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anki-of-beleriand · 6 months

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Bad Liar ch. 5

Summary: Life is about lessons, and Wanda has been learning some harsh facts that had define her life and taken her to a place in which she was given a second chance. Then, all of a sudden, she meets you, and she realizes why it's easier to lie to yourself than to accpet what's right in front of her.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff/ Female!reader - America/Kate - Mentions of past Vision/Wanda - past Natasha/Reader - Some Female!Reader/Carol Danvers - past Shuri/Female!reader

Warnings: Slow burn - Enemies to friends to lovers - Mentions of abusive relationships - Toxic relationships - angst - drama - mentions of abuse - unrequited love - gay panic - fools in love - more tags as the story progress.

Author's note: I'm back! Yes! I know it has been quite a while, life has been hard if I'm honest with you and these moments of peace had been sporacdic. Hope you like this new chapter.

This time around something happened that made R and Wanda come closer, yet far enough for them to deny whatever they want.

Thank you so much for reading, commenting, liking and reblogging the story guys! Remember that English is not my mother tongue, so forgive my grammar, spelling and funny mistakes.

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

Chapter 5

Falling

Her life had been predetermined by her father the moment she had been born.

For as long as she could remember, Wanda had always been told what to do, how to act, what was expected of her. Even though her mother helped her get an education, as well as get into a career, her father had always made sure Wanda was straight as an arrow, always leading her to a ‘good man that could control and protect her’.

She found herself being introduced to Jarvis at some point, the son of one of her father’s business partners, and a classmate of hers all through the secondary, it had been decided that he would be her husband. Wanda sighed watching the picture she kept on her photo album, in there was Pietro always smiling and happy with his arm around her shoulders while Jarvis stood to her left with a possessive hold on her waist.

Pietro had never liked Jarvis, but it wasn’t his decision.

Thunder broke into the night, Wanda jumped startled watching outside the window while her eyes drifted momentarily to the stairs. She strained her ear trying to hear if the twins had woken up, but the silence of the house was only broken by the rain and the wind right outside. Wanda sat in silence and a half-lit room, the memories of her past coming over with overwhelming emotions that threatened to break her over once more.

She held onto her own strength, the smile of her children and the words of Hope and Natasha while the tears rolled down her cheeks.

“This is a long road, Wanda. You are not expected to heal overnight, but you do need to start somewhere.”

And that was precisely what she was doing, choosing the memories she wanted to keep and letting go of those she didn’t want to remember. The pictures in her photo album had change drastically the moment Jarvis showed up in her life. Soon the pictures of Pietro, her mother, and her friends disappeared, giving way to pictures of Jarvis filling up her youth invading her life in ways she never noticed until now.

She didn’t even have enough pictures of her and the twins, most of the pictures included Jarvis one way or another holding them, grabbing them, possessing them. Wanda closed the photo album feeling suddenly emotionally tired, her life had changed drastically ever since she ran from Jarvis and started working on her, her children, her career.

“One step at a time, Wanda. You just must give yourself some credit, you are doing fantastic and as long as you remember why you are doing this you will be okay.”

And Wanda knew why she was doing it.

She still had the scars, and the police report as well as the medical records of herself and Tommy. The bright, blueish light of lightning breaking into the night startled her again, this time around she redirected her eyes to the window and waited for the sound of thunder breaking into the night.

The lights in the house flickered and soon the hole house went black. Wanda stood up, her eyes going big as she heard the sudden cries coming from the twin’s room. In less than a minute she had run up the stairs entering their room, the light from the mobile helping her move through the house and the darkened room.

She was familiar with the scene welcoming her the moment she crossed the threshold of the twin’s room. Billy was holding onto Tommy, both boys had their eyes wide open though Tommy was looking drowsy and flustered while Billy was completely awake and disheveled holding onto his brother as he used to whenever they heard the screams of fighting and hitting in their parents’ room.

“Hey, guys, it’s okay, mommy is here.” Wanda approached the bed wrapping her arms around them, kissing their foreheads with a concerned frown. “It’s just rain, it will pass.”

Billy merely nodded but Tommy went from his brother to his mother, and it was then that Wanda noticed the shivering figure of Tommy, his labored breathing and the glassy eyes. Billy shot his brother a worried glance before turning his attention to his mother.

“Momma, I don’t feel good.” Tommy whispered snuggling closer to Wanda, the young woman placed her hand on the boy’s forehead feeling the warm emanating from his skin.

Panic rose inside Wanda’s mind, Tommy was burning and he wasn’t looking so good. She lifted her eyes and Billy was glancing at her with a frown adorning his face.

“Mommy?”

“Don’t worry, boys, mommy is here, okay?” Wanda cooed Tommy while trying to give Billy a reassuring smile.

Tommy closed his eyes whimpering lightly, while Billy chewed on his lower lip.

“Is Tommy okay?” He asked in a small voice, Wanda fixed the younger of the twins on the bed while helping Billy down and directing him to his own bed.

“He is baby, but he needs some space and medicine, right now he seems to have a fever and mommy needs to make sure he is okay.” Wanda explained pocking Billy on the nose, the young boy offered a weak smile, but his eyes went from Wanda and Tommy constantly.

“I’m going to grab something really quick from the bathroom, can you watch over him without going to close to Tommy?” Wanda inquired knowing the request was hard for the young boy, they had always been together through the fighting, through the punishment and even in sickness.

But Wanda didn’t have the luxury of having any help, and risking both twins to get sick was something she couldn’t afford emotionally and physically. Wanda brushed Billy’s hair placing a single kiss on his forehead. Billy scrunched up his nose, pursing his lips at the last request.

“Tommy needs me.” He mumbled crossing his arms.

“I know it’s hard, Billy, but mommy doesn’t want you catching whatever it is Tommy has.” She tried to explain to the upset kid. “Mommy needs you to be strong and help her out, can you do that for me?”

Billy pouted looking away while nodding his head curtly, Wanda hesitated for a moment before standing up, her eyes went to Tommy then back to Billy who was still looking away from her. With a heavy heart, the young woman made her way to the bathroom to look for something that might help Tommy.

In the darkened bathroom, Wanda soon realized she had never bother to buy any medicine or any kind of implements that might help in a situation such as this. She had gauze, alcohol, bandages, cotton balls, and a digital thermometer. She tried to look at her reflection, the tears she didn’t know she was shedding rolling down her cheeks while her heart beat hard against her ribcage. None of this, but the thermometer, would help her with Tommy, would her?

With trembling hands, Wanda grabbed the thermometer and some cotton balls, she let her hands wander inside the cabinet until she found a small cup. Making sure the water was not too cold, she wiped away her tears and putting on a strong façade grabbed everything and went back to the twin’s room.

The storm ranging right outside the house became almost unbearable, thunder and lightning filled out the emptiness inside her home and by the time she was helping Tommy out, Billy was holding onto his pillow watching wide-eyed as Tommy whimpered and complain while putting his blankets away.

The lights had not come out yet, and Wanda had a feeling that this might take some time because of the storm. She went right into action making sure Tommy had the thermometer while putting the cotton balls and the cup of water on the bedside table.

Billy watched from afar as Wanda fussed over Tommy while his brother cried softly, and tried to get away from her touch while still couching and sneezing, his hands grabbing his chest or head from time to time. The young boy had always been there ready to protect his brother, and he hated it when he knew there was nothing he could do.

His young eyes went from his brother to his mom, she was crying and Billy felt his eyes well up at the sight. For a brief moment, he turned his attention to the door almost expecting his dad to come over screaming enraged before hitting mommy and Tommy.

But it never happened, and relief washed over the young man that still felt anguish at the sight of his family suffering over without anything he could do. Billy glanced at the phone, then back at his mom and Tommy, he lifted his hand and wiped away his tears with his pajamas. The phone he had been holding for quite a while vibrated in his hand, Billy frowned glancing at the phone while tilting his head.

“Mommy.” He mumbled standing up, he made his way to Wanda holding onto the phone.

Wanda lifted her head, she tried to smile and Billy could see she was not doing okay.

“Tell me, sweetie.”

“Can you call a doctor?” Billy offered the phone to his mother, he could no longer hide the tears on his face and Wanda broke just a little at how mature he usually behaved at his age.

Wanda grabbed the phone putting him closer to her, her arms wrapped comfortingly around him before placing a kiss on his head. She thought about the proposal, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought about it, but the rain outside and the lower temperatures could only be worse for the boy burning in fever at the moment. There was a moment of hesitation on Wanda’s part, she glanced at Tommy then at Billy before placing her eyes on the phone.

But before she could do anything, Tommy sat up moaning, grabbing his stomach.

“Mommy I don’t feel good…” And with those words, he leaned in and started throwing up.

Billy stepped back watching horrified as Tommy empty the contents of his stomach on the bed and the floor, and soon Wanda sprang into action taking the young boy to the bathroom, running and sharing comforting words to a now crying Tommy.

The mobile had fallen to the floor, and Billy grabbed the gadget in his hands hugging it closer to his chest not knowing what to do and how to help his mom and brother. It took him a moment, tears falling down his face, and he just checked the phone finding the only familiar name that could help him and his mommy in a moment like that one.

With a blurry eyesight, he pressed the dial button and finally started sobbing when he heard the familiar voice through the phone.

____________________________________________________________

There was not a single light on the streets.

The wind and water twirled in front of the windows, the bluish light of thunder breaking into the darkness from time to time, and the rumbling from thunder making the glass trembled echoing the strength of the storm.

You sipped some hot chocolate from your favorite mug, sitting down in the kitchen your mind played out the recent events that had shaken your life in ways you never thought possible. More than a week had passed since the school event in which you got a chance to see a side of your neighborhood you were not familiar with and finding her in the practice of your best friend.

Since then, your encounters with her have been sporadic. But each and every single one of them had the spark of teasing you had come accustomed to. It had become a habit to just bother her and rail her up, to watch her reaction to your piercing words and your constant teasing while getting some reaction out of her. To see her eyes going wide, and flashing that glare you had come to appreciate, or her retorts that were a defiance of your intelligence and your personality. A part of you knew the game you were playing was a dangerous one, another part didn’t even care.

That was, until your mind reminded you of one Carol Danvers that had been at your doorstep from the moment you decided to go back to the world.

The blonde woman had been there as a support, and also as someone that helped you escaped from the pain and the reality you were made to face. So much different than Shuri, Carol had always understood your priorities, and while at the beginning the both of you had agreed on sex with no strings attached, Carol had made it quite evident she was ready for more, and pretty much intended to wait for you to be ready as well.

Another thunder broke into the night.

You lifted your eyes wondering if perhaps letting Carol meet America had been the wisest thing to do, the both of them had hit it off right off the bat, and you knew that Carol had been more than happy about the meeting. She saw that as a step in the right direction, one of the steps to get you closer into a relationship you were still not so sure you wanted.

“What are you doing up at this hour?” The voice of America startled you awake from your daze, turning around you saw her completely dressed wearing a heavy jacket and boots as if she was ready to go out.

“What are you doing dressed like that?” You asked back raising a single eyebrow, the young woman came closer to you tilting her head with narrowed eyes.

“I’m going out.”

You snorted shaking your head, “you’re crazy if you think I’m letting you go out with this weather. Anyway, why the hell would you go out? This has something to do with Kate?”

America opened her eyes wide, blushing lightly while crossing her arms.

“Not everything that happens to me has to do with Kate.” She huffed indignantly, though you had to smirk at her reaction.

“As of late, everything has to do with her…” You replied teasingly. “You two should stop playing around and get together already.”

“Oh, shut up! You are one to talk, you and Carol had been playing the friends with benefits for far too long, you should give in already.” She retorted shooting you a defiant glance, you winced looking away while lifting your mug.

“Touché. I won’t say anything about Kate and you from now on.”

“Thank you.” America turned around but stopped when you placed a hand on her shoulder, your brows lifted in wonderment.

“Still, you’re not going out, though.”

America made a face lifting her phone while trying to come up with the best explanation.

“Look, Billy Maximoff just called me.” She started explaining, and as soon as that name came out you perked up. “He was really distressed, crying and asking for me to help him, something happened to Tommy and…”

“Well, where is his mom? Or his dad for that matter?”

It wasn’t so much the question, but the tone of voice you used to ask. Your voice broke a little, and your tone rose an octave making you clear your throat and look away from the scrutinizing gaze of your sister. America narrowed her eyes at you, tilting her head.

“There is no dad, and it seems as if Mrs. Maximoff needs help.” America trailed off before grabbing your hand. “Come with me, please, I think they really need help and I hated to think Billy is crying while Tommy and Mrs. Maximoff are…I don’t know…”

You made a face letting go of America while scratching the nape of your neck, your heart jumped in your chest while a tingling started in your abdomen at the thought of seeing Wanda Maximoff. It was strange, and unwanted, you shouldn’t feel anxious to see that insufferable woman, yet…

“What if Tommy is sick, Y/N? I know you can help them.” America pressed grabbing your hand. “Please, come with me and if it is something dumb, you can lash out at Mrs. Maximoff, I know it had become your favorite pastime as of late.”

“That’s not true!” You replied slightly offended. “She is the one lashing out at me!”

“Oh, please if I didn’t know better, I would say you like her!” America replied turning just on time to miss the flash of panic in your eyes.

“So, can you come with me?” This time around she used her most powerful weapon against you, and her puppy eyes with that familiar pout broke your resolution.

Rolling your eyes you nod, “okay, okay, I’m coming with you, let me grab something, I don’t want to catch a pneumonia just so you can go and help Maximoff’s brats.”

America smirked watching as you went running to your room, she knew even if your words seemed uncaring that you were hooked when she said the kids might be sick. America knew for you it was hard to not care, but sometimes it was harder to care.

*************

Your eyes soon found those of the small boy standing by the door with a blue blanket tightly pressed against his chest, he had tears in his eyes with his hair completely disheveled and a spark of mistrusted sent your way. America knelt down as soon as he opened the door, her face breaking into one of pure tenderness while she spoke to the boy in a soft reassuring tone.

“Hey, Billy, how are you buddy?”

“Tommy is sick.” He mumbled and was about to hug your sister when you stopped him from going any further.

His glare made you think of his mother, and you had to refrain yourself from snorting at the likeness between both of them.

“We are drench, kid, so hugging America is not a good idea.” The glare didn’t lose its intensity, but the boy pursed his lips and stepped away from your grasp.

America rolled her eyes at you, closing the door behind her and taking the jacket off of her. You followed her swiftly, while also taking off your boots and standing inside the house that had been Natasha’s at some point.

The place had changed ever since, though you could see the new inhabitants of the household decided to keep some of the furniture. You frowned stepping inside the place noticing there was no one but the kid on the first floor, turning around you could see America talking to the boy, this time around she wrapped her arms around him helping him up and walking towards you with Billy snuggling closer to her.

“Tommy is sick, and he and his mom are upstairs.” She commented, her lips broke into a sad smile. “He didn’t know what to do, but he thought if I was here his mom could take Tommy to the doctor.”

“You are quite the smart guy, Billy.” Your commented made Billy turned his attention to you, though his eyes had not softened he was now shooting curious glances at you. “However, with this rain, the best would be for Tommy and your mom to stay here…”

This time around you could see the crestfallen expression on the boy’s face, his eyes welled up again and your heart broke at the sight. You leaned in, winking at him reassuringly.

“But you and your family are lucky that I know a thing or two about being a doctor and may be able to help, would you like that?”

America watched as the boy tensed in her arms, his eyes opened lightly, and he glanced at you for the very first time with wonderment, and some hesitation.

“Really?” he turned to America to corroborate your words, and the young woman smiled at him.

“Yes, Billy, this is my sister Y/N.” She said, looking at you then back at the boy. “And she learnt a thing or two about children and how to take care of them.”

Billy pursed his lips glancing at you with a tilt of his head, “really? You help Tommy?”

“Really, I can help Tommy and your mommy as well.” You looked around the place before settling your eyes on America. “Why don’t you grabbed one of the torches you brough and I will go upstairs to see what’s going on.”

“Sure.” America turned to Billy pocking him on the nose. “Want some chocolate while we make sure Tommy gets better?”

You watched as both of them go to America’s jacket, and handing over the torch to Billy they made their way to the kitchen. With a sigh, you placed a hand on your head before turning your stare to the stairs; the place was completely silent, and you had to glance around while straining your ear to catch some noise. Without missing a beat, you walked down the hall until you found yourself in front of a door decorated with dinosaurs and the names of the twins in blue and red.

The room smelt like vomit, and it felt suffocating.

On the bed was a small boy whimpering, and leaning in was the young woman you had come to know as Wanda. There was a moment of hesitation before you knock on the open door, the sudden sound made Wanda jerked around her eyes wide open as they settled on you.

“Wha-what are you…who…?”

The young woman was looking terrible.

Her hair was out of place, and she had been wearing some sweatpants and a shirt that had strains of vomit all over them. The sight itself was quite incredible, you had seen the fire behind those green eyes, the power behind the woman’s words as well as her determination whenever you engaged her in a bickering contest. But the woman standing before you was lost, it was someone that didn’t know what to do or how to react, that was completely out of her element while holding onto a piece of sanity she clearly didn’t have.

It made you think of that time she had frozen in fear during the school’s event.

“You got any coherent thought behind those questions? Or do I have to guess what are you trying to ask?” Your lips curled into a smirk, the glint of anger flashing towards you as the woman strides to you her index finger lift poking on your chest, with her nostrils flaring.

“What the hell are you doing here?” There was desperation in her voice, and you had to wonder where the father of the kids was, where was her husband.

Was she alone in all of this?

“Your kid called, and America dragged me over to help.”

She blinked a couple of times, your words registering in her head while her brows knitted together. Her eyes locking with yours before she opened them in realization.

“Billy.”

“Yes.”

“America? Why…?” Now she looked even more confused than before, you shrugged suddenly very aware of the closeness of the woman and the foolishness of the situation.

“She is my sister, and your kid call her over to see if she could help you.” You shrugged trying to look uninterested in the whole situation. “You had a smart kid, Princess. Now, let me help you with your other kid.”

You stepped aside, and walked past Wanda who was struck by the door still registering your words. You looked around the place before kneeling down right beside the bed of Tommy. You placed your hand on his forehead, he was burning and your touch made him shiver telling you his skin was sensitive to the touch. It was quite evident he had thrown up, and his paleness confused itself with the flush of the fever. Your eyes moved to the thermometer then to the mess around you.

“What are you doing?” Wanda asked in a thin voice, your eyes were flashing angrily at her just as you stood up.

“Me? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” You asked through gritted teeth. “He is burning up! What had you given to him? Do you know if he eaten something that upset his stomach? How long has he been like this?”

And just as you said this you stepped closer to her, the anger in you came by the sight of the state the room was in and by the obvious discomfort the boy was in. It was incredible to you that a mother could be this disinterested in their child. If your stepmother had been alive her first instinct would have been to take you or America straight to the hospital, bad weather or not, and your dad…

The anger running through your veins cooled down the moment your eyes fell upon the cowering form of Wanda. The young woman winced when you spoke to her, her body tensing and coiling in on itself, while she pressed her hands tightly to her chest. Her eyes clenched close, paled with a quivering lower lip, she was mumbling something you had not bothered to hear up until now.

“I just…I didn’t…I don’t have because I…” Wanda had been ready to answer your reproaches with the same annoying tone she used to address you until something in her triggered the memories she thought she had overcome. She was useless, a bad mother, she deserved punishment. She deserved her fate.

“I don’t know! I’m sorry, I…I failed, I failed, I’m a bad mother…”

You never expected her to break down the way she was doing, something in your chest stirred with sympathy and guiltiness at having been so hasty in your reaction. There was a moment of hesitation that was broken the moment the woman felt to her knees, this time around her arms above her head as if protecting herself from an invisible attack. You clenched your jaw, your eyes burning with horror at the thought that this was perhaps what Wanda was waiting from you.

You could hear her whimpers, turning around you could see Tommy crawling his legs closer to his body, he had been awake during the scene trembling on his bed with his lips turned downwards. You brushed your hair away before stepping closer to Wanda, kneeling down slowly but surely, your hand placed itself on her shoulder. Whatever story was behind her reaction, you decided right there and there, you would make things easier for her.

“Hey, Wanda, I’m sorry.” You whispered softly, comfortingly. “It was not my place, you are a good mother, you did the right thing, I just…I want to help…”

“Hey, Wanda, sorry I just…look, I came here to help. So…”

“Why? So you can humiliate me? Tell me…making me feel as If…” Wanda exploded pushing your hands away, her eyes filled with tears just as she glared at you. “I’m doing my best I just…”

“I know, I’m sorry.” You whispered, wincing at her words. “I was unfair, I…I just…I don’t like seeing little kids suffering, okay? And, Tommy, he really needs a doctor. Let me make it up to you, let me help you.”

“What? You are a doctor or something like that?” Wanda bit back, her glare never missing the intensity.

“Something like that.” You replied offering a half smile, Wanda furrowed her brows the situation draining her of any will or energy to fight over. “Let’s start by getting him really clean up, do you have anything we can give him?”

“What do you mean?” She asked in a small voice.

“Antibiotics, aspirin…something?” Wanda shook her head and you nodded curtly.

“Okay, that’s fine. You and him, you need a shower…”

“But…but he is sick, and his fever…”

“Needs to be controlled before it gets out of hand.” You replied helping the young woman stand up, you cocked your head, so your eyes fell upon the boy that was glancing at the both of you. “Let’s take him to the bathroom, I have some torches that may help you, but you need to give him a bath and help with his fever.”

Wanda nodded weakly making her way to the bed, Tommy was shivering with his lips parted. You leaned in, observing the rhythm of his breathing and the sweat on his face.

“Mommy?” He asked in a weak voice, Wanda cleared his face never missing the concern marks on her face.

“Is he…” Wanda started but soon trailed off.

“He is gonna be okay.” You smiled at her, standing up you placed a hand on her forearm. “Don’t worry, kid, everything is gonna be fine, can you tell me where it hurts the most?”

Tommy pouted hesitating before placing his hand on his head, you pursed your lips nodding. Wanda observed as you knelt down with your eyes scanning the small form of the boy.

“Does your tummy hurt still?”

“No.” Tommy put his legs closer to his chest, your eyes narrowed for a moment.

“Tommy, did you feel bad today at school?”

Tommy hesitated before nodding, “I didn’t want Billy worried because he was playing with Bard, and I’m always complaining.”

The boy explained in a thin voice, Wanda pressed her lips holding back her own tears. You offered the boy a smirk, shaking your head.

“I bet Bard was being a little brat about it, wasn’t he?”

Tommy opened his eyes before nodding, this time around he smiled.

“Yeah, the men in that family can be little brats.” You said winking at Tommy. “But they are good people, you don’t have to hide, Tommy, more so if you don’t feel okay.”

“I’m s’orry.” He lowered his gaze, “I don’t wanna be weak, daddy don’t like it when I complain.”

You decided to not comment on that, and you even ignored the sudden shift on Wanda’s posture, and the gasp she let out at Tommy’s words.

“Hey! Not feeling well is not about complaining, it’s about being brave enough to admit you need help.” You replied by pocking his nose. “Now, I need to help you and your mom with your fever, okay?”

Tommy nodded putting a thumb on his mouth, you stood up looking around the room before settling your eyes on Wanda. In a sudden movement, you went to pick up Tommy in your arms, the little boy snuggling closer to you.

“He does need to take a bath, and it’s going to be a little uncomfortable for him because the water must be lukewarm.” You stated firmly, Wanda shifted her position taking a good look at you. “Can you show me the bathroom?”

The bathroom was huge.

With a big bathtub at the far corner, you realized that with more light the situation would be easier for everyone. However, the place was big enough to make it work for the mother and the child, you placed Tommy on a small chair near the toilet.

“Okay young man, I need your help right now, think you can do it?”

Tommy opened his eyes wide, nodding while glancing at you then back at Wanda.

“Okay, I’m gonna bring some flashlights and you and your mom are going to take a bath.” You explained to him standing up while turning on the light on your mobile. Wanda had been silent up until then, she had been following your every move, hearing every single word you spoke to her and Tommy, and something inside her stirred grateful by your actions.

You glanced around the place helped with your mobile trying to locate the cabinet in which you might be able to locate some medication. Your eyes narrowed when the only thing you spot were gauzes, bandages, alcohol, and things that might help someone after a fall. Not in a situation like the one they were in at the moment. You turned to Wanda, but the young woman was making her best effort to look away from you.

“I’m going to get the bathtub ready, and you and Tommy can take a bath, so the both of you stop stinking.” You made a face winking at Tommy who giggled placing a hand on his mouth.

“I’m not…” Wanda started but soon trailed off when she heard Tommy’s giggle.

“You are.” You replied walking past her towards the tub. “And Tommy is too, right?”

Tommy hesitated before nodding, “I stink. I felt bad in my tummy and throw up.”

You made a face making sure the war was the right temperature, “that and you have a fever, Tommy. I will need some basic medication for you, but the water will help with the temperature, okay?”

“But, with his fever…” Wanda started, you stood up shaking your head.

“It will make him feel better, believe me.” You offered a kind smile and Tommy was already feeling ready to take the bath. “Let me go for the torches, and then I will bring some medication I have at home that may help with his symptoms.”

Wanda stood there nodding numbly, you hesitated for a moment before grabbing her hand, the tender touch jerked her awake and her eyes found yours in the dark.

“It’s gonna be okay, Wanda, trust me.” You whispered, and the young woman felt her stomach tingle at the closeness, her heart shivering at your words.

“I do.”

You nodded curtly running down the stairs and grabbing two torches from your jacket and that of America, your sister watched you with curiosity, but you paid her no mind and went back to the second floor. Fixing the flashlights on two strategic points in the bathroom, it took but a moment, but soon your eyes found the naked back of the boy and your whole body tensed, while your jaw clenched closed again, this time around the anger bubbling in your chest was like a time bomb ready to explode.

On his back, there were multiple scars, some of them looked fresh, some others were old enough to know he had been hurt several times in the past. Then, as soon as you saw this, your eyes drifted away to the young woman whose hands were tenderly taking the clothes off and helping Tommy into the bathtub. The way she moved, the way she worried about her children…

“It’s cold, mommy.” Tommy whimpered fighting a little, Wanda cooed the little boy trying to calm him down.

“I know baby, but really is not that cold, is just…it feels like that because you’re not feeling well.”

“I’m going to leave this here and you two can take as long as you want.” You commented furrowing your brows, your mind already working on trying to get the truth about Wanda from Natasha. “I will leave my phone here, if you want to put on Disney or Netflix for him.”

Wanda turned to you, her face breaking into one relief and grateful expression.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, Princess.” You winked at her, placing a hand on your eyes. “Tommy you are in charge of the phone and the movie, make sure your mom doesn’t put a boring movie.”

“Yeah.”

Wanda chuckled leaving Tommy for a moment to grab your mobile, her eyes soon found yours and her cheeks burn a little at the sudden warmness she felt near you. She grabbed the phone and you and her turned around at the same time, you closed the door behind you, confusion filling up your mind.

****************

“How is Tommy?” America asked as soon as you entered the kitchen, you glanced around the place before spotting the door leading to the basement, in your arms you were carrying the bed sheets and the pyjama.

“He is burning in fever, Wanda is bathing him, and probably will take a shower afterwards.” You turned to America pointing to the basement door. “I need wash this, but right now that room is a mess, can you help me cleaning it up and putting some fresh sheets on the bed?”

“Can I help?” Billy asked in a small voice rubbing his eyes, you offered him a small smile nodding.

“That would be fantastic, Billy, Tommy needs clean sheets to feel better, and your room smells yucky so let’s make sure he comes back to a clean room, okay?”

Billy perked up at this, he nodded eagerly smiling a little, “yeah, I help, come America.”

He grabbed your sister’s hand dragging her back to the stairs, you shook your head opening the basement door going downstairs to put everything in the washing machine.

By the time dawn came, the rain had stopped and Billy, Tommy and America were fast asleep in the twins room.

The lights had not come out yet, and you had a feeling it would take some time for the electricity to be restored again. The living room was early quiet, and Wanda was sitting on the sofa with a warm mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was still wet but her clothes had changed into another part of sweatpants and an old college t-shirt.

Tommy’s fever had receded, and he was no longer suffering from headaches or tummy pain, he had even drunk some tea and eaten some crackers before falling asleep on his bed. Billy had been right on his bed with America playing some movies on your phone.

Wanda had been fussing around the three of them, she was busing herself stopping any intrusive thoughts that were threatening to invade her mind. She was confused enough, tired enough, scared enough to allow another set of concerns filled her life at the moment.

You sat down on the sofa, the young woman tensed but her eyes never drifted from the photo album still open at the coffee table. You glanced at the pictures, having taken a pick early into the night before settling your eyes on Wanda.

“What a night, eh?” Your voice broke the silence in the room, it didn’t carry the usual bite and teasing tone you had come to use with Wanda, instead it was filled with tiredness and curiosity.

“Yeah, I never stopped enough to thank you for the help.” She finally said tilting her head to glance at you. “I never thought your sister…well, that you and America…”

“Oh, yeah, I know.” You chuckled wriggling your eyebrows. “I bet it was quite the shock for you to discover we were sisters, eh?”

Wanda allowed herself a tiny smile, “what surprised me is that she is such a charming young woman, responsible, and quite smart. And you don’t seem to fit in that description.”

You laughed throwing your head back, while allowing the comment wash over you. Wanda observed your reaction with some surprised, but her lips curled into a please smile, soon she was also laughing shaking her head at the absurdity of her situation. Here she was, sitting on her living room with a woman she though annoying and a bitch, only to find a comfort she never thought possible.

“Nah, she is good sister, I’m the bad one.” You finally replied never losing your smile, Wanda pressed her lips together looking away for a moment.

“I don’t think you are the bad one.” You raised an eyebrow, your eyes shinning with wonderment. “You are a bitch, but you’re not bad.”

“Fair enough, Princess.” Once more Wanda rolled her eyes at the nickname, at some point she had thought it annoying and quite invasive, a way for you to railed her up. But now all she could think of was how much she liked the sound of it coming from you.

The silence that followed was filled with questions unasked, Wanda was not the woman you thought she was. She was alone in the city, raising two boys all by herself while working to educate the newest generation in a school that could provide her with great opportunities. Natasha had advocated for her, she had even given her the house in which she and Yelena had grown, offering her a spot in a school that didn’t take just anyone in.

What was her story?

What was hidden behind those emerald eyes that sometimes reflect sadness and loneliness?

You stirred awake turning around while knitting your brows together, you could not ask these questions. You shouldn’t be wondering anything about the woman sitting in front of you. Your heart should not beat so fast, and your abdomen shouldn’t host fluttering butterflies creating a void you were familiar with.

Bouncing your feet on the ground, you stood up walking around the living room. Wanda followed you with her eyes, her own mind playing games with her and what had happened that night. She kept telling her that she was grateful for your intervention, that whatever she was experimenting at the moment was the result of America and you coming in to help her in a situation she felt was slipping from her grasp. It had been so long since Wanda forged any kind of friendship that was not determined by Jarvis or her father, she was finally free to be herself and reached out to people by allowing herself to make new bounds.

That was the reason why Wanda felt confused by you at the moment, it wasn’t because you made her heart skip beat, or because you made her feel vulnerable. It wasn’t either because she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and coyness, or because her stomach had come to tingle whenever the both of you engaged in a bickering contest.

It was because she was learning how to make new friends.

That was all.

Wanda drown the voice inside her head, that traitorous voice that told her Y/N was the only one making her feel that way. Her other friends, the new ones, had never shake her world the way you had done so from day one.

“You should probably get some sleep.” Your voice broke Wanda’s trail of thoughts, she jerked around blushing profusely when she realized you were standing right beside her.

“I’m sorry, what?” She asked, and you snorted tilting your head.

“You should probably go to sleep, Princess.” You glanced at the watch on your wrist. “It’s three in the morning, I could keep watch for you, and I can wake you up as soon as the doctor is here.”

Wanda furrowed her brows at you, “doctor?”

“Well, I figured we need an expert to watch over Tommy, so I asked in a favour.” You replied shrugging, “hope you don’t mind.”

Once more, Wanda felt warmth all over, her heart melting at the gesture.

“No, I…thank you.” She took the last sip from her chocolate before yawning, her eyes drifted to the stairs then towards you. “If you don’t mind…I prefer to stay here…can we talk or something?”

You hesitated for a moment; it was quite evident Wanda was tired but she was stubborn enough to keep herself going if necessary. With a sigh, you nodded curtly sitting down on your previous spot of on the sofa.

“So, what do you wanna talk about?” You finally asked after the silence became too much, Wanda shrugged with her eyes falling upon the pictures.

It was still too soon, and you…The young woman turned towards you, she didn’t want to scare you off with her torrid story. She didn’t want you to know about her past, not yet, not like this; so straightened herself up she asked the safest question she could think off.

“Tell me how come you end up with such an amazing sister as America?”

_____________________________________________________________

The constant buzzing of conversation sneaked into her senses; she knew she had to wake up. An internal alarm was telling her she was needed, but her body and the recent activities had left her drained of energy necessary to open up her eyes.

Besides, she was warmth, and comfortable in the place she was in.

For brief moment she gave herself to the feeling, and her mind was slowly but surely losing the battle with her wakeful state until her ears caught the sound of a familiar voice.

“Thank you for coming, Strange, I know that this is not your specialty but…” You stated offering a tired smile to the man standing before you.

“Nonsense, I will be more than happy to help you out and that’s why I brought my wife.” Strange stepped aside and soon Christine came in rolling her eyes, on her hand the small duffel bag she used to carry with her everywhere.

“Hey, Y/N.” You dropped your shoulders walking towards her and wrapping your arms around her.

“Christine.” The older woman shot Strange a quick glance before wrapping her arms around you returning the hug.

“Miss me much?” She asked teasingly, you nodded looking away sheepishly.

“Like you wouldn’t imagine.”

“That’s why you haven’t called as of late?” The question came like a reproach but without any bite. You winced placing a nervous hand on the back of your head.

“I’ve been busy.”

“So I was told.” Christine waved her hand closing the door behind her, her eyes drifted around the place with curiosity before settling on you. “Where is the patient?”

“He is upstairs with America and his brother…”

“I am guessing you are the mother.” Doctor Stephen Strange stepped closer to the redhead now sitting on the sofa, her cheeks wearing pillow marks and her hair completely dishevelled.

“I…I am…Hi, sorry I just…” Wanda stood up feeling a little foolish and out of place, Stephen smiled kindly at her stretching his hand.

“No, please, we heard it was a rough night.”

“Yeah, it…it was I just…” Wanda stuttered kicking herself for being such an idiot, she dropped her shoulders wincing lightly. “I guess I need coffee, can I offer you something to drink?”

Christine chuckled waving her hand, “don’t worry, dear, I think coffee sounds perfect…”

“Good then, you and Wanda can go upstairs and Stephen and I will make the coffee and something to eat for everyone, would you like that?” You turned to Wanda who was still far too sleepy, and far too lost to said anything at all, you had taken charge of everything so it seemed and a part of Wanda was thankful for that.

“Yes, that…that sounds good…”

“Okay then, if you lead the way.” Christine took on a professional stance, her tone of voice and ever her glance changed, and as soon as they started making their way upstairs she started asking questions about the twins to Wanda.

“She was happy you called.” Strange stated, sitting down on a chair in the kitchen, you hummed moving around the unknown kitchen trying to locate the coffee maker, and some instant coffee.

“I was happy you guys could make it.” You replied never once looking back at your dad’s best friend.

“So, is she your new girl?”

You almost drop the mug in your hand, your eyes opening wide at the sudden declaration and Stephen merely smirked at your reaction.

“NO!” He winced, and she rolled your eyes trying to get a hold of your voice. “No, no we are neighbours, America babysits for her from time to time.”

“America has a job?” Stephen scrunched up his nose, you chuckled shrugging.

“Yeah, she took it after declaring she felt bored out of her mind and this would teach her some responsibility.” You pursed your lips. “She is right, you know? And, well…Wanda seems to need all the help she can get.”

“I see.” Stephen stood up walking towards the fridge and putting some bacon and milk, going around the place to help you out. “And you…and her…”

“Neighbours.” She stated curtly.

“Right, because you are dating Danvers, right?”

Now he was sounding like a confused parent that was no longer up to date with his child’s demeanours. You sighed rolling your eyes, knowing the questions came for the genuine interested of the man, and not because he wanted to be noisy or intrusive. He was like an uncle to you, and after your parents had died all those who had been part of your parents circle had taken it upon themselves to watch over you and America.

“I’m fucking Carol, there is a difference.” You replied slightly defensively, Stephen made a face shaking his head.

“You are dating her, America told us you invited her over for dinner and that she met her formally this week.” Stephen shot you a triumphant smile, and you could only roll your eyes at that.

Of course, America would mention this to everyone who wanted to hear her.

“I’m not dating Carol, but I did invite her to dinner and introduce her to America.”

“You know it’s okay to move on, right?” Stephen inquired again, pressing the topic you had tried to evade for as long as your stubbornness allowed it.

You stopped what you were doing, Stephen continued cutting the bacon and serving the eggs and the coffee alongside a cup of warm tea and some crackers. He waited for your answer, hearing the noises of muffled conversation coming from the second floor.

“I’ve been going out with her, and she seems nice, and quite found of me, and the sex it’s incredible and…”

“But you don’t feel anything?”

You sat down shaking your head, “I like her, and of course I feel affection for her, but…”

Stephen nodded in understanding placing the cup of coffee in front of you, he sat by your side taking the tea in his hands.

“I understand.” He blew on the mug before speaking again. “Why do you continue with the relationship, though?”

“I was hoping I would feel something, but I know it’s not fair to her…to me.” You snorted taking a long sip from the black beverage. “I guess that’s why I have been running from you.”

“Ah, the wisdom of the older generation.” Stephen winked at you leaning in. “It’s okay to feel confused, and to want something, Y/N. What it is not correct is to play with someone that may be interested in you.”

“I know.”

Stepehen made a face satisfied with the ending of the conversation, then his eyes drifted to the newcomers that were talking animatedly about some movie. America’s eyes lit up and she soon run towards Stephen hugging him tightly.

“Uncle Strange!”

“Hey, kiddo!” Billy stood unsure at the entrance of the kitchen, he glanced first at America then a Strange and finally at you.

You tilted your head patting the chair beside you.

“Want something to eat, Billy?” He nodded approaching the chair, helped by you he fixed his body to move closer to the counter.

“So, young man, America tells me you are one of the men of the house, is that correct?” Stephen asked serving him a cup of orange juice, Billy opened his eyes big nodding tentatively.

“Perfect, tell me, do you like eggs with bacon or toast with jam?”

Billy pursed his lips thinking hard before talking, “toast with jam.”

“Good selection, my good sir, let’s eat then.”

____________________________________________________________

Saturday night came faster than you thought possible.

Christine and Stephen had spent most of the day with you and America, and most of the morning with Wanda and the twins. You had left your neighbours house with a heavy heart, thought secure in the knowledge Tommy would be just fine and that Wanda and Billy would be okay.

The afternoon had been quite the familiar time, in which America had enjoyed the company of the couple while talking about school and her aspirations for the future. The topic of Carol was not brought again into conversation, but you knew that Christine was thinking the same as Stephen and that most of that conversation had been thanks to America’s own concern.

You took a quick shower before getting inside your bed, your phone had been forgotten most of the day and by the time you finally got to see it the first message that appeared in there was that of Carol.

“Hey, just wondering if you are okay, hope you have an amazing day, Y/N. thinking of you.”

You turned to the side, your mind playing around what had happened in the last day and a half. The twins, Wanda, the conversations and the things that were left unsaid. You knew deep inside your heart you needed to talk to Carol, with a trembling hand you went to write to her but, at the last minute your finger drifted to another chat. A new one.

“Hey, Princess, how are the twins?”

_____________________________________________________________

#fanfic #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wandaxreader #imagine wanda maximoff #female reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #reader #Wanda Maximoff/Female! reader

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cursedcola · 2 years

Text

Synopsis: They say something hurtful to their s/o and make them cry

Characters: Ace Trappola, Jade Leech, Leona KingScholar, and Riddle Rosehearts

Warnings: This is MUCH longer than part one.

Part (2/2)

Read the first half: here

{A/N: Hi everyone! Here’s the second edition, as promised! This took 3 sittings to write lol. Sorry for the boring formatting but I don’t think I have the guts to deal with tumblr today.}

Ace Trappola

Ace doesn’t have the guts to seek you out immediately

He’s too busy holing himself up in his room. Likely wasting hours laying down; either staring at the ceiling or tossing a baseball in the air.

His braincells are working overtime (a very rare occurrence in his case), and he’s got the classic ‘Angel vs. Devil’ advocate on each shoulder

Ya know, think Kronk from Emperor’s New Groove

According to his Angel, you’re better off alone. He’ll just make things worse and that’s the last thing he wants. The best option is to let himself brood and you have your space. He can wait for you to come to him, and then he’ll apologize. He needs to reflect to be better for you.

As for his Devil, he’s pissed that you ran off without him in the first place. It whispers that the issue wasn’t big enough to warrant a scene. It was only some mindless teasing, and telling him off would have been better.

It’s a game of tug-o-war between the two. Ace’s pride doesn’t want to admit that he’s in the wrong, and wants you to apologize to him. It wants to march over to Ramshackle, demand you talk to him, and to keep going like nothing happened

The Devil nearly wins, but somewhere in the back of his mind the Angel has an ‘ace in the hole’. One holding back that sinful pride

It says that this fight, while small on the surface, is one that would repeat itself if left alone. It’s not the first time Ace’s teasing has gone too far, and he knows it. He has always chosen to ignore it, thinking that you can handle it. He projected himself onto you in many ways, and that’s the real problem.

If he wants you to stay with him, then it isn’t the teasing that needs to stop. It’s the projecting. He needs to try listening more and treating you like his partner rather than a friend with benefits.

In the end, his Angel wins

Yet he is still Ace. Patience is not his virtue, so the Devil will have his advocate.

The fool bolts to Ramshackle, ignoring the protests of his upperclassmen and his dorm’s curfew. Not wise, considering the punishment awaiting him, but he’ll deal with that tomorrow.

For now, all Ace is concerned with is getting to you before he passes out or does something stupid again

Without concern for your sleep schedule, he’ll bang on the door “Oi! Open the door (Y/N)! We gotta talk,”

If you don’t respond, he’ll keep banging until you do. It will progressively get louder and he won’t let up for a moment. It is in your best interest to open it and let him in

When you do choose to open it, you’ll find him a mess. He didn’t bother to clean himself up after his little existential crisis.

Once inside, he at first gets cold feet. He initially planned this long ramble about how he would be better, but one look at you makes his thoughts become static

In the end, all he can manage is to pull you into a tight hug. One he hopes conveys how sorry he is. For earlier, and for overlooking your feelings

If you hug him back, he’ll calm down significantly. Ace won’t want to go back to his dorm in fear of riddle so perhaps offer him merciful refuge. Give him a glass of water and let him go wash his face.

You can sentence him to the couch, or spend some time together. He’s okay with either, but you can’t go to bed just yet. Now that he’s calm, he’ll try to scrounge pieces of what he wanted to say earlier but couldn’t.

“Hey,” he starts, facing you with his characteristic determination, “I’m gonna be better. I don’t know how just yet, but that’s my problem to figure out. Just know that I'm gonna do better by you. The next time I make you cry, it’s going to be because you’re so damn happy and can’t help it. I won’t accept nothin’ else, alright?”

.......

Will you give Ace a second chance?

Jade Leech

Jade is not one to act on impulse. Every move he makes is done with intent.

Every word is weighed against all others in his vocabulary

Every step is taken considering the optimal route

Every hour is maximized, even for personal affairs and hobbies

Jade has always been this way ever since he was a child. How else does a person become so meticulous in everything they do? You noted his behaviors early on, surprising him.

Drawing conclusions based on past experience, deducing his nature should have labeled him as cold-hearted -unapproachable- in your eyes.

Definetly not someone to be loved or admired

Yet, you remained fond of him. Finding security in his planning and trust in his words. If he always chose his actions carefully, then he would never lie or hurt you. He found the refreshing point of view charming, agreeing with it.

“Many may try to harm you, but I am the least likely to,” is what he said. However, even then his words were picked selectively. Even then, he secured himself.

‘least likely,’ is not definite. If you noticed, which he is certain of, you had not commented and instead played along.

That conversation had been months ago, yet Jade found himself reflecting on it more in one day than during the timespan between.

After your argument, he had steeled himself to forget his emotions until your ‘situation’ was taken care of. He met with Floyd and Azul in the VIP lounge, quickly informing them of your whereabouts and why he would be working the night shift.

As always, he spoke guarded. Only reassuring that you would not be leaving the dorm for the rest of the night and leaving out information on the ‘lovers spat’. Utterly useless, since Floyd and Azul knew Jade well enough to sense there was more. However, neither pried.

Instead, they readjusted the system. Now Floyd would accompany you through the day, Azul would escort you home, and Jade would personally track any abnormal behaviors from a distance.

Needless to say, the targeting did not last much longer. Floyd may be decent at tracking, but he’s always been the one to strike in a hunt. Now Jade? He was still on your schedule, yet not bound to your side. With Floyd on guard duty, he was easily able to follow the clues after every ‘accident’.

Two days

Two days and it was done. He had a hunch before, but it turns out that multiple people with grudges teamed up for this plan which is why their tracks were covered well. Jade still found them though, and his brother was just itching for a good squeezing.

Unfortunately, Jade held no pity for them. Though he did offer them one last solace.

“You have succeeded, albeit only temporarily. I grant you the mercy of this knowledge. You have also hurt someone precious, and so I will let my brother here handle your punishment. I have some loose ends to tie in the meantime,”

With that, he leaves and lets another important issue cloud his mind.

Jade had lost his composure with you, which normally wouldn’t be too harsh since he does have his moments. They normally appear as taunts or light teasing, but that is not the issue

Even if he lost control over his voice, he still could have acted. He hurt you, but instead of fixing it he chose to use the situation to his advantage. Using your moment of distraction to handle the more pressing issue, and letting your emotions fester. He also made you feel unsecure by lying though omission, despite doing it for your own safety

Now Jade wonders, how well can you truly predict him? Enough to know he did not mean what he said? Enough to understand why he did not resolve your misunderstanding promptly?

He first finds Azul near your dorm, who informs Jade that you’ve gone to the botanical gardens to relax. The two experience a silent communication, and Jade knows his absence has hurt you. Likely more than his words or lie.

He finds you seated on a bench, laying back and watching the wind sway the trees. You are unsuspecting, calm, and now Jade understand why you were targeted over himself.

“If you stare hard enough, perhaps the trees will bend to your will. Although you will then no longer need Grimm for magic lessons...” he permits himself to sit next to you without asking. You glare at him from the corner of your eye, and Jade deflates slightly.

Something tells him that you know everything. That he spoke impulsively, that he purposefully ignored you, and that someone was after you because of him

Yet something itches, that you do not want an apology for those issues. His only clue is how you haven’t left, and merely sit defiant as a way to say ‘we’ll? I’m waiting...’

“I suppose that an apology is in order,” he breaths, reaching out to lay a hand over one of your own, “If I am correct, you are already aware what I spoke the other day is not true,” you nod, “that I purposefully distanced myself,” you nod again, “and that I withheld knowledge concerning your safety” you nod for a third time

“I am sorry for hurting you, but not for trying to keep you safe. I do not regret that and never will. Yet -above all else- I am sorry for being distrustful and leaving you alone,”

......

Will you accept Jade’s apology?

Leona KingScholar

The moment the door slams, Leona is out and chasing after you. If his underclassmen know what’s good then they won’t get in his way or spread anymore gossip. They are the reason he’s in this mess anyways.

He tried fixing one problem, but ended up with one much worse. Leona could handle your anger. He’s not the type of guy to hold his tongue, and that gets you both in many fights or troublesome situations.

Yet those are petty fights. Normally about how he talks to your friends, skips class, or carries you around like a rag doll. He could brush them off and so could you, because deep down you were aware that he never actually aims to do harm

When it matters, he’s straightforward and heartfelt. You believe that when things get serious, he would never ditch you. Not for a moment has he lead that trust astray, until now

In your eyes, he put his “ pride” over your trust. The initial plan was to brush his dormmates concerns off, but Leona took it too far. Though this isn’t the first time one of his schemes evicted bad karma

Leona catches up quickly. No matter how fast a human you may be, speed is a lion’s game.

He grabs you by the bicep just before you are able to enter the travel mirror and leave Savanaclaw.

“Quit running before you get hurt...” he trails off, the scent of salt hitting him again except more powerful than before. Without letting go, he reaches out his other hand to wipe your tears, only to get pushed away

While he’s startled, you rip your arm from his hold and push through the mirror. Leaving him with a last warning.

“Go away! I never want to see you again!” the command rings in his head. His arm drops limp to his side, before he growls and punches the rim of the mirror in frustration. Leona curses under his breath, before turning around and letting you go

He can’t chase after you now, no matter how much he wants to. There is a reason Leona did not want his underclassmen to think your relationship is serious- why he told such an abhorrent lie.

In his culture, the most respected person in an individual’s life is their partner. The moment you accepted his companionship, you became important to Leona. Which means that if you want it, then it happens. He may complain, he may groan, whine, talk back, etc.

but whatever power he has, is now yours. You just don’t realize it.

The same cannot be said for others. People that have bad motives. So, he lied as a preventative measure. Used his pride as a scapegoat, asserted his dominance, and planned to brief you in later.

He tried to set things right before matter became worse, and failed. Now Leona needs a loophole. Some way to fix this without confusing you or overstepping a boundary. A way that involves a medium.

More like an errand boy. Leona can’t send Ruggie, because the hyena by default is required to respect you as much as Leona. Jack Howl? No ties. Hates drama. No ulterior motives.

Perfect.

A quick bribe, pull at the heartstrings, and before Jack realizes it he’s already delivering a penned note to your dorm.

“The house-warden is pretty bent out of shape these days. Snappy, moping, and honestly a real pain in the ass. Give the letter a chance, maybe he’ll surprise you,” Jack said upon leaving the note

Refuse him or not, you will take the letter. It’s enchanted to keep reappearing until opened by the intended recipient

If you ask why Leona has not come himself, Jack will simply emphasize the letter again with a huff

“Your word is binding, understand? I can claw, scratch, scream -do whatever other stupidly desperate thing you’re picturing right now- but I can not come near unless you say so. Now that you know this, let me explain everything first, and if you still want to run away then go ahead. Just know that if you don’t show up, I will keep hassling your bushy-tailed friend. Maybe I’ll enlist the gluttonous cat? All the tuna in the world in exchange for the stubborn prefect; what will he choose?”

......

Will you return to Savanaclaw?

Riddle Rosenhearts

Riddle tries to follow you. He screams in his head to move, find you, explain himself, and bring you back

Trey is looking at him expectantly, as are the rest of his dormmates. In his frozen state, his eyes scan their faces. Some of sympathy, others withholding frustration, and a few near ready to go after you in his place

Riddle understands, you are beloved by all. You have a place here. A place with him.

Resolving to move, he pushes his chair back to make haste. Yet, he pauses midway in a panic to stabilize himself against the table. It’s then he realizes how his legs are like jelly, and how afraid he is to speak with you again.

Riddle nearly falls over, with Trey steadying his shoulders at the last second. He hears his name being called, yet is too absorbed in his thoughts.

Most specifically, the voice whispering for him to let you go.

It is no secret that Riddle has changed since meeting you. He’s become more sympathetic with his peers, and has somehow managed to become more than just respected in their eyes. He is grateful for the impact you’ve made on his life, and only a fool would not notice his adoration...

What has he done? What can he offer you? He has joked many times that you will find no better in all of Twisted Wonderland

Does he truly believe that? No, and now you have the chance to go home. A world he has never seen before, where you can be happy. If he lets you go now, then it will make separating much easier. There will be no goodbye. He will simply return home to his mother, and when the new year begins it will be like you never entered his life. You can be free from everything-

His face stings. Riddle’s sight finally focuses on those around him, specifically on the rageful freshmen glaring daggers into his skull and with a hand raised

“Just shut up already and go after them! You’re such a big baby- ‘boo hoo I'm holding them back. My name is Riddle and I talk superior but really I’m just afraid of everything’,” Ace mimics Riddle’s voice, pretending to sound like a crying toddler, ”that is what you sound like. Damn straight you aren’t good enough for them, but you better finish what you started or someone else will,” at the end of his lecture, Ace points towards the rest of Heartslabyul’s residents and nearly all agree aloud.

Riddle goes red, all self-deprecating thoughts vanishing at the taunt and mixing with embarrassment. Ace tries to push past him yet gets halted. Not by a collar, but merely Riddle standing in his path. All signs of jello-legs gone, as he looks his underclassmen in the eye.

“That,” Riddle says through his teeth, “is not necessary. Rest assured that they will not be leaving Twisted Wonderland. I swear it on the name of Rosehearts,” he dismisses the final unbirthday party of the year and sends Trey to retrieve some spare stationary. Once received, he bids all a goodnight before returning to his bedroom.

The next day arrives, and Riddle is carrying his suitcase to where he’ll be staying over summer break. On the way there he stops to release a messenger crow, one carrying a very important message.

He walks up the steps to the house, nervous about the previous day’s events and his mother’s reaction. Waiting for a response letter will also be very stressful. The list seems to only grow...

He takes a moment to steel himself, and knock on the door. Once. Twice. Three times. As the rules dictate.

He hears steps grow close and clutches his suitcase firm. When the door opens, he offers a meek smile, “may I come in?”

Too surprised to speak, you step aside wordlessly and usher him inside Ramshackle dorm.

“I am aware you may not wish to see me after yesterday,” he begins, setting his suitcase down to take your hands, “but I cannot let that be our last meeting. If visiting home is what students do over break, then I will be staying here. I want you to stay in Twisted Wonderland. I want to spend time at your side, and I am sorry for leading you to believe otherwise. I am willing to spend the entire summer earning your forgiveness, but do not leave. Please,”

.....

Will you remain in Twisted Wonderland with Riddle?

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bu-blegh-ost · 4 months

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How much time have passed since the beginning of Riptide? (up to ep. 115)

The blorbos have been together for ages, it seems like. And they have been, for years for us, but how long exactly has it been for them? Wanna find out?

So ages ago, @glo-katt84 suggested that it would be cool to count the exact amount of days that passed ever since the beginning of the adventure. And I agreed! So for a while now, alongside other data you may know me for counting I also have been recording a detailed log that describes each day briefly and adds it to the toll. I'm gonna very excitedly compress all this data now and put it in numbers, and have a lot of fun with it, so I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I do!

But first, few clarifications on how I was counting it all:

A single day counts to me as from one morning to another. So it must include a whole day and the long rest, unless they don't sleep, in which case the day ends when Grizzly says: "The new day/morning comes". Or something similar to that.

There are exactly three instances in which Grizzly simplified a certain period as "few days of travel,"/ "few days", both very early on. Aside from that everything else has been remarkably clear, which I'm very impressed by! For these three times however, I decided to count each period as 3 days. Not long enough to be a week, but somewhere in the middle, which is as accurate to "few days" as I can get in this case.

Since everything in the campaign has been counted from the Mana's perspective, the time they spent in Feywilde is counted this way as well. Even if for them it was like a day or two max, their own world did not stop for them. To most, the captains were gone for two weeks, and counting everything in Mana time, then switching to Feywilde time and then back to Mana time would simply create a mess and provide you with genuinely inaccurate number. So we stick by Mana rules. Also including Feywilde time is downright impossible casue they literally spent half of their day in Feywilde and then the other half of the same day in Mana, which creates a whole different clusterfuck of confusion. So Mana time only, trust me. Trying to break down this shit in any other way will make your head hurt.

Alright, so without further ado, the three Riptide captains spent together:

1 day at Zero, half of which already on Loffinlot

15 days on Loffinlot

3 (rough assumption, described as few days) in the Royal Blue Casino

2 days on Desire Island

4 days in Joaldo

3 days in Edison Kingdom

1 day at Duke's

3 days at the B.L.O.C.K

3 days in Allport (first time)

2 days at Noctis

1 day in Liquidis

14 days in the Feywilde (Mana time)

1 day in Allport (second time)

1 day at Zero (before Gillion needs to be emergency Featherbrooked)

1 day at Featherbrook

3 days at Zero (post dying fish crisis)

2 days in Onowa Country

1 day in Promised Bastion (and sea)

1 day (for now and not a full day yet) at the Hole in the Sea

63 days in total on the open sea

So there you have it! Of course, you gotta add a couple of days of Chip and Jay sailing on their own, but from the moment the main three got together, it has been, as exactly as I can feasibly estimate, about 125 days

This constitutes of 62 days spent in various differnet locations and 63 days spent on the sea alone.

This would also make about 4 months of travelling together. And hopefully, many more as the story progresses and comes back after the hiatus.

Anyway, hope you found it as fun to learn, as it was for me to count. Take care everyone <3

#jrwi riptide #just roll with it #jrwi #gillion jrwi #gillion tidestrider #chip jrwi #jay jrwi #jay ferin #jrwi spoilers #counting until there is nothing left to count #that is my mission #also I am incredibly sleep deprived so if math ain't right literally anywhere here pls let me know so I can fix it

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localapparently · 5 months

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/ orv main story ending spoilers , mentions of kdj's suicidal mindset

mindless rambling

my friend who just finished orv asked me why kdj couldn't just split like 2% off of himself into an od avatar and leave that in the train while he joined kimcom, and while my initial reaction was "there's no way he could just do that" I remembered i thought a similar thing when I first read through orv too? and maybe it got explained down the line but I forget things real easy (which is why i'm rereading orv) and so I'm just trying to make sense of it using my existing knowledge

There's this bit in epilogue here:

Sangah's words "protecting the world by dividing himself in half, one becomes the reader, one becomes the character". the first being 51 and the second being 49,

I think there are layers to it. Right after being shaken by the OD ordeal, kdj's mindset that he's to blame for the whole world is reinforced stronger than ever before in his head, because he had just witnessed living proof of it. And that's not something he can overcome just because sp and 999 gang took od away to take care of him. Even then, kdj was confused why they weren't angry.

There's also the persisting mindset kdj has that he's twsa's reader and not a proper part of kimcom, and he probably felt like he should bear the burden of consciously continuing to read the world until the very end. He managed to see himself as part of kimcom over the course of the story but od's appearance sort of undoes all that progress he's ever made, and its sad but its pretty common for self hate mindsets to spiral like that,

He probably felt like he deserved it, yet him wanting that extra 2% difference to prove he knew and loved kimcom more than his avatar. Him regretting splitting in half right after the avatar left and he saw them all walking away. He knows what he wants and in the end he can't bring himself to think that he deserves it

And honestly I don't really know why the way singshong writes kdj's self hate and suicidal tendencies get me so badly, I mean I do, kind of, the feeling is there, but it's incredible how long the set up was and how real it feels when you see it all go downhill.

i think od reveal truly truly fucked up kdj to no repair. like if you read the passages, its fucking heartbreaking.

"My own tragedy couldn't even compare to their pain. The sin of creating an even bigger tragedy because of my own should not be forgiven." "Something was wrong. A blade… I, I needed to find a blade."

and the thing that gets to me is how easily anyone who has had self loathing thoughts can empathise with him. The want to disappear for inconveniencing things that would've been perfectly fine and pretty and happy had you not come into contact with it, the idea that you are a disgusting monster and its easier to shut yourself off than do any more damage. and its Fine if youre in pain because They will be happy and theyll will be happier without you.

It fascinates me how a portion of readers of orv who self blame or self doubt love kdj so much, because the act of loving him is also some form of self reassurance that they can be loved as well, because if someone like kdj can be forgiven, then surely they can, for all their small or big mistakes that are definitely not on the scale of plunging the universe into a space apocalypse. or something.

but i might be assuming so. don't take my word for any of this.

tldr he doesnt split out a small avatar to take the place of od because he thinks he deserves it. which is quite obvious if you take a look at the big picture, and i dont really know why i rambled so long. maybe ill reread orv and theres gona be a small bit that's like "ohh well actually if it was too small of a percentage that became od the universe wont hold up" and i will be like Ah yes i just missed that part. and this ramble will be void. uhh yes. have a nice day

#orv #orv spoilers #kim dokja #3am rambles

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wheatnoodle · 1 year

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welcome to part 4 besties of deaf!steve/steddie

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

—

she lets him play his show. she doesn’t want to ruin it for the other guys, though with the way eddie’s playing, he seems to be doing that himself.

robin cannot look away from him.

her jaw is clenched, thin arms crossed over her chest. while the rest of the bar vibes along to the music, she is stock still. the party tries to pretend they’re enjoying themselves but the awkward glances and forced smiles tell otherwise.

she sees red. and she doesn’t even have a ride to go to her best friend. her other half. she can feel him. her heart is in her stomach, her chest is empty. an aching cavity. she can barely focus.

eddie’s fumbling on stage. he keeps his head down, hair curtaining his face. he wont look at any of them, he can’t look at them. his fingers shake as he stares at his fretboard, fucking up what should be easy progressions. his face is on fire. he knows he needs to get his head in it, but he can’t stop thinking about steve. the way he crumbled right in front of him and, like he seemed to do quite often, scooped up his broken pieces to bring home by himself. every time eddie blinks, there’s teary doe eyes clouding his vision.

so, robin lets him play his show. it doesn’t last long, gareth being the one to shake his head and cut their set short. they pack their gear and step off the stage and robin has her fingers around eddie’s wrist. he has no time to protest as she drags him away. down a back hallway with one light hanging from the ceiling and graffiti on the walls.

“rob-“

she shoves him against the wall, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and tugging him down to her eye level.

“what the fuck is your problem, eddie? what the fuck is your problem?” she hisses into his face, her brows drawn. eddie’s eyes are wide as he stares at her, mouth gaping like a fish. robin wants to smack the look off his features. seconds pass before he’s glaring at her in return.

“my problem? what, so me not wanting to be friends with someone who doesn’t give a shit about me is a problem?” he scoffs, knocking her hands off his shirt.

“what are you talking about?!” robin feels hysterical. she doesn’t know whether she should laugh or scream or cry or all of the above at the same time. “since when does steve not give a shit about you?!”

“since always! since high school!” he throws his arms out. he might be reaching robin’s hysteria, he thinks. “im the freak to him.”

“i cant believe you would say something like that. after everything? really? what happened to you being so totally lovesick you just had to go and start writing your music about it?”

eddie barks out a laugh, tilting his head back to the ceiling, to the one flickering light. “as if it even fucking matters. you know he’s said no every single time ive invited him here? or to a band practice? every time! i don’t even care if he likes it, i just want him to fucking show up!” he’s raising his voice. he knows he is.

“he’s deaf! you shithead!” robin tops his volume. her voice cracks as she puts her hands on eddie’s chest, shoving him again. her cheeks are ruddy, her own eyes glossing over at the intensity of her emotions.

“what?” eddie whispers and he stops. right there. he stops moving, stops blinking, stops breathing. his jaw is dropped. he has that stupid fish look on his face again. every thought leaves his brain, only robin’s words bouncing around in his head. he’s deaf. he’s deaf. he’s deaf.

“he’s deaf. from all of his stupid head injuries. he can’t hear your music at a show, eddie! there’s too much going on!” she’s crying now. angry tears rolling down her cheeks. she wipes them away furiously.

“what do you mean…”

“i mean he doesn’t want you to look at him different or like he’s weird. because he can’t hear. because king steve being deaf just doesn’t make sense and there go proving it,” she shakes her head, her fingers going into her hair to tug at the strands.

“i didn’t…i didn’t know,” eddie gulps thickly. his heart is pounding in his chest. steve is deaf. steve the hair harrington is deaf. steve the babysitter is deaf. steve the monster hunter is deaf. his stevie can’t hear.

“no shit. he doesn’t want any of you to.” eddie’s hands find her wrists and ease her fingers from her hair, pulling her against him. she slumps into his chest, crying in his shirt (if she makes sure to make it extra gross, that’s between her and the lord).

they stand there till she calms down. until she pulls back and tucks her hair behind her ears, wiping her eyes again for good measure.

“i…i need to go see him,” eddie says, nodding along like he’s trying to convince himself it’s what he should be doing. he pats his jeans pockets, finishing out the keys to his van.

“you need to fix this. i’ll get the others to start trying to get in contact with him,” robin sighs, resting the back of her head against the wall. eddie nods again, turning on his heel and sprinting down the hall.

he makes it to the door, gets his hand on the push bar. “eddie?” he turns back around when robin calls his name.

she hesitates a second before closing her eyes and sighing yet again. “don’t break his heart.”

his brow furrows briefly. “i won’t.”

—

tags:

@madcapromantic @youarenotgonnafindme @samcoxramblings @depressed-gays-of-marvel @zombiefang

#part 5?#stranger things #stranger things season 4 #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #stranger things fic #fic wip #deaf!steve #deaf steve harrington #hoh steve #hoh steve harrington #he’s just deaf man #angst no comfort (yet?)#kinda miscommunication #robin buckley #platonic stobin

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yevmarie · 4 months

Text

Light My Fire | Chapter 3

Masterlist

< Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 >

Plot: having lost everything you are drowned in depression, which had happened to you a year ago. Now you need to struggle with the apocalypse as well with no sparkle in your heart. But there is one man who can light your fire to live.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader

Word count: 2.4k

Pronouns: you, she/her

Warnings:

angst;

mentions of depression;

swearing;

nudity;

a bit suggestive;

differences from the main plot may occur;

bad English (not my first language).

If I miss something, please let me know. I hope you enjoy :).

Taglist: @your-shifting-gurl

You woke up feeling shitty as the day before had cleaned your clock. The tent was becoming hot as the sun was at its peak. You started hearing people around. Everything was calm, so you assumed everyone was busy with their assignments. You saw a small posture unzipping the tent. As you shared it with Lori and Carl there was no doubt it was a boy. The movement was slow so you guessed he was trying to get sneakily not to wake you.

“I’m not sleeping,” you said, and movements started to be faster. “Hey,” you said seeing the boy. “Morning,” answered the boy walking inside. As you noticed his eyes were watery and red, you sat and offered Carl a hug. The boy didn’t hesitate a second and slammed into your embrace. “I know I can’t do anything magical, but how could I relieve your pain?” you said stroking the back of the boy’s head. The boy shrugged his shoulders and sniffled. “I saw one beautiful place near here yesterday. If you want, we can go for a walk there after I see Shane and ask if the camp needs my help. Okay?” the boy faced you as you cupped his face in your arms.

“He is sleeping; he held a night watch,” said Carl.

“God… You’re right. That was a tough day, it almost feels like a week has already passed. Then I’ll talk to your mother.” He silently nodded in agreement with your offer and went out of the tent.

After changing your clothes you went outside. Women were cooking or playing with children, some men were butchering or cleaning their weapons. You wondered how the progressive society went to its origins when labor had been strictly divided by gender.

You found Lori cooking near the campfire. “Hey, do you need any help?” you asked. “Um, yeah,” she replied confused as you talked not so much lately. “Please play with Carl or whatever. So just he can be in your sight.” You nodded and called Carl who was sitting alone near the RV where an old man, Dale, was on the watch.

“Come on,” you said to Carl and you both went to the place you had found at night.

Carl and you were silently sitting on the hill watching the sight open to you; the quarry surrounded by forest mirroring in the water. The warm wind was lingering on your shoulders. You just closed your eyes imagining the time froze.

“How did you overcome your parents’ loss?” the question asked by Carl sounded as if he was a mature man which made you confused.

“I didn’t,” you opened your eyes and smiled sadly.

“But you don’t cry for them.”

“If you don’t see me crying, it doesn’t mean I don’t do this.”

“Did Shane help you somehow?”

You silenced for a moment trying not to overshadow the man in the boy’s mind. “It’s difficult to answer, Carl.” You replied recalling him being furious at you as he had been tired of your state of constant sorrow. That’s why you split up half a year after the car accident your parents were in. Although Shane looked like alpha all the time, in fact, he was just a weak man who couldn’t cope with your mental condition. But he masterly used this like it was two weeks ago. He got drunk as fuck when Rick was shot and came to you late at night. You couldn’t resist him hoping he would relieve your loneliness. You clearly understood that was not right, you hated yourself for this action.

“But how do you stay calm?”

“There are a lot of methods,” you answered avoiding mentioning therapy and antidepressants. “The main for me was keeping the daily routines, doing hobbies, sport. By the way, seeing my friends like you and your father. I just did anything that could distract me. I struggled to do this at first, but then I got used to it… And there’s time for everything. It’s like a wound, you need to get it healed. So, this time hasn’t come for me personally.” you silenced for a moment seeing Carl trying to hold his tears. “Look, nothing is embarrassing in crying. And in expressing your emotions in general. It’s not pleasant sometimes, but you don’t need to be afraid of it. At least, if you feel you need someone’s shoulder, you should know it’s always here for you.” you said tapping on your shoulder. “I will do my best to support and comfort you.”

Carl sobbed and hugged you tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, my sweetheart.”

Carl and you got back to the camp. The crowd of people was loudly talking almost panicking. The group that had been assigned to the city run was standing in the middle. The men were covered with blood, and some of them were badly injured.

“Not all of them returned,” you heard Lori’s voice as she stood up beside you.

“Why?” you glanced at her.

“They said there had been zombies everywhere. Already called as walkers.”

“Bullshit!” you whispered knowing Carl was somewhere behind you.

“Yeah, but that couldn’t be collective hallucination.”

“You’re right, but now this sounds… Like someone’s stupid joke.”

Another hunting group was approaching the camp with Daryl as well. Shane as an opinion leader started to give instructions like keeping weapons in firing readiness and leaving the camp at least in pairs. If someone sees a walker near the camp, kill it and let the watcher know about this.

“I ain’ gonna listen to some dumbass thinkin’ he’s the center of everythin’ here,” you heard the familiar low raspy voice and couldn’t help but just silently agreed. Definitely, these rules make sense if you want to stay alive, but some visceral disgust toward Shane arose from yesterday telling you the opposite. Like in reverse psychology. After Shane’s speech, everyone returned to their activities.

As the night began people were gathering near the campfire where one short-haired nice-looking woman was serving food. Your stomach let you know about its presence and you decided to try to eat. As you approached the woman, she nicely smiled at you and started a conversation.

“I’m Carol,” she said while serving a generous portion for you.

“Y/N” you quickly replied then stopped her “It’s too big for me,” you heard someone’s nasty laugh as from the last seats in the classroom followed by a loud smack. You turned around and saw Daryl screaming at Merle. “Like children,” you commented emotionless and switched your attention to Carol.

“But you look weak.” Carol continued insisting on the portion.

“I can barely eat now. I’m afraid I’ll waste it if someone’s hungrier than me.”

Carol nodded and served another plate. You thanked and walked away where fewer people were sitting in case you felt nausea and you could attract less attention to yourself. You tasted the meal, which was quite nice for the field kitchen and surprisingly the stomach accepted it with pleasure.

After the dinner you found yourself frustrated as you barely knew the people around. Carl was sitting near Lori and Shane, which company you wouldn’t like to join, so you decided to have a walk down to the quarry. Not the cleverest decision knowing about the walkers, but you didn’t care. You went to your tent, grabbed the towel, change of clothes, and a gun thanking yourself you had addressed the psychiatrist willingly, so you hadn’t been prohibited from weapon. You sneakily went out of the tent walking through the dark and wooded area and headed to the quarry.

It was quite cold and the water gave you chills but you wanted to sober yourself from different thoughts rushing in your mind. You looked around and felt a bit of freedom recalling your younger years when you used to swim drunk and naked with your friends. You stripped off not being afraid of someone’s looking at you, because the hell anybody would do the same stupid thing like you. Starting gradually walking into the cold water you decided to dive not to prolong the moment of accustoming to the temperature. You got shivers through all your body so you decided to swim near the shore in case you get muscle spasms. Suddenly you saw the man with a familiar walking. The crossbow was behind his back and a bag was in his arm.

He stopped as he noticed you. “Whataya doin’ here?” he asked with obvious surprise.

“How does it look like, Daryl?” you calmly replied swimming in the opposite direction.

“Don’ ya remember you cannot leave the camp alone?” he narrowed his eyes feeling irritated as he was hoping to have some time alone.

“You are not the exception of the rule as well,” you continued replying calmly when you saw him making a couple of steps walking away to the camp.

“Hey! Why are you leaving?” you asked Daryl not expecting to get the answer but surprisingly to you he stopped and turned around to you.

“Needed to clean myself, but ‘ll do it later,” he was supposed to go away, but you continued.

“Come on! I don’t give a damn about your body and I hope you do so towards mine,” the man looked down at the clothes on the ground noticing your underwear laying above.

I went looking for trouble and, boy, I found her.

Daryl’s heart skipped a beat realising you were naked. Fucking naked. He felt his blood was running hot going down his belly. His forehead was covered in sweat in a second. He started to sink in lustful thoughts and damn, he hadn’t even looked at you. Daryl was afraid of how quickly he got turned on just because of a thought. He glanced at you inspecting your neck, collarbones, and shoulders appearing from the water.

“Don’t deny yourself pleasures especially because of a stranger. Who knows when we’ll be attacked by walkers and die? It won’t matter after all,” he just rooted to the ground and stood silently, obviously hesitating as he started biting his lips.

“I won’t be looking at you,” you turned around and dove in headfirst. He exhaled loudly and undressed himself quickly to get into the water so you wouldn’t see his arousal.

You came back up and brushed your wet hair back glancing at Daryl who was waist-deep in water soaping himself. You noticed his broad naked frame and turned your head around closing your eyes. You started dreaming how his muscles could feel under your palms but your thoughts were interrupted by Daril taking a running dive. He disappeared underwater for a moment.

“Shit, how are ya even swimming here for so long?” he asked you after surfacing cluttering with his teeth and swam to the shore. Realizing he was right you decided to follow him outside.

His back and arms appeared from the water framing his muscles. The body was covered with tattoos and scars becoming blueish because of the low temperature. Daryl brushed his hair back with his arm and continued walking opening the shapes of his glutes and strong legs. The skin glimmered because of the moonlight shining on his body. You felt a hot wave lingering in your veins. He was such a masterpiece alive you couldn’t stop looking at him.

“Y/N, stop being predatory, you stupid,” you thought as you both stood up back to back. He was wiping his body with the towel when he sneakily glanced at you. The view opened of you naked and wet, straining your hair sent him over the edge. He turned around, gulped hoping you didn’t hear, and felt that the cold water didn’t stop him from getting arousal again. “Fuck!” he swore in his head and at lightning speed wore his boxers and jeans. “Are ya clothed?” he asked still standing to you at his back. “Yeah,” you answered and walked towards the camp followed by Daryl.

You were going both silently through the forest when suddenly you heard someone rasping. You both bent on the knees and saw the walker going just several feet from you. You froze with fear for a moment.

“Fuck me!” you whispered and felt Daryl’s hand tightly covering your mouth and another one gripped into his warm body so you cannot do any other noise or move.

“I’ll deal with it. Don’t move and even make any noise,” Daryl whispered into your ear and headed a few steps toward the walker targeting it with the crossbow. His arm muscles tensed and his jaws clenched. The arrow struck the walker right in his head. The body fell to the ground. The man stalked to it, took the arrow out, and looked around to make sure there was no danger around. “Follow me,” he said in his lowered voice when he looked at you.

As you both neared the camp, you saw Dale on night watch. "Dale," Daryl called out. "There was a walker sixty feet away. It’s finished off,” you tried to slip away while the men were talking but felt a firm, and at the same time gentle and warm grip on your forearm. Turning around, you saw Daryl looking at you.

"Don' even think ‘bout walking alone," his eyes looking right into yours which made you freeze. Instead, you just gulped and nodded in agreement. He relinquished the hold and turned on his heels to head to his tent.

Retreating to your tent, you lay down on the sleeping bag and close your eyes, trying to banish the vivid images of possible death from your mind. You had been thinking about death a lot before but hadn’t met it face to face. You were so thankful Daryl was beside you as you would end your journey. Usually, you could defend yourself but at that time you couldn’t predict your behavior in such a stressful situation. You recalled how Daryl gripped you in his body and felt butterflies in your stomach along with the familiar impulses in your lower body. “The fuck, Y/N,” you thought, “What’s wrong with you? You could die but you are just thinking of a man having touched you,” you recalled him walking out of the water and felt how the excitement was filling up your body. “Oh no..,” you thought and laid on your side trying to close your eyes and fall asleep as quickly as possible.

< Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 >

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forevermore-quoth-the-kitten · 1 month

Text

MC has ADHD (Part 2)

MC has ADHD, and medicated or not, there's no adderal in the Devildom, so they have to deal with it on their own. Sometimes that doesn't go over too well since the denizens of the Devildom have no clue how to handle you sometimes.

Diavolo

Diavolo is always happy when he sees you, even more so that you two have a bit of time to chat since his next meeting isn't for half an hour and your next class isn't for 15 minutes.

but as soon as he sees you he can sense your emotions are chaos and it upsets and confuses the prince.

is something wrong? are you ok? he asks, surprising you. Diavolo is quick to apologize for surprising you.

Diavolo only grows more concerned though when you wipe baby tears from your eyes and tell him you're fine, and he can very clearly tell its a straight up lie.

Diavolo completely disregards both of your schedules, deciding that even Barbatos can't yell at him for prioritizing his exchange student. so he drags you to his office and sits you down, asking you again what was wrong.

and you try to lie again, but as soon as he reminds you he can tell when you lie, you just break down and cry against him for a few minutes.

after a bit when you stopped crying, Diavolo's heart had broken already, and he lets you pull yourself together before asking if you can tell him yet.

yeah, yeah you can tell him. you just- its hard sometimes. it was just a rough day and-

you cut yourself off, as if you're trying to protect someone. it brushes him the wrong way, but Diavolo hides it. he just waits and you eventually sighs.

your history teacher had chewed you out for a few incorrect facts on an essay you'd turned in the day before and he just wouldn't listen when you said you'd done your best but the things he pointed out weren't common knowledge for you.

you'd been learning their entire history that they grow up with in a few months and it was a lot and your progress was impressive. even Lucifer and himself recognized that, Satan himself had said that your progress is incredible.

but your teacher did not care, you should have known those things and he even said why. the reasons, Diavolo hates to admit it are good reasons. but that's for someone who'd been in the Devildom for a longer period of time. and you have other things besides that one class to do so, is he is truly pissed.

but that's not the current priority, he can deal with that teacher later.

right now you are in his office telling him that the lecture had just been too much and you hit your limit.

You quiet curse yourself out, saying something about emotional regulation and adhd, the first is easy for him to figure out, the second confuses him. Regardless he stops you, hating you talk about yourself like that.

You end up having to explain you didn't mean it like that, and tell diavolo about adhd and what it is and how it can affect you.

One of those things being hyper sensitive to certain things. It's not a big deal, you're over reacting and you know it.

Diavolo entirely disagrees but gives you a pass from you next class and let's you sit in his office for a while telling him some more.

He needs to fix a few things so this doesn't happen again to you.

Barbatos

you haven't moved in probably an hour

hes not even sure if you've blinked

getting your attention to ask if you're alright, you snap back to reality quickly and smile.

you're fine, just kinda thinking.

about what, he asks, curious as to what could take your attention like that.

um, nothing really? several things. its a bit weird to explain.

Barbatos shrugs it off and gets back to work, but just watches as you space out and your eyes unfocus just like that.

10 minutes later he's coming back to ask you, a bit concerned.

you have to laugh a bit. you're just feeling a little bored so you're getting lost in your head. its generally called disassociation, it just kinda happens sometimes, inside or outside of your control.

ah, this must be related to the adhd you have that he keeps hearing about.

he's . . . a bit worried about you but it seems you are not worried about it.

he accepts your explanation and moves on. but he does take the time to learn about your adhd a bit more.

he's less concerned the next time he sees that look in your eyes, although he's not entirely pleased to see it happening during class.

Solomon

Solomon is the only one who figures out you have adhd without you having to spell it out, lol

thus the shady sorcerer starts drug dealing to you

aka, he offers to get you [insert your adhd medication here]

you almost accept without thinking before you ask what he wants in return because you fucking miss being able to function properly

he asks you to help him as his assistant sometimes

you tell him you'll tell lucifer on him

so now you say him for his services normally with like, actual grim.

and the occasional experiment that usually gets you two in trouble

he's probably adhd too, or maybe he's just that nuts. who knows who cares

you got your bullshit and a chaos partner

devildom look out if he starts withholding your shit everyone's gonna suffer for it

Simeon

he's visiting the house of lamentation for the day to watch you because the brothers are all gone and it's not quite safe for you to to be alone.

you're cleaning, which is fine, he's letting you be productive. but over the course of a few hours, he's- getting concerned. you started in your room and you took some dishes to the kitchen, where he them found you doing the dishes. lovely!

but then you took the dirty rags to the laundry and he found you not long after in there reorganizing the detergents and the like and you separate the nearly empty ones out.

you throw those out and collect the trash, but it only makes it to the front door because now you're in the coat closet and now he had to intervene.

you've started so many tasks and finished none fo them. would you like some help?

you blink at him, then your eye go wide.

"i was cleaning my room!" you burst, and he has to pause. did- did you forget?

kinda? you're task jumping without meaning to because as you do something, you realize something else needs to be done so your brain switches tracks and most of the time, you kind of forget the previous tasks, or how the jumping started.

how- does that even happen? are you ok? Simeon doesn't want to be rude, but he's confused and concerned.

naw, it's just your adhd, it happens. you just need to get back on track. thanks!

. . . wait what's that?

you chat as he helps you stay on track and also finds out what aitism is.

and that . . . sounds a lot like Micheal and Raphael

he might have to look into this more

Luke

Luke does not like studying in your room. it's messy and disorganized and he doesn't like it!

besides its dark

its not that hes scared of the dark! its just hard to see! thats all!

but he is confused because whenever they stop by your room you have to look all over for whatever it is but you never clean it!

just organize it!

but no, luke's dumbfounded when Leviathan pops in asking for some pencils and you reach into your closet and open a shoe box with a hat in it and pull out 2 pencils a pen and a plastic straw.

what the actual heck?!

you say of course you know where that was, you put it there like 3 months ago.

how do you know where that is but not your Devildom History textbook from 2 days ago?!

you sigh and explain your brain works very weird. hyper organized things like his room are not your forte. your try to reorganize sometimes but it always devolves into your personal brand of organized chaos.

Luke still doesn't get it and you're a bit annoyed and snap at him that you cant help it, its just how your brain works

now you both are kind of upset. you apologize for snapping at him and luke apologizes for-

you cut him off because he didn't do anything wrong. you sit him own and explain that your brain and body work different than a lot of people because of this thing you have called adhd.

he panics for a second thinking you're dying.

then he thinks its the demons fault.

once he lets you actually explain, luke thinks about it for a few minutes, then takes a look again around your room. like he's trying to see it differently.

then he asks if you have those bags next to the bookshelf for a reason

yes theyre some things you've collected for your bookshelf at home after your year here that you don't want to take out but it's at least in the right place

what's in your desk?

you explain the organization of each drawer to him.

why didn't you give levi a pencil from that?

he wanted a specific one i borrowed from him once that we both forgot about.

Luke doesn't mind coming over to your room as much after that, it comes in handy when he started remembering where you keep your things or where certain items end up being thrown.

Part 1

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #diavolo obey me #barbatos obey me #solomon obey me #obey me simeon #obey me luke #has it been five years? yes #did i just remember i had drafts i could finish?#. . . shush

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minthe-lover · 1 year

Text

Polyamory in lore olympus

okay! so you know how I'm a desperate bitch for poly rep... guess I needed to add the word good in front of that cause this shit isn't it.

So one thing that I just need to say.. is I'm confused where the fuck rs is doing her research, cause a polyamorous 'pod' isn't a very common term and has the exact same meaning as polycule. Cause rs has proven to not be one to actually do alot of research, so it feels weird that she used a term like that.

Now another thing is that Poseidon wasn't polyamorous before... I could only really find two thing that point towards that. The first being a joke about him looking a second wife.. which in context is clearly just him using it to edge on hades... and it's never mentioned again.

That and the end of season 2, with the one panel of a bunch of people including Amphitrite hugging Poseidon... I assumed this was just his children. I really don't dislike Poseidon being poly I think it could've been really good rep but rs either did have him being poly since the beginning and just never actually put any thought or time into saying it... or added it after the fact to lampshade and earn more points for being inclusive.

You know what.. it may be the first... but given that we have Persephone saying the identical line as leuce.. and Hades just.. didn't correct her? like come on hades I know your a horny fucker but also Poseidon is now someone whos being actively bigoted against whenever someone saying he's a cheater.. and you don't stand up for him if the person is making you horny? Also it just retroactively makes all the bitching that hades does about his brother cheating gross... cause hades is now basically blaming Poseidon for how OTHER people wrongfully view his poly relationships.

Now something that just really piss me off.. is that this is being confirmed by hades just saying he's poly.. besides one panel of him hugging his partners, we haven't actually seen him being polyamorous. Why was does he still only have one wife, why haven't we seen any of these other partners... and why aren't we learning this from Poseidon himself.

It just... annoys me, am I supposed to applaud at the fact that hades said the word polyamous? We just have Poseidon, Amphitrite and then bunch of nameless and basically faceless people... it just feels so half assed. You just had a wedding scenes.. have Poseidon and his partners be together during that.. have him mention his partners while they did the dumb best man bit. Like have us learn that Poseidon picked hades as his best man over zeus multiple times.. that would be a sort of funny way to learn about it.

Just a little bit more... it wouldn't be that difficult. It really fucking hurt when you have like four separate hetero-normative monogamous relationships that you give so much time and thought into but any level of queer relationship is completely fucking ignored. It's so fucking clear that these are just here to make this comic look more progressive when it just fucking isn't.

Like rs you went out of your way to make Athena and Hestia gay and then just never actually did anything with it... And now Poseidon is the same. You have multiple kinda unnecessary chapters learning about how Aphrodite and Hephaestus got together just so we can have the name drop of Kassandra really... But you don't have at least one chapter actually about either of the queer relationships in this comic.

Also I just think it's important to talk about Zeus with this. I've seen alot of fans say that Zeus is polyamorous because hes a serial cheater.. which is just a wonderful unproblematic stereotype/s. While I don't see as much of that directed at poseiden... he's very much repeatedly labeled as a cheater by the story, so again either rs planned for him to be a poly character and decided it would be... funny? if he was unchallengedly called a cheater repeatedly.. or again Rs retroactively made all the characters that call him a cheater just assholes and also decided it would be best to pick a cheater to be the polyam character.

This really just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, cause polyamorous people have so little representation and most of it is pretty shitty or stereotypical and lore olympus a story so focused on monogamous romances had a great chance to actually make something good... christ one chapter of just Poseiden and his relationship could be enough to make it good. Instead we have a character repeatedly labeled a cheater and then have someone else tell us he's actually poly.

#lo critical #anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical

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obscurecharactershowdown · 10 months

Text

Group E Round 2

[image ID: the first image is of Goo, a blue blob with a 2 little black eyes and a half smile. the second image is of Shrimp, a black creature with a blue and white collar. he has bright white eyes, 4 spindly legs, a long tail, and an oblong head. end ID]

Goo

okay so goo . goo is like the silliest little goofball ive seen on a web series . he dances with PINECONES and makes and says weird wacky analogies and keeps all of them in little notebook for later use and also made a 3-5 hour film for his best friend bot after they said they wanted a new identity BUT he single-handedly spent like 30mil dollars or something for that but it’s okay hes trying his best !!!!! also he did NOT deserve to be voted out for that i really hope goo and bot reunite btw because they didnt get to talk much right before goo’s elimination and not ONLY that but literally goo got eliminated BEFORE he got to see bot’s transition he doesn’t even know that their name is bot he still thinks its tbd (…like literally. he still thinks their name is literally “tbd” because they said their name was tbd. yeah he’s kinda dumb like that but it’s okay i love him for it/p) as far as i know anyways their silly little meaningful conversation before his elimination that made me cry "yeah,, i liked it !! but.. it was,,. a lot :[ listen goo,, i-i dont need this new identity to be such a big grand spectacle , i just want you to treat me like. llike me . with all the uncertainty lately, it helps everything feel just a bit more,, normal , yknow .?" “oh,, ohfor sure ,! i get it !! it’s like,, you just wanted a slice of cake, and i went and gave you the whole bakery ,:D !!” “hehe, yyup, nailed it !! ,:)” UWAHHHHHHH😭/LH/POS and also he’s apart of an alliance with his bestie called the cheer factory !!!! and they focus on cheering people up and theysure as hell do well at it !!!!! they cheered up clover and the floor ithink yes the floor is a character ssshshshshhsshh / and goo literally lost one of the challengesbecause he laughed at the floor’s joke in order to cheer him up AND HE DID NOT CARE he was just glad he got to cheer somebody up !!!!! “another satisfied customer at the,, CHEER FACTORY !!! :D” LITERALLY HE WAS SO HAPPY and also when goo and bot were separated into two seperate teams goo is IMMEDIATELY sad when he notices bot isnt with him “sigh… i guess the cheer factory has become the.., cheer llc. :[“ I FELT SO BAD FOR THE BOTH OF THEM / but ahemem anyways goo is a silly little goober and that’s why he should be in this competition !!!🎉🎉 also a few extra bonus facts about him (sorry not sorry/lh/silly) 1 . he doesnt have limbs but like he also doesnt write with his mouth . his voice actor said he dances on top of the paper until it leaves a smudge 2 . did i mention he dances with pinecones/silly 3 . he likes fudge sundaes 🎉🎉 4 . his voice actor has made him diss subway before due to a request on one of his livestreams ( “lalalalala- SUBWAY⁉️eat fresh my butt‼️>:[[” ) 5 . hes blue

Shrimp

Ok so Shrimp is public enemy #1 and I love him. He's the funny little guy you see on your loading screen during the game who you don't think much of until eventually you find an asylum on one of the floors of the Upturned Inn and oops! Shrimp is there! And you need to free him to progress, which Ik is alarmed by even though you can also just tell him you didn't see/free Shrimp. You can put a collar on this little guy to make him look snazzy, despite how little he's with you. On the floors where he's friendly he kind of just follows you around, so you get to have a little buddy for parts of the game! He's basically just your pet dog who may or may not be severely dangerous. And by may or may not I mean a definite yes he is, because he turns aggressive when he gets especially hungry. He can eat the food objects scattered around, though, so that's avoidable! He can also stay with you for nice little elevator rides, which does concern Ik, but it works out! until he starts trying to attack you but if you don't feed your dog then I don't care if it attacks you [additional propaganda 1]

#obscurecharactershowdown #group e round 2 #obscure poll #goo inanimate insanity #inanimate insanity #shrimp the upturned #the upturned

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bananasofthorns · 2 years

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

“Hello?” Joel calls as he flies into Gobland, dodging stalactites and stalagmites to land in front of fWhip’s house. “Are you home, you smelly, tiny man?”

He wanders around shouting for a minute or two before there’s a responding yell from deeper into the cavern. A second later, fWhip appears on the path, building materials still in hand. He looks even tinier from so far away. Stifling a laugh, Joel makes his way over.

“Hi!” fWhip greets brightly, staring up at him with wide eyes that shine like soul lanterns in the dimness of the cave. “You’re not here to kill me again, are you? That would be really inconvenient, I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

He gestures over his shoulder at the build. It kind of just looks like a few grey and teal boxes stacked on top of each other. Joel raises an eyebrow.

“It’s a work in progress,” fWhip explains.

“Ah. That makes more sense.”

“The inside looks really cool, though! Do you wanna see?” He pauses, then clears his throat. “You’ll, uh. You’ll probably be able to fit. I mean, I’m pretty sure I measured everything correctly.”

Joel’s eyebrow raises higher. Very reassuring, that is. “Sure, lead the way,” he says. “I’ve got something to ask you about.”

“Of course, of course! Come on in. I’ve still got some finishing touches I need to add, but the inside is done, for the most part.”

fWhip cheerfully leads them inside. Joel doesn’t bother to hide his awe as he takes in the high ceiling, the vibrant colors, and the surprisingly refined but still cozy atmosphere of the inside of what he’s now realizing is a bar. fWhip leads him to one of the booths at the side of the room and hops into a seat, pulling the table closer to himself so that Joel can sit. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze, but he does, somewhat surprisingly, fit.

“This place is sick,” he says, eyes catching on the Warden head sitting on a shelf above the bar.

He’s a little bitter about that.

...okay, maybe more than a little bitter, but he’s not here to pick a fight. He’s here to do the opposite of that, and also he has to admit that it does look pretty cool up there. Fits with the color scheme and everything.

“Why, thank you!” fWhip says with a bright grin that bares his pointed teeth. It feels only a little bit like a threat, but he couldn’t do anything to Joel, anyway. “What did you want to talk about?”

Joel clears his throat and pulls the shulker out of his inventory. “Well, first of all. I’m here to offer you this in exchange for the copper you gave me.”

He sets the box on the table and waits, watching with a suppressed grin as fWhip opens it, eyes going so wide Joel imagines he can see sparkles.

“No way,” he breathes, holding the half stack of raw gold blocks - most of Joel’s supply, thank you very much - like they’re the most precious thing he’s ever seen. “This is all for me? Are you serious?” He pauses, eyes going impossibly wider. “And the diamonds?! Joel!”

“Yeah, of course it’s yours, why else would I be giving it to you?”

“Well I don’t know! This is amazing, thank you.”

fWhip stuffs everything back into the shulker and tucks the entire thing into his inventory. Joel very carefully doesn’t let his eyebrow twitch; it’s not like he was planning on giving away the shulker, too, but he has plenty extra. It’s fine.

“Was that it?” fWhip asks.

Oh, boy, Joel thinks, even though he’s pretty sure it won’t be that big of a deal and fWhip will probably say yes anyway, especially now that he’s been softened up by all the pretty, shiny things. He doesn’t even know why he’s nervous. Here goes nothing.

“So, you know how last world, we invited Grian on for a day?” he starts, tentative.

fWhip nods. “Yes,” he says, drawing out the word. “What, you think we should do it again?”

“Kind of.” Joel pauses, takes a deep breath, and blurts, “Can you whitelist Etho for me?”

He hesitates, then adds, “Please.”

fWhip stares at him. His eyes are very large and very blue. It’s a little unnerving. Joel stares back and refuses to show how unsettled he is. He’s, like, seven feet taller than fWhip. It’s fine. He’s totally fine.

“Etho,” fWhip repeats. “As in, Etho’s Lab? That Etho? The guy who basically invented modern redstone?”

Joel considers this. “Yeah, I guess so.” Honestly, he’d kind of forgotten about Etho’s reputation. “He’s, like, my friend now.”

“How’d that happen?”

Joel tries not to be offended. “We, uh. We met in Double Life...?”

fWhip’s eyes go wider, if that’s even possible, and he nods, slow and understanding. Sometimes Joel forgets how clever he is. He doesn’t even know where he found out about what, exactly, Double Life was. Maybe Jimmy told him. Maybe it was Lizzie, in those weeks at the start of Empires when him and Jimmy and Scott were gone.

“Was he your—?” fWhip starts. Joel cuts him off with a nod that’s a little more frantic than he means it to be. “No way.”

“Yes, way.” Joel hesitates. “At first, kind of I didn’t expect us to, like, get along, since I’m— well, you know how I am, and he’s so...Etho—” He grimaces. fWhip’s never met Etho; he probably has no idea what Joel’s talking about. “But he’s actually pretty cool, I guess. Don’t tell him I said that.”

fWhip takes that in for a moment.

“Yeah, of course we can invite him,” he finally says. “Just let me know when and I’ll do it. Anything for you, buddy.”

He reaches over the table - or leans his entire body over, really, with how short he is here - to pat Joel’s shoulder. Joel sighs. He shouldn’t be this emotional about...he doesn’t even know exactly what. Stupid death games, he thinks, then pauses. That’s not quite right.

Stupid emotions.

“Thanks,” he manages. “I’ll, uh— I’ll message him. And let you know when, and all that.” He pauses. “Thank you again, fWhip. Really.”

fWhip grins, as bright as the gold tucked away in his inventory. “Any time, my friend. Any time.”

#smallishbeans #ethoslab #boat boys #aywth au #banana writes things #banana made a post #next chapter they'll actually talk dw asdjhkf

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taleasnewastime · 1 year

Note

Drabble request for WIILYTM?

Postpartum time: JK helping OC during recovery and JK daddy mode in full effect 🥹😩

Love you and your fics 🥰 your JK version in WIILYTM is really one of my favs ♥️

Hey! This was cute, I hope you like it!

Word count: 760

Warnings: Mentions difficult birth, Jungkook wants to do everything.

When you were pregnant Jungkook was the guy who wouldn’t let you do anything. It was insufferable.

As soon as your bump started to show it was like something took over him. He’d stand in the kitchen watching over you when you rolled your eyes at his offer to cook and said you could do it, reaching up to grab anything that required you to stretch too high. He’d carry all the shopping for you, would carry progressively lighter and lighter items the further along you got until you could hardly lift a book without him saying something. He helped more with Zac, would talk with him and play with him, take him off to give you some space alone to relax. He even started to help you stand from chairs when your bump was so big you couldn’t see your feet.

It's sweet really, his excitement seeping out and intensifying his caring side.

It doesn’t get any better when you give birth.

The birth was textbook. Mia came out on time, screaming and perfect. But there were a few complications after. Nothing major, but you losing 2 litres of blood wasn’t exactly part of the plan. Even though it was your second birth and even though Mia was perfect, because of the complications post birth the doctors kept you both in for a couple of days.

Whether it was that, or whether Jungkook would have been extra protective regardless, you’re unsure.

Tiredness falls over your house quickly. Mia’s screaming at night keeping you and Jungkook up, both of you taking it in turns to try and settle her. She seemingly doesn’t wake Zac though, given the amount of energy he still has every day.

Despite how tired Jungkook must be he still insists on doing everything.

“Will you just let me fold the washing?” You sigh, almost laughing the words at the fact that Jungkook won’t even let you do the simplest of things.

He plays to it, a joking smile on his lips. “I don’t know, does it really have to be done now?”

“When else is it going to be done?”

“When I have five minutes later?”

“You mean after you’ve done everything else that needs doing?” You don’t let him answer the rhetorical question. “Jungkook just let me do this.”

You push playfully on his chest as you try to get past him. Gently grabbing your wrist, he stops you long enough to place a kiss on your lips.

“I just want you to relax,” he mutters, kissing you again.

“You’ve been up half the night,” you say on account of him insisting he’d stay up when Mia was whining. And as if in agreement Mia starts to gargle from across the room, you’re sure on account of being ignored for too long. You lift an eyebrow as Jungkook keeps you close. “You go sit with her; I’ll go make us a tea.”

He still looks reluctant, but ultimately lets you go. His bloodshot eyes leaving yours, you catch the way they light up as they fall on your daughter. Watch as his large hands ever so gently pick Mia up from her play mat on the floor. She looks tiny as he cradles her against his chest and your heart squeezes tight at the sight.

You knew Jungkook would be a good dad, you’ve seen him around Zac who isn’t even his and yet he treats him like his own. Seeing him with Mia is something else. You know no man is going to stand a chance with her when she’s older, no man will ever live up to her father.

You slip out of the room as Jungkook settles onto the sofa, whispering gently to Mia as he settles her on his chest.

To start you boil the kettle under false pretence, using the noise to cover the fact you’re actually folding the laundry. Not that you expect Jungkook to complain or tell you off. But after everything that happened with the birth you know he easily worries.

Still, you don’t need to worry. It doesn’t take you long to fold the washing, the task soothes you. And by the time you boil the kettle again and make two teas, Jungkook is already asleep. Mia pressed protectively against his chest, one large hand covering her back.

You smile to yourself, take a picture of the two of them before slipping out of the room and getting on with a few other tasks you know Jungkook will appreciate if not scold you for doing.

#juungkook drabble #Jungkook fanfiction #Jungkook fic #Jungkook x reader #WIILYTM request

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jaestrz · 1 year

Text

Old love [ Kim Mingyu ] chapter 1

- single!dad au - non!idol - ceo!gyu - fluff - soft hours^^ -

“it wasn’t my intention to keep it a secret from you, I just wanted to protect her from the world and now I want to do the same to you.”

Chapter 2

🤎🤎🤎

the first time you met Mingyu, it was when you first started working under Carat inc. you were working as a supervisor. Maybe it was rare to see him come by since you and him weren’t in the same building. You’ll see his face when he tours around each offices to see the progress. It would’ve been a lie if you said your table didn’t have a pile of files that needed to be done. There were times where you overheard him asking your colleague why you were the only one that has a stack of files on your painfully small cubicle. He wasn’t lying. You wished your table was a little bit bigger.

But it still managed to get you to finish it by working after hours. You weren’t procrastinating, you swear. Works pile up faster than you actually thought despite working with a big company. Everything just keeps flowing without a stop. You worked over time to get everything done and the next morning there would be another 12 files on your desk, maybe even more than that if it gets busier.

yeah. As if you’re the only supervisor in this goddamn company.

It was to the point where accidentally falling asleep while working was getting a little to normal. “Are you okay y/n? If you need help I can help with some files if you really need some rest.” You herd Chan’s voice the opposite side of your desk called out. His head peeks to see your condition which you could only forced out a smile and say your fine. Liar. You were actually dying inside, the small spaces were making you anxious. You couldn’t believe it either you worked like that for a year and a half without filing any complaints to Mingyu.

It was true. You followed Mingyu and his PA here and there for business purposes because people liked your works. It was also the reason why Mingyu probably chooses you.

You were overworking without even watching yourself but Mingyu was, and there was a sympathy feeling in his heart.

Why would he? He only knows you as a supervisor who knows more than what a supervisor should know. Mingyu only saw you as a smart employee.

Your knuckles hit against his office door, before walking in the room, delivering him the files his PA was supposed to deliver. But you’re stopping in your tracks when you saw him doing something with a laptop on the table while he uses the pc to show his layout for some business job. Mentally cursing under your breath, you rubbed your temple when the headache starts to kick in. Out off all times, I decide to walk in him during a meeting. Good job y/n. You thought to yourself, eyeing at Mingyu as a sign for apology but before you could leave, he muted his meet and asked you to wait for a while which you did because he was your boss. You were ready to get an earful from him today.

Weirdly as it sounds, you were watching him when you sat at the cushion sofa in his room. His focus when it comes to meetings could honestly beat you.

And how fast he could take a note without having to hear it again. Your hand was unconsciously gripping the file you were supposed to ‘deliver’ to him. A bit annoyed because he has a PA that could do the job yet here you are. In his office, sitting on his sofa and waiting like an idiot. You couldn’t help but took a glance at his office. Yeah, you did work in the company for almost 2 years, but you never actually had the chance to be in his office and look at his things.

Because first, his office and your cubicle weren’t on the same floor. His was a little bit higher than yours. Second, you never paid attention to your surroundings. You’ve rarely been to his office except for sending some files his PA couldn’t send and asking questions about work. It kept your mind occupied till the point where you didn’t have a moment to think about what was in front of you. This was probably your world record of staying this long in his office.

This man acts… weird.

He comes around 9:10 in the morning and leaves at 4:30 in the afternoon, came to work without a proper attire and only changes into a suit last minute if he has a meeting in his schedule. How did you know? You don’t know either… maybe his PA let’s out a little too much information to you.

There were drawings on his pin board. A kid’s drawing to your point of view. Does he have a kid? Married? But he looks young, maybe he has a family in his private life that he didn’t talk about. Great. You worked for almost 2 years and you didn’t know what your boss is the type of. He’s focus when he needs to and relax when he wants to, you suck at reading people’s expression.

You busied your mind by relooking at the complete file in your hand whilst he finishes off his meeting, not knowing once in a while he was actually watching you.

It took somewhat a few minutes for him to finish the online meeting and your eyes snapped back at him, stood up as soon as he was done. Since when did you get so tensed.

There was so many scenarios that could really happened. Anxiety crept through your skin. Did you do something wrong? Was he going to get angry at you for cutting in his meeting? A minor mistake in the files that could probably be a big problem to him? Were you going to get yelled at?

“I really don’t have to stay just to give you the file sir. I could’ve come back later once your meetings finish-”

“hey, it’s fine. I’m not going to kick you out over a meeting and your table was actually far, that would be tiring to walk back and forth over a worksheet.” He was too calm to be a CEO. Too calm for you. Sending files to your boss wasn’t in your job application. It was supposed to be the PA. Where did she go?

Mingyu could really be tough when it comes to work. He either likes your work progress with just a nod or he just gives you back and say ‘not satisfied’ as a sign for you to redo the entire thing from scratch.

But then he just put the file aside and asked you to sit down.

“did I do something wrong sir?” You questioned, a hint of hesitation in your voice once he’s realizing he accidentally scared you. Mingyu shook his head no before a soft chuckle left his lips, “hey, relax y/n. Did the upcoming project got you this tensed?” His voice was soft. And you wondered if this was how he is with his family. “Can you fill in Sungji for the mean time? She’s getting married, and we have a business meeting in a week. I can clear your work, Chan and Hansol can cover it.”

You thought about it. Going on another business trip with your boss. Except without your best friend Sungji and you’re going to be his PA. “is there a reason why you trust me with business trip? Jisoo and Jeonghan are more than just a supervisor…”

“I don’t look at titles y/n. You’re acting like this is the first time you’ve gone on a trip with me.” You bit your tongue, to stop yourself from saying anything else out loud that you might regret later on. But then again,

this would be very bad for you.

#seventeen #ao3 #love #svt fluff #fanfic #imagines #kim mingyu #svt #mingyu kim #svt x reader #mingyu fluff #mingyu imagines #mingyu x reader #mingyu fanfic #mingyu

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bettsfic · 7 days

Note

I’m taking another break from writing and I really want this break to be different so that when/if I go back to writing I’ll actually stick with it and have some of my walls pulled down so that I have less resistance to working on a project. Do you have any tips on how to step away from a project to recoup mentally and then go back feeling ready to tackle writing a novel again?

I don’t want to just avoid writing by watching tv and stuff but also be ready for a new project:

If this helps, here’s what happened:

I was working on a story idea off and on for 6 months and I noticed it becoming a story I did not plan on and one I didn’t think my skill set was ready for. It made me avoid the project for days at a time or build up walls around the idea of writing because I have attempted this thing for 2 years now with no significant progress. Just starting and stopping an idea and hating myself and slowly hating writing in the process with each failure.

As someone who is goal oriented I set mile stones, like query in 5 years finish my first novel this year,etc….

But it feels daunting when you stand on square one and feel like your ideas not right or your not skilled, people are going to hate it, and you are afraid of self-inserts(I don’t like to read self-inserts so I’d hate to write one of my own by accident).

So now I’m burnt out and has lost touch with what’s fun about writing.

it's interesting that you mention the idea of walls multiple times here. that seems to be both the problem and the solution. it sounds like you're writing from two different minds: the half of you feeling creative and inspired, and the half who wants to do the job to the standards you set yourself.

the problem is that you can't do one task with both minds, so you have to give each their own task. the half of you that wants to make something and have a good time with it can become the generative half. you use that energy to plot, draft, daydream, etc. the other half of you needs to do something they're good at, because they don't seem to be very helpful with generation.

my recommendation is to create an independent study for yourself. this project sounds very important to you, and you want to do it justice, and that means that second half of you needs to devote itself to developing the scaffolding that will allow your generative side to build the thing you want to make. if you've done any kind of teaching before, great. if not, think back to how your favorite class you've ever taken was structured and go off of that. write a whole syllabus if that sounds fun to you (creating syllabi is very fun for me).

most people i know see everything in one step: do the thing. but try breaking all your goals up into at least two steps: teach yourself how to do the thing, then do the thing. especially for people like you who are goal driven and organized (and probably were/are very good students), it can be extremely fun and satisfying to become your own teacher.

here are some individual activities you can try that i think might keep you focused on your project and relieve the burnout:

write a list of learning objectives. this can be anything from specific craft mechanics to mindfulness and meditation.

create a reading list. find some relevant texts that will help inform your project. you say, "I don’t want to just avoid writing by watching tv and stuff," but if you watch tv through the lens of your project, it becomes a productive exercise. take notes, then organize and index your notes. personally, i love taking notes about the tv i watch and then indexing my notes.

craft small assignments that use what you learned from the reading list to reach the learning objectives. if one of your learning objectives is "learn how to write in first person," you take your favorite first-person reading and use it as a prompt for a short piece of prose.

make a final assignment. maybe your final assignment is a drafting plan (not an outline) for how you want to tackle your return to drafting. maybe it's a sample/practice chapter of your project. maybe it's an actual "what i learned in this course" style book report.

this isn't advice i would give to everyone. there are a lot of writers out there who would read this and go "absolutely fucken not" because they are the "just do it and see what happens" sort, or they had such a horrible primary education that the thought of framing creativity within the structure of a course seems agonizing. but for writers who get in their own way, who have both tastes and ideas that outweigh their current skill level, i definitely recommend training your scaffolding brain to tasks that are more actionable, and taking the time to learn what you want to write before writing it.

#writing advice #writers' block #pedagogy #process

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jayoonology · 1 year

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𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 | 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞

𝗮/𝗻 - yay!! First chapter out now guys!! I’m already half way done with the second chapter, my mind is running wild rn. this chapter is sort of long cause I wanted to get the basic concept out so we can move on with the story. it’s a bit confusing so if you guys have any questions lmk!! also sorry for the lack of soobin this chapter 💔💔

𝘄𝗰 - 7.3k

𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 | 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 ▷ | 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Something is wrong with you. Ever since winter term has started your memory has been a bit fuzzy. You could be in maths class and then suddenly you’re eating dinner at home. Like some weird time jump. At first, it started small, like jumping to the end of a lesson but as the days progress they’ve been getting further apart. One time you even jumped forward 2 days. To say that this is worrying will be an understatement. No matter how far you look for answers, you can’t seem to find anything; even google let you down.

“Fuck, could it be that I’m dying?” You whisper to no one in particular. Nowadays all you think about during your conscious moments are the weird jumps in your memory. No. You shake your head. You couldn’t possibly be dying, your health otherwise has been perfectly fine.

Could it be head trauma? No. You haven’t done anything dangerous..or maybe you have and you just can’t remember..? You groan into your hands, why is this happening to you?

“Y/N?” You hear your teacher call out, immediately your head shoots up from your hands, almost forgetting that you were indeed in a lesson. The class muffles laughter as the teacher shakes his head.

“Y/N, have you been paying attention?”

“Uh..yeah I have.”

Your economics teacher Mr Cho sighs, giving you another chance to fess up, “Have you really been paying attention?”

You nod ‘yes’ even though it’s blatantly a lie and everyone knows it. It’s just too embarrassing to go back on what you said. Mr Cho shakes his head, “Alright, what are the main objectives of government macroeconomic policy?”

Shit. You awkwardly stand up as your classmates make another poor attempt at stifling their child-like giggles. You shoot them a disgusted look, god what is this? primary school?

“The..um.. the main objectives” you start, dragging your words as if it would do you any good, “The main objectives of the macroeconomic pol—"

RING RING RING

YES!

Saved by the bell. Before Mr Cho could even open his mouth, the students start packing away, some leaving the second the bell rang. You follow the lead, aimlessly throwing your pencils and notebook into your bag. You’ll sort it out later, you just need to get out of his classroom.

But Lady Luck isn’t always on your side, “Y/N, can you stay back?” You hear Mr Cho say sternly. You’re screwed. You mentally facepalm, before slowly turning into dread.

“Do I still need to answer your question?” You say sheepishly, playing with the straps of your backpack.

“That’s not necessary.” He leans against his desk, crossing his arms before his chest, “Y/N, your final exams are approaching and you’ve been zoning out in your lessons.”

“Mr Cho, this was just a one-time occurrence.”

“I’ve spoken to your other teachers, you’ve been zoning out in your other lessons too.” He replies quickly, “Is there anything bothering you?”

Yes.

“No, nothing... I guess I’m just stressed about senior year.” He nods sympathetically. You briefly debate on whether you should tell Mr Cho about your memory gaps. But it’s fruitless, he’ll probably think you’re crazy.

“I understand, but please—“

Click

“Huh?” It happened again. You’ve jumped, secretly thankful that you didn’t have to hear Mr Cho’s speech about responsibility and school/life balance.

You’re greeted with the soft early spring breeze. Sitting outside amid a blooming spring day surrounded by cherry blossoms is an enchanting experience, you’ve always thought so. You feel the gentle breeze blow past you, carrying the petals through the air. The breeze carries the sweet fragrance of the flowers and rustles their delicate petals, and the soft pink and white hues of the cherry blossom trees create a serene and peaceful ambience. The rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds add to the tranquillity of the moment. Maybe you could enjoy yourself in a different world. Right now all you can think about is your sanity. Are you truly losing it? From a distance, you spot your friend and classmate Beomgyu with his partner Cat.

“GYU!” You shout across the garden, catching their attention, you give them a small wave as you walk across.

“Hey Y/N!” He greets you simply, offering you some of the crisps he was munching on.

“Gyu what day is it?”

“Uh.” He pauses, checking his smartwatch for the date, “3rd March, 12:47 PM”

‘Okay good, so it’s still the same day...I just jumped a couple of hours.' you pull out your diary. You’ve been keeping note of how often you jump and how long the jump is.

“Are you coming to the cafeteria with us?” Cat asks, you nod your head ‘yes’ following them inside with idle chatter.

The cafeteria as usual was filled to the brim, you’d be lucky to find a seat here, especially during the cold spring afternoons. You pick up a random sandwich and some cookies, following your two friends. I guess a perk of going to an elite school is that the food lives up to the price.

“Guys!” You hear a familiar voice call out. Huh Yunjin, your best friend since forever. You can’t even remember a time without her existing. One thing about Yunjin is that she has no shame, and you love that about her. She’s pretty easy to spot in the crowd, after all, she held an entire open table for you guys, yelling at whoever tried to sit on it. Happily, you walk towards the table, taking the seat in front of her, your other friends following suit. It doesn’t take long for the table to erupt with conversations.

You couldn’t help but notice the empty seat next to you, “Yunjin.” You call out, “Where’s Kai?”

“Kai’s over there with Kang Taehyun.” She says in between chewing, pointing to a table at the back of the cafeteria.

You turn to find your best friend and Taehyun engaging in some pretty deep conversation, deep enough that Kai to still sits there instead of coming to eat lunch with you guys.

“They’ve got some music project,” Beomgyu mentions, making you break your gaze from their table.

You didn’t know much about Kang Taehyun. Sure, you’ve been in the same school since nursery but you’ve never really talked to him. He’s quiet in class and sort of just fades away from social situations. You try to think of the last time you talked to Taehyun. Was it during your primary school graduation? Was it last week when you asked to borrow a pencil?

“What kind of music project?” Haechan asks, sipping on his orange juice. Beomgyu shrugs, “I’m not sure really.”

“ANYWAYS-“ Sakura breaks the small silence that enveloped the table, “So then I was basically 1v1 him and I used the-"

Your eyes keep flickering to Kai and Taehyun, and you aren’t sure why. Seeing them talk is arising some kind of emotion in you, you can’t really place what it is.

Just as you were internally debating to get up to go talk to them the bell rings, eliciting a groan from the table.

“See you guys after lesson.” Your friends say to each other, picking their lunch trays to dispose of. You hastily grab your bag, walking towards Kai, who’s still talking to Taehyun like nothing happened.

“Hey, Hyuka!” You greet your friend, breaking the conversation. Your eyes flicker to Taehyun, “Hey Taehyun.” He offers you a tight-lipped smile.

“You ready to go to lesson?” You ask Kai, who stares at you bewildered, “Is lunch already over?” You nod.

“Aw man, I didn’t get to even eat anything.” He groans, patting his stomach. Before you could say anything, Taehyun pulls out an energy bar from his bag, handing it to Kai. Excitedly the brunette thanked Taehyun, devouring the energy bar.

“Taehyun, you’re in our biology class aren’t you?” You aren’t really sure why you asked, you know he’s in your class. Maybe because it’s too awkward to just hover over them in silence. He nods.

“You should come sit with us Taehyun!” Kai bubbled, grabbing the penguin bag that you got him for his 18th birthday. Your eyes widen involuntarily, surprised at your friend’s suggestion.

“No thanks, I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” Taehyun says, looking right at you. Shit. That was rude of you. You awkwardly look down at your feet, feeling incredibly called out. Thankfully, Kai being oblivious doesn’t notice anything different.

“Please!” He begs, “You wouldn’t bother anyone! Right Y/N?” He beams at you. You nod quickly, trying to rectify the situation.

“Yeah, you should sit with us.” You say too quickly, nodding profusely.

“Okay.” He responds plainly, getting up from the table. Kai being the social creature he is fills you into the conversation he was having with Taehyun earlier.

You learn that Taehyun’s on the football team and that he’s passionate about music. Of course, you learn this from Kai rather than Taehyun, who walks in silence, giving a subtle reaction now and then.

Even as you sit down in the lab, Kai doesn’t stop talking about how cool Taehyun is and how he single handily wrote the lyrics for their music project. You take your seat in between Taehyun and Kai.

“That’s so cool.” You respond, genuinely interested in their project, “Will I get to hear it after you’re done?” Hyuka nods excitedly, telling you his vision for the project.

As the teacher walks in, the class falls into silence with occasional whisper every now and then. During the lesson, you can’t help but think you misread Taehyun. It was quite ignorant of you to think he was boring just because you never really interacted with him.

“Okay class, I’ll be checking everyone’s homework now.” The teacher announces.

Wait what?

Homework? You had homework? Your biology teacher was infamous for punishing people who don’t turn in their homework. Your head snaps to Kai, who calmly removes his homework from his file, “KAI WE HAD HOMEWORK?!” You whisper yell.

“Yeah” he replies, “Have you not done it?” He smiles coyly.

“No!” You exclaim, “I didn’t even know we had homework, when did she give us homework?”

“Last week! You were sat right next to me.” He replies, laughing a little to himself. You narrow your eyes, Kai is always like this. He loves it when you forget about the homework, he says it’s funny to watch you get scolded.

Hurryingly removing your memory jump diary from your bag, your fingers flip through the page looking for the right entry. “What day was it?”

“27th February- what’s that journal?” He tries to glance over your shoulder.

You mumble the date to yourself as you flicker through the pages. 27th February. You skipped the day entirely. No wonder you didn’t know about it.

Taehyun doesn’t pay much attention to what you and Kai are talking about. As if in his own world, he removes his homework and calmly waits for the teacher to get to your shared table.

“God, nowadays my memory has such weird jumps.” Taehyun involuntarily turns to you, as if some foreign subject controlled his body.

“Jumps?” He finds himself asking you, you turn to him surprised. You didn’t think he was listening to your conversation. His eyes fall upon your diary.

<27-28th February I missed two whole days. The last thing I remember was walking home with Yunjin and suddenly I was in pe class on the 29th. This is the longest jump yet. I don’t exhibit any other symptoms. I still hear this clicky sound when I jump.>

“What do you mean by jumps?” Kai asks, intrigued by your unusual statement. You shut your diary, unaware that Taehyun has already read your entry.

“I don’t know how to explain it—“ you try to say but are immediately cut off by Kai hugging you. “What are you doing?” You say whilst pushing him off.

“Is that why you’ve been so spacey?” He exclaims, “You should take better care of your health! You shouldn’t stay up playing games with Sakura and Beomgyu!”

You sigh to yourself. Just as you suspected, it would be illogical to tell your friends. As much as you love your friends and trust them with your life, they just wouldn’t believe you. You wouldn’t believe you either, this is something right out of a comic.

Taehyun looks between you and Kai, the wheels in his brain turning. Could it be that-? Taehyun stopped his thought.

“Y/N.” You looked at your teacher with dread. From your face alone she just knew you haven’t done your homework. “Detention after-school, do the homework 3 times.” You hang your head in defeat, accepting your punishment.

Besides you, Kai laughs to himself, amused by you getting told off. You were too down to shut him up.

“Don’t worry Y/N!” Kai pats your back sympathetically, “You can copy my homework. You’ll be done in an hour.”

“Thanks.” You say sadly, there go your after-school plans. _____________________________As you expected, the library was empty after-school, and even the librarian wasn’t there. Kai’s homework was of no use to you, he got nearly every question wrong. Ultimately you were back at square one. Thankfully with the help of our supreme leader Google, the questions didn’t take you long. The only tedious task was writing it down multiple times.

Before you knew it, the sun had already set. As you walk through the empty hallways of your school, you can't help but feel a sense of eerie solitude. The sun has started to set outside, casting long shadows through the windows and painting the rooms in a warm, golden light.

You can hear the faint creaking of the floorboards as you make your way down the corridor, and the sound of your footsteps echoes through the stillness.

You find yourself looking into your classroom. The rows of desks and chairs are deserted, and the chalkboard at the front of the room is blank. There’s something weird about seeing an environment usually bustling with energy vacant. You gaze out the window, watching as the sun continues to dip lower in the sky, painting the clouds a brilliant shade of pink and orange.

As the minutes pass, the light in the room begins to fade, and the shadows grow longer. You can hear the occasional gust of wind outside, but otherwise, everything is still and silent. You can't help but feel a sense of unease as if you're being watched, but when you look around, there's no one there.

You're walking down the hall, lost in thought when suddenly, you get a distinct feeling that someone is watching you. You turn your head, looking over your shoulder and scanning the area, but there's no one there. You shake your head, trying to dispel the feeling, but it persists. You can't shake the sensation that someone is following you, their gaze fixed on you.

You quicken your pace, turning a corner and almost running into a figure standing just beyond it. With all that sudden movement, your half-open bags decorates the floor with your books. You take a step back, your heart racing as you realize that it's Taehyun, standing there with a curious expression on his face.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he says with a smile, picking up your books and handing them over to you.

You realise that he must be who has been watching you, and you feel a mix of relief and embarrassment. "It's okay," you reply, trying to calm your nerves. “What are you still doing at school?”

“I was just working on the project in the music room,” Taehyun explains, the late afternoon rays beaming on his face. Your eyes light up, is Kai here too? Maybe you can complain about him giving you the wrong homework.

“Is Hyuka here too?”

“No, he left ages ago.” He replies cooly, adjusting his backpack. The awkwardness between the both of you was setting in.

“I have to go home sooo...” you trail off, trying to find an opening to leave. He nods earnestly, “Me too.”

“So...I’m going to go now.” You say awkwardly, rocking back and forth on your heels.

“Y/N?” Taehyun calls out before you can leave, you sigh to yourself before turning back. “We should probably walk together.” He proposes, “It’s getting dark after all.”

Defeated, you nod your head ‘yes’.

The walk with Taehyun was awkward, to say the least. You try to make small talk but the words don't come out quite right, leaving you feeling even more uncomfortable. Taehyun was less than quiet today during lesson, it seemed like it was a chore for him to hang out with you and Kai. Why’s he being friendly now?

“Uh, Taehyun?” You start awkwardly, there’s no easy way to ask the question you’re about to ask, “were you..uh.. following name after school?”

Taehyun blinks at the accusation, unsure how to answer your question, “No, of course not.” He tried to play cool. You pierce your gaze through him, uncertain as to whether he was lying or not.

The silence between you two was deafening, with every step feeling heavier than the last. The air is thick with unspoken thoughts and feelings that neither of you knows how to address. You find yourself shuffling your feet, fidgeting with your hands, and sneaking sidelong glances at each other, hoping for a sign that the other is feeling just as awkward as you are.

“This is my house.” You say as you walk into the driveway. Taehyun nods softly before walking a few steps backwards. “See you tomorrow.” He waves, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking the other way.

You shut the front door quickly behind you. What the fuck. You take out your phone from your blazer pocket.

‘I need to text Kai’ you think to yourself as you open up the chat between you.

“I’m such an idiot.” You say to yourself, burying your face into your hands.

_____________________

“What if he’s vegan?” Beomgyu eyes the cookie jar. “Will I get to keep it then?”

“Shut up Beomgyu.” The sentence flows out of you so easily, it’s like second nature to ask Beomgyu to shut up. “Where does Taehyun usually hang out?” You ask, “Schools going to start soon, I don’t have long.”

“Probably the music room,” Cat responds to your question, dragging their boyfriend away from the cookies

You thank your friends and make your way to the music room. The halls are bustling with students rushing to their classes, laughing and chatting with their friends, and you have to navigate your way through the crowds to get where you need to go.

You weave in and out of groups of students, trying not to bump into anyone or get in their way. You can hear the sound of lockers slamming shut, backpacks rustling, and the occasional burst of laughter. The air is thick with the scent of perfume, cologne, and sweat, and the hum of voices fills your ears.

You keep your eyes focused ahead, trying to spot the music room amidst the chaos. You glance down at your watch, realizing that you're running out of time. You pick up your pace, dodging past groups of students and squeezing through narrow gaps.

As you get closer to the music room, the noise level starts to decrease, and you can hear the sound of someone practising on the piano. You quicken your step, and soon you're standing outside the door.

You take a deep breath and push open the door, stepping into the music room. The room is warm and cosy, with soft lighting and a comfortable atmosphere.

You feel a sense of uneasiness and nervousness. How are you going to apologise to him? Will he accept it?

As you enter, you notice that he is hunched over, his eyes fixed on something on his lap.

"Hey, sorry for yesterday, I didn't mean-" You stop mid-sentence as you realize what he's holding - your diary.

As you approach him, your eyes widen in disbelief as you realize that he has your diary in his hands, and is flipping through the pages. "Wait, is that my diary?"

Taehyun looks up, startled by your presence, and you can see the shame etched on his face. The feeling of betrayal and violation is overwhelming as you catch Taehyun reading your diary. It's a mix of shock and anger, and your mind is racing with questions. How did he find it? Why did he think it was okay to read it?

"What the hell are you doing?" You find yourself raising your voice at him, trying to grab the diary from his hands. He raises his arm higher, refusing to hand you the diary.

“Just let me read some more.” Taehyun reasons, “It’s not a big deal.” He clutches it tightly in his hands, you can see the defiance in his eyes.

Your head goes delirious in anger, NOT A BIG DEAL? This is your jumping diary, a book that has an account of every jump you’ve made these past couple of months. Taehyun probably thinks you’re crazy.

"Not a big deal? That’s MY diary.” You bark, You feel your blood boiling at his lack of respect for your privacy. You can't believe he thinks it's okay to keep something so personal without your permission. “You have no right to keep it."

You're not sure what to do - he's taller and stronger than you, and it's clear that he's not going to give up the diary without a fight.

You try to think of a way to outmanoeuvre him, to get the diary back without resorting to violence. You see an opening and lunge forward, but he's too quick, dodging out of the way and pushing you backwards.

You stumble and fall to the ground, but you're not about to give up. You scramble to your feet and lunge forward again, this time managing to get your hands on the diary. You pull it towards you, but he's still holding on, refusing to let go.

The two of you tug back and forth, the diary caught in the middle. You take a deep breath and focus all your energy on pulling the diary towards you. You can feel your muscles straining as you give it all you've got. Finally, the diary comes free, and you fall backwards, clutching it to your chest.

You let out a relieved laugh, “I knew there was something weird about you—“

Click

Not right now!! This is the worst timing ever. You can’t afford to now, you have to confront. Wait..why can’t you move? Your eyes dart across the room in a panic, everyone else seems normal. You sit frozen in your seat, unable to move your hands or body as if you are trapped in a prison of immobility. The weight of this invisible force presses down on you, making it impossible to reach for a pen or even shift in your chair. You desperately try to break free, but every muscle feels like it's been bound by ropes, leaving you completely powerless. From the corner of your eyes, you see Taehyun, who sits calmly as if the incident in the music room never happened.

The door to the classroom swings open, a sudden hush falls over the students. All eyes turn towards the entrance, eager to catch a glimpse of the new arrival. A moment later, a figure steps into the room, looking around at the sea of faces.

All eyes are fixed on him, drinking in the sight of his chiselled features and tall, broad-shouldered frame. The girls whisper excitedly to each other, giggling and batting their eyelashes, while the boys shoot envious glances at him. It's as if a celebrity has entered the room - everyone seems to be in awe of him. Even the teacher seems momentarily distracted, pausing mid-sentence to take in the newcomer. The atmosphere in the classroom has shifted, charged with a palpable energy of admiration and curiosity.

“Class, we have a new student.” Mr Cho’s voice breaks you back into reality. As you glance over at the new boy in your class, your eyes are immediately drawn to his height and the striking shade of blue in his hair. He towers over the other students, his frame commanding attention even as he tries to blend in. The boldness of his hair colour seems to match his confident demeanour, and you can't help but feel a sense of curiosity about him. You wonder what brought him to this school and what kind of person he is beyond his appearance. Despite his striking features, there's a sense of mystery around him that leaves you eager to learn more.

“Hello, I’m Choi Yeonjun.” The blue hair boy introduces himself, offering a small bow to the class. You can sense magnetic energy emanating from him, and you can't help but feel a little envious of his effortless charm. “Take a seat wherever you like Yeonjun.” Mr Cho smiles at the new boy.

Your heart skips a beat as the new boy approaches your desk, and then you're surprised as he chooses the seat right next to you. You feel a flush of nervous excitement as you catch his eye, noticing the way his electric blue hair seems to sparkle in the light. As he settles into his seat, you can't help but feel conscious of the way your own hair is a mess, and you quickly run your fingers through it in an attempt to tame it.

“Hi.” He smiles at you, extending out his hand. You subconsciously feel the gaze of all your classmates looking at you. Involuntarily, your hand reaches out to shake his.

Click

You let out a heavy breath. Good, you can move again. Your eye flickers back to Taehyun’s desk. He’s gone. Shit, where did he go?

You suddenly become aware that you've been holding Yeonjun's hand for too long.

What started as a casual touch has turned into an extended grasp, and you can feel the heat rising to your cheeks as you realize your mistake. You quickly release his hand, hoping he hasn't noticed the length of the contact. As you glance over at him, you see a faint smirk on his face, and you wonder if he's caught on to your embarrassment. You try to act as if nothing has happened, but your heart is still racing from the unexpected intimacy. You can't help but wonder what it would be like to hold his hand again, but you push the thought aside and focus on the task at hand.

"Oh, sorry," you say, quickly releasing his hand.

"It's okay," He replies, but you can tell he’s a little taken aback.

You feel a flush of embarrassment creep up your neck, and you can't meet his gaze.

Wait. This is not the time to get flustered by the new kid. You need to find Taehyun, where did he go?

As the lesson drags on, you can feel your frustration mounting. All you can think about is confronting Taehyun. You glance around the room, trying to come up with a plan. You know you can't just blurt out your feelings in the middle of class, but you can't wait until the end of the period either.

Finally, you decide to make a move. You quietly gather your things and begin to make your way to the door, hoping to catch your classmate in the hallway. As you inch closer to the exit, you feel a pang of guilt for leaving in the middle of the lesson, but your desire to confront him is too strong.

Just as you're about to slip out the door, Mr Cho calls out your name. You freeze, feeling a rush of panic. You turn to face him, trying to act casual, but you know you've been caught.

"Is everything okay?" Your teacher asks, his brow furrowed in concern.

You mumble a quick excuse about needing to use the restroom, hoping to buy yourself some time. But as you turn to leave, you can feel the eyes of your classmates on you, and you wonder if they suspect what's really going on.

The halls were deserted, and the only sounds were the echoes of your footsteps and the sound of your racing heartbeat. You knew that you were risking getting caught by one of the teachers or security guards, but you didn't care. All you could think about was finding Taehyun and getting your diary back.

As you made your way down the empty hallways, you kept your eyes peeled for any signs of life. You tried to move as quietly as possible, taking small, measured steps, and avoiding any loose floorboards or creaky spots. You could feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins, and your senses were on high alert.

As you rounded a corner, you heard footsteps coming from the opposite end of the hallway. You quickly ducked behind a row of lockers and held your breath, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't notice you. The footsteps came closer and closer, and you could see the shadow of a teacher approaching. You held your breath, trying not to make a sound, as the teacher passed by without noticing you.

You were not entirely sure where Taehyun was, but you knew he wasn’t stupid enough to go back to the music room. Where else would a teenager go if they were bunking lesson? The library?

After the teacher had passed, you quickly made your way down the hall towards the library. When you finally reached the library, you peeked through the window to see if anyone was inside. The room was dark and quiet, and you couldn't see anyone. Taking a deep breath, you slowly opened the door and slipped inside.

The library was dimly lit, and the only sound was the rustling of pages as students flipped through books. You scanned the room, looking for any sign of Taehyun. You couldn't see him at first, but then you caught a glimpse of a figure hiding behind a bookshelf. You made your way over to the bookshelf, and as you got closer, you could see that it was Taehyun.

“Taehyun.” You call out his name in a whisper yell, making sure not to raise your voice in a library. You don’t want to draw any attention to yourself.

“Y/N, look I can explain.” Taehyun tries to reason, stepping a few steps back. You could tell that he was sincere, and your anger began to dissipate. You took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

“Try to explain what? That you have no respect for my—“

“When you were in class did you feel like you couldn’t move?” He says suddenly, grabbing hold of your shoulders.

“What?”

“And then suddenly you shook Yeonjun’s hand even though you didn’t mean to?” Your head tilts back in confusion, how does he know? “Let me show you something.” He says, grabbing your arm and dragging you to the opposite bookshelf. He pulls out a book with a flowery cover from the top shelf, blowing the dust away.

“What’s this?” You puzzled, gently taking the book from him. You stare at the cover. Law of attraction, it read. The cover was simple, the typical cover of a romance manhwa.

“Just open it” He insists, so you do. Eagerly opened the book but as you flipped through the pages, you were confused to find that every page was completely blank.

You blinked, rubbed your eyes, and checked the cover to make sure you had the right book. “It’s empty.” You say. You were surprised, wondering what it could mean. But as you continued to flip through the pages, you see a couple of drawn panels. You blink in confusion. It can’t be, can it?

It was Yeonjun, standing in front of the classroom. No no. It isn’t Yeonjun… it’s just someone that looks just like him. Your eyes move on to the next panel where he sits down next to illustration of a girl with h/c hair, offering his hand to her. Wait..that happened to you…

You immediately flick back to the character page. It was clearer than day; An illustration of a tall boy with blue locks, Choi Yeonjun, main character. Your mouth hangs open..what is this? Next to him is a beautiful girl with long black hair, Yun Misun, main lead. Misun? Who’s she? You’ve never seen her around school before. On his left, there’s a illustration of a figure that had an alarming resemblance to you, L/N Y/N, second lead. SECOND LEAD? You’re the second lead?

Your head was starting to hurt. You imagined yourself pining for the main lead, trying to win his affection, but always falling short. You envisioned yourself in dramatic scenes, heartbroken and alone, as the main characters enjoyed their happily ever after. What is this? Second lead? How can you, L/N Y/N the most popular girl in school be the second lead?

“What is this?” You say, your voice barely audible. You feel like you’re going to be sick. “You’re trying to tell me we live in a manhwa?”

Taehyun nods his head slowly, “Look I know it’s a lot to take in, but at least you know you aren’t losing your mind.” He says, motioning you to sit down on the floor before you pass out. “Those weird memory gaps you’re having? It’s because of the time skips to start the actual story.”

“Why are there time skips only now?” You ask, sitting down beside him. “I haven’t had any of them before.”

“You have, we all have.” He answers, your furrow your brows in confusion, “Only now that you’re conscious, you can actually experience them.”

“This is making my head hurt.” You bury your head into your head in confusion, hoping this is all a bad dream.

You sit there in silence for a while, Taehyun remaining patient with you.

“So I’m the second lead?” You break the silence after you’ve calmed down a bit, looking at the strawberry-haired boy next to you. He nods. “How can I be the second lead?”

Taehyun lets out a small laugh, “Well it isn’t surprising you aren’t the main lead.” You glare at him, only causing him to laugh louder, eliciting glances from other students. “Think about it Y/N, you come from a rich happy background, you’re popular, you have like a hundred admires at school. Your character doesn’t have more depth than that.”

“What.” You sit straighter, “That’s so much depth, it shows that I’m multitalented. Who’s Misun anyway?”

“I’m not surprised you haven’t noticed her.” He laughs, “She’s the quiet girl in our art class, the one who creates those hyperrealistic paintings.”

You stare blankly at Taehyun, the girl still not ringing a bell. He sighs, “What I’m getting at is that Misun is a scholarship student, she’s an orphan, she works 3 jobs alongside going to school, she’s paying off her dead father's debt and lives with her abusive aunt.”

“She just sounds like too much emotional baggage.” You retort.

“She’s the typical female lead, this is a romance manhwa. It’s nothing if not cliches.” Taehyun explains.

‘Fair enough’ you thought. Your mind is racing at the possibility of actually being in a comic book. How can that even be possible?

As you sat inside the library, you felt a knot in your stomach as you spiralled into the rabbit hole of being in a manhwa, you realised you had so much more to ask Taehyun. You looked over at him, hoping to catch his attention, but the bell suddenly rang, signalling the start of the next lesson.

You hesitated for a moment, considering whether to tell him now or wait until lunch. With a sigh, you decided to wait, knowing that there would be more time to talk during your break.

You quickly said goodbye to Taehyun, asking him to meet you here during lunch and made your way to your next class, your mind still racing with thoughts about your recent discovery.

As you sat in class, your mind was elsewhere. You were still in disbelief after finding out that you were the second lead in a manhwa. It was a weird surreal feeling as if the lines between reality and fiction had been blurred. You had always been a fan of manhwas, but you never expected to find yourself as a character in one.

As the teacher droned on about history, you couldn't help but daydream about the manhwa. You imagined yourself in the pages, your character interacting with the main lead. But the more you thought about it, the more you realized the implications of being the second lead. It meant that you were destined to have your heart broken, to watch as the main lead found love with someone else.

The thought was crushing, and you felt a pang of sadness in your chest. It was one thing to read about heartbreak in a manhwa, but it was another to know that it was your own fate.

You shook your head, trying to clear your thoughts. This was just a silly coincidence, you told yourself. But deep down, you couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. The world seemed a little less real now.

Meanwhile, Taehyun sits still in the library, trying to go over everything he needs to tell you now that you know. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for you to wake up one day and find out you live in a manhwa, though he’s glad you took it well.

Taehyun can’t remember a time when he wasn’t conscious; aware of the reality of his fate. It started when he was 5 when he noticed that he kept being displaced; he’d be playing in the morning then all of sudden he’s being tucked into bed. And as all curious kids do, he asked his parents about it. They laughed, thinking it was just kids being kids but little did they know. At some point, Taehyun just accepted that this was his reality, a regular occurrence for him to be skipping through time.

He also remembers the first day he found manhwa, while he was in the library playing hide and seek with his friends. Some shiny shimmering object caught the corner of his eye, his curiosity persisted and he left his hiding spot to go find out what it was. It didn’t take long for little Taehyun to put two and two together, his suspicions were confirmed once he saw a sketch of himself on the character page Kang Taehyun, Yeonjun’s ally. An extra.

“Taehyun?” He snaps out of his daze, looking up to see your standing figure, with two cupcakes in your hands.

“Oh hey.” He smiles, motioning you to sit down. You hand him a cupcake.

“Did you not go back to class?” You ask, the pink-haired man shakes his head no, “Won’t people notice you’re gone?”

“No, I’m just an extra.” He says, biting into the cupcake. “This is really good.” He hums, going in for a larger second bite.

“How long have you known?” You ask abruptly, looking into his doe-like eyes.

“Since I was 5.” You gasp. How could he have not gone completely crazy? It had only been a couple of weeks for you and you were going crazy because you couldn’t tell your friends.

“And..and you haven’t told anyone?” You ask tentatively. He nods, not seeming bothered at all.

“Well except you of course.” He responds, “Who could I tell? People would think I’m crazy.” You find yourself agreeing with him, understanding where he’s coming from.

He notices your drop in mood and nudged you with his shoulder. Taehyun tries to lighten the mood and says, "It's not your fault. I'm pretty good at hiding my emotions."

You shake your head, feeling a sense of responsibility. "I’m sorry you had to go through that alone."

“Don’t worry about it.” He shoots you a small smile. “Now, I have a lot to tell you.” He changes the subject smoothly.

“That feeling where you’re being controlled and do stuff out of your free will is called the stage, like this morning with the new kid.” Taehyun explains, “Right now we’re in the shadow, we are free to do whatever we want to.”

“We can do anything we want?” You ask with shining eyes, your mind going wild with ideas. This means you could stay in bed longer, that you wouldn’t need to do your homework or hell- you don’t even need to come to school.

“Yeah basically. Nothing you do really has an effect. What you do in the shadow doesn’t translate to the stage.” He continues, brushing the stray hairs from his face again. “If you spilt coffee on yourself now, the stain would be gone when you’re on stage or when you jump.”

“So if I start dancing in class it won’t have an impact?” You propose, wanting to make sure your actions won’t have consequences. “People won’t remember after the scene changes?”

“Well..the rules are a bit fuzzy on that..” He trails off, “They tend to remember some things and sometimes they don’t. But that doesn’t mean you go around acting abnormal. They’ll start noticing if you keep acting up.”

“Ooooo, what did you do Taehyun?” You tease, playfully nudging him with your shoulder.

“Well I just found out I was in a manhwa, I had to test the waters.”

“What about conversations? If I talk to my friends about something, will they not remember in the next scene?” You ask, slightly worried. Did this mean you can’t make any new relationships with people?

“Again.. it depends. If you try to give them consciousness it won’t work right away. You’ll probably have to keep trying over and over again.” Taehyun answers, looking into your eyes. “It’s probably because it’s a foreign subject to them. Think of us as little computer programs. If you’re talking to them about something familiar like another classmate or a game you’re playing, they’ll remember because they’re coded for that. But if you try to give them consciousness it won’t compute.”

“Well, that’s okay! I’m persistent, I’ll make sure they’re conscious.” You laugh, trying to act nonchalant. But actually the thought of your friends being empty sort of terrified you. It means your relationship and years with them meant nothing.

“NO! You can’t do that!” He exclaims, causing a few heads to turn towards you.

You shoot the students an apologetic look before turning to Taehyun, “What, why not?”

“It’s dangerous. Have you not watched the Matrix?”

“Yeah I have—“

“So then you should understand. People have different personalities, they might not take it as well as we have, especially if they aren’t satisfied with their role.” He cuts you off, running his hands through his hair. “How would you feel if you woke up and found out you aren’t even an extra, you’re just some background character who has no impact? We are characters in a comic, our only function is to go along with the story.” He rants on. You sit quietly, taking in what he’s saying.

“My job is to support Yeonjun and yours is to be his love interest. Some people have no impact on the story. Like..your friends Sakura and Haechan! Can you imagine how they’ll feel if you tell them they have no meaning to their life? They’ll be heartbroken.” He finishes, his eyes glued to you.

“So you’re telling me it’s better they just live in ignorance?” You reply quickly. You understand where Taehyun is coming from but just the thought of you doing that to your friends makes you feel sick. It isn’t fair that you get to be aware and they don’t.

“At least that way they have a purpose. Promise me you won’t give anyone consciousness, it’s dangerous.” The look in Taehyun’s eyes tells you it’s not time to joke around. He means what he said and it’s best if you just agreed with him.

“Fine… I won’t.” You reluctantly agree. Maybe later when he calms down you can bring it up again? Then maybe he’ll see your point of view.

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