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#LAUGHS that lighthearted chuckle and his eyes crinkle at the corners
seiwas · 6 months
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i would just like to be insane abt kirishima for a moment pls .
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ddejavvu · 2 years
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Hello and congratulations!!!!
Could I get My heart won't change with Aaron Hotchner with the line “I always thought you found me annoying.” if that's alright!!! Thank you!!
come celebrate 5.7k with me!
thank you sweet thing!! i changed it just a little bit but omg this made me squeal :') i love him sm :')
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It's at the end of a long day that you get called into your boss's office, your heart beating doubly fast in your chest as you knock.
He nods once through the glass, setting down the pen that he had been scrawling paperwork finished with, his eyes on you as you let yourself in.
"You wanted to see me, Hotch?"
"I did." He stands, his presence overpowering in front of you. HIs typical neutral frown is set firmly on his face, but he doesn't offer any verbal explanations of his strange requests, only bending down to rifle through one of his desk drawers.
Finally he comes back up, an envelope clutched in his hands. He passes it to you wordlessly, standing with his hands in his pockets while you slit the paper open.
You expect a government form inside. A reassignment, a transfer, god forbid a suspension. But two movie tickets are nestled between the pristine white paper, an hour from now for the movie you'd been dying to see for weeks.
"Hotch?" You glance questioningly up at him, something fond blossoming in your chest.
"Happy birthday, Y/N." He finally lets his face fall into a sweet smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly at the kind expression.
"Hotch," You laugh incredulously, "I.. thank you so much! You.. you knew?"
"Of course I knew," He motions to his computer, "It's all in your files."
"Thank you," You repeat, somehow turning into a broken record after the adorable gesture, "I.. I really appreciate this."
"I'm glad," He raises his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest, "Have fun, Y/N."
"I will." You nod vigorously, but something nags at you in the back of your head: there's two tickets, and there's only one of you.
"Hotch," Your repetition seems to amuse him, and he raises a single, thick eyebrow at you.
"Yes?"
"Why are there two?"
"I figured you could take a friend." He shrugs, "I'm sure Reid would love to go see it, didn't you say it was a documentary-type deal?"
"Actually," You muse, staring meaningfully down at the tickets in your hand, "Would you like to go with me, sir?"
You're not sure why you add the formality, but it seems right in the moment. He seems taken aback by your question, his lips parting slightly as he flounders for an answer.
"Are you sure? You don't have to feel obligated to take me," He leans back against his desk, one leg crossed partially over the other while his tie hangs low over his front.
"I'm sure." You nod, a grin growing over your face, "You've heard me talk about the movie for weeks, I think it's only fair you get to see it."
He lets out a short chuckle, "I have heard a lot about it from you."
You grow bashful at his lighthearted teasing, "Sorry about that."
"Don't apologize." His brow furrows for a split second, "Why are you sorry?"
"I just assumed you found me annoying." You admit, "I'm sure it's tiring, hearing that all the time."
"It's not annoying." His voice no longer contains the edge it always does, sounding soft and sweet instead of stern. His words warm your heart, and you dare to let your smile grow again.
"I'm glad to hear that," Your heart is once again beating wildly in your chest, "Because I have a feeling I'll talk your ear off after the movie is over."
"I can't wait," He teases, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair, "What do you say we grab a quick dinner before the show?"
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yopapiishere · 9 months
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03. Bits and Pieces
Just Breathe: Modern Warfare II x Reader
Word count: 2,509
Warnings: Death, swearing
(A/n): I’ve been writing since I got off work, might work on chapter four because I cannot stop writing
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(Y/n) Pov
"Hey," Soap's voice cut through the air, his nervous smile juxtaposed against the intensity that seemed to simmer just beneath the surface. The room felt charged, a palpable tension hanging between them as they locked eyes.
The brief greeting held an unspoken acknowledgment of their shared history, the memories that had reshaped (Y/n)'s world and the role that Soap had played in it. The air crackled with unspoken words, their interactions now layered with a complex mixture of emotions—distrust, apprehension, and the lingering shadows of a past that couldn't be ignored.
"Don't be too mad at me, I was just doin' my job," he said, his hands rising in a gesture of innocence as he met my eyes.
"If anything, I should be mad at you for hitting me with that burning log in the stomach; it was quite harsh," he continued, raising an eyebrow and giving me a quick once-over.
"You kind of deserved it," Gaz chuckled, his voice tinged with amusement as he leaned casually against the kitchen counter.
"Maybe just a bit, but that burn hurt," he said, his fingers gingerly tracing the spot on his stomach where the burn was hidden beneath his shirt, his expression a mix of playfulness and mock pain.
"How's your hand, kid? You gripped that log as if it was a life saver," Soap quipped, his gaze shifting towards me. He studied my bandaged hands, a curious glint in his eyes. I raised them, offering a small smile.
"About as good as new," I replied, my tone lighthearted. Soap's grin widened, his approval evident.
With a subtle nod, he motioned to the empty seat next to him on the spacious island countertop. I hesitated for a moment before accepting the invitation, the cool surface of the counter meeting my palms as I took a seat. The tension from earlier seemed to dissipate, replaced by a more relaxed atmosphere.
"If you're gonna be stuck with us for a bit, we might as well get along," Soap said, his tone laced with a kind of friendly sincerity. He looked down at me, his eyes holding a mixture of curiosity and a hint of warmth. I tilted my head slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected gesture.
"What if I'm a troublemaker?" I asked, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. My fingers danced along the cool surface of the island countertop, a nervous habit I couldn't shake.
Gaz shook his head, his amusement evident in the crinkles around his eyes. "Trust me, we've dealt with worse," he replied, his voice carrying a note of camaraderie. Soap nodded along, a genuine smile gracing his features, as if they were sharing some unspoken understanding.
"Are there any rules I need to follow?" I asked, my gaze meeting Soap's. He leaned forward slightly, his expression thoughtful as he considered my question.
"Well, there's one rule: no boyfriends in this area," he responded, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving mine. I let out a playful laugh, feeling a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Seriously? You're laying down the law on my love life? Are you my father?" I teased, propping my head up with my hand. A soft chuckle escaped Gaz, and Soap's smirk only widened, revealing his genuine interest in our exchange.
"It wouldn't be fair, Soap, considering the parade of women you bring back from the pub," Gaz remarked, his gaze flickering briefly to me before he turned away. I couldn't help but notice his sudden avoidance of eye contact. "You're lucky your room isn't next to his," he added, rolling his eyes playfully.
As if on cue, Soap's confident facade wavered, and he began coughing, clearly caught off guard by Gaz's comment. The tension and humor in the air created a strangely endearing dynamic between the three of us.
I couldn't help but release a small, amused laugh, my hand instinctively covering my mouth.
"Jesus," I commented, watching Soap struggle to regain his composure after Gaz's teasing.
"Ghost actually switched rooms not too long ago because he couldn't take it," Gaz continued, his tone light-hearted. Before he could finish, Soap quickly interrupted.
"Hey now, at least I bring women back," Soap defended himself with a playful grin, clearly not one to let Gaz's comment slide without a comeback. The back-and-forth banter between them added a touch of camaraderie to the room.
"Whose Ghost? Is that the guy I saw with the skull mask?" I asked, looking over at Gaz. His fingers danced along the edge of the counter, a subtle sign of his intrigue as my gaze settled on him.
"Yep, that's Ghost," Gaz replied, his voice carrying a faint undertone of curiosity that caught my attention. His eyes held a flicker of interest in mine before he averted his gaze, as if trying to downplay his subtle reaction. Soap's timely comment shifted the conversation, but I couldn't help but sense Gaz's quiet interest in the topic at hand.
"He'll be back later, he's got some paperwork to finish up," Soap mentioned, his gaze shifting between me and Gaz. There was a notable hint of curiosity in his expression, as if he had picked up on Gaz's change in demeanor around me.
"Anyways, were you in college, lass?" Soap inquired, his gaze fixated on me. A pang of sadness tugged at my heart as memories of my life before all this chaos resurfaced.
My hands gripped the table, my mind clouded with thoughts of what once was. Just then, a cough interrupted the conversation, and I looked up to find a man wearing a bucket hat and a mustache, his arms crossed as he observed us.
"Hey Cap, just getting to know the kid," Gaz quickly explained, his attention shifting to the man standing in the doorway. The sudden appearance of the man, presumably the one they referred to as "Cap," only served to deepen the melancholy that had settled over me.
"I've heard a lot about you, kid," said the man they referred to as 'Cap.'
"Can just call me Price," he commented, his tone gentle as he softly shook my bandaged hands, careful not to cause any discomfort. There was a sense of warmth in his gaze, and as he looked at each of us, it was evident that he played a paternal role in this makeshift family of sorts. The way he carried himself and interacted with us exuded a sense of protective guidance, making it clear that he cared deeply for each person under his wing.
"It's getting late, they want to run some tests tomorrow early; your lung situation is a bit of a concern," Price informed us. I nodded slowly, rising from my seat and offering a tired wave before making my way to the room.
As soon as I closed the door, I could sense Gaz's frustration radiating from him.
"Jesus, Soap, easy with the comments," Gaz snapped, his arms crossed defensively.
Price shot a questioning look in their direction.
"What do you—" Soap began, only for Gaz to interject, "You can't just bring up her past life like that, the way she looked as she thought about what her future was supposed to be." Gaz's tone carried a mixture of disappointment and irritation as he shook his head. Price pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture that hinted at his understanding of the situation's sensitivity. The exchange highlighted the underlying camaraderie within the group and Price's role as the thoughtful and considerate father figure who balanced their interactions.
I did my best not to eavesdrop, biting my lip as I fought back tears. The weight of my past life being snatched away before it even truly began was overwhelming.
"We all need to be careful about what we ask her," Price's gentle voice reached me, hushed and understanding. "She needs time to mourn her death. She lost everything when she drowned, and now she's here, living in a completely different world. She's going to be a bit lost for a while." His words were laced with empathy as he directed his gaze toward Soap and Gaz.
"Copy?" Price asked, seeking their agreement.
"Copy," both of them responded in unison, their simultaneous reply reflecting their recognition of the need for sensitivity and consideration as I navigated this new and unfamiliar reality. The scene painted a picture of a group of individuals bound not just by circumstance, but by a shared understanding and willingness to support one another through the challenges that lay ahead.
Later that night, I struggled to find rest in the unfamiliar bed. I was acutely aware of the quiet that had settled in as everyone else retired for the night, their respective doors closing one by one. Door one shut, followed by door two fifteen minutes later, then door three. I calculated the time in between each closure, waiting for door number five to follow suit. I factored in the likelihood that Ghost, the man who was still out doing paperwork, occupied the room next to mine. An hour and a half later, I heard his door finally shut, completing the pattern of the building settling into stillness.
Finally, exhaustion took over, and I fell into a deep sleep. In my dream, I found myself behind the wheel, navigating an icy road.
"I need to hurry up…" I muttered to myself, the faint strains of music playing softly in the background. Ignoring my own safety, I pressed down on the gas pedal, my focus fixated on reaching my destination. I failed to register how the blizzard was worsening, the icy conditions becoming increasingly treacherous. A shiver ran down my spine as the car's speed picked up.
"20 minutes to go," I murmured, my hands clenching the steering wheel tightly. I knew that I just needed to make it past the bridge, convinced that time would fly by quicker once I did. The dream felt both vivid and haunting, carrying a weight that I couldn't shake even as sleep claimed me.
"NO!" I screamed as my car lost control on the icy bridge. The world spun around me, and in those fleeting seconds, I tried to brace myself for the impending crash. My heart raced as the car careened out of control, sliding toward the edge.
I let out a terrified scream as my car smashed through the wooden barrier of the bridge, the sound of splintering wood filling the air. The world seemed to slow down as the vehicle plunged into the frigid water below. Panic surged through me as I realized the terrifying truth: your car doesn't immediately sink when it hits the water.
My heart raced as I fought against the unyielding seatbelt that refused to release me. Frustration mixed with fear, and I let out a cry of desperation. My hands darted to the glove compartment, urgently searching for the window breaker as the icy water crept higher, sending a shock of cold through my feet. I couldn’t open the door, the force of water being too strong as it trapped my inside.
I finally closed my fingers around the tool, my grip tightening as I continued to struggle with the stubborn seatbelt. Panic intensified as I felt the water's chilling touch rising even higher, urging me to hurry. Determination fueled my efforts as I worked to free myself from the seatbelt's grip, every passing moment adding to the urgency of the situation.
The water had risen to my waist, and with a racing mind, I formed a quick plan. If I could shatter the window and use the top edge of the car door to pull myself out, I might stand a chance. My heart pounded as I braced myself for the critical moment.
With a surge of adrenaline, I struck the window with the breaker, the sound of impact reverberating through the confined space. The glass started to crack under the force, and a glimmer of hope surged within me. The window breaking was my lifeline—the way out of this perilous situation.
The crack in the window had unintended consequences, causing my sinking car to fill with water even faster. Panic surged within me as the water level rose rapidly, now reaching up to my neck. The cold was all-consuming, nearly rendering my body immobile.
With a final burst of desperate energy, I slammed the window again, the crack expanding. My breaths came out in ragged sobs, tears mixing with the freezing water that surrounded me. But even as I fought to break free, I could feel the water inching higher, reaching my chin.
The reality set in—there was no escape from this watery grave. Overwhelmed by a mix of terror and resignation, I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks. The icy water began to invade my lungs, the sensation of drowning consuming me as my body succumbed to the darkness.
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Ghost Pov
I woke abruptly from my slumber, my heart heavy with the weight of realization. The thin walls of the room allowed me to hear everything—her crying, the rustling of her tossing and turning. The faint gasps for air as she slept. It was clear that she was trapped in a nightmare, one that seemed to haunt her even in her sleep.
The truth hung in the air like a specter: they had said she died from drowning. Her vivid reaction was a heartbreaking reminder that she was likely reliving her own tragic end in her dreams, the memories of her death haunting her subconscious as she slept.
I could hear her wake up, the rustling of movement accompanied by a soft, muffled sob that tugged at my heart.
"Bloody hell..." I whispered to myself, my gaze fixed on the ceiling above me. The weight of helplessness settled over me as I listened to her struggle, wishing there was something more I could do to ease her pain and the torment of her nightmares.
She was just eighteen. Her entire life lay ahead of her, full of possibilities, yet now she was trapped in this unfamiliar place, burdened by the weight of her past. The thought of her missing her family, yearning for comfort that wasn't there, weighed heavily on my mind.
I wrestled with the situation internally, my instincts urging me to go to her room and offer some form of solace. But reality held me back; I hadn't even met her yet. I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of her sobs slowly subsiding as she cried herself to sleep, the sound a painful reminder of the wounds she carried.
As I lay there, thoughts of her weighed heavily on my mind, my mind a storm of contemplation. Slowly, I drifted off into sleep, the idea of meeting her and the somber responsibility of handling her delicate situation becoming etched into my thoughts. I was resolved to navigate this new connection with a sense of grim determination, fully aware of the discomfort she must be enduring and cautious not to worsen her pain.
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Ghost was a bit ooc my bad lmao
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xuchiya · 25 minutes
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"Chapter 7: All things must come down" || kang yeosang [a mini-series]
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|| next: chapter 8 || if you haven't read the previous chapter, here's the masterlist.
genre: non!idol yeosang. fluff. angst. violence. mentions: gun. knives. attempt murder/kidnapping. blood. anxiety attack.
"my lady as much as I want to drive that ... chariot as our runaway vehicle ... you're on your own."
"KANG YEOSANG?!"
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The soft glow of the city lights twinkled below as you and Daniel were seated at a table near the large windows of the N Seoul Tower. The panoramic view was breathtaking, a sea of lights stretching out into the horizon, the city bustling below like a distant memory.
At first you find the invitation, the situation and more importantly, him— odd. Like you have not been invited to dinner, out of business matters, and a place you have been trying to book yet it seems fate does not want you to. But as the minutes passed by and Daniel doing his best to warm you up to him, you found yourself more relaxed than you expected, the weight of the day’s sorrows momentarily lifted. Daniel was surprisingly charming, steering the conversation away from business and allowing you a rare moment of normalcy.
 The topics flowed effortlessly, from lighthearted anecdotes to shared interests. The first impression to him slowly faded as you took upon yourself that you were just rushed by adrenaline and it was the first time meeting someone—other than your grandfather's oldest partners in business—it must have been really odd to you. For a brief moment, you could almost forget the words of Yeosang's caution.
“So, what made you choose this place?” you asked, sipping your wine and eyeing the twinkling lights. Daniel leaned back, a small smile playing on his lips, a quick scan of the view before returning them back to you. “It’s one of my favorite spots. The view is incredible plus, it’s away from the office, away from the stress. Just us and the city below.”
You nodded, feeling a bit of the tension slip away. “It’s beautiful.”
“Just like you.” Your cheeks suddenly flared in red hue, you took the wine glass and sip it quietly as a way to distract yourself.
The evening continued with laughter and a genuine connection forming. Daniel shared stories about his travels and experiences, his demeanor disarming. Despite Yeosang’s warnings echoing in your mind, you couldn’t help but enjoy his company. He seemed genuine, his earlier desperation replaced by an easygoing charm.
As dessert arrived, a waiter was serving the food when he accidentally tipped over a wine glass, causing a small commotion. The red liquid spread across the tablecloth, splashing onto your clothes. You stood up as you felt it dripping on your dress pants.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry!” the waiter stammered, quickly trying to clean up the mess. You waved it off, laughing. “Hey it;s okay, It’s alright, accidents happen.”
Daniel stood, helping to dab at the stain with a napkin. You sigh, thanking him quietly. “Let’s get you some fresh air,” he suggested, guiding you outside to the observation deck.
The cool night air was refreshing against your skin, and you took a deep breath, the stress of the day melting away. Daniel handed you a fresh glass of wine, and you clinked glasses, toasting to the night. “Thank you, Daniel really.” you said, feeling a warmth spread through you that was more than just the wine.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Anytime. You deserve a break.” As you both stood in silence, the wind suddenly picked up causing you to close your eyes and inhale deeply. Nights like this are calming, most especially after a good dinner.
You felt a soft and warm cloth draping over your shoulder, your eyes widening before your fingertips ran through on the soft cotton of his coat, “Cold weather, we can not guarantee their heir getting sick, don’t we?”
You chuckle softly, “I’ve been sick a few times Daniel, it’s nothing new.” He let out a soft laugh before finishing off the rest of his wine. “Well it’s new to me since you look adorable with the pink nose.” Your head whipped to his direction, his attention was focused on the view in front of the two of you, even with the small light illuminating, you saw his cheeks in red hue. You moved your head back to the city lights below. 
As the night wore on, the breeze became a lull and the white noise of the city below had made your bones and nerves relax— or so you thought it was nature helping you to unwind as you began to feel an unusual heaviness in your limbs, your eyelids growing heavy. You tried to shake it off, blaming it on the emotional toll of the day.
“Are you alright?” Daniel asked, concerned, laced his voice. You blink a few times,only in making it worse as each close of your eyes it went heavier and heavier. “I’m just a… bit tired,” you admitted, trying to stifle a yawn.
“Let’s get you home,” he said, his hand gentle on your lower back. You weren’t able to answer him and let him lead you back inside. You did not notice anything in particular but what you remember each time you force your eyes to open is Daniel waving off to someone, inside the elevator down the lower ground where he had parked his Mercedes, as he guides you to the car— you stumble on your feet to which he caught you on time.
It was that moment, you felt different. You weren’t sleepy because of everything tolling on you or the fatigue finally catching up, you knew it was something else, was it the food? Or the coffee before you had dinner? Or was it the wine? Yet none of those were able to put your finger in it. Your heart beat so loud in your ears that it started ringing, your body a little bit flushed and the way your eyes were hazy and blurry— your surroundings duplicating, you held onto what was holding you until then you felt a hot breath next to your ear, 
“Careful, don’t want to harm their heir, don’t we?” Your head turns to Daniel slowly. Your heart fell on the bottom of your stomach when you took notice of his eyes— it wasn’t those gaze when he was talking about his trip, or the way he accomplished the smallest that felt big to him— it looked distant, plain and there was a hint of … vengeance.
“Da-Daniel?” You were confused. “Let’s get you home now, hmm? It’s getting late and you’re sleepy. Not safe.” He gave you a tight smile before leading you to his Mercedes. 
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As you drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, Daniel's demeanor shifted. The kind, charming man you had dinner with seemed to evaporate, replaced by a calculating coldness. He stood in the dim light of your bedroom, his eyes scanning your unconscious form with a mixture of contempt and determination. Stepping quietly to the door, he took out his phone and dialed a number, waiting until the line connected. "It's done. She's out for the night. Make sure the next phase is ready."
He paused, listening to the response on the other end. "No, she has no idea. Her guard is down. Just keep to the plan and ensure no one slips up. We can't afford any mistakes."
As he ended the call, Daniel took a moment to survey your room. His eyes fell on the various personal items scattered around, each one a testament to the life you had built, the legacy you were set to inherit. His lips curled into a sneer when he saw a Yamaha figurine on your computer table.
He had initially targeted your father, believing him to be the key figure behind the company— the chosen heir. His plans for sabotage had been meticulously crafted, designed to exploit weaknesses and create chaos. But discovering that you, not your father, were the true heir had thrown him off balance. You were younger, more resilient, and surrounded by loyalists like NingNing— your aide, whose presence complicated things.
Then Yeosang was added to his list. 
Yet, Daniel was nothing if not adaptable. He knew he had to break you down, both mentally and emotionally, to get what he wanted. Your father's empire had to crumble, and so did you. 
Daniel knew he had to level up his strategies, every time he saw an article about any kind of succession over the company you have been accomplishing, his mind thought of a lot of ways to remove you right there. Because he believes so deeply in his father’s words that you do not belong on that spot nor were you supposed to be the heir. 
“Eveything will be over … just doing you a favor, Lady.”
With silent steps, Daniel left your room, making his way back to his car. His mind raced with the details of his plan, each step a calculated move on the chessboard of corporate warfare. He would start by isolating you, creating rifts within your inner circle. Yeosang, your personal bodyguard, was the first obstacle. Daniel had already set in motion a series of events to undermine Yeosang's trustworthiness, planting seeds of doubt within your father's most trusted security personnel. Next, he would introduce subtle disruptions within the company. Small incidents at first, easily dismissed as coincidences or minor errors. But each one would build upon the last, creating a pattern of instability and mistrust among your employees. Daniel knew that once the foundation of trust was shaken, it wouldn't take much to topple the entire structure.
But his ultimate goal was more personal. He wanted to see you break, to witness the light of determination fade from your eyes. The plan to drug you tonight was just the beginning. He needed you vulnerable, questioning your own sanity, doubting those around you.
And he is slowly getting there. One step at a time.
As he drove through the quiet streets, Daniel allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. He had always been a master at wearing masks, presenting whatever facade was necessary to achieve his goals. And tonight, he had succeeded in getting closer to you than ever before.
By the time you awoke the next morning, disoriented and groggy, Daniel would already be laying the groundwork for the next phase of his plan. You wouldn't see it coming, not until it was too late. And by then, Daniel intended to be in a position where he could watch the empire your father built—and you—crumble to the ground.
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taglist: @yeosangsbabygirlsblog, @hi-kariii,@ateez-atiny380
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brettsey-two-tts · 2 years
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Brettsey prompt - Sylvie showing up to surprise Matt, she’s got a lot more luggage and it turns out she’s here for her extended visit
Sylvie stared at the plain walnut door. She had seen it many times on her previous visits, but this time, it hit her differently. Her stomach was in knots from all the thinking she had been doing for the last twelve hours. There was no easy way to say it. She missed Matt. She really did; hearing his voice almost every day and seeing his handsome and charming self through FaceTime made her realize just how much she missed him. Most times when she woke up in the morning, she’d instinctively reach out beside her for him only to come to the harsh realization that he was no longer in the same state as her. As hard as it was for her to learn to come to terms with his temporary move, it still hurt nonetheless. She tried to ignore the pang in her chest, the small cracks in her heart, but after one particular FaceTime with him at the firehouse, she realized it was only going to get worse. The good-byes were only going to get harder.
She told Matt she was going to visit him. He didn’t ask how long and she didn’t tell him as she felt that was a conversation they should have in person. If there was any distinction for how long she desired to stay, it was by how large her suitcases were. She had two with her; both a darker shade of blue and both having protruding fronts where the zippers were stretched out and barely kept together by the seams.
She held her breath for a moment before letting it out. She was excited and anxious at the same time.
She knocked a couple of times on the door and waited.
She wondered if Matt was sitting near the door with his leg bouncing up and down, eagerly anticipating her arrival, because It only took a moment for the door to open.
And it was like the door opened to heaven itself. Matt’s hair was considerably longer than she last visited him and even though she’d seen it when they FaceTime’d, it was definitely better in person. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark green short-sleeved t-shirt, both of which fully complemented his firefighter physique.
His charming blue eyes lit up and a beaming smile was plastered all over his face making the corners of his eyes crinkle. She missed his smile so very much.
“Hi,” he said in a gasp as if her very existence took his breath away.
Sylvie felt her emotions pour all at once; her heart thumped loudly in her ribcage and the overwhelming feelings of missing him so dearly nearly turned into a quiet sob. She launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The motion nearly knocked him off his feet.
He let out a short laugh at the sudden force, but his smile disappeared when he noticed how much she was holding on to him, how tight she was hugging him, and how much she dug her nose into his neck. Something wasn’t right. He looked behind his girlfriend and saw her suitcases.
“Sylvie?” he murmured into her ear, trying to coax her into her comfort zone.
“Sorry,” she replied with a short gasped laugh. When she pulled away, he held onto her waist; he just got her back and a part of him didn’t want to let her go. “I’m just really excited to see you.”
“Me, too.” The suitcases behind her were still puzzling him. “That’s twice the amount of luggage you brought last time. I know I said I forgot my sweatshirt on your bed, but I don’t think it needs its own suitcase.” His joke was lighthearted and he thought it would at least elicit a chuckle, but Sylvie’s reaction was a very small smile, almost a frown. It made worry quickly wash over him. “Honey, is everything okay?”
She gave a small nod, but he didn’t buy it. He nonetheless gestured inside and helped her move her suitcases. As soon as he put her suitcases in the corner and closed the front door, he saw her twist around her wristwatch out of the corners of his eyes.
“I’m not just staying for the weekend, Matt,” she finally confessed.
He looked surprised but also elated.
“The other day after we FaceTime’d, saying goodbye to you was probably the hardest thing I had to do. I’ve missed you so much. I missed your smile, your laugh, your hair.” She reached up and carded her fingers through his longer-than-usual hair. He laughed at the gesture and then sighed comfortably at the serene feeling. Their adoring and loving gazes met as he held her. “I missed all of you, Matt, so much so that I don’t think a few days will be enough.”
“You’re always welcome here, Sylvie,” he reassured her. “You could stay here forever if you wanted.”
She smiled at the thought. Forever with Matt sounded picture-perfect.
He held her closer against his chest and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. As he basked in her presence, her sweet underlying scent combined with the wonderful fruity scent of her shampoo, and the familiar and addicting feeling of her soft skin against his, he realized the bubbling feeling in his chest was because of her. The warmth that spread throughout and the utterly content feeling he felt whenever he thought about his life - it was all her. “I’ve missed you so much you have no idea,” he murmured under his breath. Even though the boys were out and it was only the two of them in the house, he still said it as if the words were only meant for her.
His bangs brushed against her forehead as he lowered his lips to meet hers. His heart thumped loudly in excitement as he felt her smile against his. Into each and every kiss, his smile grew and grew. There weren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe how happy he was. 
He lowered himself a bit and reached behind her thighs to pick her up. The repeat action, one that she absolutely loved from him, sent her loins ablaze. With her legs wrapped around his waist, her lips against his, and her hands lightly scratching at his scalp and carding through the longer hairs behind his neck, he carried her through the living room and toward his bedroom.
Blissful in their happy bubble, Sylvie went to bed that night with Matt’s bare chest pressed against her bare back and his arms around her waist, hugging her lower half to his and tangling their legs together. She wore a very wide and beaming grin as she easily fell into a deep slumber. There was nothing quite like falling asleep next to the man she loved with her whole heart. No matter what hurdles came their way, she knew they’d figure it out together.
32 notes · View notes
raewritez · 3 years
Text
just a bit of meddling
based on this request: ah hi ! do you have any request rules? bc i'd love to see a zuko x reader with a little bit of platonic sokka x kyoshi warrior! reader mixed in as sokka tries to the reader up with zuko !! much love <3
---------------
Zuko’s head rested in his hands as he poured over the seemingly never-ending sea of documents sent from around the four nations. His face contorted into a focused expression, eyebrows furrowed and his bottom lip between his teeth. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and messing up his intricate hairstyle in the process. His head snapped up at the creak of a door, his eyes softening when they locked with yours.
“Y/n” he breathed.
“Hey Fire Lord,” you smiled playfully. “What’re you up to? Not overworking yourself again, I hope.” He shook his head, his lips quirking up at the ends. “You know I’d never do that, Y/n.”
You snorted at that, recalling the several times this week alone when you’d had to drag Zuko away from his desk in order to get him to take care of himself. He had a tendency to neglect basic needs like food and sleep, and instead invest himself in reading through massive piles of paperwork that seemed to grow with every passing day. 
He glanced up at your small laugh, a soft smile gracing his lips. A smirk blossomed from underneath your face paint.
“Sure, Fire Lord. I’m sure Katara will be thrilled to hear that one.” He gulped nervously, the wrath of the waterbender all too familiar to him. Her motherly instincts, although something Zuko greatly appreciated at times, were a force to be reckoned with.
Y/n smiled amusedly at his worried expression. “Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Right, Zuko thought. That’s tomorrow. He had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of his friends in the Fire Nation for weeks, excited to again be surrounded by his little family. Y/n was excited too, overtime she had grown privileged enough to be able to call the Gaang some of her best friends and had missed them dearly during all these months apart. 
Serving as the Fire Lord’s bodyguard along with the rest of your fellow warriors proved to be a wonderful, albeit tiresome experience. On top of the attempts on Zuko’s life and the Fire Nation’s clashes with the Earth Kingdom, he had elected to keep you particularly close to him as sort of a personal protector along with Suki. Or maybe as a friend. You considered it your responsibility as his friend to look out for him, whether that meant kicking some bad guy’s ass or taking Zuko’s mind off his work with lighthearted conversations and turtle-duck ponds. Zuko found that he quite enjoyed your company, a warm feeling encompassing his being whenever you were in his radius. In the depths of his work, he found himself craving your presence; your smile, your laugh, the constant light you seemed to emit without trying.
You were about to offer him your hand and lead him away to the palace gardens as you always did, maybe sneak a fruit tart or two from the kitchens, when a knock on the door cut you off. 
From the shadows of the crimson hallways emerged one of the palace’s many servants, a timid look upon his round face.
“Fire Lord, sir, the Yu Dao ambassador is here to speak with you.”
Zuko’s content expression hardened into a stern one, offering a curt nod to the servant. “Thank you.”
The man scurried out of the room, leaving the two of you in silence once again. Zuko’s hand rose to pinch the bridge of his nose, a stressed expression overtaking his features. You slowly approached him, lifting your hand to softly squeeze his shoulder.
“Hey, Zuko” you spoke tenderly. “Don’t worry too much. I know tensions have been high in the colonies, but you’ll figure it out. You always do.”
He looked up at you gratefully, his face relaxing a bit at your supportive words and comforting smile. “Thank you, Y/n.”
You nodded and escorted yourself out of the office, oblivious to the way Zuko’s gaze lingered after you until you were out of sight.
---------------
You stood guard outside the palace entrance, the warmth of the sun a welcome sensation against your skin and a cool breeze swaying the green fabric of your dress. A small smile played at the corners of your lips, embracing the peaceful atmosphere.
Until it was violently disrupted.
You were suddenly sent to the ground, a heavy weight crushing you to the pavement. You stiffened, scolding yourself for being caught off guard and preparing to attack the intruder when you felt a familiar laugh vibrate against you. 
“Sokka,” you rasped out, grinning. 
“Hey Y/n/n! How’s palace life been treating ya?”
You chuckled and shoved him off of you, peering at his face while shielding your eyes from the sunlight. His usual wolf-tail was in place, his hair a bit disheveled from the airborne ride.
A beaming smile overtook your features, scanning the courtyard for the rest of your friends. 
“Appa!” you yelled gleefully.
Sokka scoffed. “Oh sure, say hi to the bison and not your best friend. Typical.” 
You snickered and reached up to ruffle his hair, causing an annoyed expression to contort his face. You launched yourself forward, finding solace in the familiarity of his presence. “Hey, Sokka.”
He smiled softly and hugged you back. You pulled back, studying your best friend’s face for a minute before speaking. 
“But seriously, where’s Appa?”
---------------
You approached the group, familiar barks of laughter and playful insults ringing in your ears. Your eyes lit up when you noticed Zuko, an elated look upon his scarred face.
“Y/n!” 
A voice boomed next to you, followed by a harsh punch against your arm.
“Ow. Hey, Toph,” you chuckled, rubbing the sore spot.
Her clouded eyes crinkled at the edges, a wide smile visible on her pale face. “Never thought I’d say this, but I missed you, Sunshine.”
You playfully rolled your eyes at her show of affection, and placed your arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, I missed you too,” you smirked, not revealing how much you had ached for your friend’s company in your time apart.
Your smiling eyes locked on to cool blue ones, Katara’s soft face coming into view. You pulled away from Toph, pulling Katara closer and throwing your arms around her.
“Hi, Katara,” you breathed out. “I missed you.” She smiled and pulled you tighter, having missed her friend deeply.
“I missed you too, Y/n.”
You stayed like that for a few seconds, until a familiar tattooed head inserted itself in the embrace.
“Group hug, everyone!” Aang yelled. You could hear Zuko groan.
You laughed lightly, you had missed your little family.
---------------
“So, you and the Fire Lord, huh?”
Your eyes snapped over to Sokka’s smug expression, a sly smile on his lips.
You scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Zuko and I are just friends.”
“Suuuuure,” he drawled, walking alongside you through the palace corridor. “So that explains why the two of you were making goo-goo eyes at each other all through dinner.” “What?! We were not!” You laughed, playfully shoving Sokka away from you.
“You totally were, Y/n/n. Seriously, you two are giving me oogies.”
You rolled your eyes, turning your head in attempt to hide your blush. Sure, you and Zuko were good friends. And sure, he might be super attractive...and kind... and his voice might make you weak at the knees, but no! You two were just friends. Sokka doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“You’re blushing aren't you.” “Shut up!” you giggled, glaring at him in exasperation.
“Y/n, everyone can tell you like each other. The only people who don’t seem to get that are you and Zuko!”
You shook your head, your eyebrows furrowing. “Sokka, that’s not true.”
He looked at you with a disbelieving expression. 
“It’s not true!” you insisted. “Zuko definitely doesn’t like me like that, and even if he did...he’s the Fire Lord! It’s my duty to protect him, feelings would only jeopardize that” You weren’t sure if you were trying to convince Sokka or yourself.
“So...you do like him.”
“I’ll kill you.”
---------------
“Hey, buddy!”
Zuko looked up from his desk, the a figure dressed in blue infiltrating his office.
“Hey, Sokka,” the young Fire Lord grinned. Sokka perched himself atop the windowsill, trying to look casual.
“So...how’ve you been? Haven’t seen much of you.” Zuko frowned. “I know, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I promise I’ll take off work as soon as this agreement is settled. I’ve been in here all day, hopefully I’ll be done by this evening.”
Sokka perked up. “All day, huh? So I guess that means Y/n hasn't visited.”
Zuko eyed him with suspicion. “No...she hasn’t. She’s probably out with the others.”
Sokka nodded thoughtfully. “Uh huh. So, Zuko. Would you say you’ve missed Y/n today?”
His scarred face contorted in confusion. “Um...I guess so?”
“Mhm. You enjoy the breaks you spend with her, don’t you?”
“Sokka...where are you going with this.” Sokka groaned in irritation. “You two are impossible! When are you going to tell her, man?”
He blinked. “Tell her what?”
Sokka practically threw himself on the floor. “That you like her!” he exclaimed.
Zuko stared at him, half in annoyance at his dramatics and half in bewilderment at his abrupt statement.
“I, what?”
“You’re so oblivious,” Sokka muttered. “Look, it’s obvious you two are in love with each other, why don’t you just tell her?”
Now that had Zuko’s head reeling. “What? She doesn’t like me, Sokka.”
“Yes she does!” he exclaimed. “She basically admitted to it last night!” He knew you would probably follow through with your death threat against him if you knew he snitched, but you needed some serious help. You and Zuko were both too blind to notice the other’s obvious feelings, and as both of yours best friend, he was required to take matters into his own hands.
Zuko’s mind was in shambles, echoes of denial bouncing around his head. There was no way you liked him. I mean, you were a Kyoshi Warrior! You were an amazing fighter and an even more amazing friend. You were everything, and he was, well, Zuko. The troubled Lord of the Fire Nation, and your friend. There was no way.
Sokka’s ranting subsided at Zuko’s pensive expression, his hand dropping in a comforting pat against his shoulder.
“Look buddy, it’s obvious. If you don’t believe me, Toph can tell. And let me tell you, your heart rate when she’s around, it’s-” he cut himself off at Zuko’s pointed glare, clearing his throat. “Anyway. You need to tell her, man. You don’t wanna lose her.”
---------------
 Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, laughter bubbling from deep inside you. Suki and Toph were currently reenacting The Boy in the Iceberg, the Ember Island play the six of them had seen while hiding from the Fire Nation. Katara’s face was in her hands, a blush rising to her face as the two of them acted out a scene between her and Zuko taking place in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se.
Suki placed a dramatic kiss on Toph’s cheek, having just professed her undying love for “Katara”.
You looked between the two of them unsurely. “That didn’t happen, right?”
“No, it didn’t!” Aang exclaimed, his expression mirroring Katara’s. You chuckled, someone was jealous.
At that moment the door swung open, Sokka bounding in as Zuko’s amber eyes locked with yours. You raised your eyebrows in question at his intense gaze before being snapped back by Suki’s shrieks as Sokka tackled her to the floor.
You giggled, the warmth that your friends brought you consuming your being. Zuko plopped down next to you on the sofa, sending you a sideways grin. You reciprocated, leaning closer to him.
“You never told me about this play, it’s fantastic!”
“What pl-” he started, realization appearing in his eyes. “Spirits, not this again.”
You laughed loudly, reaching up to ruffle his hair. He gazed at you fondly, a soft smile upon his plush lips. You two stared at each other, seemingly lost in each other’s eyes before an arm yanked on yours.
“Come on, Sunshine, we’re going to the gardens,” Toph spoke, pulling you along with her.
“Oh. We are?”
“Um, yeah? Didn’t you hear us talking? Or were you too busy staring at Sparky over there.”
You groaned, had your friends always been this irritating? The seven of you made your way to the palace garden, sunlight filtering through the trees. The sky was painted with ochre and magenta, casting a glow upon your skin. Zuko noticed.
Resounding laughter and cheerful conversation carried throughout the evening, memories of old adventures recounted and an aura of comfort prevailing. 
As the last rays of sun faded away and yawns emerged from people’s mouths, the group headed off to sleep. 
Until tomorrow, you thought fondly.
You were about to turn in for the night yourself when you noticed a lone figure standing by the turtle-duck pond. Your lips turned upwards, your feet carrying you over to his slender form.
Zuko side-glanced at you when you planted yourself next to him, the splashing of turtle-ducks creating ripples in the pristine water. He watched as you chuckled at their antics, grinning, before opting to lower yourself onto the cool grass and lay back, face turned towards the heavens. He gazed at you for a moment before lying beside you, peering up at the sky. The orange beams had morphed into deep blue, dots of light beginning to awaken from above.
You turned your attention from the aerial wonder to the man laying beside you. His hair was down, just the way you liked it, and he had traded his usual formal attire for a simple tunic. He looked at peace, his face free of any contortions and his lips resting in a content smile.
“Pretty,” he said, still looking at the sky.
“Yeah,” you replied, tracing the curve of his nose with your eyes.
His head slowly turned towards yours, amber irises meeting e/c ones. He was beautiful. The lovely rouge of his scar contrasting against his pale skin...from this close you could count the freckles that dotted his nose.
His eyes shone with adoration, yearning pulling at his heartstrings, begging him to close the gap between you.
He didn’t have to worry about that though, as you hesitantly pushed forward and pressed your lips against his. His eyes widened momentarily before he eagerly reached up to cup your face, bringing you closer to him. Your breath caught in your throat, the rush of confidence slowly fading as it transformed into an easy contentment.
His lips moved slowly and gingerly against yours, his fingers tangling in your hair as this thumb brushed against your bare cheek. His heart was full, relief and elation washing over him like the tide. All his doubt and insecurities melted away, the only thing that mattered was that you were here and you were kissing him. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him that Sokka had been right, but he pushed that annoying thought away with another sigh against your mouth.
You slowly puled apart, lips brushing together as a last quest to pledge yourselves to each other. When your breathing calmed and your eyes met his, a small chuckled emerged from the both of you. You leaned forward once more, pressing a chaste kiss against his slightly swollen lips. It didn’t matter that you were a Kyoshi Warrior and he was the Fire Lord, all that mattered was that you were exactly where you were supposed to be. Smiles rested upon both your mouths, his arms pulling you forwards so that your head rested against his chest. The steady thumping of his heart assured you that this was real, that this wasn’t some dream you had conjured inside your head. As you lay there under the stars, sweet whispered nothings being carried away by the soft breeze, you both relished in your newfound discovery that your sanctuary was in each other.
---------------
Unbeknownst to you, two figures were huddled in the bushes that line the outskirts of the palace. A pouch of coins was begrudgingly passed from one hand to another.
“Thank you very much,” a voice spoke with a tone that reeked smugness.
“Oh, shut up Sokka. Of course they just had to smooch tonight. All they had to do was wait one more day!”
“Don’t be a sore loser, Toph. It was too easy, a little assurance was all they needed.”
“Hey, you meddled! That’s totally not fair!”
“I wouldn’t say meddled, more like nudged in the right direction.”
“You’re so annoying.”
“Hey, you love me.”
“Sure, Snoozles.”
A rock hit his head.
“Ow! Toph!” he groaned, Toph’s chuckles echoing through the silence.
419 notes · View notes
giftofwonder · 3 years
Text
Cirque de Yuuie - MHA Various x f!Reader
A/N: Hey guys! So this is going to be a multi-part series of one shots. Each part will be a different character. There might be smut, we’ll see what happens. This is the introduction to the plot and characters. Some characters might have multiple parts as well. Let me know if you want anyone specific and also if you’d like to be added to their tag list! Also, let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated.
Intro
Your eyes cracked open, taking in the deep midnight hues that were cast over your room. Pale moonlight bathed everything in a faint glow.
You shifted, rolling to look at the clock on your bedside table. You groaned, pushing yourself up to sit on the edge of your bed and turned toward your open window. You could hear the boisterous chatter from the streets below. A cool breeze swept in and danced along your heated skin, and you welcomed it with closed eyes and a soft sigh.
Each night you found yourself waking up restless and antsy, unsettled. You’d sit in the confines of your room, and then dress and make your way to the tavern across the road. Tonight was no different.
Your tired limbs trudged across the cobblestone, pushing through drunken bodies that reeked of liquor and sweat.
You grunted as you pushed open the heavy oak door, finding it just as congested as outside. Bodies littered the room heavily, the music and laughter so loud it left your ears ringing. You weaved through the empty spaces and took a seat on a stool by the bar.
“The usual?” You heard a voice called out.
You glanced up, locking eyes with the bar tender as you gave a faint smile and nod.
A glass was slid in your direction a few seconds later, and you wondered if he’d already had it ready for you. You figured that must be the case, it was routine at this point.
“No luck sleeping again, huh?” He said, leaning across the counter as you nursed your drink.
“Afraid not, seems like this is becoming my normal.” You gave a dry laugh, trying to offer up something lighthearted.
“Seems like it. Something troubling you?” His head cocked to the side.
“Just the usual, nothing too bad.” You said, shifting your glass around in your hand.
“Come on now, you waltz in here every night and drink, people with problems that aren’t too bad don’t find themselves perched on one of my stools this often.” He whispered, his gaze intense as he inched across the counter toward you. His hushed voice was lost in the roars of the crowd around you, but you could hear him clear as day.
He wasn’t wrong. You had to give him that. The cluster of people surrounding you dispersed as groups made their way to exit back to the street.
Mummers still resounded around the room, but in the now much quieter atmosphere, you felt yourself relaxing. You leaned forward, propping your elbows against the chipped counter and braced your cheek in your palm.
“I just feel...I don’t know...an overwhelming amount of disinterest in my life. I wake up, I work hard and long days, I come home, eat and bathe and sleep. It’s a never-ending cycle that I’m doomed to repeat each and every day. It all just feels so lackluster.” You said, your voice soft as your eyes gazed at nothing.
“Well, that is quite the conundrum. Might I ask, why don’t you just do something else?” He quipped back with a grin.
“If only it were that easy.” You sighed, eyes slowly drifting back to him.
“Isn’t it, though?” He asked, a mischievous gleam in his eye.
“Is it?” You asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
“Hear me out, I’m no stranger to a hard days work by any means, but I like what I do.” He shrugged.
“Making drinks?” You pressed.
“No, I watch people. Get to know them, help them sometimes. You work in a pub and you meet a lot of people, hear a lot of stories. People get a bit of alcohol in them and suddenly their lips become uncontrollably loose.” He chuckled.
“So you’re nosy, then?” You spat back, a smile turning the corners of your lips.
“I prefer curious, it sounds much more pleasant.” He offered.
He turned and grabbed an envelope from behind him and slid it across the counter to you. It was unmarked, other than the intricate wax seal holding it closed.
“What’s this?” You asked, taking it and inspecting the “CdY” ingrained in the seal.
“A chance to escape.” He shrugged, and then leaned back abruptly, hands grasping glassware and a towel to polish the crystals surface.
“What do I owe you?” You asked, standing and grabbing your coin purse.
“Nothing. This ones on me.” He waved his hand.
“Well, thank you. I appreciate it. By the way, what is your name?” You asked, tucking the envelope into your pocket.
“Shinso, now get out of here and go off to do whatever it is you do when you stumble out of here each night.” He called, waving his rag at you. You smiled at the mirth lighting his eyes, offering a wave as you turned and made your exit.
______________________________________
You plopped onto your small wicker chair, it’s grooves lining up with your back perfectly, molded to your body after the countless hours you had spent hunched over in this seat.
Calloused fingertips reached to caress a fine silk that you’d never be able to afford. You pulled it to you, laying it across the table ahead and dug the patterns for a dress from the chest beside you at your feet.
You were a seamstress, and a fairly popular one. Women and men from both high and low society sought you out to tailor and craft their garments.
You had stitched an amazing collection of clothing, from simple gowns to the most intricate of pieces. Your customers had often boasted about your work, that you were able to create anything.
Until recently, you had been doing fairly well for yourself. You had purchased a home of your own, a massive feat for an unwed woman, especially one in her early twenties.
In the last six months, that had changed though. There had been civil unrest, looting and fighting at the capital. The local government had pushed back, increasing taxes heavily. With that blow came another, a new tailoring business on the other side of town. It offered cheap labor, using children from the orphanage as virtually free hands. The turn around was quick, much faster than the length of time it took you to produce a garment. But the quality was terrible. They used cheap labor and cheaper materials.
The first time you had seen their work, you had laughed till tears brimmed your eyes. However, the quick production and cheap cost had ended up hitting you hard. While the wealthy had no issue having you fashion something for them, most everyone else had flocked to them. It wasn’t terribly hard to do a simple stitch. To take in a gown or a suit. Suddenly, you found yourself praying for work as the jobs got fewer and fewer.
Meanwhile the heightened taxes left your coin purse extremely light. You hadn’t struggled like this in a very long time.
You finished the silken garment, folding it delicately over your arm as you took it over to the rack to hang.
Once hung, you patted off your apron and felt the crinkling of the forgotten envelope tucked in your pocket. You pulled it out, fingers dipping into the paper to tear it open. The red of the invitation was so bright, a high quality velvet lined in gold trim. You then wondered the status of your friendly barkeep, but chalked it up to his large amount of connections. Surely, a drunken man could be persuaded into giving an invitation in exchange for a free round.
Your eyes scanned along the paper, reading the fancy script that outlined the details of the event. You scoffed as you made your way back to your chair, shaking your head as the invitation was tossed onto your table.
A few moments passed before you picked it back up and read over the card again.
______________________________________
Your heels clicked against the pavement as you approached the large gate before you. You were in a state of awe at the lights and music making the night feel alive.
You stopped at the ticket booth, met with a disgruntled employee who looked half asleep. His thick yellow quilt was pulled taunt around his body and his hollow eyes stared at you with something akin to annoyance.
“Welcome to “Cirque de Yuuie”, admission is ¥220.” His bored voice stated monotonously.
“Oh...I actually have an invitation.” You said, giving a weak smile.
He held your gaze for a moment before he quirked a brow, his eyes scanning over you before he gave a sigh and a shrug.
“Alright, give it here.” He held out his pale hand, and you gently placed the invite in his palm.
He quickly pressed a stamp to your hand and shooed you away, so you turned and entered in through the gate.
______________________________________
You had wandered around the grounds for a while, but saw no familiar faces. It was odd, not even children were present. The cost had been rather high to enter, perhaps it was an adults only event.
After you had completed your lap, you were not too far from the entrance to the large tent in the center of the area. Red and white fabrics were draped beautifully, tied off with an intricately woven gold banding.
As you went to step forward, a large wooden pole cut in front of you, you gasped, your head shooting up to find a cheerful looking clown above.
“Whoops! S’cues me miss! Almost stepped on ya there!” He laughed, his painted lips opening to reveal his bright smile.
“Oh, no I’m sorry! I was enthralled by everything and wasn’t paying attention.” You waved him off.
“Ah don’t worry about it, it’s a beautiful night, and the tent looks great! I’ve been distracted by it myself! The names Mirio, by the way.”
“Y/N, it’s nice to meet you.”
He nodded and stepped to make his way off back into the crowd.
“HEY WAIT!” You heard a loud voice call out, and not a moment later, two more clowns turned the corner. One with green hair raced along side a blonde with large sunglasses and a lightening-shaped black streak in his hair. They were tailed by a very awkward and scared looking mime who ran behind them silently looking like he was going to be sick.
“Come on, Amajiki! Hurry up!” The blonde clown yelled behind him, causing the mime to flinch and pick up the pace. You laughed at their antics, they were definitely a good source of entertainment.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THIS IS YOUR ANNOUNCER: PRESENT MIC, PLEASE GATHER TO THE MAIN TENT AS THE FESTIVITIES ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN.....YEAAAHHH!!!!” A loud voice blared through the speakers overhead.
You pushed through the gathering crowd, entering through the fabric doorway. The ceilings were vaulted, and you were amazed by how large it seemed inside.
Chatter broke out amongst those around you as you passed a sign that read “Yuuie’s Spectacular Freak Show!”
You followed the corridor, peering in the labeled rooms as you passed by.
“Strongest Men Alive! All Might and Red Riot!” Inside the room were two muscular men. The blonde man was tall, looming over the crowd as he smiled and flex. The redhead was laying on a bed of nails, and a crazed looking woman with pink hair walked across him while he looked on unfazed.
“One Body- Two Men! Twice!” A man sat, arguing with himself, the crowd would call out questions and he’d answer two opposing ways, often breaking out into an argument. The crowd giggled and taunted as he yelled seemingly to himself.
“The Vampire: Toga!” Your stomach twisted as you watch the girl give a cat-like grin and chug a vial of blood. Shackles held her to her spot but she called out to the audience, telling them to come closer and let her have a drink.
“Invisible Girl: Toru!” You blinked at the empty room, rolling your eyes as you pushed past to the next stall.
“Frog Woman: Tsuyu!” A girl in a green dress crouched in a pool, her long tongue falling from her mouth as her large hand gave a wave. You couldn’t help but notice her webbed fingers and the faint croaks.
“Worlds Largest Woman: Mt Lady!” An insanely large woman sat on her knees, smiling and chatting with the audience. She was beautiful, but had to be at least 9’ tall.
“World’s Largest Man: Fatgum!” A very large man sat in the center of the room smiling and waving as he let children drift into his stall and eat from the various sweets lining the table beside him. Though the adults around you spoke insults quietly, you couldn’t help but think the man looked very kind. You smiled softly at the sight of a child hugging him in thanks before returning to their mothers side.
“Bird-Man: Hawks!” A young man laughed loudly, his beautiful red wings flapping as he gave a slight show to those who watched. Many looked on in awe and wonder, and women swooned at his charm. His feathers seemed to almost sparkle and while you noticed something mischievous in his gaze, you were mesmerized nonetheless.
“Dabi the Dragon and the Indestructible Bakugou!” This room was larger, and smoke poured out. You were curious about this one, as there was no crowd gathered out front. You only saw one person, a rather attractive but angry looking man, growling as he noticed you. He rolled his eyes as he lit off explosives in his hands.
Your hands shot up to cover your eyes, before peering out to see the man looked fine, bored even.
“That was amazing!” You exclaimed.
“Course it was!” He sneered.
Suddenly, the curtain behind him rustled and another man emerged from the darkness. He was shirtless, his body scared in burns that wrapped around his torso, arms and face. His black hair spiked wildly, just like the blonde beside him. He smirked at you, sauntering toward you before lifting your chin with his index finger.
“Want me to put on a show for you, doll face?” He whispered. You nodded mutely, feeling much like the mime you had saw earlier that night. He chucked and stepped back. His hand grasped a bottle and he turned his back toward you, taking a large swig from the drink.
He abruptly turned back, and blue flames shot from his mouth and filled the room. You could immediately feel the immense heat and no longer wondered how his scars came to be.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, giving a small cough before grinning at you.
“Well, what’d ya think, princess?”
“It was amazing! Does it hurt?” You asked.
“Hmm? Nah, not really. Just burns a little.” He snickered at his joke while Bakugou rolled his eyes in the background.
“I also do a bit of sword swallowing.” He added, stepping in close to you.
“Oh, yeah? That’s a neat talent to have.” You spat back awkwardly.
“I could teach you, after the show that is. I’ve got a good one for you to practice on.” His deep voice said in a hushed tone, hot breath hitting you as his hand gripped the crotch of his pants.
You stumbled back quickly, mumbling about needing to find a seat, and then ran off to the main room of the tent.
Your heart was pounding as you took an empty seat in the front row that had your invitation number on it.
The lights around you dimmed and the seats behind began filling quickly. People chatted amongst themselves until the music changed and the curtains at the far side of the tent were drawn.
A pale looking man with light blue hair and red eyes slowly walked out, taking center stage.
“Welcome. I’m so glad all of you came to join us for the show.” His hoarse voice spoke out loudly. His eyes dragged along the audience, taking in those around him.
“My name is Shigaraki and I’ll be your host tonight. You’ll see things that you never imagined, acts of wonder put on display before you. Prepare to be in awe and amazed.” He cheered, giving and eerie grin.
______________________________________
Halfway through the show, they called for an intermission. The lights brightened as people stood and flocked outside to grab drinks and food.
You stayed put, reflecting on the show so far. There had been an amazing act with tightrope walking, acrobats and aerial silks. They had been called “Children of the Sky” by those sat around you. Aoyama, Mina, Uraraka and Nejire were their names.
Then there had been the father and son act of fire performance. Enji and Shouto Todoroki. They danced with fire and spun batons and hoops that were blazing. Their act would have been more enjoyable if the father had been quiet, but instead every few moments he’d call out to his son correcting his posture and moves. Mid performance, Dabi had joined them on stage. His blue flames shining brightly in contrast. He had quickly noticed you and his eyes lit up as your stomach filled with dread.
He marched over, pulling you from your seat as gasps and whispers of his damaged skin rang through the crowd. He didn’t seem to notice. Or didn’t care. He had spun you around, dancing as his azure fire lit his arms. You were worried you’d be burned, but the fire never touched your skin. He brushed his arms with his hands, extinguishing the flame, as the music had haunted. You watched the smoke rise from his skin as you frowned, but he simply took your hand and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of it before walking away.
You heard a voice rasp out “fucking show off” before seeing the angry blonde, Bakugou, take off after him.
Now you sat, watching a small man with balls on his head. He wore a jesters outfit and juggled before those left seated in the crowd. Slowly he made his way to you.
“Hey, how do you know Dabi?” He asked bluntly, wonder in his eyes.
“Oh, I don’t. Not really. I saw him in the freak show. That’s all.” You said, uncomfortable with the small mans leering.
“You actually watched him?” He asked dumbfounded. “No wonder he’s all over you.”
“What do you mean?” You asked perplexed.
“Uh hello, he’s gross looking. Definitely not as attractive as someone like me.” He beamed at you. You stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond and afraid to break the poor guys dilution.
“Hey I also do puppet stuff, you wanna see?” He asked, tone chipper.
“Oh, no that’s okay-“
“Okay cool, watch this!” He cut you off, pulling a small puppet from his suit. He dropped it and it limply hit the ground, the string much too long for him. The puppet dragged around weirdly as the jester spoke in a high pitch, giving the wooden body a voice.
You blinked, watching the train wreck as the doll slid through the dirt, getting jerked around by the man before you. He picked up the puppet and threw it at you, it landing in your lap. Then he pulled the string and yanked it back to the ground. You abruptly stood and walked away, hearing him call after you, but you only quickened your pace.
Once outside in the fresh air, a loud bellowing laugh burst from your lips. That was the weirdest thing you’ve ever had to deal with and you had been holding in laughing in the strange boys face.
“Seems like you’re enjoying the show.” A voice cut in.
Your head quickly spun, meeting the red eyes of the ring leader.
“Yeah! It’s nice, you guys are doing an amazing job!” You scratched your neck, feeling the hairs on your arms standing at the sudden tension as the mans smile fell.
“You weren’t invited here.” He stated.
“I...well I was given an invitation.” You replied.
“It wasn’t yours though. It wasn’t meant for you.” He said, eyes blank as his head cocked to the side.
“No, it wasn’t. I don’t know who it belonged to. A bartender gave it to me.” You explained.
“Hmm, is that so? Well, do enjoy the show then. But do me a favor, sit in a different seat when you go back in.” He sneered, and then he was gone as quickly as he had appeared.
You headed back inside, choosing a different seat in the front row that had been unclaimed earlier.
The music roared again as the clowns, Midoriya, Kaminari and Mirio, put on a show. Kaminari was being shocked while Midoriya rode around on a unicycle. Mirio stayed on his stilts and walked around the stage dancing and doing tricks. The trio was truly fun to watch, and then the mime, Amajiki, was shoved forward. A spotlight hit him as he stood frozen in fear.
“Come on buddy, you can do it!” Mirio whispered loudly in support.
Amajiki took in a big breath and lifted his arms, hands shaking as he formed an invisible wall in front of himself when a box hit him in the head and a drunken man “booed”. Amajiki immediately rushed to the shadows, pressing his face into the wall of the tent as an air of dread surrounded him.
“Uhhh...look over here!” Midoriya yelled out, pulling the attention of the crowd as he gave a large shock to Kaminari. Kaminari then “beeped” and “booped” and drooled as he wobbled around. The audience cheered and laughed.
Finally it was time for the final act of the night, the mysterious and powerful Mr. Compress.
A spotlight roamed the stage, and in a cloud of smoke he appeared. He wore a mask, top hat and yellow overcoat. His cane tapped against the floor with each step he took.
“Tonight, I will make you question everything you know about the world. Everything you believe to be real!” He called, and the crowd went wild, hooting and hollering.
He started with a few jokes, one about how he wasn’t the type to pull a rabbit from his hat, but then his hat shifted and he took it off. He pulled out the first rabbit, and then another, and then two more. You laughed at his seeming confusion. Finally, he plopped his hat back on his head and called out Bakugou to the stage. Bakugou marched to him, stomping his feet and crossing his arms as he came to a stop beside the magician.
Mr. Compress draped a large piece of fabric over the man, and then quickly pulled the cloth back to reveal a confused looking Shouto.
“I was just over there.” Shouto said, pointing to the other side of the tent.
“Yes! And now you’re over here!” Compress smiled, giving a grand wave of his arm.
“Aren’t I the one doing the magic then?” Shouto said blandly while Compress laughed.
“Alright then, do another trick for us.” Mr. Compress said, his tone amused. Shouto stood there silently, expression blank.
“I’m-“
“YOUR FIRE! USE YOUR FIRE SHOUTO!” His father yelled from off stage. Shouto glanced behind him, annoyance radiating from him.
“No. Nevermind. Just put me back where i was.” He said to Compress. Not a second later, the cloth was thrown over him and pulled off to reveal what looked like 100 butterflies.
The crowed oohed and awed in response, and you felt your eyes widen in amazement as well. It was so quick, you were trying to understand the trick, but could hardly wrap your head around it. This guy was good.
He went through a few more tricks, each a little better than the last. Finally he called for a volunteer from the audience.
Many hands shot into the air, while yours meekly raised. You weren’t one who gravitated to the spotlight, in fact, you had no desire to go onto the stage and have everyone’s eyes on you. But, you had promised yourself you’d let go for tonight and do as the bartender recommended. Escape.
Perhaps he could sense your distress, or maybe it was just because you were the closest to him, but he slowly walked toward you and extended his hand.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love it if you could assist me madam.”
You smiled, cursing inwardly at yourself, as you took his hand and let him pull you to your feet and lead you to the stage.
Red Riot ran over holding a heavy wooden chair, one you might find used as a throne.
Compress lifted the bottom of his mask and pressed a kiss to the back of your hand, much like Dabi did, before directing you to take a seat. You did as you were asked, feeling the heat of the light on you, thankful that it’s blinding light prevented you from being able to see the crowd.
Mr. Compress started his speech about defying nature, and the use of powerful magic.
“Do not look away for a second, it is imperative you see your reality bent before you. With the help of my beautiful assistant, I will show you that the limitations we set for ourselves are often just an illusion. Anything you can think of is possible!”
He turned toward you, pulling the yellow coat from his body and leaving himself in his black vest and pants, the orange shirt beneath now visible. He pushed up his sleeves and held his hands outstretched toward you. You felt the chair jerk and sucked in a breath. It lurched again, and soon you were floating above the ground. You kicked your feet and smiled, trying your hardest not to shift in the chair.
Then the lights flickered, and a spotlight fell from the ceiling, crashing into the empty seat that had been assigned to your invitation.
In the moment of chaos, the chair dropped harshly, cracking against the ground as the impact tossed you to the side. You grunted, the wind knocked from your lungs and your eyes unfocused after smacking your head in the fall.
Screams were heard as the crowd panicked and scattered, the roars of animals following after them.
A harsh tug lifted you back onto your feet, and in the darkness you could see nothing, but allowed the person to drag you from the tent as your head spun.
Your mind was trying to process as you were pulled into a trailer, and as your body met the cot inside, you fell unconscious.
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coldmorte · 3 years
Note
bro i'm a sucker for soft Vandermorgan....dutch reading while arthur sketches.....leaning on eachother.....dutch reaching over to rub arthur's back every few pages........running his hand through arthur's hair...soft k*sses and giggling...
Howdy, anon! 💜
My apologies that it took me a week to get back to this one. I gave time to consider it, and I hope the fic I wrote in response makes up for that!! It’s a very cute ask, and I love tenderness between them, too. But despite my affection for lighthearted stuff, I usually struggle with writing it (I’m a very dark and morbid person - oops 😅). Anyway, I’ve been getting quite a few soft VDM asks lately, so I figured I would accept another challenge!
I was hesitant about actually posting this, but I figured, what is there to lose? It does have some angst sprinkled in (I couldn’t help myself), but I hope I did your idea justice!!!
Oh, and to anybody else who sent VDM asks recently, I am still giving them some thought! So, stay tuned 😉
In the meantime, please enjoy…❤️🖤
“Why are you avoiding me, Arthur?”
Hand freezing and pencil ceasing its scratching within the journal on his lap, Arthur furrowed his brow as he peaked over the fire at Dutch. Yet, his eyes remained wide and questioning as he pushed back, “I’m not avoiding you. I just didn’t think you wanted to be bothered while you read.”
“Oh, come on. You know I never minded it in the past, especially not on a cold night like this. We could use all the heat we can spare between us,” Dutch flipped his book shut, patting the ground beside him.
Likewise, Arthur slid the bookmark of his journal in place as he closed it. “Well, I guess… it’s just…”
Dutch chuckled as he noticed Arthur bite his lip to suppress a timid smile. He gestured to Arthur, beckoning him over once again. “I know it’s been a long time since it’s been just the two of us, but you don’t have to be shy.”
“Alright,” Arthur agreed as he pushed himself to his feet, journal still clutched in one hand. He walked over and knelt next to Dutch, but before he could properly get seated, Dutch reached forward and grasped him by his shirt collars. Pressing Arthur’s back to his bedroll, Dutch pinned him there as he straddled his hips.
The journal got cast aside as Arthur grabbed at Dutch’s back. Their lips met, hungrily and impassioned. Dutch pressed his chest firmer against Arthur’s and moaned at the warmth that radiated between them. He pulled back and grinned down at Arthur through heavily-lidded eyes, “See, isn’t it better on this side?”
“I was afraid this might happen,” Arthur laughed as he reached a hand forward and brushed some loose curls away from Dutch’s face.
Emitting a soft hum, Dutch felt himself glow with a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Leaning in close once more, he whispered, “And are you complaining?”
“Never.” Arthur pulled Dutch in for another kiss, before Dutch backed away and sat up.
“I didn’t think so.” Dutch smirked as he reached for his wool blanket and unfolded it. Motioning for Arthur to sit up as well, he handed him a corner. They each wrapped part of it around themselves as they huddled close to the fire.
Arthur scooped his journal up and leaned against Dutch, his back pressed into the older man’s arm and shoulder for support. He reopened the journal on his lap, but his position hid his face and the journal’s contents from Dutch as he returned to sketching.
Attempting to peer over Arthur’s shoulder to no avail, Dutch asked, “What are you working on?”
“What are you reading?” Arthur shot back.
Dutch felt his heart briefly flutter. He couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice as he responded, “Since when do you care about what I read?”
When Arthur gave no response, Dutch slipped one hand around Arthur’s chest, hugging him and pulling him tighter. Gradually, he let his hand glide lower, until it reached the top of Arthur’s pants. Tugging at the shirt tucked in there, Dutch moved it out of the way and slipped his cold fingers inside. Arthur jumped at the sudden intrusion and gave a shriek, “AHH! Dutch! Your hand is freezing!”
Nuzzling his nose against the back of Arthur’s neck, Dutch pressed a soft kiss there. His lips grazed the sensitive flesh as he muttered, “Why are you being so difficult tonight, my boy?”
“Too bad you just ruined any chance of seeing my sketch.” Arthur’s voice had a teasing edge, but it was lighthearted. “Read to me, first. I always liked listening to your voice.”
At that statement, Dutch pulled his hand away from Arthur’s warm skin but still kept it wrapped around him as he moved his head back in surprise. His mouth hung slightly agape at the boldness in Arthur’s tone, though he felt the corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement. “So, that’s how you want to play this game… fine.”
Picking his book up in his free hand, Dutch opened it in his lap and scanned the pages. Arthur continued to sketch as Dutch’s other hand rubbed small circles over his chest.
Landing on a passage that caught his eye, Dutch began to read, “‘But whether the resistance against tyrants is non-violent or physically violent, the overarching efforts to overthrow oppression justifies the means.’ What do you think of that, Arthur?”
“It’s very nice, Dutch.”
“‘Nice?’ That’s the word you’d use to describe it?” Dutch protested, though he affectionately wrapped his arm tighter around Arthur as he did so. He flipped through the pages for a few more moments of silence before his eyes landed on another. “Well, how about this one? ‘The whole point of America is freedom. Freedom of thought, freedom of deed, freedom of action.’”
Letting out a sigh, Arthur tilted his head back so he could look at Dutch. Their faces were close - mere inches apart - as Arthur spoke, just barely above a whisper, “Does it always have to be about politics, Dutch? Some greater good? I thought we came out here to escape all that.”
Dutch wanted to argue and explain how important Evelyn Miller’s writings were to their mission as a gang and their survival. But he knew Arthur was right. This was their moment to share, and it wasn’t any use wasting it on philosophical debates. Those could wait.
Tipping his head forward, Dutch pressed a chaste kiss to Arthur’s lips and nodded as he pulled away. “Okay.”
Arthur smiled at him as he turned his head back towards his journal and continued to work. Looking back at his book, Dutch searched for a different passage to read. Though most of the ones he noted were about ideological teachings, he did finally settle on one that made his eyes narrow and lips tighten in consideration.
Taking a breath, Dutch traced the words with his finger as he read aloud, “‘Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe.’”
Arthur did not say anything in response, though Dutch felt his hand stop drawing, as if Arthur was thinking about it. Dutch could feel the steady beat of Arthur’s heart as he gently massaged his chest.
Eventually, Dutch buried his face in Arthur’s blond hair as he asked, “Hmm, was that better?”
Arthur flipped his journal shut in his lap and rocked lightly into Dutch as he muttered, “You know I was never much good with words.”
“Oh, son… and you know that I wish you wouldn’t downplay yourself like this.” Dutch squeezed Arthur’s breast as he cradled him closer. “You speak from the heart, that’s what matters most... same goes for when you draw in that journal of yours.”
At that, Arthur bent his head down towards the journal in his lap. He tied the leather flap and slid the pencil in place underneath it. Lifting the journal, he set it in front of where the two of them were seated and pushed it forward. It was like a silent invitation, placed just out of reach.
Adjusting his position, Arthur turned around so he could lean his chest against Dutch as he wound both of his arms around the older man’s waist. He buried his head in the crook of Dutch’s neck, and Dutch couldn’t suppress a shiver as Arthur’s warm breath vibrated across the bare flesh at his collar when he spoke, “Thank you for reading to me. ‘M getting tired…”
“Rest up, it’s been a long day.” Dutch set his own book aside so he could readjust himself and wrap his arms around Arthur’s back. He rubbed soothing circles as he rested his chin atop Arthur’s head and watched the flickering glow of the fire.
This was real.
This wasn’t make-believe, or some long-lost memory. Arthur’s steady breathing and the warmth of his flesh confirmed that fact. Dutch let his eyes flicker shut in thought as he was once again reminded of how right Arthur was.
At the end of the day, all those fancy words in his books and his own philosophizing would be meaningless without Arthur by his side.
Dutch furrowed his brow as he blinked his eyes open. Biting his lip, he took a sharp breath and paused. He hesitated to say the words on the tip of his tongue, but he released a long exhale as he tightened his grip on his boy.
He felt safe here.
“You know, Arthur… you’re right. This life of crime, even I sometimes wonder where it all ends, or if it even ends at all. I try to do what’s best, I really do. I know I talk a lot about loyalty and how important it is to keep faith, but these moments when I’m alone with you….” Dutch let his voice trail off. Even amidst his own speaking, he couldn’t fail to notice the light snore coming from Arthur’s lips.
But rather than feeling anger or frustration, Dutch merely smiled. In a way, it was a relief. Arthur couldn’t hear him, and if he could, he would never remember Dutch’s words come morning. Somehow, it was easier this way. Whatever he said aloud, he knew he wouldn’t have to prove or justify it to anybody. He could speak from the heart.
The truth.
“I don’t know how I could ever go on without you. Please, don’t ever let go…”
At that, Dutch squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. He focused on the way Arthur maintained a tight grip around his waist, despite his steady snores. The words weren’t meant to be literal, but for the moment, Dutch could allow himself to believe it was possible both physically and figuratively.
Dutch blinked the dampness away from his eyelashes as he looked back towards the fire. The journal was still sitting there, illuminated by the orange glow. Shifting on the ground, Dutch lifted his head away from Arthur and peered down at him. He seemed unbothered by the movements, so Dutch decided to push it further. Unwrapping one arm from around Arthur’s back, Dutch leaned slowly forward, until his fingertips were just able to land on the journal’s leather cover.
Pulling the book towards him, Dutch was able to pick it up in one hand and place it in his lap. He briefly feared the action disturbed Arthur, for he whined and pressed his face harder against Dutch’s shoulder. However, his heavy breathing continued, and Dutch proceeded to slide the journal’s strap out of its place. Holding the pencil in his hand, Dutch turned to the bookmark at the back.
There, he found a sketch of two animals - a buck and a wolf. Despite serving contrasting roles in the wild, they looked perfectly at ease within the sketch. They curled around each other as they laid down to rest, their noses nearly touching. The way they huddled together made it seem believable that they really could find harmony, regardless of their true natures.
On the opposite page, a message was written, “‘Couldn’t resist, could you?’”
Dutch chuckled, Was he really that predictable?
Using the pencil, he scrawled his own note underneath, “‘It’s no use trying to fight who we really are.’”
Taking one last look at the sketch, Dutch ran a finger over it. Just as he could speak in metaphorical language, Arthur could draw in it. But the meanings underneath it all remained the same.
Just because it wasn’t literal, that didn’t mean it wasn’t the truth.
Closing the journal and placing it back where he found it, Dutch kept a firm hold on Arthur as he pulled the both of them down to lay on his bedroll. Adjusting the blanket, Dutch made sure it was draped snugly over them as Arthur soundlessly snuggled his face against Dutch’s chest and hugged him tighter. Once Dutch was comfortable, he likewise wrapped his arms around Arthur, one holding him by the small of his back and the other rumpling his hair.
Feeling tired as well, Dutch shut his eyes. With his final words for the night, Dutch thought of what he just wrote in the journal as they held each other close. Continuing along the same line of thought, he whispered, “We just gotta embrace it.”
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silversatoru · 3 years
Note
Heyo! Can I get some fluff with the #8 quote for Gojo :] I perfer female reader and i don't mind with any au. Hope you feel well and have a good day!
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— GOJO + “DO YOU THINK ALIENS ARE REAL?”
gojo satoru x gn!reader
synopsis: your secret boyfriend knocks on your window and steals you for a lil nighttime date in the sky
t/w: gojo is a second year, heights, tooth-rotting fluff, literally just two teenagers hopelessly in love w each other
a/n: thank u for requesting :) i loved writing this so so so much and i could see myself turning this concept into a multiple part series once i have more time to write. gojo as a student being happy and in love fills my heart <3
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you strained your eyes at the fine printed lines of your biology textbook, rereading the same paragraph for the fifth time and hoping you would finally retain it. you couldn’t seem to focus no matter how hard you tried, your mind drifting everywhere other than your study materials.
a soft patter on your second-story window jolted you out of your scattered thoughts, your eyes darting up to the source of the noise. your gaze fell upon a certain white-haired boy, a cheesy grin spread across his face as he poked his finger at your window a few more times. you rolled your eyes, pulling yourself out of bed and gently pushing open your window in a desperate attempt to avoid making any loud noises.
“what are you doing here? it’s really late,” you hissed at him, trying to appear angry but unable to hide the smile that was tugging at your lips.
“i missed you,” he reached out his hand and held it open for you, “are you busy tonight?”
you took one last hesitant glance at your textbook and then shook your head and intertwined your fingers with his, “not at all”.
he helped you climb out through the window, a cool nighttime breeze stinging your cheeks. this was your weekly routine, you and the infamous blue-eyed boy. your parents didn’t really approve of him (maybe it was his massive ego or maybe it was the weird people he hung around with) but the two of you continued to find ways to see each other in secret. he’d use whatever insane abilities he had to teleport onto your roof and knock on your window, you’d accept, and he’d scoop you out into the night sky for a few hours. these were rare occasions though, as his role as a jujutsu sorcerer didn’t leave him with all that much free time.
tonight was just like every other, your hand wrapped in his as he teleported the two of you to an empty park that was situated on a beautiful overlook of a nearby city. nights with satoru were never less than a dream, a much needed escape from your boring life in the suburbs of tokyo. and nights with you were never less than a breath of fresh air, a few hours when all of his expectations and responsibilities of being a jujutsu sorcerer were nonexistent.
the two of you plopped down on a park bench, musing over the sparkling nighttime lights of tokyo. satoru shifted over, laying back and resting his head of fluffy hair right in your lap. your fingers instinctively found his shiny locks, twisting your fingers through the soft white while the two of you looked up at the stars.
“they’re all washed out from the bright lights, it’s hard to see,” you pouted, disappointed by the light pollution caused by the city.
“yeah it sucks,” satoru frowned — pointing out the constellations was always part of your routine, but he’d picked a bad location this time.
you hummed, massaging his head and straining your eyes to try and make out any shapes of stars in the sky.
“we could get a closer look?” he transferred his icy gaze over to you, a suspiciously evil smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“satoru, i swear if i’m thinking what you’re thinking — no,” you scolded the boy, your irrational fear of heights becoming prominent in the back of your mind.
“don’t you trust me?” he teased at you, sitting up from your lap and wrapping his hand around yours.
“more than anyone, but i do not want to-,” you continued to protest but the sorcerer boy was no longer paying any attention to your words.
when you opened your eyes again, you were thousands of feet in the sky, the city twinkling down below you and the harsh air stinging your skin. you yelped, clinging to satoru as if your life depended on it (and in sense it did, but he’d never let you get even close to falling).
“why don’t you ever listen to me!?” you cried out, eyes squeezed shut and arms thrown around his neck while he cradled you.
“shhh, look at the stars, babe,” he attempted to peel your arms from around him, using soft words to coax you out of your shell.
you slowly released your death grip on his neck, his strong arms providing a blanket of security over your fear. you forced yourself to look upward, jaw dropping at how clear the sky was — the stars stretched for miles and they were brighter than you’d ever seen them before. satoru truly was an enigma, a spectacle in your life who was constantly defying the laws of everything you knew to be true.
“it’s beautiful,” your voice came out as barely a whisper, you eyes quite literally filled with the stars as you continued to gaze up at the sky.
satoru hummed in agreement, but he was much too busy exploring every feature of your amazed face to even think about the stars. you were the most beautiful, surpassing every natural wonder in world and consuming every chamber of his heart.
he often thought about running away with you — disappearing to a different country and leaving the weight on his shoulders here. you reminded him what it was like to be a normal person — around you he wasn’t the strongest jujutsu sorcerer with the fate of the world in his hands, he was just satoru gojo; and that was always enough for you.
“do you think aliens are real, satoru?” your lighthearted, curious voice broke him out of his daydreams, a small chuckle rolling off his tongue.
in a world full of of curses and sorcery, inexplicably wrapped in his arms thousands of feet in the air, you were still questioning whether or not something like aliens existed. you truly did ground him, constantly tethering him to the normalcies of this world.
“yeah, probably, what do you think?”
“definitely real,” you affirmed, your eyebrows scrunched together in deep thought.
he couldn’t do much but laugh, turning you in his arms so the two of you were face to face now. you gazed down at the tiny city beneath you, one hand curled into his loose hoodie.
“i’m starting to like it up here,” you mused, turning your gaze back to him with a toothy smile, “feels like we’re the only two people who exist; everything else is so far away”.
“yeah,” he liked the sound of that, eyes crinkling up as he returned your smile, “we can do this more often if you like it”.
you gave him a quick nod, reaching up and pressing a quick peck to his curved lips. as you pulled back, you felt his hand wrap around the back of your neck, pulling you right back into another kiss — much deeper than the first. you melted into his arms, your senses devoid of anything other than his touch and the cool breeze whipping against your skin. when you finally pulled away, the two of you were safely back on the park bench again.
“i love you, satoru,” you breathed out, your anxiety from being in the air finally dispelling, “i wish we didn’t have to tip toe around together like this”.
“i know,” he gave your hand a small squeeze, “we should run away someday; somewhere far from here”.
“i’d follow you anywhere,” you returned his squeeze, sadness welling up in your heart as you thought about having to return home and not see him again for a while.
“that’s exactly what i wanted to hear,” he smirked, love welling in his chest as he reflected on how lucky the two of you were to have found each other in such an unfortunate life time.
an hour so later you were back in your bedroom, pressing hasty kisses to satoru’s soft lips as he leaned through the window. you wanted nothing more than to pull him in, ask him to stay, and spend the night wrapped in his arms — but you couldn’t, your parents would kill you and he had important missions to attend to.
“i’ll see you soon, i promise,” he gave you his signature smile, pressing one last kiss to your cheek and stepping away.
he put his hand to his mouth, placing a kiss to his fingertips and then blowing it towards you with a flirty wink — and then he flickered out of sight.
“see you,” you whispered, chest heavy and tears pricking at your eyes as you fantasized of the next time your blue-eyed lover would find his way back to you.
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namjoonchronicles · 3 years
Text
late | th
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↳ genre fluff, established relationship, dad Taehyung
↳ words 4k
↳ summary a trip back to hometown for a friend turned into something memorable which embarked something deep in Taehyung’s heart. 
↳ notes i discussed the premise of this story with my good friend @hellotherehoneybee​ and based on her ideas, i prolonged the length and added some plots to push a heavy turn so appropriately, the summary here is thanks to her. 
↳ warning mentions of childbirth, vivid descriptions of the scene, major character death
↳ song taylor swift ‘gold rush’, imagine dragons ‘levitate’, taio cruz ‘telling the world’, taylor swift ‘ you’re in love’
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.
“Taehyung… tea?”
Sand cuffed the shore. Half painted coast on the canvas. The wind blew rather harshly and every strike of wind, Taehyung’s wild mane of hair ruffled against themselves. They were long enough to cover his eyes but it didn’t stop him from painting the colours on his canvas. He blinks at the view of the sea and how it doesn’t change despite the years passed by. He wore slippers with an open toe, a baggy shirt and baggy trousers. His eyes looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Sunken cheeks and empty eyes, his jaw was immaculate and his face was crafted by God. He is beautiful in this light. So beautiful. 
“What are you drawing so seriously?” you asked. But no answers from him. As it should.
Six, maybe ten years back, this caravan was parked here. Pair of hands raised to the ceiling. The sunlight sieved through the blinds. The pair laced themselves, and toyed around. The make out of the knuckles under this light, showed how veiny his hands were than yours. Small chuckles and soft whispers accommodate the serene and tranquil moment. The caravan was parked by the sea. His easel leaned against the kitchen counter next to the sink. His whole body covered yours as you snuggled in bed. You thumbed his supple cheeks and traced the shape of his lips as he lay half-awake. You ran your index finger down the slope of his pretty nose and counted his eyelashes, you lined the edges of his brows and ran your hand through the locks of his brown hair that looked lighter in the sun. He moans sweetly at your touch. 
You proceed to trace your fingers down the helix of his ears, his excellent jaw lines and chin. There's prickling hair ends at the chin and you thought that he might need a shave. You remembered how bad he was at shaving. You even suggested that he should stop shaving all the way. The smile he had on when you said it was priceless. Then he remembered that society wouldn’t have allowed him to live. Taehyung’s eyes half-opened at the stimulating touch. He breaks a smile in his sleepy state and he crunches his nose at the view of you. You swore, you had never seen anyone that beautiful. He nuzzles into your face and neck, planting kisses where he can and he spoke, in his drowsiness, “I’m so sleepy.”
He gets on top of you and buries his face in your neck. Through lighthearted giggles, you say, “You’re heavy, big bear…” While making no effort to push him away. He feels like a weighted blanket you always wanted when you’re younger. Warm and snuggly. Gentle and tender. He smells like a pillow and his hair is soft. He loves it when your fingers thread through his hair, just caressing the glorious length, he’ll make sounds that are so lovely. You brushed your lips on top of his head and one arm around him. They never meet the total length of his shoulders because they were too broad. So you end up scratching the fabric of his thin shirt. Had the weather been warm enough, he would have rather slept in his skins. You whispered softly, as you felt him drifting back to sleep in his new found comfort, “If you don’t get up now, we are going to be very late…” 
And we won’t be able to help around like we planned.
Jeju’s beaches are breathtakingly beautiful. Especially in Handam. Where the waters are brilliant blue and the skies azure. The black rocks, rubbles, kissing the shore. It would make a fine painting, this scenery. Taehyung poked his head out the caravan door at you, 
“I thought you said we’re late?” 
You glanced over your shoulder and gave him a sheepish smile. Jogging lightly back into the caravan, you pinched his sides as you walked in. 
In fact, you weren’t late. You were not late at all. Taehyung’s eyes had always been inviting. Beautiful brown irises so encapsulating they almost felt unreal. It was those eyes that your friends recognised. They quickly adopted him once he carried in all the groceries like he is one of them. The crowd roars as they see you because they know it will shrink you. You were never good at crowds, so you covered your ears and physically shrunk while laughing till your eyes turned to crescents on their own. Quickly, the host came to the rescue, gathering you in her arms and calling off those people that are bothering you. At once, Taehyung had disappeared to make new friends and greet the old ones. 
“A baby shower, this late?” you stared at your friend, Junhee quizzically. She pursed her lips and stared off to the corner of the room while tucking your arm in hers.
“I wanted an excuse to see my good friend,” she said with a cunning grin, then she cowers, falls silent in a sudden, her palm rubbing over her swollen belly. Nine months in, any day now. You knew in your heart that it was a bad idea, but still, her husband, Jimin, felt like it was okay to hold these gatherings for her. Jimin would do anything to make her happy. Then, she hisses. And you start to cower over her, pulling the chair closer for her to sit. 
“Is it the contraction? Has any contraction happened today?” 
“No, this is the first…” 
Junhee seemed to have calmed down after she rested. You still wanted to talk to Jimin if you had the time, asking why he’d think it was a good idea to hold the party anyways. You had your answer when he walked in, snapping the fridge door open for a cold drink refill.
“She looked so miserable these past few days, I just wanted to see her smile,” Jimin carried two bottles of fruit punch as he brushed shoulders with you. Then, a toddler came crawling in, on all fours, stopping just by your feet and falling onto her bum and sat. Her twinkling eyes ushers you to carry her up. 
“Where did you come from, little one?” You cooed. She curls up to your neck, and starts babbling. Then you suddenly felt her little hand roaming around your clothed boobs, and when she felt she found the tip, she began suckling. And you laughed out loud. Loud enough to have everyone's attention on you, including Taehyung’s. The baby’s mother rushed to you in her loose ponytail, handling another two slightly older children that were at her feet. One is tugging at her blouse and the other wailing so loud, you became concerned. You helped her into a nursing room, Jimin’s wife had prepared. It was a short tattling walk away from where you were. The baby was hungry. She’s four months old and today was her first day out since she was born and was brought home. You were glad that the number of guests didn’t scare one bit. 
Taehyung had distributed the barbecued sausages to the kids around. He had the sharp sticks taken out and was helping to blow the heat from the sausages from one of the kids. He looks pretty much at home with everything. It’s probably been awhile because he finally saw you out the room carrying the baby, her little stodgy fingers curled around your thumb and she is gurgling. What a beautiful sight it was. It seemed you might have heard his thoughts when you looked up to the side and had the baby waved to Taehyung. He chuckles through his nose and crinkles his eyes at the little one, making a funny face. The little toddler extended her short petite arms and grabbed air repeatedly at Taehyung’s presence. Then you motioned her closer to Taehyung.
“I think she wants you to carry her…” 
“Me?” He sounded unsure, uncertain, but, he brushed invisible dust off his palm on his butt and, “It’s been awhile but. Okay.” Arms open, collecting the toddler in.
The pinkish hue of her skin, her soft supple cheek, her little angel hairband, and twinkling, gleaming smile. Taehyung memorised her scent like a wolf would to a pup, with his eyes shut, his nose nudging on her softness. His arms held her gently but firmly. It felt like there was only him and the baby, he shut every other sound. When he held that baby, there’s stillness in the air, the noises ceased to exist, the visions clouded and the heaven’s hinted; it was his calling. It felt very much like sinking and flying at the same time. It was as if the world stood still, the time stopped and the anticipation grew. A lifetime in a second. Gold rush, a dam broke and first rain in the desert. Taehyung eyes fluttered open to the view of the baby’s rosy cheeks and immediately searched for you. Any semblance of you. 
But you were kneeling by Jimin’s wife laying body on the floor. 
Taehyung padding over the wooden balcony into the living room. In daze, Taehyung passed the baby over to her mother and closed into you. Your mouth was moving but for some reason, his brain couldn’t string the words. You were screaming but he heard nothing until seconds after.
“Call 911!” You ordered. There was a puddle of water where she once stood. 
Meanwhile, you’re massaging her tummy. Jimin’s at the other end, and people pooling in to watch. The men are asked to wait outside with the kids for the ambulance. Taehyung had his hand on the house phone, and as he tried to arrange his words, his attention flew to you and your alarmed eyes. Your lips read, 
“Speak slowly… clearly.”
The dial tone ended and, “We need. Ambulance. Birth. A woman is giving birth, please send in an ambulance.” He turns to you again and right now, you have all the ladies lined up. 
“Okay, listen. Towels, all of it, blankets, pillows, sterile gloves, plastic bags, and Jimin,” you listed. Everyone spreads around to get everything. Towels from upstairs, blankets from the laundry room, pillows from the guest room and plastic bags from the kitchen drawers. Even Jimin who was outside waiting for the ambulance is being carried in by Jungkook. Taehyung handed a plastic cup of water. Jimin has his wife’s head cradled in his lap, padded with pillows and she’s holding her hand.
“I told you this was a good idea…” she joked, “I only trust her around…”
“I have only delivered a baby once in my life and that was in nursing school, that does not mean this was a correct choice, Junhee…” you half scolded her.
“I wouldn’t have it in any other way,” she said with a big smile before she hisses in pain and clenching around Jimin’s fingers. Then she groaned till veins were popping on her forehead. Jimin kept on peppering kisses and wiping her sweat with warm water. She continues to wretch and shiver. She felt cramps in her abdomens, churning. So she retched. What a relief she had her husband on the side. Jimin’s whispering words of affirmations and it really helped her calm down. Although she is really not far from giving birth. She is 9 centimetres dilated. 
“Where is the ambulance?” You asked in a rushed tone. 
“Any minute now!” Someone at the door informed. 
That’s not good enough. She will be 10 centimetres in no time and if the ambulance isn’t here by then, the baby will drown. She is perfectly ready for vaginal delivery, you grab a towel, place it underneath her openings and tell her to push until she feels the contraction. Work with the contraction and push as hard as she could. You also massaged to make sure the baby’s head was out first. From the physical examinations, the baby’s head is visible. All that’s left to do is for Junhee to push. You thought her the breathing method, and counted with her. Even Jimin’s following suit. 
“Deep breaths, sweetheart. You can do this…” you reminded her, “And then we’re gonna go again, okay?”
“I think I’m going to vomit…” Jimin fetches the bag from the side and vomits. Taehyung gulped, watching the fiasco from the side. He watches his wife carefully guiding, and assuring and giving space towards the mother to feel as comfortable as she can. 
Junhee was obedient and she was cooperating. She was entirely under your care. You can see from her eyes that she trusted you with her life. She had been, ever since you knew her. And now, she entrusted you with her life and her baby’s life. Junhee delivers a big push and this time the baby slides out into your arm along with it’s placenta. The detachment is healthy, and you quickly glance to the time, on the grandpa’s clock on the corner, 
“Someone note the time!”
“3:47PM!”
You placed the baby on his mother’s arm, a healthy baby boy. Another warm towel on his tiny body and his mom’s tired laugh. He is red and warm and crying, lungs are not congested. But still you need to wait for the ambulance. You placed the placenta into the bag Taehyung opened and told Jimin to hold them up. You refused to cut the umbilical cord without proper tools. It’s not sterile here to do so and there’s no medical back-up should anything go wrong. You told everyone to stay put until the ambulance arrived. Taehyung caught your eyes from across the room and slowly, you drew a smile on your face, contradicting his worried one. And again, in this lifetime, even when he was most concerned about you, you told him with your eyes that you’re okay. Even at this distance. 
“Who delivered the baby?” the ambulance personnel yelled, his voice seeped in, through the windows to you, while you were cleaning up the living room. 
Taehyung rushed to the door with a panicked look on his face and you sprinted out.
They gave you the scissors.
“The ma’am wanted you to cut the umbilical cord instead of the father, will you do the honors?” The man in medical assistant uniform smiled at you. You took the scissors in your hand and you glanced up at her, tears welling up in your eyes and you cried, “Yes, of course, yes…”
“She’s a retired nurse, I never once worried about my life when she’s around,” Park Junhee boasted as she was carried into the ambulance. Jimin climbed in, too. You followed the ambulance close while Taehyung drove Jimin’s car. It’s to help them later, if Jimin needs to return home. Taehyung left the car parked in the hospital parking area and climbed into your shared caravan. He offered to drive. And as he was driving, and talking about how cool you were as the night fell, he heard nothing from your side. You had already fallen asleep. Defeated by the tiredness. He stops at the same spot this morning and lowered your chair. He fetches a blanket from the bed and tucked you in warm. You moaned and switched to your side. He leans over you and plants a firm kiss on your head. As you swam deeper in your slumber, the stars twinkling in the sapphire blue sky, the moon stood witness to the feeling Taehyung had over you. He lowered his own chair to watch you sleep with a smile and fondness in his eyes. 
His soft curls fall over the hood of his eyes, touching the bridge of his nose as he clamors in renewed emotions he felt for you. Such pure love, the kind that authors would write about in novels, many years ago. He is so in love, his feet are levitating from the ground it seemed. One of those wishes thrown at the shooting skies had come true. Broken pieces of him, finally held together, and the last piece was in a form of a person. He extended his arm to reach yours, and you took them in like a soft toy. He gladly cuffed himself to you, it's been his fate. Lips, body and soul, is yours. The bell resonated from the far back of his mind, of when soulmates found each other. His heart thumping so loudly he feared you might have heard them. You have stirred something inside him he doesn’t quite understand yet. Rain or snow, storms or deserts, it's your hand he wanted to hold. He wants to create a home so comfy for you and maybe, in between you two, a baby that’s both his and yours. Someone to carry his name. Symphonies of violin when he watches you sleep. Like an orchestra coming together. 
Walking down the street in the morning, you wore beige knitted cardigan, hands intertwined. He swings your hand with a big toothy grin on his face. His soft curls flying in the wind, his deep chuckle sparking your insides with excitement. You wanted to choose a gift for Jimin and Junhee’s baby boy who is now at the hospital. With this man’s hand who made your heart ascend in the small of your back, it felt like you could do anything. An older woman who was also a customer in the small shop gave you both a big smile. 
“Newly weds?” She asked.
“Why? Do we seem like so?” You asked her warmly.
“We've been married for almost 2 years now…” Taehyung corrected her.
The older woman chuckled, and then her smile faltered, crestfallen on a vision it seemed, “Such soulmates are rare… You looked so good together, such a beautiful couple…” Taehyung wanted to buy a small necklace for the older women. He grabbed one that caught his eyes and dashed out the shop’s door, but the old woman had disappeared. 
“She walked really fast for someone her age…” Taehyung spoke to himself, squinting hard at the distance in both directions. To see if there’s any semblance of the friendly old woman anywhere. It’s like she vanished. When he returned to the shop, you asked him to buy you a glass ball with a bear reading and confettis inside. It was nothing special for Taehyung but you wanted it so he bought them without much thought. In the caravan, it was placed on the dashboard with a double tape, securely glued. 
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we have our own little one?” Taehyung stared at his friend Jimin, cooing his little baby.
“Could we?” Your smile faded as you bore into the view of the glass. You turned to him with a broken smile, “At my age?”
“You’re not as old as you think you are…” Taehyung said. And did he prove them well. Nine months later, you were holding his arm as you walked out of the apartment door with Jimin’s wife on the phone, telling you that she had arrived. Unlike her, you wanted to be at the hospital when the water broke. The same beige cardigan you wore on her child’s birthday,you wore today. It’s already old and strings were coming out at the ends but you insisted. Taehyung carried you bridal style into the car, towels ready. His arms were yours to clench on and while you were groaning, he was biting his lips at the same force. You clawed into his flesh as he calmed you down. Jimin was driving and his wife was teaching you the same breathing method you taught her. You plastered your face into Taehyung’s neck. Hair stuck into your forehead as you sweat profusely, fighting through the incessant pain. 
“Please hurry Jimin, please hurry…” Taehyung begged.
“I have the hazard lights on, we will make it on time, don’t worry bud…” Jimin said in a rushed tone. 
In the delivery room, Taehyung was dressed in all blue, masks and gloves, just like the doctors and nurses. There’s only his eyes, but you recognise them so well. One look, in that delivery room, meant only for you. Light hearted jokes and hand held tight. He pressed his lips on your whitened knuckles the whole time. His tears fell like diamonds as he watches you push with all your strength, a baby that is his. No words exchanged, but you saw enough. He was in love, so direly in love. Memories flash in the back of your mind, under clenched eyes, kisses on the sidewalks, love declarations under the heavy rain. The way he lifts you to the sky in that storm, slowly sliding you down his body, enough for you to place your forehead on his. His wide gaping smile, drenched in the night under the lamp post, warm wafts of breaths escaped his lips. You cupped his face in your hands and kissed him hard. You couldn’t hear what the midwives are saying, but you know one thing, this is the ultimate gift you could give the man that has given you everything. 
One last push, and a shrilling tiny cry accompanied. Taehyung looked at you and linked his forehead on yours. You’ve gone pale. So pale. Your lips were blue and your eyes were drooping. You are coming in and out of consciousness. The doctors had to lead Taehyung out of the delivery room, they had to perform operations. You were too tired to continue pushing. But before he leaves, you brushed your lips on his left cheek, and you tell him in your last bits of strength, 
“I-I love you. So-so much...Thank you…” 
Taehyung’s hand was separated from yours. He was grabbing air just as yours were holding out. 
.
.
.
.
Today. 
“Taehyung, tea?” His mother greeted him. He and his easel in use. He shook his head. And from inside the caravan. Small pair of hands curled on the handles, to push the door open. Carrying a beige cardigan. Four feets putting on shoes and padded to their father. With brown irises twinkling at Taehyung’s back, no older than four years old, Taehyung glanced over his shoulder and spread his arms. One in each arm. 
You watched them from the caravan, and it felt like you were right there. You could almost touch him, his hair, the slope of his nose. The babies. The babies are all grown. You could almost smell the sea. The breeze you knew so well. But you can’t. 
Six years ago.
Taehyung returned home with the babies. Dressed in all black, he has to head back out again, to send his wife. When he returned, he saw the babies sleeping on their side, covered by the beige cardigan. He rushes outside to where the caravan’s were. His mother caught him just in time as he fell to the ground, shivering and calling out your name repeatedly. His mother cradles him in her lap.
“Release, my child. Release your agony…” Taehyung’s mother cradled her baby boy in her arms and Taehyung let out a cry, heart-thumping, guttural screaming cry as he let out the grief he had kept in the silent since he saw your casket lowered, six-feet underground, a baby in his arms, sleeping, coddled in her late mother’s knitted cardigan she wore when she was at the hospital, trying to have her. Taehyung looked up at the sky that strangely bright day, and a single drop of rain fell to the left side of his cheek where his wife had kissed before she went away. 
God is neither late nor early. 
God took one of His angels back home to Him. Left two behind in Taehyung’s care.
.
.
.
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Copyright © January 9th, 2021 namjoonchronicles do not repost, leave feedback :’) please
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a-crepusculo · 3 years
Note
Hi Mia!
Here are some questions for the newlyweds game :) Don't forget to answer as the newlyweds themselves!
For Both
What’s the most embarrassing childhood story you know about your spouse?
What did they want to be when they were younger?
What was your spouse's favorite band in high school?
Describe your spouse in high school using memes or/and gifs only.
How old was your spouse when they had their first kiss? Who was it with?
If you two were the same age and had met in college, how would you have met? Would you have liked each other? Dated? Eventually married?
Which of your spouse's friends is the most attractive?
Who was your spouse's hero when they were growing up?
Can you name all your spouse’s exes before you?
Hello there, Bree! Thank you for including me again in this exciting game 🥰 Let's see what the couple has to say, shall we?
Newlyweds Game - Full Masterlist
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For Both:
1. What’s the most embarrassing childhood story you know about your spouse?
Marchia snorted, a small grin flashing across her face.
“Don’t,” Ethan protested upon seeing his wife's mischievous face.
“I haven't even said anything!” she exclaimed, her eyes were bright and laughing above tight, withholding lips.
“I know what you're going to say,” he sighed, leaning back against the chair.
“Yup,” she beamed at him, the corners of her eyes crinkled. “It's....”
“The teddy bear,” they answered at the same time. Marchia giggled again, contagious enough that he chuckled along with his wife.
“One day, Ethan kissed a teddy bear and got caught by his dad,” Marchia explained, holding out her laugh. “I'll send you the photo, Bree, because boy, oh, boy...” she gestures a chef's kiss. “You're in for a treat.”
Ethan playfully rolled his eyes.
“Do you know my most embarrassing childhood story, though?” she asked, lines forming between her eyebrows in an attempt to recall whether she had told her story to Ethan yet.
“I do,” he replied. “It's when you decided to become a cat for one day.”
“Ugh,” she muttered. “Embarrassing would be an understatement,” she said wearily, running a face down her face.
“On a bright Saturday morning, Marchia—who was only six at that time—decided to become a cat,” he smirked at her. “She woke up, walked with her hands and feet, started running around the house with her cats, and meowed whenever someone started talking to her. Rest assured, her mother have several home videos of it to be used as blackmail,” he added, a lighthearted laugh escaped him.
2. What did they want to be when they were younger?
“Easy,” she declared. “A detective.”
“That is true,” Ethan confirmed, nodding his head in agreement. 
“And you wanted to be...” he looked back at Marchia, his head tilted to the side. “Hannah Montana.”
“How can I not want to be Hannah Montana?” she shrieked in excitement. “I can get the best of both worlds!”
3. What was your spouse's favorite band in high school?
“Believe it or not, this hunk used to love Rolling Stones,” she arched a brow, her eyes glanced her husband. “His bedroom in Providence is full of Rolling Stones posters.”
“If you ask me, it's kinda hot,” she winked at him.
“As for her, it would be Maroon 5,” he returned, confident in his answer. “She still sings to most of their songs in the shower.”
4. Describe your spouse in high school using memes or/and gifs only.
“Again?” he exhaled through his nose, gathering himself.
“Try to keep up with us, grandpa,” she lightly chuckled.
“Allow me to search through my phone gallery for a moment,” he reached into his pocket to grab his smartphone.
“Found it,” Ethan said after scrolling for a couple of minutes.
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“That’s... accurate. I was confused 99% of the time,” she admitted, shrugging both of her shoulders innocently.
“Aha!” she cried out after a while. “This is absolutely your reaction to anything and everything during high school,” as she showed her screen.
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“Oh my God,” she gasped audibly. “I married Captain Holt.”
5. How old was your spouse when they had their first kiss? Who was it with?
“If I’m not mistaken, you had your first kiss with James when you were fourteen years old.”
“Yeah! He was nice to me, always laughing at my jokes,” Marchia explained. “Or maybe he was just trying to get to my good side?” she questioned herself, raising her eyebrows.
“Yours would be... Amanda, at the age of ten years old,” she continued. “She was his neighbor back in Providence. True definition of the girl-next-door.”
6. If you two were the same age and had met in college, how would you have met? Would you have liked each other? Dated? Eventually married?
“It’s possible that we would meet because we have several classes together,” he mused over the question.
“I imagined we would sit next to each other, secretly glance one another with googly eyes, but we wouldn’t know how to start a conversation,” Marchia added, her eyes sparkling. “I would definitely have a huge crush on young-and-reckless Ethan.”
“In another life or not, I believe she will always irritate me in the cutest way possible. So, yes, I would have liked her and hoped that she liked me back.”
“Then we would date each other for years and get married! Assuming I’m not too much of a pain in the ass,” Marchia presented him with a playful smirk.
“Yes, because my happily-ever-after is with you, love.”
7. Which of your spouse's friends is the most attractive?
“Tobi—”
“You did not even hesitate,” he interrupted, arms crossed casually over his chest.
“I mean, it’s not like you have a lot of friends, babe,” Marchia confessed. “Maybe if you count your colleague from Duke University Hospital as a ‘friend’, then Alex would be your most attractive friend.”
“Fine,” he grumbled.
“If I must pick one, yours would be... Sienna,” he answered.
“She is a hottie. I’m glad you have good taste in women,” she teased.
8. Who was your spouse's hero when they were growing up?
“That would certainly be her mom,” he replied softly. “To Marchia, she’s everything.”
“Well, for you, it would be your dad and Edward Jenner because he’s such a dork,” her eyes softened as she looked back at her husband.
9. Can you name all your spouse’s exes before you?
“He has several flings and one night stand before, but I guess that wouldn’t count here,” she narrowed her eyes. “So I guess it would be.. Sophia from med school, Khloe and Emma from your early residency years, and Harper.”
Ethan hummed in agreement.
“Your exes are Liam from high school, Nathan from undergrad, and Sebastian from med school.”
“No one was as hot as you, though, babe,” Marchia reassured Ethan, circling her arm around his. In response, he peppered kisses along her cheeks.
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A/N: Again, thank you Bree for this lovely and fun game! Bless you, it truly made my day. I hope this was enjoyable to read! ❤️
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☕ Morning Coffee ☕ Malcolm Reynolds
So everyone seemed to enjoy my Morning Coffee imagine with Hannibal Lecter so I thought I’d do one with Malcolm Reynolds. In synopsis Morning Coffee is a simple concept, it follows your morning to the start of your cup to the end of it. Hope you enjoy! ---
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written in the mind-frame of a Female!Reader but there are no pronouns mentioned nor gender specific anatomical body parts.  Warnings: None, fluff, my attempt at humour. Word Count: 1,812 ---
Malcolm Reynolds
   Dinosaurs in space. You suppose you've dreamed of weirder but when a T-Rex in a spacesuit came at you you'd decided it was time to wake up and stay up. So here you were now, feet kicked up on the dashboard beside the plastic mini monstrosity that had decided to terrorize you. You hadn't questioned the little knick-knacks when you'd agreed to pilot this Firefly, there were a number of things you hadn't questioned like the fact there was some interesting to say in the least patchwork on this chair, patchwork that might've hinted to what kind of nightmare had actually happened here. But there was a sadness around the cockpit and no matter your curiosity you knew it was best to not ask. Plus Zoe scared you a little bit too much to ask, she already didn't seem to like you as a pilot as nothing you did seemed to impress her and Gorram had you tried to impress her to get on some good footing but so far it seemed like you were on your knees. “Do you even have teeth?” You wondered out loud.    You leaned forward and for the first time actually touched the hard plastic figurine to inspect it, it was worn down and the paint flecked off of it and as for the teeth your nightmares told you to be afraid of? Fused together. This T-rex couldn't have eaten you if it wanted too, couldn't even take off a toe. You stretched your arm out and the picture of a dinosaur in space was kind of funny especially as your tired eyes focused on the T-rex and the space behind it became blurry. “Ya, having fun?”    If this chair wasn't attached to the ground you're sure you would've taken it with you to the ground but with the limited amount of motion you just managed to flail like an idiot in front of the Captain. “It fell. I wasn't touching it.” You let out.    You felt caught, like a child with their hand in their parents wallet. A small chuckle let you know however that you weren't. “It's fine, space is yours now anyhow.” He shrugged.    The words didn't have any malice but they didn't feel honest and even if they were you'd never throw out these toys. You got ahold of yourself and put the T-Rex back near its Stegosaurus friend before looking over at Mal and to your surprise he had two cups in his hands. “Double fisting some caffeine?” You teased.    “Funny.” He remarked as he came over and offered a cup out to you. "Saw you was up, figured you'd want a cup.”    “Oh.” That was awful nice, wow. “Thank you.” You said taking it.    You expected him to leave since that's what everyone does, you'd pretty much had the cockpit to yourself since you'd signed onto the crew but instead he went over to the other seat and sat down with a sigh. He leaned back into the seat and the way he stared around at his ship was with contentment, free hand giving the arm of the chair a pat. There had always been something sort of heartwarming about the way Mal treated the ship, it was almost like he was giving her moral support and you'd be damned if there hadn't been times where it'd felt like that really was the only thing holding her together. “What? I got something in my hair?”     You were brought out of your thought. “Huh?”    “You were starin’.” He let you know.    “Was not.” You insisted, heart pumping at the idea of being caught gawking.    “Your eyes just stuck?” He teased.    “I was...” You paused and you swore steam was about to come out of your ears you were thinking so hard to come up with something plausible. Shit, shit, shit--maybe? No--Got it! “I was just making sure I wasn't dreaming, don't usually have anyone up here with me.”    Got it? Really? You got nothing. You couldn't even smile at your own garbage excuse as all you got with a small shrug and nod from Mal before he looked away from you. Was it possible to dig yourself a hole while in space? It seemed like against all odds it was. You took a deep breath and focused yourself on the coffee in your hand, you couldn't say anything dumb if your mouth was full so you took a sip. The warmth helped to eat away your nerves and the taste distracted your mind. “I get it right? I've seen you have coffee once and I tried to replicate the way you desecrate it with sugar.” He joked.    “One, ouch. Two, sugar brings out the notes in coffee. And three, yes you got it spot on, shiny.” You admitted almost defeatedly at the end.    “That might pass as a reason for that much sugar if this was actual coffee, the only notes in instant is dirt.” He jokingly scoffed.    “I'm a pilot, I don't like dirt. Gotta drown out that taste somehow.” You joined in teasing yourself.    It earned you a smile that you couldn't help but to return. Mal's smile was weathered but Gorram if it wasn't contagious. This time however you made sure not to stare too long and got yourself to look out the front instead at the stars that the ship swam through. “Anything worrying gotcha up?” He asked.    It was nice to him to check, as far as Captains you've piloted for so far Mal had been the most caring, still rough around the edges but it wasn't all he was made of unlike some of the Fèihuà Captains you'd crewed with. “Dinosaurs.” You admitted sheepishly.    “Dinosaurs?” He checked.    “Dinosaurs in space.” You clarified as if that made it make more sense.    “Suppose I've heard weirder before.” He shrugged with a chuckle. “’Least with you it ain't some kind of poetry I gotta unwind.” He remarked.    You knew he was talking about River, sometimes what she said was easy to understand and other times it felt like you were trying to solve the Da Vinci Code. “You don't know that, I could be talking metaphorically about the ancient dangers of space.” You tease.    He chuckled as he looked over at you, eyes crinkling at the corners with joy that some might consider unnatural this early in the morning. “Oh yeah? Enlighten me to these ancient dangers then.” He challenged quirking up an eyebrow.    Your brain practically whirred trying to think. “You know I just don't know if it's possible to bring you to my level of enlightenment over the complex subject that dinosaurs in space.” You settled on, nodding every time your mind came up with the next part of the sentence to make it comprehensible.    You accented your brilliant statement with a loud sip of coffee. “One can only dream of such enlightenment.” He settled on.    “It was actually a dream that led me to this enlightenment.” You let him know.    He looked at the plastic toys. “They are a might frightening, certainly turn the legs to jelly.” He teased.    You let out a small laugh and even though it was teasing you enjoyed it, it was lighthearted. “What about you, anything got you up? Metaphoric ancient dangers or otherwise?” He pauses at the question before letting out a small exasperated sigh and shrug, his free hand opening and closing to accompany the shrug. “Come on I told you about my fear of space dinosaurs I think you can tell me about whatever is running through that pretty head of yours.” You insisted trying to keep the lighthearted tone going.    He scoffed with a smile. “Pretty head of mine? Ugh, you're our pilot so tell me you don't need glasses.” He scoffed.    “Don't ‘ugh’ me.” You chided, copying his dissatisfied noise. “My eyesight is perfectly fine.” You insisted.    He rolled his eyes and shook his head a little but you could've sworn you saw the tips of his ears and cheeks tinge with a little bit of red. You had to take another sip of your coffee to hide your grin over that. “Beg to differ.” He settled on.    “Then beg.” You quickly quipped.    You almost spat out your coffee in glee of his reaction. You managed to choke down the liquid in your mouth before falling into a fit of giggles at the look of astonishment on his face. Even he had a good laugh at it once the shock had subsided. “That's good, I'll have to remember that.” He chuckled before calming himself down to take a sip of his coffee.    You nodded along in agreement before taking a sip of your own coffee only to be greeted by a whole lot less liquid than you expected. You stared down into your cup to find it now barren expect for the small flower Kaylee had probably painted on the bottom staring up at you. It was just a pretty little daisy that had no business being as cute as it was, speaking of pretty things having no business being a cute as they were you brought your attention back over Mal. He still looked amused as a small smile kept the corners of his mouth turned up.     “Glad to hear you've come to your senses and agree with me.” You let him know.    “I didn't say that.” He insisted.    “I certainly don't hear any of that begging.” You remarked.    He looked over at you a little unimpressed but his smile was still there so you just smiled bigger, practically daring him to do it and he knew it. He silently conceded with a small head shake before taking the last sip of his own coffee and he too seemed to stare down at the little flower in the bottom of the cup for a moment. He took a deep breath as he got up. “You finished?” He asked before heading towards the door.    “Yes, unless you're offering a second cup?” You cheekily asked.    “Oh, now I see, you were just buttering me up.” He accused with a smirk.    “Only if it worked.” You agreed offering your cup out.    He let out a small amused breath before taking the cup out of your hand which only made you smile more. “Be a waste of perfectly good sugar if you didn't have another cup since there's so much left in here.” He reasoned before heading out.    “Whatever you convince your pretty head of.” You nearly sang.    You heard him chuckle as he made his way down the steps and you smiled to yourself as you looked out vastness of space, a vastness you'd gotten used to over the years. You gave a pat to the dashboard of Serenity as a thank you to her for letting you on to enjoy the vastness of space with this crew. --- ~Admin Coral 🍒 Buy Me A Coffee? --- Note: Fèihuà 废话 roughly translates into bullshit in Chinese. 
48 notes · View notes
not-all-dead · 3 years
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angstpril day twenty-three, part one: bedside vigil
CW: dying death dead dying yeah that, also sad sad sad, most of them have some sort of not explicit mental health issue going on, and lastly its so so so so so so so long like i’m actually so sorry how did it get to be this long i-
first half under the cut, second half here !!
He could feel the end coming. He could also feel that the time was right. It wasn’t too soon, though he did wish he could have more time. It wasn’t too late either, he felt, it really was right on time. It was his time.
He was glad he knew this, because it meant his family and friends could gather around him. It meant he’d get to properly say goodbye to all those he cared about. He knew they’d miss him, and he’d miss them too, but he’d see them again soon. And he’d never really leave them, not as long as they kept him in their memories, in their hearts.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a faint knock on the door.
“Aang?” Katara called quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep.
“Come in,” he replied, his voice hoarse.
She opened the door and came in, carrying a small tray of food. The smell filled the room up and Aang smiled, looking lovingly at his wife. He didn’t get all that hungry anymore, but her cooking was a comfort he tried to enjoy in his final days.
“Bumi, Zuko, and Izumi got here this morning,” Katara said and she set the tray on Aang’s bedside table.
“And Sokka left last night to find Kya. Toph, Su, and Lin finally agreed to stay on the island for a little bit, and Suki and Ty Lee should be here by tonight,” she sat on the wooden chair that now sat by Aang’s side at all times, reaching forwards and taking his hand.
She watched him for a moment, paying close attention to his breathing as his chest rose and fell steadily.
“Thank you,” he said after a time, turning his head slightly to see her better.
“You don’t need to thank me, sweetie,” she responded, smiling and squeezing his hand.
It was after another while of sitting like that in silence that there was a hesitant knock on the door. It opened slightly and Izumi’s face peeked in.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to interrupt, but, uh…” she trailed off, glancing at Aang and then looking at the floor.
Katara squeezed Aang’s hand again and stood, leaning over to place a soft kiss on his forehead. Then, she walked over to the door, opening it fully.
“You’re not interrupting anything, dear,” she said, placing a hand on Izumi’s shoulder.
“Take all the time with him you need,” she finished before stepping around the younger woman.
Aang followed Izumi with his eyes as she made her way to his side, taking the chair Katara had just been sitting in.
“This feels so unreal,” Izumi started, clasping her hands together and leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.
“I know logically everyone has to die at some point, but it just…” she trailed off and looked up at Aang with tears in her eyes.
“I wish it wasn’t true,” she blinked and a few tears slipped down her cheek.
“You’ve always been like a niece to me, Izumi,” Aang reached a shaky hand out to wipe her cheek.
“Just because I’ll no longer be here physically doesn’t mean I’m leaving you,” he added before drawing in a raspy breath and coughing slightly.
Izumi’s eyes widened in panic and she pushed out of the chair.
“Should I get Katara?” she asked, inching back towards the door.
“No, no, I’m alright,” Aang reassured her, giving her a weak smile.
“I’d like to speak to your father, though,” he said, to which she nodded before turning and leaving him alone.
He turned his head back so that he was looking at the ceiling again, watching as the shadows shifted almost unnoticeably. He didn’t look at the door when he heard it open, his eyes remaining fixed on the shadows above as Zuko made his way to the chair and sat down.
“This feels so unreal,” Zuko muttered, causing Aang to let out a small laugh.
“That’s exactly what your daughter said,” he said quietly, finally turning to look at his old friend.
“Of course it is,” Zuko let a smile creep onto his face.
He let out a sigh, his smile disappearing after a moment. His gaze turned to his feet for a long moment of silence before he forced his eyes up to meet Aang’s.
“I’ll miss you,” he took in a deep breath.
“We all will. But I’m glad for the time we’ve had. Ah, the memories of chasing after you as a delusional teenager,” Zuko let out a small chuckle and Aang smiled, his eyes crinkling around the edges.
“But really,” Zuko continued, his face turning serious again.
“There’s so much I wish we’d had the time to do, but there’s even more that we did have time for. I’ll cherish those memories, I promise I won’t forget a single thing, until I see you again,” Zuko finished, stopping himself before he had the chance to cry.
“Until I see you again,” Aang responded quietly.
There was another knock on the door and Aang chuckled.
“It’s like a round robin of people coming in here,” he joked as Zuko stood and moved to open the door.
Bumi stood there, his head hanging down and his hands fidgeting in front of him. He looked up when Zuko pulled the door open, first looking at the Firelord and then to his father. He gasped slightly and looked back at Zuko, who placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t have to say anything to the young man, instead simply stepping around him to give him space to be with his father alone for a while.
Bumi hesitated at the door, staring at Aang for a second, before walking in and closing the door behind him. When he turned back around, he couldn’t help but run to the bedside.
“Dad,” he cried, falling to his knees in front of the chair.
“Bumi,” Aang said, lifting his hand to gently stroke Bumi’s hair.
“I don’t- you can’t- dad,” Bumi stuttered, putting his arms up on the bed and resting his chin on them.
“You’ll be alright,” Aang said looking sadly down at his son.
“I’m sorry,” Bumi whispered, hiding his face in his arms.
Aang watched him for a moment before saying anything, his hand still repetitively smoothing his rowdy hair.
“Sorry for what?” he asked.
Bumi looked up at him tearfully, opening his mouth and closing it again before shaking his head. He sat there for a minute more before pushing up from the ground. He steadied himself against the bedside table, the sudden change in altitude sending a rush of blood to his head. Once he could see straight again, he leaned over and kissed his father on the forehead.
“I love you, dad, and I’ll miss you, and-,” he inhaled sharply and closed his eyes.
“I really am sorry,” he finished, leaving the room before Aang could question him again.
Aang let out a sigh and watched the door. His eyelids were heavy and he soon found himself drifting off to sleep. He was vaguely aware of Katara coming at some point, taking away the tray of uneaten food and checking in on him. It was in the early hours of the morning that he woke up again.
He opened his eyes to Suki pacing quietly back and forth behind Ty Lee, who was asleep in the chair. When Suki noticed Aang trying to prop himself up slightly more, she rushed around the bed to help him. Once he was seated comfortably, a pillow behind his head, she walked back around to wake Ty Lee up.
“Let her sleep,” Aang rasped, then clearing his throat.
Suki looked down at him and hesitated before nodding. She sat herself on the edge of his bed and rested her hand on his leg, looking at him with a sad smile on her face.
“You’re looking rough,” she joked, smirking at Aang.
“I’ve been better,” he responded, glad that Suki was being lighthearted about it all.
“You’ve also been worse,” Suki added, shaking her head and chuckling.
“Last time you died, Katara brought you back,” Aang couldn’t help but laugh as Suki continued to speak.
“Guess that won’t be the case this time, but hey, at least you’ll get to see Gyatso again,” Aang felt his eyes filling with tears for the first time since he’d taken ill just as Ty Lee finally woke up.
She opened her eyes groggily, turning to Aang as soon as she noticed Suki sitting on the bed.
“Aang,” she said quietly, her usually very bubbly demeanour completely abandoned.
“Your aura, it’s so…” she trailed off and looked sadly at the ground.
Suki hated seeing her like this and grabbed her hand, pulling her slightly towards the bed.
“Hey, let’s not sulk,” she said to her wife, glancing back at Aang.
“I’d rather see you happy in my last days than sad to see me go,” he added, smiling as Ty Lee peeked up at him.
“You’re right,” she said, the corners of her mouth pulling up ever so slightly.
“I’m so glad I got to know you, Aang, you helped me learn so much about myself, and have been one of the best friends I’ve had,” she added, squeezing Suki’s hand as she spoke.
“I feel the same, you taught me a lot and I always knew I could count on you,” Suki agreed, squeezing Ty Lee’s hand back.
“We’ll miss you,” Suki finished, looking back and forth between her wife and Aang.
“I’ll miss you too,” Aang replied. “But I’ll never be far.”
Ty Lee smiled at him warmly, and had just opened her mouth to say something when the door slammed open.
“Kyoshi nerds, out, now,” Toph said loudly as she stomped over to the chair Ty Lee was sitting in.
Nobody in the room could stifle their laughter as Ty Lee gave the seat up to Toph. She and Suki both bid adieu to Aang as they left the room, leaving him with a seemingly very pissed off Toph.
“C’mon, Twinkletoes,” she said, crossing her legs and leaning back against the chair.
“Dying? Now? Don’t you think that’s a little…”— she gestured messily in the air in front of her —“petty?”
“Is my timing inconvenient for you, Melon Lord?” Aang laughed.
Toph frowned and crossed her arms, suddenly overcome with the reality of what was happening. She sat quietly for a moment, her head turned down, until the door creaked open just slightly. A single tear fell from her eye as Su walked silently into the room, hesitating behind her mother before Toph shoved up from the chair.
“Whatever, Twinkletoes,” she said, roughly wiping her cheek as she stalked out of the room.
Su stared after her mother for a few seconds before looking at the floor.
“She just… needs some time,” she muttered, taking the seat by Aang’s bed.
“I see you, Toph, and Lin decided to get along for a weekend?” Aang ventured, cocking his head to one side.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that. Lin hasn’t said a word to me since I got here, though, and mom’s been really distant the whole time too. I didn’t really expect any different, though, which is why I didn’t bring Baatar or the kids. They shouldn’t have to deal with my family drama,” she leaned forwards, resting her chin in her hands.
“How are Baatar and the kids doing?” Aang asked, watching Su’s face while she answered.
“Baatar’s been sick on-and-off for a few years, but he’s seeing a healer who says she can give him a lot longer to live with a number of healing sessions and some daily medication. The kids are all doing well, Opal was just born a few months ago,” she paused and looked up at Aang.
“I wish I could’ve brought them here at least once, to meet you, and everyone, but…” she trailed off and looked down again.
“It’s alright, Su. I’ll get to meet them eventually, and when I do, I’ll have all of eternity to get to know them,” Su couldn’t help but smile up at Aang at his response, her eyes stinging just slightly.
“You’re right,” she said rubbing her eyes lightly.
She shifted her feet on the stone floor and sighed, feeling Lin pacing just outside the door.
“I should, uh, let Lin come in here. She’s been… worried to say the least,” Su said standing and giving Aang one last glance before leaving the room.
Lin already had a frown fixed on her face when she walked in. She stood near the foot of his bed with her arms crossed, not letting herself look Aang in the eye. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before huffing and glancing at Aang.
“Lin, sit,” he said, making a small gesture towards the chair.
She shook her head and looked away again, tapping her foot on the cold floor.
“Do you really have to die?” she asked hoarsely.
“Lin, please sit,” Aang repeated, looking at the young woman with concern.
“I mean- you’re the avatar, right? Kyoshi lived for two hundred and thirty years, couldn’t- couldn’t you just not die? That would make a whole lot of stuff a whole lot easier, and I mean-,” Aang cut her off by blowing a small burst of wind in her face.
“Lin, you look like you’re going to collapse. Please sit,” he said, slight amusement on his face.
She looked up at him and huffed, but relented and moved to sit in the chair. She slid down slightly, her arms still crossed and her legs sprawled in a very unladylike manner. She glared at the floor as she began talking again.
“I just think it’s kind of rude of you to die right now, that’s all. I just-,” her voice broke and she let out a small sob, slapping her hand over her mouth.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
“No. No. I’m not crying now,” she muttered, taking a few deep breaths and then looking up at Aang.
He gave her a sad smile before saying anything, reaching his hand over and putting it on her knee.
“You can’t push everything down all the time, Lin, but I can’t force you to cry,” he said, bringing his hand back and putting it over his stomach.
“Do you want to talk about something else?” he asked, to which she nodded.
“Tell me how Tenzin’s doing, I haven’t seen him since I’ve been sick,” Aang shifted so he could see Lin better, though she was staring at the floor again.
“He’s… he’s not doing great,” she started, shuffling slightly back in the chair so she wasn’t so slumped over.
“He’s been pretty much locked in his room since you got sick, barely letting anyone in other than for food and such. I’ve gotten him to talk a couple times, though not much. He says it’s too much, that he doesn’t think he’d be able to handle talking to you now… but he does want to. He said he’d come in when he’s ready, but that it might not be for a while… he’s just really scared of losing you,” she paused for a second, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.
“I- I’m scared to lose you too, we all are,” she said in a near whisper.
“You’ll never really lose me,” Aang started, but stopped when she scoffed at him.
“Bullshit,” she said, looking up at him with a mix of disbelief and annoyance on her face.
Aang sighed, smiling softly at Lin.
“Again, I can’t force you to believe anything, but I will stick around,” he reached out and took her hand weakly in his.
“I promise,” he said.
Lin’s eyes started to tear up again and she stood, pulling away from him and moving towards the door.
“You- you should sleep,” she said, looking back at him one last time before exiting the room.
He let out another sigh, but figured it best to follow her advice. It didn’t take long after he slid back into a lying position before he was sleeping deeply once more. His sleep was undisturbed, though he didn’t dream of anything. He was far too tired to dream, far too tired for anything really. Even so, he grinned widely when he woke up to Katara’s face by his side.
“I love you,” he whispered, trying not to startle her.
Her eyes snapped up from the brown yarn she’d been furiously knitting into a blanket. They softened when they saw his smile, her own lips pulling into a quiet grin.
“I love you too, sweetie,” she said, setting her yarn and needles on the bedside table.
“Have a good rest?” she reached over and ran her hand over the short hair that now grew thinly over Aang’s usually bald head.
“Mm, mmhmm,” he closed his eyes again as she kissed his forehead like she did every time she left the room now.
“Sokka and Kya are here,” she murmured, standing slowly.
“Should I bring them in?” Aang opened his eyes again at Katara’s question, nodding and shuffling back just slightly against the headboard.
Katara made sure he was properly situated before stroking his hair again and leaving the room. Aang looked down at his pale, shaky, bony hands while he waited for someone to come in. He wasn’t afraid of dying, but it was still off putting to see his own body so frail and destructible.
“Hey,” he heard Sokka say outside the door.
“Kya, hey, it’s alright. Let me go in first, okay? It’ll be okay, you’re okay, just… sit here for a minute.”
There was the sound of a metal chair being placed by the door and then the squeak of the door’s rusty hinges as Sokka came in.
“Is she alright?” Aang asked, looking past Sokka at the door as he took the chair.
Sokka rubbed his hands over his face before leaning forward on his elbows, staring into space as he spoke.
“Yeah, she’s not been doing the best, but she’ll be alright. She…we’ll make sure she is,” he looked at Aang for the first time since before he’d taken ill.
It was impossible to not notice the difference. Aang’s eyes were more sunken, his eye bags bigger and darker now. He actually had hair growing on the top of his head, but he was skinnier than ever with how little he’d been eating. His eyes were duller than they used to be, their sparkling excitement and energy simply missing.
“Fuck,” Sokka whispered.
“You really are dying, aren’t you,” he muttered, examining Aang’s face.
“It’s my time, Sokka. I can feel it,” Aang responded faintly.
Sokka nodded and took a deep breath. Aang could hear how shaky it was, how desperately he was trying not to cry. He pushed slightly away from the headboard and held his arms out to Sokka with a slight smile.
“You can cry,” he said, to which Sokka responded with a quiet sob.
He pushed himself out of the chair and onto the edge of Aang’s bed, accepting the hug and returning it fiercely. They hugged for a long time, Sokka crying on Aang’s shoulder, until Aang noticed Kya’s face peeking through the doorway. He pulled slightly away from Sokka, who wiped his tears with the palm of his hand before following Aang’s gaze to Kya. He smiled at her and nodded, standing to leave but hesitating first.
He put his hand on Aang’s shoulder and squeezed, smiling down at his old friend.
“I’ll miss you,” he said before walking from the room.
Kya dragged herself over to the chair by Aang’s side. She paused for a second and looked at her father, huffing lightly before sitting down. Aang could tell immediately that something more was wrong, something other than just his passing, but had no clue as to what it could be. He turned his hand so his palm was up and looked at Kya’s expressionless face, his brows drawing together.
“Hold my hand?” he asked, prompting Kya to at least look up at him.
That she did, also lifting her hand and curling her fingers in with her fathers. He continued to watch her face, noticing that she really was showing no emotion whatsoever as she stared blankly ahead.
“Kya, what’s wrong?” he tried to tighten his grip on her hand but didn’t succeed.
She opened her mouth to respond and took a deep breath, but then still said nothing. Finally, after what felt like hours to both of them, she found her voice.
“Dad,” she whispered, looking up at him again.
He looked back at her sadly, not knowing how to comfort her without knowing what was wrong. He tried to suck in a breath but started to cough, getting himself under control after a moment but still wheezing slightly. Kya’s face was more concerned after the coughing fit, but still quite neutral. He could see how empty her eyes were, but knew there was nothing much he could offer her now.
“Tell…” he trailed off, trying to muster up enough strength to finish his sentence before continuing.
“Tell everyone I love them,” he said barely louder than a whisper.
Kya furrowed her eyebrows as Aang slid down in the bed just barely, his eyes watching her with sadness.
“Dad,” she whispered again.
“Dad,” she said louder as he closed his eyes, his face relaxing.
It was the last thing he heard.
28 notes · View notes
mae-gi-writes · 4 years
Text
Feux De Joies | Kevin (The Boyz Christmas Series)
La Joie de Noël Series : Feux De Joies [Kevin]
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[ Feux De Joies: Bonfire. ]
Stories revolving around the small miracles of Christmas.
-----
Read more of La Joie De Noël Series here:
Sangyeon | Jacob | Younghoon | Hyunjae | Juyeon | Kevin | Changmin (Q) | Chanhee (New) | Ju Haknyeon | Sunwoo | Eric 
-❤-
Y/N and Kevin's relationship had never really been all love and warmth after he'd played a prank on her heart. Losing a bet required him to fake a confession of his love to her and while Y/N's heart had skipped a beat, the said young man had proceeded to giggle in her face before telling her that it was just a prank and, how could he even see her that way anyway? He was totally smitten with another classmate of theirs.
The mixture of embarrassment and shame and taken over Y/N's countenance and since that day, she had regarded Kevin as no more than an insect she wished to squish with her toe. Much to his displeasure, the pair had drifted apart mainly due to the girl pushing him away. Numerous times, he'd wished to ask her what was wrong, why she seemed so cold and distant but he'd never really had the chance.
The irony of the pair being invited to the same end-of-year Christmas bonfire made Y/N want to drop out at the very last minute. But her friends' incessant whining couldn't go unnoticed and she had finally relented with the condition that she wasn't to be left alone that night.
"I promise," her friend had pinky-sworn at Y/N's glare.
"You better mean that."
Despite Y/N's protests, the pair ended up getting a lift from Jacob and much to her surprise, she found the latter much easier to talk to. Maybe it was the lack of school setting that made it easier to detach stereotypes or maybe she was just in a great mood. In any case, by the time they had reached the beach and spotted the group of people crowded around what seemed to be a pile of branches, Y/N's mood had lifted considerably.
They had hung up a string of Christmas lights in the trees that circled the fire, giving the small area an ethereal, magical glow that made it seem like she had just stepped into a Christmas movie. It was just so beautiful, too beautiful to even keep being mad at someone. Plus, everyone was decked in their ugly Christmas sweaters and that alone was enough to turn this into a comedy. 
"Hot choco?" One of their classmates held up two paper cups which they all accepted graciously. Y/N felt warmth spread through her palms and an unintentional smile lifted the corners of her lips.
After all, it couldn't be that bad. Right?
Wrong. A scowl dropped over her features the moment she laid eyes on a familiar face sitting across the bonfire. She looked away.
No, she told herself off adamantly. She was not going to let Kevin, of all people , ruin her mood.
That was what she kept at the back of her mind in a continuous wave of reminders as the sun set over the horizon and bathed the entire scenery in glimmering gold despite the cold spreading through their limbs. The group huddled in as the bonfire was lit, flaring orange and casting a warm glow over their bodies as marshmallows were passed around on sticks.
Y/N wasn't really sure, throughout the countless conversations and the lighthearted socializing, how she still ended up with Kevin sitting at her side. He was chatting idly with Jacob and when the latter spotted her face, sent her a casual wave.
Y/N waved back quite unsurely, hating how her stomach squirmed uncomfortably when Kevin's almond orbs flitted over her face.
"Hey," Kevin said as he plopped a marshmallow onto his stick and passed her the bag. Y/N had no choice but to take it almost reluctantly, "the bonfire's quite something huh?"
"If you say so," she mumbled and focused her attention on fiddling with her marshmallow stick.
"Y/N, I thought you hated sweet things," Jacob's voice chimed in.
"Today's an exception," the said girl stuck her tongue out at him, causing Jacob to chuckle.
Kevin's eyes swept back and forth between the two, "since when do you two know each other?"
"Oh just now. We spoke on the way here," Jacob then nudged the skinny raven-haired man, "why? Jealous?"
"Me?" Kevin spluttered and if Y/N had looked away a second too early, she wouldn't have gotten the satisfaction of noticing the heat lighting up his entire face. And she was pretty certain that was not a result of the bonfire heat.
A nudge on her shoulder brought her attention back to her friend who asked "do you know where the toilets are?"
"Uhm, I don't think there are any toilets...You'll have to go pee in nature or something."
Her friend's horror was written all over her face and though Y/N had insisted on accompanying her, Jacob jumped up at the chance, sending Y/N a wink which suggested that there was much more to friendship in his gentlemanly intentions.
She watched the pair go, a frown shadowing her face as she questioned whether that was a good idea.
Kevin seemed to read her mind, "don't worry. Jacob's a good guy. He won't do anything."
"Makes me wonder why he's friends with you," she shot back without missing a beat. Her eyes quickly flitted to his own Christmas sweater -- a vivid white that had olaf’s face printed on the front, his orange nose jolting out and dangling. 
Why the fuck did he still look that good?
Kevin wasn't hurt though, throwing her a grin instead, "always the charmer, aren't you? It's been a while since we spoke. Why's that?"
"I wasn’t the one busy trying to woo the pants off Seulgi."
"Woah there tiger," he blinked, "where did that come from?"
She twirled her stick through the flames, now glad that the darkness enveloped most of her features, "I thought you liked her. That's the only thing I remember from our past conversations."
"Oh gosh," He chuckled softly while taking a bite of his marshmallow, "well, there's a lot of catching up to do."
Despite her initial desire to stay away from the said young man with the piercing almond eyes and the beautiful raven-coloured hair that made her fingers itch with the desire of running them through his locks, conversation flowed as easily as water and as the night gave way to the moon and stars glittering across the night sky, she found herself falling into that familiar memory of sharing secrets and stories with Kevin, remembered how it felt to have him make her giggle with his lame jokes and with his never ending list of puns. It was as if nothing had changed and she hadn't realized the way her heart summersaulted in her chest with every smile, every chance his eyes met hers, until a hand landed atop her shoulder.
She jolted, gaze fluttering up at her friend who had a knowing look in her eyes, with Jacob was close behind.
"I thought we were supposed to stay together," her friend chided, though there was a mischievous smile on her face.
"I--I was waiting for you!" Y/N stuttered out, "where did you go anyway?"
And that was when she noticed their entwined hands. Everything clicked, fell into place. The girls' eyes met with silent understanding before Kevin cleared his throat.
"Well, I guess we'll leave you two to it," he grinned and before Y/N knew it, his arm was had shot out and was dragging her away from the pair, away from the bonfire into the darkness.
The cold was instantaneous, taking hold of her limbs and freezing them over as soon as it engulfed her figure in its icy grip. She shivered and pulled her jacket close, trying to gather as much heat by tucking her hands into her armpits.
Kevin probably noticed, for his arm gingerly went around her shoulder to pull her close.
She swallowed thickly upon feeling his warmth envelope her side. This was not in the plan! Her subconscious mind screamed, you were supposed to stay away from him because he played your heart like an old guitar that he then tossed away!
It wasn't his fault per se. Y/N knew that much. In fact, she blamed herself the most. For she wouldn't have been so hurt, so offended, if she hadn't had any inkling of romantic feeling towards the said man.
But here she was, falling over for him once again.
That was the thing with Kevin. One could fall for him as easily as breathing.
"Kev? Where are we going?" Y/N blurted out in attempt to hide how uncomfortable she felt. Her hands fisted into her ugly sweater sleeves, hiding her sweat-coated palms.
"Uh, I don't know actually. My only intention was to get away from them," he chuckled, which reverberated through her own body, "seems like Jacob got what he wanted."
"I knew he was after her. It was so obvious," As the pair kept on walking through the dark, Y/N's head lifted to gaze up at the night sky glittering with stars.
Kevin's soon followed, "I remember him telling me to specifically back off when the deed was done."
"Asking a girl out right after she peed in the words doesn't seem that romantic to me though."
"Oh," his nose crinkled, "you're right. It's not. Oh my god, they held hands right after--"
"She didn't even wash her hands."
They looked at each other for a few beats of silence before bursting out laughing, the sound rippling through the dark depths of night as they tried not to topple over each other as they bent to hold their stomachs.
"That--" Kevin heaved to catch his breath, "that is gross."
"Hope Jacob's not germophobic."
They proceeded to grin at each other like naughty schoolchildren sharing sneaky secrets and Y/N swore her heart skipped a beat whenever her dark brown met his obsidian depths. She'd be lying to say that there wasn't the faintest lingering affection in her heart for the said young man, especially when her entire body seemed to follow along to his every move as though he had her trapped in a trance.
It was only when Kevin's grin faltered into an unsure smile as they gazed at each other for a little too long, that Y/N quickly turned her head away, clearing her throat.
"Wanna hear a scary story?” Kevin piped up as they kept on walking, not realizing that they were drifting further and further away from the glowing Christmas lights. 
Y/N looked up at him from her small nestled space he’d created with his shoulder, “we’re celebrating Christmas. Not Halloween.” 
“I promise you that has nothing to do with either of them.” 
“Alright then,” she paused, “shoot.” 
“Well,” his voice dropped to a murmur, which caused a shiver to tingle up her spine, “apparently there was a pregnant woman who was running away from her husband. She came into these woods and gave birth to her baby. But then, something weird happened during the night. Nobody knows what happened to her. But the baby was found a few days later,” he paused for dramatic effect, “weird you know? Considering that it’s a newborn baby that wouldn’t have lived in such circumstances. So he --it was a boy -- he got adopted, grew up to be a fine young man. But that’s not the point.” 
She knew, deep down, that this was only a story to scare her off. But she couldn’t help but ask what happened to the mother.
“Nobody knows where the mother went. But then one night, on that same night she apparently disappeared, a group of friends came camping. Just to have fun. One of them had to go pee at night,” his voice lowered dangerously, captivating Y/N’s ultimate attention, “when she went in the bushes, she felt someone standing behind her. So...she turned, and then--”
Crack!
“Holy shit!” 
That was Kevin, who had literally jumped into her arms without thinking at the weird noise that bustled behind them.
“Kevin!” Y/N cried, before bursting out laughing at how he’d scared himself, “oh my god, you’re such a coward!”
“Wha--That was not in the plan!” He whined, voice muffled against her shoulder. He pulled back with an annoyed face when noticing that there was barely any hint of fear on hers, “why aren’t you scared?” he pokes your sides.
“Because I have more sense than that.”
“You’re so annoying.” 
“At least I’m not a coward.”
He leaned closer, “I’m not a coward.” 
“You’re the one who got scared,” her chin tilted up adamantly. 
“That’s not the point.”
"Then what is?"
"This."
And in a split second, his mouth was on hers.
Hands clasped her jaw as Kevin moved in closer, lips moving softly against hers as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Surprised, Y/N's own lips parted and he took this chance to kiss her a little deeper, teeth sinking down onto her lower lip and making a small gasp fall from her voicebox. Her shaky hands clasped onto his shirt while his twined around her waist, tugging her close so that his warmth enveloped her completely like a wave of dizzy euphoria, sensual waters that Y/N didn't mind getting drowned in.
She had no idea what she was doing, no idea why the heck she wasn't pushing him away like she was supposed to.
It was almost on instinct that her body pressed even closer if that was possible, causing a soft grunt to echo out of Kevin's chest. His hands skimmed over her backside, left a series of sensual heat that left her dizzy with want. And just when Y/N thought she couldn't take anymore, his tongue joined in, turning her into a gasping mess.
She whimpered, that mere sound enough to prompt Kevin's hands to tangle through her hair and tilt her hwad back, lips locking with better access and her legs turning to jelly with each searing touch he imrpinted on her, with each caress of his tongue that rendered her mad with temptation.
Lights suddenly blared through the dark.
The two jumped apart, chests heaving, as they looked up at the christmas lights dangling from the row of trees surrounding them.
"Eric!" Kevin yelled with slight exasperation as a head popped out from behind a tree.
The said young man named Eric smiled at them sheepishly, "sorry, why are you even here?"
"I was trying to confess!" The heat of Kevin's cheeks seemed even brighter red in the glow of the christmas lights and Y/N couldn't help but laugh at how embarrassed he looked. Without a second to waste, Kevin's fingers laced with her own before he tugged her away from the now illuminated tier of blinding lights, ensuring that they were well away from prying eyes before he swivelled around so abruptly she almost bumped into his chest.
"Okay so, that-- that clearly did not go as expected," he started pacing around like an unappeased tiger while his hands fisted through his locks, and if Y/N's own mind wasn't as scrambled with the memory of Kevin's lips tingling across her own, she would've laughed at how comical he looked.
"Look, Y/N," he halted, facing her and grabbing on to her shoulders as his words spilled in a rush, "If you don't like me, just tell me because otherwise I'm gonna kiss you."
He was so close, only holding on to her shoulders and yet her body yearned to melt into him as though his mere existence was made out of desire. When his dark orbs found hers, glimmering with a tenderness, with a genuine warmth that caused air to constrict through her throat, she did nothing but swallow as she decided to play out her fate.
He searched her face for any clues, with an intensity that made her heart practically jump out of her chest. But still, she stayed quiet as she held his gaze with a burst of naked courage.
Then, gentle warm hands came up to cup her face, and just as his mouth brushed hers, he breathed, "I guess you do."
And he kissed her once more, fully claiming her lips as his own just like he claimed her heart. A kiss that the girl gave into as though she had never planned to fight, arms circling his neck to pull him down, closer, chest to chest, mouth parting with a small gasp that he stole just like he did with her heart. 
The moon glimmered, bathing their figures in a silvery light as they slowly lost themselves into each other, leaving the bonfires and the Christmas lights behind. 
-❤- 
Mae’s note: SURPRISE SURPRISE! 
For this Christmas, I’ve decided to write small drabbles involving TBZ because this year has been their year really (Kevin moon stole my heart). I hope you like it! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist xxx 
More coming soon! Hope you enjoyed this one! 
As usual I just go all out when it comes to Kebin i mean HOW CAN I NOT AFTER THEIR MAMA STAGE RIGHT????? 
Anyway, stay safe and stay healthy everyone ❤
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Note
Happy Monday!!! Hope you’re week started well?? It’s that time again!!! What was your first kiss with Jumin like?? Enjoy!!! ♥️
Happy Wednesday now!! I’m sorry it took me a few days to get to this, it’s finals week for me so I haven’t had as much free time. Thinking about this and writing Soft Jumin™ made my week soooo much better though so thank you for sending this in!! :)
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He had invited me over for brunch at his penthouse as a date. At this point we had only been on a few. A nice restaurant that was way too expensive, his personal garden to walk through the rows of endless flowers, and as his official date to a casual RFA gathering. I had also been over once specifically to meet Elizabeth the Third at Jumin’s request, which had honestly been more nerve-wracking than any of the other occasions. Even with all of this, besides some hesitant touches and brushing of our hands here and there, there had not been too much progress in terms of the physical portion of the relationship. 
This was fine though, unlike me, he had not been in a relationship before so I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by rushing into anything he was not ready for. I had left the speed of the relationship up to him. 
I ended up arriving at his place way earlier than planned because I was too excited to just sit around at my apartment twiddling my thumbs any longer. I knocked on the door a little too loud out of eagerness and waited as I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. It was obvious he had not been expecting me so early, his face not hiding his surprised look, but it quickly softened into a smile as he greeted me. He was wearing black pants that were slightly more casual than his normal slacks and a white button down shirt with the top few buttons undone, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. What caught me off guard though was the flour-smeared apron he was wearing on top, which had a cat printed right on the middle of it.
When he invited me over for brunch, I wasn’t expecting him to be the one cooking it, but the warm, sweet smell wafting through the open door was definitely reassuring. 
He invited me in and hurried back into the kitchen to make sure none of the food was burning. I gave Elizabeth a quick pet before joining Jumin to see if there was anything he needed help with, and was surprised by what I walked into. The spread on the kitchen counter was impressive, a masterfully cut fruit platter, some perfectly crispy bacon laying on a nearby plate, and an ever-growing stack of pancakes. 
He said he was almost done and the table was already set so he didn’t need any help from me. With nothing to do I stood awkwardly to the side, peering around to watch him pour more batter onto the stovetop grill. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and chuckled, “if you really want something to do, just come here and talk with me while I finish up,” he said patting the counter with his hand. 
I turned and jumped up to slide onto the counter next to where he was cooking, wiggling my legs in the air as we happily caught each other up with the events of the last few days, conversation flowing effortlessly as always. 
He ended up needing an ingredient that was on the counter on the other side of me. When he reached over, I can only imagine how red my face turned when I realized how close he was leaning to me in this position. He must’ve realized it too because his face got a bit of an uncharacteristic pink tint to it when we made eye contact, the lighthearted conversation we were having came to a sudden halt. There was a pause, neither of us moving, before he smiled and placed his hands on the counter on either side of me, leaning himself even closer. 
He moved one hand up to gently stroke my cheek, using the excuse that there was flour he was trying to get off, even though I had not even touched any of the brunch preparations. After half-heartedly brushing his thumb against my cheek to “get rid” of the nonexistent flour, his hand lingered for a second before moving it down to tilt my chin up so my face was in line with his. The tension in the air was palpable as I looked back and forth between his eyes, searching for a hint of what was going on in his head. 
“Do you even realize how cute you are?” he asked as his features softened, not giving me time to respond before he leaned in to press his lips gently against mine, wrapping his other arm around my waist. 
He pulled back far too soon, his eyes crinkling in the corners as a wide smile stretched across his face, his steel grey eyes lighting up as he looked at me, “I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time I laid eyes on you.” 
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back in, lips nearly touching, “So have I,” I replied before closing the rest of the distance. Both of us smiled through this kiss, which was much less serious than the first and showed off the pure joy we both had in that moment. 
The only thing that snapped us back to reality was the smell of something burning, realizing he had neglected the last few pancakes on the stove. I tried to hold it in but I couldn’t help but laugh as he disappointedly dumped them into the trash, unable to salvage the crispy burnt discs they had turned into. Regardless of this, he topped off the non-burnt pancakes with strawberries and berry syrup, and I helped him move all the food to the table. We ate gleefully, taking in each other’s presence as well as the incredible food he had made. Locking eyes as the meal went on, there was an unspoken mutual realization of how we could easily do this for the rest of our lives. 
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niksixx · 3 years
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Plus One
We’re on part 4 already!!! I’m soooo excited for this part. I plan on throwing a few curveballs and cliffhangers in the remaining parts of this mini fic, and I can’t wait for your reactions! 
Note: This fic takes place over the course of a few months!! Just keep that in mind while reading!
A/N: Please leave comments telling me what you think🖤
*Picture is NOT mine. Found on Google. Credit to the owner.*  
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*Pia’s POV*
I look in the mirror, completely unsatisfied yet again with my outfit of choice. Ten years out of high school and I find myself still caring about what my old classmates will think of me. I sigh before pulling off the simple blue dress and toss it on my bed dejectedly.
It takes me another fifteen minutes to find a better outfit and soon I’m staring back at myself adorned in heeled boots, black pants, and a skimmery gold long sleeve shirt.
I give myself a half smile just as the bell rings. I make sure to grab my purse, filled with lipgloss and a generous amount of breath mints, before heading down the steps.
My heart squeezes in my chest. In leather pants and a black button up shirt, Nikki grins happily. I’m well aware of his eyes examining the length of my body, and I don’t try to hide that I’m doing the same thing to him.
“When’s the last time you were this dolled up?” He asks, pressing the softest kiss to my cheek. There’s no one watching. He doesn’t have to appear affectionate. So why does he?
I snicker back at him before locking the door behind me. “It’s not like I’ve had anywhere to go. Now come on, we’re going to be late.”
~~~
Every inch of the school is decorated in navy blue and maroon streamers. Balloons are tied to chairs, littered on the gymnasium floor, and floating to the ceiling. Teachers stand by the entryway while old friends mingle about. I spot my friends laughing at a circular table in the back of the gym, and my hand slides into Nikki’s before pulling him in that direction.
“You made it,” Vince remarks, giving us a nod. “We didn’t think you were coming.”
“We wanted to make an entrance,” Nikki answers with a lighthearted laugh, giving my hand a squeeze. “Fashionably late and all that jazz.”
I walk around the table, exchanging hugs and quick pecks on the cheek, making sure to even press a tiny kiss to Vivian’s growing stomach. It’s good to see everyone together again. Sure, we’re all used to seeing each other on the weekends, but life has caught up to many of us, making it difficult to keep to our regularly scheduled adventures.
“So, you and Nikki,” Charlotte whispers, only for the girls to hear. My lips quirk up in a smile. “It’s about time you got your happy ending.”
“Let’s not jump ahead,” Viv interjects, stuffing a brownie into her mouth. No one says anything about the six other brownies piled onto her plate. How ironic it’d be if baby Alice May ended up hating chocolate. “They just started dating a month ago. But, I am mad I had to find out from Amanda,” Viv pouts before sinking her teeth into another treat. “How’s he been treating you?”
“Like a queen I hope,” Amanda chimes in, swirling the straw in her drink.
I see how happy they are for me, and I have to push away the nagging thought that screams it’s not real. No matter how much I want it to be real, and no matter how well Nikki treats me, that thought is ever-present in my brain.
“He’s amazing,” I say breathlessly, sneaking a quick peek at Nikki. He laughs at something Tommy says, eyes crinkling in delight. His smile is wide and genuine. “He’s unlike any man I’ve ever been with.”
Charlotte shakes me happily. “How many dates have you been on?”
“A few. We went out to dinner one night, a museum another. We stay in sometimes too. Order pizza, watch movies, play games. He even cooked for me last night. Being with him is an adventure I never want to end.”
~~~
*Nikki’s POV*
From the gymnasium bleachers, I watch with a grin as Pia and Charlotte dance with a few classmates. My eyes stay glued on Pia. The more she smiles and laughs, the more I can feel a dopey grin widening across my face.
I can feel my chest tighten as I watch her. It’s a feeling I’ve been having for a few days now whenever I’m around her and I can’t quite place what it is. From the dance floor her eyes find mine and she winks subtly, and the tightness is present once more. I balance my elbow on my knee, cheek in my palm, and sigh.
“You’ve got a little drool right there buddy,” Tommy pokes the corner of my mouth and I swat his hand away, frowning.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Tommy rolls his eyes, crossing his ankles and leaning back on a higher bleacher. “How long are you supposed to keep up this act?”
I’m well aware of the extra emphasis placed on act. “Only a few more months. After her work party and cousin’s wedding, I am a free, single man again.”
“Uh huh,” Tommy tuts, his eyebrow raised in question. “So there’s absolutely no chance that this fake relationship turns into something real.”
I straighten my shoulders, shooting Tommy a warning look. He’s treading in deep water. “Don’t start. I don’t see her that way. Never have.”
Tommy was never one to listen. He takes a swig of water, brows raised as if to challenge me. “But you’re starting to.”
“Enough,” The word comes out harsh through gritted teeth. I ball my fists tightly, lowering my voice. “Be careful with your next words, man. I’m serious.”
Tommy chuckles, shaking his head. It’s a game to him. My reactions are his entertainment. “You won’t do shit and you know it. Seriously, man, what gives? I can see it on your face. You’re falling for her, aren’t you?”
I’m about to open my mouth but commotion on the dance floor stops me. I turn, scrunching my brows as Pia and Charlotte dart over to where Tommy and I are sitting.
“What’s going on?” Tommy asks, looking frantically between the girls.
“It’s Viv,” Pia answers, waiting a moment to catch her breath. “Her water just broke.”
~~~
In Vivian’s arms, the tiny pink bundle squirms away. There’s a smile on each one of my friend’s faces, Mick especially, as he strokes the top of his daughter’s head.
“She is so beautiful,” Amanda gasps, tears filling her eyes at the sight of her godchild. Even Tommy’s eyes are bright with unshed tears as he gazes at his new goddaughter, only a few hours old. “We’re so proud of you, Viv.”
Beside me, Pia squeezes my hand. I look down, smirking at the tears that are falling from her eyes, and instinctively brush them away. When I turn forward, I’m greeted with Vivian’s eyes narrowed, holding me captive. No one else seems to notice, and I squirm under her intense gaze.
“Now I hope you know I love you all, but this new momma is hungry and tired,” Viv chuckles, rubbing her growling stomach. Mick is the first one out of the room, no doubt sprinting to the cafeteria to find something semi edible for his wife to eat. Everyone nods in understanding. We begin to file out into the hallway, but Vivan’s voice stops me.
“Nikki,” I turn around, again met with Vivian’s hard gaze. “Close the door. Stay here.”
I freeze. Her voice is anything but welcoming. My fingers twitch as I close the door to the room, taking a hesitant step toward her.
“I thought you wanted to rest,” I say dumbly, stuffing my hands into my pockets. It was never easy to tell what Vivian was thinking, but her face always gave away how she felt.
“I do, but we need to talk first,” Viv’s voice is low and even. She sucks in a breath, exhales, and glares. “Why are you doing this to my best friend?” She shakes her head. “A fake relationship? Really?”
I frown, the realization dawning on me. Mick had told Vivian. “What are you getting at, Viv? Pia asked me to be her fake boyfriend. I’m not doing anything to her.”
It’s a scary sight, Vivian chuckling darkly. “Wow. You really are oblivious, huh?” When I don’t answer, Vivian continues, voice softening. “You really expect me to believe that you don’t know Pia is in love with you?”
I blink. “What?”
Viv rolls her eyes exasperatedly. “Pia is in love with you, Nikki. Somehow, everyone else can see that except you.”
Hate is a strong word and I don’t use it very often. But at this moment, I hate Vivian. I hate the way she’s looking at me. I hate the way I feel so small under her scrutiny. But most of all, I hate the way she’s acting as if I’m in the wrong.
“She doesn’t love me,” I respond with a laugh. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Vivian laughs quietly, repositioning Alice in her arms. “Of course you don’t think so. You never pay attention. I do, and I have over the years. You don’t see the way she watches you when you talk, so fascinated by anything you have to say. You don’t see the way she laughs when you tell a stupid joke. And by the way, she’s the only one who’s ever laughing. You don’t see the way her cheeks flare up when you compliment her and she tries to hide it by looking away. You never, ever saw the devastation in her eyes when you chose each one of us over her. That’s your problem, Nikki. You don’t see.”
My pulse races and suddenly I’m warm all over. The ground beneath me begins to sway, and my fingers lock around the back of the single wooden chair beside the hospital bed. I lower myself down, rubbing the tension from my temples, trying to understand.
Vivian’s hand on my shoulder is light. I’m tempted to push it away, but I know she means well. “This relationship...this fake relationship, is going to end up with one of you hurt. And it’s not going to be you.”
“Why does everyone think something is going to go wrong? First Mick and Tommy, and now you,” I pull the chair closer, gripping Vivian’s hard. She flinches, but says nothing. “You said my problem is that I don’t see. Then help me, Viv. Help me see. If Pia loves me like you say she does, then why did she ask me to be her fake boyfriend and not her real boyfriend, huh? I’m clearly not good enough to be her real boyfriend, right?”
Viv sighs, thumb brushing over my knuckles. “She asked you because she trusts you. And this fake relationship gives her the chance to experience a real relationship with you, one that you never gave her because you were too busy using me, Charlotte, and Amanda to occupy your time. You want to know a secret? You just told me why you never gave Pia the chance. Because in your mind, you don’t think you’re good enough for her. And for someone that puts on the front that he doesn’t want a relationship with her, you certainly are going to lengths to prove this one is real.”
“I know I’m not good enough,” I spit back. “I just...I just know it. I can act the part and put on a show, but that’s all this is. It’s a goddamn show.”
I can see the blood rushing to Vivian’s cheeks. “You stubborn jackass, you know that’s not true. You only have to play the part in public. And believe me, you’ve done one hell of a job with that, so explain to me why you’re still dating her in private? Movie nights? Game nights? Homemade dinners? Explain that to me.”
For the tenth time that night, I’m speechless. Why was I still dating her in private?
“So what do you suggest then?” I ask seriously after a long, silent moment. “That we just call it off completely? Because I can do that right now.”
Viv shakes her head, eyes wide. “If you have no intentions of making this a real relationship, then you need to stop acting like it is behind closed doors. No more movie nights. No more game nights, homemade dinners, none of that. Because the more you do that, the more she’s going to fall in love with you, only for you to rip her heart out in the end.”
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