole life with you and I just lost myself, I started doubting us when it got serious because I was insecure, I was afraid you’d wake up one day and realize you don’t want me or this life. And I was wrong. I was wrong to hurt you, I was wrong to not talk to you about how I was feeling and I was wrong to break up with you when really all I want to do is marry you and have kids and, fuck, I just want all of that with you. So come home, let’s try again.” 

You curled into Milo, letting the tears fall down your cheeks as you took in the words he spoke. You knew Brock, and you knew he was telling the truth but was he worth risking everything for again. Could you realistically come back from this knowing that you could be sent packing up and back to Toronto at any time should he change his mind. It was a gamble, and you were never one to place bets when it came to your heart. 

“I’ll come to Toronto, I’ll book a flight right now, just to see you, just to try to show you that I want to make this up to you. I love you, let me show you that again.” Brock begged. 

“You’ll come to Toronto?” You squeaked, biting your lip in the darkness. 

“I already looked at flights, I can be there by 10.” He said. You let out a sob at his words, glancing at the clock and counting down how many hours that would be until you would face him. 

“I can’t lose you again. If we do this, I can’t.. Brock, I really can’t.” You whispered. 

You opened the door to him standing there, a bag on his shoulders, and his hands nervously tucked in his pockets. You passed over his hair that was covered in a dark beanie, his eyes tired and lacking the brightness you once always saw in him, his beard longer than he usually kept it. Brock looked like a reflection of you, a broken person who was wandering around trying to piece back together their own heart. You stepped out onto the porch, not caring that it was freezing cold and the snow was heavy. You didn’t care that you were just in leggings and an old sweatshirt of Brock’s you didn’t want to admit that you had taken from him. You reached out for him, burying yourself into his chest and letting the tears fall as you held each other for the first time in over a month. His hand ran through your hair as he pressed a light kiss to the top of your head. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He spoke, tilting your chin up so that his eyes could look into yours. 

“I missed you, and I love you, and please just-” Brock cut you off, pressing his lips against yours in a tender kiss. You felt yourself melt into him, the familiarity rushing back to you as he pulled you closer and deepened the kiss. You knew that the kiss couldn’t fix everything, that him coming to Toronto and back to you didn’t change what happened. But what you did know was that you had someone standing there who wanted you and had made a mistake, and maybe it was the holiday spirit talking, but you wanted to give him a second chance, and it was the only Christmas present that mattered.  

You held onto him tightly, tears stinging your cheeks from the cold. You didn’t even notice your mom had opened the front door behind you, instead you pulled apart from Brock when Milo came running up to your feet, jumping all over Brock and whining at him. 

“Milo, hi buddy, hi.” He cooed at the dog, squatting down and letting Milo jump all over him. It made you cry even more, realizing how hard the last few weeks without him had been. Brock looked up at you, a deep frown settling on his features because he knew all of your pain had been his fault. He stood up, letting Milo continue to jump on his legs as he grabbed your hands.

“There’s someone else who came with me.” He smiled softly. You furrowed your brow as he tangled his fingers with yours and led you down to where the car he must have rented was parked. You saw Coolie’s face in the window and you squeezed Brock’s hand tighter, your smile growing with each step closer to him you got. Brock opened the door, letting Coolie jump out and run all around you and him and Milo. His excitement coming out in loud whines. You watched as he and Milo started running around your yard together, standing close to Brock.

“It felt wrong without him.” You commented softly. Brock wrapped an arm around you and kissed your temple tenderly, a move that sent waves of calm through your body. You didn’t know what it would take to fix everything, but you had him here and he wanted to try. Maybe it would be rocky, maybe it would be hard, but losing each other even for just a few weeks only cemented in how sure you were about a life with him. So, even if it all crumpled later on, he still took an early morning flight to Toronto, and you weren’t going to send him away. 

#brock boeser #brock boeser imagine #brock boeser fic #brock boeser x reader #nhl imagine #nhl fic

[refinedbuffoonery]

This one screams MacRiley to me: “There’s a storm and omg I’m losing signal are you okay?? Hold on let me drive 489432 miles to get you the night before christmas” 

I got a little carried away with this one lmao.

Mac doesn’t expect his phone to light up with Riley’s name at 11 pm on Christmas Eve. What is she calling him for? She’s supposed to be spending Christmas at a cabin near Lake Tahoe with her mom. 

Frowning, he accepts the FaceTime call. As soon as her face fills the screen, he asks, “Are you okay?” 

A flash of emotion crosses her face, but it vanishes before Mac can figure out what it means. “Yeah, we’re fine. Although, I can’t say the same for the radiator.” She tilts her phone, bringing an ancient radiator into view. “It quit working, and I can’t figure out how to fix it.” 

Mac exhales a sigh of relief. She’s okay. Once the panic recedes, he smiles and offers, “I’ll walk you through it.” 

“Thanks.” Mac barely catches Riley’s sheepish smile before she flips the camera around. 

“Merry Christmas, Mac.” Riley’s mom’s voice echoes in the background. “Who are you celebrating with this year?” 

“Mom,” Riley groans, “I already told you. He and Bozer drove home to spend Christmas with Bozer’s parents.” 

“Oh hush, baby girl,” her mom chastises. “Let the man speak for himself. Is Bozer making his pastrami again this year?” 

Mac chuckles. “Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas without Bozer’s pastrami.” 

“That’s good to hear. Now hurry up and fix the radiator. It’s cold in here!” 

“Yes ma’am,” Mac says. Addressing Riley, he asks, “So, what are we working with?” 

Fixing the radiator is easy enough. Riley sits on the floor, holding the phone between her feet so she has both hands free. Mac leans back against the headboard, content to watch Riley’s manicured fingers work. “The dark green looks nice,” he says, absentmindedly. 

“What?” 

Crap, he didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Your nails,” he rushes to clarify. 

“Oh.” A moment later. “Thanks.” 

Oh god, why did he have to make it awkward? Talking to Riley is never awkward. Now he’s being weird. Why is this so weird? Mac shakes his head, disrupting the spiraling chain of thoughts. 

“How’s Tahoe?” he asks, determined to break the now-awkward silence. 

“Good!” The mood shifts instantly at Riley’s bright tone. “It’s so gorgeous here, Mac. If Matty doesn’t have us off on some real-life version of Die Hard, we should come back at New Year’s.” 

Mac snorts. “With all the tourists there for SnowGlobe? No thanks.” 

“Mac,” she scolds. “Don’t be mean to tourists.” 

“Says the woman who grew up in LA. You hate tourists even more than I do!” 

Her silence only confirms that he’s correct. 

“So,” Mac continues, “your mom said that it’s cold there. Is it snowing?” 

Finished fixing the radiator, Riley flips the camera so it points at her face again. She isn’t wearing any makeup, Mac notices right away. She looks pretty without it. “Yeah,” she says. “There’s going to be a big storm tonight. Donner Pass is supposed to get a couple feet of snow overnight.” 

That’s a lot, Mac thinks. He tells her as much. Riley and her mom are staying near there, in some off the grid area between Sugar Bowl and Donner Lake. She’d sent him the details before she had left, in case of an emergency. 

“Anyway,” Riley says. “I’ll let you get back to the party. Thanks for your help.” 

As much as Mac loves Bozer’s family, he wouldn’t mind talking to Riley all night. He doesn’t know how to tell her that without it being weird, so he just says, “Of course. Anytime, Riles.” 

She hangs up, and Mac realizes he’d trade Bozer’s toasty house for a too-cold cabin in the middle of nowhere in a heartbeat. 

*****

Mac definitely doesn’t expect it when Riley calls him again at 2 am. It’s just a normal call this time, not a FaceTime request. 

The line goes dead as soon as he picks up. 

He tries again. Nothing. 

Again. It goes straight to voicemail. Before he can hang up and try again, his phone rings. Riley’s calling. 

He picks up immediately. 

“Mac—” she starts. 

The line goes dead, again. Shit. 

Mac races to the living room. He turns the TV on to the local news, quickly lowering the volume so he doesn’t wake anyone up. A blonde news anchor stands in front of a map of Lake Tahoe, and Mac reads the headline scrolling across the screen. 

STORM KNOCKS OUT POWER THROUGHOUT TAHOE AREA, OVERNIGHT TEMPS EXPECTED TO DROP WELL BELOW FREEZING. 

Riley. She needs help. Why else would she call in the middle of the night? 

Mac scrambles to find his boots and a coat. Bozer shuffles into view, rubbing his eyes and looking less than thrilled at being awake at this hour. 

“Mac, what are you doing? It’s 2 am dude.” 

“Riley called. I’m going to go get her.” 

“In the middle of the night?” Bozer frowns. “Is she okay?” 

Mac pats his pockets, looking for his keys. “I don’t know. She called a bunch of times but the line kept going dead before she could say anything. They’re getting snow tonight and the power went out. I just need to make sure she’s alright.” 

Bozer clears his throat, and Mac looks up to see his best friend dangling his car keys in front of his face. He mutters his thanks. 

“Tahoe’s more than three hours away man,” Bozer says. “Are you sure she didn’t just butt dial you or something?” 

They both know Riley Davis never butt dials people. Ever. 

Mac sighs. “I’ll just drive myself crazy sitting here and not knowing, so I might as well go.” 

Bozer gives him a knowing look. “Okay. There’s chains in the garage, and you can borrow my dad’s ski jacket.” 

“I have chains in the truck, but I will take the jacket.” Mac starts filling water bottles and collecting snacks while Bozer fetches the coat. Keeping his hands busy doesn’t do much to staunch the worst-case scenarios running through his head. What if she—

No. He couldn’t think like that. 

Bozer returns with the heavy coat and accompanies Mac to his truck. “Be safe, okay?” 

Mac squeezes his best friend’s shoulder. “I’ll be safe.” He jumps in the truck and flies backward out the driveway. 

I’m coming, Riles. 

*****

It’s almost 6 am when Mac pulls up in front of the cabin. An unfamiliar car is parked in front, buried to its bumper in fresh snow. It must be Riley’s mom’s. 

Mac trudges through the snow, suddenly wishing he’d traded his Christmas pajama pants in for snow pants. He kicks away the snow piled in front of the cabin door that’s preventing it from opening all the way. “Riles!” he calls. Mac raps his knuckles against the old wood. “Riley!” He knocks again. 

He’s about to call her name a third time when he hears a faint, “Mac?” 

There’s a scrambling noise on the other side of the door, but then it swings open and Riley’s standing in the doorway, nose pink despite being bundled up like she’s planning on spending the night outside. Considering how cold it must be in the cabin, she might as well be. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks. 

“You called.” 

Bewilderment contorts Riley’s face. “I—” she trails off. “You drove all the way out here just because my call didn’t go through?” 

Now Mac feels awkward. And kind of stupid. “Uhh, yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck. 

There it is again, that emotion he can’t place. “Wow,” she says, and not in a sarcastic way. She shakes her head, stepping aside to let him in. “God, come in. You’re probably cold.” 

Mac follows her inside, muttering, “Like it’s any warmer in here.” 

Never letting Riley out of his peripheral vision, Mac scans the small cabin. It’s cute, with well-loved furniture and lake themed decorations. The blazing fire casts an orange glow over the room. Mac’s eyes land on Riley’s mom, curled on the couch underneath a mountain of blankets with a fluffy, white dog butt covering her lap. The dog’s head rests beside the free end of the blankets—presumably where Riley had been sleeping. 

“When did your mom get a Husky?” he asks in a low voice. 

Riley shoots him a “get a load of this” look. “She didn’t. That’s what I called you about. I brought in a new load of firewood around one, and I heard her barking. There’s a pond maybe twenty yards that way—” Riley points— “and she’d fallen in.” 

Riley rubs her hands together. Without thinking, Mac gently grabs her icy hands and holds them between his warm ones. Both their gazes suddenly snap to their joined hands, but neither comments. 

Riley continued her story. “We got her out okay, but I was afraid she’d end up with hypothermia. I called you because I didn’t know what to do.” 

Oh. “So what did you do?” 

“We managed to dry her with a hair dryer and let her drink warm water before the power went out, but since then we’ve just piled on the couch.” Riley shivers. “I think she’s okay now.” 

“Are you okay?” Riley’s tough, but she’s not immune from scary situations. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” It’s false bravado, but Mac doesn’t call her on it. 

Instead, he jerks his chin toward the couch. “Is there room for one more?” 

Riley visibly relaxes. “I don’t know,” she drawls, “the dog’s quite a bed hog.” Mac laughs. 

There’s definitely not room for four on the couch, but they make it work. Riley moves a few cushions onto the floor to give them more space. Mac waits for her to squeeze between the dog and the back of the couch before taking the remaining space between the dog and the edge. He doesn’t fit. 

He hisses, “Can you move over any more? My butt’s hanging off the edge.” The dog lifts her head and licks his face in a mocking “no.” 

Riley scoots back, but there’s barely a difference. “Sorry. That’s all you get.” 

Mac sighs. “Well, then the dog’s getting squished.” He reaches across the mass of white fluff to wrap an arm around Riley’s back and pull himself further onto the couch, pinning the dog between their stomachs in the process. 

He doesn’t need to keep holding her—hell, he probably shouldn’t keep holding her—but Mac doesn’t let go. Instead, he keeps watch over his girls as they fall asleep, first the dog, then Riley. And when their soft breathing is the only sound in the eerie stillness of a snowy morning, Mac lets himself drift off as well.

#beth writes #macgyver #macriley #holiday promptathon

[i-ntrmission]

Nine (Van McCann)

Just a silly little fic where Van is sporadic regular at a coffee shop.

Part 1

Part 2 

Saturday morning.

You’ve already baked cinnamon buns and the peacan pie by time Carly officially opens up the café at 8. The smell of freshly baked goods circling the shop, Carly hums in appreciation, hovering in the kitchen to see what she can rob for breakfast.

Toby arrives at half 8, Carly all too gladly standing back from the coffee machine. He hovers by the kitchen door a few minutes later, thanking you again for last night while you’re pulling a tray of breakfast muffins out of the oven.

“Sure you didn’t lose something?” You ask him, he only blinks, a questioning ‘no?’, and you tug his keys from your pocket.

“Are they my- shit, where’d you find them?!”

Fragmented story telling about last night, about Van, between serving customers. You still feel a rush of lightheadedness when you think about last night, think about Van. Heartbeat kicking up in a weird little pitter-patter rhythm - something you only associate with kittens and Hugh Grant films. Toby listens with a knowing smile, which you choose to ignore.

“Oh, and guess who Julia got off with last night?” You say, maybe to change the subject off Van, after he’s handed a takeaway cup to the last of the customers. He raises a how eyebrows, looking at you with interest. Toby liked to act like he wasn’t interested in the gossip, stories swapped between you and Julia on long shifts - but you always caught him half listening, weighing in with his own comments if asked.

But before you can dish out the gossip on who you had walked in on in your kitchen this morning, Julia herself stomps through the door.

“Speak of the devil,” you mumble with a smirk while Toby playfully hisses at her as she walks past “Ey, what time do you call this then?”

It’s 9, she’s an hour late. She had told you this morning she’d cleared it with Carly, when you had brought her water and painkillers. More as a front to question her on who you had found in the kitchen than being concerned for her head. She’d seen through it and buried herself under her duvet when you entered her room.

“Piss off,” she hisses back, taking off her sunglasses. No makeup and too much perfume, the telltale signs of a rough night. “And don’t even start you!” Pointing her sunglasses at you, your smug smile. You only hold your hands up to with a lingering smirk. Toby’s eyes flickering between you both.

The bell hanging from the door rings, drawing your attention back to the till as two mums with buggies and toddlers make their way in, the screeches of excited children make Julia shudder.

“Jesus Christ, kids shouldn’t be allowed out in public until at least midday on weekends,” she huffs under her breath and makes a beeline for the staff room. A chuckle - calling after her, telling her you had left breakfast muffins in the oven. The perfect combination of savory and sweet - the best hangover cure. Apart from more alcohol that is.

You’re loading up a tray with hot chocolates and coffees for the mums and kids when Julia re-emerges from the back room, taking a bite out of the muffin in her hand with a groan of your name, telling you that you were a lifesaver.

“Sure you can manage these? No more bad luck leftover? Need a side of salt?” Toby teases while handing you the tray over the counter, you roll your eyes - telling him not to remind you of yesterday’s disasters.

“So, wild night at the pub quiz I hear,” you hear Toby turning back to Julia while you walk away, biting down on the inside of your cheek to suppress a smile. Recalling her texts.

You make your way out front to the terrace where the noisy kids have taken up residence at one of the tables, except now their shrieks seem to be in despair rather than delight. One of the women standing out on the path while the other is desperately trying to calm the boys, one already in tears. Inconsolable.

“Oh, what’s happened?!” You ask, a frown while setting the tray on their table.

“Pebbles ran away!” The older of the boys wail while pointing down the road. It’s then that you notice the abandoned dog leash on the ground beside your foot, one end under the seat of the chair, the other end clipped onto a collar.

“He must have wriggled out, a lad’s gone running after him - I hope-“ the woman is cut off by the younger boy’s screech of “There! Pebbles!!”

You follow his gaze, almost shaking your head and laughing - it’s Van, of course it’s fucking Van to the rescue. Sauntering back down the path with the runaway Yorkshire terrier in his arms, licking at his face.

You watch the look of adoration in the women’s eyes as he carries the dog back up to the table, the gleeful sounds of the kids. His smile widens once he spots you, hovering.

“Alright lids, see he’s fine! Just a little messer ain’t he?!” Van eases, dropping down on his haunches to hold the dog while the mum fiddles with adjusting the collar.

Ducking back inside while the chorus of ‘thank yous’ surround Van, grabbing a couple of chocolate chip cookies and pain au chocolats, sugar for the shock.

Once you set the treats down on the table, the boys wipe the end of their tears from their eyes. Sounds of delight resurface, something their mothers echo when you tell them not to worry, that the cookies and crossiants are on the house.

Van follows you back inside after high fiving the boys, winking at the women and blowing a kiss at the dog - who seemed rather taken with him. Holding the door open for you.

“You’re in early, thought rockstars didn’t get up ‘til noon,” you say as he follows you in. Eyes a little bloodshot, voice a little husky - but other than that he didn’t share any of Julia’s hangover symptoms. You wonder what kind of drinker he is.

“Eh, never been good at the whole rockstar thing me.” A lazy grin, reaching the counter where Julia stops mid rant about how bacon absolutely belongs in muffins. Their eyes lock, mirrored smirks - sharing the same secrets.

“Think you have someone that belongs to me, love.” He chuckles.

Julia hums in response, “think I’ll hang onto him a bit longer.”

You bite back a smile. This morning, walking into your kitchen at sunrise only to be greeted with a scruffy, bearded man. Vaguely familiar, from the countless interviews and live performances you had binged on YouTube. He was leaning against the kitchen counter, unbuttoned shirt and undone jeans, hand buried in his hair, staring blankly at the floor tiles. Clearly in the midst of a hangover from hell, possibly going through the fear. You could smell the stale alcohol.

“Er, morning?” You said quietly, blue eyes flickering up, a crooked smile, and a rasped “Mornin’, love.”

Like it was the most natural thing for him to be standing in your kitchen, like it was his kitchen even.

“Are you looking for sommat or?” You opened the fridge, glancing back over him. Hoping he wasn’t about to puke all over the place. He had that look.

“Yeah, just the last shreds of me dignity.. and anything.. cold, please... fuck,” he grumbles, pressing his head into his hands. You almost felt sorry for him, then you remembered the videos and messages from Julia last night and hide a smile by looking back into the fridge. Jug of iced water and a pint glass, handing him the full glass before rooting through the medicine drawer, painkillers.

“Aye, you’re a fuckin’ godsent, thanks angel.” Taking the painkillers and water from you. “Can see why Van’s so fond of you, coffee girl.”

There’s a lot of unpack in that sentence, and it was way too early. So you simply blink and watch him take the pills.

“Coffee girl?” You question eventually, arms crossing.

His eyes drift back over to you, grimacing while he sips on the water. “Aye, you work down the café, wi’ Julia, reet?”

You knew you shouldn’t have, but when opportunity arises, you can’t help it. Winding him up. It’s a rare morning you’re in a good mood, able to communicate in more that one syllable words.

“No? Dunno what you’re on about mate, Julia works down the cafè.. heard her mentioned someone called Van a few times, seemed like they had a thing, yeah?”

A flash of panic in his eyes, practically hearing the flurry of curse words going through his head. The prospect of the fact he’s probably shagged someone his best mate is ‘fond of’. Quirking a brow while he stared.

“Nah, she said.. You.. fuck.. fuck me,” a string of grumbles, clearly trying and failing to get his head straight - remember what had happened last night, what Julia had told him. Hands patting down his jeans, pulling out his phone with a heavy sigh. He curses at the screen. “Fuck, Van’s gon-“

“Hey,” you decide to put him out of his misery. He was growing paler by the second, and you were getting more and more worried about the prospect of cleaning up puke. “I’m just messin’ with ya.”

Realisation hitting - eye narrowing at you, telling him your name, confirming that you were indeed the coffee girl who worked with Julia. He shakes his head, a gruff noise and crooked smirk.

“Jesus, threw me for a loop there... well played, my dear... I like you already,” holding out his first, “Am Johnny,” he says while you knock your knuckles against his. You refrain from telling him you knew that already.

“Well, he’s kinda crucial in our band and that, so afraid I get first dibs, darlin’” Van’s voice drags you back to the present.

“So you’re saying you’re going on tour again soon, eh?” Julia tilts her head.

A breathy little laugh - “Bands do more than just tour, yanno?”

“You do realise the internet is a thing, Van - we could literally google your tour dates right now and find out. So your mysterious bullshit ain’t flying anymore.” She rolls her eyes, another bite of her muffin.

Since finding out he was in Catfish, neither of you had ever thought about checking on the tour dates, when he came he came and when he left he left, and that’s that. No wondering if he’d show up when the tour was up. Simple, no attachments. You and Julia even named a local stray cat after Van who you fed from time to time when he came snooping around the bins outside, the easiness of coming and going.

So why were your fingers suddenly itching for your phone.

“Ah, love! Why ruin the little mystery that’s left then? Like I said - we do other stuff too, could have label stuff to do, graftin the next album... cheers, mate.” Trailing off once Toby slides his caramel latte over the counter, something he had got him hooked on a year or so ago. “Fuckin missed this.” He says as if every other coffee shop has yet to discover caramel.

“So yous are doing a new album then, that it?” Julia persists, rolling your eyes at her blatant attempts at winding him up. But he catches on, a lazy grin, licking his lips.

“Ain’t ya too hungover to be fuckin’ with us like this?” He calls her out, a smirk.

She shrugs while her eyes slide over to the elderly couple that come in every morning, sitting in their usual spot. Calling over to them that their tea and scones are on the way, fond calls back of ‘take your time, pet.’ telling Van she’s not finished with him before heading into the back to get a teapot.

“What happened last night anyways?” Toby interjects, bemused look across his features. Completely left out of the loop, obviously not getting anything out of Julia when you left them a while ago.

Taking the opportunity to pull up Julia’s messages - putting you phone down on the counter between the three of you. The video is obviously taken at the time of the night where all rational thoughts are lost to drinks. Loud music, girls screams - background static, Johnny Bond stood at the bar, downing three consecutive shots of what you assume is tequila, Julia’s giggles soundtrack while following him out the smoking area, turning back to the camera and taking off his cap with slur of ‘mind this for me, love’ before he proceeds to do a handstand against a wall for 15 seconds. Confused onlookers as Julia counts it out.

Amused sounds - Toby and Van, Julia passing back around the counter in search of scones for the couple, she glances over your shoulder at the video.

“Ey, anyone who does a handstand after 3 shots of tequila without vomming earns their space in my bed.”

There’s another video from about 20 minutes later of Larry stood on a table, Kylie Minogue blaring, and he’s doing an enthused rendition of the Can’t Get You Outta my Head dance mixed with a bit of the Macarena. Cheers erupting around him, wolf whistles.

Van - a rasped cackle, “send that one onto me, that’s too good! Never gon let him live that one down!”

You watch him while he watches the video again a few times over. His eyelashes nearly brushing his cheeks when he looks down, fingers restlessly tapping against his coffee mug, soft chuckles. Feeling Toby give you a nudge, a wink when you look up. Letting you know he caught you, shaking your head with your best ‘fuck off’ eyes.

“So why were you making the lads humiliate themselves for your entertainment then?” Toby asks Julia once she circles back around the counter

“‘Cause, the lads bet me that they’d beat us at the pub quiz,” she explains, helping herself to another muffin. “Johnny spent half the time outside smoking, and Van and Larry fuckin’ argued over every question and ended up writing down bullshit made up answers.”

Toby asks where Van’s forfeit video is, you’re only half listening now - taking orders of the few people who just came in, but you zone back in once you hear your name mentioned.

“-and after I told him she was workin’ late closing up, never seen anyone down their pint so quickly, what was the excuse again, Van? Jet lag was it?”

Glancing up at that to find him already looking at you, catching his eye, his lips tilt making his dimple pop out. It lasts less than a second, your eyes darting back down to the pecan pie you’re cutting. Feeling your cheeks warm up. He never mentioned that he had run into Julia at the pub last night, remembering how he just said he was on his way home. Although, you were half sure it did have nothing do with you, more likely he was just sick of Julia’s drunken bullshit.

“Nah, just quite like that pub and want to be able to show me face in there again, innit.” He tells her, a laugh.

You grab a basin and walk away to start to clear tables, not really wanting to hear anymore of Julia’s torments. You’re happier zoning out, getting lost in your own thoughts, smiling and small talk with a few regulars. On you’re way back to the kitchen when you hear Van again as you walk past, catching your elbow.

“You in then too, Glasvegas?”

“Sorry, what?” Turning back to him, you had been thinking if Julia would be up for getting chipper on the way home after the pub tonight. You were already craving garlic cheese chips.

“Coming down Cassidy’s tonight? Van’s buying first round for being a pussy last night.” Julia quips, and you look from him to her. Fuck, remembering Van’s confession about wanting to buy you a drink last night. Julia’s looking at with you a smug expression, knowing you can’t get out of this one. You and her always went out on Saturday night’s - either just the two of you, or a group of friends. But going to the pub with Van and his mates, your heart skips a few beats, uneasiness. You give her a look before letting your eyes slide back to Van, an expectant look, finishing off his cinnamon bun.

“Er, I dunno..”

“Dunno if you’re up for going to the pub? Like we don’t go out every Saturday night?” Julia tilts her head, feigning mock innocence. You knew what she was doing, and you glare. A non-verbal ‘you’re being a dick.”

“Well, er, it’s been a long week.. yanno. I’m kinda tired.. was thinkin’ of staying in and having a quiet one,” you’re backing slowly into the kitchen as you say this, feeble excuses. “And I’m.. I’m trying to save some and that.”

“So me and you will do pre-drinks at ours,” Julia pushes, entertaining your excuses to a certain extent, but not letting you get out of it.

“And I’m buying first round,” Van adds.

“So, it’s just one drink really.” Julia confirms.

“Jus’ one drink.” Van reaffirms.

“Just one drink?” You say, somewhat defeated.

Toby glances up from the coffee machine, a chuckle. “Now when’s the last time anyone went out and actually had just one drink?”

Van leaves a little while later, Toby giving him a tray of coffees for Larry and Bondy if he’d yet ventured back from your place, you sending him off with a bag of hangover cures in form of pastries and cakes.

He came back in a few minutes later, forgetting his stamp on his loyalty card.

“2 down, eight to go. Cheers, see yas later.” He walked back out, a spring in his step. You turned to Julia.

“What the fuck, Jules?! Will you leave us alone and stop tryin’ to setup me up with Van fuckin’ McCann!” Exasperated tone, she only shook her head and giggled. “S’not funny! He probably already has a girlfriend and you’re here makin’ us look desperate!”

“Dunno what you’re on about, babe!” She says while heading out to clean up the terrace, humming matchmaker matchmaker under her breath. She turns back to you as she reaches the door “Oh, and he deffo doesn’t have a girlfriend, found that out last night for ya. You’re welcome!” She beams, all but skipping out the door.

You somehow resist the urge to chuck the tea towel in your hands at her head.

#part3 will prob be later today or tomorz I spilt it up becaus it was getting way too long #anyway yeah #vanfic #catb fanfics #Van McCann fanfic

[levis-hazelnut]

Summary: when you and your best friend, Hanji, were younger, you had made up stories about your dream guys - what they would look like and how you would meet. What happens when the one you had made up appears to be real?

Warning(s): I don’t think there are any in this chapter. But, please do tell me if there are any.

Taglist (closed): @castellandiangelo @fandom-addict19​ @20coldhearts​

Status: completed!

part 8 > part 9 > part 10

series masterlist

"Why in the fucking hell have you been avoiding me?" Levi snapped, but it wasn't too angrily. I fidgeted with my fingers as my gaze stayed on the carpet of the room as if it would talk for me.

"... I don't know," I murmured, feeling awkward like I predicted it to be. "I guess I'm just... scared." I heard a sigh emanate from his lips and he unfolded his arms, taking a step closer to me as he realised he may have been too harsh on me. I caught the action but didn't do anything about it. I mean, what would I do? "Scared of what?" he asked in a more gentle tone, but it was still laced with slight annoyance. "Scared that I would be annoyed with you for no reason whatsoever? Scared that Petra is going to hate you? Scared that I'm going to be like your previous dickhead boyfriend? What are you scared of?"

"All of that, actually," I confessed, looking up at him to see his beautiful face that I was deprived of for nearly three weeks. "After finding out about... everything, I just wasn't certain that everything is going to work out like a fairytale. There was a chance of you being annoyed with me, but that was just idiot me being stupid. Petra assured me many times that she won't hate me for anything. And you... you have proved that you aren't going to be like my jerk of an ex. Now that I really think about it, I have nothing to be afraid of," I said with a soft smile touching my lips. "You're damn right, you idiot." He rolled his eyes, taking another step closer. "I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours, so I don't know where you get these shitty thoughts from. But you better get rid of them, there's no reason for you to be scared of anything. Stop being a coward and do what you want without your thoughts stopping you." My smile widened at his words, but I was still waiting for certain words that I want to come out of his mouth. Not all this sh*t about me being stupid. I mean, it's helpful, but it's not what I want right now. "... Sorry for sounding so harsh, but you needed to hear that so you can change for the future." "It wasn't that harsh. You should hear the scoldings I get from Hanji." "Whatever. I didn't exactly drag you here just to talk about you being dumb..." he pointed out, taking two more steps and he was right in front of me, close enough to touch me. And he did just that - he cupped my face with one hand, a soft and tender expression conquering his visage. I reluctantly leaned into his touch, gazing at his features that just happened to look so much more attractive in this moment as he leaned in closer to my face, both of our eyes lidding.

Then, his lips came in contact with mine. If my heart was beating rapidly before, I have no idea how fast it was going now but it did feel like it was going to jump out of my chest. I just know that it could probably be heard in this empty room, and Levi probably felt it when he snaked an arm around my waist, drawing me closer to him. My fingers nonchalantly reached up to tangle in his ebony locks that were oh so silky. I have always wanted to tangle my fingers in his hair and tug on it to get a reaction. That's what I did, and in return, I got a faint moan. His voice is so soft and the best thing ever? Bitch, please, that sound just now was ethereal and I needed to hear it again. Levi asked for an entrance to my mouth and I decided to tease him (as always), however, he sharply nipped on my lower lip which caused me to gasp softly. He took the chance and his tongue slipped into my wet cavern, where we battled. It's like we can never stop challenging each other, we have to annoy each other for no reason, argue for no reason, and now we have a tongue battle for no reason. He won (as always) the tongue battle and instead of his tongue exploring me, his hand travelled over my figure, making me shiver under his touch. Unfortunately, we needed to pull away from the passionate kiss for that damn thing called oxygen. My eyes were still closed as I lightly panted, taking in what just happened. A smirk edged onto my lips once it sunk in and I unlidded my eyes to find Levi staring at me as our faces were still in close proximity. Why is he so damn sexy? Please, whatever god is up there, I need to ask why you gave this man to me. I seriously don't deserve him, no matter what anyone says. "(Y/N)," he uttered softly after licking his lips, and I hummed to show I was listening. He barely says my name, and in that husky, low and gentle tone he just said it in now was something I never want to forget. "Tomorrow, at six o'clock, you better be ready." "Okay," I grinned, kissing his nose as I've always wanted to do. "Also, I'm pretty sure some people just saw us kiss," he stated, using his head to gesture to behind me where the door was. There was a small window in the door and there were many eyes watching. When I turned around, I noticed Jean, Hanji, Farlan, Isabel, Connie, Sasha, Armin, Historia and Lucius grinning at us (well, not Lucius). There were also some of Levi's fangirls (and maybe my fanboys since Levi claims I'm a celebrity like him).

I giggled softly and shook my head, removing my hands from Levi and taking a small step back as he walked towards the door. I followed after him and got ready to glare at Jean, knowing he was the one who brought everyone here. As soon as the door opened, squeals sounded as they all exclaimed different things we could barely apprehend. "(Y/N)!!!!" Hanji pushed through everyone that had crowded around and brought me into a tight embrace. I groaned and rolled my eyes, hesitantly putting my arms around her. "I'm so happy! You've waited so long for this to happen!" I nervously laughed, not wanting Levi to know that I've liked him since he appeared. He lifted an eyebrow in my direction and I mouthed the words: 'help me' when Hanji still had me in her life-threatening hold. "Oi, Shitty Glasses, you're going to kill her." "Awwww, Shorty!!!" she screeched, pulling him into a hug now. "You're so cute!!" I laughed at his face and he shot me a glare, which seemed to have no effect on me as I continued to chuckle. He was finally able to shove the brunette lunatic off of him and took my hand, deciding to just barge past every idiot. We were able to make it out of there without them chasing after us like some predators. "... So you've waited for a long time for this? How long is a 'long time'?" "Uh, maybe... eight months?" I muttered, refusing to meet his eyes because I knew he would be smirking and he would just want to annoy the hell out of me. "So since we met?" he inquired, and I nodded. "You're telling me all this fucking time when I wondered who you like, it was me?" "Yes." "And is that why you didn't want to date Lucius?" "Yes." "I'm surprised you didn't expose yourself. Apart from that time when you were about to say it but stopped yourself. And you thought it was wrong in a way because I was with Petra?" "Yes." "And I heard from Petra that you helped her to get into a relationship with me even though you liked me at the time. Is that true?" "Yes." He smirked, seeing me act shy, which is something he rarely sees. "You're quiet now that I've found out who you like." "Where are we going, by the way? We're just walking," I said, brushing his statement to the side and regaining my confidence. "I don't know. I just wanted to get away from everyone," he replied, realising that he was still holding my hand, which was sweating. "Hey, why are you nervous? You don't need to be so tense." "I'm not nervous," I retorted. "Explain that to your drenched hand, darlin'," he snorted and I clicked my tongue, yanking my hand from his hold to flick his forehead, which caused him to briefly frown before he got hold of my hand again. "Shut up, prick." "Good. Now, you're back to normal." "Where are we actually going?" "I still don't know. But we're like a minute away from your apartment." "Don't you want to go home?" "You're finally speaking to me after like three weeks, I'm not going anywhere." "Aw, I never knew you would be the kind of person that always wants love and attention." "I'm not." "Whatever you say, Mr Moody. Hm. I'm going to love annoying you even more now." "Why do I even like you?" "Because I'm the best person ever who is very lovable and amazing." "Not one word you just said is true." "Shut it, Ackerman. You're not exactly--" I cut myself off, thinking what Levi wasn't since he's seriously the best fucking person to live. "Are you lost for words because I'm amazing in every way possible?" "No... I just didn't want to hurt your feelings." "Say what you want, darlin'." I rolled my eyes and fished my keys out of my bag to unlock the door. Once it was open, both of us stepped in, slipping our shoes off before I locked the door. We strolled to the living room and Levi sat down on the sofa. I was about to walk away but he grabbed my hand, pulling me onto him and I ended up on his lap, straddling him. He smirked, taking hold of my chin to tilt my head before moulding his lips with mine.

If dating Levi Ackerman meant getting kisses like these every ten minutes, I'm going to be living in heaven. I wonder if he was like this with Petra, or am I special? I sighed in delight when I felt his fingers sneak up my shirt and trace over my bare torso as his other hand travelled up my back to tangle in my tresses. My hands cupped either side of his face with my thumbs resting on his cheekbones. "AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" My eyes snapped open at the sudden outburst and my lips parted from Levi's as my forehead rested against his. I huffed before getting off of his lap, looking at Hanji, Jean and Eren who decided to walk into the apartment without saying anything. "What the hell are you guys doing?" I snapped at them, meeting all of their eyes. My eyes lingered on Eren's for a bit longer than the other two before I frowned and didn't focus on any of them. "You could've at least said something instead of letting that kettle over there explode," I scolded them, motioning to Hanji, who was the aforementioned kettle. "Sorry, sorry!! Both of you are just so adorable!" Both of us clicked our tongues and I rolled my eyes.  "We came here to get away from people. So get the hell out." "Darlin', calm down," Levi said quietly before smirking. "You have a bedroom, don't you?" My eyes widened and I lifted my hand to slap him. "Hey, hey, hey, I was joking, you idiot. That's taking things too fast." "I bet you didn't say that to the many girls you--" "Oi, don't talk about that," he told me with a scowl. I guess it was a sensitive topic since he was probably annoyed at himself for being like that. Everything was now silent in the room. The three that were standing had no idea about what was going on, the raven next to me seemed to be thinking about his past, and I felt bad for bringing it up. No words were needed since there was nothing to ask about (other than what me and Levi were talking about but it's not like they were going to find out). "... Stop looking at me like that. You don't need to feel pity for me," he spoke in a light tone and tousled my hair, showing that he wasn't annoyed. "What are you guys talking about?" "Nothing, Shitty Glasses. Anyway, I think I'm going to go home," Levi announced as he stood up. "Oh, we can go if you want," Hanji suggested. "No, I didn't plan on staying long. I just wanted to get away from everyone that decided to snoop on us." "Sorry, that was my fault," Jean confessed. "It's fine. I'll see all of you later." Levi left the room and I followed after him, walking him to the door. I opened the door for him and he stepped out, turning around to face me. "You're being rather calm and kind today," I stated, leaning against the door as I held it open. "Well," he began, leaning towards me to peck my lips. "Your lips seem to put me in a good mood." "I doubt that but whatever you say, Ackerman... I'll see you tomorrow." "Six o'clock. Don't forget." "Okay." "You better not give me some shitty excuse about falling asleep." I laughed lightly. "I won't. Now, get your ass out of here." "Bye, darlin'." I smiled at him before he left, closing and locking the door behind him. Once I turned around, I saw three heads poking out from behind a wall. I giggled and ran towards them, jumping into them. "Ahh, I'm so happy!" I squealed as I clung onto Eren, who chuckled softly. "I never knew you liked Levi," Jean said with a frown. "Since when?" "Since we were--" I cut Hanji off since only Eren is allowed to know that we made him up.

"Since he joined our uni, I guess..." I told him, pulling away from Eren. "What?! Why did you never tell me?!" "Because I only trust Eren and Hanji, no matter how much of a big mouth she has." "And you call me your friend..." the teenager shook his head in disappointment and I smiled at him. "Oh, shut up, you know I love you." "(Y/N)! You haven't told me what happened!" Hanji demanded. "All we saw was you two kiss but we couldn't hear what you said." "I don't know if I will," I smirked, walking away from them and entering my bedroom, however, I left the door open so they all followed me. "Tell meeeeee!! Why was Shorty in such a good mood?" "I don't know~" I sang teasingly, enjoying Hanji's reaction. "Also, Eren, you haven't said anything. Are you annoyed?" "No." "Don't tell me you're still suspicious of him." "I'm not. I don't know. I'm happy for you, of course, but I just don't feel right." "Well, you said you don't think Levi was a good person at the start and you were clearly proved wrong. What's wrong now?" "He's jealous~!" Hanji exclaimed, hugging Eren's arm, and he frowned, attempting to shake her off as he felt his face heat up. "N-No, I'm not. Why would I be?" "Hanji, what idiocy are you talking about now?" I spat. "It's not idiocy, it's the truth!" she insisted. "People always point out how you have many fans. So how can the male closest to you not develop feelings for you?" I have to admit, she was making sense. But, this was Eren we were talking about. He wouldn't let himself fall for his best friend... Right? I flitted my eyes to Eren to see he was staring at the carpet in my room. I could see the pink hue on his cheeks and the way he avoided to look at me so I decided to question him. "Eren...?" I spoke, gaining his attention as Hanji led Jean out of my room, giving both of us some privacy. "Was Hanji saying the truth?" "... No..." he muttered before sighing and locking his eyes with mine that expressed disbelief. "... Fine. I did have feelings for you. But that was a few months ago, I don't anymore. I mean, there may have been other times when I think differently of you but I get over it every time. Don't worry, I'm not jealous. I honestly just feel like something's not right." "Well, thank you for being honest with me. And whatever's bothering you, I'm sure it's nothing. Just let me be happy because I'm finally dating my dream guy." "Yeah, I'm not going to ruin that for you. I'm not going to lie, you and Levi are actually cute together. I haven't seen you this happy in so long. And I know Levi will treat you right and I'm glad you met him." I gave him a soft smile and neared him, draping my arms around him and pressing my cheek against his chest as I closed my eyes, feeling his arms reciprocate the hug. "... I love you so much, Eren," I uttered quietly. "Love you, too," he replied, resting his chin at the top of my head. "Am I talking to the Eren that has feelings for me, or the one that's my best friend?" I asked jokingly, parting from the embrace. "Your best friend," he spoke with a small laugh. "Come on. Let's go to Jean and Hanji." I walked out of my room with Eren following me as we entered the living room where the two sat on the sofa, glancing at us. They saw the smile on my face and knew everything was okay.  The rest of the day, we just hung out like we would in secondary school, laughing, talking about shit no one would understand. However, seeing as how we all had lectures tomorrow (in the morning as well *eye roll*), we decided not to stay up too late (they ended up leaving at midnight). That night, I was able to sleep peacefully with a smile and nothing to worry about. ~/~ 17:38 That was the time. Twenty minutes until the time I had to be ready, and I'm guessing Levi, being the punctual asshole he is, will be outside the apartment at exactly six. However, as he predicted, I may or may have not fallen asleep and only had less than half an hour to get ready. I quickly sat up in my bed, chucking the covers off of my form as I ran my fingers through my hair, thinking what to wear. Ugh, why didn't I think about this earlier?

"(Y/N)! Wake-- Oh, you're awake. Isn't Levi coming in like twenty minutes?" Hanji said as she swung my door open. "Yes. I need clothes. Hanji, please help." "Of course! What kind of bestie would I be if I didn't help you get ready for your first date?" "Thank you so much," I sighed, getting out of my bed and opening the doors to my wardrobe. So many clothes to choose from. What outfit is the right one? "What kind of clothes do you want to wear? Girly, casual, comfy, sophisticated, etcetera..." "Um... Casual, I guess." She nodded, looking through my clothes with narrowed eyes and a thoughtful expression. Damn, she was serious about finding me the perfect clothes. After about two minutes, her whole face beamed up as she chucked some clothing at me. I blinked a couple of times, holding it up. It was a simple, white crop top hoodie and a pair of dark grey skinny jeans. I don't know if I felt like it so I stared at it for a moment, thinking if I wanted to wear it. "(Y/N), you have less than twenty minutes. Hurry up." "... Okay," I responded after concluding that this was the outfit I wanted. I shooed Hanji out of my room and changed into the clothes she chose for me. I looked in the mirror, feeling content with it until I glanced at my hair. It was a lost cause. Since I had only woken up about ten minutes ago, my hair looked like a nest and I still looked like I just woke up. I decided to go freshen up and brush my teeth since I'm certain my breath wasn't pleasant after sleeping. I came out of the bathroom and went to my bedroom, seeing I had exactly eight minutes left until six. Now was the time to rush. I did my hair and makeup to my liking, and when I was ready, I stuffed all the things I needed into a small purse. I sprayed myself with perfume and left my room, turning the light off as I padded through the corridor, slipping on my converses. Hanji spotted me in the corridor when she came out of the living room and grinned at me as I stared at my phone, checking the time and seeing Levi's messages, telling me he was outside. 18:02 Only two minutes. I'm proud of myself. "Have fun~!" "I'll tell you about it when I come back," I told her, seeing her grin widen. I left, shutting the door behind me and locking it before going down the stairs. Just before I stepped out of the building, I took a deep breath then stepped out, letting the warm, evening air engulf me as I spotted Levi's car parked in front of me and he leaned on it, scrolling through his phone until he locked it and looked up at me. I gave him a small smile, suddenly feeling nervousness spreading throughout my body. As I stood there, I took in his attire, which was a maroon dress shirt over a black t-shirt that was exposed because of the buttons that weren't done up. With that, he wore black jeans. "... You done staring, darlin'?" I slightly widened my eyes and realised I was gaping for too long. But seriously, the black shirt he wore underneath the dress shirt showed his perfectly, sculptured abs. I playfully rolled my eyes and approached him as he stepped away from the car, opening the passenger's door for me. I thanked him as I sat down and he shut the door before rounding the car and sitting in the driver's seat. I didn't know what to say so I quietly sat there as he began to drive, hoping that the raven would speak up instead. "I'm surprised you weren't asleep." "Haha, I actually was. I woke up about twenty minutes before you came." "I don't get how you can sleep so much even if you had a good amount of sleep." "Well, I didn't get enough sleep last night." "Were you too busy thinking of me?" "Don't flatter yourself," I retorted with a cocked eyebrow. "Jean and Eren stayed until late, so I wasn't able to sleep until they left, which was midnight." "Idiot," he whispered under his breath, and I glared at him. Though, his eyes were on the road.

"Shut up. It's not my fault," I scowled before silence took over again. "... What are we doing, by the way?" "Mini-golf. Grab takeaway. Chill at mine." "Hm. I like that idea," I smiled. "How did you know I would like what you planned?" "You were the one that claimed that I know everything about you. I guess I do." My smile widened. There's so much to remember about me and my life, it's impressive that he remembered small details. I guess he chose mini golf because he knew that I always used to go with my dad when I was younger. Getting takeaway and relaxing at home was something I loved to do, so it was probably obvious that I would like that. "Ackerman?" "Hm?" "Since when did you... like me?" "Why do you want to know?" "You know how long I have." "... To be honest, about two months after we met. But then that was around the time you introduced me to Petra and we started to hang out less. Unlike you, a weirdo, Petra was normal and a kind-hearted person, and I don't know, I just liked being around her. But, after a while, I realised that I didn't want normal, I wanted... you," he muttered the last word, and even though it was dark, I could see the tip of his ears burning. "You're so adorable when you're shy," I blurted out. "Also, 'I wanted you'... Why do you have to be so--?" I cut myself off, not wanting to boost his ego so he could annoy me. There was just something about that sentence that made me fall for him even more (if that was possible). "So...?" "Nothing. Continue.” "Okay... It was my fault for initiating anything, and even though she says she's fine with us, she's obviously still hurt. I don't know how she found out that I like you, but it was about halfway through our relationship when I realised that even though you're a weirdo and perv, it's more fun than someone normal. Don't get me wrong, Petra is a really sweet girl, but she was too normal for me... Feelings and relationships are confusing as hell." "I know," I said as I stared out of the window, taking in everything Levi said. "I don't understand why my two relationships lasted four or five months. I mean, I guess I do get it - I felt like I was forcing things with Jean, and Reiner was a dickhead. But why can't I have a long-lasting relationship?" Levi was silent, thinking about my words. Maybe we'll have a long-lasting relationship. Unlike her two previous relationships, there's nothing wrong with us dating. And unlike mine, I don't have feelings for anyone else. It was another five minutes until we reached the mini-golf site, and those five minutes were spent in a comfortable silence as both of us were drowned in our thoughts. "Hey? Darlin'?" "Sorry?" I spoke, turning my head away from the window to look at the male beside me. "We're here," he told me with a microscopic smile. "Oh, right." I grabbed my purse and opened the door, stepping out of the car before shutting the door. Levi locked his car and approached me with a certain glint in his eyes. I mentally smiled and reluctantly reached for his hand, my small fingers intertwining with his and he tightened the hold on my hand. Without my permission, a full-on grin sprung onto my lips as I mused on the fact that I was going on an actual date with Levi Ackerman. "What are you smiling about?" the short male inquired. "..." "Oi. You look like a creep now," he said when I didn't say anything, and only kept on grinning. "Hey, are you okay?" A frown wandered its way onto his face and he poked my cheek. Well, I always seem to love to just zone out so maybe he shouldn't be too concerned. I blinked twice, not realising I had just zoned out. "... I'm fine." "Are you sure?" "Yep," I assured him with a nod. He raised an eyebrow and I smiled up at him, causing a smile of his own to appear since he found mine adorable as fuck. ~/~ A light chuckle emanated from his lips when I attempted to hit the golf ball, but failed miserably. I may have gotten rusty over the years because years ago, I was remarkable. The raven came behind me, his torso barely brushing my back and I tried to fight back the blush. Since when did I act like a flustered schoolgirl around boys I liked?

His arms looped around me to hold the golf club my fingers were wrapped around. He then spoke, his breath caressing my neck and ear, "I swear, if you miss this, it's going to be hard for me to believe that you used to win tournaments. It's literally a millimetre away from the pocket and I'm helping you, so you better not fuck this up." I scoffed, lightly pushing him away from me but that didn't stop him from invading my personal space. "I do not need help, thank you very much. And that is not a millimetre, idiot, it's like a foot." "Shut up and take the shot; this is the last one." "If I get it in, what do I get in return?" "Another date." "Really? So you had fun?" "... Yes. Just hurry up." "Okay," I grinned. I took the shot and it went in. Obviously. Because I'm amazing. "Well done, darlin'. And before you say anything - yes, we are getting food now." I giggled and walked beside him as we went back to his car, deciding on what to eat. "I honestly don't mind. Pick whatever," I stated. "You better not complain about what I pick." "I won't. You know I'm not fussy with food, I'll literally eat anything." After some additional thinking, Levi asked if I felt like Chinese. Of course, no one could ever say no to that, so we got takeaway from the best Chinese restaurant I've been to before we drove to his apartment. "Isabel and Farlan aren't here, by the way," Levi informed me as he parked a short distance away. Both of us got out of the car and the male with steel orbs held the bag of our food. "Where did they go?" "I have no idea. But they both immediately decided to go out when I told them about our date." I smiled at the gesture. "Aw, they're so cute. I guess I'll need to thank them."

Levi unlocked the door and let me go inside first as he followed me, locking the door before taking his shoes off. I strolled towards the living room and flicked the light switch, illuminating the room. "You better not make a mess, brat." "Clean freak," I mumbled as I sat down next to him on the sofa. "What'd you say?" his inquired, narrowing his eyes. "Nothing, Shorty," I grinned with a wink. "Tch. Do you want to watch anything?" he asked, giving me my food and a fork. He stood up and went to the kitchen before coming back with two glasses and a bottle of soda. "I don't mind." "Are there any other words in your dictionary, other than 'I don't mind'?" "Well, I'll be happy with whatever which is why I say that most of the time." "Why are you so... not fussy?" "Why is that a bad thing?" I laughed. “And you only say that because you haven’t spent a specific day with me.” "What day?" "You'll know when it comes," I smiled, causing him to feel a bit uneasy. "You're making it sound like you become some beast or something." "Haha, you're not wrong." "You're scaring the hell out of me. Just tell me what and when it is." "I'm only going to tell you when it is. It might be next week." "Okay... I'm avoiding you for the next week." "Oi! You're so rude-- Hey, wait, I swear next week is our last week of the year." "Yeah." "So we have holidays. Oh my god. We're going to be in our second year of uni in a few months. Damn, time goes too fast. I don't even have plans." "Well, we have another date to plan. But I'm doing that after next week because I don't want to see you in beast mode." "Oh, yeah, I was meant to be shouting at you for being rude... You're so rude, you prick!" "I know, darlin'." "You know, if you add a 'g' at the end, you'll sound less like an asshole and more like a sweetheart." "Which is exactly why I won't add the 'g'."

"Jerk," I murmured before drinking the cool beverage in my glass.  We continued to eat while conversing about random shit that before we both cleared the coffee table that resided in front of the sofa.

I plopped down next to him on the sofa and rested my head on his shoulder, tucking my legs in on the sofa as an unexpected yawn left my mouth. "Why do I suddenly feel so tired?" I muttered, closing my eyes. "Do you want to go home?" Levi inquired softly. I shook my head, wanting to spend more time with him. "Are you sure?" "Yep. I'm just going to close my eyes for two minutes." Two minutes turned into twenty and I fell asleep without meaning to. "Hey?" Levi whispered, nudging me ever so lightly but I didn't open my eyes. "Darlin'?" he said quietly again, poking my cheek and I didn't awaken. "Two minutes, my ass," he murmured. The short raven found it difficult to move since my whole body was now leaning against his. About ten minutes later, Levi heard the opening of the front door which meant that Isabel and Farlan were home. The blonde male came into sight with the female trailing behind him. They both stared at the view in front of them, grinning and mouthing 'aw's, causing the raven to roll his eyes. "Farlan, can you pick her up without waking her up?" "Yeah. Where should I lay her down?" "... Put her in my bed. I'll sleep here on the sofa." "Are you sure?" Levi nodded as Farlan scooped me up and carried me to Levi's bed. Levi and Farlan shared a room as Isabel had her own, which made Isabel question if Levi was okay with Farlan sleeping in the same room as me. "Farlan won't do anything to anger me, it's fine." "Okay, then. Also, you seem different with (Y/N). Like, you treat her differently to Petra. Not in a bad way, though, you're more... caring and cute!" "Tch. Whatever. I just don't get how she fell asleep when it's only ten o'clock and she had a nap earlier." "Leave her alone. She's a sweetheart and there's nothing wrong with sleeping," Isabel told her friend with a frown, seeming to take a strong liking to me. Farlan came back into the room, sitting down next to Levi. "Anyway, I'm tired because of uni so I'm going to head to bed." "Okay." "Night, Isabel," Farlan smiled and the hyper female left the room. "... You are more caring towards (Y/N)." "I'm not." "Why are you denying it? It's not necessarily a bad thing. I guess you like her a lot more than Petra." "... Yeah, I do. She's not like other girls," Levi admitted as he leaned back against the cushion of the sofa, staring up at the ceiling as his best friend smiled. "I never knew that someone like her would be my type. She's nothing like me." "You two are a kind of similar, she's just more happy and smiley. However, she acts tough, loves to tease and annoy people she values, gets annoyed at things but still isn't as bothered as she seems to be. Both of you are just big softies on the inside." "Tch. We aren't similar. She would never purposefully hurt someone, she does selfless acts even if it will hurt her, and she's just a--..." "What? Why did you pause?" "I sound like an idiot. Thinking about a girl I went on one date with." "But you've known her for longer, it's not anything weird." "I don't like it. I sound cheesy and not like me." Farlan chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Soon enough, you'll be all lovey-dovey with her." Levi snorted. "Never." The taller male smiled and stood up. "I'm going to have a shower and go to bed. Night, Levi." "Touch her and you'll be sorry," the raven threatened, half-serious, half-joking. He then sighed, getting up to grab a pillow and blanket before settling back onto the sofa. He turned the TV on, seeing as how he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

~/~ Blinking a few times, my vision cleared as my gaze bounced around the room I was in. I then sat up, confused since I remember falling asleep in the living room, beside Levi. I glanced at the bed on the other side of the room and saw Farlan's sleeping face. I tilted my head in question before laying back down, knowing Levi or Farlan must have moved me here. That meant Levi was probably on the sofa. A small huff left my lips as I searched the bed for my phone that must have fallen out of my pocket during my slumber. I soon found it and lifted it to my face, seeing six missed calls from Hanji, along with several messages from her and one from Levi. Of course, Hanji would be worried about me since she wasn't informed that I fell asleep and hadn't heard from me since I left for my date. I decided to respond to her troubled texts and put her mind at ease, telling her what happened. Once I did that, I checked what Levi sent me. 'Did Farlan do anything to you?’ I rolled my eyes at this before responding with a simple 'no'. I soon got out of bed and left the room quietly, so Farlan doesn't wake up. Entering the living room, I saw Levi lying down on the sofa, covered with a blanket as he was on his phone until he heard my small 'hey'. He turned his head to look at me and discarded his phone. "Sorry about falling asleep and making you sleep on the sofa." "I don't care. Go freshen up while I make breakfast." Why does it feel as if this is a normal morning routine? Like I've lived here for a long time. I guess I treated him the same when he stayed over at my apartment. I did as he said and realised how bad my bed hair was so I tugged my fingers through it as an attempt to fix it. But they decided to be stubborn and I gave up, walking out of the bathroom to meet Levi in the kitchen. I peeked over his shoulder to see what he was making and he glanced at me from the side, quickly pecking my temple. "How does everything you make always smell so good?" "Because I'm an amazing cook." I playfully rolled my eyes as he continued to make breakfast. We spoke as he did that before we migrated to the dining table to eat, where we carried on our conversation. Once we finished the food, Levi stood up and took our plates, placing it in the kitchen before coming back to me. "Let's go out. The weather's nice,” he proposed. "But I don't have any clothes to change into." "You can borrow Isabel's." "She's smaller than me." "Tch. Just try something of her's on. She's already awake." "Should I borrow that unicorn shirt?" I smirked, reminding him of the incident that happened months ago. He glared at me before leaving to take me to Isabel's room. He knocked a couple of time before she gave permission for us to come in. "Oh, hi, (Y/N)!" she grinned, shooting up into a sitting position. "Hey," I greeted with a smile. "Isabel, can (Y/N) borrow one of your clothes, something that will fit her?" "Of course! What do you want to wear?" "Maybe a dress?" "Sure. Give me a few minutes." "Thank you so much." Levi and I wandered out of her room and waited for Isabel in the living room. It was quiet until the male opposite me spoke up, "... You can count this as a second date." "Already?" I inquired. "Yeah. Because... you're an adorable shit."

#levi ackerman #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #aot #aot fanfiction #aot imagines #snk #snk fanfiction #snk imagines #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #reader insert #x reader #anime #dream guy #series #modern au #reader and levi are finally together #and levi is ooc but idc :)

[dannyboyzone]

samuel one shot?🥺

Note; This is angst with a happy end, it doesn't have a name, so if you would like to name it, you are free to do so. Since the topic is not specified, I wrote whatever I felt like writing. Y/n will have they/them pronouns so everyone feels comfortable. If you don't, just change it in your head.

TW - Depression, mentions of suicide.

Today has more than 7 billion stories. So many people are experiencing it differently, yet so similarly.

Someone died today, and another person was born. Maybe they will change the world, or destroy it.

A student is celebrating passing his exams, while an adult across the world is crying in their dark room thinking about that they never had the chance to tell their parents that 'hey, I am trans, please accept me.'

Everyone has their own struggles, so why?

Why is Y/n pitying themselves so much? They keep asking themselves that.

They are so stuck up on their own self, just hurting about minor things. Like small sentences, that their old neighbour probably already forgot about. Things their family already forgot about.

Yet they keep asking themselves; Why do they care so much?

Even now, when they are crying their eyes out. Their knees are pulled up to their chest, sitting on the edge of the rooftop. They can't bring themselves to jump off, even though they crave death so much.

Who are they to be in pain so much when others have to go through war, confrontation, missing someone they can never get back?

" AAAAAAAAAA "

Y/n yelled out to the thin air, even though they were sure even people from a few miles away could hear. It didn't really matter though, holding it back was harder than caring for other's around right now.

That what caused them to be a mess anyway, caring for others that much. Running a hand through their hair, they started to rip it and shake their head while continuing to cry.

How pathetic, Y/N thought to themselves, leaving no other option than to repeatedly slap their own cheek.

When no one in this world cares for you, it's hard to care for yourself.

" Hey, are you done putting on a show there? " they were interrupted by a deep, husky voice.

Y/n sniffed and turned around a bit. Hanging one of their legs freely off the rooftop, while resting the other on their lap.

They raised their brow at the sight of the unknown man coming closer to them.

Man.. ? The closer he got, the more obvious it was that he must be a teenager, just really buff.

He still had a bit of baby fat on his cheeks, which was quite cute, as Y/n would think.

It's quite funny though.

The neighbourhood they are in is pretty old, out dated and full of graffiti everywhere. Yet this stranger is wearing such an expensive suit, that doesn't even have a single spot of dust on it.

So, what is he doing here?

Y/n sniffed, while rubbing the tears with their palm away.

" Who are you? "

The boy leaned on the barrier of the rooftop which Y/n was sitting on top of. There were only a few inches between them.

The boy took a glance at the other's eyes, swollen and red from crying. Their eyelashes were stuck together at some parts at the end, it's such a pity.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't check the person's body language out, he didn't care much, but he noticed that they were holding onto the barrier tightly.

He then took out a cigarette from his pocket, placing it in his between his lips.

" Don't you have better problems than that? " , said he, as the cigarette got put on fire.

Y/n ran a tongue through the inside of their cheek, wanting to move closer. They didn't though, as they decided that's not worth it.

They were quite raged, yet calm at the same time.

For the best guess, they wanted to be though. It was quite embarrassing to let a stranger watch your very own melt down, let alone not even be aware of it.

" Well, I have the right to know! After all, you saw more of me than what I am comfortable with! "

" .. It's Samuel. "

" Well Samuel, will you leave? I am trying to do something here! "

Samuel couldn't help but... laugh.

Do something my ass, he thought.

He took a smoke from his cigarette, and looked up at the sky. It was a really sunny sunday, perfect to just sit back and enjoy life. Sadly, not everyone could.

" Go ahead then, jump. "

Y/n blinked, what the fuck?

" Excuse me, how fucking insensitive are you? "

Samuel just shrugged a shoulder, in a nonchalant way. " So what? "

He put his cigarette out, turning his head towards Y/n.

That moment, their face was met with smoke. They couldn't help but cough, it felt so terrible.

This guy, is a complete fucking asshole. How can a person be so.. heartless? It's like there is no soul in their eyes. Truly, no one cares.

Y/n wanted to slap him, but as soon as they raised their hand, their wrist was squeezed. Samuel held their hand in the air, making it feel stuck. Their eyes met, and Y/n got shivers down their spine.

He has to let go, now.

" Someone who wants to die doesn't mind smoke in their face. They will be dead anyway, won't they? "

Y/n was in disbelief, but they could barely hear.

They were so afraid of falling off, they couldn't help but shake.

The ground was so far away, it could kill anyone. If anything were to fall, it would end the lives of the people walking by.

Samuel walked a few steps closer, watching as Y/n's eyes got filled with tears and fear yet again.

" ... You are scared of falling of, now that you don't have anything to hold onto. "

Y/n's head was filled with different kind of thoughts, but what scared them above above anything else, that this guy is right.

There is something in him, that Y/n isn't quite aware of, but finds comfort in. Admitting it is not an option, for now, they kept moving, as much as they could.

" Let go of me! "

With that, their wrist was free again. It had quite a big red mark over it, which didn't matter all that much. It would fade by night anyway.

Y/n immediately faced the door to the stairs, which was quite far away. They backed up, their breath becoming quicker and quicker. Staring down at the people underneath them.

They couldn't move backwards for long, because Samuel stood their, pressing the front of their body to Y/n's back. At least they didn't fall backwards to the cement floor of the rooftop.

" Jump, if you wish so that bad. Don't let me stop you. "

He rested their chin on the top of their head, and slid his hands in the pockets of his pants.

" I don't get you, how am I different? The elderly couple you would fall on, the flower shop owner, the boy drawing graffiti on the walls and that little girl in the cherry socks who had met her dad for the first time today.. they would all see you fall. So why does it matter if I see you?... Actually, don't answer me. It's because you wouldn't have to face them, but would have to remember me. They would all remember you for a life though. "

Y/n shut their eyes tight.

Who the fuck does he think he is?

They were filled with hatred and frustration, moving their fingers on the barrier that they held so tightly onto. Y/n wanted to escape, but quite frankly, they didn't know how to react.

Because the shittiest part of it all? No matter how rough it sounds, he is right. No one likes confrontation, but it doesn't mean it's always a lie.

Jumping off would be no use to anyone here. Maybe sometimes, all of us just want someone to hear the desperate yell of our actions. To pull us back in. The universe may not always serve it as you would expect it though.

Y/n let out a sigh, more so to even their breath, and carry their thoughts in another direction.

" So, what do you want from me? "

" I don't know if you know, but you talk while thinking. Why do you care so much about others? They don't want to be pitied, and some people that are better off from you, have these exact same thoughts and might think of you. But they don't help, like you don't help their situation either. So why not help yourself? "

Huh.. He must break hearts often.

The voice belonging to the cold hard truth was like a river.

It was ice cold, causing either tragedies or beautiful memories.

He stepped back, fixing his messy hair. That was the first time Y/n noticed that his knuckles had bruises on them.

That left a lot of questions, is he a gangster? But he is too clean for that. Maybe a CEO? But what would he do there then?

Y/n could have paced out for a bit, because the next thing they have noticed is Samuel walking down the stairs, back facing them, holding his hand up as a sorry excuse of a wave.

" When you are able to admit that you want a new life instead of death, you can come and I will show you a whole new world. "

Y/n looked down on their hand, taking a glance at a tiny old toy. It was simply a tiny plastic chicken, from a happy meal. It sounds ridiculous, but it was from their father, who seems to spend less and less time with them until the point they became strangers.

They always carried it around, even if it only had a meaning to them and no one else in the world.

Y/n wiped their tear, pulling their leg to the other side of the rooftop, jumping onto it.

" You sure do talk a lot compared to other assholes. " they laughed.

Unknown to what would happen next, they followed Samuel. What's the worst that could happen? At least someone wanted them by his side.

They held onto his suit, just like a lost child would.

" So, are you a gangster Mr Know It All? "

" You will find out. "

END

Outro;

Yeah, this is like.. shitty and makes zero sense our of context. But how would you react to that level of confrontation? I sure as hell don't know.

Also, Sammy went there bc was stressed bc he HAS to find new members for his part of workers.. well guess what happened next 👀

Sorry anon, I feel like this wasn't quite what you wanted, if you want to look at it as romance, if not then do not. I just couldn't imagine Samuel being madly in love, so the machine threw out this I guess. Next time please specify if there is anything you want!

#i will rewrite this in a few months once my abilities become better #this was yikes #eh #i dont know where i wanted to go with thi #lookism #외모지상주의 #samuel #seungeun

[tobesensation-9]

A Little Help: Rowoon x Reader

Genre: Smut (Mentions of partial nudity and mutual masturbation over the phone) 

In attempt to just edit something on the story I accidently delelted it. This was in the works and also requested, hope you enjoy! 

Many days this week you’ve been waking up hot and bothered. Like sweating, forehead, and chest glistening. Usually, dreams were a blur for you, choppy images, and then blackness. But these last few days, your dreams couldn’t have been more vivid. Flashes of flesh against flesh, moans, and grunts in harmony. You smacked a hand against your head. You were desperate and in need of...... something you were embarrassed to admit to yourself, well....for some dick. You snickered at the way you thought about it. But you just nodded to yourself, you weren’t kidding, you totally were. But not just anyone’s dick, for his. Your alarm goes off, signaling that it was time for you to get ready for work. You press stop and look at the wallpaper of the person whom you want so badly. Rowoon is a hoodie, a pair of blue jeans, and some converse looking off at a flower garden, so majestically as he does so well. You smile to yourself start to head to your bathroom. You stomach somersaults when you think about the events of that night, and how he ended the night fucking you so good from behind that he had you seeing stars. He was so dangerous in how he can just switch sides so well and hide them even better. You walk into work with all the usual coffee orders for your mentors at the magazine publishing company you worked at. They greet you fondly as you give them your coffee orders. Although you were an intern, they treated you as an equal and you were forever grateful for that. You walk to the office of your mentor, also the editor-in-chief, Larissa. “Good Morning gorgeous! Honey, why do you so flushed?” “Good Morning, oh am I really?” You hand her coffee and instinctively feel your cheeks, the heat too much to bear. “What? You got lucky last night honey?” Your boss winks at you and you immediately deny. “No-no-no. Though, I wish I did.” “Oh, so you must have but only in your dreams?” “Sadly.” “Call your boyfriend. I know that they're not doing many promotions anymore so he may have time to see you.” “I don’t know. He may be busy with photoshoots and or filming for a new show. He usually contacts me when he isn’t and he hasn’t these last couple weeks. Also with the pandemic, it made it harder than before.” “Well,” she sits some papers down and walks closer to your own personal desk on the other side of the office, “you two can always, well you know.” She looks at you with a mischievous smirk, raising her eyebrows. “No Mrs. Larissa I’m afraid I don’t,” you snicker, your nerves getting the best of you. You had an idea what she was hinting at but you just wanted to make sure and not assume and be wrong. “I’m sure there are other things besides that magic rod of his that has you going crazy. And stop calling me Mrs. it makes me feel old.” “Yeah, sure but what exactly are you getting at Mrs-” you looks at you wide-eyed before you caught yourself, “Larissa?” “I mean, I know for you to be with that fine specimen of man, there are many things that turn you on when you think of him. I bet his voice being the most promising thing.” So you were thinking the same thing. “Are you suggesting we have phone sex?” “Well not exactly. Just talk nice and dirty to each other, not as if you were but you know. Give each other some motivation, some help. I’m sure he’s feeling the same way as you. You two need something to hold on to at this time. Especially with everything that’s happening.” You actually weren’t opposed to this idea. You were embarrassed that you were talking about this with your boss so early in the morning. “I might give it a try. I’ll let you know how it goes.” “Or you could write about it hon, this can be your first project. Just let me know how it goes and if you're up for it.” You really loved working at this place, you couldn't imagine working anywhere else. Now you just had to imagine how this phone call would go. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Little did you know Seokwoo was feeling the same way. Even with promotions for their new comeback coming to an end, he still had so many photoshoots. And the complications with filming his new drama during the pandemic wasn’t easy either. He wanted to contact you, but he was either busy with a schedule or was too tired. After a photoshoot, he was finally allowed to have some time himself. Lucky for him no one was at the dorms this right now. After a show he figured he’d call you, you’d be off of work around this time. Walking out the bathroom in shorts and a t-shirt, he hears his phone ring. He dries his hair and wipes the water from his ears while looking at his phone. To his delight, it was you. “Oh, hey. I was just about to call you.” “Really?” There was something he noticed about your tone. “Is something wrong?” “No no. I’m fine. How was your day? I- really missed you.” He smiles. “I missed you too, jagi. Just a photoshoot today. It ended pretty early.” Your brain went blank. You wanted to try to rear the conversation to hot and steamy but you didn’t how. “Jagi, are you sure there’s nothing wrong? You called but your pretty quiet.” “I’ve.....I’ve been craving you a lot...lately.” Crave? Did she mean that the way he thought you did? “Crave?” “Yeah I...I’ve been dreaming a lot lately about......well you know. I miss your touch.” On the other end of the line, your voice sounded so weak, feeble. He knew what you were trying to say and that it took a lot for you to say. “Y/n.” “Yeah.” “I know exactly how you feel. Longer than you know.” Strangely you're starting to get turned on, just by the tone of his voice. “Was that weird? I-I’m sorry.” He nervously laughs. “No!-” His laughing stops. “I mean no, I actually wanted to try something. Give each other a little help, over the phone I mean.” He was quiet for a beat, “Oh....uh okay. Not gonna deny, you saying you craved me started to turn me on.” You started to feel a heaviness in your core, tickling warmth between your thighs. “You just got out the shower right?” You start to rub yourself over your underwear. “Yeah. You dreamt about us in the shower?” “One of the places I dreamt of this week.” He starts to slowly palm himself. He sighs, “God, I wish you were here.” “Imagine I am. What am I doing?” He starts to palm himself more firmly now, “Teasing me over my shorts, like how you always do.” “I’m not in the mood to tease today. Take them off.” He immediately obeys, following with you hear shifting through the phone. “What are you wearing?” he asks hoping that you aren't wearing a thing. “One of your t-shirts and my favorite underwear.” “Take them off. The underwear.” You oblige. You start to hear a huskiness to his deep voice that makes you wanna cum right then. “Fuck...babe your voice is so hot through the phone. I’m so wet.” He lets a breathy moan and pulls himself out of his underwear. He slowly starts to stroke himself. “I miss how your mouth feels. You choking on my cock.” “Yeah. Like how I used to you?” Your comment earns you a groan which makes you slip in a finger into your slick. The two of you start to talk wreckless to each other, it was heaven. “You fingering yourself babe?” “Yeah, imagining you stretching me out.” “Fuck, yeah, with your tight little pussy. Get three in there.” You gradually stretch yourself more, your moan indicating so. When all three are in your moans aren't as strained. “Shit, babe. I wish it were you.” By your moans you pick your pace, he does the same. The two of you go on like this for a few minutes, but you start to feel your orgasm building. “Damn, babe I’m close.” “Yeah?” “Yeah. Ahhh, fuck.” From your moans, he starts to feel on edge too. “Jagi you sound so hot like that. You're gonna make cum.” At each other's words you set each other off, you cumming, and him following soon behind. The two moan in harmony, just like in your dreams. You hear a sigh on the other end, followed by a giggle. “What are you laughing at?” You can't help but giggle too. “I never thought of us as a couple to do this stuff.” “Funny, my boss actually gave me an idea.” “Really?” this makes him laugh harder. “Yeah. I’m totally serious.” “Well, she just made tonight interesting. Tell her thanks and ask her if she has any more tips and ideas for us when we finally see each other again.”

#sf9 #sf9 requests #sf9 smut #Rowoon #rowoon x reader #rowoon smut #Youngbin #Inseong #Jaeyoon #Dawon #Zuho #Taeyang #Hwiyoung #Chani

[sparklingchan]

Checkmate || Bang Chan (Stray Kids)

Pairing : Reader (fem.) X Bang Chan

Word count : 14k + ( oops-)

Warnings: A few cuss words , suggestive, mentions of death / murder / beheading and blood.NOT PROOF READ I’M SO SORRY.

Genre : Fluff, angst, romance ,strangers to lovers , Alice in Wonderland au, Royal au(a tiny bit) .

Description: Alice in Wonderland is just a story , or so you were made to believe.

A/N: This story is loosely based on the story of Alice in Wonderland. I always wanted to write Chan in a fictional universe and FINALLY I AM DONE WITH THIS STORY! I have twisted a few facts from the original story to fit my plot so not everything is the same.

Enjoy!

Weekends have had a special place in your heart ever since you were old enough to understand the importance of the last two days of the week in a normal human's life. For a long time , weekends meant going out with friends , partying, camping , eating , relaxing. Weekends meant your mom's scoldings in the morning , the sound of your dad's old radio, your brother's laughter. Weekends meant happiness.

But for sometime now, these definitions have changed. Drastically . Now weekends mean finishing presentations, cleaning your room , washing dirty dishes in the company of the empty corners of your solo apartment. Weekends now mean loneliness.

"Yes ,mom. I have been eating the herbal medicine you sent." You were never able to lie to your mom as a kid or even as a teenager. But the adult 'you' could easily do it. Lying to your mom was as easy as breathing now.

"Are you sure,y/n?" She asks in a stern voice.

You look at your small dining table , at the herbal medicine packet that lies there, as good new. And you let out a tired sigh , pressing your phone closer to your ear.

"Yes."

It had been an exceptionally tiring day at work today. And as you flop down on your couch with your mom still on call ,you wonder why you were feeling this sudden tiredness - all you did today at office was listen to your new boss boast about her achievements and your annoying colleagues kissing up to her as if she were some kind of Messiah.

"Aren't you coming home this weekend?" Your mom's tone now changes. She sounds worried, almost sad, "Dad and I miss you so much. Minho comes home often but we rarely get to see you."

Your eyes fall on the family picture hanging in the wall in front of the couch. It was the summer of your third birthday. Your mom and dad sat on the carpet while you and Minho stacked up legos to make a multi coloured house. The smile on your faces splash a wave of nostalgia towards you and you accept it wholeheartedly.

"I miss you guys too but I don't think I'll make it ,mom. I'm so sorry. " you say with a suppressed yawn, "But I will be going over to Minho's on Sunday so don't worry. We'll facetime you guys then." You feel your eyes get heavier but for the sake of your mom and your empty stomach ,you try your best to not fall asleep.

"Okay, okay. Sounds good. " your mom replies, "See you soon. Love you ,baby. "

You smile at her cheesy yet sweet words. Your mom has always been a fluff ball, just like your dad. But you and your elder brother didn't inherit that sweetness, sadly. "Love you too, mom." You reply.

And then the line goes silent.

You close your eyes, just to rest for a moment before having to cook dinner and working on your next week's presentation. But your eyelids feel like they suddenly weigh a lot more than they did a few minutes ago, like they were made of lead and you couldn't even lift them for a second more.

And before you know it, you've already drifted off into dreamland with your office clothes still on and your empty stomach growling.

For some reason , you'd always been a morning person. You've never had trouble waking up for school or college or work on time, where as your friends and colleagues were all heavy sleepers - they could sleep even through earthquakes.

You remember as kids ,all of your mom's friends would complain about how their kids wouldn't get their asses up for school in the morning and needed to be practically dragged out of bed while your mom just smiled and nodded in response. You probably adopted this habit from Minho ; he might be an annoying idiot most of the time but you have to give him credit where it's due.

And when your eyes open a few hours later, naturally , you expect it to be a bright , sunny morning.

But you're disappointed to see that it's still dark outside.

The lights of your living room are still on and the television is playing some stupid movie in the background , just the way it had been when you came back home from work and switched it on. Rubbing the sleep away from your eyes, you look at the clock on the wall. 3:45 AM, it reads.

"Goddamn it," you push yourself off the couch ,still groggy from your nap, your whole body aching . You grab your phone and office bag and waddle to your bedroom ,in hopes of finishing your much needed nap.

The hallways of your house are dark but familiar so it takes no time for you to find your room's door. Groaning , you close it behind you and walk towards your bed, a homely , comforting feeling enveloping you like a soft blanket. The lights of the room are switched off as usual , and the cold air of the room makes your skin tingle. You smell your signature perfume in the air and the room freshener you use, and surprisingly, a very strange, foreign smell that you are sure you had never smelt in your house before - the smell of grass and mud on a rainy day.

"What the-" you mutter to yourself as your mind finally starts functioning properly again , coming out of your post nap trance and all your senses suddenly switching to high alert mode.

It wasn't raining right now ,nor had it been raining in the evening when you came home so there's no way that this smell was carried in by you. You remember seeing droplets of rain run down the office windows during your lunch break, which means it had rained only a little bit during afternoon. Did someone enter your house in the afternoon?

Your heart starts hammering against your chest. Something feels wrong ,very wrong.

And you quickly realize you were right - because the moment you take a step away from your bed , your feet gets stuck onto something and you crash on the floor. Face down.

"Ow, shit - WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?"

Turns out ,your feet didn't get stuck on a 'something ' , it was rather a                  ' someone '.

In all honesty, you had never seen a man as handsome as the one that lies on your bedroom floor right now, his hands and feet sprawled out as if he were sleeping on his own bed, his lips parted and hair damp. And if it weren't for his slow , steady breathing and the flush across his cheeks , you'd have almost thought he was dead.

You want to scream. And you do.

You should have called the police the moment you saw him, you think , but you didn't- more like you couldn't.

You are scared obviously, as you frantically check all your lockers and drawers to make sure he hadn't stolen anything. You check his pant pockets but find nothing. You even consider calling your brother but something was stopping you from doing so .

There is something about this man - maybe his extra silky looking clothes , maybe the weird pendant around his neck or maybe just the mere gut feeling that he might actually be the victim, not the criminal - that just wouldn't let you pick up the phone and call the authorities, even though you have their number on speed dial.

"Can I get another slice of bread ,please?" You snap out of your thoughts on hearing his husky, honey-like voice, call out to you, only to realize that you'd been staring at his face as if he were an alien.

Maybe he is an alien....

Embarrassed at being caught red handed, your cheeks flush as you nod your head and pass the man sitting on your dining table,right in front of you, his fifth slice of bread. Damn, he must have been starving.

"Thank you ,miss y/n." He replies with a polite smile, applying butter on the bread with the butter knife Minho had left at your place on your last birthday.

You want to return his smile ,you really do, but you can't find it in yourself to keep your curiosity suppressed anymore. You've never been so intrigued by a living,breathing human before, not to this extent at least.

A few hours ago, when he woke up after you dragged him off from the floor and laid him on your bed, you half expected him to attack you with a weapon or strangle you or threaten you for money but all he did was politely ask if you were the owner of this 'warm and cozy ' house and your name. He even called you ' a kind lady ' when you offered him breakfast and medicine for the slight fever he complained of , out of nothing but pure curiosity and intrigue.

"What was your name , again, sir?" You ask , putting down your chopsticks after deciding your breakfast wasn't that important anymore ,"and where do you come from?"

He sits up straight, the smile on his lips slowly dissolving into a frown. Did you say something wrong?

"I'm Bang Christopher Chan. But I usually go by Chan, " he answers the first part of your question and when he notices your anticipating eyes ,waiting for him to answer the next part , he looks down at his plate, as if embarrassed. "I wish I could tell you where I come from ,my lady ,but I can't and you wouldn't believe me either way. "

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion ; first of all ,this man - Chan - ends up in your room, passed out and sick , secondly he wears such expensive looking ,vintage clothes and lastly, the man speaks as if he were an actor in a Shakespearean play and now he refuses to tell you where he comes from.

He is feeding into your alien theory a little more than you expected.

"Well we won't know that unless you tell me." you reply with pleading eyes, curiosity getting the best of you. He shakes his head and presses his lips together in a firm smile, dragging his chair across the floor and standing up, "I'm afraid I can't do that."

You only watch in awe as he walks towards your main door in strange yet elegant steps. He turns around to look at you, "I express my heartfelt gratitude for everything you've done for me, my sweet lady. You gave me shelter and food and your magical herbs cured my sickness. I will never forget this favour of yours."

Magical herbs? Is he talking about your mom's herbal medicine?

You gulp, not knowing how to reply to his sudden expression of gratitude. With an INTP personality type, you've always found it hard to express yourself to people around you, even if your life depended on it and this time isn't any different either.

"W-well it was my pleasure." You stutter, "But where are you going now anyway?"

He runs his fingers through his silky , fluffy blonde hair and licks his dry lips. "I'm going to look for a friend. He might be able to help me."

"How will you find him? Do you have his phone number or address?" You ask. He shakes his head, "I'm afraid not. What's a phone number, by the way?"

Your eyes widen at his question, your mind running wild with possibilities of what might actually be going on with Chan. You've only ever seen things like this in movies and shows - a random person with no memory whatsoever meets the main character and they set out on an adventure together. And as curious as you were to find out whether Chan brings adventure with him too , you didn't want to get yourself involved in something so messy.

"It's a number via which you can contact people using this device." You say , showing him the led screen of your phone.

His mouth gapes at you , his eyes shaking with curiosity.

Oh this one is a gone case ,you think.

"I'll help you find your friend. What's his name?" You ask him again.

Still in fascination with your phone , he barely whispers his friend's name but thankfully you catch it,

"Lee Felix."

You hate driving . Period. Especially on weekends when the roads are full of impatient cars going off to picnics ,goods trucks trying to finish business as soon as possible , two wheelers which are the location of all the PDA in the world. You aren't used to seeing such happy traffic.

But here you are ,driving this mysterious yet charming man to his friend's place.

Lee Felix ,as the internet tells you , is an owner of a medicinal shop and is pretty well known among people for his homemade medicines and ointments. It only took one tap on your search engine to find out his location.

"So who exactly is this friend of yours?" The car has been quite ever since you left your apartment and you couldn't take it anymore - not when Chan just sits beside you , his fingers tapping on his leg with anxiousness.

He looks up at you , "He's more like a little brother to me , honestly. I grew up with his family - playing with his friends and his siblings. But he moved out of our hometown to do business. He still comes home sometimes but lives here most of the time. "

Now, that's the kind of information you'd been seeking for since the morning. He's slowly but surely warming upto you.

"So you're here to take him home or what?" you ask.

He shakes his head with a grim expression. "No, of course not. I wish I could but he is happy here , tells me he has a lover now and lots of friends. I'm happy for him. And anyway ," he pauses for second , "I'm here to hide. "

You find your heart race at the last word. He's hiding, but from what? From who? Is he a criminal that is trying to save himself from punishment? Or something worse?

Shit. This is not a good idea at all.

If your brother were here , he'd have flicked your forehead so hard it would have hurt for days. Maybe you even deserve it this time.

"From what?" You ask ,your voice only a whisper.

He sighs ,leaning against the window and looking out with thoughtful eyes.

"I really can't tell you, my lady." He replies.

Before you could question him further ,you see a house emerging in the distance and immediately recognize it as Lee Felix 's home plus workshop. Reluctantly, you pull over in front of the huge wooden house.

"How do I open the door ?" Chan asks with an innocent smile when you're about to get out. You let out a small chuckle and put your hand on your own door handle, "Press the black button here and push the door gently. " You demonstrate and he picks it up quickly, joining you as you stand on the porch of this Felix dude's house.

Chan knocks on the door with urgency, and for the first time today, he seems a little relaxed now. Like a weight from his shoulders had been lifted, and you don't have the heart to tell him that there's a doorbell directly on his right.

You hear quick shuffling behind the door and within a second ,the door opens to reveal a man - probably Felix - with bright orange hair and a big smile.

Brothers , you remember Chan's words.

They really do look like brothers as Felix jumps on Chan,embracing him like he had just saved his life. You don't miss the quiet sniffing from Chan and the tears that accumulate in Felix's eyes as they pat each other on the back , mumbling ' I missed you's to each other.

"I was so worried, Chan." Felix pulls away , grabbing Chan's shoulders, " I thought you'd gone to Marmoreal . Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

The name Marmoreal rings a bell in your head ,for sure. You'd heard that place before many times but as you search through your memories and try to find the exact context of that name , you fail to find it. It feels like you'd heard it almost in a dream.

"I just arrived here last night. Wasn't a very pleasant ride ,if you ask me. " Chan says , giggling.

Felix giggles too and then his eyes land on your confused face , as he let's go of Chan.

"And who might this fair lady be?" He asks with a pleasant smile.

Brilliant. Another actor from a Shakespearean play.

"Oh,right," Chan chuckles. " This is y/n, the kind lady who let me stay at her house for the night. "

No,he ended up in your room out of nowhere, you want to say ,but you swallow the words. You didn't want Chan to think of you as rude.

"Hello, Miss Y/n. " he smiles, " You've done us both such favour by housing him. We will not forget this. " Felix says, bowing his head to you.

Awkwardness is what you feel as you force a smile and nod in response,your palms sweating from the unexpected words , "You're welcome,I guess. "

Felix leads the two of you inside the house and you are greeted by a lovely young lady, who looks about your age - Felix's lover ,you assume.She walks in with a freshly baked cake in her gloved hands, her eyes shining the moment she sees the both of you.

"Oh,my dear." She runs to you , " Prince Chan! I have heard so much about you. Felix talks about you all the time. And oh,my, who's this lovely lady?"

Prince Chan .

Prince Chan.

Chan is a prince?

You look at him ,your eyes wide with confusion and doubt and he looks back at you with a nervous expression, like he didn't want the girl to address him as a prince.

"Yeah, " Felix clears his throat, raising his eyebrows at the girl in front of you , as if asking her to keep quiet. "This is Chan and the woman who provided him shelter last night- y/n."

"Oh my apologies," she replies with a smile, probably getting Felix's message, "Hello, Chan, Y/n, I'm Felix's girlfriend, Tracy. " She says as she clings on to Felix's arm and he stares adoringly at her like she is a rare ,precious diamond that no man could ever have but him.

You've seen that look before - in your parents eyes when they tease each other , in your brother's eyes when he talks about his boyfriend , in your ex boyfriend's eyes. You almost feel jealous.

"Hello ,Tracy." Both you and Chan say at the same time and then awkwardly stare at each other.

Tracy giggles.

"Anyway, Chan and I have important things to talk about. " Felix wiggles out of her grip and takes Chan by the arm ," Tracy, my love, would you please see to it that Miss Y/n here is not bored."

And Tracy surely did make sure you weren't bored for a single second.

She takes you into their medicine workshop, showing you the different herbs and fruits and vegetables they use to make the herbal medicine. She shows you the various jars full of these medicines and ointments. Her eyes shine with passion when she talks to you and it makes you realize how happy this makes her.

It is not an hour later,when she offers you a slice of cake and a cup of coffee that you find in yourself to ask Tracy about Chan and Felix and whatever happened back in their hometown.

"Ah,right. Their home." A sad expression falls on her ,as she stirs her coffee, " I wish I could tell you , I really do but unless Felix or Chan ask of me , I cannot do it."

The same response, again and again. "But I'm curious..... and scared." You mutter.

Tracy clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth ,"Sweetie, I know you are and I don't blame you. But it is not my place to decide if I can reveal a secret or not....yet I can tell you this- Chan is not dangerous or anything of that sort. He's in fact the one in danger, in need of protection. "

Shocked, you stare at Tracy ,not being able to form proper words. Your prediction was right, Chan was in fact the victim.

You feel chills down your spine.

"Do you come from that place too?" You ask again.

"Oh no, I wish , sweetheart, I wish but no. I'm from this city itself. Born and raised. " she replies with a slight chuckle.

You want to ask her if Chan and Felix had come from a different planet but you stop yourself just in time when the boys arrive into the workshop.

"I'm afraid we'll have to bid them farewell now, miss y/n." Chan says with a sad smile and you wonder if he said that to console his own self.

"You've been so ,so kind to Chan. I would just ask you to do one last thing for him -" Felix starts, " Can you please drop him at the Levanter hotel ?"

Your forehead creases with confusion, "Why ? Will he not be staying with you?"

"No, I'm afraid not. He'll be easier to find in my house out of all the places. He won't be very safe here." Felix admits, embarrassed.

"Then he can stay at my place. He doesn't have to live all alone." Your mouth speaks out those words without giving a second thought to the idea of Chan actually living with you - you said you didn't want trouble but here you were ,being a big ass hypocrite.

"Well I don't see a problem with that, "Tracy chimes in , grinning, "and besides ,I like to believe that Chan would rather enjoy your company than be alone."

Your cheeks burn red as Tracy yet again puts you and Chan in an awkward place. His eyes are fixed on your face while yours are everywhere but him.

"Its settled then. " Felix says as the couple escorts you and Chan to your car. And just before you drive off, you hear Felix say to Chan, "I think we can trust the lady. Tell her about Underland. Tell her about home."

You love listening to stories. You remember your dad telling you and Minho stories ever night when you were kids and how you found it difficult to sleep without listening to his stories. Stories make you happy, they make your mind wonder about the infinite possibilities in this vast universe and how you happened to be where you were at the exact moment when the story was told.

Stories fascinate you .

With a voice as serious as your dad's, Chan starts, "I and Felix come from a far, far away place called Underland. You humans might know of it as Wonderland because of that one writer who stumbled upon our kingdom one day and decided to write a stupid book about it." He almost sounds angry when he speaks the last line.

"Anyway, I and Felix belong to Underland, which was ruled by the First Great White Queen's descendants for centuries. But everything changed when my grand father - The Last White King passed away. My father were to take the throne by blood right but then a blood descendant of the First Red Queen arrived and claimed Underland as hers. She killed all remaining members of the White Queen's family, my parents, my brothers and sisters," he pauses for a second ,blinking away tears. Your heart clenches with sadness , "But she couldn't kill me; I was just a baby. The youngest of them all. So she banished me to the Enchanted Forest forever ,to live with The Hatters which was Felix's family. In the forest , I grew up with his siblings - Sana, Momo , Me and Felix were inseparable. And we played with the Dormouse , the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit , March Hare all day. It was lovely, almost like a dream. Never once did I want to live a royal life or desire my rightful throne back - I was happy. But when I turned twenty , the Queen wanted me to marry her daughter so that she could tighten her claim over the throne. I couldn't do that , I couldn't marry a woman I did not know and did not love. So my friends used their magic and helped run away from the Queen and her Red Knights. And that's how I ended up in your house. "

You blink a few times as everything comes crashing to you at once - his sudden appearance in your room, his weird clothes ,his accent ,his strange walk ,his cluelessness about the modern world , and Tracy calling him a Prince - he is a Prince. A Prince of a place you didn't know actually existed, a descendant of A Queen you'd only heard about in books and movies.

Marmoreal is the name of the White Queen's home , now you remember.

Wonderland was real. As real as you and Chan and Felix and Minho and Tracy. It very much exists .

"Y/n, please do not fear me,I beg of you. You can ask me anything you want but I want you to know that I will not harm you. I am your friend. At least I want to be. " he says , putting a hand on yours as your mind snap backs to reality.

You straighten up.

"Questions , right." you say, still blinking more often than you needed to .

"So the Red queen and the White queen are real? Like they're not just that Writer's idea?" You ask.

"Oh ,they are, I assure you. They were sisters but enemies, which led to the evil Red Queen's banishment centuries ago. Their descendants never got along with each other."

You nod, gulping hard. So the scary Queen with the big head was real. Brilliant.

"And The Hatters , are they the family of the Once Mad Hatter?"

"Yes, they are."

"Aren't they all mad?"

He chuckles, leaning closer to your face, "Darling, they're only as mad as you and I."

Your heart beat gets stuck in your throat , stopping you from asking him anything anymore.

Taking it as the end of the conversation Chan bids you a quick goodnight and heads over to the guest room you had given him.

But he stops just before the door, leaning against the door with a grin ,"Oh, by the way, my lady ,you might not want to skip that herbal medicine on your table anymore."

You frown, "Why?"

"I wasn't lying when I said they were magical - Felix makes them after all."

Oh, what a small fucking world!

The next morning, Bang Christopher Chan claims that he makes very ,very good morning tea that will give you a boost that normal ' human ' tea could never.

"Take one sip and you will crave for more, " he tells you as you provide him with the basic ingredients and watch him from the opposite side of the counter , making this supposedly mind blowing tea.

Now, to be very frank ,you weren't much of a tea person - you've only had boba a few times and the proper ,traditional tea only on the few times that your dad makes some. You were more into coffee. But you didn't tell him that.

You see Chan lean over the boiling pot of water on the gas , adding tea leaves and a little bit of cinnamon and then half a spoon of ground ginger. You observe him , your curiosity bubbling like the boiling water.

"Are you going to add ...magic too? " you couldn't help but ask the question as Chan stirs the mixture in front of him.

He chuckles , a warm , hearty laugh that lights up the lonely and cold corners of your small apartment. His eyes turn into crescent moons and his deep ocean dimples as he walks towards you and softly boops your nose , "Yes, of course! How would it be different from your normal tea otherwise?"

You see him walk back to the pot and then rub his forefinger and thumb together above the mouth of the pot , "Watch this ,my lady." You stare at him with shock as a sparkly , golden dust snows down due to the friction of his thumb and forefinger and gets mixed with the boiling tea.

And when the first sip of the freshly brewed,warm tea touches your lips and travels inside your mouth, you feel an explosion in your brain that you'd never felt before. You feel like there are literal fireworks in your head ,burning and cracking and fueling your energy levels. You want to run out on the roads and scream on top on your lungs for no goddamn reason.

"Chan, I didn't think I'd say this ,but this is the most delicious beverage I've ever tasted." You say , booping his nose like he did before, " Thank You."

In the evening , you take him out for shopping after calling Minho to cancel your plans with him. You told him that an old friend of yours was visiting from Australia and that he would be crashing at yours for the next few days. Minho didn't care much , as usual ,and all he said was, "Don't get pregnant." You remember rolling your eyes at his annoying remark.

So now here you are, scrolling through your phone while Chan tries on different clothes in the trial room.

"I do not like the shirt that shows my arms!" He yells from inside as the employees of the store giggle.

You sigh, " It's called a tank top,Chan. And I'm buying it whether you like it or not, it's summer for God's sake!"

You hear him mumble something under his breath and then the door of the dressing room creaks open to reveal a very different Chan. You can't help up but gawk at his perfectly toned arms and the very evident biceps that you did not expect to be there. You gulp hard. With his tousled hair and perfect smile and gorgeous eyes , he looks like a Disney Prince, the ones you used to obsess over as a child.

He is a prince, you dummy, you remind yourself again. Prince of Wonderland . (Underland, whatever)

He awkwardly hugs his arms around his body as the cool air from the AC grazes his bare arms ,his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

" Hey, chin up !" You grin , and walk toward him.

He presses his lips in a line and mutters ,"I look ugly."

"No, you do not look ugly ,Christopher. You look anything but ugly ," you glare at him, "You look amazing. Just like... Park Chanyeol. "

His forehead creases and you see a ghost of jealousy in his eyes, " Who is that? Your lover?"

You laugh out loud, patting his cheek softly. " No, he is a...famous person. In our world. Just like you are of your kingdom."

You decide to take out Chinese food for dinner and even though you want to ask Chan if he was okay with that , you don't. Because he probably doesn't know what China even is .

"Do you want me to carry that bag for you?" Chan asks ,pointing at the take out bag on your lap as the both of you settle down in the backseat of the cab you had called. You wince as you realize how badly your feet hurt from all the shopping and snacking.

"No , thank you. Plus you have enough things to carry yourself." You reply, eyeing the tons of bags he carries, containing clothes and shoes and whatnot.

The drive to your house is long , owing to the fact that the city becomes more livelier at night - a scene you rarely get to see with your own eyes anymore, thanks to your stupid job. The cab driver plays a slow, romantic song and you automatically find your eyes scan Chan's face, looking for something that could help you relate to the song booming through the speakers.

But all you see is worry.

"Chan, are you alright?" You ask him, placing a hand on his arm.

He looks over at you , his eyes shining like the city lights that you hadn't seen in so long, " You're a very kind person ,my lady. I do not know how I will ever repay you for this; any of this! "

You feel a warm feeling spread from your chest, coursing through your veins and under your scalp and your ears.

"You can repay me by making that tea for me everyday. " you reply with a soft smile.

Chan scoots over closer to you ,then puts his head on your shoulders, " Well then I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I take a short nap - I owe you this one too."

You blush and look away from his captivating gaze ," Fine, whatever. Just make the tea for me. "

You know you want to add something but you swallow those words and repeat them only in the company of your own thoughts.

Thank you ,Chan , you think as you look out the car window ,cherishing the beautiful streetlights and the tall buildings and the neon signs of shops and the gentle pressure of Chan's head on your shoulder , Thank you for making my weekend less lonely.

Chan is a man of his word, you can guarantee that - An honorable , honest man who almost seems too good to be real sometimes.

As promised , he'd make you tea every morning for the next two months before you go to office while he spends most of his time in your house, trying out different things to keep him occupied while you were at work - learning how to use your spare laptop , cooking tutorials on YouTube , videocalling with Felix , practicing magic on your plushies, online window shopping because he apparently loved the way people in your world dressed.

He'd wait for you every evening with another interesting thing he had learnt and wanted to share with you , and a plate of freshly cut fruits that he prepared beforehand. Then you'd both make dinner together and spend the rest of the evening talking and laughing and gossiping .He would tell you about Underland and it's castles and magic and you would tell him about your world and how a stupid picture on the internet could go viral in a split second.

On weekends, you'd make a hearty breakfast for the both of you and then clean the house together,which Chan never once complained about. By the time evening comes, you would have already chosen what movie to show him while the popcorn cooks in the microwave. Or sometimes you'd spend the day at Felix's or sometimes drive down for a small picnic at a park.

Slowly but definitely, Chan becomes a part of your everyday life , your source of comfort, your escape . And he ,in turn , finds a caring friend in you , a teacher , a person he could lean on . Knowingly or unknowingly , you become his escape too.

It is on one such Friday night that Minho calls you during your movie session and you excuse yourself from a weeping Chan ( the movie you chose was Titanic) ,walking towards your own room.

" What's up?" You say into the phone as you jump on your bed .

"Are you seriously asking me that? Y/n , it's been weeks since mom or dad or I saw you. You keep cancelling plans for your Australian friend. Do you think I'm stupid?" He yells at you and you move your ear away from the speaker. Gosh ,talk about being so loud and annoying.

"He's coming home after years, Min. I can't just leave him here."

He sighs, "What kind of a friend stays over for two fucking months. " then adds ,with all seriousness, " is this some Christian Grey shit going on?"

You laugh - you have to ,even though you know your brother is pissed off ," Dude, do you even hear yourself ? I earn ten times more than that Anastasia bitch did. I don't need a sugar daddy."

"Then what's going on with this guy ? Tell me the truth ,y/n . You know I'll believe you." His voice now softens.

You sigh, rubbing the crease between your eyebrows.

Not this time ,you wouldn't believe me, you want to tell Minho.

But then decide that if you can't tell him the truth ,you could at least tell him half the truth.

"Look, Minho...my friend is not here for a vacation. He's here to hide. He's in possible danger. " you whisper to him.

"What kind of danger? Y/n,what if he's running from the police? What if he's in trouble with the government?" He asks,his voice filled with concern.

You hated the fact that he was so similar to you . And he had the audacity to call you adopted for so many years. Asshole.

"No, silly. Not that kind of trouble. He ran away from his engagement. The bride's mother is a bitch apparently ,trying to force him for his money and fame. "

You hear Minho heave a sigh of relief from the other side and naturally, you relax too.

"Well then if you can't leave him alone ,bring him along to our house. I'd love to meet this Australian guy in person."

And that was the end of the conversation.

When you live with someone , you find new things about them everyday - today is the day you find out that Chan looks exceptionally attractive in a tight black polo t-shirt and simple jeans. His blonde hair is pushed back a little, his forehead glowing under the bright Sunday sun and he wears a watch that Tracy and Felix had gifted him last week. Handsome as a Greek God.

"How do I look ?" He asks you as he scratches the back of his neck, smiling at his reflection in the mirror.

He's gained confidence .

"Like a Prince." You say, standing beside him.

Your eyes are focused on your reflections in the mirror,the close proximity of your bodies and the way you both look like any other couple in the world, makes you feel overwhelmed. You see the few millimetre gap between his hand and yours and if you reach out a little bit, you could easily lace your fingers with him.

"And how do I look?" You ask him with a small smirk.

He scans your image ; you wear a simple floral summer dress with short sleeves ,along with a pretty wrist bracelet and a simple pendant around your neck. You catch him blushing.

"Like a Princess. " he replies.

You badly want to hold his hand in yours. But you don't.

The drive to your Brother's place is filled with questions and replies and a few careless teasings thrown here and there.

"I hope your brother doesn't hate me for keeping you occupied all the time. " Chan comments when you turn to Minho's apartment street.

You shake your head, " No,no. Of course not. Minho is not like that."

Your brother has lived with his boyfriend, Jisung for about five years now . You want them to get married soon but they always make weird excuses about it. So you just assumed they enjoy this live in relationship without the pressure of marriage and children.

"Hey , y/n, oh my god! Long time ,huh?" Jisung hugs you tightly the moment you enter their living room ,his big toothy smile permanently plastered on his face. Minho stands behind Jisung ,his arms crossed over his chest and his critical eyes focused on Chan. You smile and jog up to your brother, wrapping your arms around him. His familiar scent makes you miss home and your parents and your old room. "Stop being so stuck up,Min." You whisper to him as Chan and Jisung introduce each other and Minho eyes them suspiciously.

He chuckles and hugs you tighter ,pressing a small kiss to your head. You grin as he pulls away.

"Chan,meet my brother Minho, " you bring Chan to stand in front of Minho , "And Minho ,this is Chan." Minho observes the way Chan walks - elegant and smooth and the way Chan talks , like he were a dude from the Victorian Era yet he wears modern clothes and uses a phone and air pods. Everything about this man is mysterious yet Minho couldn't find anything to hold against him. Perhaps he is being too hard on the poor man. He also notices how lovingly Chan gazes at you , looks out for you in the smallest possible ways and you look at him with the same adoration and concern. Were you two dating? You didn't say anything about that though.

So he asks you after dinner ," Do you like Chan?" The question comes out as natural as any other question Minho has ever asked you. You look down from his balcony at the streets and cars and people below then your eyes fall on your brother and the wine glass in his hands and on Jisung and Chan who chat inside the living room over dessert, having found a common interest in music making and lyrics writing.

Your blood turns cold - not because Minho had asked you that question but because this is the first time you're actually considering the possibility of that being true. It scares you.

You think about a similar incident that had happened almost ten years ago - when you were in middle school and Minho was in high school. You had a crush on your cute classmate but he chose your friend over you. Even at that tender age,you were heartbroken. No one at home noticed your sadness or disinterest in everything those days but Minho did - he always does.

"I don't know ." You lean against the railing of the balcony , "I don't want to think about it."

"Why?"

"Beacuse we do not belong together. We're from different worlds. " you whisper , "And I'm not sure if he feels anything like for me."

Minho frowns at you then flicks your forehead so hard that it stings.

"You keep suppressing your feelings all the time, y/n. You wouldn't know if he likes you or if you belong together if you don't tell him." He says.

You do know that you do not belong together. You do know that he may never like you back. But you don't mention it to Minho.

That night , as you are driving back home and Chan is sleepily looking out the window,you ask him , "Chan, there's something I have to ask you."

Chan sits up straight ,his attentive eyes focused on your nervous ones. He could sense your turmoil since you stepped out of Minho's house. He nods ," Go on."

"Um...actually, Jisung's cousin is getting married on Wednesday. Would you like to be my plus one for the ceremony?"

You'd never seen Chan smile so wide before, his eyes practically disappearing in the process. His cheeks tinted red and his hands tapping on his thigh .

"Do you want me to?" He asks. He hopes more than anything that you say yes.

" Hell yeah,dude! " You reply, chuckling.

He has never hugged you till now , you realize, as Chan jumps and wraps you in a warm embrace ,even as you are driving. Your heart hammers against your chest and your cheeks turn brighter than his own.

His smell fills you with a comforting ,homely feeling and you just hope he never lets go of the hug.

Remember when you said that Chan looked really good in a polo t-shirt and you thought it couldn't get any better? Well you take your words back now.

Your hands go limp by your sides when you see Chan walk out of his room , as you stare at him from the small crack of the door of your room. He looks ethereal. He wears a black suit with a pink, silky shirt inside paired with his locket and his watch. Nothing too fancy and yet you feel your knees growing weak below you.

You suck in a deep breath,looking at yourself in the mirror and trying to gather enough confidence to walk and face him. You wear a pink net shirt with black palazzo pants, accessorized with silver earrings and a rose gold ring on your thumb.

"Okay, come on ,y/n." you encourage yourself, your heart beating fast.

You had not really expected him to drop his jaw on the floor the moment he sees you but he did and it makes your heart flutter and cheeks red.

He offers you his hand, "You look gorgeous ,my lady."

And you slip your hand in his ," So do you ,your majesty."

The wedding venue is not really far from your apartment so it takes only about 30 minutes for you to reach there.

And rest assured, you both had turned all the heads in the wedding that night. Wide eyes and gaping mouths and silent whispers of jealousy, you noticed them all. You felt a little bad for stealing the spotlight from the bride and groom but you secretly wanted to show Chan off too.

"Attention grabbers." Minho had teased you during the wedding ceremony as the bride and groom took their vows , earning a pinch from you in reply.

The rest of the evening goes by smoothly and before you even realize it, Jisung pulls you and Chan to the dance floor when a slow,romantic song comes up.

"Uh. I don't know how to dance." You admit shyly as Chan offers you his hand.

He chuckles and you notice how deep his dimples really are this up close.

"I can so don't worry about it. Just trust me. " he says, his eyes scanning your face

Smiling, you take his hand and put your other hand on his shoulder while he drapes an arm around your waist and pulls you closer. He indeed is a good dancer because soon you find yourself gliding around the dance floor effortlessly, flowing with the music and drowning in Chan's intoxicating eyes.

"This isn't so bad though." You comment when the lights are turned low and you see all the couples around you in their own bubble,doing their own thing, just grooving to the soft music ," I could get used to it."

Chan pulls both your arms and wraps them around his neck ,his hands finding a comfortable place around your waist.

"You should come to Underland some day. We could dance there all night. No one would disturb us." he whispers back,moving your bodies gently to the music.

Your smile fades , " I wish I could,Chan. I desperately do. "

He looks into your eyes and leans in closer, making your heart thump fast. Faster than it ever has.

"You can. You can come and go whenever you want, I promise you. " he says.

You nod at his efforts of making you feel better but you know that when he finally goes back to Underland, your heartache would be inevitable. You are so deeply ,madly and truly in love with the man in front of you that you will not be able stand a day without his warm presence in your otherwise dark and cold house. His absence would absolutely destroy you so you simply bury your face in the crook of his neck , breathing in his smell , enjoying his hands on you and sketching this moment in your mind forever.

"I'm going to miss you when you leave." you mutter in a silent voice as he runs his fingers through your hair , "Don't go,Chan."

You don't know why you're suddenly getting so emotional about him leaving when you always knew it would happen some day.

"Then come with me ,y/n." He whispers into your ears.

You pull away just enough to look into his eyes and then shift your gaze to his oh-so kissable , plump lips that you'd spent so many nights dreaming about.

Is this the right thing to do?

You no longer care.

He leans in first ,pulling your body towards him and softly yet hastily pressing his lips against yours.

Oh the bliss of having to kiss the man you've longed for since forever.

You're not even surprised when his lips fit perfectly in between yours as your whole body turns warm under his touch , like it had been waiting for him for a long time. And when you hold his cheek to control the pace of the kiss , you realise how much this means to him. How much you mean to him.

"I love you, Chan." You whisper after he pulls away, resting his forehead on yours.

He grins," I love you ,too."

The wedding ends shortly after but you guys stay back to wait for Minho and Jisung while they bid farewell to all of Jisung 's family and relatives.

"Be quick. " you tell Chan when he rushes into the boys washroom while you wait outside, your mind still replaying the intimate moment you had on the dance floor ( and Minho and Jisung teasing you about it later on). You shake your head ,smiling like an idiot.

Your beautiful thoughts are interrupted when someone- a tall ,muscular man wearing a peculiar red tuxedo - walks past you, bumping his arm harshly onto yours.

"Ow,dude,what the fuck?" You wince ,rubbing your arm as the arrogant asshole walks into the bathroom, "Piece of shit." You say when he doesn't even bother looking back at you.

You are about to go back to reminiscing your kiss with Chan but you hear a Chan yelling from the bathroom, his voice is as crisp and clear as the air in the mountains.

Your whole body goes cold.

"Get away from me !" You hear him yell and before you could stop yourself ,you feel your feet running into bathroom , pushing past the main door that clearly reads 'Male'.

"Chan? What's wrong?" You ask, your voice laced with urgency and adrenaline pumping through your blood.

What you see inside is something you'd never expected to see before but you were in love with a man who came from a place you didn't even know existed so this doesn't come as a big surprise to you. If Chan weren't in immediate danger, you might as well have been fascinated by it.

You see - Chan crouching on the floor , blood running from his nose and his hands covering his eyes , as if he's hiding. You see - the red tall asshole leaning against the wall, staring at Chan. You see - three very peculiar creatures surrounding Chan , shaped like the rummy cards with spades, diamonds and whatnot drawn on them and holding spears in what you assume to be their arms.

You almost regret coming in when all of them look at you with wide ,surprised eyes.

"Y/n! What are you doing here?" Chan gets up and walks toward you ,his lips quivering with fear.

The card creatures walk toward you,their spears pointed toward you as they growl something under their breath. You back away slowly.

"Hey! Stop it! She has nothing to do with it. Don't attack her." Chan yells at those things and thankfully ,they listen. They turn around and stand beside the asshole in the red suit.

Chan runs over you , tears starting to form in his eyes, "You shouldn't be here , y/n. Go back,now!"

You look into his eyes , your heart breaking at the sight of seeing him so in pain ,so vulnerable. It's like you're hurt ,too.

"D-did they do t-this to you?" You ask,pointing at his nose.

He blinks for a second then nods with a sigh ," That's why I'm telling you to leave ,okay? Y/n, sweetheart, please leave.Now." His voice is basically begging you and all you can do is stare at him and the others with horror.

"They found you. The Red Queen found you." You mutter to him,as he holds you by your shoulders.

"I'm so sorry ,y/n. I really thought...we had time. I really did. " his voice cracks as more tears stream down his face.

"We don't have all day long , Chan. Your future wife and her mother have been waiting for a long time." The man in red says sarcastically, "You've kept them waiting long enough."

You glare at the man then turn to Chan, who's a sobbing mess by now.

"They're going to get you married?"

The man in red scoffs, " He should be lucky if that's all they do. And knowing the Queen , she is very angry with him. He will not have it easy."

"Will they...execute him?" You ask ,running your hands over his face ,rubbing the mixture of blood and tears. Your heart shatters.

"No, the young princess is very fond of him actually. They will get married after he serves his punishment."

You see Chan wince in your arms as you pull him up in a crushing embrace. Probably the last one ever.

"I can call Minho and Jisung. They could easily take care of these bastards." You whisper into his hair, blinking tears away.

He clutches into you as if you were the only thing keeping him completely losing his mind.

He shakes his head, " No, don't, please. I cannot let more people get involved with me."

You pull away from the hug, just like you had on the dance floor, but it's different this time - more painful .

"Is there anything I can do...to stop this." You ask again ,desperate to not part from the man you've grown to love so bad.

He kisses your forehead,then holds your face in his hands. "I do not want any harm befalling you ,or your brother and Jisung or Felix or anyone of my friends in Underland, which is why I have to go and face my faith. I'm so sorry ,my love."

You let the tears flow.

Why was the Universe so unfair to people who deserved to be happy together? Why did the universe always favour those who mean ill to others?

"I love you ,Chan , remember that. " you say , " I always will."

He smiles through his tears, "and so will I. Always. I don't care if I am married or you are married or whatever, you're my princess till the end of Earth and till the end of Underland."

The asshole in red clears his throat, glaring at the two of you. Chan pulls away from the embrace and walks back to where he was originally when you came in.

You see all of them taking turns to drink from a vial with a purple liquid in it.

"Farewell,my lady." Chan whispers as a tear drop rolls down his face and falls on the floor with a soft splat. And in the blink of an , he is gone ,leaving behind nothing but a puff of golden smoke and his tear drop on the floor.

That's when you realise how real all of this is. And realise why exactly you didn't like the story of Alice in Wonderland as a child - its because the story is not a typical fairytale where the prince ends up marrying the princess, and because some day or the other, Alice had to leave everyone behind and come back to her real world.

You feel like it's been an eternity since you have been walking through the crowd of people in the wedding , people looking at you with disgust and fear, while you look for your brother or Jisung.

You enter the main hall and scan the room , sniffing away your tears and rubbing your bloody hands on your shirt.

You are a mess.

Finally ,you spot Minho in the far corner of the room ,speaking with a few guests with Jisung by his side. You sigh in relief but your body responds in the form of sobs.

You rush towards him and pull him by the end of his shirt, "M-Minho."

Jisung and Minho turn around ,their eyes widen at your crying, shivering , bloody sight .

Jisung immediately wraps his coat around you.

"Hey,what happened?" Minho demands as he pulls you in a hug ,and you sob into his neck, " Where's Chan?"

You feel Jisung rub your back soothingly.

"T-they got him ,Min. They took him and they punched his nose and it was all bloody and horrible and he was crying. Those things were so scary and ..." you say in between sobs, "..they'll punish him for running away and then marry him off, Min. I couldn't protect him."

"Who is them, y/n ?" Minho ask, rubbing your tears with his thumb.

"The Red Knights."

Jisung and Minho share a look of confusion with each other but they don't push you to explain your words.

"Okay,let's go home. We can talk there okay? Nothing will happen to Chan. We'll save him."Jisung says .

You shake your head , "No, we can't go home. We have to go to Felix. He's the only one who knows what to do. You guys can't save Chan without magic."

They want to believe you and whatever you say and they're worried about Chan too ,afterall both of them were so fond of him but they find your words rather hard to digest.

Nevertheless, your brother drives you to Felix's house.

His house once made you feel happy and complete but now it makes you feel horrible, like the freezing cold sensation you experience when you play out in the snow for too long.

And as you sit around his dining table , telling him about the incident and then him further explaining the whole story of you and Chan to Your brother and Jisung , you feel horribly empty.

"I'm so sorry ,Felix. I should have done something. I should have called out for help but I was so...scared. " you say , Tracy rubbing your back in comfort.

"Its not you fault, Y/n. Those knights are scary and the red man you talked about, he is the Queen's personal guard." Felix says ,"You're lucky he didn't do anything bad to you."

Jisung stares him blankly.

Minho paces up and down the room , his face twisted in confusion, " So you're telling me that the stupid story of 'Alice in Wonderland ' is true and Chan is from that place and you too?"

Felix hums in response.

"Bloody hell ", Jisung murmurs under his breath then adds , " so how do we go to that place and find him? I mean how do things work there?"

"Oh uh,no, we are not going anywhere. I will go . You are staying at home ,safe and secure!" Minho says to Jisung.

You frown in confusion.

"Wait, you believe it? You don't think we're all mad?" You ask.

They shake their heads.

"I trust you , y/n. You may be a pain in the ass and a crybaby but you aren't stupid or mad,as a matter of fact. We believe you ,of course." Minho shrugs.

You don't know if he's poking fun at you or if he actually believes you, but knowing Minho ,he rarely ever jokes around in situations like this.

"But how can we save Chan from there? Do we challenge the Queen and her claim on the throne or what? " you ask Felix.

Felix sighs , " It's not going to be easy . At all. That woman is dangerous...crazy even. She killed off Chan 's entire family , you think it'd be that easy to save him from her?"

There is genuine hatred and disgust in his voice when he speaks of the Queen. You'd only ever seen the portrayal of the First Red Queen in the movies and that woman was enough to piss you off . You couldn't imagine how someone from the same family tree could possibly get any worse.

"What are our options?" You ask ,tapping your fingers against your leg, a habit you'd picked up from Chan. You didn't realise it until just now.

"We cannot defeat her with physical power so dueling challenges and other such things are cut out. So that leaves us with either breaking him out from prison or being witty enough to fool the Stupid Red Head into letting him go " , He says . " and mind you, the Queen is very easy to fool because she's very ,very dumb but her daughter aren't. So we need a full plan to get him out."

You nod in agreement.

"Might I suggest something," Minho chimes in after giving much thought on whether he should speak up or not.

"Yes,please, of course." Felix replies.

"I think that the more important thing right now is to go to Wonderland - I mean, Underland- and as you mentioned earlier, talk to your friends and family. We can make a plan after we reach but first we need to know the severity of the situation there. "

Minho has always been smart but you don't want to admit it out loud - not in the presence of other people at least .

"Fine , yes. We must leave soon," Felix turns to Tracy , "Tracy, sweetheart, you will have to stay here and look over the shop . Jisung ,as Minho said,will stay back too. We don't know how long it will take but I promise I will be back."

And with that , you leave the two couples alone to bid their goodbyes and walk out to the porch, breathing in the cool night air.

"I promise I'll find you , Chan. I will find you and save you." you mutter into the air.

Funny things love makes one do.

The vial with the purple liquid feels cold in your hands as you uncork it .

"Do I pour it all in?" You ask nervously.

Felix stands on your left while Minho on your right, both of them holding the same vial in their hands.

"It doesn't matter. Just a drop does the work too." Felix shrugs.

You see him pour all the contents of the vial into his throat and then squint his eyes at the taste.

Minho and you share a look before doing the same.

And then your vision is fogged with a golden puff of smoke as you feel your body falling down a long, neverending , bottomless hole.

You've only ever heard about Underland from Chan and Felix ,and only ever seen this place through their eyes ,but now that you're actually here , it feels surreal, if you put it subtly.

The crisp and fresh air in the Enchanted forest runs chill down your spine and you hop over wood logs and thorny bushes with continuously moving leaves. Minho stays close to you, his hand never leaving your arm while his eyes try to absorb his surroundings.

Felix walks in front of you two , not wavered by the scene in front of him. And why would he be anyway,this was his home ,his domain.

"W-where are we,Felix?" You ask in a soft voice .

"We're in The Tulgey Wood . We're going to my house." He replies with a slight nostalgic tone.

The Enchanted Forest is so breathtakingly beautiful that it almost feels unreal to be walking right through it. The purple sky above you ,the rustling leaves around you , the trees that seem to follow your every movement and flowers that seem to have actual eyes, everything welcomes you rather warmly although you have a feeling you are yet to see the crazy side of this place.

"Well , I had expected you a little earlier, Felix." A sharp voice says from somewhere within the bushes, startling you and Minho and he jumps in front of you ,as if to protect you.

"What's that?" Minho asks,unable to mask his own fearful eyes.

Felix chuckles , " Don't be scared. This is my friend ,the White Rabbit. "

You hear shuffling sounds from the bushes and out comes the most cuddly looking rabbit you've seen in your whole life, hopping on his back limbs and wearing a waistcoat and carrying a stopwatch.

A waistcoat and a stopwatch....

Minho stares at the creature with awe while you bend over to take a closer look at it.

"Hey ,young lady ,back off!" The rabbit threatens you , squinting his eyes at you. And you immediately step back, blinking your eyes nervously.

"It's alright, she's our friend. Chan knows her too. " Felix says, crouching down to pat him , "This is y/n and her brother ,Minho. They're here to help."

At the mention of Chan's name , The Rabbit's eyes widen and he slumps down into Felix's arms and starts sobbing.

"Oh,my dear Felix , I'm afraid of what has become of The Prince. When we heard that the Knights brought him back , we were all so ...lost." he says as Felix cuddles him in his arms, "Dormouse and Cheshire have sneaked out from their duties of the Queen and gone to visit him . They say he looks scared to death. The Queen out him in a prison. With murderers and thieves and whatnot."

Your whole body goes limp at his words, your annoyingly vivid imagination creating those pictures in your head. You blink your tears away.

"How can we save him?" You ask in croaked voice.

The rabbit looks at you sadly , " Let's go to the girls first. They can help you."

"Who is he talking about?" Minho asks.

"My sisters," Felix replies , leading the way deeper into forest , "Come on, we're almost home."

The Hatters' live on a clear patch of land in Tulgey Wood , surrounded by trees for as long as the eyes could reach , in a huge house beautifully built like a Victorian top hat.

You were breath taken. And so was Minho because you could literally feel him hold his breath as you guys enter the house.

"Oh ,my gods , is that you Felix?" A high pitched female voice thunders from above you ,while you stand in what looks like the Study of the house. Your hands brush over a brown diary kept on the desk and the pot of ink sitting beside it. ' Medicinal Documentation ' the diary reads.

"Yes, it seems so. " Felix replies with a grin.

Your eyes fall on the steep spiral stairs in front of you that go up to the other floors of the house and you see two girls jogging down the stairs, big smiles plastered on their faces yet the sadness in their eyes cannot be hidden.

They are a tad bit shorter than you are , and they must not age more than Minho and as they jump on Felix ,squealing with excitement, one can almost immediately see the resemblance in the siblings' appearance ; bright orange hair , toothy smiles, and big ,sparkly eyes .

"And who might these lovely people be?" The shorter of the two girls asks ,as the white rabbit clings onto her long skirt.

"Oh,this is y/n and her brother Minho. They know Chan and want to help him." Felix introduces, " Y/n , Minho meet my sisters - Sana and Momo."

"Of course..miss y/n. We've heard about you." Sana ,the taller one ,walks up to you and bows her head lightly, "We're so grateful for what you're doing for the Prince, sweet one, we really are."

If Felix, Momo , Sana , Chan and the annoying ( but cute) rabbit were put in a Shakespearean play together , it would be a massive hit. Their accents are so good and elegant and graceful that you wish you could learn it too.

You smile at the compliment , "Please don't thank me. I haven't saved him yet. "

"Oh, enough of these formal courtesies, " the shorter girl, Momo , holds your arm and leads you up the stairs, "How about we talk over tea?"

The group reaches the top most floor of the house ,overlooking the beautiful forest through the window as you are made to sit around a long table .

Sana and Mina serve you a cup of tea while the White Rabbit passes you some freshly baked cookies.

"Wow,this...this tea is wonderful." Minho compliments when he takes a sip from his China cup , "Is this what Chan used to make for you ,y/n?"

You nod, as those memories dance around behind your eyes , " He was very good with it."

"Oh he always has been good at everything, I tell you ," Momo starts , " Sword fights ,archery, horse riding ,poetry , cooking, too bad a prince like him had to live with mere Hatters like ourselves."

"Hey,we weren't always this poor. " Sana adds, "This is all the Second Red Queen's doing, gods curse her!"

You scowl , " What do you mean? I thought she only harmed Chan's family . "

Sana let's out a woeful sigh while Momo and Felix look at each other with sorry eyes.

"I wish she'd only done that ,truth be told." Sana says.

"Yes, but instead she ruined everyone's lives who ever crossed paths with her." Momo says, "Our father was the Royal Hatter for Chan's family - the White Queen's descendants. And our mother was the Royal Physician . We lived a happy life , living in a big house near the palace in Marmoreal . "

"Marmoreal was the Summer Palace for the Royal family ,not very far from the capital town of Witzend. One such summer , when Prince Chan was only a year and a half old ,the banished heir of the Evil First Red Queen arrived in Marmoreal and her Knights butchered the royal family and killed every living creature in sight. Her dragons set fire to our house and the palace and the nearby villages. It was...horrible , to say the least. Only a few people survived , which included our family and the Young Prince. The Queen commanded us to take the infant away and never show up in front of her again and so we did - for a long time." Momo then looks over at Sana ,signalling her to continue telling the story.

"But that was until the Queen's only daughter - Princess Scarlet's 18th birthday celebration. We had gone to the parade fair in Witzend, just near the Queen's castle. No one knew us properly or Chan so we were safe. But the Princess saw Chan and fell in love with him...madly. She pursued him every chance she got and when she couldn't succeed , she used her mother's powers to force an alliance. Her mother was hesitant at first, given her history with Chan's family but then she too decided to force him into this alliance for her political good. And initially , Chan had to comply. But on the day of their wedding announcement, he escaped into your world."

"Through my rabbit hole,if I may add." The White Rabbit mumbles. You purse your lips, letting the story in slowly , word by word ,letter by letter. And when the realization sinks in,you purse your lips to stop yourself from crying.

"And I couldn't protect him. I am responsible for what happens to him." You whisper.

Everyone looks at you with disbelief.

"Hey, no! That is not true!" Felix says,almost angry ," You're the reason he was safe and happy for all those months. If not , if he were with me or worse,alone, he wouldn't last a week out there. You saved him, y/n."

"It's true, y/n. Our friends work in the Queen's royal kitchen and they've met Chan a few times in the prison - he only ever asks about a woman named y/n." Sana says.

Your heart drops into the deepest pits of your stomach. You didn't know what love really meant until you met him and although a stranger, in an unknown place , he still trusted you, believed you , cared for you , loved you.

You have to save him.

"Okay , anyone has any plans? Any ideas?" You ask ,after composing yourself.

"I don't have one but I really want to suggest we move this meeting to the medicinal garden in the backyard. That place helps me think. " The White Rabbit offers,scratching his fluffy ears.

As if something in your brain suddenly clicks , like a gear falling into place in a machine; Your eyes widen as you slam your hand on the table.

Everyone jumps up , startled.

"What's wrong ?"

You look over at the Rabbit and pat his head , "You are a genius."

"Huh?"

"You said your friends work for the Queen ,right?"

"Yes?"

You drag your chair away from the table, jumping to your feet ," I have a brilliant idea."

When the next morning arrives , you find yourself walking to the town of Witzend with The White Rabbit , Minho , Felix and his sisters by your side.

"Here,y/n, take this," Momo gives you something just before you enter the castle of the Red Queen. "You'll need it."

You gaze carefully at the shining vial in your palm.

"You know when to use it." She says.

You nod.

The Red Queen that you remember from the movies and the few excerpts from the original book of Alice in Wonderland that you'd only ever read once, you had expected her descendant to look a certain way too - big ,swollen head , scary eyes , loud voice.

But the woman sitting on the throne directly in front of you is definitely not what you had expected. At all. The Queen is a small woman ; and by small you don't mean skinny and short - she's literally small. She must not be more than three feet in height , you assume , but her features and face is that of a fully grown adult in her 40s. A human being who'd suddenly shrunk ( proportionally) like a raisin.

You wonder how someone so small could hold so much evil in themselves.

"Your majesty, " you bow down to her and so do the people standing beside you , scared yet worried for Chan. "It's nice to finally see you again."

You see a familiar gaze behind the throne, and you immediately recognize him - the Queen's personal guard - the asshole who had punched Chan bloody.

He smirks at you.

You curl your hands into fists.

"Yes? And what is it that you want from me?" The Queen asks, not really caring about the matter at hand. She picks at her cuticles while chewing her bottom lip.

Hesitant, you look at Felix asking for help.

Behind you , you could hear murmurs from the people waiting in line for their turn to put forward their complaint in front of the Queen.

"Your majesty, this is Miss y/n. She's come a long way from home to see you." Felix says ,his voice as gentle as the wind on a winter morning.

The Queen rolls her eyes, running her small hand through her red hair , " What can I do for you?"

That's the fakest thing you'd heard all day.

You clear your throat and pick up all your courage to speak, "I want your help to look for the man I love, your majesty. He's ...missing and possibly hurt I believe. "

" Why are you here instead of asking the Police to help you?" The Queen demands.

"Oh,because I'm afraid you're the one who has him."

The Queen stops picking at her cuticles, and raises her head to stare at you with her small , googly yet intimidating eyes. You realise now why the people were so afraid of her - the Evil curve of her lips and her deadly stare are enough to make you want to drop everything and run back home.

"What do you mean ,young lady?" The Queen asks, her interest now focused on your words.

A collective gasp runs through the throne room , starting from the citizens, then passing on to the Queen's staff and her card shaped Knights. They seem surprised at the Queen actually showing an interest in something for the first time.

"I'm talking about Prince Chan, your majesty." You say.

The Queen's eyes widen as you hear the room fill with murmurs and gasps and silent cries. How long had it been since a person dared to even mention Chan in front of the Queen?

"Mother,what is this woman talking about?!" You hear a loud shriek from somewhere beside the Queen .

And only when you squint your eyes hard enough can you actually see her ; the Princess of Underland who was hilariously so small (even smaller than her mother ) that you almost wanted to giggle. Now don't get me wrong, you weren't body shaming her or anything , but you'd never seen a person so terribly small in your entire life until now. You could only imagine what it would look like if Chan happens to marry her for real one day.

"Don't worry daughter , " the Queen gets up from her seat and walks up toward you, her guard close behind her , " Chan is only yours. No one else's."

Just when you're about to respond , you see two huge fishes - almost as tall as you - twirl up to the Queen and offer her a cup.

You'd never expected to see actual, living fishes out of water or wear clothes or hold trays and bowls or walk on their tails, but here you are .

"Wrong timing ,idiots!" The Queen screams her face red with anger yet she snatches the cup from the tray and gulps down all it's contents at one go.

What a peculiar woman.

"Go away now." The red asshole growls at the poor fish as they rush away from the scene.

You smile at the Queen as she stands in front of you , not even reaching your knees properly .

"You,girl, what do you want?" She demands.

You feel Minho wrap a reassuring arm around you , eyeing the woman in front of you with a hatred filled gaze. Felix stands close by your side.

"I want Chan to be released from prison , and be given his rightful throne back . That's all." You say.

The Queen scoffs , "His weak and worthless dynasty ruled over this excuse of a country and the useless people for years. I am only trying to make things better."

You can feel the disapproval of the citizens around you at being called useless.

"And? Do your people think you're doing a good job?" Felix asks.

You see numerous heads shake in a negative response,and you can slowly feel the tension in the room rising.

The Queen points her left forefinger at you while the other hand is on her waist , " You want the truth , peasant girl? So here it is - I do not care about anyone . I care nothing of this country and its citizens and its creatures. None of my ancestors ever had. We just like to sit on that extremely uncomfortable throne and enjoy the money and power we get from controlling these worthless citizens. Oh and I wish I could relive the screams of The White Royal family as I killed them. One by one."

The Queen gasps in realization of what she'd just said while the room falls completely silent for a second before the princess yelps , "Mother ,what is the matter with you?!"

The princess looks horrified as she runs up to her equally horrified mother.

You smirk - the plan of pouring in the truth potion in the Queen's tea had taken so less effort , thanks to the sweet Dormouse and benevolent Cheshire Cat and Felix's mother's medicine diary.

"Oh I hope you burn in hell . A whiny, good for nothing girl. You can't even fight your own fights without dragging me in. And as far as Chan is concerned , I don't care about you marrying him. I only wanted to secure my claim over the throne by forming an alliance with a person with actual rights to this kingdom." The Queen clamps a hand over her mouth, stumbling back from the shock.

The princess let's go off her mother,betrayal clear in his eyes.

"So you admit to your crimes?"

"Yes." The truth comes out as natural as those lies she'd fed the citizens and the princess and her servants and the Knights for years.

From the corner of your eyes , you see The Princess trying to sneak past everyone and run out of the throne room , guilty of her own wrong doings but Felix stops her with a firm grip on her tiny hand , "Where do you think you're going, little one? Didn't you threaten to kill my whole family if we didn't hand Chan over to you?"

The Red Knights close in to capture the Queen and her personal guard in their unbreakable grasp , giving up their oaths of protecting the Queen - their duty is only to serve Chan from now on.

Sana steps in now , turning to address the people who are witnessing this unusual incident, "My fellow lovely countrymen, as you can see right before your eyes and hear through your own ears , your Queen has intended nothing but to harm you and our kingdom for all these years. She means no good and never will - the true heir to the throne now lies injured and chained in her dungeons. What do you suggest we do?"

"Behead her!" "Free the Prince!" "Finish off the Reds!" "Be done with her guard too ." "Crown Prince Chan."

The room thunders with all sorts of suggestions and you make an eye contact with the White Rabbit ,who nods at you and you nod back ,smiling from ear to ear.

You've done it , he wants to say , you've freed The Prince.

The rooms in the castle were beautifully designed, but were in a terrible condition since most of the rooms were never used really and the Queen didn't feel it was important to get them cleaned regularly.

You had asked the White Rabbit to find some servants to get one of the rooms quickly prepped as the Red Knights carried Chan from the prison and into the castle - his birth home. Sana and Momo cleaned his wounds the moment he was laid down on the soft bed, changing his clothes and then softly pulling the covers over his body to keep him warm while he rests.

The White Rabbit brings you an apple but you don't eat it - you just sit by Chan's side ,praying desperately that he wakes up soon. You wouldn't be able to swallow a single grain of food until then.

You run your fingers softly over his arm ,drawing random patterns and spelling out your names on it.

"Please wake up ,Chan." You say in a whisper , scanning his calm yet beautiful facial features. "I found you ,Chan. I am here."

Your fingers find their way to his and naturally as ever ,wrap themselves around them.

Suddenly, Chan stirs in his position , a low groan leaving his parted lips. You stare wide eyed at him as he slowly opens his eyes, your hands still tightly intertwined.

"C-chan?"

He turns his head toward you , a lazy smile dancing on his lips and his eyes focusing on your face , which he'd yearned to see every second he spent in that horribly dark dungeon.

"Are you really here, y/n? Or am I finally going mad?" He asks you.

You lean in closer ,brushing a few strands of hair from his face.

"You're only as mad as the rest of us." You reply, "Welcome home ,your majesty."

Groggy and weak ,Chan pushes himself up in a seating position. "How did you deal with the Queen? Where is she? " He takes your face in his hands , "Did she hurt you?"

"She couldn't lay a single finger on me. And now she's locked up in the same dungeon as you were. She'll be given to the slave trader soon ,along with her daughter." You say. "Who knew a simple medicine and a few good friends could be enough to defeat a tyrant ?"

He giggles , pressing his forehead on yours. "Did you meet everyone else ? Momo? Sana? My friends?"

You nod with a grin. You'd come to adore his friends and family so deeply in a single day. You would hate to part from them.

"Thank you, y/n. I owe you everything. " he sighs, his breath fanning your face , "I love you so much I think it's going to drive me crazy!"

You chuckle at his cheesy words , "You're welcome. But I need compensation for all of this. An ' I love you ' is not enough."

You were joking ; hearing him confess his sincere love for you is more than enough but you liked playing with him. He looks very cute when flustered.

"Then what would the pretty lady desire?"

"You."

He shakes his head , leaning down to capture your lips in his plump ones.

This kiss was even better than the first one that you guys shared on the dance floor , mostly because you know now that even if he's taken away from you or you are taken away from him , you'll always find each other , in every world , in every universe. He pulls you up on his lap despite him being injured , and you let him.

You put your hand around his neck, pulling him closer and closer and closer . At one point ,you could no longer tell who he is or who you were. The only thing that mattered was that you loved him so much , you could deal with a hundred Red Queens for him. And you know he'd do the same for you.

"I have one last favour to ask of you ,my love." He whispers against your lips ,pulling away from the kiss. His red cheeks and sparkly eyes are a sight to behold ," I want you to stay here with me. Please."

You grin , knowing he'd say this and you were well prepared for it. Convincing Minho to let you stay was so much easier than you had expected really. All he did was shrug with a smirk and say, " Just don't get pregnant." In reality, all Minho really wanted was for you to be happy and healthy and he knew living here with Chan would make you the happiest.

"On three conditions." You reply to Chan ,who is staring at you like he'd seen a human like you for the first time.

"Okay. What are those?" He brushes your cheeks with his thumb.

"I can visit home whenever I want."

"Agreed, obviously.  You're not a prisoner, y /n."

"Then I also want to put up a small shop of my own in the main market square. I will not be wasting my time on stupid politics- that's your job."

"Agreed. I will help you with it whenever I can. What's the last condition?"

You smirk and lean your face closer to his. "Kiss me one more time."

And he does.

You smile into the kiss , wondering now that ' Alice in Wonderland '  might not have been that bad after all. She had a choice to stay or go back and she chose the latter. You had the same choices too , but you chose to stay. It wasn't about a happy or a sad ending ,after all. It was about the choices.

And as Chan holds your waist firmly, deepening the kiss , you know you've made the right choice too.

#ultkpop #inkidz #writekpop #kpop fanfic #kpop bias #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop ff #kpop icons #kpop fluff #kpop art #skz #stray kids #stray kids chan #skz chan #skz bang chan #skz chan au #skz chan ff #skz chan fic #skz chan imagines #bang chan fanfic #bang chan au #skz fluff #skz angst #skz smut #skz x reader

[bbaronpiper]

Darkness

Hi guys! here’s another story I wrote for you. This one’s a bit personal. My demons are stronger than me tonight soooo. yeah. I didn’t go into details but I dunno maybe it may trigger yours a bit too. so please be cautious and don’t continue reading if you feel it may trigger you. love you all! Night! I’m off to bed <3

I hope I lived up to your expectation anon. Also sorry to the lovely anon who requested fluff. I promise I’ll write yours after this. <3 

i already know its gonna break my heart but can u write a fic with either 23 or 35 from the angst prompt list? thanks so much ❤️

23.”How do I make you love me again?”

35.” Can I have one last kiss?”

not my GIF. Credits to @anderaron​

Aron Piper x Reader

Your life is a fucking routine and you’re getting tired of it. Every day you wake up, go to your 9 am to 5 pm job, pass by the grocery or fast food chain for your dinner, go back to your apartment, eat, watch TV then go to bed, wake up the next morning and do it all over again. Every. Damn. Single. Day.  You never felt genuine happiness and you’re convinced you probably never will. Yes, you smile and you laugh but you always had this darkness in you which goes a long way back in your childhood days. It’s a feeling of emptiness.

Until he came along. Yet you never considered him as your knight in shinning armor. You hated the thought that women needed men to save them. No, women are built strong, they can save themselves and besides you’re not sure if you want to be saved. However, you can’t deny the fact that Arón spiced up your life. He brought different kind of positive feeling without even trying and for a moment, you forgot about this certain darkness of yours. You bury it deep inside you as an unfamiliar, pleasant feeling emerged.

You met him in a photoshoot as you were working in a production house but this was way before his career took off, before Elite. The “simpler times” as he used to say.

“You wanna go for a drive?” he asked you smiling.

“as long as I’m driving” you stick out your tongue at him. He never let you drive not because his car is expensive as shit but because you are a reckless driver.

“How about no?” he said almost laughing and put his arms around you as you both walk to his car. “I Have a few on my bucket list that I haven’t crossed yet” he winked

You just laughed at him and pinch him on the arm earning a low “oww” from him. You love watching him drive though. The way his arm muscles flex a little every time he shifted gears. His short glances from the road to you as you sit beside him. The way he put his arm behind your seat when he’s backing up. Damn. That shit turns you on more than he knows.

You both found yourselves at Cerro del Tio Pio Park. Both of you love going up here enjoying the nice quiet time it provides not to mention the beautiful view of the city lights. Arón may have loved this place a bit more than anyone. He always come here every time the noise in his head gets too loud for him, get some steam off or just enjoy the sunset with you.

you felt his hand rest on your thigh. you looked at him and saw he had a small smile playing on his lips while looking forward, straight at the sun as it sinks down.  You then place your hand on top of his.

“Arón”

“Hmm?” he answered still looking at the sky.

“Te quiero.” you said simply. Blush slowly creeping in on your cheeks. He looked at you and grins. “I think I love you moooorrrreee than you love me” you played trying to get a little something from him.

“Nahhh. That’s not possible. Yo te quiero mas.” (I love you more) and with that he leaned in to give you a kiss.

His kisses are passionate most of the time. so passionate that you always get lost in it as you feel yourself melt. Your hand traveled up to his neck just behind his ears, deepening the kiss. This goes on for a few minutes before you both pulled back gasping for air. You see him smiling at you hinting at something. You rolled your eyes, laughed and nodded yes knowing he’s asking you to make love with him. He then got out of the car and went to your side.  Imagine having sex in a two- seater car. Damn right.

“Uhh. It’s tight in here” he said not knowing how to position himself.

“yeah I heard that before. Just last night, I think?” you laughed relieving the words he said while he pounds into you the night before.

“whatever, Y/N. you know you loved it too” biting his lips as you see his growing bulge. He sat on the passenger seat lifting his ass up a little to help you get off of his pants and he did the same to you. you positioned yourself on his lap, your legs draped on either side of him and kiss him. His hands traveled down your pussy and played with your clit, rubbing circles making you moan in his mouth.

“Gotta wet you first bebe” he said in between kisses. You didn’t respond as the pleasure took over you. “you like that huh?”

“hmm” again, no words just moans.

“words Y/N” he demanded as he pushed two fingers inside you. you moan in pleasure at the sudden feeling. “Y-yes” you stammered. You buried your face deep into his neck as he moves his finger faster and curled it. he pulled out completely after a few pumps making you groan at the loss of touch. You decided to play him again and started to rub your pussy against his length a few times. Earning a low moan from him“You like that baby?” you said mimicking his words earlier. You then positioned yourself on his tip. As you were about sink down on him, you stopped and got only a few inch of him in. “words, Arón” you said close to his ears. He just grunts in return growing impatient and put his hands on your waist and slammed you down into him. You screamed his name so loud you think you startled the birds on the tree.  “Si, I liked that” he teased you.

He lets you adjust for a few seconds. Your nails dug into his forearms as you feel him stretching you out. Damn, he’s huge. You slowly rise up and sink down again slowly. Moaning his name while doing so. Repeating this until you had the urge to go faster.  You looked at Arón as he watched his dick disappear and appear inside your pussy. You cupped his face making him look at you while you moan his name. he smashed his lips into yours silencing you while his hand grabbed your left ass cheek and the other went down on your clit again rubbing it fast. “Cum for me Y/N” he then licked your nipple, sucking and biting it lightly and soon enough you felt your pussy clench around him “Oh, fuck.. fucckkk.. fuck.. Arón!!” and cum on his dick. He slammed into you a few more times before letting himself go. You both collapsed on the seat catching your breath. His arm automatically went to your waist holding you tightly and the other at the back of your neck. Your foreheads pressed together savoring the moment.

But this was almost a year ago. If you only knew then what you know now, you would’ve hold on to him a bit longer that night.

You lied on your bed watching him sleep, your hand placed on his chest caressing it slowly with your thumb. Contemplating on how you’re supposed to tell him. Tell him that the darkness within you resurfaced and you couldn’t handle it anymore. You were not sure if it was because of your busy schedules, the months being away from each other, his constantly partying leaving you alone in bed or it’s just that there’s really something wrong going on with you. Nevertheless, it’s back. You felt it once again: The emptiness, you thought was long gone.

“Good morning princesa” his husky voice broke you out of your thoughts. You just smiled at him in return. A smile that didn’t reach your eyes and he knew right there and then that there’s something wrong. He turned to face you completely. Lifting your chin up. “A penny for your thoughts?”

You opened your mouth just to close it again. Not knowing where to start. Arón knows you had issues like this and he always understand and helped you with it just as you do to him. Your chin starts to quiver but you’re trying your best not to shed a tear. When Arón noticed, this is when he start to be more alert and awake.

“C’mon baby, you can tell me. I’m here” scooting closer to you.

“we need to break up” you said quickly, avoiding eye contact.

“What’s that baby? try that again but slower.”

“Arón” your voice starts to tremble. “I think we should break up”

He looked at you with what seems like forever not saying a single word. It took him a lot of strength to sit up on his side of the bed, with this back turned on you, rubbing his hands on his face like he always do when he’s frustrated. You then sat up on the bed too resting your back on the head board. Afraid of how’s he gonna react.

“No” his voice muffled as his hands are still on his face.

“Arón-” he cut you off

“I said no” his voice stern still had his back turned on you.

You knew he loves you. and you love him. With everything you have. But you didn’t wanna drag him down with you nor ask him to save you from this. So you had to lie, you know it’ll break him but it's for the best.

“I don’t love you anymore” looking down on the sheets. Your fingers fidgeting.

He instantly turned his head to you. “Que?” his face has a mixed look of shocked and pain. “Don’t say that baby. Tell me you’re lying Y/N”

“No, Arón. I’m sorry but it’s the truth” you heart breaks at every word. The look on his face killed you. you wanted to take it back but you know the damage has been done.

“How? Why? When? What the fuck Y/N?” questions after questions after questions. He just kept on throwing them at you and you couldn’t comprehend. Everything went into slow motion and you couldn’t hear a word he says, you’re too focused on the pained expression on his face. Your Arón. You broke him. You couldn’t give him answers. you just sat there looking at him with tears streaming down your face.

“Y’N!!!” he screamed, frustrated. You were startled and afraid. “answer me! ” You’ve never seen him like this.

“I’m sorry, it has to be this way.” You stood up from the bed. Went to your shared cabinet and starts to load your clothes on your luggage. Your tears are now streaming down your face like a waterfall. You couldn’t stop it but you tried your best not to make a sound which made it difficult to breath. He can’t see you like this. He would see through you and your plan wouldn’t work. You’ll just fall back into his arms again in one snap. He sat there on the bed as his leg bounced up and down, looking at you as you packed your things. Unable to grasp the reality.

He then stood up and walked out the room probably to smoke. You continued to pack your things pacing from the bathroom to the bedroom gathering your things. your heart was pounding in your chest you can almost hear it. You know you had to do this quickly as you felt that you’re about to breakdown. You were zipping your luggage when he walked back in the room. You slowly stood up and turn to face him only to see him inches away from you. his eyes red and his cheeks are flushed.

“How do I make you love me again?” he whispered while he searched for your eyes hoping for a slight chance he has with you. His hands went to touch both of your forearms with his thumb caressing your skin. Desparation evident in his eyes.

A stab in the heart. That’s what it felt like when you heard his words. But you believe you’re doing this for him.

You swallowed the lump in your throat “You’ll always have a special place in my heart, Arón” his looked down as he shut his eyes tightly. Not the answer he wanted to hear but he knows there’s nothing he can do to change your mind now. He lost you.

“Can I have a one last kiss?” you can feel the pain in his voice and all you wanted was to wrap him in your arms and tell him you’re sorry. That you change your mind and that you love him dearly. But unfortunately, the darkness in you won. Again.

You closed the gap between you, cupped his face and kiss him with every passion and love you have in your body and he did the same to you. You can feel his hiccups from crying but he continued to kiss you, never wanting it to end.  You both pulled away but he refused to let go. so he place another quick kiss on your lips and said. “I have never loved anyone this much in my life but if this is what you really want, I’ll give it to you. I love you too damn much.”

You wept. You cried in his arms as he did to you. you were standing in the room holding onto each other for the last time and you never felt this kind of sadness in 3 years you’ve been together. But again, you had to. you pulled away pushing his chest lightly.

“Thank you for everything Arón. Te quiero but this is for the best.” You sniffled and wipe your tears. trying to limit the words you say because you had to get out as soon as possible and drown yourself in your own tears. You then grabbed your luggage and begun to walk away when you heard him say…

“Maybe for you Y/N, but not for me”

#aron piper imagines #aron piper fanfic #aron piper x reader #aron piper #Aron piper x you #Elite imagines #Aron x reader

[frostsinth]

The Bard’s Bounty - Pt. 10

Parts 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9

Ahhhh! THE FINAL PART!! This features their theme song, “Just the Girl” by The Click Five. Feel free to listen to it, I feel like it really captures their whole relationship!

I always enjoying writing these. Hopefully I tied up all the loose ends nicely. I have a few ideas in mind for my next fic, but please; I’d love to hear from you guys! If you have a story you’ve always wanted to read (especially slow burns), let me know! I’m open to suggestions!

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for joining me on this wild ride!

“Iara!”

I heard Balam calling me, but didn’t bother to slow. I wanted to put as much distance between us and the city as we could. Half the night was gone, but still I hardly slowed our pace. Goda panted a little beneath me, her sides slick. We moved alongside a river now, its cool waters lapping lazily at its banks.

Despite the growing irritation in his words, the sound of the bard’s voice wrapped a warmth around me. Reassuring me that yes, he was still behind me. Still following me. Because I didn’t have the strength to look back and check. Every time the silence stretched, I felt the panic rising in my breast. That he had seen my true colors now. And they weren’t so appealing to him anymore.

I gritted my teeth and urged Goda on. She tossed up her head with a snort of complaint, her ears flicking back towards me. The moonlight gleamed on her sweat damp hide, trimming her in silver. But she obediently picked up the pace as best she could.

The sound of hooves beyond hers filled my ears, and suddenly a big meaty hand reached out and grabbed Goda’s halter. Balam’s mount squealed, and he pulled us both to a stop. Goda stamped her hooves and flattened her ears at the males, snapping her tail behind her like a whip.

“Iara! Stop!”

I spun, shooting icy daggers at the bard, my hands clenching into fists. He eyed me warily.

“What?!” I snapped, unable to keep the irritation from my voice.

“The horses are exhausted,” he replied, “I’m exhausted. Honestly, it's a miracle I haven’t fallen out of my saddle yet. We need to stop.”

“We’re not far enough yet.” I argued, but found my eyes skimming over him.

One eye was swollen nearly shut, and his lip was fatter than usual. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and I could only imagine the injuries I couldn’t see.

But I was afraid. Afraid of stopping. Afraid of facing him again. After what I had done. I wrung the reins in my hands. Goda’s breath came in heaving pants beneath my legs, and I felt a stab of guilt for driving her so hard for so long.

“We’re far enough for tonight.” Balam said, and with a grunt swung himself off his mount.

Taking the reins, in hand again, he led the dark gelding on foot over to the edge of the river. The water pooled within the rocks here, away from the current at the center of the river. A few large trees grew in a small cluster, their huge branches reaching out over the water. Balam unsaddled the gelding, hobbled him, and removed his bridle, resting the equipment over one low hanging branch. The horse eagerly dropped his head to the water and drank deeply.

I watched the bard quietly, fear constricting into a knot in my stomach. Goda jerked her head up, then moved forward without my signal. Approaching the gelding to his left, she snaked out and nipped him gently on the flank. He squealed again, and skittered sideways, making space for her. I glanced down at my hands for a moment, taking a slow, steadying breath. Then I slid off her back, slowly easing myself to my own two feet for the first time in hours.

I was taking off her equipment when I heard splashing. Dropping it on a rock, I turned to see Balam wading into the water until he was waist deep. He sighed, tilting his head back. His black dreads seemed to glint like an oil slick in the moonlight, and I watched the silver beams trace along the edge of his huge shoulders and broad back. The lump in my throat grew, and I swallowed nervously.

After a few moments, he bent down, splashing water over his arms, then his face and chest. I hesitantly moved closer, unsure what to do with myself. Just watching.

He seemed to sense my eyes, and turned at the waist to consider me. I dropped my gaze, turning back to the horses. Perhaps I should try to make some semblance of a camp. Even though we didn’t have much in the way of supplies.

The sound of splashing water diminished as he staggered onto the bank with a soft grunt. Frozen in place, I couldn’t find the strength to move away as he came up behind me. Despite the heat of his bare skin, I felt a few cool droplets of water hit my arms as he leaned over me.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, then winced at the edge in my own voice.

He dropped his hands. “Alright… But you should wash up too. You’re covered in…”

I shot a look at him out of the corner of my eye as he dropped off. “In what?” I hissed, anger constricting my throat. “In blood? Does that bother you, bard?”

He snorted. “A little, yeah…” Then he stopped, and I saw him reach up and rub the back of his neck with a little wince. “I… I know this can’t be easy for you.”

I closed my eyes, fighting the burning tears within them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine.”

There was a pause, then I nearly jumped out of my skin when his hand lightly touched my arm.

“No… You’re not…”

I jerked away from him, spinning to face him as I took a guarded step back. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m feeling.”

His big brown eyes seemed a little sad, even surrounded by puffy, bruised skin. I almost winced at the sight, but tightened my jaw instead. He shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly, rubbing his sore ribs with one big hand.

“Yeah, I don’t know you that well yet…” He met my gaze, and then reached out his hand, “But I know you’re not a killer.”

I looked down at his hand, then up at his face again. I shook my head, pursing my lips.

“..I am now… Twice over…” I saw his face grow a little confused, and I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Warrick.”

“Ah…” He took a little step closer, hand still extended, still waiting. “... You didn’t have to do that for me-”

“I did it for me!” I snarled, recoiling back another step. “I wanted him to suffer, as I have! I wanted him to feel all the pain-... I wanted him dead!”

Despite my words, my voice hitched at the end, and I shook my head vehemently. Warrick had been a horrible person. He had made my life and so many others a living nightmare. The Sheriff had been no different. He had killed his own wife, had tortured Balam for fun!

“The world is better off without them... I shouldn’t feel guilty about taking their lives.” I voiced my final thought on the matter aloud.

Balam closed the gap between us again. “But you do… And that’s a good thing.” His hand still hovered in the air between us, and I glanced down at it again. “Because it means you are nothing like them.”

I found myself shaking a little. I reached up and rubbed my forehead with my palm. Still staring at his offered hand…. Finally, I dropped my own hand into it.

Slowly, gently, he wrapped his huge fingers around it. As delicately as if I were a faberge egg. When I didn’t pull back, he stepped closer, and carefully reached out his other arm. I squeezed my eyes shut, and took the final step. Burying my face in his bruised and beaten chest.

His big arm wrapped around me, and he lifted up my captured hand to press against his sore lips. I nearly cried for how tenderly he treated me. My legs almost shook and gave beneath me. I took a deep breath, swallowing chestfuls of his scent. I didn’t like the mixture of blood with his naturally muskiness, and reached to wrap my own arm around him gently.

“It shouldn’t have been your burden to bear,” He murmured softly into my hair, “... I should have been the one to kill him. Both of them, if needed.”

I laughed sadly, tangling my fingers with his. “You couldn’t have done it.”

“I could have!” He scoffed, then stilled for a moment, “...For you. I could have.”

I couldn’t bear to look at him, so kept my face half buried against him as I spoke. “You are a gentle soul, Balam,” I sighed, turning my head slightly to rest my cheek against him, “You are kind, and forgiving, and understanding… You could never take a life. Not like that.”

“And you aren't?” He grumbled.

I shook my head, and his arms flexed around me gently. “I have always been cold, and distant. I am a broken thing-”

I felt his hand, dropping mine and cupping his huge fingers under my chin. I leaned back, allowing him to gently tilt my face up to his. I opened my eyes barely, but kept my gaze dropped. Unable to look at him.

“Don’t say that,” I felt his warm breath across my cheeks as he spoke, “Don’t ever say that, Iara. You are a lot of things. But you are not broken. You are not cold.” His thumb brushed away the fat tear rolling down my cheek. “Not to me.”

I chuckled sadly again. “To everyone else then.”

He sighed, exasperatedly. “That’s not what I meant. And besides, who cares what anyone else thinks?”

I reached up, placing my hand on top of his. “... I care what you think.”

“Well then,” I could hear the smile in his voice, “I think you are strong, and brave, and dangerously clever, and possibly the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my whole life.”

I managed to meet his eyes now, and his soft brown eyes gazed down at me. There was a hearth fire in their centers, so bright I could feel their warmth on my face as he looked down at me. He tenderly traced his thumb over my cheek again, cupping my jaw in his huge palm.

“Flatterer,” I scoffed, “You’re just trying to get in my pants now.” But amusement tickled the edge of my voice.

I saw those big brown eyes flick down to my lips briefly, and saw his own twitch into the tiniest of smirks when my own gaze found his lips as well. I almost rolled my eyes, but couldn’t hide the smile on my own lips.

“You’re not wearing pants.” His voice had grown husky.

I ran my opposite hand up his bare chest, skimming around his fresh injuries. He leaned in closer.

“No, I suppose I’m not.”

I closed my eyes again as his lips pressed lightly against mine. A warmth blossomed from his kiss, and wrapped me up in its delicate embrace. His tusks scraped against my cheeks painlessly as he worked his lips slowly in tune with mine. I felt my knees buckle, and I simply melted into him.

One big arm scooped gently under my knees, the other around my shoulders. Lifting me off the ground with a soft snort as he cradled me into his chest. I reached up, cupping his face with one hand, resting the other lazily on his shoulder. Finding myself in such mind numbing bliss. Completely unaware of him moving, or of anything else around us.

Suddenly, I felt myself falling. I shrieked loudly as I hit the water, sinking below the surface an inch until my bottom hit the river’s bed.

Sputtering, I scrambled back to my feet, wincing and whirling around in confusion. Balam stood over me, grinning like an absolute buffoon.

“You Bastard!” I shouted at him, still spitting water. 

I shook a fist at him menacingly, but he only laughed. It shook his whole frame, and crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“You were filthy. I said before you needed to wash up.”

I tried to push past him, furious. “My armor is soaked! You absolute ass!”

He scooped his arm around my waist as I tried to push past him. I would have wriggled in his grasp, but he quite efficiently pulled me up first. And planted another kiss right on my lips. I was so stunned, I remained silent even after he pulled back.

Chuckling, he waded out, placing my feet back on solid ground before going over to the hanging equipment, pulling down the horse blankets. He spread one on the ground, then began to shake out the other.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I snapped, finally finding my voice again.

He glanced at my angry scowl, smirking a little. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to go naked for a little while.”

I felt my cheeks go hot, and spun in mock anger to hide it. I stomped angrily around, gathering wood into a pile in a shallow pit I dug in the sandy shore. Once I had the fire started I hesitated, glancing back over my shoulder. Balam sat on the blanket, his big eyes watching me quietly. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch a little when he saw me glance at him.

I didn’t wait to see more, spinning back to the fire. I stood frozen for a long while, uncertain of myself. Then, slowly, hesitantly, I reached up and undid the buckles at my neck and under my arms. Careful to keep my back to him. I slid the already nearly dry armor off, hanging it on a branch near enough to the fire to feel it’s warmth but not so close as to worry about it catching a stray spark. Though the worn old iron and leather would not be easily kindling.

I reached for the belt at my waist next, my hands almost shaking as I slowly undid the clasp. I glanced down at my bare feet as I set my boots in the sand by the roots of the tree, then hung my metal and thick leather skirt beside my top. Behind me, I heard a soft shuffling. I stiffened as I heard his footsteps approaching. I felt his warmth behind me, and couldn’t suppress my quivering.

Then, I felt his big, warm hands on my arms, gently sliding up and down. I turned my head slightly, looking at his massive chest just behind my shoulders. I crossed my own arms over my chest a little self consciously.

“You know, I didn’t really think you’d go for that.” He mused, bending down so his hot breath was in my ear.

“Oh, shut up.” I grumbled embarrassedly, turning my head away from him.

I felt his smile as his lips grazed my neck, and felt my heart begin to race like a jackrabbit in my chest.

“Come on,” He breathed against my hair, slowly wrapping his arms around me, “Let’s try to get some rest.”

He led me gently back to the blanket spread on the ground. I saw his trousers in a heap beside it, and my cheeks burned hotter. He smoothed his hand over my back, between my shoulder blades, then slowly laid down, being sure to leave space beside him.

I couldn’t help my eyes darting down to his hips, but quickly brought them back up to find his lopsided grin waiting for me. He patiently lay there, his eyes slowly tracing over my bare body, waiting. Letting me make the decision to join him myself.

After a time, I did, dropping to my knees on the blanket beside him. He reached over and pulled the other blanket around us, and I slowly lay down in the crook of his arm. My nose wrinkled at the thick smell of horse that suddenly enveloped us.

“Not sure horse blanket is really how I imagined-”

“Beggers can’t be choosers,” he interrupted me with a soft chuckle. 

But the blanket was warm, and he settled his arm gently around my shoulders. The bard gave a deep sigh, reaching up his opposite arm to pillow his own head.

“You know, I think the gods are laughing at us right now.”

I turned, resting my chin on his chest to look up at him. “Why?”

His lopsided grin grew a few molars. “Because here I am, beneath the open night sky, free for the first time in so many years I’ve lost count, with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my arms….” He sighed regretfully, “And bugger it all if I’m in so much pain I can’t even do anything with you.”

I laughed, whole-heartedly, and felt myself relax further into his arms. “I’m sorry,” I blurted, unsure what else to say.

He laughed softly too, stroking his thumb up and down my arm. “You’ve got to be still hurting too, I imagine. Wounds like that don’t heal overnight.”

I nodded, tracing my fingers over his chest. “And yet I still managed to storm two keeps to rescue your ass.”

Balam scoffed, shaking his head. “Hey! Don’t try to guilt trip me into making love to you before I can be absolutely certain it’ll be the most mind blowing experience of your life!”

I felt a blush rising into my cheeks again at his words, and hid my smile by burying my face against him again.

“Someone has a high opinion of themselves.” I teased.

Another soft chuckle that rumbled beneath my cheek. “I’ll give you an opinion or two for yourself… but not tonight, eh?” He sighed, and I felt his muscles loosen around me. “Tonight I am in heaven just having you in my arms-” A few moments of peaceful silence passed- “...Naked.”

I smacked him lightly, and felt him chuckle again beneath me. I smiled too, settling myself into his arms. My heart thudded loudly in my chest, and my mind raced. But I felt very comfortable laying beside him. The most I could ever remember being.

“...Perhaps I could offer you a song, instead?” He murmured, and I felt his thick fingers stroking through my short hair.

I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent again. “I’d like that.”

He cleared his throat, brushing my hair back with his hand. Testing his lips and tongue momentarily. Then he began, hesitantly, softly.

“You’re the song, in the trees, when the wind blows. You’re a flower, you’re a river, you’re a rainbow….” I stiffened at the familiar words, my eyes slowly opening again, “I loved you, the first time, I saw you… And I always, will love you… “

As he dropped off, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. He rolled, tucking himself around me, bringing his hands up to my face.

“I’m sorry... “ He murmured softly, wiping them away with his thumbs. “Ever since you first sang it… I haven’t been able to get it out of my head…”

I leaned into his touch, sighing softly. “It’s ok…”

“You never told me where it’s from…”

I brushed my fingers over his hand still cupping my cheek. “... My mother used to sing it to me… before…”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine. “... You said all you ever wanted when you were little was a family… I can’t give you much, but I can give you that… if you still want it…” He pressed his lip against my temple, pushing my hair back out of my face. “Maybe someday you can sing that song to our kids…”

I was shaking my head before he had even finished speaking. “I don’t want kids… not right now… I’m not sure if I’ll ever want them.”

He tilted my face up to look at him. “Your every wish is my command. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

“But what do you want?”

“All I want is to see you happy.”

I tried to hide a smile by turning away, but he kept me gently cupped in his palms. 

“You make me happy...” I told him shyly, “You’re the only family I need.”

He grinned that stupid, lopsided grin, and leaned down. Pressing his thick, warm lips against mine again. I reached up, tracing my hand over his square cheek. Pushing back his damp dreads and burying my hand in the thick mass of his hair.

We lay intertwined like that for a while, and when we finally pulled apart, it was with bliss in our eyes and heaven in our breath. I sighed contentedly, then settled against him with my head tucked against his chest.

“How about one more song?” He mused, his voice sounding sleepy.

I smirked into his skin, wriggling a little closer. Ever wary of his tenderized skin.

“I like the sound of your voice.” I whispered back.

I felt his lips against the top of my head, and then his own great sigh. His body relaxed around me, and I felt safe and warm in my own little cocoon.

“I thought of this one when I first met you,” He murmured against my hair. 

I nodded, waiting patiently for the soft humming of honeybees to rise in his chest once more. Already starting to doze off.

“She’s bitter sweet, she knocks me off of my feet; but I can’t help myself, I don’t want anyone else; She’s a mystery, she’s too much for me; but I keep coming back for more…. She’s just the girl I’m looking for…”

...

THE END.

#orc boyfriend #orcs #orc bard #orc #enemies to lovers #The bard's bounty #OC #update #just the girl #monster boyfriend #exophilia #terato #slow burn #romance

[caffeinated-moonchild]

tracks [kim taehyung]

writer: yellow hippo

genre: short story, fan fiction, slice of life

synopsis: 

1 train ride. 2 struggling souls. 3 things - Realizations. Friendship. New journey. Where would their last stop be?

character/s: kim taehyung [ace], jade [oc]

story:

•  𝓘 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓹𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓢𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓪𝔂  • 

It was just one Sunday when we met. You were sitting there, staring out the window as the buildings pass us by. It was so serene. It was as if you were at peace. I had my own smile then as I stood in front of you. I couldn't hide my fondness of how you looked. So calm. I wish I was too. For moment, at least, I was. Thanks to you.

"Have a seat, miss." Your deep and husky tone brought me out of my trance. I stared at you, paling as I realized i must've looked dumb with a smile on. "Oh! Uhm. Thanks." I stuttered back as I sat in your place, my head down, eyes on your shoes. I couldn't raise my head up, still shy and stunned. Also because my anxiety started to creep back in as people stared when I sat. It was too much. Why is sitting down such a big deal? Should it be? What's wrong with me? But then I hear you again and everything just melts inside me. Your laugh was so cute. It made the smile creep back up my face. My eyes still trained on your feet, I noticed how they kept on moving. You might be having a hard time balancing? The train ride is not a smooth one especially now that the trail kept making zigzags. "Have a seat, mister." I patted the now empty space beside me, hoping that you would take the seat beside mine. You smiled down at me as you occupied the seat. Your smile is so blinding. It leaves me breathless. How can one train ride make you smile? Is it the view? Is it the fact that it's a Sunday, families buzzing on the ride as they make small talk of their one-day vacation? How I wish I could smile genuinely like you.

• 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘁, 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. •

It was so embarrassing how I kept missing my balance. Her eyes were always on my feet. I feel like I'm being judged. Is it too obvious that this was my first train ride ever? I must look so pathetic.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked me after some moments of silence between us. I laughed awkwardly, my sweaty palms hidden behind my neck.

"That obvious, huh?"

"Obvious?" Her eyes, my favorite shade of green that I can't put a name on, stare at me. Question marks all over her face.

"Yeah. Obvious that this was my first train ride?" My voice so low, not wanting anyone else to hear me.

"Oh, it is?" She covers her mouth as she giggles quietly. "Don't worry. It's our secret then."

She smiles so sweetly. No judgement in her voice and eyes. Why couldn't I have met her sooner? Why now when everything is-

"Hey? Don't think too much about it. Everyone has their own first experience on train rides. I did too."

Warm. So warm. The sun from the window feels so warm as she talks about her first train ride when she was in high school. She was fun to talk to. No awkward silence once she remembers another story in the middle of her current one.

"So, where's your stop?" She takes a breath as she finishes her story.

"No where. I mean-" I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me. Her face when was priceless. And she even dare ask if I was homeless or if I ran away. She was willing to take me in, a total stranger, in her home.

Why did I have to meet her? Why just now? The year has what? More than 300 days and I had to meet her at the most unconventional time of my life.

I told her how I just wanted a look at the city from a different view since my hotel window, although better than any paintings in my hotel room, was getting too repetitive for me. Always the same view of the same city. I told her how suffocated I felt even if I was free to leave anytime. I told her how I wanted to have my windows change views every time I wake up.

"I hate routines." The train arrived at it's next stop. People come and go. "So, your stop?" I added quietly, my eyes passing by her own green ones before coming back to the train windows.

"I get down at the last station. That's where my school is. Just a few minutes of walking after this long ride."

"Last station it is, then."

• '𝓒𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝓮.•

"Last station it is, then."

A joyrider. Must have all the time in the world. Nothing but views to think of.

"A photographer?" I asked the man as I spot his camera bag.

"Hmm. You could say so, yeah, I guess?" Again, I am met with a serene smile.

A click and a flash caught me off guard. My eyes see green spots for a moment as I try to blink away the blurriness.

"Sorry about that." He chuckles as he puts his camera away.

"You shouldn't have done that. Nothing worth to see here." I gesture over my face, my palms sweating as I try to laugh my anxiety away. Not here Not now. Not even after the people has moved on from the quick flash of light from our seat. Not ever, please.

"Hey. Are you ok, miss? I'm really sorry. I just wanted a candid shot of you because-"

"Yes, I'm ok. Just not used with cameras and all. Those things hate me that they almost always break after having me as their target."

"How come? Well, I think my camera likes you. Not broken at all. See?" He takes out his camera and offers it to me.

He shows me the photo he took of me, as well as his hotel room window view. He showed me a picture of him with his dog. A picture of him and his older brothers. Pictures of other places he's been to. Beautiful. Everything he took a picture of was beautiful. Even the one he took of me. I looked normal. I looked surprised, but happy. Like I had no worries aside from the butt sore I would get from sitting down from this long train ride.

He took his camera back. He stared down at it on his lap, his serene smile never leaving his lips as my candid shot reflects on the screen. I can't help but smile as well. I laughed lightly. At least someone appreciates me even in an unconventional way.

• 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿. •

Another stop up ahead and we fell in the most comfortable silence I have ever felt. My eyes shift to the books on her lap and some paper peaking in the middle pages of the book. Interesting. Mythology?

"Which program are you in?" I pointed towards her stack of books on her lap as I asked her.

"Literature student. And film. I'm actually taking two majors-" A sigh and a content smile on her face. "-got in both programs for being a scholar since I was younger."

"Whoa. You must be smart then. Congrats!" I offered her my hand and can't help but chuckle at how tiny her hands are. Tiny and soft. So fragile.

"What's so funny?" Her nose is scrunched up as she hits my shoulders lightly.

"Ah nothing. Your hands. They're just so small. So delicate like some kind of petal. If you squeeze too much, it might break."

She opens her hands and stretches her fingers, massaging them, a small pout on her lips.

"They'll grow longer you'll see."

"Wanna bet?" I asked, smirking her way. "Once you've written a book or published any kind of film, I should be one of the first few to see the finished product. Call?"

Her face falls and takes a deep breath.

"That might not happen anytime, mister. I might die of old age even before doing anything out of my dreams." She looks down her shoes and I noticed a tear drop on her book.

Looking at her slumped shoulders, I could not help myself from rubbing circles on her, hoping it could somehow calm her down. But her shoulders shiver even more now, hiccups irregularly escaping her every breath.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry about this. God what's gotten into me. Must be because I only got a few hours of sleep. So many papers due this month. Professors bombarding us with papers before letting us actually breathe for the summer."

I offer her my handkerchief as she starts rubbing her at her eyes angrily.

"Eyeliner-" She points at her lids. "I might get this dirty."

"Nah. You might need it for later as well. Like you said. Summer. We can't have you sweating. I need my subject all fresh and pretty." I put the handkerchief just on top of her books and look down at our shoes instead, humming quietly as she wipes her tears away.

"This is nothing. I am nothing. I won't be able to agree with the bet even if I wanted to."

"Hey. It's ok. You're ok. It might be a long train ride-" I chuckle as her eyes crinkle from giggling. "-but you'll be something. You are already something. No. Someone. A someone worth the wait at the end of the ride. You'll make it something. I trust that. At least have my trust when you feel like nothing, alright?" I point at my handkerchief as I pat her head.

'You are already being something by not running away from your dreams. You already are making something. A progress that I crave for myself.'

The train chugs on as we roll back to another silence.

•  𝓦𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯���𝓮𝓽? • 

I kept my stare down, afraid of the judging eyes all around me - beside me - if I look back up. I look like a panda. Or worse, a clown. Great. I just ruined my make up. I have no time to retouch since I have reporting on my first class. What a reporter. A clown. An ugly clown who has nothing on her once the 'train ride' ends. It was always nothing.

Fighting for what I want has always been useless. I just made myself into the nothing that I am and will always be. Why did I even bother accepting the scholarship program? I won't be the writer that I want to be nor the film director that I always dream of being. I'll crash in an office job after graduation just to earn for a living. Who am I kidding. My dreams can't feed my family. I'm so selfish for wanting this when I won't be anything by then.

I can't bring myself to look up. He's something at least. He's traveling everywhere and taking the places he's visited with him.

"You're the something between us, mister." My head still down, but I saw him turn away from the window and towards me. A hum. But why does it sound so hopeless? So lost? My eyes veer away from my shoes to his. Black leather shoes. So shiny. Reminds me of his eyes.

"Something. Huh." He stands as I feel someone else take his place beside. Did I scare him Off? Only then did I look up and see him standing in front of me, he smiles down at the old lady now in his place. I smile at the lady as well as she nods and smiles towards us both.

"I might be something to someone, but I'm nothing to myself." He sighs, his smile turning melancholy as I stare up. I was about to contradict him but he surprises me as he suddenly kneels from where he stands. I avoid his eyes by looking behind me. A slight rain has made the window all blurry to see outside. I feel a sudden tug on my shoes and I look down at him.

"I'm running away from everything and making myself fall into nothing. But you? You're running into something. You might feel like it's nothing, but the fact that you're running towards something. Well. That's something. Something from the nothing like me who runs away from everything." He whispers low, only for my ears to hear.

He stands back up as I stare down at my shoes, knots tied perfectly in place, not knowing of what to make of what he just said.

•  𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻. • 

It's been silent for the past stops now. Both of us stuck with our own thoughts. But it's not awkward nor uncomfortable. Just a little heavy on the heart because just one more stop and it's the end of the track. What more is there to talk about? She said so herself that there won't be any betting. Her dreams and mine all getting further away as the train chugs forward. At least she fought somehow. I just ran and hid for as long as I can. But this has to end. Every ride has to end.

"So." She cleared her throat as the final announcement for her stop is heard over the speakers. "This is my stop, mister?"

"Ace Wilson. And please, drop the 'mister'. I graduated just a few months ago. Not as old as you think." I chuckled as I held my hands towards her, offering help her with the books.

"Jade Myers. Or just Jade. Thanks." She smiled as she put a book on my waiting palms. "Are you sure I'm not messing your schedule?" She smiles up at me, her height reaching just above my shoulders. What a tiny thing and yet she is fighting a battle. Winner or not, it's the effort that counts, right?

"Schedule? What schedule? Like I said. I'm just running away from everything. Might as well take a break from all that before I run further. There's no rush for me."

She leads the way. The road, or rather the gravel path, making scrunching noises every stomp of our foot. It was enough noise to cover the silence we've wrapped our self into.

• 𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓓𝓸 •

(click for song inspiration of this story)

I look up at him, my eyes squinting close because of the sun, as we near my school gates.

Just a name and his little stories. That's all there is to him. Questions he will leave though. Questions that I will be facing after losing my fight.

Will he start his own battles when I end mine? Would his run bring him somewhere? Would I meet him again someday when I start running away, or 'if' I run away? Will I stop where he is if I do run? What then? Why stop?

I may know his name, but he will remain a stranger to me.

"Thanks again, Ace." I grab my book from him as I wave goodbye, entering the school gate. He stands there, his serene smile back from when I first saw him. Back from where we started.

Strangers, with only names.

• 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆? •

I wish I rode a different train cart. Or maybe I should've never rode a train in the first place. I could've ridden a plane and flew back to where people were waiting for me. I could've stayed home and not get lost. I could've continued fighting even if I see myself losing. At least I fought and lost with no regrets. There is harm in trying, but there is also knowledge. Knowing that you fought though you knew your fate is a win in itself. You at least fought. Your fall would not be in vain.

Why did I have to meet Jade in the most inconvenient time. She left me with regrets. But also a new found determination to fight. I will keep running. But this time, I will run towards my dream. I'll fight if I have to.

• 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓹𝓼 𝓪𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓸𝓶.•

The thought of just running away keeps climbing up my 'to-do list' once I graduate. Should I really just run from the reality my family wants to thrust upon me and go for what I want instead? Yes. Yes I do want to run. I want to be what I want to be. I want to continue being selfish. I want to keep fighting. Is the fight and the run worth all that I'll leave behind?

My heels clack on the corridor as I run to my first class. Looking like a clown for my smudged make up, but who the fuck cares? I've decided to fight. The smudge got nothing on the blood I will shed for my win. I can always wipe it all away.

A serene smile left my own lips as I dug his handkerchief out of my pocket. Yes, I can always wipe away the blood shed and run.

I want to feel the wind on my face and fingertips. I want the shiver of excitement. I want to feel. I want to be free.

And I will be, because I'm running away.

I open the door to the classroom and I know that my run has begun. No turning back. The whistle started the race.

I'm running away.

• 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓮, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝓽𝓸𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻? •

Strangers.

Having different tracks, but the ride would end at the same station. Not once but twice would their fates collide. But for now one train is moving onward and the other stops at a station. But they will again meet at the end of the track.

For now, they are simply Jade Myers and Ace Wilson.

#bts fic #bts scenarios #bts v #bts taehyung #kpop #like strangers #AJ Mitchell song fic #bts x original character #bts x oc #v x oc #taehyung x oc #original character #bts fan fiction #slice of life #short story #bts ff

[mini-moongi]

Curse || Namjoon || p r o l o g u e

Genre: Fantasy, Fluff, Angst, Adventure

Story prompt: Inspired by a dragon prompt I saw- You’re cursed to be a dragon in the daylight. When a knight comes to slay you, imagine their surprise when the dragon turns into a defenseless human being.

Summary: [Dragon! AU] [Namjoon x Knight! Reader]; Apparently there's been a dragon wreaking havoc in the nearby village, and so King Kim Seokjin asks you to deal with it as the newly appointed knight. When you arrive, it seems that the truth is not exactly as it appears. This is a fem!reader.

Thank you to lovely @ahgassok​​ for the title pic!! I am very much in love with it (o´ω｀o)

curse masterlist

p r o l o g u e  // next

────── ☽. ✧₊∘ ──────

“I’m sorry your Majesty, You want me to do what now??” The thought sends shivers throughout your entire body. You knew he was a ruthless ruler, but you didn’t think he was this extreme. “Wouldn’t you want to send someone more qualified, My Lord?”

It was true, you had only been appointed as a knight last week. It was crazy to think he’d send you in for Dragon duty this early on. It’s not that you were terrified, but this was something you, and many of your comrades, have never faced before. King Kim’s stunned for a moment, as if he wasn’t expecting you to question him. He regains his composure in the blink of an eye, though, as if it had never happened.

“Do you lack confidence in your abilities?” The King sits upon his throne and sighs,” I thought you wanted to prove yourself to me, remember? How sad..” King Seokjin looks down at you from his seat. You are kneeling, as per the knight custom, but he could see the glimmer in your eyes.

You were the only female accepted into knighthood this past equinox, and they won’t be opening up positions again for awhile. As the only new devoted knight with female genitalia, you needed to prove yourself amongst the majority. The King’s comment flashes through your mind, finalizing your decision. “I will definitely succeed, your Majesty; you can confide in me. I will be back once the Dragon is slain.”

The King gives you a nod,” I shall be awaiting your return. Good luck, Lady Y/n.” 

You tread through the forest, and the humidity drips across your face. The helmet grows heavier every second, but you were supposed to keep it on during duty. You camped out for two nights on the journey, the distance far greater than you had initially thought.

Your faithful horse gallops past the uneven terrain, until you find yourself facing an abandoned building. It was a little to the west of the village who sent in the urgent request, but not one villager would go near this damned place. The worn down castle-like structure had moss embedded into its walls, seeping with time. You wondered what happened to the castle and what it must’ve been like before the present ate away at the building. The sun was going down, and the shadow of the building casted over your figure. You sit still and listen.

Heavy thumping and shuffling sounds emit from the second floor window. No doubt in your mind that that is where the beast lays ahead. Silently, you dismounted from your trusty steed and approached the concave door. With one push, the door creaked open. The shuffling stops.

Cautiously, you make your way up the spiral stone staircase. Despite the outward appearance, the inside of the castle is clean and homely. You almost mistake it as intruding on someone’s home, but alas, you can hear the beast’s growl on the floor above you, reminding you of where you really were. Approaching the master bedroom, you open the door.

Immediately, the dragon is on guard, and it’s ferociously larger than you. His scales glitter a golden color as it reflects off of your armor. The room is furnished and ornate; the scale of the space is as large as the King’s. The normal sized window seemed tiny compared to the monstrosity in the room. The dragon bared its teeth and swung at you with its sharp claws.

The sword you’ve unsheathed blocks the claws from crushing you, but its strength surpasses the knights you have battled with during training. The metal clangs with its every attack, and you can tell that it’s running out of stamina. The dragon’s nostrils flared and fire seeped from it, dissipating into smoke. It was like a warning sign, but you doubt that the dragon would light its own home on fire. In a hasty attempt to defend itself, it’s claws swung at you once more, and this time it broke through your armor. A deep gash cuts down the middle of your left arm, and you grunt in pain.

You switched from defense to offense and slashed your sword at the beast. The last remaining light from the sun disappears behind the mountain as you lift your sword up for the final blow. Its neck is open and exposed, like a rabbit waiting to be eaten. Just then, a puff of smoke fills the air halting your attack.

When you’ve regained your sight, the dragon was gone. In its place was a man shielding himself from your sword; he was trembling and backing against the wall of the room. His clothing is tattered, but it resembled royal status nonetheless. Slowly, you lower your sword with confusion written across your face. 

He was definitely human, except for the purple hues in his hair. Was this a sick joke that the King set up for you? You raise your sword and point it at the man,” Identify yourself, or be slain on sight.”

It was his turn to look at you in confusion, his brows furrowed and his curiosity inching him forward. “Who are you?” His face comes closer to your helmet, but your sword against his neck puts some space between you two. His voice is gravelly and husky, but it sounds dry and hoarse at the moment. You must remember that he is only a beast, who knows what kind of trap he’s set up for you.

“Identify yourself,” you repeated more sternly than before.

“Kim Namjoon.” He stares at you with a perplexed expression. “Who are you to enter my home at this hour? Maybe the beast is not I, but you.”

“Knight Y/n of the royal Bangtan Palace.” You squint at the man. Who was he to question your motives? You stood your ground, speaking defiantly at him. “I have been ordered to slay the beast that dwells here, and if it be you, then I must say farewell, Namjoon.” 

“Would you really kill a Kim?” He speaks as if your loyalty belonged to him. What a fool, you think to yourself. He may be a Kim, but he is not the King. He chooses his next words carefully,” A knight like you should be able to recognize royalty when you see one.” A sigh escapes his pillowy lips,” But I can’t blame you. You're just doing what you’re told.”

Your eyebrows furrow as the aching sets in and watch as Namjoon’s eyes trail down to your torso. His face softens,” Are you okay? I’m sorry for hurting you,” he says,” We need to patch you up before you bleed out.”

You try to refuse the monster’s help, but when you try to push him away, pain jolts your body to be still. Your eyes flutter shut as you try to compose yourself, but Namjoon already swept you up in his arms. 

The next moment you open your eyes, you find yourself sat upright against the headboard of a bedroom. You stir awake, trying to get a grip of your surroundings. The former beast, Namjoon, is tending to your wounds. It runs deep, and the taste of blood still lingers on your tongue.

“By no means am I a medic, but hopefully you’ll be okay.” Namjoon says as he wraps your arm in bandages. You don’t respond, still wary of his motives. 

“What do you want from me, Beast?” You spit the words out as best you could. You may be hurt, but you can’t trust him. Years of training taught you as much. 

“I don’t really want anything from you,” He smiles,” It’s just that I haven’t seen another person for at least five years. You’re my guest.” The smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but he looks away before you can question it. 

He walks over to the other side of the room to an open door; it leads to a bathroom. A damp cloth stained in your blood is washed away in the sink, red water going down the drain. 

“I’m sorry I have to ruin your mission, miss,” He calls from the bathroom. “I’m human; just cursed, is all.”

You hadn’t even thought about him being cursed. That would make more sense, but the King is supposed to keep tabs on every cursed being in the Kingdom. Some sort of protection plan, he said. But then why would he order you to kill Namjoon? “...What do you mean?”

He comes back from the other room, bringing some herbal medicine back with him. “I was supposed to, uh, be King.” Namjoon clears his throat. King? Your words failed to find you as he continued speaking. “I was sabatoged. They abandoned me here and left me to rot. I’m...” He never finishes that sentence when tears threaten to fall from his eyes. 

“I can’t even say it..” Namjoon’s laugh is lifeless and hollow, and the fist he had clenched releases its grip.

You put your hand over his fist in an attempt to sooth his feelings. “I apologize, Namjoon.” Silence hung in the air while you try to muster up the right words. “Thank you, really, for cleaning my wounds. You could’ve let me die, and for that, I am indebted to you. Is there any way I can help? A way to break your curse, maybe?”

Time escapes you as Namjoon explains the ins and outs of his spell bound curse. You peer out of the window, seeing the colorful hues rising into the sky. Any moment and the sun will rise beyond the mountain. You turned to the man. “So you’re telling me that in order to lift the curse and slay the dragon, I have to kill the King?” 

He notices you peering out the window, and recognizes the time he’d taken from you. “Yes, I’m afraid so. Look,” he looks at you in the eyes with a gentle face,” Your time with me means so much, but I’m going to turn back soon. Please, you need to rest, we will talk again soon.”

You watch him leave through the guest bedroom’s door. You tried to follow him, but your eyes land on his morphing figure as it looms in the common room. A cloud of smoke waves through the air and once more is the dragon from yesterday.

────── ☽. ✧₊∘ ──────

Taglist for this series is open! (o´ω｀o)

#Namjoon x reader #kim namjoon x reader #rm x reader #bts namjoon x reader #bts rm x reader #bts kim namjoon x reader #namjoon #kim namjoon #rm #bts kim namjoon #bts namjoon #bts rm #bts imagine #bts fantasy au #bts series #kim taehyung #min yoongi #kim seokjin #park jimin #jeon jungkook #jung hoseok #x reader #namjoon x you #kpop #fanfic #bts fanfic #fantasy au #x reader insert #bts curse

[bangtan-babes]

bts reaction you (s/o) dancing seductively in a club

I want to make the story different for everybody, so it won't al be the same.

(A/N) warnings: mentions of alchohol, light smut, calling names, the overall filth that is in me.

Seokjin

You went to the club with the 7 boys, your boyfriend, Seokjin was getting drinks for all of you. you were kind of feeling yourself and hadn’t even had a drink yet. so soon after the first few alcoholic drinks you were getting down in the middle of the dance floor. Soon you felt somebody getting closer to you. He was talking to you and asking you questions, but your mind was with Seokjin. Eyeing him through the crowd, once he found you he kept his eyes on you too. The way you were moving your body in that body con dress. He got hot so he approached you shoving himself between you and the person that spoke to you earlier. ”Who told you you could dance like this?” he asked while grinding back against you. You chuckled and replied by pushing harder against him which caused him to let out a low moan in your ear “we’re going” he said as he took you out of the club and back home.

Namjoon

Namjoon had the night of and wanted to have some fun with you. You never really went clubbing since you couldn’t handle your alcohol and you were afraid something might happen. Tonight was different though. You trusted your boyfriend so you went clubbing with him. After two drinks you started feeling loose. So of course you went to the dance floor. Before Joon could register what happened you were already busy. “Two drinks?! Really?” He chuckled to himself before going after you. He took the sight of you in coming to a halt just meters before you. Swaying your hips in that (in his opinion too short) skirt and that crop top. He was wearing a blouse and tight jeans that suddenly became too tight. Especially when you did that slutdrop in front of him. He was bothered and was not gonna let you off easily that night.

Yoongi

Yoongi was never a party animal. You always had to convince him to come to a club with you. Tonight you weren’t feeling like begging him, so when he said “no” you just replied with “your choice”. He watched you with confusion because you gave up so easily, deciding not to make a big deal out of it. You went to change, deciding on something bold since that was how you felt right now. You went with a low cut body and a short skirt with fishnet stockings, you threw your hair loose and wore a pair of pumps to finish your look. For make up you didn’t do much except for that red lipstick you knew Yoongi loved on you. When you came out of your room and prepared to go he sat there in his chair eyeing you up and down, “where do you think you’re going?” He asked in a low tone. “To the club, which i recall isn’t where you wanted to go” you told him mokingly, knowing exactly what you were doing to him. Once in the club you where there grinding to the air when suddenly somebody grinded back up against you. When he whispered in your ear you sort of relaxed in the grip he had to your hips. “Did you really think i would let you go alone looking like this and an attitude like that” He tutted in your ear. When you didn’t reply he spanked your ass and hissed when you arched your back from his action, grinding up against him involuntary. “Well tonight is gonna be fun, why don’t you dance some more love” you knew you were in for it when he called you love. He loved seeing you move like this and wasn’t planning on letting you go anytime soon.

Hoseok

Dance king, that was his name in your town. Tonight you were gonna show him who was his Queen. Before you went to the nightclub you wore your curve hugging dress and hair loose, underneath that you wore those heels Hoseok loved to watch you strut in. Hoseok wore his casual dance night jeans and shirt. When he was talking to Namjoon he spotted you twerking what your mama gave you. Namjoon had started to answer his question when Hoseok just got up and went to you. Poor joonie. When he gripped your hips you didn’t stop but just smirked over your shoulder. He was moving against you and you could start to feel your effect on him. You could hear it too, low grunts came from behind you as Hoseok tried to keep posture. Not being able to keep his tongue from slipping out and his hips from grinding against you harder from time to time. Señorita came on and there was just one thing left to do, tango. That is exactly what your boyfriend thought about as the two of you shared the heated dance strutting around the dance floor, were Hoseok dipped and spinned you several times. As the music ended so did your tango, in a dip, where hoseok whispered to you “you don’t know what you’re doing to me” after which he kissed you passionately.

Jimin

When he got home he immediately went to change since you had already left. After he walked to the nearby club he scored a drink and took a glance over the dance floor only to find you with another girl, grinding up against eachother. Why am i like this?! He’d put his drink down and went to you. When you spotted him you bent down all the way and trailed you hands up your legs as you slowly got back up, bending your back in the process. After this move you started to roll your hips to the rhythm. He spun you around back against him as he kept his hand on your chin keeping it up. Kinky little fuck, i’m sorry. “Now jagi, why don’t we do that again. Nice and slow for me” he teased in your ear. You did it again bending all the way down Jimin held your hips as you moved against him. When you got back up he whispered in your ear “yes just like that, you love it how everybody is watching, don’t you”. You giggled at his remark and rolled your hips back at him. He pulled his hand through his hair and at that moment you knew you were in for it. At home he picked you up and pushed you back against the wall. “So was that all necessary out there?” He asked while pushing his thigh between your legs. You whimpered at the contact. Not able to form a sentence.

Taehyung

Another one of those kinky lill maknae’s. When he watched you dance he knew he was going to make use of it. He decided to drag out the fun for a bit and ordered two more shots. You and Jin were busting it down preforming Jin’s famous slutdrops. Jin and you were laughing and giggling as you did so and your boyfriend knew you and Jin were just best friends and he was no threat. Though something in him switched when Jin pulled you against him and you happily complied. He got jealous, starting to picture himself there. You were moving around Jin tickling his shoulders as your phone rang. You answered it and stiffened when you heard the deep, raspy, husky, clouded voice. It was Taehyung, hot and bothered rilled up Taehyung. You looked over at him and he was pointing his finger at you. Turning it and motioning for you to come to him, you excused yourself to Jin and went over to the VIP lounge wher Tae was. When you arrived he gave you a shot. You took it and tipped it back and so did he. ‘Do you know why I called you here?” He asked you shook your head. “What you did down there... Do it for me baby. Dance for me Jagi”. You glance at him innocently but still started to sway your hips. Moving closer to him and slowly getting down between his legs moving your hands up his legs. He groaned at the sight. You stood back up turned around and sank down again before moving to straddle his hips. Feeling what you did to him you started to blush “I think that was quite enough, call Jin were leaving. But you, you are not finished yet. You will finish that dance at home”. He said licking his lips.

Jungkook

You were waiting for him all night but off course he was playing games. You had grown tired of waiting and pulled his plugs out. “Let me show you some real fun bunny” he looked at you with those big ass eyes and followed you. Having been sitting around waiting for a while you were already fully dressed when you left. Kook wasn’t able to form a good scentence as he trailed behind you, still processing what you said. “A good time?” He mumbled some more things, which you picked up on. Arriving at the club you saw some friends and waved at them. Kook still hot on your tail. When you got in the club you went to the bar getting the both of some shots to warm up. After letting it sink down you took him out on the floor. You started slow, slow sensitive movements. Kook didn’t even move at all. You swivelled around him, touching him, grinding up against him. Once he got a taste of what you would do he got the point. A dark Kook came out. He took a grip at your thighs and picked you up with that totally unnecessary inhuman strength of his. He moved you around dipping you down putting you down and manhandling you. You moved your hands up his body and under his shirt. You started to kiss his chest and then his abdomen. He did that move, you know what I’m talking about, Tear era. You loved this and this side of him. Deciding you had seen enough dark Jungkook for this evening you took him back to the lounges and had some more drinks with your boyfriend.

#bts #bts scenarios #bts reactions #kim seokjin #kim namjoon #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeong jungkook #bts aus #bangtan #bangtan boys #kpop #kpop reactions

[yellowhippo]

𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝙺𝚂 1 : 𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝙳𝚘

It was just one Sunday when we met. You were sitting there, staring out the window as the buildings pass us by. It was so serene. It was as if you were at peace. I had my own smile then as I stood in front of you. I couldn't hide my fondness of how you looked. So calm. I wish I was too. For moment, at least, I was. Thanks to you.

"Have a seat, miss." Your deep and husky tone brought me out of my trance. I stared at you, paling as I realized i must've looked dumb with a smile on. 

"Oh! Uhm. Thanks." I stuttered back as I sat in your place, my head down, eyes on your shoes. 

I couldn't raise my head up, still shy and stunned. Also because my anxiety started to creep back in as people stared when I sat. It was too much. Why is sitting down such a big deal? Should it be? What's wrong with me? But then I hear you again and everything just melts inside me. Your laugh was so cute. It made the smile creep back up my face. 

My eyes still trained on your feet, I noticed how they kept on moving. You might be having a hard time balancing? The train ride is not a smooth one especially now that the trail kept making zigzags. 

"Have a seat, mister." I patted the now empty space beside me, hoping that you would take the seat beside mine. You smiled down at me as you occupied the seat. Your smile is so blinding. It leaves me breathless. How can one train ride make you smile? Is it the view? Is it the fact that it's a Sunday, families buzzing on the ride as they make small talk of their one-day vacation? 

How I wish I could smile genuinely like you.

It was so embarrassing how I kept missing my balance. Her eyes were always on my feet. I feel like I'm being judged. Is it too obvious that this was my first train ride ever? I must look so pathetic.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked me after some moments of silence between us. I laughed awkwardly, my sweaty palms hidden behind my neck.

"That obvious, huh?"

"Obvious?" Her eyes, my favorite shade of green that I can't put a name on, stare at me. Question marks all over her face.

"Yeah. Obvious that this was my first train ride?" My voice so low, not wanting anyone else to hear me.

"Oh, it is?" She covers her mouth as she giggles quietly. "Don't worry. It's our secret then."

She smiles so sweetly. No judgement in her voice and eyes. Why couldn't I have met her sooner? Why now when everything is-

"Hey? Don't think too much about it. Everyone has their own first experience on train rides. I did too."

Warm. So warm. The sun from the window feels so warm as she talks about her first train ride when she was in high school. She was fun to talk to. No awkward silence once she remembers another story in the middle of her current one.

"So, where's your stop?" She takes a breath as she finishes her story.

"No where. I mean-" I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me. Her face when was priceless. And she even dare ask if I was homeless or if I ran away. She was willing to take me in, a total stranger, in her home.

Why did I have to meet her? Why just now? The year has what? More than 300 days and I had to meet her at the most unconventional time of my life.

I told her how I just wanted a look at the city from a different view since my hotel window, although better than any paintings in my hotel room, was getting too repetitive for me. Always the same view of the same city. I told her how suffocated I felt even if I was free to leave anytime. I told her how I wanted to have my windows change views every time I wake up.

"I hate routines." The train arrived at it's next stop. People come and go. "So, your stop?" I added quietly, my eyes passing by her own green ones before coming back to the train windows.

"I get down at the last station. That's where my school is. Just a few minutes of walking after this long ride."

"Last station it is, then."

"Last station it is, then."

A joyrider. Must have all the time in the world. Nothing but views to think of.

"A photographer?" I asked the man as I spot his camera bag.

"Hmm. You could say so, yeah, I guess?" Again, I am met with a serene smile.

A click and a flash caught me off guard. My eyes see green spots for a moment as I try to blink away the blurriness.

"Sorry about that." He chuckles as he puts his camera away.

"You shouldn't have done that. Nothing worth to see here." I gesture over my face, my palms sweating as I try to laugh my anxiety away. Not here Not now. Not even after the people has moved on from the quick flash of light from our seat. Not ever, please.

"Hey. Are you ok, miss? I'm really sorry. I just wanted a candid shot of you because-"

"Yes, I'm ok. Just not used with cameras and all. Those things hate me that they almost always break after having me as their target."

"How come? Well, I think my camera likes you. Not broken at all. See?" He takes out his camera and offers it to me.

He shows me the photo he took of me, as well as his hotel room window view. He showed me a picture of him with his dog. A picture of him and his older brothers. Pictures of other places he's been to. Beautiful. Everything he took a picture of was beautiful. Even the one he took of me. I looked normal. I looked surprised, but happy. Like I had no worries aside from the butt sore I would get from sitting down from this long train ride.

He took his camera back. He stared down at it on his lap, his serene smile never leaving his lips as my candid shot reflects on the screen. I can't help but smile as well. I laughed lightly. At least someone appreciates me even in an unconventional way.

Another stop up ahead and we fell in the most comfortable silence I have ever felt. My eyes shift to the books on her lap and some paper peaking in the middle pages of the book. Interesting. Mythology?

"Which program are you in?" I pointed towards her stack of books on her lap as I asked her.

"Literature student. And film. I'm actually taking two majors-" A sigh and a content smile on her face. "-got in both programs for being a scholar since I was younger."

"Whoa. You must be smart then. Congrats!" I offered her my hand and can't help but chuckle at how tiny her hands are. Tiny and soft. So fragile.

"What's so funny?" Her nose is scrunched up as she hits my shoulders lightly.

"Ah nothing. Your hands. They're just so small. So delicate like some kind of petal. If you squeeze too much, it might break."

She opens her hands and stretches her fingers, massaging them, a small pout on her lips.

"They'll grow longer you'll see."

"Wanna bet?" I asked, smirking her way. "Once you've written a book or published any kind of film, I should be one of the first few to see the finished product. Call?"

Her face falls and takes a deep breath.

"That might not happen anytime, mister. I might die of old age even before doing anything out of my dreams." She looks down her shoes and I noticed a tear drop on her book.

Looking at her slumped shoulders, I could not help myself from rubbing circles on her, hoping it could somehow calm her down. But her shoulders shiver even more now, hiccups irregularly escaping her every breath.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry about this. God what's gotten into me. Must be because I only got a few hours of sleep. So many papers due this month. Professors bombarding us with papers before letting us actually breathe for the summer."

I offer her my handkerchief as she starts rubbing her at her eyes angrily.

"Eyeliner-" She points at her lids. "I might get this dirty."

"Nah. You might need it for later as well. Like you said. Summer. We can't have you sweating. I need my subject all fresh and pretty." I put the handkerchief just on top of her books and look down at our shoes instead, humming quietly as she wipes her tears away.

"This is nothing. I am nothing. I won't be able to agree with the bet even if I wanted to."

"Hey. It's ok. You're ok. It might be a long train ride-" I chuckle as her eyes crinkle from giggling. "-but you'll be something. You are already something. No. Someone. A someone worth the wait at the end of the ride. You'll make it something. I trust that. At least have my trust when you feel like nothing, alright?" I point at my handkerchief as I pat her head.

'You are already being something by not running away from your dreams. You already are making something. A progress that I crave for myself.'

The train chugs on as we roll back to another silence.

I kept my stare down, afraid of the judging eyes all around me - beside me - if I look back up. I look like a panda. Or worse, a clown. Great. I just ruined my make up. I have no time to retouch since I have reporting on my first class. What a reporter. A clown. An ugly clown who has nothing on her once the 'train ride' ends. It was always nothing.

Fighting for what I want has always been useless. I just made myself into the nothing that I am and will always be. Why did I even bother accepting the scholarship program? I won't be the writer that I want to be nor the film director that I always dream of being. I'll crash in an office job after graduation just to earn for a living. Who am I kidding. My dreams can't feed my family. I'm so selfish for wanting this when I won't be anything by then.

I can't bring myself to look up. He's something at least. He's traveling everywhere and taking the places he's visited with him.

"You're the something between us, mister." My head still down, but I saw him turn away from the window and towards me. A hum. But why does it sound so hopeless? So lost? My eyes veer away from my shoes to his. Black leather shoes. So shiny. Reminds me of his eyes.

"Something. Huh." He stands as I feel someone else take his place beside. Did I scare him Off? Only then did I look up and see him standing in front of me, he smiles down at the old lady now in his place. I smile at the lady as well as she nods and smiles towards us both.

"I might be something to someone, but I'm nothing to myself." He sighs, his smile turning melancholy as I stare up. I was about to contradict him but he surprises me as he suddenly kneels from where he stands. I avoid his eyes by looking behind me. A slight rain has made the window all blurry to see outside. I feel a sudden tug on my shoes and I look down at him.

"I'm running away from everything and making myself fall into nothing. But you? You're running into something. You might feel like it's nothing, but the fact that you're running towards something. Well. That's something. Something from the nothing like me who runs away from everything." He whispers low, only for my ears to hear.

He stands back up as I stare down at my shoes, knots tied perfectly in place, not knowing of what to make of what he just said.

It's been silent for the past stops now. Both of us stuck with our own thoughts. But it's not awkward nor uncomfortable. Just a little heavy on the heart because just one more stop and it's the end of the track. What more is there to talk about? She said so herself that there won't be any betting. Her dreams and mine all getting further away as the train chugs forward. At least she fought somehow. I just ran and hid for as long as I can. But this has to end. Every ride has to end.

"So." She cleared her throat as the final announcement for her stop is heard over the speakers. "This is my stop, mister?"

"Ace Wilson. And please, drop the 'mister'. I graduated just a few months ago. Not as old as you think." I chuckled as I held my hands towards her, offering help her with the books.

"Jade Myers. Or just Jade. Thanks." She smiled as she put a book on my waiting palms. "Are you sure I'm not messing your schedule?" She smiles up at me, her height reaching just above my shoulders. What a tiny thing and yet she is fighting a battle. Winner or not, it's the effort that counts, right?

"Schedule? What schedule? Like I said. I'm just running away from everything. Might as well take a break from all that before I run further. There's no rush for me."

She leads the way. The road, or rather the gravel path, making scrunching noises every stomp of our foot. It was enough noise to cover the silence we've wrapped our self into.

I look up at him, my eyes squinting close because of the sun, as we near my school gates.

Just a name and his little stories. That's all there is to him. Questions he will leave though. Questions that I will be facing after losing my fight.

Will he start his own battles when I end mine? Would his run bring him somewhere? Would I meet him again someday when I start running away, or 'if' I run away? Will I stop where he is if I do run? What then? Why stop?

I may know his name, but he will remain a stranger to me.

"Thanks again, Ace." I grab my book from him as I wave goodbye, entering the school gate. He stands there, his serene smile back from when I first saw him. Back from where we started.

Strangers, with only names.

I wish I rode a different train cart. Or maybe I should've never rode a train in the first place. I could've ridden a plane and flew back to where people were waiting for me. I could've stayed home and not get lost. I could've continued fighting even if I see myself losing. At least I fought and lost with no regrets. There is harm in trying, but there is also knowledge. Knowing that you fought though you knew your fate is a win in itself. You at least fought. Your fall would not be in vain.

Why did I have to meet Jade in the most inconvenient time. She left me with regrets. But also a new found determination to fight. I will keep running. But this time, I will run towards my dream. I'll fight if I have to.

The thought of just running away keeps climbing up my 'to-do list' once I graduate. Should I really just run from the reality my family wants to thrust upon me and go for what I want instead? Yes. Yes I do want to run. I want to be what I want to be. I want to continue being selfish. I want to keep fighting. Is the fight and the run worth all that I'll leave behind?

My heels clack on the corridor as I run to my first class. Looking like a clown for my smudged make up, but who the fuck cares? I've decided to fight. The smudge got nothing on the blood I will shed for my win. I can always wipe it all away.

A serene smile left my own lips as I dug his handkerchief out of my pocket. Yes, I can always wipe away the blood shed and run.

I want to feel the wind on my face and fingertips. I want the shiver of excitement. I want to feel. I want to be free.

And I will be, because I'm running away.

I open the door to the classroom and I know that my run has begun. No turning back. The whistle started the race.

I'm running away.

Strangers.

Having different tracks, but the ride would end at the same station. Not once but twice would their fates collide. But for now one train is moving onward and the other stops at a station. But they will again meet at the end of the track.

For now, they are simply Jade Myers and Ace Wilson.

#bts v #bts tae #bts taehyung #kpop fanfic #story #slice of life #song fic