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fkinavocado · 5 months

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in which your husband and Harry’s wife dragged you both into a situation you didn’t want to be in, but as it turns out, everything happens for a reason

Loved, heard, seen- Masterlist, Author’s Notes & Warnings

Part One/ alternatively, read on wattpad

Part Two (word count: 3.4k)

“Hello?” Harry brought his phone to his line of vision, making sure he’d actually picked up the call, “Uhm,... hello?”

“Hi. Is this a bad time?”

Harry racked his brain to place the person’s voice, the fact that he didn’t have the number saved in his contacts made it even more difficult. It sounded awfully familiar, though… “Oh! It’s you!”

She never did give him her name. And neither did he, come to think of it. He only gave her his number before she got out of his car after he drove her home. Just in case.

“You remember?”

Harry sighed heavily. “I wish I could forget everything about that night,” he chuckled nervously. “No offence.”

“... I can't forget, either. You were right.”

“Oh?”

“Listen… would it be too… upsetting, if we met up? You’re the only person that’s been in my shoes that I feel I could open up to about this. It’s been… very lonely, eating at me… Maybe talking would help make better sense of it…”

Harry didn’t have to ponder. He’d wanted the same thing all along. He was glad she reached out to him, since he couldn’t contact her. “Name the place.”

Harry wondered if he looked as broken as she did but had just gotten used to seeing his miserable face stare back at him in the mirror every day. It’d been close to a month since the… circumstance that had brought the two of them together. Admittedly, he hadn’t paid close attention to her appearance back then, but, seeing her now, he definitely recognized some changes, albeit subtle. She appeared more frail, her under eyes darker, the polish on her nails chipped off, her lips chapped and bitten, her clothes wrinkled. He observed her over the cup of coffee he was sipping on on that rainy afternoon as she talked about how it’d been like trying to move on from that night.

“You were right. I did know, even then, that this was going to ruin us. But I kept lying to myself, thinking I could just pretend it never happened. Hoping that he’d gotten it out of his system and that things would go back to normal. You know I even dared to believe things would get better? I thought maybe this would put things into perspective for him and make him realize what a good thing he’s got going at home… Was I naive or what?”

Harry furrowed his brows compassionately, “You and I both. Believe it or not, I also hoped for the same. But, assuming things went for you guys the same way they did for us… it wasn’t quite the case, was it?”

She shook her head solemnly, staring into her cup of coffee. “He never asked me how things went on my side. He doesn’t even know I never went through with it. The following morning, he called me at around 11am. That’s… extremely late for him. He’s an early bird, chronically so. He’d been clearly… distracted. So when I told him I’d already taken an uber home he didn’t question it. He then came home and acted like everything was normal. He didn’t talk about it, I never asked him any questions. He didn’t care to ask me any, either… I wouldn’t say we’re pretending like nothing ever happened, because that’s not it at all. This… unspoken, huge thing that happened is always looming over us. Now whenever he’s late from work, he doesn’t even tell me why he’s late. It’s like… I know why. I don’t have to ask. He doesn’t have to tell me.”

“Jesus…”

The woman nodded, fidgeting with the corner of her paper napkin. “Things are better at your end, then?”

Harry almost laughed at her assumption, “To tell you the truth, I don’t even know which of us has it worse. When I got home after I dropped you off, I called her again and it went straight to voicemail for the hundredth time, so I texted her letting her know I went home and to call me to go get her if she didn’t feel like ubering. She never called for me to get her, thank god, but when she walked through the door and I asked her how her ride was she told me the guy had driven her. I was speechless, she’d actually disclosed where she lived, what else did she share with him? Aside from the obvious… Like, was this gonna be a thing now, between the two of them? I had so many questions, but then I couldn’t really say anything, could I? Since I offered to drive you, too. I’m fairly certain their report in that regard was much different to ours though… but even still, I couldn’t get myself to tell her off for it. I mean… he fucked her. Did the fact that he knew where she lived really make it worse?...”

Harry sat back in his chair, forcing himself to take a breather and calm down a bit. He was getting worked up. But when she encouraged him to keep going, and his restless leg wouldn’t stop bouncing beneath the table he gave in. “She was fucking beaming! She wouldn’t stop talking about what a good thing this is for us, how finally she feels like she can breathe, how she can’t believe we waited so long to try this… confirmed that she’d already made plans with this guy for the following weekend. I just froze. I couldn’t believe she was really saying all that. She never really asked me how things went for me, either. She just kept putting words in my mouth. See? Wasn’t it fun? You’re such a lucky bastard, men can only dream they could be in your shoes with their wives giving them this much freedom! Hell, even pushing them to do it! Can you imagine? You’re living the dream, baby.”

“Oh, God…”

“Then… one night soon after that she wanted to play and, brokenhearted fool that I am, I went along with it even though what I really wanted was for us to sit down and really talk about it. But I just couldn’t get myself to open up the subject, mainly because I already knew what her stance on it was and what it would lead to, and I wasn’t ready for that… kept thinking I could try doing this to save our marriage. I’d agreed to it, even though she’d coerced me into it if i’m being honest… but I did agree. I couldn’t blame her for the repercussions, I knew what I was getting into. So I felt like I had to see it through, had to try and make it work…

“So when she came to me all loving, and I missed her so much, I gave in, I needed to feel like us again… Make her forget about anyone else. Make her only want me. And then… in the midst of what I thought was one of my best sexual performances… she tells me she wants to try something this guy had asked her to do to him and I–... fucking lost it. I jumped out of that bed as if it were on fire. I’m sure I could’ve handled it more maturely but I locked myself in the bathroom before I said something I would regret. She kept pleading from the other side to open up and talk to her, tell her what was the matter. I realized all I had to say to her were hurtful things. I chickened out when I opened the door and saw how genuinely worried she was. She literally has no clue what I’ve been going through since that night… in her head, we’re heading in the right direction and this is only going to bring us closer.

“So, I asked her not to tell me about any of it, going further, and promised I’d do the same. That I couldn’t handle talking about it. At least not for a while… She agreed, said she totally gets it. And then we went back to bed and I never got to see what that son of a bitch asked her to do to him because ever since, I’ve avoided all her advances. She keeps making little quips such as uh-oh, running out of stamina huh? Save some for me next time. Then she giggles and asks me to just spoon her instead and I just sit there for hours on end mulling everything over while she’s sleeping soundly in my arms.”

The woman sat silent for a long while, visibly saddened. “Jack never initiates sex anymore. Like… at all. I don’t know If I’m glad for it or if I should feel even more hurt. I’m not sure I feel anything at all anymore. I feel… numb.”

“... Me too.”

After a long pause Harry added, muttering, “Fitting name, though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Since he’s such a jackass.”

The woman laughed, which made Harry smile in return. He wondered whether this was the first time the two of them had done so since that night.

“You must have a really nice name, then.”

Harry’s smile lingered. “In that case, I’m sure the same goes for you.”

“You first.”

“It’s Harry.”

“Y/N.”

“Yeah. See? Nice names for nice folk. Wouldn’t hear of people with such names going around causing so much heartache, would you?”

“Absolutely not. Felicity is also… fitting in a way. Only cares about her own happiness.”

Harry gave her a look. “You actually remember my wife’s name?”

“Yeah, it’s a rare name, stuck with me.”

“True. And you’re right about her. I’ve always known it… But nobody’s perfect. Thought I could compromise on some stuff. Didn’t realize it would compromise our marriage in the end.”

“That’s… pretty huge, Harry. I know it sounds awful, but hearing you say so valides my own feelings. Like, I worried I was overreacting, thinking my marriage is over because of this. But that’s just how I feel. I can’t see us ever recovering from this mess.”

“Neither can I. It’s killing me on the inside the longer I go along with it. And even if I do speak up about it… I know it’ll never go back to how things were, which admittedly, weren’t great to begin with. This whole thing kinda helped put everything into perspective. She was right, we did need something else, be both did… I was willing to do whatever to please her, but that’s not exactly feasible in the long run. It was just a matter of time before we faced some hurdles. We’re just not on the same page sexually. I was just fooling myself thinking I could deny my own needs and that she could suppress hers.”

“So… what now?”

They both sat in silence for a long while, the coffee had gone cold and the rain outside was pouring even stronger than before.

“It’s inevitable. We have to talk to them.”

“...End it?”

Harry nodded solemnly and when her eyes immediately glazed over and she stifled a sob, he reached his hand out to cover hers reassuringly. He moved to sit on the chair next to hers and eventually wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, bringing her in to rest her head on his own. She tried to keep quiet, not to disturb the cafe’s patrons, and he gently shushed her reassuringly, telling her everything was going to be alright. Willing himself to believe it, too.

Almost two weeks had passed when Harry finally decided to text Y/N. He’d been apprehensive about it, knowing she must’ve been hurting, but also, he felt guilty for not going through with what he himself had suggested was inevitable. He hadn’t broken things off with his wife. Worse, he’d actually had sex with her, in an effort to still try and save their marriage. He couldn’t finish though, and he’d never reached full mast. Which prompted her to not get off either. It’d been a mess and it ended in Harry crying in the bathroom afterwards while she probably thought he was finishing himself off in the shower. He’d never felt more miserable in his entire life.

Felicity was away for the weekend with her new boy-toy and Harry was feeling seriously on edge. He contemplated just packing his bags and leaving. It was cowardly of him, to be sure, but he felt like he’d never go through with it and actually leave her otherwise. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her and end things properly, like a man.

He felt emasculated in every way possible.

H: Hey. It’s Harry. Been meaning to reach out, hope it’s not a bad time… How did things go?

He was in their walk-in closet staring at his clothes and trying to work up his courage to just grab them off the hangers and toss them into the biggest suitcase he could find when she replied.

Y/N: Hey, Harry. I’m the worst… I couldn’t bring myself to do it : ( I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this anymore…

H: Don’t feel bad. I couldn’t go through with it either. But I can’t go on like this…

Y/N: What do we do : (

H: She’s with him right now.

Y/N: He’s not been home most nights. It’s over without having to even talk about it. I bet if he came back home and I was gone he’d be relieved at this point.

Harry read Y/N’s last text message before deciding to call her since they were both alone anyway. “That’s exactly what I wanna do. Just pack my stuff and be gone before she comes back. Is that… too cowardly, do you think?”

“It’s not. They don’t deserve an explanation. It’s impossible they don’t see we’re hurting. They just choose to ignore it.”

“Let’s just leave.”

“Harry… if you say that again, I just might do it. Like, right now.”

“Let’s rip the band-aid. Let’s do it. I mean it, Y/N. We can do it. We could do it together. Just… I dunno. Go somewhere and turn our phones off and be there for one another, make sure neither of us caves in and goes back… What do you say?” Harry was pumped. He could feel adrenaline surging through him. The thought of actually doing it made him giddy beyond belief.

Y/N was silent for a long while, all he could hear was his own laboured breathing. But eventually she replied, sounding resolute. “Give me half an hour. We’re doing this, Harry.”

Harry had never felt more alive. It was odd, but it was true. He finally felt like he was doing something for himself, in a long, long time. He’d packed his shit in record time, leaving him just enough to drive to Y/N’s. When she didn’t pick up her phone immediately, he felt his heart sink to his stomach. Had she changed her mind? He felt he couldn’t do this without her. But when she eventually picked up with laboured breath, she informed him she was dragging her suitcases to the elevator and couldn’t find her phone in all that rushed chaos.

Harry wouldn’t take no for an answer, and insisted he’d help her. When she buzzed him in and he reached her floor, he was mildly shocked at the amount of suitcases she’d lined up near the elevator door. He’d only packed his essentials, but Y/N meant business. It looked like she’d packed up her whole life in those bags.

“Oh wow. Ok, alright. Gotta give it to you, you’re a fast packer, considering.”

Y/N smiled at his amused tone, despite her nerves. “I dunno when he’s coming back. Had to be quick. And I knew your SUV could handle all of these.”

“How do you know it’s not already filled up to the brim with my own shit?”

She rolled her eyes when he started loading them up in the elevator, urging her inside to keep the doors open. “Please. You’re a man. I’ll be surprised if you filled two suitcases.”

Harry feigned offence. “It’s three suitcases, alright? Well, two suitcases and a backpack. And I didn’t pack everything. It’s my house, after all.”

Y/N was silent, her smile fading somewhat. “Well, this apartment is his. So…”

Harry kicked himself for opening up that can of worms but the haste in which they loaded her stuff into his truck kept them busy and hopefully took her mind off things for a bit.

When they drove off, for a long time they didn’t even talk about where they’d be going. Harry just drove aimlessly, only making sure they left town on the nearest exit. They couldn’t even use Google Maps as they’d shut their phones off and threw them into the glove compartment in complicity.

They eventually discussed some options. It couldn’t be any of the places they’d been with with their spouses. Not that either of them thought they’d be coming looking for them, but regardless.

Eventually, after driving for a few hours while keeping themselves busy singing along with whatever came on the radio to keep themselves distracted, they decided to just crash at the first decent motel they’d find on their way. It was getting too late to drive safely any further.

They were both giddy at the prospect of crashing at some random motel like some sort of Bonnie and Clyde, still high on the adrenaline rush.

Soon they found themselves in a shabby motel room under a false mr and mrs name. They’d already slept in the same bed before and so the options of getting separate rooms or twin beds weren’t even brought up. They trusted eachother beyond formalities, and besides, the pact was that they would go through this together.

They took turns showering and Y/N called for him from the bathroom when she was finished with hers. “Harry? Ugh, I brought the wrong bag with us…”

“Want me to go get it for you?”

“I mean… I just need something to change into. Do you have some extra pyjamas?”

“Uhm…” Harry didn’t have to check, he knew he’d not packed any extra in his backpack he took with him to the room. “I can give you mine but I’ll have to sleep in a t-shirt. And boxers, of course.”

“Would you mind terribly?”

“Not at all. Just… you know. Don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, that’s why I clarified…”

“Oh, shush. Can I have them?” She cracked the door open and stuck her hand out. “Oh, also, no knickers. I’ll be sure to wash them for you afterwards.”

Harry faltered mid-undressing, but then rushed to hand her his discarded pyjamas. “Don’t be silly.”

He threw a t-shirt on and got under the covers. Surely she’d seen men in boxers before, he was acting a bit childish. But he really meant it when he told her he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in any way.

She emerged from the bathroom, all swaddled up in the too-large pyjamas and smiled sheepishly at him, then turned the lights off and joined him on the other side of the bed.

Harry flinched when he thought he’d heard her say something. Had he already drifted off to sleep? That was… definitely surprising. He’d had trouble sleeping ever since– “Did you say something?” He whispered, just in case he’d been mistaken.

“Sorry,” she whispered back, “did I wake you? I didn’t realize you’d fallen asleep. Do you always sleep on your back?”

“... Was I snoring?”

Y/N giggled. He smiled into the darkness at the sound. Everything felt so lighthearted and easy with her around, no wonder he’d fallen asleep. “No. But are you a snorer? Because if so, I might have to reconsider this whole arrangement…”

“Oh, shush.” He playfully kicked her leg under the covers, noticing she was closer than he’d gauged. “I think all that driving got to me, plus the adrenaline crush. What did you wanna say?”

“I just wanted to thank you… I don’t think I would’ve gone through with this without you, Harry.”

Harry smiled into the darkness again. He couldn’t see her, but her words really warmed him up. “Same here. Just don’t wake me up at 4am telling me you wanna uber back home, ok?”

She giggled again. “Hell no. You’re stuck with me.”

“...Good.”

Part Three

A/N: soooo. it's gonna be 3 parts, after all 😅😅 thanks to the lovely @freedomfireflies for beta-ing ❤️

💕 like & reblog if you enjoyed this, lovelies, and most importantly, please come share your thoughts on it here 💌

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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Republicans racked up big wins in more than a dozen state legislatures this fall — and now they’re planning to use their expanded power to crack down on abortions come January.

With sweeping abortion legislation having little chance in a divided Congress, conservative state legislators are stepping into the void, proposing to limit when the procedure can take place, enact new regulations on abortion pills and strengthen penalties for doctors who break the law. Taken together, the legislation could make it harder for tens of millions of people to obtain abortions — particularly in Southern states that still permit most abortions, like Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, which have become havens for access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The actions in state capitols come as most national-level Republicans have eschewed talking about abortion, a reticence that some in the anti-abortion movement say explains the party’s underwhelming performance in the midterm elections.

Many GOP lawmakers who sailed to victory in states with anti-abortion laws balk at the idea that Democrats’ focus on abortion rights is evidence the left’s message resonated with voters. Instead, they’re taking their electoral victories as a mandate to pass additional abortion restrictions.

“South Carolina had a huge red tidal wave in this election. We flipped eight seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives … We all ran on pro-life,” said South Carolina Republican Rep. John McCravy, who spearheaded efforts this summer to prohibit abortion in most cases starting at conception. “If anything, we need to ramp our efforts up.”

In North Carolina, GOP Senate leader Phil Berger said in an interview he believes a bill limiting abortion to 12 or 13 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, life of the pregnant person and in cases where the fetus won’t survive is the “sweet spot as far as where the public would be.”

In Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin backs banning most abortions at 15 weeks with exceptions in cases of rape, incest or if the pregnant person’s life is at risk, and tasked a panel of Republican legislators to draft a bill for consideration next year. And in Nebraska, lawmakers are expected to again take up abortion restrictions after failing to limit access to the procedure to 12 weeks this summer.

“The truth is, Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions,” Youngkin said in a statement. “We can build a bipartisan consensus on protecting the life of unborn children, especially when they begin to feel pain in the womb, and importantly supporting mothers and families who choose life.”

At the same time, Republican lawmakers are backing policies that would expand government support for families and children, such as providing housing to pregnant people, extending Medicaid postpartum coverage, and offering tax exemptions on household goods for babies and toddlers. In Florida, for instance, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a permanent tax exemption for diapers, baby wipes, clothing, cribs, strollers and other necessities for children under five.

While GOP lawmakers have pushed these kinds of policies in the past, they believe they need to do a better job about telegraphing them to the public to demonstrate to voters a positive agenda — not just what they’re against.

“It’s critical because the only way you’re really going to move people’s emotions and temperaments for having abortion as a first option is to change hearts and minds,” said Indiana Republican state Sen. Liz Brown. “This is winning the hearts and minds of women, saying, ‘They’re not your friends, they’re not on your side. They want you to be able to have an abortion up until the birth of the baby, but they walk away from you, and we are there to help you.’”

But the coming flurry of anti-abortion legislation also risks dividing the Republican Party as some state lawmakers take a no-compromises approach to new abortion restrictions, while others remain willing to negotiate to put a bill on their governor’s desk.

Those divisions played out during special sessions this summer in Indiana, South Carolina and West Virginia, where some anti-abortion Republicans were accused of being insufficiently “pro-life” because they supported exceptions for rape or incest, or were willing to compromise on prohibiting abortion after the detection of fetal cardiac activity, around six weeks into a pregnancy, instead of at conception.

“Now, could somebody demagogue that as insufficiently pro-choice or overly pro-choice, or insufficiently pro-life or overly pro-life? I think folks at the extremes will do that,” Berger, the North Carolina Senate leader, said of his support for a 12- or 13-week limit. “We just need to be careful how we approach this, and we need to be mindful of how personal some of the positions that members will take on this issue might be and be respectful of that.”

Abortion-rights proponents, however, argue that Republican electoral victories should be seen as no more than a byproduct of newly redrawn district lines — not as a mandate to enact anti-abortion policies.

“They’ve shown regardless that even when they do have majorities, they’re never satisfied with just one more abortion ban,” said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. “They keep doubling and tripling and quadrupling down, trying to find new ways to further punish and threaten those who provide and seek abortion care.”

Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina and Virginia — four states where there is a Republican governor or at least one GOP-controlled legislative chamber — are anti-abortion groups’ top targets for new limits on how far into a pregnancy someone can access the procedure. Abortion is currently legal until 15 weeks in Florida, 20 weeks in Nebraska and North Carolina and the third trimester in Virginia.

“You’re going to have to make a run for what you can get with the caucuses that you have. The other side has spent nearly 50 years trying to change our culture,” said Sue Swayze Liebel with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America at a recent gathering of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers. “We have to work hard to get back hearts and minds, including in your own caucus.”

In North Carolina, for instance, Republicans secured a veto-proof supermajority this year in the Senate but fell one seat short of a supermajority in the House. Legislative leaders are hoping they’ll be able to get at least one Democrat to sign onto new abortion restrictions that would allow them to override an expected veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who opposes any changes to the state’s abortion law.

According to a report from the Society of Family Planning, North Carolina saw a 37% uptick in abortions between April and August, the largest of any state, which means a new abortion ban stands to have a significant impact not only on North Carolinians’ ability to access the procedure, but those in surrounding states as well.

“I believe that all of the Democrats elected in the statehouse believe that reproductive freedom is important, and I look forward to working with them to hold the line,” Cooper told POLITICO. “This is important in the southeastern United States. North Carolina has become an access point for many women throughout the Southeast.”

In South Carolina, lawmakers plan to try again to amend the state’s six-week ban and prohibit abortions starting at conception after legislators failed to agree on a path forward during the summer.

“I do think it’s possible,” said South Carolina Republican state Sen. Richard Cash. “If we get another bill through committee, the hope would be there would be enough grassroots pressure in the state to persuade the Senate leadership to put it on the floor and see if there aren’t a few votes that would be changed as a result of people having had time to reflect on everything that’s happened.”

Students for Life, another anti-abortion group, is encouraging lawmakers not to give in.

“Even if you’re against the exceptions for abortion in cases of rape — which we are, your parentage doesn’t determine your value — your constituents are actually much more in line — or closer in line — with your position than the Democrats’ position,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life.

The group is also pushing state lawmakers to introduce bills requiring doctors who prescribe abortion pills to collect and treat fetal tissue as medical waste, part of a broader strategy to use concerns around the environment to restrict access to medication abortion. They’re also encouraging red state attorneys general to prosecute doctors and abortion pill manufacturers.

In other states, lawmakers are eyeing legislation to support pregnant people, families and babies — proposals they believe will not only dissuade people from seeking abortions in the first place but could improve their standing with moderate voters who view their movement as more punitive than compassionate.

“We’re looking in a post-Roe world how can government be best optimized to allow families to flourish,” said Wyoming Republican state Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, who sponsored the state’s near-total abortion ban. “That’s why we’re looking at legislation that’s more pro-life family policies versus just independently pro-life.”

Abortion-rights proponents, however, argue that much of red-state spending on this issue has gone toward crisis pregnancy centers, which they say use deceptive and misleading tactics to encourage people to carry their pregnancies to term. Miller said funding such facilities “does not address the crisis in prenatal care.”

“The policymakes and advocates who have moved the ball forward on affordable housing, on prenatal care, on child care, on investments in education, on Medicaid expansion, on all of the policies that we know are part and parcel of reproductive freedom and reproductive justice have been moved forward by elected officials and advocates who support abortion care,” Miller said. “Do I want to see policies like that move forward? Absolutely. Do I question the motives? Absolutely.”

In Indiana, lawmakers allocated $75 million to support social services for families — including $45 million to establish a “Hoosier Families First Fund” that will allow the state to award grants to support families and $10 million in child care vouchers — at the same time they passed a bill prohibiting abortion except in cases of rape, incest and life endangerment this summer.

In Mississippi, where abortion is banned except to save the life of the pregnant person or in cases where a rape is reported to the police, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves recently announced a plan for “advancing the new pro-life agenda” that includes establishing a child care tax credit, removing the five-child cap on child support and allocating $3 million to hire more attorneys to clear the state’s adoption backlog.

In a statement, Reeves said he was hopeful the state would “make serious progress in advancing sound policies that strengthen families and simultaneously lay out a policy roadmap for other states to follow” next year.

And in Wyoming, lawmakers are eyeing expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage.

“We know that just because there’s no legal abortion in a state, that doesn’t mean there won’t be women who need help, who need support,” said Katie Glenn, state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

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reinabeestudio · 1 year

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Friends and Strangers

Weather got me worried as hell lately, so of course I wrote a oneshot involving rain. I'm a genius.

If it wasn't clear: yes, this is Wally Darling/Neighbor 🍎👑

Second time I use 'The Neighbor' as a nickname for my self-insert. I have an actual WH oc yet I use my sona anyway. I'm also very original.

The title is from a song by Dave Grusin. It's calm yet charming, it made me think of Wally ahaa;; Nice background music tho

Home can be described in many words: colorful, peaceful, lovely, heavenly. Confined

But one of the many peculiar things about the quaint little piece of Heaven was its weather. More often than not it was equable. Neither very hot nor very cold. Always clement. Perfect

Yet the Neighbor had never seen the Sun. The sky shone blue and clear, but the star was nowhere to be seen. The Moon was the same as well: a sparkling night sky with moonlight coming from somewhere. Sometimes days just felt like someone turned off the lights in the neighborhood for a few hours before turning them back on.

However, today was different. The overcast cried over Home and created a maudlin, bleak mood. Time seemed to pass as slow as molasses.

Wally Darling did not like rain.

Rarely did the little artist find something that he did not like, though rain was one of them. Because it was such a rare phenomenon that everytime it happened, the rain caught him unaware and ruined his striking blue hair. He took great pride in his appearance.

There he was now, inside Home, changed into a new outfit after taking a nice bath to forget the unpleasant surprise, this ugly weather—and most importantly, his hair styled back into his perfect pompadour. He couldn't let the others see him with his hair down, he looked horrible!

His self-care session was cut short by the sound of someone frantically knocking on his door.

“I wonder who it could be...” he pondered out loud. His huge building friend, Home, simply jiggled its doorknob. Of course it knew who it was and it would not tell him. Hurry up is all it told him.

Admittedly curious, he left the bathroom and made his way to the door. His eyes widened at the sight of the surprise visitor.

The Neighbor.

There she was, on his doorstep with an umbrella in hand. As always she wore that red dress as beautiful as an apple. And of course, that golden heart-shaped brooch, exposed to everyone. Silly. His was under the soles of his feet.

He would be elated with the visit if it wasn't for the nervous expression on her face... Did something happen?

“H-Hey. Sorry for coming over unannounced. I just thought we could, ah, hang out?” she gripped the handle of the umbrella stronger. “But I understand if this was too sudden. I'll just- I'll just leave, sorry. See y-”

“Wait, Neighbor. You can come, it's alright.” I could never deny you.

“Thanks,” she said before she hastened inside. He noticed how she glanced at the dark clouds before he closed the door.

The Neighbor looked up at the ceiling. “Hi, Home. Sorry for messing your floor with my umbrella.”

The floor under her creaked, raising and deflating like a breath. Wally laughed in his unique monotonous laughter before he took the dripping umbrella and hung it on the wall coat rack next to his yellow raincoat.

“What do I owe the pleasure, friend?”

“Well... today is so gloomy, right? It was boring by myself so I thought, let's visit my good pal Wally. I'm sure he will know what to do!”

Wally tilted his head. “Were you feeling lonely, Neighbor? And you came to your best friend to help.”

She didn't answer, but her eyes looking away was louder than words.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. It's alright. I like your idea! We can have fun.”

The Neighbor gifted him a little smile, causing a tightness in his chest. There it was again. That foreign feeling. He did not know what it was but it wasn't unpleasant thus he paid no mind. However, the rumbling sound of thunder stole that gift from him and replaced it with the saddening sight of his friend covering her ears with teary eyes.

Ah, so that was what was really going on.

The Neighbor wasn't here to kill time. She wanted comfort.

And she came for him to get it. What a touching realization, if it wasn't for the upset lady in front of him.

Wally approached her and started rubbing her back as he escorted her from the door to the colorful couch, both of them sitting down.

“It's alright, friend. We are safe here. Home protects us.”

The building creaked as if to support the statement. The Neighbor laughed mirthlessly.

“Thanks, Wally. And Home.”

Another thunder made her jump from her spot and cover her ears again. It was heart-breaking to see his beloved friend so distressed. There had to be some way to make her forget about the rain, or at least distract her from it... The rhythm of the droplets of water hammering against the windows gave him an idea.

“Stay here, friend,” he said as he got up. But he was stopped by her hand around his wrist. Aaaah....

“Don't leave me alone. Please.”

Golly, he was going to drop dead at this point. “I'm just going to get something and I'll be right back. Alright?”

“.... Alright.”

The Neighbor released his wrist, and he missed the warmth as he went to take his leave.

Wally heard Home doing its best to strike up a conversation with their guest. Home was not easy to understand. The artist himself had trouble deciphering the meaning behind the house's many onomatopoeias. But he adored Home thus he tried. And he could hear the Neighbor trying to understand it, which must mean she cared too, right?

She liked Home. She liked the other neighbors. She liked him. And she will n̸e̵̡v̨̀͢e͠ŕ abandon Home.

Ah, there it was!

He picked up the small radio next to his art supplies and made his way back to his important person. His chest tightened once more when his friend's face lit up at the sight of him.

He moved the side table closer to the couch, away from its usual spot next to his favorite chair, and set the radio on top of it.

“A radio? What for?” she asked, tilting her head in his direction with curiosity.

“Who doesn't like some music from time to time, yes?” Wally's eyes squinted mirthfully. “Moreover, a little bird told me you like music.”

Rather a large, green caterpillar. Howdy Pillar mentioned it in passing as he gave Wally his usual. At some point she visited his shop and asked if he had some kind of Cee-Dee player (what is a Cee-Dee?), alas he did not. This seemingly innocuous comment informed Wally of something important: she was longing for her previous world. No, he couldn't have the new friend miss that place nor even think about it. This was her Home, after all.

Even then, it was not a secret that she enjoyed music. She often hummed to herself, or sometimes she even sang along if she knew the lyrics. She loved music, and he loved her music.

The Neighbor twisted the dial on, an old song coming out from the machine. Wally sat down next to her as more thunder rumbled outside. The Neighbor hugged him close like a pillow. Or a puppet.

He was taken completely off-guard yet he didn't reject it. When his other friends hugged him, he gladly accepted it with a smile. But this time, he didn't just take it. For once, he lifted his shaking arms and slowly put them around his friend, a hand rubbing her back again. He even dared to indulge a bit and pressed his face into the crook of her neck as her breathing slowed down. This was working, that's good.

There were no words between them for several minutes, the only sounds amongst them were the rain and the radio playing its old songs. And he didn't move an inch, listening to her heartbeat as if it was the most interesting thing int the world.

The comfortable silence was interrupted by her stirring. With her arms still around him, she looked down at him with a soft smile. Golly, were her eyes pretty.

“Wally?”

“Yes, friend?”

“Thank you. For this. I mean it.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Don't mention it. That's what friend are for.”

The Neighbor cupped the artist's fuzzy cheeks and planted a soft kiss on them (careful to not flatten his pompadour).

“I'm glad you're my friend, then.”

His dilated pupils looked back up at her with his endless smile growing on his face, his chest burning but he did not care. His most important and beloved person.

“Of course. I'm your best friend. Always.”

#self insert #welcome home #wally darling #my writing #dw it's very tame 👍 writing gentle stuff is my specialty after all(?)#indulged a bit bc I've been very stressed (´-`) rain terrifies me... i miss when it didn't do so. sigh

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jiminrings · 3 years

Note

just wanna say: stemkoo + yoongs redemption arc. yoongi finally acknowledging jungkook as a love interest to oc and accepting it and jungkooks kinda confused because what now? is he safe alone with yoongi? are they brothers? and yoongis just "yeah kid you're here now and I see you but I'd still give you a knuckle sandwich anytime if u even breath wrong next to my baby soulmate"

cold senior!y/n x stem major!koo masterlist :D

stem koo has a breakdown over driving alone for the first time, and it just so happens that yoongi's the only one there for him. alternatively, it's koo and yoongs' redemption arc :-)

warnings: mention and descriptions of a panic attack

jungkook will not cry

not right here, in an emergency bay that's just five meters away from a bustling gas station where there's a convenience store and a couple of food chains and cafés he can go to in order to clear his head

not right now, in his brand-new car that his parents excitedly bought for him once they caught the news that he's already obtained his driver's license. he's admittedly already used to a lofty lifestyle, but somehow guilt settled in when he remembers telling his parents at night, and the next morning, his dad's calling him to come out of his dorm to see such a big purchase they didn't think twice in buying

jungkook already drove before. countless of times!!

tried it the first three times in his hometown with his dad on the front seat and his mom at the back, a little amused yet more frantic because this is perhaps the most frustrated state he's put his parents in

he's also took 30 hours in driving lessons during break and the happiest that he's been during the whole time is the part wherein he gets home by foot, relieved that he doesn't have to shared a confined space with his instructor that's far too chatty and intimidating at the same time

most importantly, jungkook drove endlessly and ultimately learned from you, jin, and yoongi!! he remembered mentioning in passing that he doesn't have a driver's license yet and he could distinctly remembering the three of you arguing about who'd teach him first

of course it was you whom he picked first, and it became a driving lesson that racked immense pressure and comfort from him

you taught him how to properly control his gas and brakes and then did jungkook only learn that he's a little too heavy-footed with the pedals, mistakenly thinking that he should press his wHOLE foot instead of just atleast a fourth of it

he learned how to accelerate without making the car jump and brake without making a god-awful screech!! also learned how to pull up the handbrake with ease because his wrist's too tensioned the first time around

seokjin taught him how to turn and park smoothly. how to actually command the wheel without his hands getting wrung and just nailing commando with like tHREE maneuvers max!!! max!!!

also jin taught him (reluctantly) how to reverse while looking back and holding headrest of the front seat bc jungkook read from somewhere that people apparently (read: you) find it attractive

and well... yoongi?

yoongi taught him everything

jungkook was a lil scared when he realized that it was yoongi's turn to teach him, but surprisingly, and uh well nO offense to his parents and instructor and girlfriend and girlfriend's friend,, but yoongi is the best teacher he's ever had

he taught him how to actually drive-drive if that's supposed to explain everything

he taught him how to not grip the steering wheel a little too tight and heavy. to be relaxed enough that he drives his car and not the other way around, but not too relaxed that the car feels too light in his command

yoongi taught him how to overtake and counterflow when necessary and how not to be a push-over and let every car pass even if it's him who has the right of way

jungkook was taught how to not squirm and be shy with honking because it's literally tHERE to be used!! yoongi taught him not to cower when there's a huge 4x4 with the truck horn that's aiming to squeeze in between lanes and just drive like normal

he learned how he shouldn't trust the mirrors at all times because it's not the accurate depiction of how far he is from backing into a tree and instead, open the window to see it for himself

yoongi taught him about the gearbox so eASILY that jungkook almost cried in realization that he finally managed to comprehend it fully without feeling the need to search in between stops

...

yes, jungkook did drive countless of times.

but this is the first time ever that jungkook drove alone and by himself; no company at all to tell him how he's going a little too fast or a little too near to the vehicle in front of him

he's alone. driving. in his own car. and now he's parked by himself near the gas station and the radio's playing a little too loud.

in second thought?

jungkook will cry

you're not there to console him as soon as you see his bottom lip tremble and his eyes freeze because you're someplace else

you're on a road trip with seokjin because it's his niece's first birthday and his whole extended family would be there and he doesn't know if he can actually handle that by himself ://

his family already knows you anyway and they're awarE of how their own relatives could be so now jin's immediate kim family is relying on you to be also their breather <3

the whole reason that jungkook decided to go onto this mini roadtrip by himself in the first place was to surprise you!!

he heard you over movie night once that you wanted to try these famous donuts from this shop that's an hour and a half drive away, and from your descriptions alone, yoongi and jin aND jungkook decided that they also wanted to try

and kook's just being a loving boyfriend and friend (?) that he made the collective decision that while you and jin were out, while yoongi's in the dorm — he's driving by himself for an hour and a half to get the donuts

but no, he hasn't even reached the donut place yet because he's an hour away still

he suddenly felt that his legs froze and he couldn't move at all because he realized that he's holding a wheel in his hands and the consciousness of it all makes his eyes widen, feeling the smooth leather go heavy within a blink

it was his sudden fear that the car's driving him and he doesn't have any control of it even if he has the means to do so, his mind too far in that he swerves to the right-most lane without his blinkers on and without checking his side mirrors

and even more concerningly, jungkook's still thinking about donuts even if he's in a state in which he's feeling a little dizzy and his chest is tight, having trouble breathing with his tummy aching that he feels he want to throw up

he can't think nor breathe straight and it physically pains him, the only thing registering in his hazy mind being his phone, the lockscreen that's set to you being the first thing that greets him

his fingers tremble as they move on their own and he doesn't realize it, only being jolted when his phone silently rings on his palm because even he doesn't know how nor whom he called

he's already removed his glasses to rub his eyes but they just blearily ache when he tries to see the name on his phone, his eyesight being blurred by the tears he's trying to keep at bay

jungkook's phone stops ringing until it finally connects, pressing his phone to his ear as confused as he is because he can't even remember who he called

"hello? why are you calling me, kid?"

it's yoongi.

jungkook breathes a sigh of relief that of all the people he's accidentally called — it's yoongi

he immediately welcomes the gruff voice, a sob racking through his entire body that he didn't even realize he was holding back

"y-yoongi! oh my god, yoongi! i-it's you!"

yoongi was merely napping when he felt his phone ring beside his pillow, an unfamiliar ringtone reaching his ears that he felt compelled to check it

his tone couldn't have been more abrupt but it's greeted nothing but warmly, the voice from the other side of the line making him focus concentratedly

jungkook greets him so eagerly and panickedly that it worries him, the large gulp of air convincing him that it's not just his airconditioner that's turned all the way up

"what happened to you? are you okay?"

jungkook whimpers at the question, stuttering over words that haven't even formed as he looks frantically left and right to see if his spot at the emergency bay is bothering anyone

there isn't anyone approaching him and-

"h-hazard! i-i need the hazard on."

all the red he's seeing reminds him of his hazard lights, remembering your words to keep them on if you're a potential hazard on the road

yoongi's remaining sleepiness dissipates as his eyebrows knot, overwhelmingly alert as he stands up from bed and find a shirt to put on before he even knows what's going on

"hazard?" he parrots, trying to see if he's slept through some urgent texts from any of you that could make him put the pieces together. "i need you to calm down for me, jungkook."

jungkook's busy eyes snap in one place at the mention of his name, blinking owlishly at the recognition of what yoongi's saying

"i-i forgot how to drive. the wheel — the wheel b-became too heavy on my hands," he stammers, looking at the circle that's in front of him that feels and now looks foreign to him. "i-i drove alone because-"

yoongi's heart pangs at the observation that jungkook's voice is breaking and desperate, turning off his fan before he scurries outside his bedroom and double-checks to turn off everything

"yeah, jungkook? come one, you can do it. you drove alone because?"

he once again affirms jungkook by reminding him of his own name to try and ground him, slipping on his shoes with a vague outline of a plan in his mind

"donuts. i-i heard — y-you all wanted these donuts and the uhm, t-the three of you had a bad day last week, right? i-i think. i'm not over there and you're the only who's home and i-i figured that-" his voice gives out at the end, unable to keep his tears from falling at this point. "help, hyung."

yoongi blinks once, twice, before he finds his voice

"i'm still proud of you, jungkook. good job," he rummages through the bowl of money the three of you drop your change into, dumping the entirety of it as he hopes it's enough to tip the cab driver he's gonna tell to drive as fast as he could. "now can you tell me what you see? can you tell me where you are? where you're parked? hyung will help you."

...

......

it takes yoongi a total of fifteen minutes to reach jungkook at the emergency bay by the side of the road.

his car's pristine and intact and it calms him to no end, immediately calling jungkook to tell him he's there so he wouldn't have to startle him with a knock

yoongi enters the driver's seat and his eyes immediately whip to jungkook who's already transferred to the passenger seat, his face teary and blotchy as he shakily grins at him through it all

"hyu — yoongi! h-hi!! oh my god, you're here."

he nods and softly smiles, adjusting the seat to accommodate his preferences that it makes kook put his seatbelt out of reflex

he's beyond happy to have another person in the car with him, enough to make him feel surrounded and reassured that he can't hear his breathing echoing in his vehicle

he's already mostly regained his breath but it picks up when yoongi doesn't drive straightly like what he thought he would — instead, yoongi drives five meters ahead and turns to the gas station, wordlessly finding a parking spot

"... b-but the donuts. y-you guys wanted the donuts, right?"

he purses his lips at the inquiry, shaking his head somberly

he can't even begin to gRASP why after all this, he's still focused on the donuts that he meant to get for the three of you — still beyond desperate to secure what was meant to cheer everyone up despite having gone through a new driver's version of hell

"how about we grab a bite first and then we could get the donuts after? my treat."

jungkook was about to politely say no and apologize for imposing, the words being caught on his mouth when yoongi reverses into a parking spot swiftly and gets out of the car before he can put a word in, already having him opening the door on his side

he looks up at him as if he's seen a ghost, a slow tick of a minute on his mind reminding him that yoongi's here for him

yoongi looks down to see the younger guy that still looks very much like what he's been through just minutes ago, making him spring into action

he wordlessly combs his hand through his hair like he does with you when you have a fever and cannot be bothered to keep up with appearances, pushing it back neatly

he grabs jungkook's glasses that are muddled with dried tears and fingerprints from the console, cleaning it with the end of his shirt before handing it back to him

"bite first, then we'll get donuts. i promise."

oh my god

is he having an out of body experience

jungkook can walk but he doesn't feel like it because now his steps are toO light, feeling as if he's gliding through air with ease

he follows yoongi's shadow and stares at the back of his head, the newly-dyed pink of it gleaming underneath the morning sun that he tries to focus on it instead of his raging thoughts

yoongi walks into a serene café that's only the calming kind of busy; people here and there in their own conversations, blenders humming and silverware clinking

it's not until yoongi tells jungkook to pick a spot as he lines up to order that it trulY hits him what's happening, picking the comfiest spot his eyes laid on

there's no build-up to the moment because unlike their previous interactions where it's only the two of them, there's no score in the background.

there's no tension nor ill intent and the only thing that's there between them is a comfortable silence, one that jungkook's insistent to break this one time

"i-i'm sorry i called you. you were probably busy. i didn't know what i was doing and-"

"no," he cuts him off, sheepishly putting a hand on his nape. "i called you, jungkook."

"huh?" he couldn't hold back the audible surprise that left him, making him backtrack instead of continuing his sentence

yoongi thinks that the truth wouldn't hurt, leaning to his chair as he relaxed to put the guy across him at ease somehow

"you did call me, but you dropped it in less than two seconds," he admits, drumming his fingers on the armrest. "i called you back."

jungkook visibly awes at that, head tilting as the confusion he has in his head doubles over and starts crawling on four limbs

"w-why did you that?"

was that it?

was that why he felt so confused when he could barely see a caller ID? it was ringing out for him to answer and not the other way around

yoongi's the one perplexed this time but he doesn't blame him, answering sincerely

"because i look out for you too."

there's a pregnant pause between them and yoongi could clearly see the way jungkook's shoulders slump, making him lean forward out of instinct because he thought he was gonna break down again

"i'm sorry," he looks up at him with glassy eyes, wide but not threatening to cry out of despair. "i'm sorry, yoongi."

he knows by that tone that jungkook's not talking about the call anymore, making him raise his hand to wave it off lightly

"we don't have to do this right now, kook. the both of us probably haven't even had breakfast yet."

the much-awaited talk between them has been set far enough for the perfect timing but the bulk of everything just points to now, only getting more strengthened when jungkook breaks the silence again. "but i mean it."

"i was so stupid back then and i didn't know how much i hurt you through y/n," he reflects back to how distraught and angry yoongi looked at him, not to mention the fact that seokjin told him how yoongi didn't sleep at all for a week because of how he was kept up just thinking and trying to protect you. "i-i know it must've hurt to see your soulmate hurt because of me and that she forgave me still. a-and made me her boyfriend, even."

his mouth dries because the younger boy recites his previous heartaches almost word per word, taking his time to digest each one

"i did hurt, jungkook."

there's no denying that. no cover-up of jin as he tries to boost everyone up can ever hide that. no lies to how tae, who barely even knows yoongi, felt his chest tighten when he came over one morning to deliver the cookies and see yoongi sitting outside your door with his ear pressed to it — trying to hear if you were crying while holds his own.

there's no denying either the truth that reflects why exactly yoongi made a cab driver break almost every traffic law to man just to get to jungkook faster.

"but y/n's not hurting anymore — i'm not hurting anymore," he enunciates. "i'm not mad at you anymore, jungkook."

the guy in question looks alarmed, sheepish even at the words he's been wanting to hear but couldn't believe now that they're being uttered

"you should be."

yoongi snorts because jungkook reminds him of you so so much, an uncanny resemblance between the guilt you've always tried to live with before trying to acquit

"i'll hold it over your head if it makes you sleep at night or remind you when you decide to act up again," he chuckles but he's met with jungkook's frantic no's, waving him off when he realizes that his egging's truly working. "but i don't have it in me to be mad at you for any longer."

it's the truth. it's the truth that yoongi always tried to refute because for the past weeks, all he's done is try to find the most miniscule flaw to try and make him hate jungkook

he's only thought once in his lifetime that he'd ever forgive jungkook, but now did it become crystal clear

"you've proved yourself enough, even jin said so," he admits humbly. "but i know you're not doing all of this to prove yourself to us or to me, kook."

he looks up at from his hands to train his gaze on his girlfriend's soulmate, listening attentively

"i know you do it from the heart."

he feels like crying but only this time is it for an entirely different and positive reason, a leap on his chest heightening tenfold

"as much as you rely on y/n — you can also rely on me too, jungkook."

the two of them hold eye contact and neither of them shy away from it, a silent fact in the air as they know that it's not only you who's linking them at this point, but rather because they're somewhat brothers at this point

"i forgive you."

"y-you forgive me?"

he feels his ears ringing in happiness as he tries to dodge the waiter who's blocking his view of yoongi with the way he's putting down the meals, frantically looking for confirmation

yoongi finds it cute, laughing as he throws his head back

"you're the one who does the quizbees. why are you making me spell it out?"

then he knows.

"you forgive me," he parrots, repeating it once more to himself

the two of them eat throughout thoughtful conversation, stemming from the inquiry of how yoongi made a thirty-minute drive into only half of it, until it bloomed to how kook claims to be forgetful but remembers a whisper about bread from a week ago

"tell me if you want to try and drive to the donut place," yoongi turns to him as he settles the bill, watching jungkook finish the last of his food as he throws him a sheepish smile — much like how you do

"i'll be watching over you, koo. don't worry."

how r we feeling bffs </3 i'll have to speak into the mic and say that this is perhaps the drabble i hurted the most while writing :O

as always, lmk what you think!! i love answering asks :D what do you want to see from the lunchbox lovers next? send them here <3

#stem koo #stem koo misc.#jungkook imagine #jungkook oneshot #jungkook oneshots #jungkook angst #jungkook x reader #jungkook x y/n #jungkook x you #jungkook au #jungkook scenario #jungkook fanfic #yoongi oneshot #jeon jungkook oneshot #bts jungkook imagine #yoongi angst

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philograce · 3 years

Text

Pretty baby

Pairing: Eren x fem!Reader

General info: modern au, just a little random thang

Warnings: fluff, and that is IT.

Summary: You are taking care of a stoned Eren, dragging him to the convenient store you and his song comes on.

Proofread: MHmmM kinda but not good so😃

**Listen I was jamming to this song for no reason and thought that this would cute. Becuz how cute would stoned Eren be???????? PLS-

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

Late nights dealing with Eren were typical, but late nights dealing and caring for a stoned Eren where he was all giggles and jokes were rare, so when this happened, all you could do was laugh at his slow moving body and lame jokes.

But now Eren made it clearly known to you about how hungry he was, so hungry he would die, that was his words not yours. So, gathering your things and practically dragging Eren out, you both made it outside of your shared apartment. Stepping into the cold weather, walking down the snowy sidewalk and quickly walking to the corner market.

The small bell attached to the clear door announces both of your arrival, a bored "welcome" was received from the cashier who was slumped back on their chair, Eren's warm hand gripped yours trailing you down specifically to the sweet's aisle.

The sudden sound of the opening trumpet to the song that you and Eren were familiar with and usually blasted in his car filled the quiet aisles of the convenient store. Eren's head quickly glanced back at yours, his face plastered with a huge smile complimenting his red hazy eyes, you smile back at his cute face.

'You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you'

Eren quickly walks away from you, he dramatically turns back looking at you, holding a single hand out while singing the lyrics. Laughing at him softy, you take his hand, standing in the small aisle Eren softy begins swaying with you.

'You'd be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much'

The store was filled only with the quiet song and Eren's deep voice, you try to tell him stop slightly embarrassed from his sudden antics, but his deep slightly slurred voice consumes yours. One hand still holding yours up and the other resting gently on your waist, he guides you to sway with him to the songs beat. Your own hand resting on his left shoulder slightly squeezing the tough muscle beneath his gray hoodie as a sign of affection.

'At long last the love has arrived, and I thank god I'm alive, You're just too good to be true'

His red drooped eyes looked right into your own as he sung, as if he was trying to let you know that this song was about 'you'. The cashier watching the two of you sent a slight glare your way, probably annoyed by Eren's sudden loud singing, but not paying them any attention you just focus on the man singing his heart out to you instead.

'Pardon the way that I stare, There's nothin' else to compare, The sight of you leaves me weak, There are no words left to speak'

His heavy eyes were finally closed and head slightly was swaying, you could tell how much he was concentrating on singing to you and making sure he didn't step on your foot or crumple into your arms. You would never say it aloud, but his voice was beautiful. The deep resonant slowly seeping into your ears and dissolving sweetly when it finally reached. You could honestly listen to it all day. It wasn't often you'd catch Eren singing, sometimes catching him mumbling along to a random song, or when he was lowly singing in the shower. But right now, you could clearly hear him and so probably could the cashier, his angelic voice blocking out any silence.

'But if you feel like I feel, Please let me know it's real, You're just too good to be true, Can't take my eyes off you'

Eren's eyes opened back up, his head stopped swaying and his red fuzzy eyes were now looking directly into your own, it was as if he made sure you were listening to his words. As the song continued he took his hand off your waist and took his other to your side to spin you into a small twirl, both pair's of feet shuffling along in the small cramped aisle as he turned you back around. You were now back to looking at each other, eye to eye, his voice slightly rising as he gave you a cheeky smile, making you throw your head back in laughter and looking back at him only to see an even wider smile spread across his pink cheeks.

'I love you baby, and if it's quite alright I need you, baby,

To warm the lonely nights

I love you, baby

Trust in me when I say,

Pretty baby'

As the chorus continued Eren never missed a line as he kept you close to his warm chest. His hand that was resting on your hips was rubbing soft circles into your fuzzy sweats. Both of your movements were getting slower savoring each others touches, as the song began to get to the last verses you and him both stare into each other's eyes.

'Don't bring me down, I pray

Oh pretty baby,

Now that I've found you, stayyy'

The two of you were still in each others arms, hearing each ones still heart beats, looking up into his eyes finding them filled with nothing but affection and love. His large warm hand raised up to cup your right cheek, pulling you slightly up placing his lips on yours for a long loving kiss. As he pulled away from you, his lips rested slightly against your ear tickling you slightly.

"My pretty baby",

his soft whisper into your ear along with his choice of words for you sent a shiver down your spine. You bring your own hand, raking into into his oak colored hair trailing your finger along his jaw and ending at his chin just to pull him into another small kiss.

"Are you two going to buy anything or-"

The cashiers voice broke the small moment you and him were happening, the sudden realization of dancing in a convenient store hit your sober mind, cheeks filling with warmth you give the worker a solid apology. Eren was still gently holding your hand as you racked the candy choices, his warm lips leaving kisses on your cheeks and the side of your head. He would mumble something about a certain food into your hair, making you giggle at his change of character.

Gathering the food items and paying for them, finally leaving back into the cold now snowing weather. Eren grabbed the bag of treats from your hand, turning to him to only see his face etched with a smile. Snowflakes falling onto each others heads and eyelashes, you stick your tongue out into the freezing air, catching a single snowflake feeling it melt quickly away in your mouth. Eren's less red eyes were watching you, his smile seemed never ending when it came to you, reaching over to your gloved hand he grasped it into his own. Never wanting to let it go.

"Ya know I can't ever take my eyes off of you?", he spoke to you loving the way your cheeks flushed and eyebrows raised. You sweetly smile back at him, loving the moment you shared, and most importantly loving him. You both couldn't take your eyes off each other the entire way back home.

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

( THIS IS WHAF I FEEL OK‼️⁉️)

(No because how cute would this be 🏃‍♀️, anywho again this is my third story!! Wow I’m on roll. Thanks to people who like these??? May I just say that I love all you😽 but yeah hopefully this is also enjoyable, maybe I should start a series? Idk writing be hard)

* YO 100 !!! my ass is exploding thx u!!!*

#attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #snk fandom #snk x reader #eren yeager #snk eren #eren jaeger x reader #aot x reader #fluff #I want a bf but it can only be Eren #eren yaeger x y/n

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countrymusiclover · 2 years

Text

5 - Technology True

Part 6

Iron Stone masterlist

Pepper has been promoted to CEO of the company and Tony has been locking me out of the lab, out of Jarvis's full system search system, and been staying up at crazy hours in the night - the man's running on barley any sleep. He's even been working on my personal suit - without me. Which annoys the crap out of me, he's obviously hiding something from me.

"Tony...Tony!" I called out going down the stairs only in a pair of black gym shorts and a long sleeved sleep shirt, my hair a little knotted. We'd been back from traveling, surviving the Tokyo racecar crash and a Iron suit designed super solider that is now locked away by the authorities.

"The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium, inside the chest arc reactor. Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize." Jarvis spoke out as he goes over to grab a sledge hammer but froze seeing me standing in the doorway, tears in my eyes. "Get ready for a major remodel, fellas. We're back in hardware mode - Y/n!"

"You son of a bitch. You've been lying to me!" I stomped down the stairs picking up a sludge hammer too, angrily swinging it in my rant. "I heard Jarvis, what is wrong with your chest reactor and why didn't you tell me. I'm your girlfriend for crying out loud, so help me god Anthony Stark you better give me a good reason to avoid me seriously injuring you with this sludge hammer!"

He slowly sits down his hammer, holding up his hands in surrender. "Y/n I was gonna tell you the truth I swear - I just - I'm a genius and yet. The very thing that is supposed to keep me alive - is killing me." He moves his hands down to lift up his black tea shirt, black veins are popping out of the bright blue reactor. "I've been racking my brain for months trying to find a better solution..." He pulls his shirt back down causing me to blush since I was still picturing him with his shirt up.

"But finally I've found something promising...and it's all thanks to my dad!" He picked up the hammer again heading for a certain wall, slamming it into it. He glanced over his shoulder, puppy dog eyeing me. "I don't expect you to not still be mad at me, but take it out on the wall. Because if this plan succeeds..."

He trails off setting the hammer down again and removing mine from my hands. Wrapping his arms around my waist to pull me flesh to his chest with a huge grin. "I'll get to keep living, for the American people who depend on Iron Man, for myself and most importantly. . . for you."

"O-okay." I lay my head down on his chest feeling the bright glow of the technology, my words being muffled against it. "I'm sorry, repeat that honey." He questioned, cupping my face tilting it up to see his watery brown eyes and tousled dark brown hair.

"I'll help you with this..." He takes a breath of relief leaning down to kiss me but I rest a finger to his lips, threatenly whispering. "But don't ever try lying to me again Anthony, or I'll blast you with your own Iron Man suit."

Tony nodded his head quickly in slight terror, a smirk growing on his face. "Can I kiss you, my fiery girlfriend?" I playfully roll my eyes when he connects my lips with his. "I suppose, Iron Man."

The last few weeks Tony and I have been redesigning the lab. Finally we are at the last step. Removing my crystal I placed it inside the machine, stepping back as he swings the lazzer to mark the triangle reactor. Jarvis reported as the new reactor glows the same color as his old arc reactor. "Sir, the reactor has accepted the modified core. I will begin running diagnostics."

A huge grin masks my face turning on my feet to launch into his arms. "You actually did it!" He holds me up by my legs, smiling. "One step down....Jarvis trace that call." He turns his head seeing a call from someone I don't know, he carries me to his rolling chair holding me on his lap. "Hey, Tony, how you doing. I do cycle's."

Tony and I both asked. "You what?" The caller says. "You told me to double cycles more power. Good advice." Laying my head on his chest I ask confused. "Who's this guy?" His arms gently squeeze me closer to his chest, leaning on the table. "The crazy Iron guy from the race in Tokyo."

"You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy. " The Ivan guy laughs. "You, too." I hit the mute button on our end telling Jarvis. "Trace this guy." Jarvis responded to my request. "Now, the true history of Stark name will be written." Ivan kept talking. "What your father did to my family over 40 years. I will do to you in 40 minutes."

Tony focuses on Jarvis "Jarvis, where is he?" Jarvis flies from maps and red locations markers. "Accessing the Oracle grid. Eastern seaboard." Tony taunts Ivan making goosebumps run up my arms. "Sounds good. Let's get together and hash it out."

"Tri-State area. Manhattan and outlying boroughs."

My eyes stay trained on the computer locator that Jarvis shows. Ivan finished before he cuts the phone line off. "I hope you're ready." I suck in a heavy breather feeling Tony get up and sitting my butt on the chair. He grabbed the new arc reactor, putting it inside his chest.

"Tony, what the hell?" I cursed forcing myself to my feet, Jarvis backed me up. "Sir." He doesn't listen to either of us, ordering to the AI. "You want to run some tests, run them. And assemble the suit while you're at it. Put it together now."

"Jarvis, power my suit online!" I swiped my necklace from the table running over to the suit storage, pressing my right hand against the scanner. "We are unclear as to the effects of the..." Tony cut him off starting to cough harshly as my suit powers on, connecting to my body by the crystals energy source. "I don't want to hear it, Jarvis!"

My suit transforms into the color of the crystal, at least until I finish the test runs. "Y/n - you can't come - it's too dangerous." He coughed finally wearing the Iron Man suit. "Y/n your suit is barely out of the testing face. We're uncertain of how or if the crystal gem will react like the reactor in Mr. Stark's chest." Jarvis gives me the run around as I see the helmet get flooded with numbers and maps when I turned on the flight thrusters. "Jarvis we're testing it now. Tony you're not going to save the world without me, not this time!"

"Jarvis commandeer her suit's power to my control!" I blasted up and through the ceiling into the night sky, loving the sights of the tiny buildings. Thankfully never having a fear of heights. Jarvis responded through our suit's. "I'm sorry sir. But miss L/n's suit is on it's own server. Her crystal gem is blocking my ability."

Nice try Tony. "Damn it Y/n!" He cursed as I shoot down into the building to see an army of Iron soldiers with giant guns. He lands down beside me before Rhode uncontrollably aims the gun on his suit at us and the others at the huge crowd of people. Scanning the crowd my suit locates Pepper here. Oh calm on, Pepper! "Get out of here. Go! This whole system's been compromised." Rhobe ordered in panic, Tony and I blasted into the sky. "Let's take it outside!"

Comments really appreciated ❤️

#iron stone #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark #tony stark x reader #iron man #robert downey jr #wattpad fanfiction #comments really appreciated

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ofstarsandfireflies · 3 years

Text

@just-inside-her asked for this one, which was going to be part of January but I moved it off the list to fit others in so we got it this month!

Stephen has been waiting for the day for Tony to return to him ever since the man beat Kingpin and had to go into hiding.

Due to their relationship, what remains of the Avengers have been keeping a close watch on him, waiting for him to lead them to wherever Tony is.

It’s been two years, and neither of them have received word on his whereabouts or whether he’s still alive.

That is, until Stephen’s usual routine is disrupted by a letter with the Stark Industries letter head, and a message in Tony’s handwriting telling him to board a specific train and find someone with his height and build on it to make the Avengers think it’s him so they’ll leave Stephen in peace.

Stephen manages to shake the surveillance team and boards the train, finding a spare seat in front of a man who introduces himself as ‘Robert’ and smoking a fake cigarette.

This man will do.

He has brown hair where Tony had black, brown eyes where Tony had blue, stubble where a neatly trimmed beard should be and, most importantly, an English accent where Tony was American.

They talk for a while, Robert doing most of it as he can’t seem to shut up in front of this handsome stranger.

But they’re not alone.

Both Natasha and Clint have boarded the train and have even taken a photo of Robert, sending it back to HQ to the only one who never gave up on finding Tony.

Vision.

For the past two years he’s been scouring the Internet for any traces of the man who had had a hand in creating his existence.

He’s kept an eye on social media, on banking records, waiting for Tony’s name to pop up somewhere or for the billions of dollars he’d pulled from his bank accounts to appear suddenly.

But it never happened.

He’s especially frantic to find him now because King Pin just broke out of jail, and Vision knows Tony’s at the top of his shit list.

But he’s making it rather difficult to track down.

So when he receives the photo Nat and Clint have sent to him, he can’t help but think that it is Tony.

It’s only when he finds Robert’s passport photo and everything checks out that his hope dies again.

The guy Stephen is talking to is no more than a tourist.

Parting ways when their train comes to a stop, they quickly find one another again when Stephen asks Robert if he’d like a lift, taking him to the expensive Hotel where he and Tony would usually stay.

The room is beautifully decorated, and when Stephen enters the bedroom, he finds the wardrobe filled with expensive clothes, colognes and watches, gifts he knows are from Tony.

Robert has no idea what he’s doing here, but gets dressed into one of the suits he’s packed so they can go out for dinner.

After making a fool of himself when he sees Stephen dressed up, they have a nice dinner where they enjoy themselves, Stephen noticing how he’s still being followed.

It’s only after they get back that Robert points out the huge bouquet of flowers that definitely wasn’t there before they left, and an envelope.

Within the envelope addressed to Stephen is an invite to a ball two nights from now.

This is where he’ll see Tony again.

He’s waited two years, what’s two more days?

But there’s still the case of the Avengers.

They haven’t approached him yet, so he knows he hasn’t fooled them completely into thinking this man is Tony.

So, Stephen does the only thing he can think of that would put more suspicion on this man.

He kisses him while they stand on the balcony, in full view of the people he knows are watching.

And a small part of him thrills when Robert kisses him back.

He could almost picture Tony in his place when he closed his eyes.

Robert’s arms come up to hold him and Stephen stops before this can progress any further, offering the couch for him to sleep on while he makes his way to the single bedroom.

It’s as he’s undressing, he hears the doorknob of his room turning.

He pauses to watch, waiting to see what Robert will do.

It turns a little more, almost fully, but Robert reconsiders and makes his way to the couch.

And Stephen doesn’t know why he’s disappointed.

The next morning, Robert wakes to find room service has brought him breakfast, courtesy of Stephen, who has left him alone.

And since he’s alone in the room where Tony’s lover is staying, Kingpin’s men descend on it, forcing Robert to make his escape through the window of the bathroom and across the rooftop of the next building, catching the eye of everyone in the streets below, including Stephen, who is just as shocked to bear witness to what this man is doing and just who is chasing after him.

Of course he had to go and persuade the wrong people that Robert was Tony.

Unable to use his magic and cause even more commotion amongst the people when he was trying not to draw attention to himself, Stephen whispers a command to his cloak, which quickly slips down an alley, up the side of the building and plants itself on the ground, ripping out from under the men chasing Robert, catching them off guard and making them tumble down to the street.

When Robert looks behind him and sees that Stephen has somehow appeared behind him instead of the men who had been chasing him, he stops running and starts asking questions.

And that’s how Robert learns about Tony.

The man Stephen loves.

The man Stephen is putting his life and Robert’s life in danger for.

The man he hasn’t seen for two years.

And with his questions answered, Stephen sends him through a portal to the train station, a bag of necessities falling out of another portal beside him.

But Robert can’t leave.

Not now he’s in love with Stephen.

While Robert is out purchasing a much nicer suit than the one he brought with him with the money Stephen gave him, Stephen is finally meeting up with Vision, who is not happy about Stephen’s attitude the past three years, one of which he was with Tony before he suddenly disappeared.

Both of them should know that the Avengers could help in protecting them, they were both Avengers themselves, but Stephen just shakes his head.

Keeping their distance from the Avengers has been part of the plan.

No need for anyone to die just to protect a billionaire, as Tony had put it.

So, running out of questions and patience, Vision asks why Stephen has finally agreed to meet up with them.

How it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the tourist Stephen seems to fancy.

And Stephen tells him about the ball tonight, and how Tony will be there.

Except, he isn’t.

At the ball, another letter addressed to him arrives, from a man who could only be Tony.

But when Stephen loses him in the crowd, Robert appears, putting their little operation in jeopardy

Stephen can’t just send him through another portal with so many people around, opting instead to go after Tony, but Robert stands in his way and offers his hand to dance.

And Stephen takes it.

He tries to tell him that he’s in danger here, that Kingpin’s men are still after him and he has to leave.

Robert refuses.

It’s only when Stephen tells him he was just using him that Robert lets Stephen go, and Stephen opens the letter from Tony, which contains a key and an address.

Stephen goes there immediately, having just let himself inside when the door opens.

And Kingpin walks in.

Stephen barely has time to move before his henchmen are pointing their guns at him, forcing him to sit on the couch as they wait for Tony Stark to finally arrive.

Five minutes pass.

Then ten.

Still no sign of Tony.

Kingpin begins his exposition about how being thrown in jail cost him Vanessa, about how Stark went for her to get to him like a coward instead of coming straight to him like a man.

How he will kill Stephen if Tony does not show his face in the next five minutes.

Vision has been listening in to all of this with Robert, who had tried going after Stephen before Nat and Clint grabbed him.

Robert is concerned about Stephen and about the threat from Kingpin.

But Vision’s not concerned at all, he knows Tony wouldn’t let anyhint happen and will come for him, all they have to do is wait.

But he doesn’t.

Just when Kingpin is about to give the order, Stephen spies a large medallion of the eye of Agamotto set into the wall of the fireplace.

He knows there’s a safe behind it, and upon telling Kingpin, manages to draw his attention away from killing him for the time being.

Only, when the safe is revealed, they realise they need a seven-digit code to open it.

And the only person who could possibly know it, who they have here right now, is Stephen.

Robert is trying to make Vision send his men in, but Vision isn’t listening.

He knows Tony will come.

He knows him, knows how much he loves Stephen, so he has to.

Stephen is brought to the safe, racking his brains to form a code.

Maybe a date?

Or even a word when spelled on a numbered keypad?

At his first attempt at the code, he enters 4766626

IRONMAN

The button turns red.

Kingpin doesn’t see this as Stephen not knowing.

He thinks he’s trying to buy time until Tony get there.

So he gives him one last try.

And Stephen can’t think.

What else could it be?

Avenger?

America?

Industry?

There were too many possibilities and he only had one chance.

283...

It had to Avenger.

They were the reason he hadn’t gone to them for help.

They were the reason they’d met, what they both were.

It has to be...

643...

His finger hovered over the 7.

And just as he was about to press it, he heard someone call out his name.

What.

The hell.

Was Robert doing here?

Guns turned on the tourist he’d roped into all of this, the men working for Kingpin looking to their boss, who walked up to the idiot who was now claiming to be Tony Stark.

Kingpin looked him over, noticing the details of his face which had changed drastically in the last two years.

Robert didn’t seem intimidated by him, standing up taller despite his short stature.

And then Kingpin began laughing.

Was this another ploy to await Stark’s grand return?

Very well.

There really was only one way to find out if this man was Tony.

He’d have to open the safe.

Robert tries to secure Stephen’s safety in exchange for his help, but everyone just turns their guns on the Sorcerer, who gives Robert a sad smile.

So, having little choice, Robert walks towards the safe.

Towards Stephen.

He keeps his eyes on him, wanting Stephen to be the last thing he sees before they’re killed.

And just as he reaches it, just when he sees Stephen mouth the words he’s longed to hear, Nick Fury takes control of Vision’s operation and demands for Kingpin to be taken out.

Stephen breathes a sigh of relief and turns to Robert, and then the safe where he’s completed the code.

7837436

STEPHEN

And the button turns green.

Quotes -

“Do you mind me smoking? It’s not a real cigarette.”

“What?”

“It’s electronic. It delivers the same amount of nicotine, but the smoke is water vapour. Yeah. Watch. LED light.”

“That’s somewhat disappointing.”

“Would you rather have me smoking for real?”

“I would rather you be a man who did exactly as he pleased.”

“...”

Stephen chooses Robert for his plan

“You tell me what my story is.”

“Okay, um, I think you would be diplomatic attaché. Or maybe a girl from East Germany...whose father’s been kidnapped...and they’re blackmailing you into stealing something for them. Probably a microfilm. There’s usually a microfilm involved.”

“What awaits me?”

“Trouble, certainly.”

“Danger?”

“Oh, yeah. You’ll most likely be shot in less than two chapters.”

“Is there a man in my life?”

“Have to wait and see.”

Robert getting a little flustered

“Fuck.”

“...?”

“You’re ravenous.”

“Do you mean ravishing?”

“I do.”

“You’re ravenous.”

“I am.”

Not the best attempt at flirting

“Why is all this happening? Why is everyone trying to kill me?”

“It’s because I kissed you.”

“...Do I look that much like him?”

“I am sorry I got you involved in all this.”

“Why are you involved in all this?”

“Because I’m in love with him.”

“Really? I’m not.”

Robert learns about Tony

“It’s just who he is.”

“Could you ever feel like that about someone like me?”

“...”

“I don’t regret it, you know...kissing you.”

Robert’s fallen in love with Stephen, and Stephen is starting to fall for him too.

January, February

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2

You aren’t what you say you are -

Tony has been in hiding for two years, but while Stephen still waits for him to come back, another man catches his eye.

#ironstrange #strangeiron #osaf’s movie night

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defensefilms · 3 years

Text

Embiid, Sixers And Everything Else In A Wild NBA Post Season

1. Sixers And The Joys Of The 1 Seed

This is it.

This is what it’s all about. I can’t remember having this type of optimism about the Sixers during any post season. The 2018/19 Sixers were close but they didn’t validate that optimism the way this year’s team has as far as regular season performances.

These guys have done that and then some.

We’re no longer a team devoid of shooting or ball movement. We’re no questioning what our best line-ups are and who our best player is. We now have an experienced post season coach with the cache to make demands of these players.

This is the best any Sixer team has looked in any post season. We put the mollywhopping on the Wizards. From the head coach Doc Rivers, his staff and then all the way down to Shake Milton and Mike Scott off the bench, no one even entertained the idea that we weren’t going to sweep these guys.

Now we’re facing an obstinate Atlanta Hawks squad. The Hawks have no way to stop Simmons or Embiid 1-on-1 but they got shooters for days and Trae Young’s averaging 27.7 points on 48.4% from the field. We need to put some respect on his name. Get the ball out of Trae’s hands because he was doing too much in game 1.

First there’s the fact that we’ve had our struggles defending elite scoring point guards this season. Then there’s the fact that Trae Young has done us dirty a few times before. The Hawks gave us hands in game 1 of the 2nd round. We we’re down early and didn’t get close to coming back until it was too late buts its far from curtains in this series.

One thing that has definitely been of huge concern is the health of Joel Embiid.

How is it possible that a man tear his meniscus on May 31st and then drop 39 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in the playoffs on June 3rd? How? He can’t be healthy and I don’t know if it’s smart for his long term health to play right now. He was one of the bright sparks of the game. It’s not just this specific injury either.

This season has been hell on Embiid’s body. You have to wonder how much their gonna risk it or if the team are even halfway considering giving him a rest. Embiid spoke about managing his injuries after game 1 against the Hawks. Honestly doesn’t sound good. He’s talking about managing the swelling in his knee. This on top of ACL injuries sustained towards the end of the regular season. He’ll have had five days rest before game 2 so hopefully that helps remedy what is way more alarming than the Sixers front office is making it seem.

2. Lakers Flame Out

It’s been a dramatic season for the 2020/21 Lakers and typically speaking I don’t think that a team seeded so low are worthy of a list or breakdown like this but this is a special case. These Lakers are likely a way better team than seeding suggests.

Injuries to their 2 best players, saw the Lake-show lose number 1 seeding and then slide further down.

Roster-wise the Lakers tried their utmost to replace the production that they got out of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard. Marc Gasol just can’t be an active defender anymore and his inability to cover the perimeter and post at the same time became a huge issue. Montrezl Harrell has averaged 23.7 minutes off the bench and Dennis Schroder stretches the court as a shooter and a tertiary scorer but is more turnover prone than Rajon Rondo was.

The signing of Andre Drummond was a great idea and his rim protection and big body offense are valuable assets but he was never on the court with the team’s top stars long enough for any kind of chemistry to develop.

The big issue is that as a team they are not the defensive powerhouse they were last year. The issue with that is that this team doesn’t have the kind of offensive scoring and 3-point shooting that can allow them to rely on blowing teams out the water and outscoring the opponents.

The signs were ominous from pretty early on but stop lying to yourself. More importantly, stop lying to the people. Don’t pretend you knew the Lakers would lose this series to the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Davis has had his well covered and documented struggles with injuries throughout the season. As a an on looker, I gave the Lakers the benefit of the doubt every step of the way. I felt like we knew how this goes and the team with winning pedigree would get it together. LeBron’s injuries were something I felt he could overcome because he’s LeBron. It just never happened. That moment when Lebron takes over like he did against Boston in 2017, just never happened.

I’m hesitant to say it’s over for LeBron or anything even remotely similar to that. However it might be a wrap for him in Los Angeles.

3. Brooklyn Looking Nasty

Are the Brooklyn Nets Nasty or are they playing against a team that lacks versatility?

I’ve watched a lot of this team since 2017 and you know what I realized, that they’re a well oiled, championship caliber team until oppositions shut down the 4-out-1-in strategy. The meltdown they suffered in the 2018/19 post season against the Toronto Raptors was bad but still left room for optimism. The massacre they suffered against the Miami Heat in last year’s second round was a signal for change.

Yet I don’t feel there has been a lot of change. So the onus falls on Mike Budenholzer to come-up with a convincing second act to his game plan. Two games in to the 2nd round series against these Nets, Bud has failed spectacularly.

Then there’s the flipside of the coin, which I hope just isn’t true.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking untouchable. Kevin Durant is among my least favorite players but he’s killing it. The confidence he’s showing taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up is incredible and to be fair he’s always been really good at that.

Durant slapped the Bucks up for 32 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in game 2 and then had one of the snidest post game interviews you’ll ever witness from an athlete.

The hope here is that Giannis and the Bucks can get it together because we need someone to take some of the steam out of this Nets squad.

4. Kristapz Porzingis Hates Being A Mav

There is an absolutely hilarious 5 minute clip of Luka Doncic just refusing to pass the ball to Porzingis throughout the 2020/21 season. Click here and witness basketball comedy.

Luka Doncic absolutely dominated in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Clippers in round 1. However it was clear that he was only going to push the Clippers and the only way to do better than that would be to take the pressure off of Luka and some one else to help carry the scoring. If only the Mavericks had a big man to compliment Luka, you know, a guy that can create his own shot and still be a mismatch when Luka forces bad switches and he finds himself guarded by smaller guys. Oh wait.

The world has finally taken notice of everything happening in Dallas and most importantly everything that’s not happening in Dallas. Luka’s growth and development is something for the organization to be proud of but this was supposed to be complimented by the growth of Kristapz Porzingis and that just isn’t happening.

The word on the streets is that Porzingis is frustrated with his role on the Mavs and may seek a trade but after some of his performances in that round 1 series, I think the Mavs will have a hard time convincing anyone to take on his contract.

5. The West Can Call Itself Wild Again

This here is by far the most open Western Conference playoffs in over a decade,

I don’t buy the hype about how the Western Conference teams are better and more competitive but the record is the record and it can’t be argued with.

No so this year.

The Lakers falling out of the race has definitely gifted us a conference where we just don’t know who is going to emerge as the representative in the finals.

The Phoenix Suns have definitely racked up the most street cred by beating Lebron’s Lakers in 6. Devin Booker is simply awesome and I don’t say that as a fan of his. He average 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Lakers and they also overcame an injury scare to Chris Paul. They have a very interesting 2nd round series against the Denver Nuggets, who lost Jamal Murray to injury and found a way to keep winning and also overcame a near super human scoring output from Damian Lillard in round 1.

Then there’s the 1st seed Utah Jazz, who will go down in history as the most disrespected and underrated 1 seed in recent memory. They’ve been matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers who looked like they were reeling in the early part of their round 1 series against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, then Kawhi and Paul George composed themselves and took the series in a thrilling 7 game series. The redemption story is definitely still in progress.

That’s 3 different 2nd round playoff match-ups that will probably provide a high quality of basketball. Well worth the watch.

#nba #nba 2021 #nba playoffs #philadelphia 76ers #joel embiid #los angeles lakers #lebron james #brooklyn nets #kevin durant #dallas mavericks #denver nuggets #utah jazz #phoenix suns #los angeles clippers

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etlunainmorte · 3 years

Text

DMC MECHA VERSE: Part 2

( Because, yes! ❤❤❤😍😍😍 )

This is my Christmas gift to my dear friend, @dreaming-gamer . And the part 2 of my DMC Mecha Opera, err,... Alternate Universe! I hope you like this as much as I enjoyed writing this!😍😍😍❤❤❤

***

Previously,...

Without strength, you can't protect anything!

Nero took Credo out to visit Dante, the best Mecha Pilot Rubrum has ever seen, to prove to him that he’s worthy to be accepted as a student in the planet's most prestigious Mecha school, The Tyger University. But, on his way towards the legendary Pilot's residence, he saw a group of unknown Mecha chasing after the man, himself! And behind the Red Justice Rebellion's back was a mysterious metal case - containing Tigris Dominus' most lethal of all lethal secrets!

If you truly are righteous, you should not be running away from these men! You should face them as a man of justice should!

At first, our hero doubted Dante's intentions. Why was he running away? Why were these men chasing him? What,... was he hiding?!

Luckily for Dante, Nero listened to his heart and chose to protect him. He fought with Nico's underdeveloped Mecha, Credo, but ended up failing when he activated the not – so perfected laser beam!

All seemed lost, Nero and Dante were going to die!

I'm taking my,... time!

That was, until the mysterious thing that was concealed inside the metal case behind Rebellion's back showed itself. It was a man,... WHO TRANSFORMED INTO A MECHA!

A human,... who can turn into a machine?! What an unbelievable sight! And what a powerful being it was! With a single laser beam attack, he annihilated the enemies!

What is Dante's connection to this mysterious man? Why is he running away with him like a convicted man?

And most importantly, what would happen to Nero now that he is involved with the most destructive secret in the face of planet Rubrum?!

***

"Are you sure we would be safe here?" The Legendary Mecha Pilot, Dante, asked for the fourth time that evening as Nero led him, and the mysterious dark - haired man, who transformed into that powerful, mystical Mecha, into Nico's spacious secret facility.

"I told you! We're gonna be safe here. Trust me." And as much as Nero wanted to be more patient towards the Pilot and his strange behaviors, he could not shake off the foreboding feeling that began plaguing his head.

Especially when he gazed at that unconscious man in Dante's arms.

A man,... who could transform into a Mecha. And Dante being pursued by those Pilots who seemed to be working for Mundus, all because the famous Pilot took this man away,...

As soon as the men, and their slightly malfunctioning Mechas, were settled inside the dark facility, Nero made his way towards the corner of the room to look for the light switch. He was so itching to interrogate Dante about all this, and interrogate him, he shall.

"Now, as much as I admire you as the greatest Mecha Pilot in the Universe," The youth began. " ... you must tell me why - "

However, as soon as Nero opened the lights, he was shocked! Beyond surprise!

For, right before them stood Nico, and none other than Nero's mother, Queenie, herself. And what's more, right behind the ladies was a table full of Nero's favorite home cooked meals, and a large poster on the wall that says, "CONGRATULATIONS, ON YOUR PROMOTION, NERO!"

They were supposed to surprise him! And they were speechless! It looked like they were waiting for him to return for hours! But, they didn't only see Nero, they saw Dante, his Rebellion, the steaming Credo, and the unconscious mysterious man, as well!

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN' ON HERE?!" Eyes as wide as saucers, Nico questioned, the unused party popper still in her hands.

"Nero, sweetie, are you alright?" Queenie asked worriedly as her eyes bounced from Nero to Dante to the man in his arms, then back to her son.

It took Nero and Dante almost an hour to explain everything that went on earlier that day, how Nero was going to visit Dante, how he found the Rebellion being chased, and how this enigmatic man, now lying on the couch, still unconscious, saved them from certain death.

And by the time Nero finished explaining, Queenie got even more worried, and Nico started fuming even more in sheer anger.

"So, you're saying," Nico began, her voice getting dangerously low that it honestly scared both Nero and Dante. " ... YOU TOOK CREDO OUT,... JUST TO SHOW OFF IN FRONT OF DANTE?!"

"Well, I - " Nero tried to explain but, he was interrupted as Nico's cigar - stained, tattooed finger almost punctured his left shoulder.

"AND YOU'RE SAYING CREDO, MY GRANDMOTHER NELL'S MOST PRIZED CREATION, IS NOW DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR BECAUSE YOU USED HIS UNDERDEVELOPED LASER BLAST?!"

"It's not what you think - !"

"AND YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE TO NOT TAKE CREDO OUT! HOW. DARE. YOU! PSYCHO!"

"To be perfectly frank here," Nero thanked the Heaven's that Dante decided to intervene. Ignoring the youth's dagger gazes at him that clearly to ask for rescue, he went on. " ... Credo,... ahh, did I get the name right?"

"Damn straight ye did!" Nico huffed indignantly, crossing her arms and looking down at Dante with such ferocity.

"Ah, yes, Credo." Dante calmly went on, and with a smile and a single wink at Nero, he said, "You see, Credo is not Nell Goldstein's most prized work."

"Huh?" Nico muttered, raising her eyebrows.

And with this, Dante smirked and pointed at the Rebellion behind him with his thumb. "The Red Sword Of Justice, Rebellion. That's one of Nell Goldstein's Mecha masterpieces. You could say, that's made just for me."

"You're kidding." Nico blabbered without a single blink of an eye, unable to believe Dante's words. "H - how is that Nell's work? I thought Mundus and his scientists developed Rebellion?"

Dante sighed. "Well, you don't know a lot of things about Nell and Mundus! They go way back, you know?"

"Yeah, granny used to say that." Nico's walls were finally breached at the famous Pilot's words. And with a growing curiosity and fascination towards the Red Mecha, she now politely asked, "Hey, uhh, can I go s - see the Rebellion?"

"Ehh, sure! Whatever." Dante tiredly answered as he collapsed on the sofa right next to the dark - haired mystery man. Throwing the Rebellion's key at Nico, he added, "You'd even see Nell's original programming in it. One of Mundus' mad scientists tinkered with it and replaced it with one of his. Kinda made to synchronize with the other Mechs. You know? For tracing. But, don't worry! I put it back the way it is just before I threw my own ass out of Tigris. Spent the whole night working on it.”

With a huge smile on her face, and the golden key on her hands, Nico said, running towards the red Mecha, "This is a brand new discovery! I'm gonna take note of all of this!"

"Yeah, yeah." Dante muttered as the smile slowly faded away from his face. Looking at Nero, he asked in a whisper, "She’s really Nell's grandkid?"

Nero nodded. "Yeah, she is."

"Well, kinda hard to say! They don't exactly, ahh, look similar."

"You're not the first one. She gets that a lot."

"Hmm."

Nero sat at the chair opposite Dante, and with such curiosity burning at the back of his mind, he began asking. "Nell and Mundus went their separate ways. You left him. Nell tried to develop machines to match Mundus', you ran away with," Nero's eyes wandered towards the peaceful face of the dark - haired man sleeping on the sofa, then back at the renowned Pilot's eyes. " ... that." Nero ended with the word, unsure how to call the man - creature who saved his skin from danger. "Why are you, guys, plotting against Mundus? I mean, why are you,... hey!"

Nero's eyebrows furrowed when Dante began laughing quite hysterically. And this unnerved the youth, and scared the living hell out of his mother, who remained silent all throughout their conversation.

"Me and Nell? Plotting against Mundus?!" Dante mocked through his fits of uncontrolled laughter. Then, all of a sudden, all traces of amusement vanished from the Pilot's face, to be replaced with something that was truly menacing. "No, we're not plotting against Mundus. Mundus,... is plotting against the whole Universe."

"What?!" Nero was beyond shocked of what he just heard. It's truly unbelievable! "Y - you must be joking! You - "

"Mundus, for all his goody - two shoes farce of a leader, wanted nothing more than to dominate all the planets in existence." Dante began, his voice only being slightly interrupted by Nico's excited remarks on the Rebellion a few feet away from them. "And for that to happen, he wanted this kind of power that would give unlimited energy to his Mechas. He has been searching, for twenty goddamn years, for this source of power.

"And guess what? He found it! Right on a certain far - flung crimson planet on the neighborhood galaxy! The one planet we knew only as a myth! You know Operation Red Grave?"

"Y - yeah." Nero nervously answered, feeling his sweat and blood running colder and colder at the Pilot's relentless revelations. Giving a sad look to his mother right next to him, he said, "My father, who worked for Mundus, went along with that operation. He never returned, we never found out why."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear about that, kid, but, what do you remember about Operation Red Grave?" Dante went on, seemingly becoming more and more impatient.

Racking his brain for answers, Nero set aside his feelings towards the parent who abandoned him and his mother for a while and tried to recall the events that took place twenty years ago. "It's, ahh,... Operation Red Grave was launched by Mundus to repel the Rubrum rebels who fled into this neighbor planet and take into custody the innocent civilians they kidnapped and tried to murder."

"Don't you find it strange? If there are rebels, Mundus would not let them flee into another planet in the first place!"

"So you're saying it's all a farce?"

"Exactly! It's a huge, goddamn cover up! To kidnap the innocent civilians of the mythical crimson planet! And why?" Dante leaned a bit closer towards Nero as his eyes travelled to the man who was lying right next to him. Nero followed the direction of his eyes and realized,... everything.

It doesn't take genius brain cells to figure out what's truly going on.

Nero,... finally realized.

"This man," Nero said, feeling his voice shaking in fear. " ... he lived on that crimson planet, didn't he? Mundus,... is going to use him to power up his Mechas, isn't he?"

"Yes." Dante answered with a nod, his eyes as furious as they can be. "The pain he and his men went through. The torture they endured. It was a horrible, horrible nightmare! Mundus' mad scientists drained his fellowmen of all their power in many ways you would never dream of. They did it for power and still failed.

"And this man. He is the only one left. And he is very strong, as you have witnessed. That power you just saw? That's just the tip of the iceberg! This man tried to help what remained of his fellowmen to escape and nearly annihilated Tigris Dominus all by himself!"

"Wait! Is that," Nero interrupted as the pieces of the puzzle started coming together. " ... last year's Mecha facility malfunction that killed thousands of men? That was caused by this man?! It's another huge cover up?!"

"A FREAKIN' TRIPLE LASER BLAST AT THREE TIMES THE AVERAGE SPEED?!" Nico's voice from inside the Rebellion echoed all over the place all of a sudden. "HOOEE! THAT'S GENIUS MECHA ENGINEERIN' RIGHT THERE!"

"Got that damn straight, kid." Dante confirmed.

"What happened?" Nero asked, starting to feel pity towards this man he never even personally knew.

Dante shook his head with a pained look in his face. "Mundus ordered us to massacre those few remaining captives right before this poor guy's eyes. Sent him into panic mode. Got neutralized even before he got a chance to retaliate. Hold up a second right there. I disobeyed Mundus on the massacre part. That's why I was - "

"Sent to a military probation camp for a month, I know." Nero finished for Dante. "The media pretty much bloated it up, you know?"

"Punished for running away with nobleman Morrison's ward?!" The Pilot added. "That's bullshit! I don't even have the hots for Lady Patty Lowell! If you ask me, I'd rather go out with Lady Mary or Lady Tr - "

"Mundus surely values you as a Pilot." Nero cut him off mid - sentence. "Would have killed you for insubordination right then and there, you know?"

"Sure, he does! He raised us, yeah? We're the most talented men on the face of Rubrum, after all!"

Wait, us? "What do you mean by - ?"

"Anyway, we can't let Mundus get a hold of poetry guy right here. If he does, that marks the start of the apocalypse, as we know it."

"So,... that's," Nero said, slowly nodding in agreement. " ... what you mean before when you said he must not fall into the wrong hands, or something."

Dante held up a finger. "Close enough!" Then, rubbing his hands together, he added, "Do you have pizza right there? I'm starving!"

"I'm not sure about pizza but, yeah, go help yourself." Nero said as he watched the renowned Pilot, now wanted man, waltz towards the table to help himself with some chicken legs that Queenie herself cooked.

And Queenie?

"Hey, mom?" Nero was not surprised to see his mother so upset. After all, who could handle those facts that Dante just revealed and still remain calm?

However, this changed when the youth faced Queenie and convinced her to speak up.

"You okay there, mom?" Nero gently asked, his hand on her frail and bony shoulder.

Queenie faced her son and right then and there, Nero saw the tears in her kind blue eyes. And this broke the youth's heart. "I can't allow you to be involved with this, Nero."

"But, why? We can't just sit by and let Mundus do as he wants! Don't you understand? The whole Universe counts on us!"

"No! I won't let you fight this war! I lost your father, I won't ever lose you!"

That man,... Nero thought. She mentioned that man again. She must be really, really hurt.

"Mom, father left us, plain and simple! He was not fighting any war, nor protecting innocent, mythical beings like - "

"He did!" Everyone, even Nico, who heard Queenie's voice all the way towards Rebellion's cockpit, went silent when she raised her voice. "This,... Operation Red Grave. This mythical crimson planet. This,... abominable creature,… who turns into a deadly machine,...

"Your father,... tried to stop Mundus' plans! He tried to save each and every one of these creatures! All for the sake of mankind and the Universe! He,... single handedly fought Tigris Dominus, and Mundus, all by himself!

"And he was mercilessly killed! All because of Mundus' selfish needs! All because he went ahead and pretended to be the hero! But, the truth is – he was not!”

Nero felt a huge lump blocking his throat the moment he saw Queenie bursting into tears. The room was still silent, and he couldn't do anything else but watch as she quietly wept.

And, above all, he was speechless at what he just found out.

"You,... knew about Mundus' plans? Right from the very start?"

"Y - yes!" Queenie cried. “He,… told me everything,… before he left.”

"And you knew what really happened to dad but, you didn't tell me. Why?"

"You have to understand, Nero! I'm only trying to protect you - "

"Why did you hide all this?!" Nero stood, helpless, feeling his emotions getting the better of him. "I thought dad just left us. I mean, you knew all this time, and you didn't tell me?! Why did you lie to me, mom?! Answer me!”

"Nero, please - !"

"Erm, excuse me." Dante, who was still holding a chicken leg, now bitten on some parts, interrupted, getting between her and Nero and feeling really, really awkward. Facing the mother, he cautiously asked, "Ahh, your sweetheart who got killed by Mundus and his men. What's his name?"

"Vergil." Both mother and son answered.

And to this, the legendary Pilot's eyes widened in shock. Dropping the chicken leg onto the floor, he breathlessly mumbled, "O - oh, s - shit - !"

"What's wrong, Dante?" Nero asked, getting confused and impatient with the older man.

"W - well," Dante began. " ... y - you see, h - he's - "

"Ahh, Dante?" Nico nervously called from the Rebellion. "I see red dots on your monitor getting closer and closer to our location. Is that supposed to mean something important?"

"SHIT! THE TRACER!” Dante cursed. “I WASN’T ABLE TO OVERRIDE THAT PART OF THE CODE! MUNDUS FOUND US!"

The moment those words came out of Dante's lips, all of them heard an awful and deafening noise seemingly made by something mechanical, followed by a huge explosion that wrecked the wall of the once protected facility. The impact almost threw them away but, they were all protected by Credo, who was standing just between the wrecked wall and them.

And now, Nell Goldstein's prototype, The Creed 001, or simply known as Credo, lay in multiple pieces they couldn't even count.

"CREDO!" Nico, who was still inside Rebellion clinging for dear life, wailed. Her cries were followed by a voice that made their blood run cold. It seemed to come from a Mecha's speaker, its volume turned up to maximum.

"I know you're there, Dante, my son." That sinister voice said. It was, indeed, none other than Mundus, himself.

"Still as persistent as ever, are we, dad?!" Dante mocked, emphasizing the word, dad.

"Oh, you know the drill, my son." The voice that seemed to ring all over the place went on. "Surrender the Vitalis now, and none of your friends would be harmed."

"Oh, yeah?" Dante threatened, all the while signaling Nero and the others to carry the still unconscious man away from the place and escape. "And when was the last time you fulfilled a promise, huh?"

"Hahaha! Your foolishness would not get you anywhere, Dante! And it seems that you are still unwilling to accept my mercy even after I’ve done all acts of kindness towards you.”

"Mercy? Kindness?" Dante spout, giving Nero the angry look when he realized that they wouldn't leave without him. "Do you have,... any idea,... how much I've heard that exact same line from you?! You're a liar! And the Vitalis is not going anywhere! You,… WILL NEVER HAVE V!”

Dante's words were followed by a deathly silence that filled the room. And it was followed by a voice so horrific, it frightened the living hell out of them.

"And so be it."

What happened next went by in a blur. Dante angrily shouting at them to take cover, Nero protecting his mother and the said Vitalis with his own body, and Nico ducking inside the Rebellion as multiple laser beams assaulted them with the full intention of killing all of them.

However, the laser blasts didn't even reach their bodies. In fact, the multiple blasts of blinding light stopped suspended in mid air. As if time, itself, stopped. And when Nero looked beneath him, his eyes went wide with shock. He found his mother safe and sound but, the Vitalis was nowhere to be found. The youth looked up and saw the mysterious dark - haired man, himself, now wide awake, standing between him and the laser blasts that could've ended their lives. He seemed to be projecting, with his strangely marked hands, a force field that protected them like a very strong shield.

A few seconds later, Nero heard the Vitalis muttering something under his breath, and the multiple blasts of light slowly started moving towards them once more. At the blink of an eye, the blasts of light sped up towards them at their normal pace once more, and the Vitalis countered this by making another gesture that projected a seemingly electrical kind of force field that enveloped them like a pair of bright blue wings. The blasts of light flew towards the shield of wings and got instantly annihilated as they made contact with it.

"What,... the hell - ?" Dante muttered as he witnessed everything that's happening.

And even before Mundus could make another move, the Vitalis snapped his fingers.

The last things Nero saw that night was the Vitalis' hair turning from jet - black to white, and the whole room being engulfed in blinding light. As if he's died and gone to Heaven.

***

TO BE CONTINUED!

***

#Vitale #DMC5 #Devil May Cry 5 #dmc5 dante #dmc5 nero #dmc5 nico #DMC MECHA VERSE #Part 2

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too-much-sunshine · 3 years

Text

Fangs for the Hospitality

Chapter 2

Summary: After Roman leaves his family reunion mad at Remus, his car breaks down. The huge snow storm forces him into the forest hes always been told to stay away from. Who will he meet? And why are they being so nice? Most importantly, why are his teeth so sharp?

A/N: My self-indulgent magic/vampire fic! Let me know if I need to tag something or you wanna be tagged!

Relationship: Familial DAM, Eventual Roceit, Eventual Intrulogical

Warnings (per chapter): Car trouble, Snow storm, very brief talk of death, anxiety, being cold, vague homophobia, Romans family are dicks, Remus too by accident, cursing, rumors, possible panic attack

Catch up!: Master list, Chapter 1

Word Count: 4547

Read on AO3!

Roman finally lifted his head off the wheel and looked around his car. He made sure to keep a few things in his car that would help him if he ever needed to stay the night in his car. While looking he heard a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Remus called him a worry wart. He shook it off and continued looking around.

After a few minutes of searching for a blanket (he swore was in here somewhere), a loud bang rang out from the front of the car. Roman jumped so high he hit his head on the roof of his car.

“The fuck was that!?” He shouted, higher pitched than he's ever willing to admit. “Come oonnn woorrlld are you really going to make me check my engine now?” He pleaded to any god that would listen.

And almost as if they had heard him, smoke started to cloud from under the hood.

Roman yelped and jumped out of the car. Running to the front hood he placed the backside of his hand to the metal to find it blazing hot.

“How the FUCK does a car start on fire in the middle of a FUCKING SNOW STORM!?” He screamed. And then he screamed again just for the hell of it.

At this point Roman couldn't tell if he was crying or if it was just the melted snow running down his face. His hair was ruined, his suit probably was as well. His shoes were full of snow and it was only starting to snow harder as the moments passed.

Roman huffed another hitching breath as he started to look around. There was no way he could stay in his car tonight. With his luck today it might end with it blowing up in the middle of the night... well more later in the night. Though at this point he considered staying just for the possibility of it actually happening.

Looking around, there was no one anywhere. No houses, no lights, he hasn't even seen a person on this road since he left his old house. On one side of the road was a wide open field where he had pulled off too. The other side was a large, dense forest.

As a kid he was warned to stay away from these woods because many people have gotten lost in them. Remus once dared him to go in, to which Roman said no. Then Remus called him lame and ran away to play somewhere else. There were too many spooky stories for Romans liking. And with Roman overactive imagination he stayed far away from here.

Sure the adults told him that the reason told to stay away was because he could get lost. But Remy once told him that it was really because the forest was magic, and that there were witches, werewolves and vampires in there.

And that story was much more fun so that's what Roman chose to believe as a child.

Now Roman didn't really believe in those stories anymore. It was very much more likely that people just got lost in the forest to never be found again. It is a very big forest and is very thick.

Though at the moment Roman wasn't paying much attention to the forest beside him. The young man was not fit for this kind of weather and it was starting to get to him. He was getting very cold and the wind was not helping. He needed to find help soon. He'd call Remy or Remus but his phone was in his jacket pocket, which he forgot back at the house.

Sucking it up, he realized he would have to walk for a bit to find a house. Maybe they would be nice enough to let him use their phone. He picked the direction he had previously been driving toward, and started to walk. He pulled his arms in close to him and kept a quick pace.

It was very cold. The snow was not letting up and he didn't know how long he would have to be walking. Deciding the best strategy was to try and distract himself, Roman started to think of the creatures that might be in the woods.

‘Maybe,’ Roman thought, ‘There really are werewolves and they are actually really nice. Like what if I stumble upon one and they let me use their phone? Wait...would they even have phones? I don't know their life so maybe. What would I even say to them? Just be like ‘why hello my furry looking friend I seem to be in quite the pickle. Mayhaps you have a phone I could use?’ … No that stupid… They'd probably eat me before then… That's kinda judgmental huh. Maybe they should just eat me. It's not like if I were to actually meet them I could talk to them. I’d be too nervous like I always am with new people… How am I supposed to get home if I even ask for help? Ugg this is dumb…’

Roman kept thinking of random scenarios that might happen if he were to step into the woods. After walking for what felt like an hour, but could have been anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, Roman was freezing cold and shivering violently. The storm was still really bad, but it seemed that the worst had passed.

It also seemed Romans luck was turning around. Roman had spotted a light coming from deep in the forest. It was the only type of man-made thing he had seen in ages so he had no other choice but to step past the threshold, into the thick forest. Before he stepped in he paused and looked in the woods.

He was so cold, and he knew that if he didn't get help soon he was going to freeze.

‘Well,’ He thought, ‘If I die from this, at least it I finally do something cool…’

And with that he stepped into the forest. It was a hard walk. There was no straight path, which distantly Roman thought was odd.

Finally after walking passed a few more trees he emerged on to a great expanse of flat, white snow. Past the flat area, which he realized was a lawn, was an older victorian style house. Much smaller than the mansion Roman grew up in, but much too big to be lining for one person.

Without thinking much, since he couldn't feel his arms or legs anymore, he quickly hobbled up to the door and gave three, light raps.

Roman stood in front of the door, arms around himself barely staying up right. His hair matted down from the snow melting into his hair. But the temperature must have gone up a bit because the snow was starting to turn into a bit of rain.

Roman vaguely realized that the walk through the woods was a lot harsher then he realized. His bowtie was missing and his shirt was barely tucked in anymore. He was a mess. This would never be acceptable dress to meet someone in. He started to shiver more, but possibly for a different reason.

Roman realized that he was still standing on some random porch, in the literal freezing cold and nobody had answered. After a good five minutes more wait, Roman knocked again, but this time he mustered up the rest of his strength and knocked louder. He the went back to waiting. The edges of his vision were going fizzy around the edges. He wished they would open the door and at least tell him to leave rather than make him wait.

Finally, after Roman was just about to walk back into the woods, the door creaked slowly open.

~~~

“Roman! Remus! My boys you made it here safe and sound! Come in come in!” She ushered the boys who were previously shuffling in the doorway trying to keep out of starting the softly falling snow. “How have you both been? I’ve haven't heard from you both in a while.” Though the question was posed at them both, her focus was directed at Remus, even helping him out of his coat. Roman took his coat off himself and draped it on the rack next to Remus’.

“Fantastic as always!. Had a patient the other day, she had quadruplets! All natural it was crazy to see how big she was, and how many babies were in there. All of them delivered with no complications. Three boys and one girl!” Remus responded walking next to his mom talking animatedly.

“Oh that's just wonderful sweetie! I bet all of them were cute as buttons! That poor mother though, four babies. That will be a handful! And that poor baby girl, growing up with three brothers! You know-”

Roman tuned out their conversation as they walked past the kitchen and staircase. The ballroom was down the straight hall from the greeting room to the left. It took about 5 minutes to actually walk there though.

This place was too big in Romans opinion. Even as a young boy he thought this place was too big. Too much much space to fill, though Remus never seemed to have trouble filling it all up for the both of them. Roman preferred reading, writing, or drawing compared to Remus’ brand of destructive entertainment.

Occasionally Remus and Roman would come together and put on small plays for their mother, father, and staff if they were around at the time. Their mother was never super interested but their father always thought it was the best show he has ever seen. Always praising them both for their hard work.

Sometimes, when Remus was out making a mess and Roman was sat drawing, his father would come in and sit with him. Sometimes watching him draw or quietly reading. Roman enjoyed the shared silence, which he was told was quite odd for a child.

Often when Roman was feeling upset or scared he would run to his dad and just ask him to read to him. Which he always gladly did. He would hold Roman close and just read from whatever was closest. This was actually how Roman found he loved plays. His dad and him might read together sometimes and trade off lines, trying to see who could make the other laugh first. Roman wasn't typically the winner of this game either, but he found he never would mind

Even years later, long after their dad disappeared without so much as a note, Roman looked back at those memories very fondly. He hasn't changed much since he was young. Not talking unless he had something to share. Most called him quite, but he wasn't always. It just took a reason to get him to speak up, and he often found there wasn't much that could do so.

Soon enough Roman was pulled from his memories as they made it to the ballroom where it seems that they were the last to arrive. Most of the immediate and extended family was here, mingling around in their too fancy outfits. If Roman were to guess he would say there was a single item of apparel here that wasn't at least $100, including jewelry. Roman couldn't say much though since he too was wearing a suit. Though he left the jacket at the door and he chose a bowtie over a regular tie.

Nobody made to look their way, except for a few glances. Most were already in the middle of conversation or were looking for someone else that wasn't him. This made it easy for him to be able to slip right past his mother and brother who were still in animated conversation.

Roman made a look around the room to determine the people and, by association, places to avoid. Making a quick glance around the lavish gold gilded room, Roman saw many familiar faces. In the most left corner near the seating area was his grandmother; Gramma Ann. She was a nice woman if you can get past her severely outdated societal norms. Roman had learned more than once that it's best to not talk to her unless he wanted a lesson on proper edicate and questions about his supposedly straight love life.

(It's not that his family didn't know he wasn't straight (they were quite aware after he was caught in the broom closet with the cook's son when he was 16.) It's more like they were hoping he would “change his mind.” Almost like if they never addressed it, it would just go away and he would be “normal.” Or as close to normal as he can be with the way he is.)

That brings him to who is at the centre of the room. His Uncle Dave was probably the person he wanted to avoid the most. He never was really nice to Roman, nor to Remus. For the longest time Roman assumed he just didn't like kids. But even as he grew Uncle Dave still seemed to hate them. It all came to a head when his brother, Romans dad, left without a trace. He used to live with Romans family during the time when he disappeared. For some reason he blamed Roman for it, something that he never fought back on. How did he know that he wasn't? So Roman just took his yelling. Took his screaming about how Roman is the reason because of all of his problems. How he was just too weird and quiet and terrible, and that's why he left.

Roman quickly averted his eyes to the loud laughter that came from his right. By the looks of it Remus had finally dispelled his conversation with their mother and found Remy. He looked the same as he always has; wearing those dark sunglasses inside, and dressed in all black. He said it was to look cool but Remy had told Remus and him one night (After they had heard Remy being yelled at) that he actually wears dark things because he's sensitive to light. He gets migraines from it. They had been sure to keep the lights down around him after that.

(All three boys were proof that having any sort of illness in the family was very much so not appreciated. It meant that the family was not perfect, which was not an option to most.)

The official gossip session has seemed to have started if the amused cackle from Remus meant anything. Soon enough those two would break away and try and cause as much trouble as they can.

Roman kept scanning the crowd for any problem areas and after spotting a few aunts and cousins to avoid, he seemed to find the perfect corner to remain in for as long as possible. Luckily there were a few chairs there as well and they were empty. The only problem was going to be making it there.

Directly in front of it was a small circle consisting of his grandfather on his mothers side, and anyone trying to please him. This grandfather was the reason these parties were as fancy as they were. He paid for everything including the house, though the suit he was wearing was probably worth more than most of the furniture in it. He was a very wealthy CEO of the steel company that he founded when he was 19. He lavished his daughter, Romans mom, in as much of the money as he could. She was his only daughter after all.

He, too, seemed to hate Roman. But then again he also hated Romans dad so it may just be left over hate from their relationship.

He was never as generous with his money to him and Remus as he was with most of the rest of the family. Roman didn't mind much. He has everything he needs, even if his job makes him a bit tight on money sometimes.

A job his grandfather very much so did not like one bit. To be honest it seemed like Roman was the only one who liked his job. Even Remus seemed a bit apprehensive when Roman had brought it up. But it was one of the only things Roman never budged on.

Roman was a writer, stagehand, and sometimes director at a pretty large community theatre in the area. It paid well, but not consistently since it was only a job during shows. Of which there was 4-5 a year. He loved his job, but none of his family seemed to share that mentality.

Roman hoped that if he just kept his head down his grandfather just won't recognize him. Just walk right past him and he will never know. He wouldn't see Roman and he'd be able to stay the rest of this night in the corner. Roman dropped his gaze and started walking at a quick pace. It was a good plan, if one of his aunts had not already had too much to drink.

On his way over to his sacred corner, someone stumbled right into his side pushing him along with her. Roman knew he was in a bit of trouble as he looked up and saw who he bumped into.

Roman immediately started to apologize.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry grandpa I-”

“Don't call me that you clumsy brat.” He grumbled interrupting Roman.

“Right...Well sorry either way. Didn't see you there! How have you been? Hows the company?” Roman did want to get out of the situation, but he was nothing if not polite. Too bad the same can't be said for most of the people here. He knew he should just shut up and leave, but he could feel the familiar numb spread of anxiety spreading through his limbs.

“As if you really care. But if you must know, well. Stocks are going down a bit because of those damn foreign factories. If it was up to me, we would take them all out by any means necessary. This is the best country anyway. Not like the world would be missing much.” He declared to the crowd who all laughed and agreed. All except Roman who slowly stepped back from the group. His grandpa seemed to have hit a stride and kept up with his racist speech as Roman continued to back up.

Once he was far enough away he turned and hightailed it to his empty corner, breathing a sigh of relief.

‘Finally,’ Roman thought to himself. ‘Now I can be alone.’

“Hey Roman!” A voice all but yelled into his ear.

Roman would never admit how he jumped about a foot in the air and he spun quickly around. He fully turned to see Remus almost on the floor laughing next to Remy who was at least trying to pretend he wasn't laughing.

“Oh ha ha Remus good job you got me?” Roman deadpaned.

“Oh come on that was so good! You always jump so high when you get scared!” Remus laughed some more wiping a tear from his eye.

“Are you done yet?” Roman said hotly.

“Come on babes let him laugh it up for a while. He's gonna need it after losing so bad to me for another year. What has it been now? Like a 7 year streak?” Remy sarcastically replied.

“Uh, bitch, I don't think so! This year I came prepared!”

“Rems you say that every year.”

“Maybe so but I mean it this year! Watch!” Remus ran off into the crowd laughing. He made a direct beeline for their mother leaving Remy and Roman in the corner together.

“...so...Do you think he actually has a chance this year?” Roman asked Remy, finally sitting in one of the two chairs in the corner.

“Babe, I don't think he even has a good rumor. He's just jelly from all the wins I’ve got.” Remy sighed and sat in the other chair next to Roman.

“I don't know he seemed to think he had a really good one this year.”

“Honey, he thinks he has a good one every year. Last year had to be the worst though. At this point I don’t see why anyone would listen to him, let alone believe a word he says.”

“Well as long as hes having fun here.”

“Well babe you could get in on this too if you want.” Remy lifted his sunglasses a bit to look over Roman.

“Know full well Remington that I can't talk to people let alone tell a convincing lie.”

“Yea yea we've been over it. Social Anxiety is a bitch huh… Well If you need anything you can at least talk to me. I get the struggle in this family.” Remy looked pointedly into Romans eyes.

“Aww does Remy liikkee mmeeeee???” Roman didn't much like the change in tone of the conversion, so he tried to change it back to the light heartedness as it was before.

“Bitch? I would never.” Remy smirked and replaced his sunglasses.

“Yea yea. You know-” Roman started, before a shrill voice cut him off.

“ROMAN ADRIAN JULIUS PRINCE!” A voice pierced through the crowd.

Roman immediately stood up at attention as the crowd parted revealing his mother storming past everyone straight to him. Roman didn't know what he had done wrong this time. But he did know he was kinda upset he didn't even make it halfway through the night yet. Remy stood up, and stood slightly behind him.

“Babes, what did you do?” He whispered.

“I have to clue.” He whispered back, just as his mother stopped right in front of him.

To Romans surprise she did yell at him or push him back right away. She just stood there searching his face. After a tense moment, she seemed to find what she was apparently looking for in his anxious expression, as she broke out into a bright smile. Roman was reeling from such a contrast of emotions going on around him and his own. If her smile wasn't weird enough, she started laughing then wrapped her arms around Roman.

Roman froze. His mother hasn't hugged him since he was very young. He started at the now staring, silent crowd. Slowly he returned the hug, moreso because it was to be expected. Finally she pulled back, but held him at arm's length, hands on his shoulders. Roman found she had tears in her eyes. He's never been more confused in his entire life.

“M-mom what's going on?” He shakily started.

“Roman! Don’t pretend like you don't know! Why didn't you tell you were engaged!” She shouted. The crowd gasped. While Roman took a second to process what she just said.

“I-...I’m not though?” He spoke stuntingly.

“Don't worry honey you don't have to hide it anymore! I know you were worried to tell us because of that one thing that happened...But i'm just glad you finally found what's actually right! You should have brought her with you honey!”

Roman didn't know how to react. She was just so happy with this idea… Should he tell her? Tell her he has absolutely no club what the hell she was talking about? Well...If she wanted him to be engaged...why not let this slide for now…? It's not like she will ever meet anyone he dates anyway. Why not entertain her love for a while.

With his mind made up he finally spoke up.

“W-who told you?”

“So it is true! You didn't deny it! Oh sweetie, I'm so proud of you! Who knew you’d finally do something like this before Remus!”

“Mom.” Roman was starting to feel really small in this very large crowd around him, realizing everyone was still staring. “Who told you this?”

“Why Remus of course! I’m not surprised you told him first, a little disappointed is all but still!”

“Umm. Thank you. You- Umm. Now if you'll excuse me I need to...get a drink!”

“Oh that's perfect! A toast! Everyone grab a drink for my son and his engagement!” She turned to say to everyone.

Roman was starting to breathe a bit faster. He caught his grandfather's eye. He seemed to have done almost a full 180 from how he looked at him before. He had a slight smirk on his face and what seemed to be a bit of proud gleam in his eye. Roman felt a bit sick. Remy disappeared from behind him, probably to get a drink as well.

Maybe he shouldn't have gone along with this idea. Once he found out Remus was involved he knew exactly what was happening. He just wishes he had come up with a less believable lie this year. He should have known once he agreed everyone would be too happy. This was a family of tradition, and to them marrying young was very important. They are probably the most proud of Roman right now then they ever have been or will be.

Someone handed Roman a glass of champagne but he didn't feel it much. His family was cheering for him and they were actually...happy for him. He didn't want this. Not like this. He needed to get out. He needed to run before he started to panic even more. They were happy for him...he didn't want to ruin that by actually being himself.

So he ran.

He ran past his mother. Passed his drunk aunt and uncle who were cheering for him and drinking even more. Right passed his proud looking grandfather. And then right past Remus and Remy who was passing Remus his well earned cash. As Roman passed them he shot Remus a cold glare. Remus went from a gleeful smile holding a new $50 bill, to fear as he watched Roman leave the ballroom.

Once he was out of the room where everyone was watching him, he kept going. He ran past the staircase Remus fell down when he was 7, and he father and him sat on to read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Past the kitchen where Remus stole the cooks still hot cookies, where Roman sat with his father when he taught him how to use chopsticks. And finally out the door, completely forgetting his jacket.

Once outside the cold shocked him into a bit more lucidity. The storm is almost in full force now. Whipping winds and heavy snow. But Roman didn't care. He kept running all the way to his car, which was easy to find since it was the most beat up thing in the lot. He was surprised it even got him and Remus all the way out to the countryside without breaking down.

Roman jumped in the front seat and quickly reached for the key in his pocket. Once he finally grabbed it, he started the car as quickly. He distantly felt bad for booking it as soon as everyone started looking at him, but he just handled it. He could still barely breathe.

He backed his car up and round. Finally he was driving away from the mansion, while pulling his seatbelt on at the same time. Looking in the rearview mirror he caught Remus busting through the front door into the snow, just in time to see Roman turn the corner and out of sight.

~~~

Next Chapter!

Taglist:

@primaveradoodles

#sanders sides #ts roman sanders #ts roman #ts remus sanders #ts remus #car trouble #remy sanders #bad family #bad family relations #panic attack #snow storm #magic au #vampire au #verys fic

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newcaptainofsquad9 · 4 years

Text

So When Can We Tell The World? {3} Min Yoongi x black! fem! reader

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Summary: With the Grammys only a few days away, Yoongi and the guys have to promote their appearance there along with you. Yoongi apologies for his actions last night, which you don’t fully accept, but decide to anyway, since you don’t want to have any bad omens going into your Grammy performance with him. Little did you know that Yoongi will make things worse during his V live with Hoseok.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Romance, Idol-verse, Smut

Word Count: 1,667

Author’s Note: I seriously don’t know how long this fic will be, but we shall see. I’ll put this entire series in it’s own master-list once I finish it, so you guys can find it in one place. As always, I hope you guys enjoy this and send in your BTS or EXO requests my way. Thanks!

The bed shifts as the morning sun pours in from the adjacent window. My eyes open to see Yoongi up in front of the mirror, buttoning up his black flannel. He turns slightly to catch my eye, forcing me to duck my head down to focus on the cerulean sheets below. Shooky remains in the middle of my bed where I put him with that eager grin, yet I don’t see RJ.

“Yoongi, where’s RJ?”

I search under and over the covers, not seeing the fluffy white alpaca anywhere.

“Check the floor,” Yoongi grumbles, “I think I might have accidentally kicked him from the bed last night.”

I sit up to find the stuffed alpaca near my dresser, smiling sweetly, although, I imagine there had to be some pain failing from the bed.

“Why are you so petty?” I groan, “wait till I tell Jin-”

The feeling of Yoongi’s lips on mine cuts me off. It’s so abrupt that I have to hold onto the dresser and RJ for dear life as he deepens it. His hands move to hold my waist, giving it a light squeeze once his lips continue to move against my own. I pull back to catch my breath with a hand on his chest.

“Yoongi.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, “I’m sorry about making you feel so anxious and most importantly making you cry.”

The way he frowns with his eyebrows down and eyes intense with love makes me melt. He doesn’t understand why I couldn’t come out as his girlfriend to the world, but I can let it go for now. The Grammys are two days away and I don’t want any bad blood between us.

“Y/N?” he asks, “you there babe?”

I perk up as he presses his forehead against mine.

“Hm, yeah,” I say, “I forgive you.”

“You sure?” he asks leaning in further, “I can make it up to you.”

“Yoongi, you don’t have t-”

His lips are on me again, hips pressing into me to elicit a gasp as I fall back against the bed. My hands find his hair, combing through it easily while our mouths move in a delicate manner as Yoongi’s own hands start to travel. I pull away from his lips once his fingers discover the waistband of my pajamas, pulse racing from our makeout.

“Yoongi, are the guys still here?” I ask.

Yoongi nods as his lips trace along my jaw.

“We have to leave soon,” he whispers, “but I always have time to make you feel good.”

His breath makes me shudder, yet I can’t help but to tease him.

“You do, but recently time has not been great,” I say, “we’re both promoting a lot, you especially.”

Yoongi travels back to my face before pressing a quick, yet deep kiss to my lips.

“We’ll get more time, I promise,” he vows.

“Yoongi, I don’t want you to halt your career for me.”

“Don’t say that,” he says, “you know I’d slow down for you.”

He’s got that look again: intense black eyes on me filled with so much passion that I can die right now.

“I know you would, but we’re good, ok?”

Yoongi nods and I seal our deal with another kiss. He adds more heat as his lips trail down to my neck again, fingers moving to the string of my pants again.

“Yoongi-”

“Let me, you deserve something for me being an idiot yesterday,” he explains, “would you rather me use my fingers or mouth?”

I bite down on my lip to suppress a moan.

“Yoongi, the boys are still here,” I say.

“I don’t give a damn,” Yoongi growls, “I’ll make you come if you want.”

I laugh at his tone.

“God, when you say it like that,” I moan, “use that tongue technology to good use Yoongi.”

Yoongi licks his lips, already on his knees as I sit up to remove my pants. He beats me to the punch, yanking them down with ease, leaving me bare to him. Before I can say anything, his mouth meets my core, giving it an agonizing lick.

“Yoongi!”

My hands grip his hair as he starts to go faster working at my clit in hard laps, sucking it prior to continuing. I toss my head back as the moans grow and grow, almost following my release.

“Keep going Yoon-fuck I’m close,” I groan.

Yoongi bobs his head, making eye contact with me as his tongue continues.

“Ah! Yoongi!”

Yoongi’s licks slow down, yet he doesn’t let up as he laps up my release while holding my shaky thighs. I try to steady my rapid heart while he kissing back up my thighs and casually drags my pants back up to my waist. He gives me a wink and a bright smile as he leans over me.

“How was that?”

I answer him by bringing my arms around him. He melts into the embrace instantly.

“It was perfect,” I say, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

...

{Yoongi’s P.O.V}

I can’t help but smile at the thought of Y/N being satisfied. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her glow that bright, God who needs a Grammy nomination when I got that in my life?

“Ah! What are you all smiley about?”

I glance up and there’s Hoseok with the bowl of noodles he said he went to heat up five minutes ago. I didn’t even notice him return to my room of the hotel with his loud ass slurping.

“Do you have to slurp so damn loud?” I ask.

Hoseok shrugs as he plops down on the carpet floor beside me.

“Oh, like how you were with Y/N this morning?”

I look dead at him, ready to make him choke on those God damn chopsticks.

“What?” I ask.

Hoseok chuckles before putting a large glop of noodles into his mouth.

“You and Y/N, well at least Y/N was loud as hell,” he explains, “would you like me to reenact it?”

“Hobi please, don-”

It’s too late. He’s already opening his big mouth.

“Oh! Oh Yoongi! I’m close Yo-”

I lean back to try to kick him in the side, yet he’s a bit quicker, being able to hop up before I can get a hit on him.

“Got to be quicker than that,” he says, “can’t hit me with those canoe feet!”

I roll my eyes.

“Just shut up and sit down so we can do this V live,” I growl, “and Y/N doesn’t sound like that!”

“Oh I’m sure she doesn’t, but that’s all we heard while Jin was cooking this morning,” Hoseok says while taking out his phone, “hey it was better than hearing his jokes all morning.”

I shove him.

“Just start the fucking video already!” I scold.

Hoseok does once he leans it up onto it’s mini stand, sits back and continues to chow on his noodles. I stay eased with a hand against my palm, watching as the views rack up from fifty to a couple thousand and counting. Purple and red hearts fill the screen with a horde of comments. Hoseok perks up to wave, his mouth still full so I have to be the one to welcome ARMY.

“Hi! Welcome ARMY!” I greet with a huge smile.

Hoseok slurps up nosily and swiftly and follows my lead.

“Hi ARMY! How are you?”

I smirk as the comments roll, roll and roll.

They read:

J-Hope I love you!

Where are the other guys?

Hey Yoongi!

I love you Min Yoongi, will you marry me?

I blink at the last comment as Hoseok goes into his usual bright self.

“Aw, I love you guys too!” he shouts.

“I’m sorry,” I say, “I’m taken.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth Hoseok’s is wide open as his eyes are on me. My heart hammers against my ribs, it, along with Hoseok realizing what I just did. I just realized what I just did.

“Oh shit,” I say.

Hoseok closes his mouth prior to replacing his shock with a tiny grin.

“Gotta go ARMY, bye!” he says.

His finger is swift, yet the comments flashed anyway:

Yoongi’s WHAT?!

I fucking knew one of them where taken!

Damn! I know Jin got a family somewhere, but Yoongi?!

It better not be Halsey!

Look at their faces, dude!

WHO IS IT!

“Yoongi, what the fuck!” Hoseok growls, “do you realize the shit you’ve just pulled?”

I don’t answer, yet I know. All I can do is stand to alleviate the burning in my chest. Y/N’s going to kill me and after what I promised. Fuck.

“Yoongi,” Hoseok rises with concern, “are you ok?”

I shake my head and place my hands on my head.

“I fucked up Hobi, I fucked up!”

Namjoon and Jin step into our room, making me frustrated even more.

“What happened?” Namjoon asks.

“I just fucked it up with Y/N,” I groan into my hands.

“How?” Jin asks, “you fucked her good didn’t y-”

“Hyung!” Namjoon warns, “not the time!”

“He responded to a few ARMY during our V live,” Hoseok explains, “he accidentally dropped the fact that he was in a relationship.”

Namjoon’s eyes widen before he glares down at me. It’s not that he didn’t believe Hoseok, he just wants validation from me. I nod numbly as I curl into a ball on the floor near the bed.

“Oh, Hyung,” Namjoon soothes, “we’ll fix this, but we-”

He pauses to think for a moment prior to continuing.

“We’re gonna have to contact PD,” he admits, “he’ll know how to deal with it.”

“What about Y/N?” I ask, “she can’t find out.”

Jin frowns.

“Does she stay on Twitter often?” he asks.

“Forget Twitter!” I growl, “this’ll be all over the internet, all because of my carelessness!”

“Yoongi, chill,” Namjoon reassures, “it’s gonna be fine. If anything major happens we’ll be there with you and Y/N, don’t worry.”

I accept Namjoon’s advice as always, yet the burning sensation continues to build.

109 notes · View notes

pjm-com · 4 years

Text

Passing Through

pairing - Kim Namjoon x Reader

genre - Time Travel! AU, light angst but not really, just crying warnings - not knowing what the hell is going on literally the entire day, doctor Namjoon, acting like she knows their life together, write Jimin, rapper Yoongi, crying, making out, soft Namjoon reminiscing their own life together, cliffhanger summary - you wake up after falling asleep on the phone with Jimin. the only difference is you’re in a bed, with a ring on your finger and Namjoon is telling you good morning. One nights sleep has pushed you seven years into the future, and you’re scrambling to keep up with the world that’s still turning.

The phone ringing definitely has you jolting from your sleep. You groan while you reach for your phone on the nightstand and put it to your ear quickly as you grumble a ‘hello’?

“Y/N!” Taehyung screams over the phone. Or at least someone that sounds like Taehyung. “You better wake up! You have a big day today. We’ll see you and Namjoon at dinner tonight okay! It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. Dress nice, idiot!” With that he hangs up and you’re sitting up in bed dumbfounded. I just saw him yesterday? You rub your eyes, wondering when the hell you had made plans to go to dinner with Taehyung, and your biggest crush. You’re ready to turn and go back to bed before you finally notice the bedroom you’re in. You’re much more awake now, almost alert as you sit in a king sized bed, pillows and blankets filling it comfortably.

“The hell...?” You’re about to swing your legs out of bed and figure out whose house you fell asleep in but Namjoon opens the bedroom door, and you’re left with your eyes bulging out of your head. Namjoon, who is definitely taller and more toned, is walking through the door with a thin sheet of sweat over his skin. Abs defined, back muscles moving with what you can see in the mirror on the wall, smile bright and teeth out of braces as he comes closer. You feel the wind knocked out of you as he kissed you softly, and it’s like everything you would’ve dreamed of. It was soft and warm, and it left you weirdly wanting more as he pulled back.

“Good morning, sleepy-head! I’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” He laughed, voice obviously deeper than yesterday. Now you’re wondering why the hell he was waiting for you, why he looks twenty-six, and most importantly, why did he kiss you? You can’t find your own voice to speak, but he doesn’t wait for you to respond before he’s grabbing clean clothes from the dresser in the room. “We do have a lot of things to do today! I think we should take the girls—“ Tell me he does not mean children“— to the groomers today, so they can get fresh cuts.” Thank god. He means dogs.

“I— we are?” Your voice comes out in squeaks and Namjoon raises his eyebrows at your words, but he brushes it off. “W-what else do we have to do today?” He lets out a small laugh, coming forward in sweat pants and a hoodie. Something he looked amazing in. His lips press to your forehead as he starts towards the door. You, on the other hand remain in shock from the kiss.

“How about you wake up first, I’ll make us coffee?” You nod and he gives you a soft smile before he’s shutting the door. You jump from the bed quick as hell, running to the bathroom. You feel like you’re going to puke but seeing your reflection stops you dead in your tracks. You almost can’t recognize yourself as your eyes search themselves. You’re definitely not seventeen anymore like how you were when you went to bed. Your body is taller while puberty had filled out the places it was supposed to, your ass looking a little more plump while you went from an A cup to a B.

Your hair is not the natural brown it used to be, small waves reaching your lower back in a dyed blonde color with the brunette roots peaking out at the top. You never in your life figured you’d ever dye your hair, but as you twist it through your fingers, it’s healthy as can be.

“What the fuck is going on?” The mumbling you do to yourself can’t even comfort you as you pinch your skin, wincing in pain as you realize it isn’t a dream. Your hands meet the bathroom counter, finally taking in the double sink with the huge mirror and the expensive glass shower that rests in the corner. You want to comment about how nice the master bedroom and bath looks, but a small metal sound grabs your attention. Your ring finger has a ring on it, and now you know somethings wrong. You hated rings, especially fancy ones.

The silver band stretches across your finger with a square diamond in the middle. Taking it off, there’s something written on the inside. I’ll love you forever and a day. Your stomach drops as you realize who that is. I’m.. married to Namjoon? You splash your face with cold water to see if you’ll wake up, but you’re left groaning in defeat. He’s waiting for me. He’ll know somethings up.

With that, you decide to see where this dream ends, brushing your teeth and putting your hair in braids. You figure since Namjoon dressed a little comfortable, you search through the dressers until you find the closet. It’s a walk in closet, two rows of hangers and a huge shoe rack in the back. This can’t possibly be all for me? Your head is spinning at this point, changing into a bralette and a cotton thong before pulling leggings over your legs. You see a quarter zip sweatshirt that reads Harvard Medical College across the chest. You couldn’t possibly be a doctor, but you know that was one of Namjoon’s dreams. He must’ve went to Harvard, and you can’t help but feel happy for him in that moment. Even if your world was flipped on it’s head, you know that was his goal: to get into Harvard.

Sliding it over your body, you slip on socks, grab a pair of converse and tie them up before turning towards the door. A photo on the wall catches your eye which confirms your suspicion. It’s you and Namjoon on what you assume is to be your wedding day, your dress is simple but long as you both stood on the altar. Namjoon stood tall next to you, the biggest smile you’ve ever seen in your life is on his face as his arms are around your waist, the nice white tux fitting perfectly on his body. You touch the photo frame slightly, wondering if you were happy on this day. You had to have been. He was the love of your life in that moment.

You find yourself walking down the hall and towards the stairs and you pass by maybe six different medical degrees on the wall, all with Namjoon’s name on it. The last one, that is framed in a gold plaque is from the studies of being a Brain Surgeon. You look down at your house from the railing, and now you understand why everything was so lavish. Walking down the long staircase, you meet Namjoon in the kitchen who is brewing coffee while your two huskies sit at his feet and wag their tails. The living room looked expensive with a huge flat screen, two huge soft couches, and various gaming systems. You figure he enjoys doing that in his free time, and shake your head. Twenty-six year old Namjoon was still kind of the same as seventeen year old Namjoon.

"Baby, I made your coffee already, the way you like it.” You give him a soft smile as you approach him, petting the two dogs’ heads as you pass. You try to read the name tags. sam and Koda. Huh? You probably would have named your dogs like that. Turning to grab the mug from him, you take a sip of the warm coffee and hum in content. You’ve never really had coffee before this, but you enjoyed the French Vanilla coffee he gave you. You didn’t have much to say after you thanked him, so you leaned against the huge island and swarmed yourself with thoughts.

There was no sane explanation for what the hell was happening. You couldn’t control this.. time travel? You definitely weren’t in a coma since you woke up perfectly fine in your bed. You try to think of ways you could’ve lost memory and woke up one day not remembering anything, but you swore on your entire life that you were seventeen yesterday. It’s hurting your brain to even try and wrap your head around it, so you turn towards Namjoon with a half smile. You might as well try to act like you fit in.. You're hoping along the way you’ll remember something. You’re gonna lose your fucking mind if you don’t pretend everything’s fine.

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Namjoon moves to the huge sliding door to let the dogs out before leaning next to you. He pulls you into his chest and rests his chin on your head as you turn to look out the window above the sink, watching Sam and Koda run around in the yard energetically. Namjoon’s— your husband’s— arms feel natural for you to be in and you find yourself sinking into the embrace more and more every second.

Namjoon sighs. “Well, I was thinking we could go and get the girls to the groomers and go have breakfast at the Waffle House you love?” You nod absentmindedly, feeling his hands around your waist as his lips press to your neck. “Then we have to do some grocery shopping, we should get a car wash, and then I’m taking you dress shopping.” Turning to him, you raise an eyebrow.

“For what?”

“Well, I know you haven’t been feeling yourself lately.. I want to find you a dress for dinner tonight that you feel beautiful in.” Your heart wrenches in your chest as you hear those words. He was still as sweet now as he was when he was younger. You smile up at him, almost feeling a little guilty. You’ve been married to him, for who knows how long and as much as you liked him.. yesterday.. you couldn’t say that you loved him today. To you, you guys have been married since this morning, since he kissed you. You can’t argue with how natural it felt, like you’ve been waiting for it, but that’s besides the point.. You felt like you were lying to him.

He interrupts your thoughts as he presses a warm kiss to your lips that has you reeling. “Thank you, Joon.” You breathe out your answer and the laugh that rumbles from his chest makes you giddy. It seems warm and inviting. Everything about him was.

Namjoon grabs the keys off the hook and kisses your forehead. “Don’t sweat it, baby. Anything for you to feel beautiful.” He’s off towards the door to bring the dogs in before he’s extending his hand. Your gaze switches from the extended palm to his eyes, soft and inviting as he waits for you to take it. You lace your fingers together with a smile and he leads you towards a door and you can’t help but look at him. Namjoon was treating you so well already, and the relationship was anything but new. Whether you woke up back in your seventeen year old body, or you woke up as a sixty year old, you wanted to enjoy today.

Stepping into the garage, your eyes bulge out of your head at the two Teslas sitting in the garage. Oh. You guys had money money. Holding onto Namjoon’s arm, he opens the door for sam and Koda to get in and opens your door for you.

“Thank you, uh, babe!” Great. Real fucking believable. Namjoon takes it as he shuts the door and rounds the car. Your eyes travel through the rest of the garage to the twin car next to the one you’re in, everything identical besides it was white. You figure that’s yours, cause the steering wheel has a fuzzy cover over it. How embarrassing. “So.. did you have a good run today?” You’re thinking of something, anything to break the silence that you feel. Maybe it’s only on your end since you’re not used to it, but Namjoon bounces back quickly.

“Yeah I did! Getting called off today was great! Plus it lined up good so we can go to that dinner tonight.”

You inhale deeply. “Yeah, I was meaning to ask about that. Taehyung called me this morning screaming his head off about it. What’s the meaning of the dinner?” You know immediately that it has relevance to your life cause Namjoon is quick to shoot you a look. You can read him like a kids book, the expression telling you that he either thinks you’re stupid or you just didn’t care about the event.

“Oh! It’s uh.. It’s Jimin’s book release party tonight. Remember?” You had no idea what the hell he was talking about. You realize quickly he is searching your eyes to see if you even have a clue what he is going on about, so to save your skin you let out a loud ‘ohh’ at the idea. “Yeah. He had the party here instead of New York, so all his friends could be together again. Yoongi flew from Daegu to visit him!”

“Right! Sorry, I’ve just. My head’s been so jumbled today..” Your mind drifts to the idea of Yoongi in Daegu. You wonder if his rapping career ever took off, and if he got rid of those terrible polo shirts everyone was making fun of him for. Speaking of careers, Jimin was a writer now? You always figured it was a dancer or a model.. Maybe even a teacher.

Namjoon pats your thigh. “Its okay baby.. I know you have that super hard case on death row.. it’s been keeping you up late.” So you’re a fucking lawyer now? Your head was spinning, and you just sit back and try to relax as Joon backs out of your house. If life hadn’t thrown you enough curveballs this morning, the house you see pulling out of your driveway is massive. It’s definitely a decent sized house and you can’t begin to imagine the cost of the house, and as you drive away you begin to realize that you guys are in Los Angeles.

“Lets get this day started, huh?” Namjoon laughs and you force one out of your mouth.

You wanted this day to end.

...

“I’m gonna hop in the shower okay?”

You nod at Namjoon’s words, watching him disappear into the bathroom of your bedroom. Inhaling a huge breath, you’re quick to sit on the bed and get a grip on yourself. Today wasn’t terrible like you had initially assumed. Getting a car wash with him was calming. He played soft music the entire time while his hand rested on your thigh. It scared you at first, but you eased into every touch he gave you. Holding his hand and leaning into his chest was much easier as the day passed. Namjoon was a true gentlemen, and you were more than happy to see this side of him. As much as a mess this morning was, you felt more nervous at the idea of you going to bed tonight. You didn’t want to.

Looking over at your phone, it lit up and you’re quick to grab it. You’re an idiot. You look past Jimin’s text message for a second only to open your photo album. You look through your photos, and you’re expecting for the memories to be blank. This was the same phone you had yesterday, but when you open the app there are new photos in there. You and Namjoon on what looks like to be a first date of sorts based on how young you guys were. The next few photos are you and Jimin in a dumb photo booth, and you’re wearing a button that says ‘Birthday Girl’. My Twenty-First?

You feel betrayed looking at these photos, especially when you look at a group photo. You wanted more than anything to remember this. You and Namjoon are in each others arms while Jungkook is clinging onto Taehyung’s back, Yoongi looking unimpressed, and Hoseok happier than ever. Jin and Jimin front and center, most likely trying to be the star of the photo. You want to cry looking at all their faces. Everyone looked so alive, like they were truthfully enjoying the night. What the hell changed between last night and today?

Namjoon’s singing in the shower comes to a small stop, and you shake your head to snap you out of the mood. Getting up, you decide to start getting ready for the dinner party tonight and move towards the vanity in the corner of the room. If you were being honest, you hadn’t noticed it until you guys came back from shopping and Namjoon hung the dress on the chair. You were curious on how much makeup you actually wore. Based on the small collection you had, you really doubted it was much. Sitting down, you decide to just do basic things considering you had little to no clue of what to use. You only started wearing makeup on your seventeenth birthday. You put on light eyeliner before your mascara, and a soft pink lipstick that looked cute against your skin.

You started to work on your hair, taking them out of the braids you put them earlier and smiled satisfactorily at the waves down your back. You decide to pull the upper half of your hair into a small ponytail so only a couple strands framed your face. You’ve never seen your hair look better and your makeup looked decent enough, so you’re quick to get up and move towards your dress on your chair.

“Hey, baby? Can you pull out my black tux with the white vest?” Your easily startled as you look towards the shower before calming yourself down. “Have to match with my beautiful wife!” You smile softly at the last words.

“Yeah! I’ll lay it out on the bed, okay?” You hear him yell ‘ok’ in response and you reach the back of the closet with all of your guys’ more formal clothing that needed to be hung. You notice all the dresses back there of various length and colors, as well as materials. Namjoon did not need to get you a new one. Shaking your head, you pull out the outfit and set it on the edge of the bed before walking back in to decide what you should wear under it. You strip down and throw your old clothes into the hamper before pulling on a lace thong and the matching bra. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you turn to catch the angles as you whistle. You wondered what you did to get this body. Hopefully nothing too strenuous.

Once you’re by the bed, you pull the dress out of the bag and lay it next to Namjoon’s blazer and vest. You smiled at how similar they looked, considering yours was a short white dress that stopped mid thigh with a lace backing. The little handkerchief that sits in the pocket of the tux is also white lace. “He’s so cute,” You whine and your heart restarts for the second time in the span of twenty minutes considering Namjoon is fresh out of the shower and talking loud as fuck.

“Who is?” Looking up, you can’t even answer because he is wearing nothing but a towel and the water rolling down his toned chest has you tempted to say the least. You physically have to rip your eyes away from his body and the delicious sight of his hip bones going underneath the towel. “Don’t stare, you get to see it for the rest of your life!” He snorts, before sitting on the bed as he cleaned his ears.

Your cheeks turn red, as you look down at the dress. “I think it’s cute that you have a lace handkerchief-thingy,” you say dumbly, not even realizing you’re standing in front of him half naked. He isn’t ogling you either, as he keeps his eyes anywhere but your body. Another gentleman trait. He does however do a quick one over before looking towards the dress, and smiling.

“Yeah.. I wore it on our wedding day since the back of your dress was lace then too.” You nod in understanding as he claps his hands. “Put on the dress! I’m excited to see it!” You giggle softly at his urging words as you pull out the outfit and unzip the top. You step into it and pull it up your body, eyes wide at how well it fit your curves. Namjoon motioned for you to come closer and as you did, his fingers are on the zipper to close the dress. You see yourself in the vanity mirror, laughing in disbelief at how much better it looked in here than at the store. Namjoon must like it as well, because his hands are running down your back and holding your hips softly before he stands up.

“I love this, Namjoon.. thank you,” You say quietly and Namjoon shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it.. You look incredible in it, Y/N. I’m glad you feel beautiful in it as well,” He hums, pulling you closer by the waist. You’re not sure where to put your hands, so you set them around his neck as you look up to him. The way he’s looking down at you, is something you can’t describe. Like you were the only person on earth for him, and that’s filling your heart with love. You can’t help but fall for him little by little when he does things like this.

You make the first move as you kiss him. It was the only time today that you’ve initiated the kiss. You felt like you belong in this time period, and Namjoon was helping you with that. You can tell he loves you by the way he kisses; soft and slow like he’s taking his time to make sure it’s amazing. And it was. His hands keep your waist close, thumb rubbing circles against your hips subconsciously and you swoon at the feeling. It was like Namjoon just wanted to feel you under his fingers. Like he’s checking to make sure you were real.

His tongue moves past your lips slowly and you’re quick to open your mouth but a loud ringtone interrupts you. “Who is that?” You groan softly, and he groans loudly.

“Jungkook. I picked an obnoxious sound for when he called me.” That has you both giggling and breaking apart so you can go look for shoes. Namjoon has his phone pressed between his ear and shoulder while he pulls the boxers up his legs so he can start getting ready. You hear Namjoon laughing and you’re surprised how it makes your heart flutter every single time. You grab a pair of white Louboutin heels, and sliding your feet into them. You half expect your ankles to give out as you fall flat on your face, but you’re managing to walk in them just fine as you make your way back to the bed. Namjoon is half dressed, struggling with his tie as he rolls his eye over the phone.

“Yes, we’re gonna want drinks. Can you just get us some red wine? I know the traffic is going to be crazy, so we’ll be there as soon as we can!” Namjoon sighs down the line as it sounds like Jungkook is talking his ear off. You grin, moving his hand away from the tie so you can help him tie it, biting your lip as you guys looked at each other. He pressed a quick kiss to your lips before patting your butt gently and moving around you. You felt your heart practically melt at his actions, like he was just being good to you on purpose today. Like he planned every movement.

You come to a conclusion as he talks on the phone with Jungkook, that it was just in his nature to be good. Like he didn’t have a bad bone in his body.

“Hey,” Namjoon breathes as he’s finally done, shrugging his suit jacket onto his shoulders before buttoning them. “You know, If you.. If you don’t feel good, I can cover the event for the both of us? You’ve been off all day.” You understand where he’s coming from, but you quickly shake your head. You wanted to be there for Jimin and you wanted to enjoy whatever today was.

You grab his hands, swinging them slowly. “No! No, I’m okay Joon I promise.” The look he gives you, you can tell that he’s more than worried. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

...

Walking into the door of your home was a relief. Out of all the things life gave you today, this was the most normal thing to come home to.

The Book Release party was amazing and you were finding yourself having gun with Namjoon right by your side. Everyone had grown up, but in some aspects none of your friends had changed. It made you feel good to see everyone laughing and enjoying life together. Let you forget about everything else swarming your mind.

You kick off your heels while Namjoon takes his jacket and sets it on the rack. You guys make your way to the couch, plopping down as he turns on the tv. You’re close to his side but you don’t mind. You’re honestly ready to fall asleep on him, but you can’t. You want to stay awake until you physically can’t keep your eyes open. Leaning into his chest, his arm is around your shoulder while he starts to surf the channels and finally just turns on the news.

“You’re such an old man,” You laugh softly and he throws you a pouty look.

“Says you. You fall asleep at like, nine?” He has you there as you just look down to your hands that lay motionless in your lap while you giggle softly. The next time you look up, Namjoon is staring at you with a gaze that’s asking a question. Ignoring it, you lean up and press your guys’ lips together. He takes it, soft lips moving against yours in a rhythm that locks instantly. His hand rests on your thigh and it doesn’t move up the dress you’re wearing. Not one single inch.

The way he kisses you, his hand holding your neck to deepen the kiss, is something you could only dream of. Something you wanted to feel every day for the rest fo your life. It makes you think about the entire day and how he treated you. How you fell in love with him for the first time today and in this time period, it’s all over again. The warmth of his hands on your waist, kissing you while he pours all the passion he has into you? You wanted to stay. Every fiber of your being wanted you to stay even if you didn’t belong here.

You continue kissing him, letting him tilt your head back to deepen the kiss even as a couple tears push past your eyes and down your face. You hated the realization, but you couldn’t do anything to stop it as Namjoon pulls away. He’s thumbing your tears away from your face while trying to inspect it. Namjoon’s confused more than anything, heart pounding as he worries. A thousand thoughts scatter his mind as he tries to piece together why you’re suddenly crying but he’s left scrambling with nothing.

“Baby.. What’s wrong?”

The tone he uses soothes you, barely rising past the audible hearing level as you both lock eyes. Your lip is wobbling as you see his eyes, softer than they’ve been all day. You can’t help but cry into your hands. You wanted to stay here. stay in this time period forever, but you know you can’t. You have to fall asleep at some point.

“Is it the case you’re working on?” Shaking your head, you wipe away the tears rolling down your cheeks as you sniffle loudly.

“No its.. God.. I can’t even tell you,” You sob as you try to wipe your eyes from the tears that flow. “It’s gonna sound c-crazy, like I-I’m on drugs or something..” He shakes his head, rubbing your back slowly.

He looks determined in a way, to make you feel better. “You can tell me… It can’t be that crazy.”

You inhale a deep shaky breath as you gather your thoughts. “Yesterday… when I went to bed. I was eighteen, Joon.” The look he gives you is the exact horror response you’ve been replaying in your head all day. “I went to bed, eighteen, and blabbing on the phone with Jimin. G-Gushing about how cute you were and how crazy I was about you. Then? I wake up this morning and I’m.. I’m in this huge house, married to an amazing man I don’t deserve. To top it all off, I have no recollection of our past.” Namjoon needs time to process this, considering his eyebrows look like they’re about to cave in from being pushed against his eyes.

“I know.. This sounds insane, but I don’t know what the hell is going on. You have to believe me Joon…”

You have the fabric of his shirt fisted in your hands as he shakes his head, pulling you closer. “No.. I mean. It is Insane, but it makes sense?” He says carefully, pushing away your tears. “I mean… You— okay, so you don’t remember anything about our past?”

You shake your head and he nods.

“The whole book party threw me off, only because you’ve been excited about the party for ages… I just figured that maybe you had been losing sleep over your death row case.” Your shoulders shake as you nod, and Namjoon’s thumb aids you in ridding the tears from your face. “So, you— you traveled forward in time?”

You shake your head. “I don’t know.. It’s not like I controlled it and planned it, so I have no idea.. Unless I just don’t remember anything?” You sigh softly, leaning into the couch as you pushed your hair back. You felt like your entire world was spinning, but Namjoon’s hands are taking yours into his which stops the rotation. “It just sucks because.. When I woke up this morning, I didn’t know what was going on.. at all! You just were a gentleman the entire day, and it made me guilty that I couldn’t feel the same.”

“Hey,” Namjoon shushed you gently, pulling you close. “I’m still not sure how this happened but, If you wake up tomorrow and you’re still here and remember nothing, then we can take it slow okay?” You look down as you press your forehead to his chest, eyes watering as tears drip onto his pants. His hands are on your back and they rub in circles until your breathing is at a slow rhythm.

“I don’t want to go to bed, Joon.” Pulling yourself out of his chest, you look up to the ceiling to prevent anymore tears. Fortunately, this entire day has kicked your ass so you don’t have the energy to cry. “Today was an amazing day.. I had fun and I enjoyed being with you. I fell in love with you little by little today, and it hurts me to think that I could fall asleep tonight and be back where I was yesterday.. I don’t want to go back, I wanna stay here.” Namjoon nods, agreeing with you before pressing his palm to your cheek so you can look at him.

His soft smile makes you feel like everything’s going to be okay finally, no matter where you are tomorrow. “Baby, look at me. I love you today, I loved you yesterday, and I’m going to love you tomorrow. Even if you’re back to normal. But all of this?” He gestures to the house, the space between you guys. “If you go back, then this is going to be waiting for you when we grow up. I promise you that one day this will all be yours, you just have to wait Y/N.” Namjoon brings you in for a soft kiss, and you’re quick to return it even if it’s a little salty from your tears.

Namjoon rests your foreheads together, smiling as you guys just breathe in each others air. “I want to make this a good night for you, if— if that’s okay?”

You nod and his hands are quick to hold your waist, picking you up as you let out a squeak. You’ve forgotten about all the tears you just shed as Namjoon carries you to your bedroom. You watch the rest of your house disappear behind his shoulder as he goes up the stairs and down the hall, each medical plaque passing by in a blur. He sets you back into the bed gently and you can’t help but stare at him. All of this is going to be yours. You just have to wait.

When he said a ‘good night’, Namjoon meant staying in bed and watching movies. Sure, you guys made out a little, but it ended with both of you guys under the covers and cuddling together. It was comforting to lay in his arms and eating popcorn and candy, not worrying about what is coming tomorrow. It did sit uneasily in the back of your mind, but every time Namjoon would laugh or just kiss your temple, it pushed it further in your head.

You do, however, wonder if Namjoon actually believes in you. To be completely honest, if the tables were turned and he had told you the same thing.. you’re not sure that you could believe him. But, you would try to at least, and that’s what he did. Namjoon was quick to comfort you and tell you it was okay, and him telling you that he was going to love you no matter what had you swooning. Looking up to him, you sink closer into his side and press your head to his chest so his heart pumping becomes clear.

“Joon?” You hum softly, and his head turns down to look at you as he grunts in response. “Will you uh.. tell me about our life?” You were curious on how you guys started dating, any fun dates, the little but foundational stuff of your marriage. At your question, Namjoon chuckles while stuffing more M&M’s into his mouth, squeezing you close.

“Well,” He breathes, patting the side of your hip where his hand is rested. “We have a very funny story on how we started dating. We actually didn’t even ask each other out, it was more of a.. we just started holding hands and I walked you to class every day. Then we started going to get ice cream late at night and go watch movies with Hoseok and Yoongi, going back to his place to listen to his newest beats which were actually pretty good.”

You smiled as he talked, trying to vision you and him in the front seats of your car eating ice cream and talking about god knows what.

“And what about our first kiss? Was it romantic or anything?”

Namjoon snorts. “Not in the slightest.. It was super embarrassing actually.” You give him a look to go on. “It was our senior homecoming parade and we were cheering on our terrible football team in the stands, and.. I don’t know it just happened!”

“You were the one who initiated it,” he continues while clicking his tongue.

You gasp. “Really?” You were shocked. You had no idea that you would even be bold enough to do it.

“Yeah.. It was. Interesting. I barely knew how to kiss, but you were just rolling with it. Everyone in the section was cheering us on.” He laughs, turning onto his side a bit more to kiss you softly. “But we’ve had much practice over the years, thanks to you. You enjoy kissing.” Your face turns red as you bury your forehead into his chest, groaning.

“Shut up… Besides me being a fabulous kisser and having half the student body watch our first kiss, anything else?”

Namjoon continues to tell you about certain milestones in your life, and it sounds like the life you definitely wanted to live. You were glad at least one of you was living it. You told him to leave out the details of how he proposed and your wedding day, cause if there was even an iota of a chance that you would experience this first hand, you wanted to.

Despite everything, Namjoon held you like he meant it that night and even watched you fall asleep. It may have been cruel of him, but half of him hoped that his wife would come back to him for two reasons. You would be able to live out the destiny the way it was supposed to, as well as not having a halt in the relationship. He sympathized with you, watching the way the lines in your face faded as you relaxed in his arms. Namjoon couldn’t even begin to imagine how tiring this was for you, and wonders if his regular wife would remember any of this. Wondering if she would wake up exhausted and overworked on that damn death row case, leading him to question if you even knew that you were a lawyer.

As for you, no matter how much you wanted to savor the night and stay awake, you were quick to fall asleep on his chest. It took you fairly quickly, the entire day kicking your ass as you laid limp against Namjoon. You had no idea where this would lead when you opened your eyes again, but you had no energy to think about it so you tried not to worry. Maybe it was a dream, or a coma. Something you’ll never have an answer for. Plain time travel? Absurd.

You tried to remember what Namjoon said to you the night before, once you were aware it was the next day. You were terrified to open your eyes, heart pounding at what might be there once you do.

All of this is going to be yours. You just have to wait.

With his words echoing in your head, you inhale a deep breath and finally open your eyes.

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ft-dads-au · 4 years

Text

The Loudest Silence

I Take Pride In What I Am 2020 Prompt: Quiet Pairing(s): Sting x Yukino (Unrequited), Human (Weisslogia x Female Skiadrum), Master Bob & Weisslogia, Weisslogia & Sting

A Collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404

AO3 | FF.Net

Summary: “I really like you...as more than a best friend…”

Yukino had been his best friend since...forever? Sting couldn’t even remember not being friends with her. She was a beautiful girl, smart, kind, and funny...

There was just one problem.

“I love you, I really do, but I can’t love you like that.”

April 25, 2008

“Hey, Sting? Can I talk to you for a second?”

It was a beautiful day, but not even the warmth of the sun kissing his skin or the gentle sea breeze could lift Sting’s mood. He should be at the beach on a day like this, eating shaved ice and playing volleyball with his friends. Not moping in his backyard, twisting himself up in knots about what had happened with Yukino earlier that day.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you…”

Sting wasn’t oblivious. He’d noticed it a while ago, how Yukino was acting shy around him when she’d never done so before. And touchier. Reaching out to grab his hand or put hers on his shoulder too many times for him to ignore. Sometimes, when she was chatting with some of the other girls in their class, they’d all look his way and break out into giggles, and one of them would say something to her that made her blush, all flustered.

He’d been avoiding her for some time now, feeling guilty every time he saw the sad look on her face when he all but ran back home right after school, with some lame excuse like having too much homework. That guilt was only outweighed by the hope that she’d back down, but the very scenario Sting had been so afraid of had finally played out that day.

“I really like you...as more than a best friend…”

Yukino had been his best friend since...forever? Sting couldn’t even remember not being friends with her. She was a beautiful girl, smart, kind, and funny...

There was just one problem.

“I love you, I really do, but I can’t love you like that.”

Sting didn’t like girls. He’d much rather join them as they giggled and batted their lashes at cute boys.

As a kid, he’d always been drawn to guys he’d see in movies, video clips, or magazines, but it wasn’t until reaching his teens that he’d finally recognized it for what it was. The swimmers, surfers, and runners he’d see at the beach... Sting could watch them all day, and as soon as he realized that was precisely what he was doing most of the time, it was kind of impossible to deny the attraction he felt.

To himself, at least. He hadn’t been ready to admit that to anyone else yet, but Yukino’s confession had put him on the spot. As he’d watched her gather all her courage to express her feelings, a spark of hope shimmering in her eyes, he’d decided she deserved better than to be strung along. She deserved to know the truth, even if it broke his heart to tell her.

And just as he’d feared, she didn’t take it well. The hope in her eyes was replaced by the gloss of tears, and she’d left without saying another word.

“I’m sorry, Yuki…”

Sting rolled over on the grass, dropping the comic book he’d been trying to read in the hopes of distracting his thoughts, letting his eyes follow the white wisps of clouds that were slowly drifting through the sky above him. What would happen next? Would she tell her parents and sister? Their other friends? Classmates? How would they respond? And more importantly, would this mean the end of his friendship with Yukino? Sting was having a hard time imagining his life without her as his friend, they always did just about everything together.

“It’s way too hot to be racking your brain like that,” his dad’s chuckle suddenly sounded, snapping him out of his thoughts. He sat down next to Sting on the grass, shielding his face from the bright sunlight with one of his hands. “What’s bothering you, son? Anything I can help you with?”

Sting sighed, sitting up and facing his father. As nervous as he was about coming out for the second time that day, he could really use someone to talk to. Carrying this secret was wearing him down, he’d always been a terrible liar, and he just wanted to stop hiding. His parents were usually patient and understanding with him...Surely he could tell them this, right?

“Yukino has a crush on me,” he mumbled, picking a few blades of grass and rolling them between his fingers absently.

“Oh? Well, if you want advice on how to woo a girl, I’m not your guy,” Weiss chuckled, “At least, that’s what I’ve been told. But I can tell you this: as long as you just be yourself-”

“Dad, stop,” Sting cut in, “I don’t like her that way, and I wanted to tell her that without hurting her feelings.” He rubbed at his face in exasperation, “Besides, I tried being myself, and it didn’t go well at all. She might not want to be my friend anymore...”

“I’m sure you’re overreacting. You two have been friends for years, what makes you think she’d throw that away?” his father asked, offering a reassuring smile that crushed Sting under its weight, making him feel terrible about not being the son he was thought to be. There was also a hint of worry reflected in the slight furrow on Weiss’ brow as he waited for Sting to explain what was troubling him.

“It’s because I’m-” Sting hesitated, fighting an inner war between the part of him that longed to be free from the constant feeling of deception, and the part that just wanted to live up to everyone’s expectations. He could still chicken out if he wanted to, find some half-assed excuse for his words and behavior so he could stall for a little longer, but the truth would have to come out eventually. Besides, if Yukino ended up spreading the word, it would reach his parents sooner rather than later anyway. He’d prefer his dad hear it from him.

“I’m gay,” he admitted in a deep exhale, and just saying it out loud lifted such a huge burden from his shoulders already. He finally found the courage to look his father in the eyes, seeking his reaction, desperately hoping for the kind of understanding he was used to from him.

But it wasn’t there. Nothing was there. Instead, his dad was unusually silent. His expression was blank, as if he was looking right through Sting. Like he wasn’t even there.

“Oh.”

Oh? That was it? He’d just poured out his heart, and all he got in return was an Oh?

“Ugh, never mind,” Sting got up, suddenly feeling everything and nothing at the same time. A disappointment so vast it left a big empty hole that numbed him. “I’m outta here.”

Deep down, he was still holding on to the hope that his dad would stop him and call him back so they could talk about it, but Weisslogia remained quiet. He just let him stomp off without as much as uttering a single word, right when Sting needed him more than ever.

Resisting the urge to wait or look back, Sting rushed through the sliding door, passing the kitchen, where his mom was busy prepping food. For once, he wasn’t hungry.

“Now, now, why the hurry?” his mother called out, trying to soothe as always— a bright smile on her lips meant to lift his spirits managing to accomplish the very opposite.

He’d never felt so lonely before. Two of the people closest to him had let him down already, and he asked himself why she would be any different. He ignored her, simply because he couldn’t handle one more.

0-0

“What happened?” was the first thing to come out of his wife when Weisslogia stepped into the kitchen, the start of a rambling that interrupted all the thoughts he still hadn’t sorted yet.

“He already seemed off today, but then he just stormed off with a face like thunder and slammed all the doors in his path. I tried to talk to him, but he won’t say a word, doesn’t even want to come out of his room…” Skiadrum abandoned the fruits she’d been cutting, covering them with mesh food protectors to keep the bugs away, and sat down on one of the bar stools at the island counter, waiting for Weiss to give her an explanation. She was worried, and he couldn’t really blame her for that.

No matter how upset he was, Sting was never unresponsive. If anything, he’d come straight to them if something was bothering him, and could easily talk their ears off about it to help him process his emotions. Knowing that, Weiss felt awful about how their conversation, or lack thereof, had gone.

“It’s my fault,” he sighed as he sat across from Skia, running a hand through his hair. “He came to me with...something, and I wasn’t much of a help.”

“Something? Nothing too serious, I hope?”

“Well…” Weiss hesitated, unsure if he’d make things worse by telling her what he knew about their son without asking him first. But he wanted to soothe his wife’s worries and fix his mistake, and he couldn’t do that without Skia’s help. He was way out of his depth.

“Well?” she repeated, impatiently waiting for him to answer her questions.

“Well, Sting just told me that he’s homosexual.”

The frown of concern immediately fell off Skiadrum’s face, making way for a deadpan expression. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see that coming,” she said, the tone of her voice indicating that she already knew the truth.

“Wait, you knew?” Weiss asked her, perking up from his slumped position in surprise.

“Oh, come on! I’ve suspected it since he was 7! Remember that day when we spent half a day shopping with him for a winter coat? And ended up buying one from the girls’ department because he insisted all the boys’ ones had boring colors?”

He’d probably never forget that day. They’d been to every single clothing store in town, had thanked all the helpful staff members who had cheerfully tried to coax their son into liking one of the available options, but Sting was immune to even the best of sales pitches. ‘Nope, I hate it,’ he’d said, carrying an attitude that was so hilarious for a kid his age it made Weiss’ tired feet worthwhile.

“I figured he just liked brighter colors,” Weiss mumbled, shrugging his shoulders, “and he always kind of went his own way. Headstrong, just like his mother,” he tried to tease, but he lacked the spirit for it.

“That could’ve been the case, but there have been other signs pointing in this direction,” Skia argued, “and adding them all up, it just made sense to me.”

Signs? Weiss wasn’t sure what exactly she meant. He’d never reached that conclusion and the fact that his wife had made him feel even worse.

He knew he was oblivious to many things, but this was their child they were talking about—his son. And Weiss had always assumed he knew him through and through. Apparently, he’d been wrong. He wasn’t the attentive father he’d hoped to be.

“Why did you never mention it?” he sulked, wishing he’d gotten a heads up so he wouldn’t have been tongue-tied at the admission.

Noticing his dismay, Skiadrum got up to pour them both a glass of wine. “Because I could just as well have been wrong, and even if I wasn’t, it was still up to him to decide when he was ready to talk to us about it.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” she asked once she’d sat back down again and had a sip of wine, “Did your conversation go that badly?”

“There, uh...there wasn’t much of a conversation,” Weiss admitted guiltily, “I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t really say anything.”

Skiadrum almost choked in her wine.

“Oh my God, Weiss, really?!” she bleated, hiding her face in her hand, “Of course he’d take off at that, he must be thinking you’re rejecting him!”

“I’m not,” Weiss quickly assured, but as he tried to put himself in Sting’s shoes, he realized that was exactly what it must have looked like. “Oh, crap...I really messed up.”

“No, you haven’t-” Skia reached across the table to take her hand in his and chuckled, “Okay, maybe a little, but we all make mistakes. If I’d told you about my suspicions, this might not have happened, so I’m at fault here too. Now, let’s clear it up together, shall we?” She smiled at him and squeezed his hand, “You go talk to him, I’ll get started on a peace offering.”

She got up again, taking her wine glass with her as she moved to the counter and made room for the mixing bowl.

Weisslogia nodded absently, absorbed in his own thoughts. He had to admit, now that his wife had mentioned it, he was starting to see some of Sting’s quirks in a new light.

He was still letting the news sink in, trying once again to think about what he wanted to say, what he was supposed to say. But his mind was caught up in events that had happened long ago and knowing what he did, he couldn’t help but be scared for his son. And with that thought in mind, he decided to call the one person he knew who could help him.

0-0

“You did WHAT?” Bob yelled at Weiss through the phone, outraged at what he’d just been told, “Weisslogia Eucliffe, you utter simpleton!”

“I know, I know…” Weiss agreed, “and I’m working on it, okay? I just- I don’t know this stuff, and I really need your help.”

“Pfft, obviously,” his long time friend scoffed, “This stuff...Oh, that poor kid.”

“Not helping…” Weiss reminded him through gritted teeth, forcing a smile onto his face even though he knew Bob couldn’t see him, but he hoped it would help him remain somewhat positive. “Look, I just want to be a good dad, but I’m way out of my league here. I’m guessing he has questions, and I don’t know how to answer them. I’ll have to give him the talk again, don’t I? Where do I even begin? And what if someone-?”

“Pipe down,” Bob interrupted with a sigh, and it was then Weiss realized he’d been pacing through his study, almost pulling the old, corded phone off the desk. “Seriously, grab that pipe of yours and calm down. I’m getting stressed just from listening to you.”

He took that advice, even though he usually never smoked inside the house, opening a window and hoping the smell wouldn’t linger for too long.

“Okay,” Bob began, “First of all, I think it’s great that you want to be there for your son to answer his questions and give him the bees and the bees talk and all, but do you really think he’s lining up for that?”

“The bees and the bees?” Weiss puzzled for a moment until he understood what Bob meant, “Oh! I get it!”

“God, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward. Anyway, the point is, I know you want to protect him, but that really isn’t what he needs from you right now. All he really needs is for you to tell him that you’re proud of him and that you love him. Can’t be too hard, right?”

Bob’s words hit Weiss hard, leaving him speechless for the second time that day. The difference was that this time, he knew exactly what to say, what he should have said in the first place, and it broke him to realize that he hadn’t. He’d been so focused on the details that he’d lost sight over what was most important.

“You’re right. I screwed up, Bob,” he said miserably, “I let my boy down, what kind of a father am I?”

“This isn’t the time for that, Weiss. You weren’t expecting it. It happens, nothing is lost yet,” Bob assured him, “Trust me, you’re already doing better than a lot of other parents out there just by making an effort. Kids get thrown out of their houses for this or receive far worse responses than complete silence. God, the shit my dad said to me…”

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” Weiss immediately replied, remembering some of the things that Bob had shared with him about his earlier life.

“Water under the bridge, love,” Bob dismissed his apology, “You were the first person to accept me just the way I was, Weisslogia. You can do this. You’re going to march right into his room and put him out of his misery. Meanwhile, I will email you all the resources we use at the center so that you can be ready when he does ask questions. How does that sound?”

“Thanks,” Weiss smiled weakly into the phone, thinking it was a shame that Bob had moved back to Magnolia. He missed having him around as a friend. They had been through so much together during the time they’d lived together as roommates, first in med school and later when Bob had spent a few years in Edolas.

He could still remember all the terrible reactions Bob had gotten just for being proud of who he was and being unafraid to show it. He’d endured everything from name-calling, discrimination, and threats, to actual physical abuse. The latter was still freshly engraved on Weiss’ retinas like it happened only yesterday instead of decades ago, and the mere thought of something like that happening to Sting was enough to send his protective instincts into overdrive.

“Weiss?” Bob’s voice had turned somber, and Weisslogia instinctively tensed up. “I know where your mind is going, but… it was a different time. Our situations are different, okay? He’s going to be just fine.”

“Okay,” Weiss managed, he didn’t fully believe it, but his friend’s words did give him some comfort. “Thanks again, you’re the best.”

“Any time, dear,” Bob chirped, “Let me know how it went, and give Skia a big hug from me.”

They ended the call, and Weiss put out his pipe, feeling better now that he’d talked to Bob and got the reality check he’d needed.

He took a deep breath as he left the study and made his way upstairs, smiling at the sweet smell coming from the kitchen.

0-0

Sting’s room was a mess. There were clothes scattered all over the floor, ripped out of the closet as he’d picked out the ones to shove in a bag under the sound of loud music. Sting knew that the incident between him and his dad wasn’t over just yet, but he wanted to be ready to get the hell out if worse came to worst. He’d heard about parents having bad reactions before, but he had never expected that from his own family and best friend. He just assumed the worst, not knowing what to expect anymore.

As he took down the fairy lights that were hanging on the wall right next to his bed, his attention was gripped by the pictures he’d hung up just below them. Pictures of places he loved to visit, like the beach or the zoo. Pictures of him with Yukino and with his parents. He took one of them down, carefully removing the thumbtack and pushing it back into the wallpaper while he studied it up close.

It was a picture of Sting and his parents that one of the nurses at the clinic had taken last year. Sting was wearing his dad’s white coat and name tag for a class presentation. It looked kind of silly, as it was a few sizes too large on him, and they’d stuck with that theme by making funny faces at the camera—a happy family like they’d always been.

Pfft, yeah, right. What a joke!

Sting gazed at it, still remembering how he’d felt that day, so eager to fill his father’s shoes. His father was someone he’d always looked up to. He worked hard and had made a difference in so many people’s lives over the years, running the clinic, where everyone was treated equally regardless of how much money they made or what job they held.

Apparently, he didn’t view everyone as equally as Sting had thought.

Not able to contain his frustration, he moved over to his nightstand to grab some of his comic books. There were several he hadn’t gotten around to reading, and he wasn’t about to leave them behind. Once he’d scanned them all and picked his favorites, he turned around to put them in his already stuffed bag and nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed his dad standing in the doorway, staring at him in dismay.

“Can we talk?”

“Oh, so now you want to talk?” Sting chided, struggling to close the zipper of his bag, “Okay, sure. Whatever you have to say, just say it.”

His dad sighed, the sound inaudible over the out-of-place pop tunes but visible through his body language, “You surprised me, that’s all.”

“I surprised you?” Sting slung the words back, “How do you think I feel?”

Outraged by his father’s words, Sting couldn’t keep still, his body thrumming with nervous energy. He began taking a few items out of the bag, throwing them aside to make room for different ones.

“Can you please turn that down so we can talk?”

When Sting ignored his request, his father went ahead and turned off the music himself. “There, that’s better. It’s a hot day, isn’t it?” he pointed out, “Why don’t we sit outside for a while?”

He opened the door that led out to the balcony they shared and walked out, leaving the door open for Sting to follow.

Sting took one last look around his room, trying to decide what to do. His dad was acting oddly calm, which allowed a voice in the back of his head to suggest it might not be so bad. Still, its negative counterpart immediately reminded him that he hadn’t made any attempt whatsoever to stop him from packing his stuff either.

He’s just gonna let you leave, just like he let you walk away before, it taunted, and Sting had never felt so worthless.

Despite his fears, he went outside, his eyes glued to the ground because he knew it would only take one glance at his father’s face for him to break.

“Have I ever told you that your mother and I thought we’d never be able to have children?” his dad spoke the moment Sting stepped out on the balcony. “We’d been trying for years, and when it finally happened, your mom had a miscarriage that almost took her life. After that, we’d decided not to try anymore. But then, when we weren’t expecting it, you came along.”

He came closer, putting both his hands on Sting’s shoulders, “Hey, look at me.”

Sting obeyed hesitantly, noticing to his great surprise that his dad was smiling at him, the way he did so often. A proud smile that was both everything Sting wanted to see and unbearable to look at at the same time.

“You are the best thing that’s happened to us, and nothing will ever change that,” he said, hugging Sting close to his chest. “I’m so sorry for not having the words to tell you that right away.”

Sting’s doubts melted away as he felt the warmth of his father’s arms wrapped around him, and the reassurance of kisses pressed into his hair. He’d so sworn to himself that he wasn’t going to cry, damn it, he wasn’t a little kid anymore. But in that moment of overwhelming relief, he felt five years old all over again.

“You smell of pipe,” he accused as he sniffled, burying his face into his dad’s shirt anyway, squeezing him so hard it made his old man chuckle.

“It was prescribed this time,” his father replied innocently.

“I’m sure,” Sting nodded, unsure whether he should be convinced.

“So, are we okay, or…?” Weisslogia asked, pulling away to look him in the eyes again.

He considered the question.

Were they okay?

Sting thought about how discouraged he’d felt just a few short minutes ago when he’d thought that everyone he loved was now against him. Now that he realized that wasn’t the case, he felt kind of bad for having so little trust in his dad, and for all the bad thoughts his anger and fear had fed him.

“Yeah, I- uhm, I guess I may have overreacted a little? You know, with the whole packing my bag thing…”

“No, it’s understandable. I can only imagine how scary it must’ve been for you to tell me, and when I should’ve been there to take those fears away, I only made them worse. Definitely not my proudest moment as a parent,” Weisslogia remarked. “But I need you to know that I’m thankful you’ve told me and that you can always ask or tell me anything. I may not have all the answers, but I’ll do my best to be there for you whenever you need me.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Sting shrugged his shoulders. “Consider yourself forgiven,” he smirked, trying to joke it off, but he quickly dropped the act.

“Thanks, dad. That means a lot to me.”

“It means a lot to me too,” his dad smiled again, giving him another quick hug.

“I should talk to mom, huh?” Sting figured, remembering how he’d shut her out earlier when she’d tried talking to him.

“Only if you want to,” his father assured him, “but I have a feeling she will take it much better than you think,” and knowing his parents too well, Sting guessed that this feeling his dad was speaking of was probably more than just that.

It didn’t matter. Sting took his word for it, which made him a lot less nervous when they went back inside. His suspicions were confirmed when they came down the stairs and were greeted with the smell of something sweet and familiar. His mother would often bake a treat of sorts when he was upset, and it seemed like today was no exception.

“Hey, mom? There’s something I want to tell you,” he called out to her, taking the stairs two steps at a time, feeling more confident knowing that his dad was right behind him.

“Yeah?” she answered once they’d reached the kitchen, and sure enough, there was a plate full of cupcakes waiting for them on the island counter. She was just finishing topping off the last one with white frosting.

“I hope it won’t melt, they’re still a bit warm,” she mumbled to herself before turning her attention to Sting, “but they’re not quite done yet, something is missing…”

She rummaged through one of her cabinets, one that was perhaps even messier than Sting’s room was at the moment. Sting shared a look of wordless astonishment with his dad at how she was even able to find stuff in there, but it didn’t take long for her to return to the plate.

One by one, she decorated the cupcakes with a generous amount of rainbow sprinkles and smiled at the end result.

“That’s so much better,” she winked at Sting, “I think they’re perfect like this, don’t you?”

Sting could feel himself getting emotional again at her words, and he ran around the kitchen island to wrap his mother in a hug. “Thank you,” he managed to get the words out before bursting into tears.

“It’s nothing to cry about silly, this is a happy occasion,” he could hear the smile in her voice and feel the warmth of her body, and it struck him how lucky he was to have her as his mother. He hugged her even tighter, remembering what his father had said about her having almost died before he was born until she gently pushed him away to get a look at his face.

“I know,” he sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, “It’s just been a rough day.”

“Well, why don’t we sit down and have some cupcakes, you can tell me all about it.”

He nodded, already grabbing a cupcake and shoving the whole thing in his mouth before finding his way to one of the stools on the other side of the island. He hoped his mom could help him figure out what to do about Yukino because as relieved as he felt at the moment, he knew there was still an uncomfortable conversation in his future.

His mother waited patiently, watching him eat cupcake after cupcake, for once not even scolding him for his lack of table manners even though he could feel the stickiness of the frosting on his face.

He was getting ready to explain his predicament when the doorbell rang. His mother handed him a napkin with a smile and got up to answer it.

“I’ll get it, it’s probably one of the neighbors or something, I’ll be right back.”

Sting watched his mother walk away from the kitchen towards their foyer, grabbing another cupcake from the tray as he waited for her return.

“You feeling better?” his father asked, and Sting had to laugh when he noticed his father’s face was also covered in frosting.

“Yeah,” he admitted, after handing him a napkin of his own, “I just wish -”

“Yukino!” Sting heard his mother’s cheerful voice and tensed up once again, “You didn’t have to ring the doorbell, sweetie, you know you’re always welcome to come in from the yard!”

The sound of their steps echoed on the tiled floor, and Sting felt the cupcakes he’d already eaten settle in his stomach like a lead weight. Even though his mom was acting as if everything were normal, she had to have noticed that Yukino’s eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were blotchy from crying.

Not that Sting looked any better at the moment.

“Sting, look who’s here!”

His father saved him from responding, “Yukino! It’s been a while, how are you, dear?”

“Just fine, Dr. Eucliffe, thank you,” she attempted to smile, “Is it okay if I borrow Sting for a few minutes?”

Sting could feel the combined weight of both his parent’s glances, but it was his father who answered. “Of course.”

Just as he was getting up from the stool, he felt his father’s hand grab his and squeeze tightly as he mouthed the words Just be yourself at him. He gave a small nod in return and led the way outside through the sliding door.

“Do you wanna...sit here?” he gestured towards the bench swing where they had often whiled away entire afternoons, feeling kind of awkward and unsure what to say.

“Okay,” Yukino’s voice was quiet, and her movements were stiff as she sat down. Sting sat next to her rocking the swing slowly to give his antsy legs something to do.

They sat like this for several moments, neither saying a word, and Sting came to the conclusion that she had come to break off their friendship. The way she had rung the doorbell instead of coming in like she always did, how she wouldn’t even look at him.

It hurt, but he decided to be the bigger person.

“Sting, I-”

“It’s okay-”

Sting stopped talking and gestured to her to continue.

“I, uhm, I wanted to say I was sorry for running off on you like that,” Yukino’s voice quavered, and when she finally looked at him he was shocked to see the sadness clouding her usually sunny features,” You’re probably pretty mad at me, huh?”

“Mad?” Sting’s head jerked in confusion, “No, of course not. I was just scared that you’d hate me and wouldn’t want to be friends anymore.”

“No, of course I want to be friends, the best of friends. I just-” Yukino sighed, “I was embarrassed and a little hurt and confused.”

“It was probably dumb of me to think that-” she began, and once again, Sting could hear the tremble in her voice. It made him feel terrible for making her feel that way, but he also knew he couldn’t have avoided the situation for much longer.

She took a deep breath, but it didn’t seem to help much. “Sorano said I was being silly, that this way I could have you forever and we could talk about boys and go shopping and-”

She wasn’t able to continue, as the tears that she had been trying to contain refused to stay hidden any longer.

Sting tapped her on her shoulder, and when she finally peered at him, he held out his arms in silent invitation. Yukino hesitated for a moment before accepting his embrace.

“You’re not silly, it’s not like you can choose who you like or anything…” Sting talked while letting her cry out her feelings in his arms. He sighed before apologizing, not for who he was, but for how he had inadvertently made her feel. “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you.”

“Yeah, Sorano said that too,” she sniffled, moving away to begin the interrogation he’d been expecting, “How long have you known?”

Sting averted his eyes and kept them fixed on the flowers in his mother’s garden, “About two years, I guess…”

“Oh. That’s a long time,” Yukino replied, and Sting could hear it, the hurt in her voice, intensifying the guilt he’d already felt over the way he’d handled this.

“You could have told me,” she chided, “I’m your best friend, and I didn’t even have a clue.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Sting snapped, frustrated that she still didn’t seem to get it, “especially not with the way you were acting.”

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, immediately regretting his outburst, “that was uncalled for. It’s just… none of this is easy for me. I’ve heard the way people talk at school about this stuff, what was I supposed to do?”

“You don’t need to apologize, you’re right, I was out of line,” she replied, holding his gaze evenly.

“I did want to tell you,” Sting ran his fingers through his hair, thinking of all the times he’d considered the idea, but something always made him hold back, and then she’d developed a crush on him. “But I- I was nervous about how you’d react, and I had no idea how or when to bring it up.”

Yukino nodded before looking down at her hands which were clasped on her lap, “It just all feels so strange, we used to tell each other everything, and I don’t want that to change.”

“Neither do I,” Sting shook his head, “No more secrets?” He held out his hand with only his pinky extended, breathing a sigh of relief when Yukino met it with hers right away.

“No more secrets.”

“So...are we good?” Sting still felt a little unsure until she flashed him one of her smiles. It wasn’t as vibrant as always, but he could glimpse a ghost of her usual smile lurking underneath, and he knew then that they were going to be okay.

“Yeah, we’re good,” she assured him.

“Thank God, I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend a lifetime of talking about boys and going shopping with.”

“Good,” Yukino managed a giggle,” cause you seriously need some fashion help.”

“You know what?” Sting examined the clothes he was wearing, wrinkling his nose at how plain they felt. When he was still younger, he hadn’t given a damn about what anyone thought of his fashion choices, and he’d love to get that back after hiding for so long.

“You’re totally right. Half the contents of my closet are already on the floor, I might as well throw some stuff out and get a new wardrobe,” he decided.

Yukino rolled her eyes and teased, “How is that any different from how your room normally looks?”

“Shots fired.”

Yukino laughed as she swatted away Sting’s finger guns. The sliding door opened, and they turned to see his parents bringing out plates of food.

“Everything okay, you two?”

Sting smiled at his parents, “Yeah, everything’s just fine.”

And for the first time that day, he actually believed it.

#fairy tail #ftdadsau #ftlgbtpride2020 #sting eucliffe #ftlgbtales #I Take Pride In What I Am 2020 #prompt: quiet #fics #dads pride 2020

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camillemontespan · 4 years

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can we talk about georgiana, the duchess of devonshire?

So, a few months ago, I asked my followers who would be interested in following a side blog about historical figures. I’m a huge history geek and I thought that if I started a blog about the people who interest me, I could add it to my CV and also just get back into my interests. Quite a few of you were down for it and I was so pleased!

I’m yet to make the side blog but I’m posting this as a test to see if you guys like it. If you do, I will make the side blog.

@jovialyouthmusic @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @moonlightgem7 @walkerswhiskeygirl @rainbowsinthestorm @saivilo @pug-bitch @katedrakeohd @gardeningourmet @mskaneko

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Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806)

I love history for its people. I am not interested in battles or treaties; I am drawn to the people behind these events. I like discovering what made them tick, that drove their decisions and what impact their lives have had on future generations. If you ask me to date a certain event, I can’t do it, but I can give you a spoken biography of historical figures that interest me.

When I moved to Devon two years ago, I was nervous but also excited for one reason: I believed I would be able to visit Chatsworth House, the home of the Duchess of Devonshire. Imagine my irritation when I realised that Chatsworth is actually based in Derbyshire, which is hours away from Devon itself. My ideas of weekend jaunts to Chatsworth as I admired the architecure and strolled around the gardens were ruined by this realisation.

You may have heard of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. A film of her life starring Keira Knightley was released in 2008 which first brought her to my attention. Now, I’m not a Knightley fan - ‘I’m Keira Knightley, look at my jawww,’- because I find her quite wooden, however I was pleasantly surprised when I watched her performance. She brought a human element to this historical figure who was known for her fashion sense, crippling debt and controversial marriage arrangement.

Georgiana is also the ancestor of Princess Diana. Many people compare their tragic stories and can see a mirror image. Married to man they didn’t really love, later forced to watch their husbands fall in love with another woman and say nothing, all the while maintaining dignity and poise on the world stage.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Georgiana.

If Georgiana was your friend, she would be the one who would come over with a bottle of wine, over which you would put the world to rights and drunkenly proclaim, ‘I love you sooooo much!’ to each other, before deciding to have a spontaneous night out where you dance on the bar and pound shots. She would visit you the next day – you would be horrifically hungover, she would be fresh as a daisy.

Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, was known for her charismatic and bubbly personality; her ability to make any outfit look beautiful (4 foot long peacock feather in her hair springs to mind) which made women everywhere try to emulate her - she literally set trends. She was also known for her passion for politics and her private life.

On the surface, she had it all. But in reality, she didn’t. Underneath this larger than life facade was a tragic figure.

For one thing, Georgiana was addicted to gambling and racked up an eye watering debt. She borrowed money from her friends but never repaid them. Her mother warned her to be careful but to no avail. Her mother also had a gambling problem and wasted money while playing faro. She didn’t want her daughter to continue her mistakes. Georgiana hid her debts from her husband for as long as she could, but eventually she had to tell the Duke, who paid off her debts and never mentioned it again.

She had been expecting to get a bollocking but he stayed silent. To be honest, this made it worse. It’s like being told by your mum that she’s ‘disappointed’ in you, when you’d prefer her to shout at you for a few minutes and then forgive you. She struggled with gambling for years.

Second, and most importantly, her marriage was an unspoken controversy. This is the thing that makes Georgiana an incredible character to study. I read her story and I just couldn’t work it out in my head - why would you put up with this? But then, you have to remember that divorce wasn’t an option for women in those days. Women were property. They were commodities. Leaving a marriage because your husband preferred another woman was not an option.

It was the worst kept secret in society. Everyone knew that her best friend, Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Foster, lived with them and that Bess was her husband’s mistress. Georgiana had asked for Bess to live with them after she discovered that Bess’ sons had been taken away from her and she was living in awful circumstances. Georgiana was too good, too kind – and Bess took advantage. Trust me, Bess is the villain in this story, no matter how often she tried to set her story straight. Diary accounts from Georgiana’s friends show that nobody trusted her. They could see her for what she was -a schemer, a leech. But Georgiana couldn’t.

Bess stayed at Chatsworth and conducted a secret affair with her husband, which soon became public knowledge. Did Georgiana say anything? No. She let it carry on under her roof, without saying a word. In the film, she stands up for herself which is how it should have played out. But according to Amanda Foreman, the historian and writer of the book, this didn’t happen. Georgiana kept silent.

Although I wish I could shake her and tell her she deserves so much better, in a way I feel she shows a huge strength of character to put up with that. She continued her daily routine with dignity and carried on being a queen.

Now, this is when things get interesting and draws in another historical figure who I feel isn’t really known? At least, I didn’t know him, all I knew was that there are tea bags named after him.

The rumour is that she later fell in love with Charles Grey, a Whig politician (later Prime Minister - I KNOW RIGHT? YOU GO GEORGIANA!) who had dreams of a bright, new world where all men had the vote. They were like minded and they could talk about these dreams together. I adore how political Georgiana was and that she spoke publicly about her political associations in a time when women were expected to stay at home and mind their business. She actually brought about the trend of canvassing, where you go out into the streets and campaign for a party. Having Georgiana on side meant the Whigs became popular quickly - if anything, she became their figurehead. Anyway, I digress, but let me just say that she has so much depth. She is genuinely interesting.

Right, Charles Grey.

They had an affair and she became pregnant with his child. In short, she asked the Duke if she could leave him and be with Grey. After all, he was fucking her best friend and not giving a shit about her feelings. But, of course, the Duke refused. Hypocrite, yes. But the time period was different and he couldn’t risk the humiliation of being deserted by his wife – nor could she. Women who left their families were ravaged by society. She gave birth to Grey’s daughter, Eliza, in secret and the baby was raised by his family as Grey’s niece. Again, that is a testament to her character. I’m sure many women would have felt broken after that. But she wasn’t – she visited Eliza frequently (who, when she grew up, named her daughter Georgiana after her mother. I think she knew by then) and she continued to partake in social engagements.

What I love about her, aside from her strength, is how she challenges the stereotype of women of that time. In fact, she was way beyond her time. She was the one who started the trend for getting outside in the streets and campaigning for the Whigs. She was a WOMAN who was out in the streets campaigning, despite not even having a vote or even thinking her gender would one day have one, and she was so much more than just fashion and money. She was an intelligent badass who cared about how the country was run. She didn’t let gender stereotypes and restrictions hold her back. I love how no matter how shit her home life was, she didn’t let that bring her down. If anything, politics was her escape. It was where she could feel valued. She made friends with the Whigs, such as Charles Fox, and they wanted to hear her opinion. They needed her on their side because her opinion mattered. She mattered.

She was ahead of her time. She had a hard home life but she carried on, trying to make a difference and prove her worth. Georgiana is my home girl and I will stand up for her because no one else did.

I know this wasn’t a coherent piece. It was all over the place, right? But that’s what history does to me. I get excited. If I’m talking to you about Georgina, my hands will be all over the place and my voice will be rising in volume because I get so passionate about the subject. I wrote essays at uni for my history degree and they were so proper, just the way university dictates you write. All I wanted to write was ‘read how amazing this person is! Give me an A for enthusiasm!’ I once got a lower mark for an essay because I made the mistake of being too enthusiastic, writing a really in-depth profile on the historical figure, but forgot to answer the question… My tutor said he could tell I really enjoyed writing it but I didn’t actually fulfill the point of the essay. It wasn’t a harsh criticism - he was happy I enjoyed writing it but obviously, couldn’t grade me a high mark.

But that’s how I approach history. I could sit here and try to write something proper but I think that is one reason why history is often a disliked subject. It CAN be boring if taught badly.

I remember my history teacher in high school, Mr Pia, who was the best teacher I’ve ever had. He scared all the young students because he was so serious and never smiled and I tell you, I was scared when I found out he would be teaching me when I was in my final year. But, when I joined his class, he surprised us in a lesson about Austria. He played Mozart and said, ‘I thought I would try to evoke the right atmosphere!’

I fell in love with his teaching then and there.

THAT is what makes history a good subject. You need someone passionate, who looks at it differently. That’s how I would like to approach it. It may not be for some people but it works for me.

If Georgiana has peaked your interest, you can read the biography by Amanda Foreman which is incredible. I couldn’t put it down. Even give the film a go - Ralph Fiennes plays the Duke and Dominic Cooper (babe) is Charles Grey. It’s on Netflix. Spend your Sunday watching it. It’s a great adaptation.

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dzamie-oc · 4 years

Text

Smaugust 19 - Demon

A MLP/Persona 4 crossover. Spike has fallen into a deep sleep, and Luna and Twilight venture into his mind to find out what's wrong. (2238 words)

cw: MLP, Persona 4, kidnapping mention

Twilight and Luna ran through the castle. Twilight had called on the alicorn of night when Spike had fallen into a deep sleep, and Zecora had been unable to help. With Luna's help, the two alicorns cast themselves into his subconscious. However, Twilight wasn't prepared for the twisted, creepy landscape within.

Spike's voice, distorted, sharp, pained and painful, echoed all around them as they navigated the halls. Exaggerated, clingy caricatures of Rarity flung themselves at them, assaulting the mares with magically-created gemstones. They spoke in unison, "you will not harm our precious Spikey-Wikey! He who commands the respect of all!" Wherever the gemstones fell, crystal ponies rose from the ground, each wearing "Spike The Brave And Glorious" shirts. Twilight kept a shield around herself and Luna as the night mare navigated through the hallways.

"As weird as this is to say," Twilight shouted over the din of crashing crystals and shrieking mares with white coats and flowing, purple manes, "thank you for not telling me we have to kill Rarity."

<Unloved, disrespected... They don't deserve the noble deeds I do every day.>

"Your gratitude is appreciated but misguided," Luna called back, using her own telekinesis to guide Twilight quickly through a sharp corner, "would we not be immediately overrun, I would welcome the chance to train you in dream fighting." A gem struck the carpet before them. The pair leapt over it as it formed a crystal pony. Luna cast a spell as a Parthian shot; it struck the newly-made mare, causing her to continue to develop into a thick, crystal wall as they fled, sporting numerous eyes, limbs, and semitransparent cutie marks.

The purple alicorn looked back and shuddered, pure muscle memory forcing her to keep galloping on. "What kind of spell was that?!"

This time, it was followed by a soft, pleading "no... don't..." in Spike's normal voice.

"Dreams need not make sense, Twilight Sparkle," Luna replied as they came to a door. There was a rough-cut, heart-shaped hole in it, where a lock would be, and the alchemical symbol for fire printed above it. "As often as I disagree with the draconequus, adapting chaos magic from Discord can be helpful in a pinch." She squinted at the door. "A fire-attuned heart? Twilight, you are Spike's guardian. Do you know what would fit here? Something deeply related to his sense of identity."

"this isn't right... i would never..."

Twilight racked her brain, running back through her memories of Spike, growing up with him, watching him figure himself out. Not the Crystal Heart, it was too big. Not a Power Ponies book. Not that bowtie from the incident with Owlowicious. The mare gasped. Rarity! "It's a fire ruby! He was going to give it to himself for his hatchday, but gave it to Rarity instead. When he went into Greed Growth, she refused to give it over to the rampaging... Spike, and that helped bring him back!"

"if she's screaming, that's not..."

A piercing shriek jolted Luna's attention to another caricature of Rarity. The alicorn's eyes gleamed as she challenged the dream monster, "you're no true Rarity! Spike would never give you that fire ruby!" The white mare grinned a manic grin full of sharp teeth a dragon would be envious of, then held up a fire ruby in her magic. Luna's horn glowed, and a powerful beam of magic drove the creature through a wall, making its own magical field flicker and break. "Twilight! The gem!"

"it's... a lie..."

A purple hue shimmered to life around the fire ruby, stopping it just inches before it hit the ground and sprouted a crystal pony, or shattered. Twilight quickly maneuvered it into place in the lock, which clicked. The huge door opened into what looked like a corrupted version of the Canterlot throne room. The stained glass windows showed images of Spike saving the Crystal Heart, Spike dressed as his Ogres and Oubliettes character, Spike as Humbug beating up the Maneiac, Spike saving Applejack from timberwolves, and many more. The dual thrones of the two sisters had been cast aside near the doorway, and in their place was a massive pile of gold, ice cream, gems, comics, the Elements of Harmony, sets of dice, and even the Crystal Heart.

"I don't want that!"

On the ornate, gold-and-purple carpet leading to the treasure pile, Twilight saw Spike. She flew towards him, only to stop short when she realized who was on TOP of the treasure pile: Spike, being fawned over by Thorax, Ember, and a much more accurate-looking Rarity... with wings.

Twilight looked between the two of them; behind her, Luna barricaded the door against more Rarities and crystal ponies. "Spike? Who is... what's going on?"

The Spike on the floor turned and ran towards her. "Twilight! Don't listen to a word that guy is saying. None of it is true! I'm Spike. **He's not me!"**

Luna whipped her head around and galloped towards them, flapping her wings for speed. However, before she could get there, a blast of green flame shot from the strange Spike's mouth, striking the other Spike too fast for Twilight to even put up a shield.

<WHAT?! I AM you! Just because you constantly lie to yourself because you think it makes PONIES happy, doesn't make it true!> The room darkened; both alicorns could feel an immense power gathering from the dragon's fury. <In fact, I think you're due for a replacement. I will finally command the respect and adulation I deserve.> He glared at the intruding ponies, eyes glowing gold. <And you two will be the first brought to heel as my worshippers!>

There was a crash of thunder, and everything changed. The weather outside the hall grew dark and stormy. The scenes in the stained-glass windows altered, now with red backgrounds: changelings prostrated before Spike, crystal ponies prostrated before Spike, Applejack prostrated before Spike, the Power Ponies prostrated before Spike, the Princesses prostrated before Spike, and more of the same. Thorax and Ember hovered in front of where the hoard had been, huge, unnatural grins plastered on their faces with hearts in their eyes. And as for Spike...

A huge dragon loomed at the far end of the hallway. Every inch of what Twilight was sure were purple scales and a green crest was covered in layers of gold and gems. The creature held a long and broad sword in his mouth, his wings were enormous kite shields with Spike's face emblazoned on them as a crest, and dangling from his tail was the Rarity alicorn, trapped in a golden and diamond-encrusted cage but staring adoringly at the adorned dragon. Twilight felt a weight against her side, and turned to see that the Spike by her had fallen unconscious. She ignited her horn and blinked the two of them away from the amalgamation and the corruptions of the leaders of the dragons and of the changelings.

Luna stepped up, a look of pure determination on her muzzle. "Nightmare," she commanded, "and Tantabus." From her mane and her horn, Nightmare Moon materialized on her left, and the purple, starry dream construct flowed into existence on her right. The alicorn of dreams turned her head to address Twilight, and said, "keep him safe, Twilight Sparkle. I am counting on you. And more importantly, so is he." She crouched, spread her wings, and lit her horn; the two monsters of her own creation followed suit. Spike's shadow roared, and as one, he, Thorax, and Ember rushed forward to meet their opposition.

As magic and gems flew, Twilight concentrated on keeping a solid, purple shield up between the fight, and herself and Spike. This paid off a few times, when a diamond Luna chipped off of Spike's shadow skidded off its surface, or when a solid hit from the changeling-turned-bugbear sent Nightmare Moon careening back and using the shield to spring off of. When she felt she had the time, Twilight funneled some extra magic into Spike's body; it was a rudimentary healing spell, but Twilight hoped it would be enough.

At last, the final blow was struck: the Tantabus severed the shadow's tail with a blade of dreamstuff, cutting the fake Rarity off from the dragon, Luna struck a weak spot with a stunning spell, and Nightmare Moon used the opening to shove what is scientifically called "a boatload" of dark, destructive magic down the dragon's throat. In a flash of light, the scene had returned to where it was before. Spike stirred against Twilight's side as his shadow remained on top of the assorted hoard, the phony alicorn, changeling king, and dragon lord watching him in adulation. Twilight helped the purple dragon next to her to his feet, and they approached once more.

<I will not be denied. I am amazing, and heroic, and I WILL be treated as such!> Spike's distorted voice echoed through the room. <I have more than earned the right to be way more than a scientist's pet lizard!>

Spike sighed and walked up to the pile. "Look... you're... you're not right, but I wasn't fair saying that I don't think that way sometimes. Living with and near a group of mares who save Equestria on, what, a weekly basis? would make anyone feel unappreciated." One dragon climbed the pile, while the other slid down it, sending gold coins and small rubies clinking down the slope. "A month or so ago, I finally realized how much being blinded by my fame and ego hurt other ponies, so I tried to make up for it by pretending not to have any. Just pushing down the thoughts of a reward for everything I do to help.

"It was making me miserable, I suppose, but I did such a good job of hiding it, even I didn't realize what I was doing. I'm sorry, I didn't accept you of first because I was terrified of what I might become - what I HAD become in the past - if I acknowledged your existence. I was so scared of another 'acting on behalf of Princess Twilight' or Greed Growth fiasco that I stopped letting myself feel deserving of anything not offered unprompted." Spike stuck out his hand. "I am Spike the Brave and Glorious; no matter how much I pretend in Ponyville that I don't have a statue in my name, that's just not the case. I saved the Crystal Heart, I delivered all those friendship reports to Twilight when Discord corrupted her, hay, I even DM for Discord. Nopony deserves EVERYTHING, not me, not Twilight, not even the Two Sisters, but I have to stop pretending that, every so often, I kind of like to picture it."

The other Spike took his hand and began to glow. There was a flash of gold, and the other Spike disappeared, leaving only the young dragon who had fainted through the battle. The hoard vanished, too, leaving Ember, Rarity (still an alicorn), and Thorax sitting at a round table with paper and dice in front of them, as well as an unoccupied DM screen. He turned to the two non-Rarity alicorns and smiled. "Thanks, Twilight, Luna. I don't know what would've happened if you two hadn't showed up."

Twilight gave him a bittersweet smile, tears threatening to leak from her eyes. "You're welcome, Spike. I'm sorry I didn't notice you felt this way. We'll have to talk more when you've woken up." She turned to Luna. "And, uh, Luna? Is this a common dream thing, or a special case for him being comatose?"

Luna nodded in acknowledgement of Spike's thanks, then replied to Twilight, "it is... uncommon. Most are not so dangerous or powerful, but I've learned my way around them, as you can see. Now come, we should leave Spike to his dream. If I trust what I glimpsed of those character sheets and campaign notes, you will not want to stick around and watch, either." With a spell, she summoned a door out of Spike's subconscious, and dragged a chronically-curious Twilight away from the table and back into wakefulness.

#my little pony #persona #persona 4 #dragon #fanfiction #crossover #twilight sparkle #princess luna #spike #video games #smaugust #writing #smaugust 2020 #writers on tumblr #text

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