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jeon-s-sins · 4 months

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Fighter - Three

Synopsis: YN, a young student in her final year of a master’s degree in international business, is forced to move. She is in a “bad” part of Seoul, without much income. Prostitution, drugs, and violence are commonplace, and the police think twice before setting foot in the area. Jungkook, a young student living alone in this cruel world, is forced to fight underground to earn money to pay for his rent and expensive studies. Unfortunately, the two young people meet in a very inconvenient situation and will see their lives change overnight.

Warning: Mention of alcohol, violence (fight), bad words, flirting that will make you sleep upright; the rest you will discover as you read, no spoilers. 😉

Word count: 12.8k

Chapter song: Unstoppable - NEFFEX

n/a: English is not my first language, so I may have missed some mistakes while proofreading. Happy New Year to all! May this year be full of joy and success. It took a long time, but it's finally here! I had a lot of fun writing this part, and I hope you enjoy it. Enjoy reading, and please don’t forget to vote, comment, and ask questions if there are any. 😁.

Translations, republications, and rewritings of my stories are not allowed. Failure to comply with this request will result in legal action.

©Jeon_s_Sins

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Hearing the garbage truck outside because of the windows' poor insulation, you estimated it was early morning, around 6:30. It's often around this time that they pass through your neighborhood.

Changing position in your bed, you toss and turn, trying to find a more comfortable position to immerse yourself in the world of dreams a little longer.

Since you hadn't found an internship, there was no point in getting up early. The deadline for finding and applying for an internship at your university was yesterday. It was too late to find anything; even the meaningless internships wouldn't serve.

Fortunately, you had the chance to try your luck the following school year. But this was your one and only chance. If you hadn't found anything by the start of the new school year, you'd be off to do it again. Since you'd passed your previous semester, you didn't have to attend classes; you only completed your six-month internship before writing and defending a thesis before finally graduating and bidding farewell to student life.

In the meantime, you had plenty of time to find something to do, so you wouldn't rush things and enjoy a little more time to make up for missed sleep.

Besides, you couldn't even remember how you got home. Still with your eyes closed, yet wide awake, your brain hadn't allowed you to sleep peacefully, projecting a few vague, disordered images.

You only knew that Jungkook had told Minjun he was taking you home... Jungkook...

You jumped up, sitting on the bed, finally awake and disoriented. Once you knew where you were, you concluded you weren't home.

You turned on the bedside lamp and noticed the room was tiny and dilapidated. The curtains blocked out the sun's rays, but given the time the alarm clock indicated, the sun hadn't risen yet, at least not entirely.

The walls were in a deplorable state. There were holes here and there, probably from bullet holes. Some of them had been shabbily plugged with plaster, but nobody had bothered to repaint over them, leaving big white marks on a disgusting salmon-orange wall.

An old wooden cross stood just above your head, and the bed's headboard was made of old bars.

There were two single beds in the room. Your bed was the one against the wall, just below the window, while barely a meter away from you was another identical bed, with only a pitiful little bedside table separating them.

The state of the other bed indicated that you hadn't spent the night alone. Jungkook had been keeping you company. But you didn't know that the poor man hadn't slept a wink all night and watched over you with his eyes glued to the bedroom door.

He knew what went on inside the walls of such buildings. Prostitution, kidnapping, and worse. But there was no way he would let a stranger into his home. Sure, he'd saved you on your first night in the neighborhood and offered to keep an eye on you for tonight, but deep down, he didn't know you.

He didn't doubt your innocence, but you never know. That's why he preferred to bring you to this hotel so that you couldn't say where he lived in case you got into trouble and were asked where he lived.

Jungkook was no fool. If you lived a life like he did, fighting underground for a few years, you'd have accumulated countless enemies, and almost certainly, unfortunately for you, some of them must have interacted with you.

Living in the neighborhood and frequenting the Den, you'll quickly learn that rumors travel faster than the blink of an eye. So it's for your own good to avoid each other.

Although you were not close, and Jungkook had no intention of becoming so, it was best to maintain a distance between you both. This protects you from further harm and ensures that he does not waste his time unnecessarily saving a stranger. He has more important matters to attend to than playing the hero.

Before ending whatever you guys had, he left the room quickly to buy you hangover medicine and haejangguk, a soup known for its effectiveness against hangovers. Haejangguk is a soup with Chinese cabbage, vegetables, and meat cooked in beef broth.

Having no table, he had left them on the bed he had occupied at night. As you approach the latter to take the contents left by Jungkook, you notice that he has left a note.

"Eat quickly. Come to your senses and get the hell out of here. Your car is parked in front of the entrance on your left. Stay out of trouble, princess. - JK. "

"Tsk." A simple good morning sufficed.

Barely awake, and you were already in a bad mood. Even when Jungkook wasn't around, he still managed to annoy you. On the other hand, you had to admit, it was nice of him to think of your hangover. He didn't have to.

Although you like to contradict and annoy him, you followed his instructions today. You do not even eat the haejangguk; instead, you take the hangover medicine, pack your things, and leave the hellish place. Opening the bedroom door, you stumble into a sinister, dark corridor.

"And they dare to call it a hotel. This is more like a place straight out of hell."

A few holes in the wall allowed the first thin rays of sunlight to enter. As you turn at the end of the corridor, you encounter a man lying on the floor, who appears to be heavily intoxicated. It is unclear whether he is breathing, and you wouldn't approach him to find out.

You quickly exited this gloomy place, taking the stairs despite the strong smell of urine and vomit. You passed through an empty reception area before leaving the key on the counter and skipping out.

As indicated in Jungkook's note, your car was parked near the entrance to this so-called hotel. Thank goodness you found it in one piece and in its original condition.

It was time to go home, shower, and enjoy the haejangguk.

The rest of the day had been dull. You tried your best to find something to do but soon ran out of options. It had been a few weeks since you'd watched the last game of AOT (Attack on Titans), and you'd finished it for good. It was the same for Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. You'd started Boruto but weren't too hooked after watching a few episodes. Maybe it was because you'd watched both Naruto series in succession. So you will let some time go by before picking it up again.

So, that afternoon, you opted for something different. You've been watching a Thai BL series. You even came to envy the characters. Sure, their stories had plenty of drama, but at least they weren't alone and had someone who shared their feelings.

In these moments, you realized just how alone you were in this world. No parents, no family, no friends, let alone a boyfriend. You even acknowledged that no one would notice if anything ever happened to you.

If at least you had a job or were still going to class, your absence would be noted, but you had neither. In your current situation, the only way your disappearance will be noted is by your landlord when you stop paying the rent, which would be too late.

"You lead a sorrowful life, my poor girl." Sighing, you look towards the wall clock and notice that the day is drawing to a close and sunset is just around the corner.

Grabbing your plaid, journal, phone, AirPods, and small portable photo printer, you headed for your fridge, grabbed a couple of cans of beer, and headed up to the rooftop to which only you had access.

With all the events that had taken place in your life over the last few days, you'd still found time to do up the roof, which from now on would be your safe place in this corrupt and hellish world.

You had bought artificial turf to cover the rough concrete floor. On the left-hand side, you had placed a small round garden table in case you wanted to eat quietly one day while admiring the view and take advantage of the sunny days to sunbathe a little. Moreover, the timing was perfect, as you had no neighbors. No one would notice if you felt like sunbathing in the nude, which was an idea to keep in your mind.

Continuing your property tour, you added plant pots and flowerpots here and there. Garden gnomes would keep you company on days like today when you came alone, which would be very often until proven otherwise.

There were a few comfortable bean bags where you could take delicious naps. You'd hung a few rows of garlands that could be recharged using solar panels. You'd hung a few more on the concrete railing.

You still had some things to buy, but for the moment, it was already better and more comfortable than before.

Although you'd invested in a table and some footstools, you decided to stand on the concrete balcony railing for now. You use a small bench already there the day you moved in to do this. You climb on it before finding yourself with both feet dangling in the air and looking off into the distance.

You had an incredible view. The sky was painted in a multitude of colors. Even though the sky was still blue when you looked overhead, the blue faded to violet in the distance, then pink, red, and finally orange. This orange color revived to become brighter, even golden, as the sun was setting. The clouds, too, took on a completely different color, blending in with those of the sky.

From where you stood, you had a view of the Namsan Tower. But unlike its usual size, it looked tiny to you.

At this very moment, to put you in an even more relaxed mood, you put on your Airpods and switch on your chillax playlist on Spotify before pulling out your phone and taking many photos.

Still enjoying the presence of the sun and its last majestic moments, you open your first can of beer and take a sip.

You take a deep breath before releasing it all.

"Now that's what I call living." You didn't understand how quiet moments like that scare some people.

Not that you judged them, because you're no one to judge others. But you didn't understand how people can't stand to be alone and have quiet moments. You didn't understand how people lived constantly surrounded by many people. A loner as you are, the little time you get to hang out with your classmates, your social battery runs out in a snap. Living like this, going out and partying every day, you'd end up losing your mind or shooting yourself between the eyes. But that was just your personal opinion. Everyone was free to live as they wished.

The music playing in your ears, matching the comfortable atmosphere, was interrupted by Siri's robotic voice.

"You have an incoming call from 'My Hero.' Would you like to take the call?" Who the hell is my hero? You had no idea you'd registered a contact under that name. Especially as you didn't have any friends, you got on well with only a few classmates, but not enough to call them that.

Curiosity killing the cat, you decide to take the call anyway.

"Hello?" Your voice sounded uncertain.

"Isn't it very cordial to take pictures of your neighbors without their knowledge?" An unfamiliar male voice sounded from the other end of the line. "What about other people's image rights and privacy rights?"

You were confused. What was your neighbor talking about?

"Excuse me, but I think you've got the wrong person." You were about to hang up when his voice rang out again.

"Ouch. You offend me, YN." The sound of your first name calls out to you. "It pains me to see you not recognize your savior's voice." There was sarcasm in his voice, a far cry from the sorrow he claimed to feel.

"My savior?" You twisted your brain in all directions but didn't recognize the person. The only person who could have that title was-

"Jung... Jungkook?"

"Bingo. Princess." The more he spoke, the more his voice sounded like Jungkook's. How did this moron get your number?

"How?"

"Face ID is great these days. You should be more careful when you sleep in the company of strangers."

"Don't worry, after that one, I learned my lesson. The question is, why?" This question had been burning your lips since you learned of his identity.

"As much as I don't want to, we'll see a lot of each other. So I thought, 'Why not?' "

"Bold of you to think I'd want to see you."

"Stop giving yourself such big shoes to fill, princess. We both know you're dying to see me again. In fact, to make it easier for you, I will give you a little present." You could tell from his voice that he was smirking.

"Oh, yeah? What?" You expected anything but what he was about to tell you.

"Look ahead." By pure automatism, you look in the direction of the ground, which makes Jungkook laugh.

"I said before you, not toward the ground, dummy." You're about to throw a good one in his face when your gaze fixes on a point across the street.

In the house opposite yours was a shirtless Jungkook perched at his window.

You'd already seen him shirtless on your first visit to the Den when he was fighting Bazooka. But his constant movements had made it hard for you to get a good look at him. But now that he was standing in front of you, motionless, you had all the time in the world to look at him and analyze him in depth.

He looked like he'd just stepped out of the shower. He had a small white towel around his neck, which he'd probably used to dry his hair. His pecs were well-rounded and prominent. Since his forearms were resting on the window railing, you couldn't see his abs very well, but you could see two small valleys announcing their start.

"Take a picture, it'll stay longer."

Out of your contemplation, your defensive mode is directly activated.

"Like I'd want to waste space on my phone's storage with a picture of you. Although, I could use it to scare the monsters out from under my bed."

"That's perfect, princess. That way, I'll be your hero once again."

You pretend to find his words hilarious. "In your dreams, Quasimodo."

"Are you aware that in the end, Quasimodo is considered a hero? So that little nickname coming from you sounds like a compliment." From your perch, you see Jungkook bring a hand to his heart as if your words had gone straight to it.

"It wasn't a compliment, you fool. You're insufferable." This makes him laugh and brings a smile to your face.

Although you pretended you couldn't stand him, you couldn't hide that he wasn't unpleasant to look at and that his company wasn't unpleasant either. Moreover, he seemed alright from the few times you'd been around him. He was a bit like you, a good person in a world of bullies, trying to survive as best as possible.

Besides, it reminds you that you hadn't had a chance to thank him for caring for you and saving you from a massive headache again.

"By the way, thanks for last night and this morning."

"Stop it, princess, you'll make me shed a tear." He teases you again.

Rolling your eyes, you reply. "No, forget what I said. I'll take it back. That'll teach me to be polite to a guy with an ego as big as his head."

His laugh was soft, childlike, though infectious, provoking yours in return. "But seriously." He says once he regains his seriousness. "Watch out. I won't be around all the time. Remember, some weirdos are lurking around."

"I told you yesterday, and I'm telling you again, I don't need to be taken care of. So you don't have to worry, Mr. Vigilante."

"Ha. Right," Jungkook figured you were too naive for this world. He didn't know your situation or even if you had a family, but he said you seemed to have been raised in the world of Care Bears. The few times he'd seen you, you'd been wrapped up in a mess, or almost certainly would have been if he hadn't intervened yesterday.

But he didn't know anything about you or your story. He didn't know that you were an orphan and that, for a time, you'd been living on the streets. Fighting tooth and nail for an expired milk carton before entering the orphanage. He also didn't know how many times you'd moved from family to family before finding the right one, only to have it savagely ripped away from you overnight.

But that was too topical for him to know. You doubted he'd ever find out.

"Anyway, thanks again." He doesn't respond verbally; you just see him nod. "Hey? You going to the Den tonight?"

Jungkook didn't understand the reason for your question but answered you anyway. "No. I only go there when I have fights."

If you only knew how much Jungkook hated this place and its atmosphere. He only goes there because the pay is attractive, which allows him to pay his rent and schooling, as well as what will enable him to make ends meet.

"Why do you ask?" You couldn't see, but Jungkook raises an eyebrow skeptically.

"No reason. Pure curiosity, that's all."

"YN, curiosity killed the cat. And a little friendly advice: you shouldn't go back there."

"Tsk, I didn't know we'd become friends." You retort.

"Us, friends? Ha. No, baby, you're the bane of my existence, a far cry from what I call being friends. It's just that I don't want to have to step in again to save your pretty little ass from the brink again. I've already had my fill."

"Don't worry, dear, you're the last person I'd ask for help in a jam." You could hardly believe it yourself, so Jungkook's following reaction was well and truly understandable.

"We'll see about that."

"Your lack of faith in me is hurtful." You tell him falsely offended.

"And justified. Remind me how we met?" Silence on your part had answered him. "That's what I say."

"Shut up, Quasimodo." For all answers, Jungkook sends you a floating kiss, which you pretend to dodge, almost falling backward.

Regaining your balance, you send an embarrassed smile toward your hero slash neighbor. In worry, Jungkook straightens; if looks could kill, you'd already be six feet under.

"YN, I swear you'll be the death of me."

To kill your discomfort, you retort, "Like that will keep me up at night. Sounds like a you problem, buddy."

For all answers, Jungkook shakes his head.

"That's not all, but I've got to go, princess. I remind you, I have a life."

You give him the thumbs-up and thank him again, but Jungkook says one last thing before you hang up. "Good night, neighbor. And try not to kill yourself coming down from your perch."

"I might come and haunt you." You hear him laugh. "Good night, Quasimodo." Then you hang up.

You watch as your new neighbor closes his windows and sinks into his home. On the other hand, you decide to stay outside a little longer, admiring the starry sky, while the music picks up where it left off.

It's crazy to say that some stars you're looking at now no longer exist. The sky is something that will always fascinate you. The days go by, and not for a single day will the sky resemble that of the day before or two or even three centuries ago. The same goes for the stars.

Many of today's stars are already dead. Some are so far away that their light takes billions of years to reach us. In the meantime, something may have happened to them, causing them to disappear from the universe.

That's why we say looking at the sky is like looking into the past.

It's also why you didn't understand people who bought stars. Sure, it may be romantic and incredible, but in the end, they're probably buying something that no longer exists.

But then again, you're not judging anyone or anything. Once again, you're just stating your opinion. Still, if someone were to tell you and prove that they'd bought you a star, you'd be touched by the gesture because, in the end, it's the gesture and the intention that counts.

Opening your second can of beer, you take a few sips before turning your attention to your phone and the little photo printer, long abandoned on the low wall beside you.

Like all other youngsters and children from your orphanage, you participated in a therapy session. And during one of them, the psychologist suggested that you take some time to write down everything that was going on in your head in a journal. This would allow you to clear your mind of all the toxins, doubts, and questions that poisoned your spirit to make way for serenity.

So, for years, you'd been playing the game. At first, you were a little lost, not knowing what to write down. Then, as time passed, you gave your imagination desires and needs free rein. You wrote about your experiences during the day. But also your doubts, your sorrows, the words of a song running through your head. Inspiring phrases that matched your life and state of mind at the time.

Tonight, you decided to put up the photo you'd taken of the sunset and, with it, your thoughts of the moment.

You thanked the heavens for having put Jungkook in your path, which at the moment was proving to be a beautiful encounter. Just like the magnificent sunset, he had brought a little color into your dull life, dulled by time and the deeds and accomplishments of recent times. And even if Jungkook's presence in your life is as fleeting as the time of a sunset, you'll always be grateful to him.

As night falls, you return to the shelter of your home. Leaning back on your bed, you gaze up at the ceiling of your room, asking yourself: "And now, what?"

You'll be out of school for a year with no source of income. If you wanted to continue living under this roof, you'd have to work your ass off to find something to pay the rent and make ends meet. You had no choice but to work and no longer rely on the government aid given to young students in times of hardship.

From now on, you have to rely on your own resources and manage to bring home the money and the food, like the big girl you are.

You spend about two hours looking for ads for odd jobs here and there on the Internet, but nothing comes up. At least, nothing exciting or close to home. Most ads come from the center of Seoul, only a few kilometers from where you live. Doing a thankless job, finishing very late at night, and having to take public transport for forty-five or even an hour's journey is demotivating.

But just as you were giving up hope of finding anything tonight, a flash from the night before comes back to mind.

Before you were entirely out of your mind, you remembered that Minjun had put up an ad saying they were looking for a bartender.

Admittedly, there were better kinds of jobs than this - you were bound to come across some insufferable drunkards and guys who would be quick to want to have you in their bed. Not to mention the harmful, violent, and damaging atmosphere for your little person, but on the other hand was that it wasn't really far from home, and you already knew Minjun.

You've got nothing to lose by trying. You can always break the contract if it becomes too much of a burden.

You didn't have Minjun's number and couldn't find the bar's contact details online. You had no choice but to go there and talk to him face-to-face.

It was still early, so the place was closed to the public. You hoped, by some miracle, that Minjun would already be there and that they'd agree to let you talk to him.

The two substantial black doors were closed, so you knocked forcefully on the door without wasting any more time and praying to heaven that you'd be heard. The place was vast, and you had to go down some stairs before you could access the main space, so you wouldn't typically make yourself heard by knocking.

A few moments later, having achieved nothing, you try again. You were about to knock a third time, but the door opened, almost hitting you in the face.

A man, no... a gorilla opens the door. He was most certainly two meters by two meters. You could even bet he was wider than your fridge. Dressed in black from head to toe, while he had an earpiece in his ear.

"Drop by later, we're closed." The man grunts and shuts the door in your face without even giving you time to express yourself. Except that, before he's had a chance to close it completely, you block it with your foot, just like you've seen people do in the movies. Except in the film, they don't show how much this shit hurts.

Swallowing a complaint, you try to negotiate with a gorilla. "I know, but please, I need to talk to Minjun. It's about the barmaid position." Scrutinizing you up and down, the man opens the door a little more, barely enough to let you in.

"Thank you."

He lets you pass him before locking the large doors and asking you to follow him. After descending the few steps separating you from the main area, you notice that everything has stayed the same as the previous day. The only difference was that all the lights were on, and you had a better view of the space.

"Minjun, there's someone here for you. It's about the bartender position." Announces the gorilla, immediately stepping aside to resume his activities, leaving you alone facing an empty bar. Empty until you hear the clink of glass bottles before a brunette head appears in your field of vision.

"Good evening-" Rising to his feet and looking in your direction, Minjun seemed surprised to see you standing before him.

"So, just like that, little one wants to play in the big leagues." He teases.

"Yeah, well, I'm not necessarily thrilled with the idea, but I'm really in need."

"Do you have any experience in the field?" Minjun rests his forearms on the counter, putting down what he is doing to give you his full attention.

"If you consider drinking everything you can get your hands on when you find out your ex is cheating on you, then yes."

"Tsk." He shakes his head, escaping a small laugh. "That's not exactly reassuring, little one. But you're lucky we're actually in need." This isn't very advantageous for him because whoever says no experience says training and lack of time to train you. But on the plus side, you're already there, and there are still three hours to go before the first customers show up. So he had some time to show you the basics, and he'd show you the rest as time went on and as you needed it.

"Join me behind the counter. I'll show you where things are and the most basic and common recipes. But before that, I'll show you the staff changing rooms where you can get rid of your stuff." He said once you'd joined him behind the bar counter.

You passed through a door linking the bar directly to the storeroom, which gave direct access to a corridor that only staff could use, leading to a checkroom and toilets. There was also another door on the left, providing access to the outside. "You can go through there when you start your shifts instead of through the front door, but also to smoke during your breaks or just to get some fresh air."

Having cleared away your belongings and returned to the bar, you give Minjun a hand. You restocked the drinks and other things you would need during the evening. You were also allowed to familiarize yourself more with where everything was placed.

Minjun also took the opportunity to explain a few recipes to you. "Don't worry if you can't remember them; just have some cheat sheet on the worktop." Indeed, some small laminated sheets were stuck on the worktop and on the counter's inner barrier, sheltered from the customers' view. "Cheater."

"What? Sometimes even the best have memory lapses." He pats you on the shoulder teasingly.

"Anyway, the most important thing is not to panic at the sight of the crowd. Do the orders one by one to avoid getting lost, and if you have any doubts, don't hesitate to come and ask me or Sohan, the other barman."

You nod and continue to prepare the drinks he asks you to practice. It wasn't all plain sailing. Tonight, you had to prove to him and the others that you were trustworthy and that you did indeed belong here. Besides, it was one less thing to worry about.

"When do I start?" You ask.

"Are you free tonight?" You nod, "Then tonight will be."

Oh. That fast? At least you won't have to wait long to have an answer. Mentally unprepared, you start to feel your hands becoming sweating.

"Be thankful tonight's fight was between amateurs and not Bullet Fists. Otherwise, it would have been hell for you."

Bullet Fists. Jungkook. Quasimodo.

You hadn't thought much about it, but working at the Den - if it became official in the days - meant you might see your beautiful neighbor more often than you'd imagined, which, in all honesty, wasn't unpleasant.

"Good." He says, clapping his hands and pulling you out of your thoughts. "Let's talk about the payment." Now you were starting to speak the same language.

"For tonight, if you can make it to the end and manage properly, you'll be paid 1 .291 .689₩" (€900 │ $991.30 │ £780.41).

"That much?" Shocked to earn so much for a few hours of work.

"Yeah, not counting tips from customers. And if you ever come to do business with us, you'll earn double. Don't forget, darling, that you're working in a place that's underground and where money flows freely."

No wonder, even in places like this, some people like you accept work without worrying about the risks.

"We've got half an hour before we open. Do you think that's enough time to get dolled up? I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in the lost and found." He points to you.

"Did you guys find make-up?"

"You'll be shocked at how much we find once the customers leave."

Wasting no more time, you head off to the changing rooms and rummage through the lost and found. Everything: lipsticks, pencils, liner, mascara, perfume, clothes, and even shoes and telephones. It's in circumstances like this that you realize how absent-minded people can be when they're drunk. Worst of all, no one seems to have come to claim them.

It was barely ten o'clock on a Saturday morning when Jungkook's phone rang while he slept peacefully. The only sound in his house was his snoring, which clattered against his bedroom walls.

At first, Jungkook thought the unbearable noise from his phone was a dream, but when his subconscious awakened, trapping Jungkook in between the real world and the dream world, he realized it was his phone ringing.

He groped his mattress for his phone without even opening his eyes.

"What?" His morning voice was hoarse, low, and raspy. He knew very well who was on the line. That dog-bark ringing was registered to his "trainer," or the man who only called him when he had to fight for large sums of money.

"A little respect for your elders, you moron." Jungkook didn't care; he only wanted to go back to sleep. The night before, Jungkook stayed up until four to finish a job due first thing Monday.

This assignment was a group project, but Jungkook did it alone as usual, refusing to waste time socializing with his classmates.

"Get on with it." he barks again, becoming increasingly grumpy.

"All right, then. Tonight. The Den. Fight against Bazooka. See you at midnight. Is that short enough for Sleeping Beauty?" His trainer teased, knowing full well that this was playing on the younger man's nerves.

"Hmm." Jungkook grunts, rubbing his face against the mattress for lack of a pillow. "I've told you before that for this sort of thing, you can leave a message just fine."

"Yeah, and run the risk of you not reading it."

"Tsk. As if I'm going to miss an opportunity to kick this bastard's ass. Besides, it looks like last time's beating wasn't enough for him."

"Apparently not. Jung-Ho's trainer kept bombarding my phone with calls and messages to arrange a meeting between you."

"That guy must really be a masochist." Says Jungkook, referring to his opponent, fully awake now.

"Or maybe he's fallen for your charm." Jungkook rolls his eyes as his trainer laughs at the possible situation.

"It's possible. He's not the first and certainly won't be the last. Everyone falls for Bullet Fists' charm and charisma."

"Okay. That's my cue to cut this call short. You're fully awake, and your oversized ego has resurfaced."

"Oh, come on, coach, fess up. You've fallen for it too."

"Yeah, right. Well, come on, kid. Don't forget, midnight sharp." Then he hangs up.

It had been a week since Jungkook had set foot in the Den, and he wasn't unhappy about it. The farther away he was from this place, the better off he was.

Since the death of his parents a few years ago, when Jungkook was just eighteen, his life has been turned upside down.

This happened during the summer vacations when his parents were away on a romantic evening without Jungkook. On their way home, they were hit by a car belonging to a group of young people returning from a night out.

The news sent Jungkook into a frenzy, and he was only calmed when he made those responsible for his parents' death pay.

Before the death of his parents, Jungkook was what we consider a good boy. Polite, kind, helpful, and very shy. Especially towards girls. Today, Jungkook was a completely different man. Rude to some, no longer shy and charming. He was a massive hit with the ladies.

But deep down, he was still the sweet boy he once was; it's just that after all the shit life had thrown at him in the dark hours of his life, Jungkook found himself trapped in a darkness that refused to leave him.

It was pure chance that one night, he came across a man who later became his coach. It was this man who had introduced him to the life of an underground fighter he led today.

He had no ill intentions towards Jungkook. He wanted to help him, but he didn't have the means to do so, so he did it the only way he knew how. He had seen a glimmer of hope and life in Jungkook that he hadn't believed in for many years.

So the man welcomed him into the cubbyhole that was his apartment and taught him how to fight. Introducing him to street fighting was the only way he could help Jungkook make a decent sum of money fairly quickly.

In return, without realizing it, Jungkook brought a glimmer of life into the man who had taken him in. He let him know what it was like to be a father. For the man, Seokjin, life wasn't all rosy either, and Jungkook had given him a breath of fresh air.

The relationship between Jungkook and Seokjin was not just that of coach and fighter. It was that of a father and son but also of two brothers.

Seokjin sometimes regretted his decision to introduce his dark life to Jungkook. But as he looked back on Jungkook's living conditions when he first met him, he felt the poor boy could have fallen even further.

For the rest of the day, Jungkook prepared for his evening fight. With all the money he'd made from his fights, he'd been able to save up enough to buy some body-building equipment.

But while taking a break after having already trained for an hour and forty-five minutes without respite, he allowed himself a break to drink water and smoke.

Opening his windows, his gaze wandered in the direction of your home. Who would have thought that the distressed young woman he saved one evening would turn his thoughts upside down?

It had been a week since your last interaction, but it was still fresh in his mind.

It may have been wrong and out of place given the circumstances in which your paths crossed, but Jungkook still remembers the shape of your topless, perfect body.

The image of the valley of your breasts, though covered by your bra, haunted his memory. The curves of your body, right where it should be, the warmth of your body caressing his. Your scent still wafting through his car after he dropped you off at home.

Then, that famous night after his fight just a week ago when he'd realized you were his kind of girl. Sweet and naive, but also a strong woman with much fight.

The cat-and-mouse game you two played over the phone was like sweet music in his ears.

That night at the dingy hotel, Jungkook couldn't close his eyes all night, his gaze riveted on your silhouette, which he glimpsed thanks to the moonbeams seeping through the window. And although you found yourself in a nauseating place with a man you didn't really know, you slept so peacefully. As if you trusted him completely.

"Idiot." Yet a gentle, blissful smile that gave him a boyish air had taken possession of his soft lips.

Realizing how silly he looked, Jungkook shook his head to chase away these ideas that would get him nowhere. On the other hand, even though he hadn't heard from you since that famous time, he had noticed that you'd been going out at the same time for the past week and coming home at noon.

And here you are again.

Not that he was worried but curious. What could you be doing alone at such hours when you'd only just moved into a neighborhood like this?

"What are you meddling with, man? What she does or doesn't do is none of your business." And with that reprimand, he closes his windows to get ready.

"Hey, Little one. So, are you ready for the big night?" Minjun and Sohan were already behind the counter, preparing the necessities for tonight.

"What do you mean?" You shook off your belongings as the two men exchanged a look.

"You don't know who's fighting tonight?" You shake your head. "Bullet Fists versus Bazooka. So expect to get ripped off at the controls." Sohan was a tall man with blue hair and black eyes, although he opted for green lenses tonight. He also had muscles, and from what you'd seen during his last fight, Sohan seemed a little less muscular than Jungkook. He wore his hair up and back, which highlighted his face.

Like Minjun and you, he was dressed entirely in black. A slim black shirt with a few buttons undone and jeans pants adorned his legs, while his look was finished off with a pair of combat boots.

Minjun was dressed pretty much the same as Johan, the only difference being that he wore a tight T-shirt, revealing his muscles and pectorals. As for his black hair, it was in its usual form, with its fringe parted in the middle of his forehead. Giving him a bad-boy look.

Without planning it with your two colleagues, you'd opt for an all-black look tonight. Loose hair with a few curls, prominent make-up with smoky eyes, making your gaze bewitching. You wore a tight, sheer lace crop top. Accompanying your femme fatale look, you wore a high-waisted leather skirt with a slit up the right thigh. And while heeled boots would have been perfect, you couldn't forget that you would spend the rest of the evening standing behind the counter, so you left it out, opting for combat boots with clutches, which was very handy for putting your tips in.

"Awesome. I'm going to get my first rush. Not stressful at all." You give them a tense little smile.

"Don't worry." Minjun places a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "We'll do as usual. You take orders individually and ask us what you need."

The two men are pretty pleased with your work. They see that you're giving it your all and already have your bearings, although you haven't been here long.

"Don't worry about it. Don't think about it; everything's going to be fine."

"Now go and get ready because the first wave of customers is coming."

It had already been two hours since you'd arrived, and the crowd was still growing, but the good news was that you were keeping up just as well as your two colleagues.

As you prepared the orders, you couldn't help glancing around the room in search of just one person. You kept wondering if he was already there? Was he too stressed? And would he stop by the bar for a drink before his fight?

And yet, five fights had already taken place, and the sixth had just begun, with no sign of your neighbor. As the show's highlight, the Bullet Fists and Bazooka fight was decreed to be the last. It's all very strategic. The organizers know that their audience's two favorites are these two fighters - mainly Bullet Fists - so by making them fight last, they're sure to attract more customers and make a maximum profit from the beginning to the end of the evening.

Meanwhile, you hoped to see Jungkook before he entered the cage, but your hopes were dashed as his fight drew nearer. Deciding not to dwell on the subject any longer, you return the drinks to one customer before moving on to another.

"Good evening. What can I get you?" You change your look of disappointment to a broad business smile.

When your gaze settles on the customer in question, you have a vague impression of having seen him somewhere before, but you are having trouble remembering where and when precisely.

"I'd say the bombshell I'm looking at." Pfff. So, he falls into the category of annoying, redneck customer. But hey, you're not going to criticize and try to make him understand nicely that you won't go any further than serving his order.

"Ha. That's going to be tricky, buddy." You were trying to say it with a teasing attitude. It's not like you were with Jungkook, but a little more distant, leaning more towards sarcasm than anything else.

It's well known that barmen/barmaids are known to be flirts; it's part of the show if they feel like ending up with tips; after all, they have to make a living from their trade.

"Nothing's really complicated when you really want it to be." You hold back from telling him that so he has his answer, but you hold back, not wanting to be rude and risk losing your job just a week in.

"What can I put you down for?" Not wanting to waste more time in his company, you change the subject directly. Not to mention that the line is getting longer and longer, so you've got your work cut out for you. It's either he orders, or he bolts.

"Pint of ruby, baby." Boy, did you hate it when someone as reluctant as him called you baby?

It's crazy because you'd never talked to him about your life before, and yet he was already pissing you off. Some people like that don't do anything to us, but just seeing them or hearing their voices takes us out of our depths. It's something inexplicable, and yet you were ready to put your hand on the fact that you weren't the only one in the world to feel that way, and secretly, it reassured you.

"Right away." Unfortunately for you, the draught beer tap was right in front of you, so you had no escape route, but on the bright side, you could quickly give him his order as soon as you'd finished serving it and hope he'd get out of the way as soon as possible too.

Misfortune never comes alone. While the man already had his order in hand, he was still perched on the counter, clinging on as if his life depended on it. Worst of all, his gaze never left your side, and you hated the feeling of being spied on.

"I've never seen you around here. You must be new around here." Your only response was a vague glance in her direction as you continued to prepare another customer's order.

"I would like to be a dead leaf in front of your door so that you can overwhelm me with your beauty every time you leave your house." Hang in there, YN; you'll be fine. Just don't roll your eyes at him.

Sohan, who wasn't far from you, seemed to have heard the shit flirty floppy pickup lines the stranger was trying to throw at you because when your eyes met, he laughed.

Returning the order to the customer, you moved on to the next one. Fortunately, this time, you had to prepare a cocktail, and what you needed was laid out on the worktop behind you, giving you a little respite from the dolt guy starting to get on your nerves.

You tried to drag out the process of preparing the cocktail as best you could, taking your time and making the pleasure of not hearing the sound of his voice last, but all good things must come to an end, and you had to turn around to give the customer his order back and cash it at the same time.

As you waited for the customer to enter his credit card code on the EPT machine, the guy took the opportunity to pull another bullshit.

"Your ass is so beautiful; it's a shame you have to sit on it." You'd like to know where he comes up with these ready-made moronic phrases.

"Let me guess," you say, addressing the guy, "Last night you had trouble falling asleep, so you couldn't think of anything better than searching the internet for 'the top 50 worst pickup lines for hitting on a girl?"

Sohan and Minjun were preparing their own orders without losing any of your interaction with the stranger and couldn't help but laugh at what you said, which had the knack of nipping the other guy in the bud for a while.

Unfortunately for him, just as he was most certainly about to come out with some new bullshit, a slightly older guy interrupts him.

"Jung-Ho, man, I've been looking for you for ten minutes. Hurry up; it's time to get ready for the fight." Without the annoying guy - Jung-Ho, from what you'd heard - even having time to retaliate, his buddy drags him by the arm away from the bar.

Unaware that you were holding your breath, you let go of it suddenly, a sign of relief, while you gave a small smile to a customer who hadn't lost anything for some time.

Some time had passed after Jung-Ho had been dragged off somewhere, and in the meantime, the previous fight had just ended. One of the fighters ended badly banged up by his opponent's blows.

"YN, flee. Go take a five-minute break." Minjun takes the bottle of vodka from your hand.

"But there are still plenty of customers."

"Don't worry, the crowd is thinning out. We can handle it." Sohan takes you by the forearm and gently pushes you toward the back door.

"All right." Crossing the storeroom and the back corridor leading to the checkroom, you enter the room before grabbing your pack of cigarettes and your lighter and using the door leading to the back exit for staff members only.

And to think you never smoked before. It all started three years ago when your life became a mess, and you found yourself with your head underwater. Alone in the world, with no one to turn to or confide in while your life took such a rapid turn that you couldn't keep up.

You were aware that this wasn't the best solution, but the temptation had been stronger, and you took up smoking.

It's unfortunate to say, but smoking takes away all the pressure you build up over a day. Sometimes, you manage to go days without smoking, but these past few days, when you're faced with a heavy, tiring day, you sometimes smoke a few. Ironically, as a smoker, you hate the smell of cigarettes and, even worse, the smell of cold tobacco. That's why you invested in an electronic cigarette. Not only could you control the level of nicotine you consumed, but you could also have the possibility to change the taste, and even better, you didn't have the stench of cold tobacco.

You used it more at home because even though you had a roof terrace, you were sometimes too lazy to go out just to smoke even more when the evenings were cold. And that awful smell was out of the question.

But in the evening or at work, you'd allow yourself a few normal cigarettes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, delighted to see so many of you here. The moment of the long-awaited evening is finally upon us. The fight we've all been waiting for is about to begin."

That was your signal to go back inside. The fight you, too, had been waiting for was about to begin, and the boys could finally take their break in turn.

"So, without further ado, give your champion a fervent cheer to encourage them." Back at the bar, you noticed no more customers surrounded the counter, all drawn like flies had taken their places around the cage. "I hope you've made your bets, and may luck be with you."

Since there were no customers, Minjun and Sohan went off to take their break simultaneously. "Let's start immediately by calling the young stallion, the handsome one, the tall one I named Ba-Zoo-Ka."

As last time, cheers and jeers are heard in the hall. When the named Bazooka enters the cage. Your drink in your mouth goes down the wrong hole when you swallow.

Bazooka is none other than Jung-Ho, a.k.a. the super-boring guy with the stupid pickup lines.

Showing off, he waves to the crowd and sends flying kisses in the direction of the ladies before stepping into a corner, wisely awaiting the arrival of his opponent.

"Now, let's all cheer for your favorite, the charmer, the beast, the god. I named Bullet Fists."

Once again, it was to the sound of NEFFEX that Jungkook decided to enter. But this time, he changed his sound, opting for Untoppable.

I'm unstoppable (yeah)

Do the impossible (that's right)

I'm irresponsible (oh)

Yet I'm phenomenal (oh)

I got an arsenal (oh, yeah)

I'm dropping bombs, you know (oh, yeah)

No, I'm not stopping, no (let's go)

Conquer the obstacle (yeah)

Jungkook usually chooses his songs according to his current state of mind. Tonight, he chose this song because he wanted his opponent to understand that he would do everything he could to win this fight and make his opponent bite the dust. Jungkook was unstoppable and had come tonight to conquer the obstacle and return home with the spoils.

To the top, here I go, think I'm chosen

To be the king of rock, think the people have spoken

I can hear the tic toc of the clock, I'm in motion

So, now I'm gonna pop, causing all this commotion, yeah

Entering the cage in his turn, just like his opponent, Jungkook makes the rounds, charming the women with smiles and winks.

Positioning himself on the opposite side of the cage from Jung-Ho, Jungkook discards his black-and-white silk bathrobe before baling it up and tossing it over the cage towards his coach, Seokjin.

When the ring girl finishes her turn, holding high the sign indicating the first round, she exits the cage, closing the door behind her. In no time at all, the ring gong sounds, signaling the start of the match.

The crowd holds its breath, and so do you, waiting for one of the two opponents to throw the first punch.

Impatient to make his opponent pay for the beating he had given him the previous time, Jung-Ho launched himself first, advancing toward Jungkook before trying to throw his fist in his face. However, Jungkook was beginning to know his opponent's habits, as he didn't play on the element of surprise, making him predictable for his opponent.

Sohan and Minjun return from their break, and you hand them their drink, which you had prepared in advance, knowing the two men's predilection after the week spent in their company.

Rounding the balcony, the three of you sit on the high stools while enjoying your drink and well-deserved rest after charcoaling like mad for over three hours without a break.

"So, what did we miss?" Sohan asks, his eyes still riveted on the battle ahead.

"Nothing. It just started." Sohan nods. "Did you know the pathetic guy was Jungkook's opponent tonight?" The two men look at each other, laughing.

"Yeah. He's a regular here."

"And Bullet Fists' number one opponent." Says each of your colleagues in turn. "Every week he's there, trying to get his revenge on the previous time, but every time the result comes back to be the same." Adds Minjun.

"Let me guess, defeat." You ask without really asking.

"Bull's-eye, young lady," Sohan replies as your conversation dies and you focus on the fight.

Jungkook does nothing but take Jung-Ho's blows, much to the frustration of his supporters. He parries them without a care, but some manage to hit him.

"What you're witnessing is typical Bullet Fists." Riveting your attention in Minjun's direction, you waited for him to elaborate. "The fans don't understand that Jungkook takes his opponent's blows not to waste their time but to analyze his opponent."

"You see," Minjun continues his explanation. "By cashing in Bazooka's blows, Bullet Fists analyzes his power and strong and weak points. From the strength of his blows to the stability of his body and fighting style. That way, once Jungkook has deciphered his opponent a little, he can strike at Jung-Ho's weak points, ensuring victory."

"Besides," Sohan continued, "it allows him one more thing."

"What?" You ask.

"It allows him to tire out his opponent faster."

"What do you mean?" It's super nice of them to explain the fight to you. It's nice to watch the proceedings before you, but it's better to watch and understand the tactics and techniques of the fight and the fighters.

"Take a good look at Jung-Ho; how does he seem? Focus on the movements of his breathing, the expression on his face, but above all on his current performance compared to what it was at the beginning of the engagement."

In turn, you analyze the fight, and some things have changed.

"His breathing seems to be getting faster and irregular. He seems irritated and annoyed while his blows are slower and less frequent than before."

"I'm proud of you, little one. Give me five." Minjun says to you.

"So, in conclusion...?" Sohan asks you.

"As a result, I feel that Jung-Ho is already tiring." You conclude.

"Right on the money. And get ready because, in the next round, Jungkook will make mincemeat of Jung-Ho. For a change."

Again, the three of you focus on the fight while sipping drinks.

When the three minutes are up, the gong rings again, indicating a one-minute break for the boxers.

A few people return to the bar to replenish their drinks before the next kick-off. Only a few people, just a handful, return to their seats once the gong has sounded again. You take the opportunity to refill your glass with your favorite drink and those of the boys before joining them on the high stool you occupied before.

As Sohan told you, Jungkook makes short work of his opponent without finishing him off. But this time, he's not only taking the blows, he's also delivering them, which revives the crowd with every impact, raising the excitement level.

Unlike the rest of the room, the bar was also lit, which was pitch black except for a few neon lights and the ring light. Not with a powerful light, but somewhat subdued, allowing you to work in good conditions. As Jungkook shifted position, his gaze wandered over the crowd. But against all odds, his gaze landed on the bar where, despite the poor lighting, Jungkook noticed three people sitting there.

It's true that, returning to the Den today, Jungkook had vaguely heard that they had recruited a new person for the bar and that, this time, it was a young woman. But he hadn't given it much thought. Now that he could see her in the dark, he couldn't suppress the feeling of familiarity.

So, dodging a last-second blow from his opponent. Jungkook looked back toward the bar, and with a bit of prodding to adapt his view to the necessary condition, he saw that the young woman in the company of the usual bartenders was none other than you. YN. The woman who, for a week, had been haunting his thoughts.

"What?" His contemplation is interrupted by a right hook from his opponent, which causes silence from the people in the room and jubilation from Jung-Ho.

Unable to retaliate, as the gong sounds again, indicating the end of the second round, Jungkook returns to his corner.

From where he stood, Jungkook had a perfect view of the bar. If his memories were correct, he told you not to return to the Den during your phone call. So what the hell were you doing here. He only hoped that you weren't the new barmaid the others discussed.

"Pighead." You were pretty true to yourself, just going through the motions when he'd told you otherwise.

During his whole minute's pause, Jungkook hadn't taken his eyes off you, which didn't go unnoticed by Jung-Ho. Had Jungkook had a case with this chick? That was the question on Jung-Ho's mind. Were you related to him? He didn't know that; all he knew was that you'd attracted the attention of his sworn enemy and that he intended to use it to his advantage.

The Ring Girl finishes her round after indicating the third round, leave, the gong sounds, and the third round begins where the previous one left off.

Jungkook throws Jung-Ho a straight punch right in the face. As the punch was thrown and Jungkook's fist made contact with his opponent's nose, he felt a crack coming from his opponent. He had just broken his nose. Confirmation followed as soon as Jung-Ho's nose bled.

The blow had knocked him back a few steps, and instinctively, Jung-Ho brought his hand to his bruised nose.

"I see you saw my chick at the bar. So don't try anything with her because she's mine." Jung-Ho was playing with fire and knew it very well; he knew full well that Jungkook would retaliate, but the game was worth the candle. He wanted to get him off his back, and he was going to succeed. He would try with words if he couldn't rattle his opponent with blows.

This was precisely why Jungkook didn't get involved with anyone, to avoid this situation. To prevent his opponents from finding his weak point(s) and turning them against him. Yet he hadn't been able to help himself tonight with you, and as feared, his opponent had caught on and was now making him pay for his imprudence.

On the other hand, Jungkook wasn't fooled; he knew what Jung-Ho was up to by using you against him. But if his aim was to piss him off, he must not have been very clever because Jungkook was going to let off steam. So, in both cases, Jung-Ho would come out as the loser and more humiliated than on previous occasions.

"Once I'm done with you, I'll take care of her. Take her back to my place and fuck her so hard, she'll forget her own name."

Jungkook knew reacting or feeling affected by these words was pointless, especially since he was nothing and no one to you. He was just a simple guy who was lucky enough to be around when you needed him and who helped you out a few times before you found out he was your neighbor. Your 'relationship' ended there.

Then why did he feel a lousy emotion surging inside him? Usually, when his opponents tried this childish tactic on him - Jung-Ho was not the first and certainly not the last to do so - they couldn't succeed. Usually, they'd try it with the few booty calls Jungkook had, thinking they were his girlfriend, but they'd just turn out to be chicks he'd slept with.

With you, however, it's not the same. The man feels possessiveness, no, rather a protective instinct towards you. An attraction that's still difficult for him to determine is whether it's because he wants to have you constantly with him or whether it's simply physical attraction. In either case, he wasn't going to try to figure out which one turned out to be his.

You didn't understand what was going on between the two men. All you could see, however, was that Jung-Ho was engaged in a monologue, and by Jungkook's facial expression, you'd be willing to bet it was getting on his nerves.

Although there had been no physical exertion on the fighters' part, Jungkook's breathing was jerky. His face was closed, eyebrows furrowed as he played with his tongue, caressing the inner corner of his cheek. His closed eyes made him vulnerable to his opponent, yet Jungkook didn't care. He was trying to channel his nerves and calm down before committing the irreparable.

Although, as an underground fighter, Jungkook avoided having a man's blood on his hands. For the stupidest, most inconsequential thing Jung-Ho could be, for Jungkook's psychological sake, he was trying not to kill him tonight.

But the more obscene things came out of Jung-Ho's foul mouth, the more difficult it became.

From your point of view, everything happened very quickly for the human eye and brain to properly assimilate and transmit what happened to the brain. The only thing you and the supporters knew was that one second, Jung-Ho, a.k.a Bazooka, was standing with a goofy grin, and the next, he was knocked to the ground.

The crowd went wild, and the referee entered the cage to start the countdown to ten. Inwardly and unconsciously, you prayed that Jung-Ho would stay down and that Jungkook would be the big winner.

At the end of the ten seconds, Bullet Fists is crowned the winner after knocking out his opponent.

Once all the evening's fights were over, people went home. It's been almost an hour since everything ended, and still no Jungkook in sight. So you get on with life and work with Minjun and Sohan, who can't stop talking about tonight's fights.

Meanwhile, you continued wiping glasses, Minjun washed and disinfected the counter and worktop, and Sohan cleaned and put away bottles.

"Hey man, what can I get you?" Sohan's voice snaps you out of your concentration, and you rivet your attention to the person he is addressing.

Finally, Jungkook showed up. You couldn't see his full clothes, but he wore a black hoodie. He was kindly seated on the counter's high stool.

"As usual, but give me a triple shot." With that, Sohan grabs the bottle of Whisky and, as requested, pours a triple shot before adding a large diamond-sized ice cube.

Although you try to make eye contact with Jungkook, he seems determined not to meet your gaze. Pretending to be focused on his glass and its contents before drinking it and asking for more.

Finish wiping up and putting away the last glass, you take the bottle of Whiskey from Sohan's hands.

"Don't worry, I'll manage." You dismiss him as he takes the opportunity to grab the mop and take care of the floor.

Meanwhile, you pour the bottle's contents into Jungkook's glass before handing it to him. Reaching for the glass, his fingers brush yours. It's undoubtedly a cliché to say it, but as you do so, a gentle warmth seizes you while an electric current runs through your body, causing goosebumps.

But as if burned by fire, Jungkook quickly moves his hand away from you and sips the drink. You didn't understand this distance on his part. You knew he was ignoring you, but the question was, why?

During your last exchange, everything had gone well, so you didn't understand his hostile behavior towards you. Ignoring all this, you tried an approach.

"Hey, Quasimodo, that was a hell of a fight. What did he say to you, Bazooka, to get you all worked up and send him to dreamland." You try to tease him to dispel the electricity between you.

There's nothing worse in this world than the silent treatment and being ignored by someone. Jungkook heard you all right. You had no doubt about that. You were alone in the room, Minjun having finished his duty while Sohan had gone to put the mop away in its place.

Instead of answering you, Jungkook empties his glass and stubbornly does not address you or even look at you; he gestures for you to serve him again.

"No." Two could play this stubborn game.

Surprised, Jungkook decided to look at you at last, one eyebrow raised as if to ask if you were serious, which you were. You close the bottle and put it back to show him you weren't joking.

Jungkook gives a little laugh, taken aback by your audacity. "All right."

He stands up, throws a bill on the counter, and heads for the exit without giving you another glance.

On the other hand, in total incomprehension, you let out a loud sigh.

"Trouble in paradise, sexy?" Startling you by not having seen him coming, you turn your head to come face to face with a rather severely banged-up Jung-Ho.

"Not in the least." You pretended to be busy so as not to have to interact with the individual. Luckily, you still had Jungkook's glass to wash.

"Can you pour me a drink?" Jung-Ho asks.

"Sorry, but the bar's closed, and I don't know if you realize it, but tonight was pretty hectic, and I just want to go home."

"All right, what do you say we go back to your place, and you buy me a drink?"

The audacity of this guy. What could you say to get him off your back once and for all? It was late at night, and your socializing battery was at minus a thousand, so you were planning to make it clear to him word for word that you weren't interested in him, but you didn't have the time to do it.

You were so absorbed in avoiding Jung-Ho that you hadn't noticed that Jungkook was still present, standing in the middle of the stairs. He had caught all of your interaction with his opponent.

He was determined to ignore you and head home for a hot shower to relax his tense muscles. He would also take the opportunity to treat his wounds before throwing himself on his bed, but once again, you eradicated his plans.

He couldn't ignore the obscene images playing in his head. Imagining everything, Jung-Ho told him he would do to you once the fight ended. He turned around and walked back down the steps towards the bar.

"For fuck's sake, Jungkook." He berates himself as he braves the distance between you.

"Get your stuff, we're going home." And lo and behold, once again, Jungkook holds out the stick to be beaten.

"Excuse me?" Stunned by his nerve. First, he ignores you for no good reason, and now he wants to take you home? What a joke.

"Grab your stuff, and let's get out of here." Minjun and Sohan return from wherever they are and stumble upon a scene they never thought they'd witness, especially from Jungkook.

In all the years the two men had worked in the Den and rubbed shoulders with Jungkook, they'd never seen him in such a state.

"Who's we? You, you mean."

Closing his eyes and sighing, Jungkook blurts, "YN, don't play smart with me. I'm exhausted and want to go home." He finally opens his eyes, and his gaze is dark. "Get your damn things, and let's go home."

"The lady doesn't want to go home with you, buddy. So fuck off." Swings Jung-Ho finds the situation amusing and throws more fuel on the fire.

"You shut up, you prick." Jungkook was ready to knock him out again, but Minjun intervened.

"Okay, guys, let's take it down a notch. The fight's over."

"Here." Sohan hands your jacket and bag before gently pushing you out from behind the bar.

"See you Tuesday," Minjun tells you as you walk past him.

"All right, I'm going home, but definitely not with you." You walk past a greatly annoyed Jungkook and pretend to ignore him as you put your leather jacket back on before adjusting your bag over your shoulder.

"I'm going to kill her," Jungkook mutters to himself before taking you by the hand and dragging you to the exit.

"What the fuck, man? I can walk on my own."

Suddenly, just as you'd reached level zero and were walking down the short corridor to the exit, Jungkook pushed you against the wall, trapping your body between the wall and his body.

"Don't play with my nerves, princess. I think I've had enough for tonight."

"Then leave me alone and go home." You shake off his hold and leave the building before starting to walk in the direction of your home.

"Don't be stubborn, YN, and let me take you home."

"How kind of you to come to my aid, my good man. But I can get home just fine on my own." His attitude and mood swings were beginning to make your head spin and play with your nerves.

"Goddammit, woman, get back here." Jungkook couldn't take it anymore. So he runs after you, grabs you in bride mode, being sure you can't get out of his grip, and walks towards his car the opposite way you'd gone.

Arriving at his vehicle, Jungkook unlocks it and opens the passenger-side door before sitting you in the front seat and buckling your seatbelt.

"I know how to buckle myself in. " You clap your hands to ward them off. Your eyes met no sooner than you felt electricity in the air again.

"Great." With that, Jungkook straightens up before slamming the door. He walks around to his car, climbs on the driver's side, puts the keys in the ignition, and starts the vehicle toward your respective homes.

All the way home, you sulked, refusing to speak to him as he had done to you. For his part, Jungkook was seeing red. He gripped the steering wheel angrily, driving like a madman while his knuckles were white.

He wasn't angry with you, even though you didn't listen when he told you to not set foot in the Den, and as usual, you didn't listen to him. No, he was pissed at himself for giving his opponent something to get at and, even worse, for succumbing and getting involved with you once again.

"Fuck." He punches the steering wheel as he accelerates again.

"You're fucking crazy. Slow down; I don't want to die." Once again, he ignored you, and the current speed exceeds 100 km/h.

"Jungkook." You could see that he was no longer present among you; his gaze seemed lost in the vague. You really were going to die tonight because of a fool.

Images of you and Jung-Ho replayed in his head, making him even more angry. But luckily, you had just entered your street. Stopping short in front of his house, Jungkook barely had time to save you from banging your head against the space just above the glove compartment.

"Sick bastard." And with that, you undo your seatbelt and get out of the car, not forgetting to slam the door.

That snapped him out of his delusion. "Shit." He gets out of the car just in time as you circle the car to cross the road and finally return to the comfort of home.

You had two days off, so you would enjoy forgetting this catastrophic evening. But your plans were postponed, as Jungkook managed to pin you against his car and wedge you between it and his muscular body.

"What's the matter with you?" You shouted in his face.

For crying out loud, Jungkook says nothing. Taking your cheeks between his calloused yet gentle hands, he seals your lips. He draws you into a kiss filled with passion and desire but also filled with frustration. His frustrations. Deepening your kiss by inserting his tongue into your mouth and pressing his body to yours, Jungkook takes you out of this world and into a whole new one.

You didn't know why you let that kiss go on. Indeed eager for Jungkook, too. Of their own accord, your hands pass under his sweatshirt, making direct contact with his skin and those iron abs he had. Your lips let themselves be led by his, engaged in a frenzied yet sensual dance, while your tongue was carried away by the rhythm. Your kiss was torrid initially, but Jungkook still built up the intensity.

Your body reacted well to his, fitting together perfectly despite your size difference, like chemical elements that, when stimulated, became incandescent with desire.

You let yourself be carried away by his hands that roamed your body, memorizing every curve. Your hands got lost in his hair, and out of pure reflex, you tugged gently on it, eliciting a grunt of pleasure from him. You both needed oxygen but feared that the reality would spoil everything if you paused to catch your breath. But Jungkook tried anyway and went for your neck.

He leaves his mark as he sucks on the sensitive skin of your neck, in the joint between your neck and shoulder. Running a hand over your back, you feel his broad hand move down to your butt before he takes one of them in his hand. A delicious moan escapes you, going straight into his ear and cock. With his hand still positioned on your butt, Jungkook greedily pulls you against him, pressing you even closer.

You resume your torrid kiss again, which causes you to lose all signs of strength in your legs, and you have to hold on to him to keep from collapsing to the floor. The streets were empty, and the brothel below your house was already closed, given the late hour. Only the moon and stars witnessed your moment.

Your moans mixed with Jungkook's grunts were a sweet melody in your ears. Tongue dancing together, teeth chattering, and his hands on you were the perfect mix to bring you to the gates of Nirvana. You felt that with Jungkook, you had unlocked all the keys to liberate yourself from your condition of suffering, illusion, and ignorance.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Jungkook is the one who ends your fiery exchange. Yet his body remains glued to yours as he gently rests his forehead against yours, keeping his eyes closed as he inhales your scent, imprinting it once and for all on his mind. Your scent was sweet and bewitching. Your breaths are jerky and violent.

Caressing your cheek with his thumb, Jungkook succumbed to his weakness one last time before ending your exchange.

"You're driving me crazy." His voice was low, weak, and hoarse. "What are you doing to me, princess." And with that, he broke the gentle contact of your bodies and looked at you one last time before heading off to his home, leaving you alone, still leaning against his car, wondering what the hell had just happened.

n/a: I hope you enjoy this short story as much as I do. To ensure you don’t miss the progress of the chapters and their release, don’t forget to check out the Working on and Updates section. There, you’ll find updates on “Fighter” and other stories and “One Shot” that you’ll probably enjoy. Also, don’t forget to check out the Masterlist. You’ll probably find something for you among my other stories in progress and those to come.

Also, don’t forget that if you enjoyed the chapter, please consider buying me a coffee.

Taglist : @variety-is-the-joy-of-life ; @ttanniett

Translations, republications, and rewritings of my stories are not allowed. Failure to comply with this request will result in legal action.

#jk fighter #yaya #jeon s sins #jungkook x reader #bts fanfic #bts smut #jk boxer #jk underground fighter

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be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 6 months

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Opinion not requested about ships with Spider 😃

How long do they stay togheter?

Spiri:

Forever, if they don't die togheter the other dies in the next year or so, they just can't live without the other so Eywa takes the other away.

Locorro:

For 10 years maybe? It doesn't end well. Lo’ak finds something in Tsireya that Spider doesn't have, so sadly Spider brokes up with Lo’ak, and Lo’ak is not happy about it.

They stop talking to eachother, and for another 20 years they don't speak to eachother, then they see eachother again, both have new families.

They come to peace and return friends, but in their mind there is always the "What if" of their love story

Nocorro

So, if we follow the canon

Maybe 3 years, after Spider lose Neteyam, he is so heartbroke and traumatised by the circumstances that he decides to not mate or marry with someone ever.

If we don't follow the canon, they are pretty much like spiri

Can't and won't live without the other, yes they had some breakups but in time a week they were togheter again.

Rocorro

50 years,

Spider is growing into old, he knows he will die before his mate so one day he just dissapers.

Not even their kids know where he goes, Rotxo is so heartbroken that he doesn't want to hear stories and decides to close in on yourself, being there only for his kids and grandkids.

He grows to be a grumpy old man, them after 5 years without Spider, news arrives.

Spider died of old age, and his body was returned to his kids.

They bury him as tradional trafionts of metkayina people.

When almost a year later Rotxo finally goes to him and ask him why.

Spider tells him, and Rotxo is so heartbroken

His mate decided to leave him so his dead wouldn't have been deep for him.

He returned his sunshine self, and died 30 years later.

Aonung + Spider

Forever them too,

Spider changed Aonung for the good, unfortunately he was banned from the metkayina clan.

His parents couldn't even look at him, disgusted that he was now mated with a human, still Aounung followed Spider into the Omatikaya clan.

He was blind by his love for him, and Spider made sure he will not regret being blind.

I like to think that they died togheter, embraced to eachother.

Eywa just wanted them to not suffer a single day without the other.

Tsireya + Spider

6 months, Spider was so in love and so was Tsireya, since their eyes met they knew.

But Spider knew that Lo'ak loved Tsireya too much, he knew Tsireya was the one and only one for him and he knew Tsireya proved the same.

She loved him, but there was something in Lo'ak, the way she looked at him even after he said the most dumb thing ever.

So he secretly broke up with her, one day he was there, with her holding hands and kissing and the other he was in the forest far away from the sea.

They never saw eachother again.

Locorro + Tsireya

They last forever, Spider doesn't have to go away because both Tsireya and Lo'ak are already togheter.

They just want him too in the relationship.

And who is Spider to say no?

So is like this, Spider is basically the stay home dad, meanwhile his other two partners are out.

They are an happy couple

Spiri + rocorro

They too stay togheter forever, although Spider is still scared about the fact that Rotxo heart will be broken when he will die.

So he asks Kiri what they should do, and Kiri uses her jesus Pandora powers and makes him live 50+ years more.

That it bye

Ooh, very interesting! First of all, for me when we're talking about a ship I have a hard time not imagining the relationship lasting until the end of time forever in that universe it's taking place in, I can't handle if they break up. So you've hurt me a little bit with this. Endgame always for me. Like, Lo'ak and Tsireya both not being satisfied with just Spider? Well fuck off that's the saddest thing I've ever heard.

#miles spider socorro #spider socorro #kiri sully #lo'ak sully #locorro #neteyam sully #nocorro #rotxo #rocorro #ao'nung #aocorro #tsireya #tocorro #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #melissa's asks #melissa on avatar (cameron)

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winterspiderpurrs · 1 year

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Alpha Bucky and Alpha Tony looking for the perfect omega to finally settle down. Here comes cute Peter and they have to keep him

They have been together for atleast 5 years now. Mated for 3 before Bucky and Tony the Alpha couple decided they wanted to grow their family and start to search for an Omega. Blind dates, friend of a friend they have had no such luck yet. Its been months and they know things will take time but no one has clicked with them.

Maybe Bucky was out with Steve complaining about how uneventful the last date was. " I dunno punk. I know these things take time but man. The last one? I'm sure Alpine was smarter then her. She looked great and was nice but I guess I've gotten used to having a genius around." Steve laughs and sips some of his tea. " You know.... before I got with Sam. Sam was seeing another Omega, just a couple of dates. He volunteers at the same center that Sam does. They actually are still friends. Meet him a few times and he actually might work for you and Tony. "

" Yeah? Hmmm... Ask Sam if he can arrange something if his friend would be interested but remember.."

" Don't mention Tony's name. I know I know."

So a few weeks later a small date was set up for Bucky and the omega. Tony thought it best to see if Bucky would think it would be worthy before introducing himself into the mix.

" Incoming call from Bucky Sir."

" Put him through Friday.... so Buckaroo its been almost four hours. Good sign or bad?" Tony said with a laugh. Hearing Bucky snort before he started talking " Good. Tones... I have a good feeling about this one."

"Oh?

" Yeah he is a real doll, babe... he's smart... he actually interned at the tower when you still lived out in Cali. Currently has a lab assistant job with Bruce"

" Bruce? Our Bruce? "

"Yes. And he still finds time to volunteer at the center and different shelters. He is from Queens and babe.... I never thought I'll find another pair of brown eyes that I could just stare into and get lost in"

" Damn, okay thats a ringing endorsement.... set up another date to where I could meet him?"

" Next Thursday. 6:30 at the little Italian place we like in Brooklyn. He already agreed, and I got a table in the back reseved and Tony? "

" Yeah?"

" He sent me home with baggy with a piece of cloth thats soaked in his scent to make sure we both are compatible. I promised I wouldn't open it til you could scent it too. "

" Hurry home then la mia prugna"

30 minutes later Tony and Bucky were huddled up together on the couch.

" Ready?"

" Let's get it over with"

Bucky opens the baggy and lifts the small hankie hand. He hand it over to Tony for him to smell first but he was already smelling the mouth watering scent. Watching Tony as he inhales another deep breath. His eyes dilating pupils blown, his hand has aslighy tremor as he hand the cloth over to Bucky to get a deep smell.

" We need to see about moving that date up sooner.... and maybe buy him a neck guard... God Bucky... how were you able to resist biting him on the spot."

" He was wearing scent blockers."

" What's his name again?"

" Peter Parker"

-*-*-*-*-*-*-**--*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Hope you liked it! La Mia Prugna = my plum , since Bucky's fav is plums

***** UPDATE AS OF 4.10.23********

Part 2 added

#asks #writing prompt #winterironspider #winterspider #ironspiderwinter #starker #starker plus bucky #omega peter parker #alpha bucky #alpha tony #alpha beta omega #winterspiderpurrs

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callsign-bunnie · 1 year

Note

Teams bugs! 🫶

Can I get some Gaz whump? I love him so much!!

I love the contradiction of "Hey, can you hurt this character? Yeah, I love him so much." Anyway, of course anon! I have some in my College AU if that interests you but it's Gazalex. (Nevermind, I googled it and apparently whump is a lot more extreme than I thought. I thought Whump was like... tame. I may have been mislabeling Whump as darkfic for a while. I did find some good prompts I may use later) Haha, MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING

The passage of time is an interesting concept. It's a man made construct used to arbitrarily count the amount of space the earth travels through within a certain frame. A day is the length of "time" it takes for the earth to make a full rotation, a year a full orbit.

Humans use this as a way to measure time because visually, they can see it. You can go outside and see where the sun was in the sky. And thanks to technology, you can look at a clock and witness the second hand move from notch to notch.

Once, for Christmas, when Gaz was twelve, his foster mother had given all of the boys watches. It was to help with tardiness, apparently. It was an analogue clock and had a minute hand, an hour hand, and a second hand. Some watches don't have second hands.

Gaz's had been half a second per second too fast. This meant for every second in real life, two seconds had passed on Gaz's watch. Gaz, who didn't know he was autistic yet, had become rather quickly reliant on the watch for his routine.

This led to a particularly disorienting day where he'd done everything two hours too early since his watch had gotten two hours ahead. It had been so overwhelming to be so unsure what the actual time was.

3 months. 3 months and 4 days. 3 months, 4 days, and 6 hours. 3 months, 4 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes. 3 months, 4 days, 6 hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds. 23 seconds. 24 seconds.

He'd passed his RTI training with flying colors. He'd been the only one in his class to escape. He could still remember the pride he'd felt, even after the exhaustion of escaping and evading capture.

He had been so confident he was prepared for anything after that. Anything.

He'd been so wrong.

He'd been kept deep underground. He hadn't seen sunlight since he'd been captured. They'd said they wanted information, but Gaz didn't even have the information they wanted. He knew they knew that. It was an excuse to keep torturing him. If they needed something, they could do whatever they wanted.

When they weren't torturing him, he was forced to stand with his hands tied above his head. He was barely able to even reach the ground, but it was enough that even though he was barely able to breathe, he still could.

While he was in this... cell thing, there was a clock which glowed in the dark. That was how he knew how long it was. He obsessed over that clock. It gave him something to think about.

3 months, 4 days, 6 hours, 45 minutes, and 36 seconds.

No one was coming for him. He'd been abandoned. They probably considered him KIA. Or... the worse truth. No one cared.

He knew Ghost didn't. Ghost had always treated him as a mild nuisance, at best, and completely annoying at worst.

Soap had been friendly but it had always been clear that Soap wouldn't notice if he'd gone missing.

The Los Vaqueros were not obligated to find him.

But... Price... He didn't like to think about it. It hurt to realize that maybe the bond they'd made had been one sided. Gaz could admit, now that no one was coming, that he'd considered Price to be like a father. The only father he had.

But, Gaz had just been another team member. If that.

Would they even notify Farah? Would she even care?

And Alex- no. He wouldn't think about that. Alex wasn't there and he never would be.

Gaz was alone.

He could handle being beaten. That would be one thing. But... what they did was much much worse.

At first, he'd been an experiment. They'd found his file. They'd discovered how he'd been the only one to escape. So, they gave him the chance, let him try. He'd make it outside just to be grabbed and dragged back in. Gaz had given up around the 3 week. This was a game to them.

Then, they'd moved to worse tactics. They did the standard burning, then ice treatment. Shock. Gaz could handle that. For a short period. Systematically doing it over and over and over again over the course of days. Boiling water, then ice water, over and over and over. 3 days.

That was how everything went. They'd find something that made him flinch and it would be days of it. Rats were another tactic. He hated rats but he could usually withstand them.

4 days.

There was no pattern to anything, either. He'd be left alone for 4 days, then tortured for 3. Left alone for 6, tortured for 4. 5, and then 2. The clock was the only thing keeping him oriented.

3 months, 5 days, 8 hours, 22 minutes, and 4 seconds.

The worst part was, Gaz knew his body was giving up. Every human being had a limit. Some captors knew how to evade that. But his captors didn't care. They'd made it clear this was going until he was dead.

He wished it would hurry up.

3 months, 12 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes, and 6 seconds.

Careful what you wish for. It had officially been 14 days since they'd last tortured him. He was starting to realize they'd given up on him, too. They were going to leave him there until he died.

Alone.

3 months, 14 days, 6 hours, 34 minutes, and 56 seconds.

It was time. The IV and feeding tube they had attached to him had given up. And Gaz knew it was his turn. Finally.

3 months, 15 days, 3 hours, 32 minutes, and 27 seconds.

Noise. Gaz hadn't heard organic noise in 17 days. He would have perked up to try to listen to it closer but he couldn't move himself, couldn't even really open his eyes. Whatever, it wasn't for him anyway.

Light. It was blinding, even with his eyes closed. It burned. He wanted it to go away. Had they decided to come back? God, he hoped not. He was so close to giving out, why couldn't they have waited one more day to get bored.

He could have cried, if his body was capable of doing anything.

"Bloody fucking hell..." A voice all but yelled. Gaz didn't recognize it but he barely did any of the others. "Gaz. Can you hear me?"

Yes. Go away.

"He's not responding. Fuck!" A new voice. Fingers were touching his neck and he weakly jerked away from them. Don't touch him.

"He's breathing. Thank god." Go away.

"I've got you." Please don't. He couldn't do this anymore. Please.

His arms were let down and the release allowed his body to release sobs. It was humiliating and pathetic, but he just couldn't do this anymore. He'd been so close to it finally being over.

"I've got you." Please just let him die.

"Why didn't you fucking call me earlier?!" Why couldn't you have waited one more day?

"God, he's so fucking light. Get out of my way. You fucking idiots. You waited an entire 3 weeks to call us?!"

"We thought we could find him."

"Clearly fucking not!"

"Stop fucking yelling at us! This isn't helping the situation!"

"Gaz, I've got you. Please hold on."

Gaz absolutely was not doing that. In fact, he let his body fall back, and finally, finally, he gave up.

5 weeks, 3 days, 2 hours.

The clock had been fast. How much, Gaz didn't know. He wasn't doing the math. Apparently, when he was being tortured they would change the clock. It was a method to make him think he'd been tortured for longer than he had been.

So, they would only torture him for hours, but he wouldn't have any evidence of the time passing, they would say how long, and the clock would be different, and his brain would compensate for the conflicting information by pretending that it actually had been that amount of time. Even if that didn't make sense.

"We searched for you." Price explained. "Every minute. I swear."

Alex was sitting at the foot of the infirmary bed. Gaz wasn't going to question how he was there. In fact, he hadn't said anything. He was still too exhausted, even though he'd been awake for 3 days.

Alejandro had came by to offer him whatever he needed. He didn't need anything. So he'd just shook his head.

Rodolfo had came by, next. He didn't say anything at seeing the smashed clock on the ground and the gushing wound on Gaz's hand. He'd just wrapped his hand and cleaned up the clock. Then, he'd talked. Not much, but Gaz had appreciated it all the same.

Gaz looked at Alex and then laid his head back again, closing his eyes. He was so exhausted. Only 5 weeks? It didn't make sense. It had felt like so much longer. How was it even possible that they could stretch time like that?

Farah had come by, as well, but hadn't stayed long. She'd been pissed, and had barely spoken. Just asked if Gaz was okay.

Price kept trying to explain just how much they'd searched for him. But... his brain had already tricked him once. He couldn't handle the idea of having been so deeply wrong twice.

It was easier to decide they hadn't cared.

Ask nicely and maybe I'll write a recovery process!

Hey, do you want to earn arbitrary points that mean fuck all? When you leave me an ask, add one of the following teams: Team Red (Valeria, Farah, Alex, and Graves), Team Bugs (Rodolfo, Soap, Roach, and Gaz), or Team pros (Price, Laswell, Ghost, and Alejandro) and your chosen team gets five points.

#gaz cod #kyle gaz garrick #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare ii #gaz whump #fun fact #this is the first whump i have actually written for the sake of being whump in two years

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radarsteddybear · 8 months

Text

Highlights (or should I say lowlights?) from the Making of Frozen II documentary on Disney+:

It is important to note that the documentary begins 11 months from the film's premiere. At this point, the movie's already been in production for like 4 years.

The female director (Jennifer Lee) looks to be inches away from a mental breakdown the entire time

Jennifer Lee is also the film's writer and at one point describes getting up at a quarter to five every day so that she can write from 5am-7am, get her daughter to school, goes to work all day, comes home, does whatever is needed at home, then writes some more. On Saturdays, she writes from 5am-1pm. I don't know anything about the process of making an animated (or non-animated, for that matter) film, but it seems absolutely unhinged to me that so much script writing is required this late in production. Especially coupled with how much of the film's plot and motivation are still unknown at this point.

Jennifer Lee was also promoted to Chief Creative Officer or something at some point in there, so she has a million and one things to do for that on top of everything for Frozen II.

So, yeah. She seems to be in a constant state of being on the verge of tears and is only holding it together through sheer willpower.

Disney seems to be trying to pass this off as joy and happiness and excitement about pieces of the film finally coming together, and Lee probably believes that's what it is, too, but I think this woman just needs some sleep.

The script finally gets locked 5 months out from the film's premiere. Which, like, I totally get having it open for edits along the way, but this was. a lot more than just edits.

It takes them ages to figure out who/what the voice calling to Elsa is and where she's following it to, which is like. the entire plot of the film. And in my opinion (and from what I remember, having only seen the film once back when it came out), as a result, this is one of the weakest plot points in the whole movie, which is really unfortunate because it has everything else it needs to hit really solidly.

5 months from the premiere, they keep talking about how everyone's putting in 14 hour days 6 days a week, and they keep referring to it as overtime, but I have no idea whether or not the animators and visual effects artists and everyone else working on the film actually get paid overtime? I sure hope so (which leads to another question: is the money actually worth it?), but in this economy, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

At one point, one of the supervising animators talks about how he spends the whole day split between meetings and supporting the animators so he has to come back to work after putting his kids to bed to actually get his own animating done. He describes this as a "treat" because he enjoys animating so much.

Disney (and other studios, I'm sure) needs to get their act together re: division of labor and organizing everyone's time, wow.

The visual effects artist who did Elsa's dress transformations in both Frozen I and II: "In Frozen I, I had a year. But this, it's been...four days." (Note: It does end up being more than 4 days, but, uh...not by much.)

I seriously think the movie, especially the story, would have been better if everyone could have taken like. a month off from work

The film's editor talsk about working 14-15 hour days, getting up at 3am so he can get to work by 3:30, use the on-site gym for half an hour, then start editing by 4am. Whoever's in charge of setting all these timelines and whatnot is in desperate need of taking a course in proper time management because this is unhinged.

I wonder if all the Frozen II statues/decor Disney put up around the animation studio towards the end of production come out of the film's budget.

It's fun to get to watch the actors record their lines and songs, though.

As was watching the animator who did part of Kristoff's song with all the reindeer put videos of her own face in the scene to figure out how she was going to animate them all.

#original post #/#//#///#////#/////#Frozen II #Frozen 2 #Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen II #Disney #I am exhausted on behalf of all the people making this film #Teddy Bear musings

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bagsybaggins · 10 months

Text

Chapter 1: The Disappearance

I open my eyes, staring out the window as I wait for the bell to ring. It was the most boring class of the day, Math. But I still had my good grades to keep Mom happy, even though Dustin always got better grades than me.

Not that I cared about that.

Sure Mom cared about the good grades the 'reputation' of being a good kid and all that shmuck. But I am not exactly a good kid. Not that anyone knows of what I've done. Not even my little brother who is 4 years younger than me, and I tell practically everything.

But Hopper does, and some of the other police officers do.

But Hopper has 'taken care of it'. I'm not sure exactly what he means by that, but I trust him. After all, he was my dad's best friend. At least he was until my dad died. And after that happened, I wasn't exactly okay. I'll admit, I acted out. Didn't deal with the whole grieving thing properly. Got into picking locks and stealing occasionally.

But I stopped doing that, a while ago actually! I swear.

"Dare! Have you seen my supercomm?" I hear my little brother yell from his room.

I snicker as I toss his walkie under my bed, making sure that I had turned it off.

"Haven't seen it Dusty! Maybe ask Mom for a new one!" I smile as I hear him cursing under his breath, turning into my room's doorway.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school too?" He asks as he notices me laying on my bed, with a book in my hand.

I roll my eyes, kicking my feet over the side while closing the book. "I've been waiting for you, you dork."

He rolls his eyes. "I needed to find my super-"

"Mom will get you another one Dusty, don't worry about it. Hell, I'll get you one if you just move your butt so we can go." I say as I walk towards him, slowly pushing him out of my room.

He sighs and nods his head, turning into his room.

"I'll be waiting!"

"Are you going to be at the campaign Sunday?" I hear him ask as I swing my bag over my shoulder, heading towards the door.

I click my tongue as I swing the front door open, hearing his footsteps rushing after me. "Well I have a dinner date with myself at 6:30, and a midnight slumber party including me myself and I. But I think I can rearrange the dinner for another day." I grin as I look at him over my shoulder, noticing his false glare directed at me.

"Ah, you know I wouldn't miss this one for the world Dusty. We've been planning this for what, months? I'll be there, and I'll even order pizza!" I throw my arm over his shoulders and rub my knuckles into his head, knocking off his hat.

He laughs as he shoves my hands away, giving me a nudge with his elbow. "Well good, we'll need you to help us win the fight. Do you think Mike-"

He rambles on but I glance down the street, noticing the familiar car that I had seen many times before.

"Hey Dusty, why don't you start peddling to school before you're late. I'll catch up." I say as I push my bike off the lawn, towards Hopper's car. I hear him mutter an okay, but I can feel his eyes on me as I hop on my bike.

"I haven't committed any crimes Hop, I swear," I state loudly as I press on my break, slowing down as he steps out of the car.

He chuckles down at me, shaking his head. "I would hope so Kid. But I'm here to give you something, for staying clean for so long. Or something like that."

He reached into his car, pulling out a hat. It was dark army green, and it had some pins in it. One flag pin on the right side, with a small bronze star next to it.

"It was mine, but your dad added that to it." He said as he pointed to the other side of the hat.

I turned it and stared at the words that seemed to be embroidered on the left side of the hat. Stretching from the front to back.

"I didn't know Dad could sew," I mutter, and Hopper laughs softly.

"Was full of surprises."

I run my thumb over the wording, feeling the bumps and the smoothness of the string.

'All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.'

I scoff a laugh as I realize where they were from. "Of course, he put a quote from his favorite Disney film."

"And he put it on my cap, not his. Thought you would want to wear it since he lost his original one."

I nod my head with a smile, turning to look up at him. "Thanks, Hop."

He pats my shoulder. "Not a problem Kid. Promised your old man I'd look after you, and Dustin. Though he never warned me of how much trouble you'd get into."

Grinning widely, I place the cap on my head, moving my light brown hair behind my ears. "He was good at keeping secrets, but I think he just thought you knew. Besides, my first word was ‘dare’, remember?"

He shakes his head with a snort, "I remember, he wouldn’t shut up about it either. You're just like him Kid. Stalling to try and get out of school."

Pushing on the bike peddle, I smile as I start rolling down the hill. "I'm not stalling! And I won't be late for school! Later Hop!"

"Later Kid!" I hear him yell as I turn the corner, sighing as I see four kids waiting for me on their bikes.

"I thought I told you to go ahead!" I glare at Dustin as I slowly pass them.

"What was that about?" Dustin asked, dodging what I had said.

"He was telling me to keep out of trouble. Said he didn't want to arrest me again for picking another lock at the little corner store. That and he wanted to give me this hat." I explain as Will speeds up and looks at me in shock.

"You've been arrested?"

"Yeah-" "No you haven't!" Dustin yells, and I roll my eyes.

"But why'd he give you a hat? It's kinda a weird thing to do." Mike says as he moves to my other side.

"It was something that Dad had for a bit. He thought I would like it." We turn the corner, and I can hear Dustin's bike move up next to mine.

"Why do you get something of Dad's?" He asks, causing me to scoff.

"Look Dork, I said it was something dad had for a bit. It's Hopper's old army hat, I think. But Dad stitched it a Peter Pan quote and so Hop gave it to me." I look over at him and give him a look. "And you have multiple things of Dad's. But you lose them! So I keep them safe until you stop losing your junk."

He frowns, opening his mouth to say something before Lucas interrupts. "She's not wrong. You already lost your Supercomm this morning."

Dustin sighs and nods. "Fine, alright. But why does Hop come to visit you? You still haven't told me that!"

"What do you mean I haven't told you? You know why he does."

Dustin gives me a look and shakes his head. "No, you haven't. Every time I ask, you just say it's because he was friends with Dad."

I groan as School comes into view, a bubbling feeling of math equations sends my stomach into knots.

"He is- was. But he promised to make sure we didn't into trouble. That and it was to help Mom take a load off so she could watch you more. I just got into trouble."

And before Dustin could say anything else, I push on towards the High School, dodging people and cars.

"BYE, BOYS! SEE YOU LATER!" I yell as I wave to them.

"BYE DARE!" "YOU NEED TO TELL ME ONE DAY!"

I laugh at Dustin's voice, rolling my eyes as I press on my breaks, slowing down at the bike stand. I hop off, inhaling deeply as I feel a slight burning in my chest tighten up. I hold my breath, leaning against my bike as I try to shift the feeling away. After ten seconds I exhale, the feeling lingers but it wasn't as bad anymore.

"Hey, Dare!"

I turn my head, giving Nancy a thin smile as the urge to cough erupts from my lungs. And she notices it, like always. As she sends me a look, I sigh and let myself have a small mild coughing fit.

"You need to stop doing that. It's not good for you." Nancy says as she pats my back.

I shake my head as I slowly stop coughing, my throat hurting from it. I give her a smirk as I grab my bag from the front of my bike. "I was told to do that, by a doctor Nanc. It's supposed to help me grow out of having asthma. Or something."

"Well." She looks at me before she adjusts her books. "I think that's a lie."

I laugh as Barb comes out of her car, a smile on her face. "What's a lie?"

"Nance says my doctor's tips for getting rid of Asthma are fake," I explain as we walk into the hell pit called school.

No, I don't like school. But hey, It's that or child labor.

"I mean, sometimes doctors can be wrong about things," Barb says as I dodge another basketball player, who doesn't know how to walk.

"Yeah, but they should know what helps or not, right? I mean, they studied it for how long to get a doctorate?" I ask as I stop at my locker, which was next to Nancy's thankfully. Can't stand my other locker neighbor though.

"Look, I'm not saying he's lying. I'm just saying that it doesn't help to not breathe. Or to hold back a cough. Where is your inhaler?" Nancy asks as she leans back to look past my locker door.

"It's in my bag, and the nurse has my other one just in case. But I've been fine so far without it Nance, Stop worrying. If it gets bad I'll use it. But, now that I think about it," I pause as I take out my inhaler and shake it. "I don't remember when I last had an asthma attack."

"It was last week, on Monday. You laughed too hard after you saw one of the cheerleaders slip on milk and flipped her skirt, and her entire lunch onto herself. Which I think was sloppy joe day." Barb recites from memory, squinter her eyes as she recalls the incident.

I snort, laughing as I remember it. And like before, I feel my chest tighten and I feel my breath shortening. I hastily cough as I shake my inhaler, Nancy, and Barb rubs my back as I inhale deeply with my inhaler.

"Thanks." I croak, coughing once more. "I needed that laugh."

Nancy sighed heavily while Barb nodded, understanding what I had meant.

"Yeah well, don't leave your inhaler in your bag. I want you to carry it with you at least." Nancy says as she closes her locker, holding her first and second classes books. As she turns to me, I close my locker and I see her looking at my hat. "Where did you get that?"

I smile as I flick the front up a little. "A friend of my dad's gave it to me, said my dad had it," I explain, before waving off their questioning looks. "It's a long story, but it's mine now. that's all that matters."

Barb nods her head quickly. "Alright, well I think it suits you. But I think we should head to class before we're late."

Nancy nods her head and I pat her shoulder as I walk around her. "Don't worry Nance! I won't have another attack so soon. It's uncommon-"

I later did have another attack in my first class. Someone had sprayed too much bad cologne and I ended up having to leave the room for a few minutes.

---

"What did I tell you, I knew-"

I sit my lunch down and wave my hands around. "I'm sorry Nancy! You were right! But I wouldn't have had another attack if SOMEONE DIDN'T HAVE THAT CRAPPY COLOGNE THAT CAUSED ME TO HAVE A COUGHING FIT!" I yell as I slowly look over at the basketball team.

The one who had the bad cologne ducked his head down in embarrassment because he had to use the showers to wash it off. The teacher had almost given him detention but I said it was fine.

Nancy puts he hand on my arm, causing me to stop and look at her. She gives me a look, one that tells me to stop. Like, a mom glare.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. Are you going to need a refill sometime soon? I'm sure Mom might have some at our house when you left it there."

I sigh with a smile, shaking my head while reaching into my jacket pocket. I bring out my inhaler and shake it. "No, I should be good for the rest of the night. Besides I can just sneak in and take my other inhaler from the nurse's office if I need to."

I see Nancy and Barb look at me, and I pause as I realize what I had said.

"Guy's I was joking! I wouldn't break into the school for that! I have some more at home. I'll be okay!" I exclaim as I sit down next to them, shoving my inhaler back in my pocket.

'I wouldn't break into school again.' I silently repeat in my head as I open my milk.

Nancy and Barb shake their heads with smiles on their faces, looking down at the lunch and beginning to eat.

"I wouldn't doubt if you did do that Dare. You've done some crazy things." Nancy says as she gives me a side glance.

I scoff and look at her. "And what are you insinuating that I've done Nance?"

She hums as she looks at Barb, who snorts in response.

"Great, you're teaming up against me." I look down at my tray, frowning when I realize I forgot to grab a fork.

"Hey, if you ever need to run to pick up a refill, just call me. I'll come to pick you up." Barb says as points her finger at me.

I nod my head as I stand up. "Thanks, Barb. At least someone has my back."

Nancy laughs as she looks at me. "I got your back, Dare. Wait, where are you going?"

I wave my hand as I head back towards the lunch line. "I forgot my fork, I'll be right back."

"DO YOU HAVE YOUR INHALER?" She yelled, to which I glare at her from over my shoulder.

Now, you should pay attention to where you're walking. But I wasn't because I was glaring at her, so I ended up hitting one of the small brick pillars that are in the middle of the room.

"Whoa, are you okay?" I hear someone ask as I rub my nose.

I turn to my right as I hear the small sound of the music being blasted through headphones. A guy, with brown curly-haired mullet, and brown eyes. He looked at me with his brows furrowed, his hands holding his tray.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I think." I scrunch my nose as I take my hand away. "Quick question, am I bleeding?"

He blinks at me before I notice his eyes slip down slightly, and he shakes his head. "No, I think you didn't hit it hard enough." He smiles as he looks back up at my eyes.

I sigh. "Damn, no chance of getting sent home then."

He chuckles and shakes his head. "I don't think so, but you could try again."

I laugh shaking my head. "I think I won't but thanks. Have a good lunch-" I pause leaning forward, grabbing his fork, and trying to hear the song that was playing through the headphones around his neck. "Oh is that Def Leppard? Rock of Ages right?"

He blinks as he visibly stills for a moment, I lean back tapping my fingers against the fork I had taken.

"Uh, yeah it is. I didn't think anyone else here listened to them." He mutters a patch of pink lightly crawling up his neck.

Shit, he's embarrassed. Didn't mean to do that, whatever I did.

"Well, guess you were wrong. They're good, but I've only heard a few of their songs on the radio." I explain as I slowly step back.

He grins, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. "Their album's really good! I can lend it to you if you'd like to listen to it-"

I laugh and shake my head. "Maybe some other time, but I gotta head back to my friends before they start having a panic attack. If I'm gone everything goes wrong, ya know?"

I can see his face fall, just slightly before he smiles again and nods his head. "Yeah, I'll bring the cassette another time."

I smile. "Yeah, thanks." I turn around, walking back to my table with Nancy and Barb watching me. I quickly turn around and lift the fork, twirling it around in my fingers.

"Oh and thanks for the fork!" I say as he turns back around, quickly glancing at his tray. I giggle as his mouth drops in shock as he looks back at me, and he smiles and shakes his head.

I speed walk back to my table, dodging another person holding their tray. As I sit back down, Nancy and Barb raise their brow at me.

"What?" I ask as I eat my crappy school spaghetti that barely has any sauce on it.

"Who was that?" Barb asks.

"And what was that?" Nancy smiles with a devious look on her face.

I lean back from her as I twirl another strand of spaghetti onto the fork. "No idea what their name is, and that was me grabbing their fork instead of going back to grab a new one."

Nancy and Barb give me a look that just translates to, really?

"What?" I look at the two of them.

"What was that whole, leaning into him thing? Do you like him?" Nancy asks as her voice grows quieter as she leans closer.

I blink slowly and take another bite.

"He was playing a good song on his headphones. I leaned closer so I could hear it, it sounded familiar. And no, I don't like him, I don't even know his name. Yeesh, Nance, not everyone thinks about dating someone." I say as I give a look.

Barb looks at Nancy with a raised brow, and Nancy's eyes are blown wide.

"Wait- no, I don't think about-" Nancy tries to explain, but we cut her off by looking over at Steve Harrington's table.

He waves his hand as Nancy looks at where we had turned to, smiling at her before turning back to his friends. Nancy, in turn, blushes as she turns back around and looks down at her food.

"Not think about dating huh?" I mutter as Nancy starts pushing her food around.

Barb snickers as she opened her book, pulling out a sheet of homework.

"Shut up." Nancy murmurs as she gives me a false glare, one that holds no bite to her 'mom' glares.

I smirk as our table falls silent, the two either invested in their food or their homework. I exhale silently, looking up from the table as I lift my milk with my left hand, still holding my fork in my right. My gaze shifts from table to table as I slowly drink my milk, and then I see him again. His headphones were on, sitting at the end of a loner's table his bag in the seat next to him. I press back a smile as I see him trying to twirl his new fork in his hand.

He slowly lifts his head, his lips mouthing whatever song had been blaring through his headphones. His eyes look away from his hands, and we meet gazes. I smirk as I lift my stolen fork, and salute him with it as subtly as possible. His lips twitch upwards and I turn away as I snicker to myself.

"Why are you laughing?" Barb asks, her gaze not leaving her homework.

I turn to her as Nancy looks over at me. I click my tongue and blurt out the first thing that popped into my head.

"I was thinking about T rex's trying to fist fight, but their arms don't even stretch that far so they just kinda lean back and slap each other's hands like this," I say as I lean back, bringing my arms close to my chest and flapping my hands around.

Barb and Nancy stare at me for a moment, before they turn to each other. Then our little trio bursts out laughing at my ridiculousness. I smile as I glance over at his spot, feeling a twinge in my gut when I see he wasn't there anymore.

---

"No, I'm fine Mom! I didn't have any asthma attacks at school. I promise!" I say as I walk out of my room, to my panicking mother.

"But they called and said you did! Twice!" She said as she turns to me.

I sigh and shake my head.

'It was actually three times, but no need to correct her.'

"They lied Mom! They just want you to try and get me to be homeschooled. They don't want me to beat the highest grades or something. I was fine all day. I swear." I smile as I hug her quickly.

I see Dustin raise his brow at me from the kitchen, and I glare at him.

"Alright, Dare-bear. If you're sure. I'll be back later after bingo night is done." She kisses my cheek quickly as we part from our hug.

I shake my head. "I don't know why you play bingo Mom. You're not that old. Grandma's play Bingo, everyone knows that."

She smiles as she kisses Dustin's cheek, grabs her purse, and heads toward the door. "Don't flatter me, dear, I'm still going to take you for another visit to the doctors tomorrow."

My neck cracks as I look over at her, a feeling of panic filling me. "Sunday? I can't we-"

I feel my lungs constricting, her back still turned to me, but Dustin noticed.

"We have a campaign Sunday Mom, we can't cancel it! She can go after that!" Dustin comes to my safety as he walks to the door, skillfully moving her out so she couldn't see me.

I hold my breath, closing my eyes as I try to focus on counting. Drowning their words. When I slowly exhale, I fall into a wheezing coughing fit. My eyes water with each cough, and I feel my inhaler being shoved into my hand. I quickly inhale, the sound coming back into my ears. I slowly calm down again.

I slowly look at Dustin, nodding in thanks as the attack dissipates.

"She still doesn't know about it?" He asks as he sits down beside me.

I shake my head. "I try to explain, but she doesn't quite get it. Fear of the hospital is normal, you'll be fine. I just try to push through it."

He nods his head and I smile. "Thanks, for the cover."

He smiles at me, and I chuckle.

"I owe you one, ya I know," I murmur before I pull him into a hug. "But really, thanks."

"No problem, you're my sister. Plus, we can't lose our rogue right before the campaign." He says.

I laugh, shoving him away and shaking my head.

"Whatever nerd, go get ready for bed. We're heading out early on Sunday, gotta go grab something from the store before we head over." I stand up, stifling a yawn as I look over at the clock.

"What are you grabbing?" He asks.

"Girl stuff." I look at him from the corner of my eye, smiling as he falls silent with a confused look on his face.

And then light bulb, he hastily says good night and runs to his room. I laugh silently as I walk to my room, muttering a 'night' through his door. I open my door and shut it, falling onto my bed with a slight bounce. I stare at the ceiling before clicking my tongue and turning onto my side, reaching down at the bottom of my nightstand and shuffling through my books. When I see my yearbooks from middle school, I smile, grabbing them and throwing them down next to me.

I sit up as I grab the oldest one, with little sharpie doodles on the cover and sides. I chuckle at the monkey drawing I had drawn in a bright pink sharpie. I open the cover and slowly sift through it to find a familiar face, that I had yet to put a name to. And page after page, I begin to frown in concentration looking at each face slowly.

When I turn to the M's, I finally see him. At the bottom right corner.

"Eddie Munson huh," I mutter aloud as I look at the fourth-grade picture.

I smile as I flip through the book, smiling at pictures of Nancy and Barbra. They were all ahead of me by one year, I was one year behind despite being the same age. I had been born at the end of the year, December 28th to be exact. Of 1967. We were friends because of Dustin and Mike. I didn't have any friends because I had been sick, and so when Dustin was invited over by Mike, I tagged along. That's where I met Nancy and Barbra, and we've been friends ever since.

But, when I was supposed to be attending my first year of kindergarten, I ended up getting pneumonia. I fell into a coma for six months, missing my fifth birthday, and too much school to start first grade the next year. I mean, I could have gone to first grade with them. But my dad didn't want that, said I should get the joy of Kindergarten first.

And then halfway through kindergarten, Dad died. I was six, and Dustin was barely two.

I exhale shakily as the memories try to resurface, but I ignore them. I flip through the pages, looking at the pictures of different events that happened during that year. A Halloween costume competition. Thanksgiving lunch with little finger turkeys littering the walls. A Christmas choir concert and I couldn't help but notice the boy who stood up in the front. My memory was fuzzy from that, but I did remember someone had hit a really high note.

And it had been him.

I giggle at the thought that that little head-shaven boy had grown a mullet. He had been good at singing from what I remember. I mean that high note, wow.

I slowly close the book and I knock them to the ground, knowing that I would accidentally step on them tomorrow. I smiled as I turned onto my side, pulling the covers out from under me. I slowly drift to sleep, knowing that I would be his friend before this year was over.

---

I curse wildly as I bounce around on one foot, having stepped on the damn yearbooks. I huff and glare down at them, before noticing that they had fallen open.

"Oh shit, I forgot Jonathan existed," I say in awe at the bowl cut he had been sporting back in fourth grade.

"Dare! Dare, you up?" I hear Dustin yell from beyond the door.

"Yeah?" I yell back, kneeling down and closing the book.

"Wanna get breakfast before we head out? Mom made eggs and bacon." He said before I look at the door.

"BACON?" I yell, before throwing the books back under my nightstand, and running to my door.

"Move Nerd, there's bacon." I push past him, heading to the kitchen.

I pause as I realize that there was in fact no Bacon. And Mom wasn't even in the kitchen. I slowly turn to Dustin who smiled.

"Can I request Bacon with eggs?" He asks as I glare at him.

I stare at him, not moving, and watch as he slowly loses his smile.

"Fine, but you owe me," I say quickly as I walk into the kitchen and open the cupboard.

I hear him sigh in relief before he sits down at the table.

"So where's mom?" I ask as I open the fridge, pulling out the eggs and bacon.

He shrugs. "I think she went shopping. At the thingy store."

I look at him as I click my tongue, cracking an egg into the pan. "The thingy store?"

He nods. "The store where she got that, I forgot what- wait. Antique store! She's there."

I sighed heavily and shake my head. "So we'll come home to what, another weird cat statue maybe?"

He shrugs. "Or maybe she'll find another 'rare' plate. I don't think we even have a normal set."

I wince as I start scrambling the eggs. "Yeah, that's my fault. I had used them for target practice."

"What?"

I freeze before correcting the previous statement. "We had used them for target practice. Dad and I. Before and after I had Pneumonia. Which sucked, by the way, don't ever get it."

He nods his head. "I know you told me that before. I keep forgetting that Dad had taught you to shoot when you were five." He frowns.

I shrug. "Dad was paranoid for some reason, the whole PTSD thing ya know? But yeah that was weird." I hum as I think back on trying to shoot our plates.

"I couldn't hold the gun ya know. I was too small, and it would keep flying out of my hand. it was fun, except it was really loud." I say fondly with a smile.

Dustin smiles thinly.

"Hey," I put my hand on his shoulder as he looks up at me. "You might not have had a lot of time with him, and neither did I. But we still have his pictures. And you are almost a replica of him you know. Mom might not say it, but you really do look like him. Except you got Mom's eyes and her hair. I got his eyes and hair," I pause as I frown. "But where did I get my asthma?"

Dustin chuckles and shakes his head. "I know, but I wish I had at least a memory with him before he died in the crash."

I inhale sharply before covering it with a fake hiccup, yes I have mastered the art of fake hiccupping and it's something everyone should do.

"Yeah, I wish you did too. He definitely would have helped you with that radio project that you have going on. He would have also provided the snacks. He had a major sweet tooth." I smiled.

"Really? A sweet tooth?"

I laughed and nodded my head. "Oh yeah, he carried around candy in his pockets all day. By the time the day was over, they would be gone. Anything sweet, he'd eat it. He enjoyed ring pops, suckers, candy canes, anything." I pause for a moment. "I think his favorite candy was 3 Musketeers."

Dustin's eyes lit up. "We like the same chocolate?"

I smile. "Yeah, he would only eat that type of chocolate. But candy, that was limitless. So long as it was sweet."

---

"Wait there for me Dustin, I'll be right back!" I yell as I hop off my bike, running into the music store.

I cringe as the abundance of Elvis was on display. I walk around it, looking at the plastic labels for anything other than oldies music.

"If you're looking for Def Leppard-" I jump as I hear a voice say from the isle behind me.

Eddie's head peeks out from above the self, a smile spread across his face. "-I'll be willing to lend you mine as I said."

"Jesus Joe Cricket, you scared the fuck out of me Eddie," I say as I wheeze lightly, my hand on my racing heart, ignoring the look he gave me. "I thought a ghost was talking to me for a second."

"An interesting selection of words, most people say Jesus H Christ you know." He said as he walked around the aisle toward me. "You know my name?"

I cross my arm, mimicking his stance, and nod my head. "Yeah, there's no one else named Eddie who hit that high note back in our fourth-grade choir class."

His smirk shifted into an embarrassed smile, pink spreading to his cheeks. "And that apparently."

I laugh and shake my head. "No, I looked you up in the yearbook. I'm terrible with names honestly. But the high note? Man, that's something you should be proud of. It was killer, no one else could have made that without some helium."

He looks at me through his hair, raising a brow. "Really?"

I nod my head rapidly, lightly hitting his shoulder. "Hell ya, it was great! I wouldn't be able to do that, so yeah it's awesome."

He smiles, nodding his head while looking down at the shelf. His fingers tap against some of the cassettes. I tap my foot to the song playing in the store, a rock song by a band I didn't recognize.

"Here, your copy of it." He said abruptly as he held out a cassette to me.

I glance down at it and notice that it was Pyromania, the Def Leppard album that he had been listening to the first time we met. I take it from it, turn it over, see the band on the back, and smile.

"You know," I pause looking at him. "I think you would rock the long hairdo."

He stares at me for a moment before laughing, his hand drifting towards his mullet. "My hair not looking good? Is that what you're saying?"

I shake my head. "No, no-"

"So it's not good?"

I nudge his arm as he laughs loudly. "That's not what I'm saying! I just meant that it would look good on you. Not a lot of people can pull it off you know."

There's a moment of silence before he asks, "You really think so?"

Nodding my head, "Definitely. It would be wicked."

He nods his head before I see the clock above the door. My eyes widen as I realize the time. "Oh shit! I'm gonna be late, they're gonna kill me."

I put the cassette back on the shelf and turn to him with a smile. "It's been great seeing you Eds, but I got a campaign to get to." And I walk past him towards the door.

"Wait! Your cassette." He says while he held it back out to me.

Shaking my head with a smile, I reply. "No, I think I'll borrow the one I was offered. We can talk more the next time we meet! Bye Eds!" I open the door and walk out.

"Bye, YN."

---

"Okay! Break time!" I exclaim as I lean back in my chair, wincing at the verbal cracking in my back.

"We can't take a break yet! We're almost at the dragon keep!" Lucas said as he looked over at me.

I stand up and cross my arms. "We are taking a five-minute break. I can hear your stomach growling like it hasn't eaten in two days. So we are grabbing the pizza and the drinks. Plus, I need a pee break and I need Nance to answer the diabolical question for Mr. Pickles's homework assignment."

"There's a teacher named Mr. Pickles?" Will asks.

I sigh. "No, I just call him that because he smells like Pickles, and so does his classroom. Now, five-minute break!" I clap my hands and usher them upstairs.

"Oh, you're coming out of the cave, how's everything going?" Mrs. Wheeler asks as she opens the fridge door.

I sigh as the boys answer, noticing how she tries to hold her smile as they talk about the campaign.

"I got them out Mrs. Wheeler, for a short time. We need food to tame the hunger of the monsters they call stomachs." I smile.

She smiles at me, patting my shoulder. "Thank you for that dear."

"No problem, but I gotta go ask Nance something real quick," I state before moving around her and running up the stairs. "Nance! I got a question."

I open the door and walk in, falling onto her bed with a groan. She looks over at me from her desk, raising her brow.

"Is it already done?" She asks as she stands from her chair and sits next to my head.

"No, I just demanded a break. Anyway, I was wondering." I pause as I try to think of my question again. "Oh right, Mr. Pickles gave me homework, and there's one problem I can't figure out. It's got like 50 melons and the cost of one is 5, but then the inflation is like, 2.2 or something. What do I do?"

She stares down at me before laughing. "Really? That's your question?"

I smile and shake my head before sitting up. "Nope, what up with you and Steve?"

---

"Wait, guys!" I yell as Will and Dustin start racing. "Guys, don't leave me! I have asthma!"

Muttering a curse I try to push myself to catch up with them, and I manage to catch up to Dustin as he stops at our corner.

"I want your X-Men 134!" I hear Will shout as I stop next to Dustin, wheezing.

"Shit," Dustin says, before looking at me. "Fuck, where's your inhaler!"

I flip him off, peddling forward slowly, digging into my pocket for my inhaler. I hear him apologizing but I wave him off, trying to breathe again.

"Whatever. Do you think we beat it?" I ask as we go to our house.

He shakes his head. "No, we didn't. Will found the other dice, it was a seven. We lost."

Cursing again I crack my neck as I press on the breaks, stopping in our driveway. Dustin's breaks squeak loudly and I wince. "We should fix that."

He shrugs as we head to the door, ready to go to bed after a long campaign.

"Hey Mom, We're home!"

[Next Chapter]

10 notes · View notes

ilovelotsofthings · 2 years

Text

TOH Steve headcanons

====

Steve is 25 years old. [Which means he is 13/14 years older than Matt]

Matt and Steve share a father. Matt's mom legally adopted Steve though.

Steve's mom gave him to his dad when he was about 3 years old. So he doesn't know his mom beyond vague memories.

She is also where his horn comes from. She had 2 horns though

Anyways his dad wasn't dating Matt's mom yet. That wouldn't happen till Steve was around 5 years old

They would get married when he was 10 years old and then she would adopt him about 6 months later.

She would get pregnant with Matt at some point in the next 6 months to a year.

Steve was very excited to be an older brother. He saved up his allowance to buy a plushie for Matt.

He and Matt get along great and always have. Even when Steve left for the Emperor's Coven.

Matt wasn't actually told that Steve was only his half brother until he was around 8.

It just wasn't important because Steve was raised by the same lady as Matt. She is Steve's mom in his eyes.

Steve went to and graduated from Hexside. Mostly because I cannot see him going to the school Matt was originally going to before transferring.

He is Lilith's friend. Whenever time in their schedules cleared up and Steve wasn't visiting Matt they would just hang out and work. On their days off, yes.

They would eat sweets on those days and drink hot chocolate.

Steve never talks about Matt. He just wants to keep his brother safe.

Days Steve did hang out with Matt had them exploring and going out to eat and just hanging out with each other.

Steve's relationship with his parents is still fine. They call each other and just chat.

Oh Steve has always been close with his stepmother. Ever closer than his dad.

[If you really want to know what is up with his bio mom. She is exploding beyond the isle. Not a good reason to give up a child you raised for 3 years]

Steve does want kids btw. Just a little farther in the future when he is in his 30s. He just wants to explore and figure himself out before he adopts a daughter and son

Another thing is Steve is Asexual and Demiromantic.

He figured it out when he was in his early 20s and was just thinking about what he wants in life while he was bored.

He does want romance. It sounds appealing to him which is why he has tried dating. Even when it had failed.

Also it wasn't even a lot of dates. Just a few people who he became acquaintances with. Not really friends as they never kept in close contact.

That is all.

#toh steve #toh headcanons #headcanons #headcanon

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nathank77 · 10 days

Text

4/16/24

3:17 p.m Edited 3:44 p.m

Well If that Xanax was a placebo it knocked me on my ass. I told myself Left and right it was a placebo and there was no way it would work....

And christ I took it at like 4:15, was fighting my eyes by 5:25 and closed my eyes at 5:32 must have passed out by 6 a.m the latest. I mean I remember like 5 minutes of laying there and thinking and listening to King of The Hill.

I woke up at approximately 11:50 a.m..... I wanted to fall back to sleep but I was like if I sleep through this appt it's never going to be off my list of things to do. I must have gotten like 5 or 6 hours...

And funny thing is Disability didn't call me.... I called them and they patched me through they had my whole number correct, even on my paperwork..... but they were dialing 203 instead of 860 🙄🙄🙄

Who knows why that happened. My dad either isn't approved yet or they haven't received information that he has started receiving payment... but he put me on his Disability documents as a disabled minor which makes me happy. He wants me to get what I'm entitled to..

I am now protected as they put in a close out, for 6 months. I might be entitled to 12 months of back pay depending on if he gets approved... they wouldn't tell me when he applied but the close out protects me for 6 months. I might have to call in 6 months.

If he gets approved in the next 6 months, I'll get a letter saying he did and we need to file an application. So I mean it feels a little pointless bc he isn't approved yet or they don't have the information yet but the close out protects me so that isn't worthless.

If it's a year I get almost 6k! I mean idk when he filed. I'm just glad he put me as a disabled minor. He totally knows I'm on disability and he still loves me. Even though we never talked about it.

I just need to call Disability frequently and ask.. and wait for the close out. I could ask my Dad but I don't want to bc I don't want to call him about money. I want to call him and connect with him. Idc about the money. I'm never going to ask about his Disability status. Ever. But yea it wasn't a complete waste.

Anyways now I'm at my emissions test. Hopefully this is quick bc I have Quest at 4:40... I want to stop at My Eye Doctor in Torrington and check out the glasses with my extra time and check out the frames and the cost of just lenses in a frame I already have. They are one of the only places that clean their glasses after customers put them on......

My actual Eye Doctor office doesn't... nor does another local place. And I don't want to create a big stink but I expect them to do it... bjs does...

If I have the time after that I guess I'll call a few glasses places nearby and get estimates on lense replacements... before Quest. Then everything shuts down lol

My ent called me and they got all my records so that's done! FINALLY!

I wish I could wake up early everyday I got scheduled for my dentist appt for the end of May.. and I got my ultrasound rescheduled to April 30th at 4 p.m.. I said politely the time absolutely does matter unfortunately. I cannot do earlier than 4 p.m.

After quest I got to go to Walmart and stop and shop.... I'm scared to go to Walmart bc I need waters and I tried to call Dan today cause I had so much time and Steve the cunt picked up as the only manger on staff. I just asked when Dan would be in and said I'd call back...

I'm going to try to get waters and if they kick me out. That's fucked but I won't be considered gravely ill thats for sure.

They called me for my mri for my arm. They are doing a 30 day appeal instead of an expedited one... but that's in the works... I have a feeling they won't approve it.

My HSV2 test still hasn't come back... it's been a week. I got there late and they said it had to sit out for 30 minutes... part of me thinks they didn't leave it out for 30 minutes bc of the time I got there and they can't do the test..... I got to say something to Quest today when I go in... cause a week is overkill... I'll be there on time today.

The month of May is filling up with doctors appts already... and I called my endo about tepezza and pushing through the ambulatory order so I can see the doctor sooner than September. I told them about my heart palpitations... and the er and Quest today... I also haven't started that Atorvastatin but I didn't tell them that. I'll start it eventually but I don't want to.... for a while... bc of the muscle spasms.. but eventually I will. I'm still on CoQ10.

The Xanax is kicking my ass, I still feel it. If it's a placebo and knowing it's a placebo doesn't matter it's fucking powerful, thats all I got to say.

If I didn't have circadian rhythm disorder, I could accomplish 90% of my to-do list in 3 days. It's ridiculous. I just wish I wasn't so fucking tired.

I'm glad I forced myself awake.. Even if I feel dead.

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speakingagain · 2 months

Text

So I got that Shadow Work journal that's all over tiktok, but I got it like 6 months ago and then lost it till last week. I'm good at doing that.

Anyways, i did a few of the first exercises in the book and it asked about things from my childhood that still upset or make me angry. And as I filled out a few pages worth, I realized that I'm mad over something I had no control of from when I was like 6 years old. If I do my math right at 2:30 in the morning, that's 16 years. No. Wait...18? Hold up. 24-6.....18 years. Yeah. Okay, I was close.

Eighteen freaking years of being pissed off. That's shit that you would hear from the grumpy old man dying from liver failure would say. Not a 24 year old. That's a lot of hate to hold onto. And I had several pages of shit I'm still upset about.

I would never have considered myself to be an angry person. Ever. But my examples of "angry people" has been pretty... extreme. My sperm donor (father) is a very angry person. He always has been. I remember we came home one time from getting groceries and he threw a frozen solid box of lasagna at the family dog because it pooped inside because we had been gone for hours and had no way to get outside.

That was one of his calmer episodes too.

My little brother (step that technically doesn't count) used to run around screaming and breaking things because he wouldn't get his way. He once got so mad over something when he got picked up from the bus stop that he burst a blood vessel in his nose and had a really bad bloody nose. I didn't think that was actually possible, I thought it only happened to horny teenage boys in anime.

My soon to be ex husband has the emotional regulation skills of a toddler. He used to boast about how he put another kid's head through a window because they made fun of his sister. Or when his mom's car (that we had been using while she was out of town) got repo-ed, I was on the non emergency line too figure out what happened to the car and he came in screaming and breaking things. The woman on the other line asked if I needed help. That was when I first realized I was experiencing domestic abuse but I thought it was just a moment of weakness and her could change and I loved him so much that I would stand by him through these trials. "But Daddy, I love him!" Right? Yeah I know.

Anyways, that kind of thing was always normal for me. That's what I used to think of when they said 'angry person'.

But that's me. I am the angry person.

Now granted, I never hit anyone, or broke someone's stuff or anything like that. But that's honestly just kind of the bare minimum for being able to regulate your emotions. And I don't want to be angry. I hate being angry. It's so much effort. So I made a plan to work on forgiving.

First, I wanted to learn more about what it actually means to forgive. My father always told me that "God wants us to forgive and forget." And that never made sense to me because of someone hurts you, why would you forget they did it and just let them do it again? Turns out he's actually just a manipulative asshole, who knew?

My ex, when I would call him on his bullshit used to ask me, "how long are you going to hold that against me?" (My favorite was when he asked if we could take turns sleeping on the couch after I found out he was cheating on me for the last 2 years and I laughed and told him 'fuck no'. He genuinely couldn't understand why I would disagree to that, so I told him, "because I wasn't the one who couldn't keep it in my pants". He left the house for an hour and came back pouting.) He also was a manipulative asshole but he was also really bad at it. But him always asking this made me question what the difference is between holding someone accountable and holding a grudge and learning from the pain they caused you.

So I've been doing some research. And there's a lot of differences of opinions on the topic of forgiveness. Mainly between the religious definitions and the basic definition I found in Webster's dictionary. And then there's the psychologic mumbo jumbo to understand too. I actually haven't come up with a solid answer on when it crosses the boundary between remembering and learning from the pain to holding a grudge.

And I imagine I will get probably the same confusing answers if I ask those around me. Everyone has different beliefs and experiences so no one will have the same opinion on it. I'm wondering if it is a subjective concept, and it will have to be something I can only judge in the moment.

Or maybe I'm just still feeling the effects of being manipulated over it. Who knows?

The next step for figuring out how to forgive and move on is to look at things I need to forgive, and figure out if I need to forgive them, or forgive myself. So, I made a shit list.

So far, I have a few people on it because I kept falling asleep while writing it (shh don't tell my boss). I plan on adding more once I have more of a decent brain process and more than 3 hours of sleep.

I had three columns:

Who?

Did what?

Why should I forgive?

And it was really kind of cathartic and eye opening to write down things like "I deserve to be happy." "I deserve to be safe." "I deserve to be seen and heard." " I deserve to be healthy. " My 'Ah-ha!' moment or my 'oh shit' moment I guess.

I now need to decide how I'm going to get myself closure. For example, I can talk to my mom and tell her that her making comments about how much I eat makes me feel like shit and that some things just don't need to be said. But I'm not going to reach out to my sperm donor and say "hey, remember when you called me a wh**e because I wouldn't let you hold my hand?....the fuck you mean no? I moved out that night????" I'd get no closure and I'd probably just end up more pissed off than I am now.

It would be a waste of my time and effort and quite frankly, it would be like talking to a really dumb brick wall. So what else could I do?

Kick him in the shin? That's called assault and I wouldn't make it in jail.

Make a voodoo doll of him and have someone else kick him in the shin? While that sounds hilarious, I don't know any voodoo and I ain't messing with the shadow man.

So maybe I'll just write out a long ass letter and light it on fire while screaming "suck my dick" into the abyss. Seems cathartic enough? I dunno, that one may also require years of therapy. But we will get there eventually. Hopefully.

Any suggestions?

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hcolleen · 2 years

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I just wrote a very long email to my Rep and my Senators talking about my history of having fibromyalgia and my complex relationship to health care, insurance, COVID, and other things...I don't think there's anything super identifiable (I do reveal my birth year/current age) so I'll share it here, too.

Hello. I am a disabled resident of your district and I'd like to share my story and my concerns that are literally life and death to me.

I'm currently 45 and spent my 30s trying to figure out why I couldn't keep up with my peers, why I kept gaining weight despite eating less than 1600 calories, often less, per day, and why I was constantly in pain. I was diagnosed with things as alarming as being female (I never would have known that….goodness, do tell), fat (yes, quite, I never would have known that either. Such cutting edge medicine), and being over 30 (you mean it's after 2007? Goodness). Sarcasm at these diagnoses is well earned, as should be obvious. I've been ordered to lose weight before two endocrinologist would consider treating me or even trying to diagnose me. I've had doctors refuse to treat me when I pushed back against the above diagnoses. I've had a doctor stand across the room with his hand on the door the entire appointment. Seeking out care is terrifying for me, but my body was failing me, so I kept going, kept trying.

It took until I was 42 and giving a provider a 2 page list of my symptoms and history before they saw me to get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. At this point, I was sleeping or barely functional any time I wasn't at work, only grocery shopped every 2-3 weeks because I didn't have the energy to leave my apartment more often than that, and washed laundry every 2-4 months because I had to drag them to the laundry room at the apartment. I started falling asleep at work, which I was lucky wasn't noticed because I was working on a special project I had finished already. I tried to get short term disability approved, but I kept getting bounced between doctors to get them to do the paperwork (one wouldn't, one said the one who wouldn't should, and so on and so forth), so I ended up having to quit because I couldn't work and I had $5 and had to get access to my IRA to live on.

I was….I hate to say fortunate, but COVID-19 hit about the time I ran out of money. I tried to get another job and struggled even to work 20 hours a week, again sleeping most of the time I wasn't working. At that time, I had a psychiatric nurse practitioner who wrote for me to get part time on the contract, but when I asked for case management, because I was struggling so much, I was denied it on the grounds that she didn't want me 'giving up.'

Since then, I've been able to keep a roof over my head and eat because of expansion of SNAP benefits and Rental Assistance programs. I do currently freelance for a commercial real estate agent who is quite nice and doesn't care how long it takes me to do things, as long as the rate of work per hour is reasonable. I appreciate this as most weeks, I'm only able to work ~7 hours. On super good weeks, when my symptoms are at an ebb, I can work up to 15, but that's about once ever 4-6 weeks. He also doesn't always have work for me to do for him, so 7 hours per week is a more reasonable average, though, from January to April of this year, I averaged 5.25 hours per week.

My current work situation is relevant because I recently had a hearing for Social Security Disability and the result was disagreement due to the fact that I was capable of 'light work'. I honestly would like the judge to find me a job that can provide the basics (housing, electricity, phone, food, feeding my cat, insurance) on what I'm able to work. I'm still waiting to hear back from the lawyer as to what the next steps we should take are, whether there's some technicality or if I have to start over and take up to 2.5 years to get through the system again.

With the ending of COVID programs and denial of disability, I really don't know how I'm going to keep a roof over my head going forward, which also affects my cat, who is very supportive and helps me deal with anxiety and negative feelings like loneliness. None of my friends have space for me, nor do they know of anyone who might have space for me. I don't have any family contacts. I'm waiting on Section 8 from the City of Tempe. I was just recently put on the Mainstream list, but getting my disability certified for that was again a chore. My pain management doctor wouldn't sign it, saying that my primary should. My primary said that a rheumatologist or psychiatrist should. I don't have a rheumatologist since, as I've been told at least twice, Arizona Arthritis and Rhuematology doesn't manage fibromyalgia and they're the only source of rheumatologists on my insurance.. I don't currently have a psychiatrist because the psychiatric nurse practitioner worked at a practice that closed May of 2020, I think. My primary has been managing the medications from that provider since. Getting into a psychiatrist is very difficult right now. I've asked for a referral to one, but they've not called me back and it's been four months. Yes, I should probably call them back, but I've had a lot for me going on over the past four months. I went to a neurologist because I got shingles and he said I was on a very high dose of pregabalin, so I don't know that he'd feel comfortable managing me. I was in physical therapy at the time and that provider was willing to certify that I was disabled for an 'indeterminate' time, because there may, some day, come a treatment for fibromyalgia that will do something about the immense fatigue and brain fog I deal with, which means I have to figure something out again in a year, but I might not even get a voucher by then, too.

My insurance company finally assigned me a case manager, which I accepted, because I'm exhausted dealing with doctors and referrals and pre-authorizations.

I get my insurance through the marketplace. Next year, though, I won't be able to afford to do that as I won't have made enough to qualify for the assistance that lowers the premium. I don't know if I'll make low enough to qualify for AHCCCS, but I know that at least one of my medications is absolutely not covered by it, my primary pain control agent, pregabalin. I haven't looked to see if they'll cover gabapentin, but it makes me sleep even more than fibromyalgia does, so I prefer not to take it. If I fall into that gap, I honestly don't know what I'll do, because without my medications, my pain is so bad that having the air conditioner kick on sends me into crying jags because the air moving against my skin is too much. I found this out last July and August as I worked on switching from using GoodRx and using my insurance but had to deal with a PA first and I went a month without my meds while also dealing with having to put down a cat I'd had for 12 years. It was quite a terrible time, but I needed to lower the cost of my medication.

To summarize: I have a complex relationship with doctors, but I need them. I've been denied SSDI because somehow 'light work' is the same as being able to make $1200/month. I don't know how I'll keep a roof over my and my cat's heads, nor how I'll be able to afford the insurance I need to continue receiving treatment in the very near future. I'm very scared and I know there's a lot of opposition to the programs I need to survive (and I'm not the only one who needs them, I'm sure). I know the selected issue is health care, which I really do need to be able to keep accessing, but housing is part of taking care of my health, as is food, and being able to make sure my cat is well cared for, too. These all feed into each other, as I'm sure you know.

I know that really all you can do is offer words of support and promises to keep working towards positive social ends, and I know this is an election year, which makes things eve worse, but I wanted you to know my story.

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non-un-topo · 3 years

Text

When you remember that Diego spent his 30th birthday in a mental asylum

#Diego hargreeves #Owww #Tua #The umbrella academy #I know he wouldn't have been 30 for another 6 months his time but still

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imthebadguyyy · 3 years

Text

A/N - based off of this sinful photograph

Suggested listening - Wildside by Normani and Kiss It Better by Rihanna

Wildside

Pairing - Lewis Hamilton x Reader (fem!littlemix!reader)

Fandom - F1

Summary - You've been on tour for a while, and you miss your loverboy. But when he surprises you on tour, its bound to get spicy.

Warnings - smut (not well written)

The snap of hips. The soft groans and moans. The sound of pants. The sound of Rihanna's 'Kiss It Better' blaring through the walls. The bed knocking against the wall as Lewis's hands squeezed your hips, the intensity of the thrust pushing the bed against the wall. The high pitched moan that left your mouth as you reached your high, eyes closing as stars exploded behind your eyelids, as your boyfriend came right after you, your walls clenching as he came. Even after reaching your high, you didn't want to open your eyes, far too consumed in the earth shattering pleasure that was coursing through your veins, until a soft hand reached to pull your chin up, soft brown eyes looking into your own, clouded with lust and euphoria.

Pulling your mouth into his in a heated kiss, Lewis moved his hand to rest on your bare stomach, squeezing your tummy softly as he deepened the kiss. Pulling away he let his head droop onto your bare chest. "That was.." he began, far too blissed out to think of an adjective. "Godly" you said, chest rising and falling rapidly, trying to come to terms with the intensity of your orgasm. Laughing he leaned back up to kiss your nose, before standing up and walking to the bathroom. You heard the tap running, and the sound of the dustbin opening and closing. You closed your eyes again, the aftershocks still coursing through your body.

Opening them again slowly, you saw Lewis walk towards you, towel in hand, and a lazy smile on his face. He gently cleaned your thighs, finishing with kisses on both of them. He reached up and wiped your torso, which was gleaming with a thin layer of sweat, before running the towel over your nose, cheeks, eyes and mouth. He dropped the towel in the clothes hamper near the bathroom door, pulling on his boxer shorts and and pulling out one of his t shirts from the cupboard. "What about the clothes on the floor" you piped up, finally beginning to wake up from your post pleasure state. "When did it get so messy?" He said, spotting 5 different clothing items in 5 different corners of the room. "When you decided to run your hand up my dress in a restraunt" you replied, throwing him a fake glare.

"You liked it" was his cocky reply, smirk spreading over his face as you flushed and ran a hand through your hair. "I did not" you lied, watching as he raised his eyebrows. "Oh really ? Thats not what you were saying 5 minutes ago- oh wait, you weren't saying anything at all. You were too busy moaning my name to say anything else-" "OKAY fine I loved it. Now shut up and bring your fine ass back for cuddles"

*-*-*

That was a month ago. Now you've been away for nearly one and half months, away with the girls on the LM5 tour. You loved touring, it was the best part of being a singer, getting to see the music you girls made together come to life on a stage in front of thousands and thousands of screaming fans. It was a thrill like no other. The only problem was that you were away from home. Distance was never an issue for the two of you, after all, he was a Formula 1 driver. It was very rare that he was home, except during the breaks and the gaps till race weekend, but ever since you two had started dating, he tried to be with you whenever you could. Sometimes, your shows would be in places where the races were too, and then he'd definitely turn up. But it was a difficult thing to do all the time, and some nights on tour were spent pulling all nighters as you talked to each other on the phone, till one of you eventually fell asleep.

But you knew when you started dating him, this wouldn't exactly be a regular relationship. The two of you were doing your dream jobs, and they were both extraordinary. And you were willing to put in the work you had to put in to make the relationship work, and you did. Yet here you were in Madrid, feeling heartbroken and desperately wanting your boyfriend by your side. It had been a rough couple of weeks, you were jet lagged and tired, and although this was the second leg of the tour, and you had had a break, it was tiring. It was hard going to bed every night alone, when all you wanted was to cuddle your boyfriend.

Little did you know, Lewis was feeling the same. In fact he had missed you so much, he had told Angela and his publicist to cancel all events for a week, while he flew out to Madrid to see you. He had missed you, he had missed you more than he could put into words. But he also wanted to surprise you. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled down to Leigh Anne's contact, and sent her a text.

Lewis, Leigh Anne

Hey. Is Y/N asleep ?

Hey! No, she's in an outfit fitting.

Okay that's good. I need your help with something.

Sure how can I help ?

I want to surprise her by coming to see you guys in Madrid.

Oh thats wonderful ! She's been a little down in the dumps. I think she misses you.

I miss her too.

Let me know when, and I'll send a car to pick you up.

I'll be there on Saturday. Landing at 3:15 and I should be at the hotel by 4:30. Then I can get ready and surprise her at the show.

Okay done. I'll send the car around 5:30,so you can rest for a bit. You should be here by 6. The show's at 6:15.

Thank you! Can't wait : )

I'm so happy youre coming to see her ! I'll let the girls know.

*-*-*

As soon as he had finished texting, Lewis decided to start packing, the prospect of seeing you again sending a buzz of happiness running along his veins. God, he had missed you a lot. He turned to Roscoe, the dog sitting by his feet, looking up at his dad with his head cocked to one side. "I'm going to go see Mumma, Roscoe" he explained, smiling as the doggo barked in response. He wouldn't be able to take him to Madrid, he'd have to leave him with a dog sitter, but he couldn't feel too bad about it, since he had had Roscoe with him even when you were gone. And besides, Roscoe enjoyed the dog creche. He couldn't wait for Saturday.

Later in the evening, he sat down with a glass of wine, while the ringtone of your FaceTime rang through the empty house. After a few more seconds of ringing, the call was picked up, your tired face coming into view. "Hi darling" he said, noticing the tiredness in your eyes, and how much you were struggling to keep them open. "Hi bubs. Did you finish eating?" You asked, rubbing your eyes. "No, I've ordered soup" (did anyone get the reference ;) "Oh okay" was the reply. "What about you? What time is it?" "Its 9:20 AM" you replied, gently rubbing your eyes again, forcing yourself to stay awake.

"9:20? Thats pretty late baby. Why are you still sleepy?" "We were recording till 4 AM, so Im functioning on like 5 hours sleep right now" "Oh damn. Go back to sleep then baby" "Can't, rehearsal" was you reply, making him furrow his eyebrows. "Okay I guess. But don't tire yourself out" "I won't" "I love you" he said, smiling at you. "I love you"

*-*-*-*

The Madrid show was always a fun one. The fans were loud and you loved it. They were one of the best crowds you girls ever played for, and the show had its own adrenaline and excitement. But it was difficult to give a 100% when you were tired, but you really tried, you did. During Power, you hit highnotes you didnt think you could, during Woman Like Me you danced like there was no tomorrow. During Wasabi, you brought your sass level up to a 1000. It was during Bounce Back that you caught sight of a very familiar face in the audience. Unable to actually grasp if you had actually seen Lewis, you turned to Jade, who was on your side, and looked back at the crowd and back to her, asking for confirmation.

The smirk she gave you was answer enough. After that, focusing on giving an excellent performance increased tenfold. Every swirl of your hips, every flip of your hair, every wink you threw at the audience, it was all five times sexier. In the crowd, your boyfriend was well aware of what you were doing, and it was fair to say that you were succeeding at it. He could feel an uncomfortable sensation around his pants region, as his cock twitched uncomfortably in his pants. He couldn't wait till the show was over, and you two could have a show of your own.

*-*-*

"That was amazing darling!" Lewis said, spotting the 5 of you in your dressing room. "Oh look its Mr. Loverboy!" Perrie said, cackling as you rolled your eyes at her, before running up to your lover and jumping into his arms. "Hiya Bub! I missed you!" "I missed you too love. That's why I surprised you. I couldn't stand another day without you at home" he said, wrapping his arms around your waist to keep you stable as you jumped into his arms. A chorus of "awws" echoed throughout the room, as the girls watched your cute little interaction. What wasn't cute however was the comment Lewis made in your ear, hiding his face in your ear so that the girls couldn't see. "I can't wait to get back to the hotel. I saw the performance you were putting on for me baby. You have no idea how hard I got, how uncomfortable I was standing in front of so many people when all I really wanted to do was fuck you"

You could feel your mouth become dry, and your heartbeat quicken, and you could feel the area between your thighs become wet. You tightened your grip around him, letting your crotch rub against his very softly. "I think it's time to go" you mumbled against his ear. "Okay girls, as lovely as it was to see you, I think it's time we go back to the hotel. I'm pretty worn out from travelling as well" "Yeah I'm pretty tired too" you replied, faking a large yawn. "Alright then, we'll see you guys tomorrow!" Leigh Anne said, leaning forward to give you a hug. After you finished hugging all the girls, the two of you made your way to the car, eagerly waiting to get back home.

The car ride home was tense. The tension was apparent in the air, reverberating through the air, choking you in a way you revelled in. The air was thick with tension, and it was suffocating you in the best way possible. It was almost too much to take. When the hotel came into sight, you practically leapt out of the car, and rushed to the door, an equally ruffled Lewis beside you. But he was not going to give in to you so easily. He enjoyed seeing you flustered. And he was not a person that gave someone what they wanted when they asked for it,no. He was going to have you desperate for it. Smirking to himself, he made his way to the reception, grabbing you by the waist as he went.

Throwing him a confused look you followed, slightly frustrated. "Hello sir, how can I help you?" the man at the reception asked, eyes going slightly wide as he recognized the two of you. "Hi! I just wanted to ask, till what time is your pool and spa open?" He asked, sliding his hand down to the back of your dress. "The pool closes at 10 pm sir, and the spa at 9 pm. We open the pool at 7 am and the spa at 11pm"he replied, struggling to maintain his professionalism as he spoke to one of the best drivers in Formula 1. "Alright thank you. And what time does breakfast start?" Lewis asked, hand pressing down on your ass, ever so discreetly. "Breakfast is from 6-10 am sir" "Thank you so much"

Next to him, you were fuming. Of course he was going to ask questions to which he already knew the answers to. A painful throb between your legs made you let out a small whimper, and the man at the reception looked at you with concern in his eyes. "Ma'am are you alright?" He asked, eyeing your stiff posture and tense state. "Yes, just tired, thank you" you replied, a little stiffly, but it was hard to concentrate when Lewis's promise of fucking you senseless kept replaying in your mind. "Alright then, good night" Lewis said, biting back a smirk at your flustered state. He knew getting you all riled up would lead to some seriously earth shattering sex, and he couldn't wait. But first, he definitely wanted to tease you, to push you over the edge, just a little more.

Your room was on the 16th floor, and as the two of you made your way into the elevator, he eyed you up and down, eyes lingering on the curve of your breasts. The minute the door shut, he pushed you against the wall, capturing your lips in a steamy kiss you'd be remembering the next day. His hands moved to your ass, squeezing hard, eliciting a moan from your lips. The moment your lips parted, he was pushing his tongue into yours, his other hand coming up to pull on your hair roughly, relishing in the gasp that left your lips. As suddenly as he started, he stopped, pulling back and standing almost nonchalantly against the wall.

Trying to wrap your head around what happened, you gripped the wall with your hand, feeling your legs grow weak to a point where you felt like you couldn't stand on your own. You could feel your wetness dripping, threatening to run down your thighs, as the throbbing became even more painfully exciting. You looked down at the floor, eyes closing as your frustration grew more and more by the second. Finally, with a little 'ding', the elevator stopped at the 16th floor. The moment the door opened you stepped out on wobbly legs, trying your best to walk properly. But of course, that wasn't going to happen. As you turned one long corridor, Lewis suddenly grabbed your waist, pushing you against the wall again, to reach down and suck on your neck. You let out a gasp, and tried to run your crotch against his, but the retaliated with a slap to your ass, smirking when a high pitched moan left your lips. Lifting you up against the wall, he mumbled against your ear "the key card" your clouded mind was unable to process the words, too consumed by slight relief you were getting. "Get the key card baby" he repeated. This time you noted it, reaching down to his pants pocket to pull out the key card. You couldn't resist running your hand over his cock, feeling how rock hard he was. The thought of him fucking you senseless returned, and you let out a groan.

Grabbing the card from your hand, he opened the door, propping you up against the door in your bedroom. His eyes were filled with a raw, animal desire, as he dropped the card on the floor and reached up to unzip your dress. He ripped the zipper down, your dress falling to the floor in a crumpled heap. He locked his eyes on your heaving chest, hand reaching up to grab your chin, pulling you in for a searing kiss. His hand slid up your torso, reaching behind to unhook the red lacy bra you were wearing, letting it drop to the floor as he took in the glorious sight in front of him. You waited, wanting him to just touch you, but he just stared, eyes looking into yours, clearly saying "beg for it"

You couldn't help the soft "please" that left your lips, too desperate for some sort of touch. "Please what?' Lewis said, tightening his grip on your waist. "Please" was all you could say again, nearly whimpering again at the rough look in his eyes. "Use your words baby. Now, please what?" "Please just touch me!" You finally gasped out, moaning loudly when he licked a stripe down your chest before taking your right tit into his mouth. His hand fondled the left one, running his thumb over your erect nipple, the rough pad of his thumb sending shockwaves of pleasure through your body. His mouth sucked on the skin of your tit, before moving down to bite down on your nipple. You gasped again, pain and pleasure coursing through your body as his tongue ran over your nipple over and over till it nearly felt raw. He switched his actions, moving his mouth to your left tit instead, letting his hand harshly fondle the other. He continued the same process of biting, licking and sucking, till he was satisfied with himself. "I fucking love this baby. Seeing you all wet and needy for me. So what do you want? My mouth? My fingers? My cock? Or does my baby want them all ?" He asked, watching as your pupils dilated and you let out a strangled moan.

You let your crotch rub against his thigh, gasping when the friction went straight to your core. "Look at you darling. I asked you what you what you wanted, and you picked my thighs? Well, I want to see you dripping. I want to see you cum on my fingers, my mouth, my thighs and especially on my cock. I'm going to make you cum over and over and over again till you can't even stand on your own fucking legs. I want your thighs to be shaking around my head. I want to see you moan and groan and scream my name so loud, by tomorrow everyone in this hotel will know my name, because you'll spend all night screaming it" you moaned again, his words going straight to your core."Please Lewis, God, just make me cum please!" The desperation of your cry was enough for him to carry you to the bed, dropping your body onto the soft mattress.

He pulled of shirt, unbuttoning every button so you could see him do it. He could see your eyes grow dark, as his compass tattoo came into sight. You had told him it was one of your favourites, and he had used it against you ever since you had told him that. Smirking at you, he climbed onto the bed, lying down between your legs. You pushed yourself up against the headboard, spreading your legs wide for him. His eyes grew dark, as your core came into his view, shimmering with your juices. A near animalistic growl left his mouth, the sound hitting your core. He moved so that he was situated right in front of your core. He let his eyes take in the sight of you in front of him, snapping back to reality when you let out a groan of frustration. Throwing you a devilishly reassuring smile, he inched neared and nearer, till his nose was nearly touching your clit. Then he just lay there. Not moving. You could feel your heartbeat hammering against your chest, chest heaving up and down, an alarming intense feeling growing in your tummy. Finally, when it became too much you let out a small scream of frustration "Oh for fucks sake Lewis please just fuck me!" Your outburst brought a smile to his face. "Oh I will. Just not yet" and with that, he ran a finger along your slit, before finally slipping it into you. You let out a moan, finally getting the friction you had been desperate for. His fingers circled your clit, thumb gently pressing down, before he removed it,only to slam it back down on your sensitive clit, earning a scream of pleasure from you.

He slipped a second finger into you, scissoring around your clit, as your desperate cries of "oh, oh baby! Fuck, fuck lewis-" were lost in the heat of the moment. He leaned his head down to your core, letting his tongue run along your slit too, before licking around it, collecting your wetness on his tongue, before letting it harshly circle your clit. You bucked up into his mouth, feeling his tongue wrap around your clit. He sucked the nub harshly, his fingers still moving in and out of you. "Oh God, Oh GOD, Lew-I- oh! Oh God!" Your broken moans were music to his ears as he sucked your clit into his mouth. You could feel a strange intensity growing in your stomach, feeling a lot stronger than your usual orgasm. The band in your tummy was threatening to snap, but you needed that something more to help it snap. That something more came when Lewis sucked your clit into his mouth, letting it rest in between his teeth, before flicking it with his tongue.

With a cry of "Oh fucking hell, Lew-" you camr gushing into his mouth, your juices coating his fingers and gushing onto his tongue, as he let you ride out your orgasm on his deadly skilled tongue. Well, he had got his wish. Your thighs were shaking around his head, as your body tried to come to terms with the intensity of the pleasure coursing through your body. Looking down, you saw him with his painfully hard cock, grinding down on the sheet, as he let out a moan at the relief the bedsheets gave him. Raising an eyebrow, you patted your thigh, signaling him to come over to you. "You loved on me so well bubs. But I can see how hard you are. Do you want to use me to get off?" You asked, watching the effect you had on him. All he could do was nod, as you sat up on your knees. "Stand up" you ordered, getting up from the bed as well.

You walked over to the wall, letting your body rest against it. Somewhat confused, Lewis followed you, standing in the space between your legs. "I tried to get off using your thighs didn't I? I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did. So use me. Use my thigh. Get off" looking at you in pure shock, your boyfriend moved forward, groaning when you pushed your leg against his throbbing cock. He relished in the friction, slowly beginning to move against your leg, moaning when he began to rub against your leg. He began to hump your leg faster, as the pleasure began to build up in his body, before you reached your hand down to cup his length in your hands, moaning when you realized your fingers didn't quite meet. You ran your fingers along his length. You pumped him, letting your thumb circle his sensitive tip, eliciting a soft whine from him. You circled faster, moving down to your knees, and letting your tongue run up his shaft very softly. Above you, Lewis slammed his hands against the wall, groaning when you took him into your mouth.

But a part of him still wanted to cum inside when he was fucking you (in a condom, because wrap it before you tap it) so he pulled you back up, smirking when you whined. "I know baby, but I just really wanna fuck you now. Back on the bed please, unless you want me to take you here against this wall" practically running, you clambered onto the bed. You watched as Lewis pulled out a condom, ripping the packet open before climbing back on top of you. He let his hand rest on your hip, eyes temporarily losing some of the animalistic need that had been present in them. Leaning down, he connected your lips together in a kiss, a searing, intense kiss that took your breath away. "Ready love?" He asked, looking into your eyes, looking to see if there was even a slight hint that you didn't want this. But you did.

With a sudden jolt, he thrust himself into you, groaning when your warm walls clamped down on him. His hips thrust into you, starting off slow, letting you adjust to his massive length. "My sweet baby,taking me so well. Does it feel good?" You couldn't even respond, mouth agape, as his the pace of his thrusts increased. "Answer me" he said, suddenly stopping. Almost crying out at the loss of pleasure, you looked at him with desperation. "Yes yes, fuck it feels so good, please don't stop!" "Thats all you had to say baby" he said, before pushing in again, slowly. Then, he pulled back out. Looking at him in confusion, you gasped when he slammed back into you, a high pitched moan of "Lewis!" leaving your lips. He moved so that he had a better hold of your hips, rocking the both of you back and forth, the intensity of his thrusts was so much that the bed knocked back against the wall. What he wasn't expecting was for you to take his left thumb up to your mouth, running your tongue over it before sucking on it.

Moaning, he started thrusting into you even harder, shifting so that he was directly hitting your g spot. "Oh, God ! Oh fuck, Baby that feels so good please keep going keep-oh!" The cry that left your lips was so loud, you were sure Perrie in the room next to yours had heard you. "Fuck baby, you take me so well" Lewis said, as he nearly hammered your g spot. He was so, so damn close to cumming, and when you leant up and bit a sensitive spot on his neck, he came, gushing into the guard between you two, but he wanted you to cum to, so he reached down to pinch and rub your clit, still riding out his orgasm in you, moaning when you came with a scream. He winced when your core spasmed on his sensitive cock, and he pulled out slowly, before collapsing next to you. Panting, you curled up to him, letting your hand rest on his compass tattoo. "Okay that was Godlike" you said, earning a tired laugh from your lover.

"Yeah it really was. I missed you" he said, allowing you to nuzzle into his neck, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. "I missed you too" you replied, kissing the tattoo. "I love you too" As you lay there together, still revelling in the moment, your phone buzzed. Reaching over to check it, you saw your groupchat with the girls flooding with messages.

-*-*-

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - Y/N, I'm filing a noise complaint. 🍆

Jade ✨ - Pez 😂 let them be. It's been a while for her.

Leigh 🦋- She really got some tonight huh? 😏

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️- LOL she did !! And it was obviously some goooood 'some' *wink wink*

Jade ✨- I could hear em too, and Im on the other end of the hall.

Leigh 🦋 - I know I did too! Must be some damn good sex. 😏

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - Go Y/N !!

Jade ✨ - Can't wait till she reads this.

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - Are they still going?!

Leigh 🦋 - No 😂 she's reading the messages. Y/N!! Yoohoo!

You - yes I'm here 🖕🏽

Jade ✨ - Did you have fun babe 😏

You - ..... yes

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - babe you can't really say no because we heard you

You- Im not saying I didn't have fun. But you guys need to calm down.

Leigh 🦋 - But its funnn

You - okay byeeee ❤

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - Going for a round 2 😏?

You - okay I said bye.

Leigh 🦋 - she is !!

Jade ✨ - Go babe !

You - I need to leave this group.

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - No we love you !! ❤

Leigh 🦋 - Yeah don't leave us ❤

Jade ✨- Don't leave meee ! ❤

You - Haha I'd never leave you girls ❤ now bye.

Jade ✨ - bye babe !

Perrie 🧚🏻‍♀️ - bye you sexy minx 😏

Leigh - bye hun 💙

*-*-*

Smiling to yourself, you put your phone away, to see Lewis looking at you with a raised eyebrow. "Who was it?" "Just the girls" you said, cuddling back up to him. "What did they say?" Giggling, you looked up to him and kissed his neck. "They said they're going to file a noise complaint. And they asked me if we were going for a round two" "Were we really that loud?" He asked, looking at you in surprise. "Yeah, even Leigh heard us and she's at the end of the hall!" "Damn" Lewis said laughing. "Well," he said, looking at you again, with a cheeky look in his eye, "they were right about one thing" "And what is that?" You asked, smiling at him mischievously. "We are going for a round two"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

@maxverstappenx @grandestrategia (because you are worth it 🦋💙)

#lewis hamilton #formula 1 #f1 #sir lewis #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton x reader smut #lewis hamilton smut #lewis hamilton imagines #lewis hamilton imagine #f1 imagines #f1 imagine #f1 smut #f1 drivers x reader #f1 drivers imagines #f1 drivers smut #littlemix!reader #little mix 🙌🏼🦋#little mix

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