#a woman who can boss him around *and* beat the shit outta him?

[defiantlywhole]

i have accidentally started shipping bash with rei's new domme friend.

#jack and lainey are Uninterested in bash as a rule #lainey thinks it might be fun to order bash around a bit but she won't get anything out of it #this new character... idk much about her but i know bash would enjoy her #a woman who can boss him around *and* beat the shit outta him? #chewing on my brain blorbo

[archangeldyke-all]

Sevika × Lawyer!reader

I feel like Sevika would be spilling all the gossip. We all know this woman doesn't dance around the point, and her lawyer is just like, "NO. You CAN NOT say that on the stand."

this is SO funny it reminds me of a post that i'll try to find from a while back where someone was like 'sevika didn't even try to keep vi a secret from jinx she just loves to gab' jlsafkdjlfak

also, i have no idea how court proceedings or law in general works, so this is just me bullshitting lmaooo

men and minors dni

when you first started out as a lawyer, you were broke as shit, young, and incredibly overworked as a public defender.

in your first year practicing, you defended a man named silco, who was being charged with drug trafficking. his case was easy-- there wasn't enough evidence for a proper prosecution-- and you managed to get him off with no charges.

five years later, he approached you again. apparently, in the time since you'd last seen him, silco had built himself a successful shimmer business. you were still broke and overworked, but you weren't young and idealistic enough to want to be a public defender much longer. so, when silco asked you to become him and his crew's full time criminal defense lawyer, and when he showed you the paycheck he was willing to give you for your help, you eagerly took him up on his offer.

now, you're working full time under silco's employ. your typical day consists of giving silco legal advice, or bailing his teenage daughter out of jail. his crew is smart, they rarely get caught, but every once in a while you have to enter the courtroom to defend one or another of his goons who tripped up.

like today, for example.

sevika is silco's number two, his right hand woman. you've met her a few times in passing-- she likes to lurk, standing behind silco's desk as the two of you talk or chauffeuring the two of you down to the local precinct to get jinx out. but you've never had the chance to talk to her.

at least not until now.

sevika was arrested, suspected to be the ring leader of the local shimmer ring. she isn't, of course, and it should be relatively easy to get the charges dropped.

it should be.

but as you're talking with sevika in a private room, coaching her for her time on the stand, you realize that this might be one of the hardest cases of your life.

because sevika can't keep a secret to save her fucking life.

"okay, so where were you the night of the 24th?" you ask. sevika blinks.

"oh, was that a friday?" she asks. you nod. she chuckles. "i remember. me and silco were testing out some new product in his office all night. we got a bit carried away... called some girls over, drank the bar dry, heh, it was a good night." she says, smiling.

"sevika, we practiced this!" you say. sevika blinks at you.

"o-oh shit, right. uh, i was at home, in my apartment." she says.

"were you alone?" you ask.

"uh... yes?" she tries. you groan, and move onto a different line of questioning.

"what's your relationship to silco?" you ask. sevika cringes.

"ew, fuck, don't say relationship." she mumbles. you chuckle. "he's my boss." she says.

"and what do you do for work?"

"me or silco?"

"both."

"well, silco runs the operation, i keep his clients and goons in line."

"and what, exactly, is that operation?" you ask. sevika gulps.

"uh. b-buisness?" she tries. you snort. "he runs a bar." she says, biting her lip to keep from talking, likely trying to keep herself from adding on 'and he's the biggest shimmer producer in zaun.'

you're impressed by her restraint, and you smile at her. she grins.

"and what do you do to keep his 'goons' in line?"

"beat the shit outta them. sometimes more, if they really fucked up." she says, shrugging. you groan, leaning forward to smack your forehead against the table between you and your client.

"sevika. you're fucking with me, right?" you ask, dropping your lawyer voice to talk to the woman across from you. she hums.

"trust me, hotstuff, if i was fucking you, you'd notice." she says, smirking. you groan.

"that's not what i--!" you cut yourself off to take a deep breath. sevika grins. "don't give me that smile, you're gonna end up in prison if you don't get your act together!" you scold. sevika shrugs.

"would you come visit me?" she asks, batting her eyelashes at you. you huff.

"cut it out." you say. "this is serious, sevika, how the fuck are you so bad at lying?"

"i dunno. fuck do i have to lie for? i say what i mean, and i mean what i say." she says. "like, for example, i'd really like to get to know you better. both mind and body." she says, smirking again. you can't contain your laugh, despite the growing concern you have for the woman in front of you.

"i can't go out with clients." you say. sevika pouts.

"why not?"

"i could lose my license." you say. you shuffle through your papers as sevika eye fucks you, trying not to get distracted by your attractive client. "okay, let's try some easier questions. when did you start working for silco?" you ask.

"ten years ago."

"and he immediately appointed you to second in command?"

"fuck yeah he did. have you seen me fight? he'd be stupid not to."

"sevika!" you cry. she blinks.

"what?"

"you can't say that! you can't say any of this!" you rant, raising from your seat to begin pacing. "you-- do you want to end up in stillwater? because that's where you're headed if you don't get your head out of your ass and start taking this seriously."

sevika blinks at you, a smirk on her lips, one of her eyebrows raised. "you're hot when you're angry." she says. you could strangle her. instead, you throw a handful of papers at her head. she squawks and dodges them, and you scrub your forehead in frustration.

you take a break, slumping down in your chair and collecting your thoughts. sevika pulls out a joint, and you make grabby hands for it. she snorts as she hands it to you.

"don't think you're supposed to get high on the job."

"yeah, well you're giving me a migraine. gimmie." you demand, snatching the joint out of her hand and putting it between your lips. sevika just giggles, lighting the end for you as you inhale. "thank you." you say after a moment, exhaling the smoke and passing the joint back to your client. she takes a hit and relaxes back in her chair, her eyes not leaving yours.

"fuck are you looking at?" you ask. sevika shrugs.

"you're very attractive." she says simply. "i've always thought so. and now you're all huffy and angry at me-- it's only making me like you more." she says again. blunt as ever. you sigh.

"tell you what." you say after a while, taking the joint from her mouth and putting it in your own. you take a hit, rising from your seat and rounding the table, before sitting on the table top right in front of her. you blow the smoke out in her face, and sevika blinks up at you, stars in her eyes. "if you start taking this seriously, and if you don't end up incriminating yourself on the stand, once the charges are dropped-- which they will be if you get your shit together-- i'll let you take me out to dinner." you say.

sevika grins. "really?" she asks. you nod. "dinner and dessert?" she asks, her eyes dragging down your body. you snort.

"don't push your luck." you mumble. sevika just smiles.

she ends up getting her act together pretty quickly after that. you aren't sure if she was truly that motivated by your offer-- or if she was just being obnoxious before-- but either way, you're happy.

when her day in court arrives, sevika's cool, calm, and collected. you aren't. you're nervous as shit, worried that she'll slip up while being questioned.

before the judge arrives, sevika nudges your foot with hers under the table. you look up from your papers to stare at her. "what?" you ask.

"relax. 'm not gonna fuck up a chance at goin' out with you." she whispers. you huff a laugh.

"you're ridiculous."

"mhm, and you like it." she says.

she ends up doing great. there are a few moments where she nervously eyes you from her spot on the stand, and you have to dig your nails into your palm to keep from mouthing the lies you'd rehearsed together to her. she figures it out though.

and when court is dismissed, after the charges being dropped, you don't even leave the courthouse before sevika's tugging you into a supply closet and pressing you against the door.

you smile at her.

"i did it!" she says, giddily. you giggle. "you did it!" she adds on, shaking you by your shoulders. your giggle turns into a full-blown laugh, and sevika grins at you.

"congratulations, sev, you're a free woman."

"free to do this too, right?" she asks, her hands coming up to cup your face. you snort and nod.

"i guess a deal's a deal." you say. sevika giggles.

"oh please, like you haven't been counting down the days until you could get your hands on me." she mumbles, rolling her eyes. you giggle and shrug.

"i plea the fifth." you say. sevika laughs, and then you tug her forward by her suit jacket to press her smiling lips against yours.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther @gr0ssz0mbi3 @ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @leomatsuzaki @emiliabby

#sevika #sevika imagine #sevika arcane #sevika x reader #sevika x you #soft sevika

[specialagentlokitty]

Beckett x teen!reader - someone to trust

Sitting on the table, you swung your leg back and forth, eating the sandwich in your hand, looking at the few others who were standing around.

“Seriously you can’t expect us not to do anything.” One of the guys snapped.

“Have some respect when talking to them.” Another sneered.

“You’re telling us to just sit back when some assholes are out there trying to make a move in our territory!”

The men next to you stepped forward and you reached out, grabbing the back of the jacket he was wearing, pulling him back.

“Cool it J.”

He looked at you, huffing a little but sat next to you on the table.

“Well, what do you want to do boss?”

“Leave it for now.”

“They beat the crap outta Tyler!”

You looked at the guy standing in the corner of the room, a couple of bandages around his arms, and one on his face.

“He was on their terf, whether he knew it or not. You know the rules, as do they.”

“Come on we can easily overpower them.” Tyler said.

“Maybe so, but it ain’t worth the risk. These guys have a reputation, right now it isn’t worth the risk to any of us. Just stick to what we’re doing.”

You stuffed your hands into your pockets, and you walked over to the first guy who had spoke.

“Question me again and I’ll show you why I am the leader here, not you..” you whispered.

With that, you made your way towards the door.

J turned around and followed you outside into the street, along with a few others and you all began walking through the crowds of people.

“Is that really what you want to do? Leave it?” J asked.

“We don’t need that shit right now, we got a rat somewhere and maybe more than one.”

“You wanna smoke em out?” Sara asked.

You looked behind you, thinking for a moment before shaking your head.

“No. I wanna know what they’re doing and who they’re doing it for. You four are my first captains, I trust you, the others not so much.”

“So what do we do?” Tyler asked.

You sighed, standing at the crossing, watching as a few people shuffled away from you all.

“We wait.”

With that, you moved past someone, making your way across the road with J.

“Why did we park so far away anyway?” He asked.

“I wanted a change of scenery.”

He hummed a little bit, gesturing to a building next to him.

“Not cause you’re scoping out that place?”

“Ain’t anything wrong with it.”

“C’mon, no one is gonna sell a building like that to a kid.”

You smirked a little.

“They will for the right price and negotiation tactics.”

J chuckled a little nodding his head.

“I like the sound of that, when’s the opening?”

You reached into your jacket, pulling out your phone before putting it back in.

“Right now, let’s go, third floor.”

You jogged up the steps with him close behind.

Making your way to the third floor, you walked to the very end room, pushing the door open.

“Welcome!”

The woman turned around with a smile and it dropped when she saw you.

“I’m not interested in buying whatever it is you two are selling get out before I call the cops.”

You hummed a little, walking over to the large window.

“Everybody has a price, what’s yours?”

“I doubt you even have that money.”

“Maybe they didn’t make themselves clear, name your price.” J said lowly.

The woman looked at him, reaching the writing along the sleeve of his jacket.

“You’re just two thugs.”

You turned around, walking over to the desk you took some papers, standing behind J who stopped the seller from trying to get them back.

With your back against his you flicked through them.

“I’ll buy it.”

You handed the papers to J who tossed them on the desk, then you pulled out a cheque book, handing it over to J who handed it to her.

“Cash it first if you want, just a proof.” He said.

“Let me make a few calls, if all goes well I’ll sell it to you.”

She left the room and you sat on the desk, looking at your second in command.

“What’s this place for anyways?” He asked.

“Nothing wrong if that’s what you’re worried about, it’s just an apartment building. Gonna rent it out.”

He hummed a little, nodding his head.

“Didn’t realise we were landlords now.”

You laughed a little, shaking your head at him.

“Stable income, I have money sure, but at least this way we have some cover.”

“Thinking ahead, smart.”

J began to explore the room, and you sat there just watching him.

“Good news, the building is yours.”

The woman packed everything and left, and you begun plans to bring life back into the old building.

A few weeks later, sitting on the back of a bench, you looked at J who was giving directions to somebody nearby.

When he was done, he answered his phone, speaking for a moment before walking over to you.

“Guess who’s been summoned by the NYPD.”

“Not a chance.”

“You’re in shit now.” He smirked.

You scoffed, standing on the bench as you looked down at him.

“We’re not going in.”

“If that’s what you want.”

You jumped down, walking across the grass with him following him.

You went back to your hideout, laying yourself on some storage boxes.

“They’re going to keep calling.”

“Toss it, get a new one.”

J shrugged, leaving the room.

Sitting up, you stood up along the boxes, climbing up on them until you reached the top, and watched as J walked back in with Tyler.

“That place you got might be running behind schedule.” Tyler said.

You narrowed your eyes a little.

“Look at the news.”

He tossed you the TV remote you, and you turned on the TV.

“That would explain the calls.” J said.

Tyler looked at you and you waved your hand dismissively, so, he left the room.

“Man I just got the place too, that’s shit.”

“Wanna check it out.”

You grinned, jumping down from the boxes.

Walking outside, you climbed on to your motorcycle, and J climbed on his, both of you racing over to the newest investment you made.

Parking outside, you swung yourself off, looking at a few of the people nearby who quickly scurried away.

“Reckon building is seal off?” J asked.

“Yup.”

You walked up the stairs, hands stuffed into your pockets, making your way straight for the stairs to the third floor.

“Get outta here kid.”

You looked at the officer, walking over.

“Fresh out the academy huh?”

“No.”

J stood behind you, resting his arm in your shoulder.

“Definitely fresh outta the academy, look at that ridiculous haircut, that’s dumb as shit.”

“I’ll arrest you if you don’t move.”

“Try it, won’t last long.” J smirked.

You moved around him, ducking under J, looking around.

Grabbing a jacket, you pulled it on, rolling the sleeves up a little bit, and J distracted the officer while you walked away.

Looking around, you tried to find where the crime scene was.

“Hey, that’s my jacket.”

You turned around, putting your hands behind your back.

You immediately recognised him and knew it was your chance.

“I didn’t know sir, I was just cold is all.”

“You don’t have a jacket?” He asked.

You shook your head a little bit.

“Well uh.. I guess you can have it yeah. Here.”

He reached into his pockets of his blazer, pulling out his wallet, holding out some cash to you.

“Here, get yourself some food and a warm drink.”

You reached out to take it.

“Castle what the hell are you thinking?”

He stopped, turning to the woman who was holding J by the back of his jacket.

“They’re just cold Beckett.”

“Oh my god Castle, don’t you watch the news?” She snapped.

She tossed J at you and made a gestured for you to hand the jacket over, so you took it off and tossed it at her, watching as she caught it, shoving it to Castle.

“They’re teenagers?” He asked confused.

You leant against the wall.

“Why’re you here, this has nothing to do with delinquents.”

“It does if I own the building.” You said.

“You don’t own the building. No one in their right mind would sell to a kid.”

“Run it detective, you’ll find everything is according law.”

She sent an officer to go and check it out, and she gestured for you and J to stay put.

She blocked the exit as she stood speaking to someone else who glanced at the pair of you.

Turning around, she looked at you.

“Great news, you two are coming in for questioning let’s go you know the drill, hands on your head and turn around.”

You complied and so did J who gave you a confused look.

“Let it play..”

He nodded his head and you were both taken to the precinct and shoved into different interrogation rooms.

You rested your elbows on the table, staring directly at the mirror.

“Seriously that just a kid, and what’s with the jacket?” Castle asked.

Beckett held out a thick file to him.

“That’s just one of them, and that’s not even the background on this kid, we can’t get any. That’s just all the criminal investigations that they’ve been part of but never convicted due to lack of evidence.”

“NYS?” He asked.

“The New York Shadows, a gang of delinquents, string of crimes are endless, a few of them have been sent down aside from this one.”

Castle looked at Beckett.

“Why?”

“The shadow, (Y/N), we’re guessing around 16, dangerous, never leaves a trace, never caught, knows all the tricks to avoid any sort of detection. Can switch from calm to incredibly violent in a second.”

“No way they’re being a murder though.” Castle said.

“Only one way to find out, stay here.”

Beckett took your file back, and she walked into the room, throwing it on the table, dropping herself into the chair in front of you.

“Let’s talk.” She said

#castle #castle x reader #castle x you #castle imagine #Kate Beckett #Kate Beckett x reader #Kate Beckett x you #Kate Beckett imagine

[maddogofshimano]

A Chance Meeting Between Guardians: Majima Boss Rush

Y0 Spoilers

NEW LEE CONTENT. YES.

So yeah this is a boss rush against Majima! We’re following Lee as the main character as he tries to figured out what the hell is going on while dealing with the only guy who knows even less than he does. Here’s his new card!!

It’s a KSR! Majima also just got a new one so I’ll show it off too.

I threw away all my diamonds trying to get it, and failed. The stats are absolutely batshit with twice the defense of the current best defense card. All the KSRs are like this, it’s a nightmare. This also meant I was broke when Lee came out, so just hell on earth.

Anyways Lee’s tanktop was a reward (literally just called “Lee’s tanktop”) and I beat up so many Majima’s for Lee. I’ve said before that I don’t generally like these events, gameplay-wise, and that’s still true. However, for Lee, I did beat up three hundred Majimas. 

Summary:

Set during the events of Y0 following Makoto’s kidnapping by yakuza. Lee, having been shot, has made the decision to hole up in his favorite mahjong parlor while his pals are out looking for Makoto. A yakuza hitman makes an appearance, and Lee tries to figure out what game this strange eyepatch wearing man is playing...

Makoto: Gyaa! Who--What are you doing!? Let me go! (Tl note: this is just word for word from the Y0 cutscene so I don't have to translate anything lol. The majority of everything that isn’t an internal thought in parentheses is straight from the game)

Underling: Guhh--shut up! Yakuza: Go! Get her outta here!

Majima: Holy shitballs... The hell's goin' on here!? (Tl note: I never knew what the original line was in japanese for holy shitballs it's JUST kuso-! )

Lee: Help her... Get her away from them!

Majima: Whaddya--? Lee: You're the only one who can... Hurry... Hurry up and go! <gunshot> Lee: Guh...... Lee: (A.... Anyone please..... save.... Makoto........)

<Lee blacks out and wakes up to the sound of tiles clacking> Lee: Th........ This is..... Guh.... Where's Makoto? (Tl note: this section is not in-game)

Chinese Back-Alley Doctor: Lee-san! Are you awake!?

Doctor: We've got everyone looking for Makoto-chan right now! Don't worry! Lee: But then... I need to hurry up and help! Guh... Doctor: Lee-san! Don't do anything unreasonable! Lee: Shit... I can't move my left arm.... Doctor: It's dangerous outside! There's a ton of yakuza all looking for you and Makoto-chan! Doctor: You can't fight in this condition! If they find you, you're dead! Lee: The yakuza are... looking for both of us? <outside> Underling: Oi, have you seen Makoto Makimura? .......Tch, find her already!

<back inside> Lee: (Those are the yakuza that broke in, ain't they.... Those assholes are still searchin', so....) Lee: (...That one eyed assassin... Did that guy really help Makoto escape?) Doctor: Lee-san! With everyone looking we're sure to find Makoto-chan! So please calm down-- Lee: ........Fine. I'll wait here... but I wanna pass along a message to those guys out there. Lee: Tell 'em "Keep a look out for a guy with an eyepatch and a ponytail. If he asks about me, tell him where I am". Doctor: Eh? O-Okay. Got it. Doctor: I'm going to go get you a change of clothes! Please wait here for a moment! Okay? <the doctor runs off> Lee: (That said... that eyepatch fella did say he was here to kill Makoto. ....He might have already done it.) Lee: (But he did seem pretty thrown off when he found out his target was a woman... I gotta hope that's enough to keep him from goin' through with it....) Lee: (Given the situation.... It's possible he wants me to help him avoid being killed by his boss) (Tl note: struggling a bit on this, the line is その場合…　雇い主に殺されんために恩を売ったワシに助けを求めてくるかもしれん ) Lee: (After that, there'd be a chance to get Makoto back... ) Skinny Chinese Man: Lee-san, it's no good to sit around all anxious! Let's play some mahjong to keep your mind off of it!

Lee: ...Heh, feelin' cocky since I'm down an arm? I thought swindlin' was forbidden here? Skinny Chinese Man: Ack, you caught us! Hahaha! <tiles clacking> Lee: (Even if I did get Makoto back from that eyepatch guy, would I be able to protect her by myself right now?) Lee: (...Even with these guys, handling a yakuza hitman with a gun, that's a tall order.....) Lee: (...And as more people show up, the odds of betrayal from my pals will rise too...) Lee: (Someone strong enough to handle themselves in a fight against yakuza... someone like that's my only option) Lee: (Dammit... Is the only person who can help me save Makoto... that guy?) <door opens> Skinny Chinese Man: ....Who's that? Lee: ......My customer. Ya don't gotta worry. Lee: Hey. Was wonderin' when you'd get here! Took ya longer'n I figured. (Tl note: back to cutscenes I'm saved Lee this is so difficult) Majima: What?

Lee: Heh heh, drop the scowl, friend. Lee: (If this guy came here, then that means Makoto must still be alive...) Lee: (...Well, I better not hope for the impossible here.) Lee: (I will take Makoto back from him, and protect her!) Majima: You... You're tellin' me you expected me to find this place? Lee: Eh, let's say it was a distinct possibility. Lee: See, I ain't yer average acupuncturist. God Hands, remember? Lee: (...If he's lookin' for a way to avoid gettin' killed by his employer, I'd expect he'd come here) Lee: (Though, if it gets out that we don't have the muscle to protect him... He may kill Makoto to save his own skin)

Lee: (.....I can't afford to show any weakness in front of him. I need him to think that I'm "a reliably awesome guy".... ) Lee: Whoa, hold up! You didn't think I'd let that one slide, did ya? I been waitin' for that east tile. Lee: You just suck, buddy. Why don't ya give the newcomer there a turn? Lee: ....And gather up people to wait nearby. In case of emergency.... We'll need to beat this guy.... (Tl note: we don't hear this line in game) Skinny Chinese Man: G-Got it.... Lee: You're in, right? Why else would anyone show up at a mahjong parlor? Lee: See, I always wanted to play a round of mahjong with a hitman. Lee: (...There's no guarantee he'll talk if I try to beat it out of him. That'll be my last resort.) Lee: (One way or another I gotta get him to trust me... Then he'll tell me where Makoto is of his own volition...) <at the table> Majima: You seem fine for somebody with holes in 'im.

Lee: You fuckin' crazy? Hurts like a bitch. Can't move my arm, either... Wish I could trade with you. Lee: (I really wanna ask where Makoto's at right away, but I don't wanna spook 'im) Lee: (The fundamentals of negotiation is hidin' what yer really after... So I'm keepin' that to myself while I wait for Makoto to come up...) Majima: You not gonna ask what happened to the girl? Lee: If Makoto was dead, you got no reason to come lookin' for me. She's alive, right? Lee: (Heh, all accordin' to plan... I'm gettin' exactly what I want without tippin' my hand, all thanks to stayin' patient) Lee: (....Did ya want me to bring up Makoto right away? That's a valuable bargaining chip...) (Tl note: he looks SO pleased with himself)

Lee: (Conversely.... I'll start off by sussin' out what's most important to this guy...) Lee: (I'd bet it's somethin' like "I want ya to help me not get killed by my boss"...) Lee: You've never killed before, have ya? Lee: I can tell just lookin' at ya. You got the look of somebody strugglin' to cross that line. Lee: So riddle me this. What's a guy who can't kill doin' taking hit jobs? Majima: You don't know shit about me. Lee: Chill out. Green kid like you can play tough all he wants, you ain't scarin' anybody. Lee: I can tell plenty about you. ...Everything, really. Majima: ............... Lee: (Heh, bullseye. His expressions give him away, he's really easy to read...) Lee: (Maybe I oughta ask him straight up if he wants me to help him dodge his boss...) Lee: That's ron. Sorry, pal. Lee: Makoto ain't hurt, is she? Majima: Nah. The girl's fine. Relax. Lee: Good... Hehe, then what? You here to try to find yerself a way outta gettin' whacked? Lee: Now that the killer's screwed the pooch, he's tryin' not to be the next name on his boss's list, huh? Majima: ............... Lee: (Heh.... Another bullseye? I've got ya all figured out.....) Lee: (Good... Soon he'll drop the act and ask me to help him out...) Majima: Just so we're clear, I... I still ain't decided not to kill her. Lee: ....... Lee: (....Guess he's not gonna crack so easily. He's still frantic to keep himself alive...) Lee: (I'll have to be a lil more roundabout to get him to spill what he wants...) Majima: I'm not the only guy after her. Take the yakuza who put air holes in that body of yours, for instance. Lee: What about 'em? Majima: Why do they want her? Lee: Go ask your employer. He's after Makoto too, ain't he? Lee: (Why's he wanna hear about that? The motivations of his competition oughta be the last thing on his mind.) Lee: (Unless... He's plannin' on switching sides to them? What other reason could there be...) Majima: Is she a target because you two have been sniffin' around about a guy with a bat tattoo? Lee: (...The bat tattoo? That ain't related to this... Does he think it is?) Lee: (This guy... Why's he after info on his competition...) Lee: (...It can't be!? This guy... Does he let Makoto get away!?) Lee: (So he must be after info to try to catch her...) Lee: (The real reason he came to see me was to find out if there was to find out where Makoto would have run off to?) Lee: (Aw hell... This guy really is an amateur hitman. ...If this is happening, it's not something to dally on.) Lee: (...I need to find out everything he knows as quickly as possible so I can go search for Makoto!) Lee: (Looks like everything's ready outside. Alright...) Lee: ...Hard to say. Majima: ......! Doctor: Lee-san, are you all right!? I brought help! That man is after you!

Lee: (....I thought preparations woulda taken longer, but it is what it is...) Lee: ...Nice playin' with ya, "slim." Majima: We ain't done talking here. You still don't know whether I'm on your side or not. You gonna fight me anyway? Lee: If I can't tell whose side you're on, it's safer to just kill ya. That's how the Chinese in this town do things. Majima: So much for diplomacy, then. Lee: Don't bother holdin' back, guys! Let 'im have it!

<EVENT START, Misery Comes On Beat starts playing>

Majima: ..............

Lee: Well, now. I guess you're more than just a lousy hitman. Could be I underestimated you. (Tl note: once again right from the game) Lee: (He tore through everyone and he ain't even breathing hard.... This eyepatch guy, he seems plenty strong...) Lee: (....Guh, still can't move my left arm....... There's no way I can throw down with this guy right now.... What to do.....) Majima: I ain't here to mess with your turf. I really just want to know why the girl's a target. Lee: .............. Lee: (....Seems like he wants to talk before he's done) Lee: (If I get killed there's no one to save Makoto... Guess I got no choice but to talk...) Lee: (No matter what unsightly grovelin' I gotta do, I gotta find Makoto before anyone else does.... So I'll do whatever it takes.) Lee: If you were thinkin' the reason they're after her has anything to do with the guy with the bat tattoo, I'm tellin' ya you're wrong. Majima: And how can you be so sure of that? Lee: Makoto didn't tell you anything? Majima: She said you knew. Told me to come ask you. Lee: (Come as me....? Did Makoto manage to escape before telling him?) Lee: She knows. Just doesn't like talkin' about it herself. Majima: Meaning what, exactly? Lee: Her eyes... She's only blind because of the man with the bat tattoo. <we cut ahead to after Lee has explained how he met Makoto> Majima: And you been searching for this guy with the bat tattoo to get revenge for her? Lee: Makoto says she just wants to stop the same thing from happenin' to anybody else. Lee: Me, though... I want to snap the fucker's neck in half. Peel the goddamn bat right off his arm. Majima: ......... Lee: But there's yer answer, right? The bat piece'a shit is small time, goes around town picking off innocent girls where he finds 'em, probably all by himself. Lee: Can't imagine a man like that's behind what's happenin' to Makoto now. The yakuza hire street punks to do their dirty work, not the other way round. Majima: Then what? You got any other ideas? Lee: Can't say I do. That's all I can tell ya.

Majima: ......... <Majima turns to leave> Lee: (....Don't go. Ain't this guy gonna tell me where Makoto is?) Lee: (A fight would be completely one-sided... He wouldn't even need to pull out any tricks....) Lee: (Even still, he ain't gonna tell me where she is?) Lee: (No way... This guy, did Makoto actually get away from him!?) (Tl note: hooo boy it's early and I'm struggling on if that's a "didn't not escape" or just a "didn't escape" in まさか……こいつ、マコトに逃げられたわけちゃうかったんか!?)

Lee: (If that weren't the case, then why would he come to me askin' about a bat tattoo...?) Lee: (He could just make her tell him if she was still there)

Lee: (A timid person like Makoto, there's no way she'd be able to endure threats for long...) Majima: The girl... She's inside the Haru Building on Shofukucho Street. In a warehouse a club called Odyssey owns. Lee: (Is that so....! After all that, he's really tellin' me where Makoto is!?) Lee: (This guy, what the hell is his goal here........!) Battered Chinese Men: Uughh..... Lee: (....Despite looking like they were seriously injured, everyone was just knocked out... Did that guy hold back?) Lee: (...No, he's a yakuza hitman.... That would be stupid.... But...) Lee: (He chose to come talk to me about the man with the bat tattoo rather than breaking Makoto's will...) Lee: (And he told me where Makoto is... If it were me in his position, I would have killed Makoto as well as myself...) Lee: (This guy is...) Lee: So what, you're plannin' to just give her back? Majima: ....... Lee: The hell you plannin' to tell yer boss if you don't kill her? You're a dead man. Lee: Besides, that just means Makoto's gonna get hunted down by the guy they hire to replace you. Majima: So what? What do you want me to do about it? Lee: (.......This ain't acting. I think he actually wants to help Makoto.)

Lee: (........He's a softie, despite bein' stronger than me.... I think I can trust this guy.) Lee: (Him and me... we could protect Makoto together....!) Lee: It ain't impossible to get away.

Lee: There's just one way you, me, and the girl all get away clean from the yakuza. <we skip ahead through Lee outlining the plan> Lee: How do I get in touch with you once I'm ready? Majima: Cabaret Grand. I'm there from evening on. I run the place. Lee: You serious? You're the guy in charge of the Grand? Majima: Next time you're thirsty, drinks're on me. Lee: Heh, all right then. I'll get in touch tonight. Lee: What's your name? Majima: It's Majima. Goro.

<Majima walks out> Lee: ...Looks like my prayers have been answered. (Tl note: literally "[meeting a] buddha in hell")

Lee: ....Makoto. No matter what, we're going to keep you safe....

<END>

bonus time:

LEE WEN HAI I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU

clearly the rggo team does too given they did a board game, a character story, AND now a boss rush! Nishitani only got a boss rush, and that was more of a Majima event than a Nishitani one, and--..............oh my god I never translated Nishitani’s character story. I’m a fake fan. I’ll get to that soon

I’m glad this was half transcribing cutscene because oofa I struggle with translating Lee, he uses big long complicated sentences compounded with kansai-ben than makes me question everything all the time. if I made a mistake don’t hesitate to tell me and I’ll fix it!

It is extremely funny that Lee was trying to play 4D hitman chess games with Majima, and getting the completely wrong conclusion because Majima had literally no idea what was going on. The smartest tactics fail against the stupidest enemies.

here’s the card skills btw!

Lee Wen Hai (Fighting Spirit) - Sorrowful Guardian

Prepare yourself! - Increases heat gauge by 300 at start of battle Acupuncturists' Twin Needles - Hits two enemies with 800% atk and inflicts bleed Essence of Infallible Pursuit - Hits for 400% atk with penetration to a single enemy, and does a 250% atk penetration pursuit to invincible enemies Stiff Muscle Loosener - Increases crit rate by 6% per defense ally (tl note: it's kind of a pun too with the name of the clinic being Hogushi Kaikan and this starting with ほぐし甲斐 "hogushi kai") Streetside Massage Therapy - For each support type ally who is a civilian, reduce chance of being afflicted by a status condition by 25% Acupuncturists' olfaction - Increase atk power against bleeding enemies by 20% (tl note: I feel like this is a reference to his event with the cheap soap smell)

Majima Goro (1988 Kiwami) - Lord of the Night

Show time! - Grants immortal to all defense type allies and cuts all damage by 10% Spine of the Lord - Grants reflection to all defense type allies for 10 seconds and resurrection Essence of Dodging Strikes - Randomly attack enemies 5 times for 500% defense (tl note: 躱身乱打の極み not certain on what 躱身 is) Civilians' playground - Increases defense of all allies that are ex-yakuza, civilians, or red-light workers by 15% Lord's Hospitality - Grants immortality to himself Demeanor of the Manager - When remaining HP is 40% or more, reduce all damage to self by 15%

and this one that I was so thrilled was going to be an offense card but she’s not. she’s support. sexism wins today

Makimura Makoto (Kiwami) - Seeking the Light

Let me do something to help too! - speed up ally battle skills by 20% Hometown Lullaby - Increase the atk and crit of 3 highest atk allies by 30%, and 70% chance to put 3 enemies to sleep for 7 seconds Essence of Light and Darkness Reversal - Invincibility on all allies, removes invincibility/immortality/recovery from all enemies Innocent Prayer - Increases sleep durations inflicted by 1 second and accelerate heat action cooldown by 10% Curtain of Darkness - Normal attacks have a 25% chance of inflicting 3 seconds of sleep Heroic Support - Increases damage by 10% for allies that are civilians or ex-yakuza

#yakuza #rgg #Ryu ga Gotoku #ryu ga gotoku online #rggo #Majima #Majima Goro #Lee #Lee Wen Hai

[feliix]

Perfect Score ↠ Han Jisung

↠ Jisung x Reader (feat. Felix)

↠ Genre: Fluff, Angst, Smut, Fake Dating!AU, Childhood Friends to Lovers

↠ Rating: M (18+)

↠ Word Count: 14.9k

↠ Summary: As you return home to work at your local coffee shop, you’re swarmed with couples coming in on lovey-dovey on dates. You’ve always hated the idea of love, but it’s Jisung’s mission to make you change your mind in just two weeks time.

↠ Warnings: idiots 2 lovers, mutual pining, unprotected sex, fingering, soft sex, language, light mentions of marking, mentions of bad past relationships

“That's disgusting.”

You grimace in the most subtle way as you watch the man across the shop press a gentle kiss on the cheek of the woman next to him. For some reason your shop is packed with couples this evening. Not that you’ve been counting, but they’re probably the 50th overly lovey-dovey pair that you’ve seen this just this shift alone. 

To say ‘love’ isn’t really your thing isn’t too far from the truth. Every time you’ve been burned by someone in the past has only made your hope about love deteriorate. Relationships suck. Already been there, done that, and you don’t plan on doing it again.

You’ve always stuck by the same theory; relationships either lead to heartbreak or marriage. And even still, marriage may still end in heartbreak, so what’s the point?

“Stop being so dramatic,” Jisung laughs, pulling you out of your thoughts as he rounds the corner. He’s just in time to catch your snide remark, surely it won’t be the last one you’ll make tonight though. He had just run to the back to get you a fresh package of cups after using up all the stock in the front.

Tonight is busy to say the least. The sun has already set, and it’s the afternoon rush when everyone comes in for their second daily dose of caffeine. And it’s definitely necessary – especially on a day as hot and exhausting as this one. It’s the third day that its been over 100º in a row and the humidity is doing a real number to your hair.

“It’s not dramatic,” you sigh, leaning on the counter behind you as Jisung maneuvers around you, placing the cups on the shelf underneath. In your mind it absolutely isnt. Its a mystery why all these people need to publicly display their affection in a coffee shop anyway...

It’s just the two of you on the schedule tonight. Your boss has always been kind of an asshole, just leaving 2 kids in their early twenties to run the shop by themselves while he went off to do god knows what. There's always been an aching suspicion that he just goes to the bar across the street, since his car is still parked behind the shop but he’s always nowhere to be found. That’s okay though, it's better than him looming over your shoulder and criticizing your technique the whole shift.

“Yeah, whatever you say,” Jisung shakes his head.

In stark contrast to yourself, Han Jisung is quite the hopeless romantic. So much so that he tends to search for love in all the wrong places. Maybe a better way to describe it is that Jisung has a series of flings. He’s not shy to test the waters of any girl he comes across – and there are many, many waters that he’s tested. Lucky you gets to hear all about each one, being his friend and all.

But to your good friend’s demise, his ‘relationships’ never end up working out for very long. Theres always some kind of fatal flaw that’s a means to an end. Whether it was Jisung’s fault or the girls,  it’s always confused you why he could never hold onto something longer than a couple months. Jisung is a great guy, it didn’t make sense.

So great that you have been best friends with him for as long as you could remember. It all started that time in pre-k, where you poured a shovel of sand on his head in the sandbox. Initially, it did make him cry, but he got over it eventually. Ever since, he’s been right by your side, sandy hair and all.

“How much longer,” your eyes roll back in your head, neglecting to look at the watch on your wrist in fear that your shift has a significant amount of time left. The night has been dragging on since you stepped foot in the door and heard the little jingle as it opened. You wouldn’t be surprised if you’d only made it through half your shift thus far.

“Just under an hour. Want to start the closing checklist so we can get outta here?” Jisung offers, reaching for the rag and sanitation bucket at the end of the counter.

Nodding your head, you follow his plan – beginning your mission to clean like a speed demon so you can leave no later than at 8 o’clock on the dot. 

Luckily, closing tonight goes as smoothly as it possibly can. You and Jisung are ready to get out of there at 8 on the dot, thanks to your determination to mop like a mad woman and stock the front as fast as humanly possible. 

The air outside feels crisper than usual. Maybe its because you’ve been locked up in a small room that smells like coffee beans for 10 hours, but you’ll never get enough of the night air. 

“So what are we doing tonight?”Jisung asks, his fingers adjusting the headband that sits just above his forehead.

“I was planning on going home and getting some rest…” you trail off, avoiding eye contact with him. Jisung always goes out after your weekend shifts and never lets up on convincing you to tag along. So you can’t look at him, his eyes are much too convincing make contact with, and you are beyond exhausted from working a double today.

“Gah you’re so boring,” he teases, stopping in his tracks in the center of the parking lot to ruffle the hair on top of your head, “it was an early night we should do something.”

With a deep sigh, you stop as well, smoothing down your hair as a pout forms on your lips. The suggestive smirk settling across Jisung’s face is telling; he knows he’s about to get his way before you have the chance to turn him down or fish for another excuse. So you tilt your head, subtly rolling your eyes as you wait for him to explain what his big plans for tonight are.

“I’ll be at your house by 9.”

Accepting defeat, you shoot him a thumbs up before turning to get into your car. Asking any more questions would take away any time you had to wash up – and smelling like coffee beans any longer is going to drive you up a wall since it hasn't already.

It doesn’t take much time for you to rush home and get ready, and before you know it Jisung is there to pick you up. Only a few minutes late, but that’s just par for the course and right on time in Jisung terms. 

The car ride to your destination feels like a blur with how exhausted you are. So when you end up at your favorite boba spot, you immediately perk up. Those tapioca pearls always manage to give you a second wind.

But when Jisung decides to take a seat at one of the round tables just outside the shop instead of getting back in the car you know somethings up. You were expecting to hop back in the passenger seat of his car, maybe listen to some music for a while and drive around to kill time. 

Initially he doesn’t say much. His legs just bounce hyperactively while he fidgits with the straw of his drink. It’s almost like he’s waiting for you to speak up; his eyes staring down at the cup in front of him instead of sipping from it, lip caught between his teeth.

The energy is off. Not only did you expect to hang out and do something adventurous like Jisung normally would, but now you’re watching his cheeks grow red while avoiding conversation.

Awkward silence becoming too much to bear, you take matters into your own hands. “So how are things going with that girl?”

“Oh yeah,” he sighs, his fingertips drumming along the surface of the table, “she didn’t really work out.”

Unsurprised by his response, you just nod along. Its always to expect since he’s the pickiest person you’ve ever met. His last relationship ended because he thought the girl breathed too loudly. The girl before that had an annoying laugh, and then the one before that didn’t like cheesecake. There always seems to be a laundry list of deal-breakers tied along to each one of Jisung’s relationships, and that is something you’ll always expect.

“You’re probably better off.”

You don’t think much of the words before they leave your lips. Relationships are a ton of work, and you’ve never understood the point of to putting all your effort into something like that. There is a way to just be happy on your own, you know.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” his eyebrows furrowing in response, hands gripping his thighs in anticipation

“You know what I think,” you tilt your heat matter-of-factly, “relationships are kind of just a waste of time.”

“What is with you and all this ‘anti-love’ stuff anyway, Y/N?”

Now thats a response that you are not prepared for. The question catches you off guard, a boba bubble almost catching in your throat leaving you a coughing mess. Jisung chuckles at your discomfort, waiting patiently for you to get it all out and just answer his question, as uncomfortable as it is. 

“I’ve wasted too much time with too many dead-beat guys to even think about love,” you sigh again, your coughing fit subsiding as you reach for your cup once again.

“Not every guy is a dead-beat.”

His words carry a harsh bite to them, almost as if he finds you’ve said offensive. It burns his ego a bit, assuming that you’re grouping him in with all the guys you’ve been with in the past. Which is strange, Jisung should know that he’s different. For one, you’ve never dated him before and two, if he was such a dead-beat you wouldn’t have kept him around for so long.

You aren’t able to talk to guys, or most people for that matter, in the same way that you talk to Jisung. He’s the one you rant about all the assholes to. He knows all the shit that you don’t tell anyone else, he’s like your own personal human diary. Secrets are always safe with him, it's not like he has anyone who would listen to the gossip even if he wanted to tell.

After a minute of silence his expression changes, Jisung’s eyes squinting at you in that ‘I have a crazy idea’ type of way. It’s a look that you haven’t seen very often, and you can’t say that you’ll ever get used to it. 

“Okay then I’ll make you a deal,” he proposes, a glimmering look in his eye that made you somewhat nervous. You never know what you are getting with Jisung, but most of the time his ‘deals’ are on the crazier side.

“What is it?” You still ask although you’re a bit nervous to hear his answer. If his plan is to set you up with one of his delinquent friends or something–

“Be my girlfriend.”

Your eyes widen as the words fall from his tongue, confusion taking over your expression as a small chuckle slips past his lips. Instinctively your stomach tightens, the air around you now feeling a bit heaver each second time ticks on. He can't be serious…

“Your what?”

“Two weeks is all I’m asking for. Be my girlfriend for just two weeks, and I’ll show you that love isn’t as shitty as you think it is.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me” you shake your head, a disbelieving smile stretching wide across your face.

“C’mon Y/N,” he challenges, “it’s two weeks of your life, what else do you have to do? I think it could be fun.”

The quirk of his eyebrow and quick squint of his eyes grabs your attention. He’s serious about this, scarily serious, and you aren’t quite sure how to react to that.

“What’s in it for you?” Your chin falls into your palm as you stare at him, waiting for his response.

“Well for one,” he starts, a sigh leaving his lips, “if it works then I won’t have to listen to you complain about how much relationships suck anymore.”

Just when you don't think you can roll your eyes any further into the back of your head, your own actions surprise you. If looks could kill, the one you’re giving him right now would surely take him out. He doesn’t pay much mind to it though, he’s used to your sass and just shrugs it off.

“This is an awful idea,” you glare at him as if it will change his mind. You’re certain this experiment of his would not change your own. Love sucked, and that was that.

“Two weeks,” his voice carries a taunting tone, his eyebrows wiggling to entice you into his plan. He isn’t going to give up on this easily, you know Jisung. And Jisung always gets his way.

“Fine,” you huff, “two weeks and that’s it. And if my mind isn’t changed you owe me 3 more of these,” you say, picking up your boba from the table and shaking it at eye-level for emphasis.

His bottom lip catches between his teeth, satisfied with your response. He isn’t exactly sure how he’ll manage to pull this off, but he’s definitely up for the challenge.

“We start tomorrow at 8, I’ll pick you up after work.”

Crossing your arms over the table, you bury your head in your arms. This is going to be the most interesting two weeks of your entire life.

“Wait, you're like dating dating the Han Jisung?” Felix’s jaw drops, excitement prevalent on his face as you spill about your night with Jisung.

Felix is the only person in your life that understood your hatred for relationships, other than Jisung of course. Not that he shares the hatred himself, he’s just heard enough about how much you despise being in one to know just how you felt. He’s only heard about it every day for the past several summers.

Felix is your best friend, other than Jisung of course. He’s also the only person in this world that you could bear to work with on a Saturday morning. 

“That's the plan,” you sigh fiddling with the containers on the counter. It’s pretty slow for a Saturday morning, only a handful of customers have come in so far and it's already 11 am.

That’s the thing about working at a coffee shop – and it sucks when it's busy, and it sucks even more when it's slow. At least it isn't a terrible job, you at least have Jisung and Felix to keep you company and that's always worthwhile.

“And for the record,” you turn to look at Felix, a grin still evident on his face, “I don’t think this is gonna change my mind about the love stuff.”

“You know how Jisung is,” his eyebrow lifts, “so you never know. Maybe something could happen.” 

If anyone was surprised that you were dating someone, fake relationship or not, it would be Felix. On top of that, you’re dating Han Jisung. As in, the same Jisung that ended a 3-month relationship last year because the girl ‘smelled too much like peaches’ and it was ‘too good to be true.’ And now that you’re the one stuck with him for the next 14 days, it is only a matter of time until he finds the deal-breaking trait that turns him away from you.

“Okay no, that's exactly why this is only two weeks. If I know Jisung, he’ll be over it before the 2 weeks even ends.”

“Whatever you say,” the pitch of his voice is raised teasingly. You can tell he doesn’t believe this will be just a ‘two-week thing’ by the funny little look on his face. You hate that look, and you hate how Felix always seems to be right.

Subsequently Felix sees a lot of things that you aren’t able to see for yourself. You’ve grown up with Jisung, grown accustomed to his unique mannerisms and behaviors without even noticing. Felix, on the other hand, has a different point of view. 

He’s not in it like you are, so gets to see the way Jisung looks at you; the way he hangs on each and every word that leaves your mouth with a sparkle in his eye. He notices that Jisung longs to make you laugh. And he watches the toothy grin each that grows on your face each time a chuckle breaks through your lips. Felix notices every behavior that you see as nothing more than ‘friendly.’ But who is he to say? So, for now, the information remains tucked away and stored in his mind for a later date.

Your fingers drum on the clean marble countertop beside you, leaning against it as you wait for a customer to come in. All this time with nothing to do is really doing wonders for your imagination; thinking about what Jisung has planned for the two of you to do tonight. Nothing special, you hope, he really doesn’t need to go all out for this. 

The lack of customers and silence that's fallen among the shop is just making it easier for your mind to wander off. It was beginning to make you sick how much you were thinking about Jisung and nothing has even happened yet. It's not like you have any reason to be nervous, but keeping all these thoughts trapped in your thick skull is starting to give you a headache

“He’s picking me up after work.” You blurt it out without thinking much about it. No one is here, you might as well lay it all out there for Felix to know since there's nothing better to do.

“He’s picking you up? Like you’re going on a date?”

“Shut upppp,” your eyes roll at his teasing nature, growing slightly embarrassed by how giddy the thought of this ‘date’ is making him, and you for that matter. It’s just Jisung. And you are just hanging out like you do every other night. There's nothing different about tonight and you’ll be able to prove that to yourself and Felix by the next time you see him.

The rest of you shift flies by – it always does when you work with Felix. Before you know it, the closing checklist is coming to an end, only a few steps left before you can finally get out of here. The clock had just turned to 7:55 pm, but Jisung still isn’t here. Not that you’re expecting him to be on time or anything, this is still the same Jisung you have always known.

What you aren’t familiar with is the nervous butterflies fluttering around in your tummy as the clock approaches 8 pm.  What are you even nervous about? It isn’t a blind date, other than the fact that you have no idea what you’re doing. And it isn’t even a date. It’s Jisung for crying out loud.

Speaking of the devil, the chimes in the front of the shop ring as Jisung passes through the doorway. You don’t see who it is at first, your back turns to the door as you sweep behind the counter. The chimes ringing at this time of night do trigger your fight or flight instincts though, ready to turn to whoever is approaching and give them a dirty look for coming in this close to closing time.

But once you turn around and see Jisung standing in the doorway with a bouquet of sunflowers, your tension quickly subsides. You swear that you can feel your heart skip a beat, heat rising to your cheeks as you try your hardest to form a coherent sentence. It's okay that you aren’t able to, though, the surprised look on your face is enough for his smile to light up the room.

“I’m here to pick up the pretty girl with the espresso stain on her shirt,” he chuckles, his bottom lip catching between his teeth nervously.

Tonight he’s dressed a lot nicer than usual comfy attire; a nice shirt with a pair of dark jeans that hug his slim figure. His hair is a lot lighter too – a vast change from the midnight black strands that normally frame his face. He’s really going all out for this thing – and right now all that you’re wearing a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt with coffee stains down the front.

When you look to your right, Felix is just as stunned as you are. Frozen in his spot as his jaw practically sweeps the floor, he looks at you with wide eyes, his eyebrows raised as a smug expression crosses his face. For a second you contemplate asking him if he’s all set to finish the closing checklist on his own, but before you’re able to speak up he’s already shooing the two of you out the door.

With a goofy grin displayed across his face, Jisung hands you the bundle of flowers, tied together with a delicate white ribbon. You mumble a thank you, still stunned that he showed up here looking like that to take you out tonight. So he is the romantic type, note taken.

“You like nice,” you gulp nervously. It already feels like a date and you haven’t even left the parking lot yet. If this is how things are going to start you had an exciting 13 more days ahead of you...

“So do you,” he smirks, his eyes wandering down to the small brown stains littering your shirt. Eyes narrowing, you read the expression crossing his face – of course, he’s joking. “I brought you some fresh clothes to change into don’t worry.”

Relief rushes through your body as the words leave his lips, followed by a slight pull on your heart strings. Knowing he took the time to think about bringing you something else to wear so you didn’t have to sit in your coffee scented clothes all night made you feel warm in the strangest way. He’s thoughtful, and it's weirding you out – but in a good way.

“So, where are we even going?”

“You’ll see.”

A vague yet interesting, and very on-brand response from Jisung. He’s always been a fan of surprises – as long as he’s not on the receiving end.

The drive to your destination drags on forever. You aren’t quite sure how long you’ve been on your way; between your agile back seat changing of clothes, which you are surprisingly skilled at, and the anticipation coursing through your veins, you’ve lost track of time. All you know is that you’ve been driving along the backroads of your area for at least 15 minutes, and there is nothing around you to indicate that your destination is near.

“This is it.” The car pulls into a small dirt parking lot, dimly lit by some dingy street lights that aren’t doing a very good job at their primary function. It's pretty hard to see what’s around you, no matter how hard you squint and press your forehead to the window to get a better look.

“Where are we?” The question leaves your lips in a worried fashion. Trees surround the parking lot on all three-sides, while the road you've pulled in from occupies the fourth-side. You’re hesitant to get out of the car, but as Jisung rounds the front and opens the door for you, you’re on your way out. He motions for you to hold on as he pops the trunk – returning with a blanket and a reusable shopping bag filled with god knows what.

He still hasn’t given an answer to your question though, and you still aren’t quite sure where you are. If It was lighter out you assume it would be beautiful here, all the greenery dark and shadows hovering over you from the trees.

The bright light from his cell phone flashlight lights up the way, a path on your right

“Hell no,” your arms cross over your chest as you stand still in your place. He’s out of his mind if he thinks you’re going into the woods this late at night. You’ve seen enough horror films, stuff like this never ends well.

“C’mon, it’s not as bad as it looks,” Jisung laughs at your pouting manner, amusement filling his system as you glue your feet to the ground of the parking lot. His puppy dog eyes plead for you to follow him, a hand outreaching in your direction for the taking. You contemplate it for a moment, your eyes narrowing as you ponder the possible outcomes of the situation before you.

“Fine,” you huff as you take his hand in yours.

His hand feels different in yours this time. His long fingers lacing between your smaller ones in the perfect fit that you’ve neglected to notice before. You’ve held his hand before, platonically though. This time it’s platonic too though, right? It’s just a date. A platonic date between two friends. Two friends who are dating on a two week trial period. So yes, it is strictly platonic. Right?

The dirt path doesn’t drag on for too long, but the sounds of bugs ticking and twigs breaking beneath your feet is enough to startle you. Every scared and breathy gasp that  leaves your mouth is followed by a small fit of laughter from Jisung. At least one of you is amused.

But the dirt path soon turns rocky, a clearing becoming more and more noticeable as Jisung’s flashlight brightens the way ahead of you. The rows of trees come to an end as the ground flattens, a giant slab of rock lying beneath your feet. Out ahead of you is completely dark, and until you approach the darkness you don’t notice that you’re just a few yards away from the edge of a cliff. A river lies below the edge, the sound of water rushing fills your ears and calms your nerves. It is quiet out here, peaceful and without distraction.

Jisung stands back as you admire the scenery around you – your own phone flashlight now out and panning around to look at the view. It’s beautiful out here, nothing to worry about but the sounds of the water and whatever Jisung is doing behind you…

You couldn’t have zoned out for more than 2 minutes, but once you turn back around to face him a picnic blanket lies on the ground before you. Snacks scatter the extent of the fabric, a few candles placed in the center

“You really went all out for this, huh?” A nervous laugh leaves your lips before you swallow harshly. Never in your life has a guy ever gone all out like this for you. A late-night picnic at a secret location, fixed with all of your favorite snacks and some candles for ambiance.

“Had to,” he smiles, “it’s our first date.”

You join him on the blanket, grabbing for a bag of popcorn as you sit down. Maybe relationships wouldn’t suck so much if all men treated you like this…

But it’s just Jisung. Jisung who already knows all your favorite things to eat. He’s just trying to be convincing – to prove to you that men take you on dates, do nice things. But stuff like this never lasts. Two weeks from now you’ll be going back to the same old Jisung and Y/N friendship that you’ve always had.

The conversation goes on as normal tonight, he doesn’t make any moves (as expected, it’s Jisung) and you enjoy the view and calm atmosphere with your fake but not so fake boyfriend. You stay out on the cliff for a few more hours before he takes you home. Jisung put a lot of effort into making tonight special, and you appreciate him for that. But even after all his effort, you know that real relationships aren’t like this.

Every guy you’ve dated would try to woo you over in the beginning too. They call it the honeymoon stage for a reason. Things are always great in the beginning, lavish gifts and dates, loving gestures. That kind of thing never lasts. Soon the effort runs out, the guy gets bored of putting the work in, and they end up sleeping with your freshman year roommate. Well, at least that's how it is for you.

The bundle of sunflowers Jisung gave to you earlier on in the night sits on the end table next to your bed. Each time you look at them all you can picture is the goofy grin he sported as he stood at the entrance of the coffee shop. It replays in your mind like a movie. How he dressed up all spiffy just to take you out. How he took you to a spot only he knew about, somewhere so off-site and serene that he knew you’d remain uninterrupted. You can’t help but wonder if he’s using the same old tricks on you that he does to other girls though. If he only knew about that place because he’s taken someone there before.

Not that it matters though, you aren’t his real girlfriend. You’re just on a trial period. But for some reason the thought that he might have brought another girl to the same spot before doesn’t sit well with you.

“Sooooo,” Felix teases, letting his chin fall into his palm as he leans on the counter before him, “how was your date with Y/N?”

Jisung chuckles at his nosiness, he’s sure you’ve already told Felix all about it. There are no secrets left between you two. Even sometimes Jisung felt like the odd man out when you’re all together.

“It was good.”

Jisung keeps his answer short, leaving the rest up to his imagination. He isn’t one to kiss and tell – or to not kiss and tell. Keeping his private life all to himself is something he takes pride in, things are just better that way.

“Just good?” Felix challenges, knowing there is much more that he’s leaving out. His eyes narrow as he waits for his response. You haven’t told him anything about last night, not even where you went after he picked you up. Things are radio silent on your end, which left Felix dying to know what actually happened on your ‘date that wasn't a real date.’

Jisung glances back at him, contemplating whether or not he should spill the beans. It would be kind of nice to have someone else to confide in. Especially since it's always you on the receiving end of his secrets; however, this may be the one secret that you don’t know of.

He chews on his bottom lip pensively, if anyone knows what’s on your mind, it would be Felix. Not that Jisung would ever want to pry, there's just no indication of how you feel about last night, or about him. Before Jisung can even open his mouth to speak, a knowing smirk is spread wide across Felix’s face. It’s that kind of look that makes him nervous – he knows something.

“You like her don’t you,” he muses, rubbing his hands together smooths as the words catch in the air. It’s out there now – and it’s obvious. Well, maybe not obvious, but it's clear as day to Felix – and that is more than enough to make Jisung worry.

“I don’t,” Jisung denies the other boy’s claim, his willpower too strong to give in.

“Oh yeah? So why do you self sabotage every one of your relationships then?”

The words catch Jisung off guard; his jaw clenching harshly as an annoyed breath is forced out of his nostrils. He wants to deny the claim once again, but he can’t bring himself to keep brushing off these feelings that have had a grip on him ever since he was young.

Felix is right too. He does sabotage each relationship that comes his way. Jisung goes out of his way to find something wrong with each girl he dates. He can never admit it to himself, but in the back of his mind, he knows that it's the fact that none of those girls are you. None of the girls he’s ever met could ever match up to all that you are. In his mind, you held the perfect score, and no one else had ever come close.

“It’s written all over your face every time you look at her you know.”

There's no way he’s that obvious... Did his feelings show that much whenever he was around you?

“What do you mean?” Jisung clarifies, the small once of hope bearing weight in his chest that Felix will follow up with a ‘just kidding’ or change the subject. Only the silence that falls on the room is enough of a response for Jisung to get the clue. 

“Just please don’t tell her,” he avoids eye contact with the other boy, hand gripping harshly on the countertop as he stares down at the black and white checkered tile. “I just wanted to see if I could change her mind – about the love stuff, you know?”

The second you find out about Jisung’s feelings all bets would be off. There’s no way you’d let your little arrangement continue, not if either of you could end up hurt. And he knows you only agreed to this because there is nothing between you romantically, it was a deal between two friends. The second feelings get involved, everything gets all mushy and confusing, and Jisung can’t lose you.

Felix bears his weight on the counter behind him, leaning comfortably on the cool glass. “Believe me, I want her to be done with that ‘I hate love thing’ just as much as you do,” he sighs, looking around momentarily before he clears his throat. “Want me to be honest?”

“Please.”

“I think you might be the only one who can change her mind.”

Jisung’s heart skips a beat once the words leave Felix’s mouth. Blood rushes to his ears, pumping like a snare drum as he considers his thoughts. His stomach begins to twist as he considers it, almost confused about what Felix means, but not willing to accept it. You only agreed to fake-date him, you still hate love.

A comfortable silence fills the air, Felix watching him as his lips roll between his teeth, deep in thought. Change your mind. The words repeat in Jisungs head like a broken record. That’s what he’s trying to do, all for the right reasons of course. So that you don’t  have to be so miserable about it anymore. 

But behind those selfless reasons are several smaller, selfish ones. He gets to be with you as more than a friend now, and although it’s nothing more than some kind of test run, he can’t help but feel like this can be something more too. It’d be crazy to ignore the feeling he has deep in his chest, and maybe it's a sign not to.

“Like you think…” Jisung gulps, clearing his throat as the words stutter out of his mouth, “I could get her to fall for me?”

The lack of response that Felix gives is ominous, but the raise of his eyebrows and toothy grin forming on his face needs no words to tell. 

If anyone is to change your mind, it’ll be Jisung.

That night Jisung took you to the drive-in movies. To be quite honest, you couldn’t really recall what was playing, some Pixar film with bugs as the main character if you could remember it correctly. You were far too distracted laughing with Jisung, watching as young kids played around on a grassy patch near his car. The giggles that left his lips each time the little girl waved to him were music to your ears. You never noticed how much he loved kids, how good he was with them.

The image of his hands clasped together as he fawned over the little girl, picking dandelions in the grass and racing to place them by your feet was burned into your memory. The boxy grin that graced his face all night long. The way his eyes squinted from his cheeks, pushing up as he smiled so big. The whispers of the word ‘cute’ each time her pigtails bounced while she toddled away.

Missing the movie doesn't disappoint you. If anything, the memories you've saved from tonight are more than enough.

The next night you were unable to go out, the shop was so busy that you were not able to leave until an hour and a half after your shift was supposed to end. Some punk kid dropped a cup of iced coffee on the floor on his way out and decided it would be best to leave it there without cleaning anything up or letting you know. Maybe if it hadn’t been so busy then you would have noticed the spill before it dried up and there were coffee stains stuck to the tile floors.

Naturally, you spent a good 15 minutes trying to mop up all the stickiness on the floor. But to your luck, Jisung is working with you that night. Once all the customers left the shop he hooked his phone up to the speakers, grabbed your hands, and danced you around the shop. Well, it was supposed to be dancing but it probably looked more like Jisung swinging your arms as you attempted to not trip over your own feet.

It makes up for not getting to go out though, and you’d take a night like that over a fancy dinner any chance you got. 

It’s been 12 days since you became Jisung‘s girlfriend, and as the remaining days decreased, so did your hatred for love. Each night he planned something special. The real kicker was the texts that you get once he makes it home from dropping you off every night. A simple ‘I had a great time tonight’ was enough to make your heart swell and heat rise to your cheeks.

And as you notice your hatred for love and relationships leaving you, you notice another feeling enter your system. Or several feelings…

Things are getting just as sticky as the night when two frappuccinos splattered all over the shop floor, whipped cream and all. Spending time with Jisung like this is bringing some things to the surface you didn’t know were buried in the first place.

Every night that you spent with Jisung over the past 12 days allowed you to see him in a new light. You got to see him on a different level than just friends. You got to see what every girl that fawns over Jisung experiences.

Something about your friendship never let you jump past that barrier. You only see him as a dear friend of yours. Nothing more and nothing less. And now the issue is that...you aren’t sure how you’ll ever go back to see him as such.

You like Jisung as more than a friend, that's for sure. And you know because of that things will never be able to go back to the way they once were.

Maybe you're reading too much into it, but your gut is telling you that you aren't the only one feeling this way.

The feeling of butterflies that pound in your stomach each time you meet eyes with him has to be reciprocated. There is just no way you can be feeling this way and he isn’t.

This isn’t like the feelings you’ve caught for any guy before, this is something else. Every night when you go home you lay in bed, staring at your ceiling with a dumb grin on your face as you think about your time together, about him. About the way his black curly hair falls in front of his eyes each time he looks down and how his smile lights up every room he was in.

These things that you were so blind to before can’t escape your thoughts, and it makes you wonder how many times or things you’ve looked over that make you melt, just like you are right now.

But in just 2 days, this trial-boyfriend period will be over, and you’ll have to go back to being just friends. Each day, each hour, each minute that approaches feels heavier and heavier. Anxiety floods your system each time you think about things being over, or that this arrangement you have isn’t even real.

When you think about the growing feelings you have for him, you honestly can't imagine what your life will be like any other way. What it would be like going back to just hanging out here and there. And what it would be like

You can’t even fathom thinking about what it would be like hearing him talk about another girl again. It makes you sick thinking that there's going to be someone after you, because in just 5 days this will be all over, and you’ll go back to being the girl best friend, nothing more.

Maybe it’s just wishful thinking that Jisung has more feelings for you too. But the glimmer in his eyes as his bangs brush out of his eyes and they land on you tells a different story. When he looks at you it feels like you are the only two people on earth. He sees nothing else but you, and the way your eyes sparkle back at him.

Each day you spend with Jisung after that feels like a wrench tightening the screws of your heart. 14 days is just not enough.

“Earth to Y/N,” Felix says waving a hand in your face.

You must have zoned out, for god knows how long.

“Thinking about Jisung?”

“What?” you immediately straighten your posture and brush yourself off before responding, “N-no…I’m just thinking.”

“Right,” the sarcasm drips from his lips, not sparing you any time to save yourself as he turns away, beginning to wipe off the tables in the front.

For personal reasons, you’ve kept Felix out of the loop during this whole “fake-boyfriend Jisung” thing. It’s better if you keep your feelings to yourself until you figure them out. And although it feels really really strange not giving Felix the intel on what’s going on in your life, you know it’s for your own good.

Once you put what is in your head out into the world, you can’t take it back. And what if all these things that you’re feeling is just a part of the honeymoon-phase. If that even existed anyway… But if all these feelings for Jisung are due to him trying to woo you and change your mind, everything will just fade away as things return back to normal. And then you’ll be left loving him in silence while you watch him blow through relationships like a leaf blows through the wind.

Something in you tells you that this isn't the case, but the small shadow of doubt in the back of your mind keeps you from talking to your best friend about it anyway.

The thing is, you don't have to tell Felix for him to know. Every time Jisung picks you up from work to take you out you shine. Your smile spreads so wide he’s afraid your cheeks will tear. The nervous shake of your fingers as you grab for your belongings as you head out the door doesn’t go unnoticed in Felix’s eyes. He knows you too well to look over things like this, he just wanted to wait for you to say something first.

But now that you aren’t, Felix has decided to take matters into his own hands, asking you about it himself.

“Felix,” you start, waiting for his attention before you pull out a stool, sitting down and motioning for him to follow suit. Quickly he does, a questioning but knowing look evident on his face as the stool squeaks under him. “You know how this thing between Jisung and I is just an experiment or whatever?”

He nods in response, his hand quickly falling into his palm as he listens intently to your words.

“I think I messed up.” Your head is buried in your arms, laid over the tabletop in embarrassment.

“What do you mean?”

His question is more for clarification, he wants to hear you say it yourself. Felix knows that you’re gonna tell him that you’ve already caught feelings. He sees it coming from a mile away, you confirming it is just the icing on the cake.

“Don’t make me say it,” you whine, neglecting to pick your head up and look at him. You can feel the grin on his face. You know he's smirking at you right now, doing his best to hold back a laugh. Finally, you over the ‘I hate love and relationships suck’ thing.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” he sings, quite obviously teasing you while another deep sigh echoes from your chest. You manage to pick your head up, leaning onto your elbows with your chin caught between your palms as you face him.

“I like him.”

It comes out as a whisper, but Felix hears it loud and clear. If you didn’t know better, you’d assume that the smile on his face can't grow any larger, but it does. He jumps up from his chair in victory, doing a funny dance with his arms whooping in the air to celebrate. You’re confused as to why, but you’re too far in your own thoughts to pay it any mind; your head just sinks back into your arms as your forehead presses against the cold metal table beneath you.

“I knew it,” Felix smiles, his happy dance subsiding as he positions himself back down across from you. “I knew this fake dating thing was gonna work.

“Yeah well it really worked, because now I have feelings for a guy that’s never gonna reciprocate them for me.” Your tone is laced with sarcasm, a disappointing ring sounding off on each of your words. You’re too embarrassed to look at the boy sitting before you, worried that if you do all the emotions you’ve been holding onto for so long will spill over and stain your stone-cold image; one you’ve maintained for far too long.

But Felix is your best friend. The only one that you should be comfortable being vulnerable about your feelings for Jisung with; for some reason all you can’t bring yourself to be. Before you can get a grip on your emotions tears are streaming down your face and falling onto the cold metal surface under you in small puddles. 

A sympathetic sigh leaves Felix’s lips as he tries to gain your attention, “Hey.”

Inhaling deeply, you face him – mascara strewn across your face in black streaks and eyes nearly bloodshot. You’ve held this in for far too long. Only a double would tire you out and exhaust you enough to cry on the clock. Thank god it’s a rainy day, no customers ever come in on rainy days.

Or at least, no customers usually come in on rainy days. It's not until you hear the bells on the front door ring that you’re wiping your eyes, whipping around to greet whoever was entering.

And then you see him, standing there as he shakes out his umbrella, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand.

And he sees you; mascara running down your face and tears staining your cheeks. He’s early. Your stomach turns at the sight of him, emotions not stable enough to handle carry a normal conversation like  

“Y/N,” his voice is quiet, worry dripping in his tone as your name leaves his lips. But you can’t face him right now, not like this.

Your feet move faster than you mind, standing up and rushing to the back to avoid him. Jisung doesn’t follow you, just stands there and watches you walk away, solemn and worried that he’s done something. 

It’s not until Felix is rising from his seat and pacing over to him that he’s brought back to reality.

“Jisung...” he starts, hands coming up slowly to console him, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here right now.”

“Wh-what’s wrong?” His lip worries between his teeth, eyes glossy as he stares at the door you just closed behind you. He’s looking at it intently, mind flooding with worry, wishing so badly that the door will just fly open, and you’ll tell him what was going on. In the back of his mind, he knows that you won’t, at least not for now. Talking about emotions has never been your strong suit, and chances of that changing at this moment are at an all-time low.

Felix is unsure how to answer him, caught in between not wanting to lie and keeping your feelings private. He can’t speak for you; but he’s scared that saying nothing could just make this whole situation worse.

His mouth gapes as he searches for a response to his question, lips opening and closing while he hums to himself.

The umbrella hanging from Jisung’s hand drops with a crash, starling Felix as he jumps at the sudden sound. But before he is even able to speak, the bell to the front door is ringing again, and Jisung is walking away into the pouring rain.

The next day you wake up feeling numb. You’ve received several texts from Jisung the night before, none of which you have the energy to reply to or even look at for that matter.

The guilt riddling your body has become too much for you to handle. You left work last night without even saying goodbye to Felix. He’s a good enough friend and coworker to know that what you’re going through is more important than working the counter at an coffee shop. 

After Jisung left, Felix came back and let you know; he almost had to break down the door to the backroom in order for you to let him in. He told you to go home, get some rest and that you’d talk tomorrow.

But after waking up the last thing you want to do is talk about Jisung, it hurts enough just thinking about him.

Every time you thought about how your arrangement was supposed to end in just a few days you felt sick. You have worked so hard to open up just to build your walls back up again. And now you’re back at square one.

When you agreed to be Jisung’s girlfriend you did not expect to fall for him like this. He’s Jisung for god’s sake. He’s your personal diary, he’s the one who knows all the shit that nobody else does. And he’s the only one that listens to all the dumb shit you have to say that no one else cares about.

Feelings ruin everything. Love sucks, and you knew this before you agreed. You agreed under the circumstances that Jisung could show you that relationships could be fun; not under the circumstances that he would make you fall in love with him,

And the more that you think about it, maybe you were always in love with him. Maybe you always had these feelings for him, but they were trapped in the tight bonds of friendship that your subconscious never let you out.

But none of that even mattered now. The deal had to be off, and you need to distance yourself from Jisung before you are hurt any worse. The longer this goes on the worse that you are going to feel when it's all over.

How are you supposed to go back to normal after this? Like is Jisung thinking that showing you how amazing relationships are, you won't fall for him or something? Or does his true plan consist of making you fall in love with him, just to string you along like every other girl he's dated?

You’re trapped in the never-ending spiraling thoughts, soiling your image of Jisung with each new theory that crosses your mind. None of them are good. All of them paint him as a player, as someone who just used you.

But the little thump in your heart when you notice the sunflowers placed on your bedside table wants your mind to change. Your heart wants you to believe that Jisung feels something too, that throughout this arrangement he has seen a different side to you too – that he’s fallen for you just like you have for him.

It's a knock at your door that guides you out of your thoughts. The repetitive tapping at your front door that drags you out of bed. And when you check your peephole and it's no one else, but your small blonde best friend standing on your doorstep that has relief rushing through your system.

The door cracks open, Felix standing there with an umbrella in his hand – even though it was nearly 100º with clear skies.

“Why are you still in your pajamas? It's noon.”

Suddenly, he pushes past you and invites himself into to your living room. Plopping down on your couch, Felix makes himself comfortable as he waits for you to join. You spin on your heels, an exhausted breath leaving your mouth as you pace over to him, plopping down on the next cushion over.

“Why the umbrella?” Your brow furrows as he hands it over. You take it though, still confused behind the meaning of the object that you're holding and where it came from.

“It’s Jisung’s.”

You nearly drop it as his name leaves his lips. The name causes your stomach to tighten, mouth-drying instantly as emotions well behind your eyes.

“Why?” Is all you can mutter out. Why was he giving it to you, why is he here, and why did he have it?

“You need to bring it back to him.” He says sternly, his eyes locked on you as he waits for you to look back at him. But you’re too focused on the umbrella placed gently in your hands, tracing your finger over every wire and the soft rubber handle.

“I can’t.” Your words come out in a whisper, breath light and airy as you sigh, sinking your body back into the couch cushions. Giving the umbrella back to Jisung will mean that you have to go see him. And if you see him, he’s going to want to talk to you about last night, then question you about why you haven’t been returning his texts. No. You will not be giving Jisung his umbrella back.

“Y/N,” your name leaves his mouth gently, a sigh following it before he reaches for you, rubbing your arm comfortingly before continuing, “I think you need to talk to him.”

“Felix you know I can’t do that.”

You’re serious in your words. Not that you don’t want to talk to Jisung. You most definitely want to – and if you could, you would. But you can’t. There are too many emotions involved. The wound is fresh and seeing him would be rubbing salt right into it.

“Y/N,” he sighs, this time more forceful, like he’s trying to get something across to you but it's going right over your head. “Talk to him. Please.”

“You know I’m going to end up hurt if I do.” Tears well in your eyes as the words croak from your throat. It's dry and scratchy, full of fear and anxiety.

“I think you’d be surprised,” he mumbles, his eyes instantly widening on realizing the words that just escaped. Eyes wide with confusion, you’re begging him to go on, but if he does then Jisung won’t be the only one in deep shit right now. It's not up to Felix to tell you what he knows this time. 

“What do you mean I’ll be surprised?”

“I have to go,” he stands instantly, motioning to the umbrella, “and you need to bring this back.”

With a slight ruffle to your hair, Felix is giving you a supporting smile and waving goodbye. And you’re left alone once again – just you and Jisung’s blue umbrella.

It takes a lot of courage to get ready today. You make sure to take your sweet time rummaging through your closet, flipping through articles of clothing for the better half of an hour. At the end, you opt to go with a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. There isn't enough energy in your body to put on anything else, and you know you’ll just want to curl back up in bed once you get home. Sweatpants are safe, and safe is just what you need.

No makeup today either. If things are anything like you’re expecting, your makeup will just end up ruined anyway. It's your better judgment to shower though, you’ve neglected to take one after work last night; opting to just bury yourself under your covers as soon as you got back. But today is a new day. And with a fresh shower and your comfiest pair of sweatpants, you are about as ready as you’ll ever be to get your heart broken into a billion pieces. 

Umbrella in hand, you step out onto your front steps, relishing in your last few moments of ignorant bliss before making your way to Jisung’s. You immediately regret your wardrobe decision as the sun beats down on your frame, the humidity making you feel sticky and gross – your favorite pants are  no match for this heat.

But you’re on your way to your destination anyway, the drive feeling longer and more drawn out than normal. Jisung didn’t live that far away from you, but the ride there still felt like an eternity with each theoretical scenario passing your mind. 

Dragging your feet, you make your way to the front steps of his house. You’ve been here a million times, but today is different. From now on, every time you drive past this place all you’ll know is heartache.

You brush yourself off, taking a deep breath before bringing your hand up and pushing the doorbell. The sudden ringing sound startles you, even though you have every indication that it’s coming – you’re just too nervous and jumpy for your own good.

Footsteps approach the door, your stomach tightening more and more with the muffled pitter-patter of footsteps. You’re praying to God that it’s his mom, hoping that Jisung just so happens to be out – even though his car is in plain sight parked just a few meters away from you. Wishful thinking, you suppose.

When the door to his house opens, you struggle to maintain your composure. He’s dressed similarly to you; a pair of sweats and an old sports t-shirt that has definitely seen better days.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

His eyes are sunken in, dark circles dragging underneath his eyes and his lips pulled downwards. He looks like a sad puppy, his dark hair all scruffy and sticking up in each direction – probably from him running his hands through it so many times. 

“I came to give you this,” you extend the umbrella out before you. He nods before taking hold of it, his hand far at the opposite end making sure not to keep his distance. The more you look at him, the more sorry you feel for dodging his texts. He looks like he hasn’t slept a wink, and you’re afraid it’s all because of you.

“Oh...uh, thanks,” he struggles to make eye contact with you, looking down at the object in his hand. 

It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and you can’t seem to find the words to say to break this strange tension between the two of you. He’s acting weird, shifting his weight back and forth but not moving away to close the door. His mind is racing once again – contemplating whether or not to just invite you in or leave it at that.

But with every aching bone in his body, he musters up the courage to lift his head, looking you directly in the eyes. Their dark like his, definitely from the lack of sleep you had the night before. Your mouth is turned downward too; hands fiddling together to try and distract yourself.

“D-Do you wanna come in?” He stutters, stepping aside slowly as he gestures towards his house. He suddenly worries when you don’t respond right away, taking a second to contemplate if this is a good idea or not. Ripping off the band-aid is never easy, but it needs to be done.

“Sure,” is the word that you decide on – hoping that it doesn’t make you seem disinterested or too desperate to talk. Maybe he’s just being kind though. Maybe it’s an empty offer, something that you say when you’re trying to be nice, but subconsciously hope that they won’t take you up on it. Like when you offer to share your food with someone, but you’re really hungry. You do it to be nice, not because you actually want to split the delicious looking burger and fries on your plate.

He leads you inside and to his bedroom. It looks the same as always, but it feels different. It still smells like him though, the comforting woodsy scent of pine and mahogany that he always reaches for. But that comforting scent is anything but comfortable. You’re frozen in place, unsure if you should sit on his bed and make yourself at home, much like every other time in the past. For now you just stand in the doorframe, waiting for him to tell you to take a seat, just like any polite guest would. A guest. You have never felt like a guest in his home before, or around Jisung in general. But that imaginary wall between the two of you is standing tall and sturdy, and suddenly the two of you are reverted back to being strangers.

You watch as he toys with something on his desk, his fingers dancing from object to object and sifting through papers to look busy. The point of it – unknown to you but to him, he’s buying time. Trying to think of the first thing to say, what to ask, or if you even wanted to talk. Maybe you only agreed to come inside to be nice. Maybe you were too worried about hurting his feelings if you said no. But alas, here you are, standing awkwardly in his doorway as he shuffles around his room, his brain flooding with thoughts – but his mouth can not form them into audible words.

“I’m sorry for ignoring your texts.”

Your voice catches his attention, dropping whatever paper he’s looking at now and turning his gaze to you. You’re sunken into yourself, your chest thumping with anxiety as his eyes begin to wander your frame. Not in a ‘I’m checking you out’ manner though; more of a ‘you look so sad and I don’t know what to say to you right now’ kind of way. 

It’s true though, he doesn’t know what to say – which is why he’s staring at you, hoping the right words would just pop up and he didn’t have to use any brain-power at all. He doesn’t want to say ‘it's okay,’ because it's not. You never ignore his texts, and that alone tells him enough about what's going on. You are upset at him.

“What did I do wrong, Y/N?”

His words sound accusatory but his tone is soft, gentle and full of worry. Eyes swollen and looking like they are about to fill to the brim with tears, his sight is focused on you; now not able to look away.

“I-I don’t know…”

Your answer is honest. You don’t know if his intentions are dirty. Yeah, that’s what you thought initially, but looking at him with such hurt written all over his face tells a different story. 

Jisung is silent, unsure of what more he can do or say to make you talk to him. He can’t force you to open up, he never has and he never will – that’s always been his rule. Everything you’ve shared with him has been on your own terms and conditions. Jisung has always been here to be your listening ear, but he never prys.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

His voice is soft, eyes full of sympathy as he holds himself together. Those were the words he has been looking for. Now the ball is in your court and you’ll have to be the one leading the conversation. It’s just what he needed to figure this shit out.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Y/N,” he sighs as he drops himself down onto the mattress, “I shouldn’t have to say this for you to know it, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

You do know that. You really, really do. But this time things are different. Is he expecting you to just come out and speak your truth like there won’t be consequences? No, he won’t push you to tell him anything you don’t want to. But the worry in his eyes and clammy hands are begging for you to just let it out so he can stop being in the dark.

You sigh out an ‘okay’ before sitting down beside him. 

Rip the band-aid off Y/N. Quick and painless.

His eyes narrow, almost to a squint, staring right through you in hopes of reading your thoughts. Your expression is nothing but blank as you try your best to gain some sort of composure. Do you just speak up and spill your guts? The words replay in your mind over and over until your thoughts are beat down and misshapen. 

You can picture his face when you say it; disgusted with a trace of disappointment and some confusion spread into the mix. Or maybe he’ll laugh at how pathetic you were, catching feelings for your fake boyfriend.

That’s it. There’s no way you can tell him. It would be much easier to just get up and leave. Tell him to pretend like none of this ever happened and that you needed some time to cool off. A few months maybe, or maybe you could just ghost him entirely. 

“Y/N?”

The sound of his voice breaks you out of your toxic thoughts, and his chocolate brown eyes bring you back down to earth. You can’t just leave him in the dust. He’s looking at you like you’re the only thing that exists. Things will be okay, right?

“Sorry, sorry,” you exhale deeply as you calm your thoughts; shifting the nasty scenarios out and accepting that whatever happens after this conversation is your fate. 

“Jisung, I-I guess I wasn’t expecting this boyfriend-girlfriend thing we’re doing to go like this.”

His brow quirks at your words, confusion riddling his expression as his eyes narrow. With a tilt of his head, he’s pushing you to continue, visibly riddled with your choice of words.

“Swear you’ll be honest when I ask you this?” You question him, your hand moving closer to his as you lean in slightly. He’s like a magnet, you can’t help yourself from moving closer; even though the proximity of the two of you is clouding your thoughts and you can feel your heart beginning to swell.

He nods in response to your question, his eyes full of concern as he waits for you to continue, “Why did you ask me to do this thing?”

He knows that a question like this was coming, only if he could have prepared for it. But he didn’t, so his throat is left dry and scratchy as his mouth opens, only to stutter a bit before closing it back up. No coherent thoughts or words are able to escape his lips, just nonsense mumbling that caught himself off guard.

With a deep breath, he closes his eyes, regaining his composure before he can face you again. He agreed to be honest, and if honesty is what you want, honesty is that you’ll get.

“I’m sorry.” That’s all that he can say. 

Oh no. This is exactly what you were expecting before you came here. He’s gonna tell you that he didn’t mean to mess with your emotions, that he felt you catching feelings and got carried away. That he’s sorry that he ruined your friendship and played you like a violin all at once.

“Me too.”

You don’t know why you’re apologizing, but you are. It feels wrong. Absolutely utterly, and undoubtedly wrong. Apologizing for your own feelings is not something that you are okay with. Especially when he made you fall for him like this. Okay so maybe thinking that is giving him too much power, but who the hell takes you out on dates for nearly 2 weeks straight just to laugh about it later. How can he expect you to not catch feelings for him? With his deep voice and fluffy hair that always hangs in front of his eyes, that little giggle he has when he finds something amusing. Everything about him was attractive. And you’ve fallen for it all. Hard.

“Wait, why are you sorry?”

A scoff escapes your mouth unintentionally, but it’s well deserved. “For being the idiot to fall for a guy that was playing her, I guess.”

You can’t look at him any longer, so your eyes fall to your lap, staring at your chipped nail polish and dirty fingernails instead of reading whatever dumb expression he has now. But if you just took a second to look up, you’d notice the widening of his eyes, how his fingers are beginning to shake and his mouth gape. 

“Wh-What?”

“Don’t make me say it again Jisung, I don’t feel like sounding stupid one more time.”

“No no I heard you, it's just,” his eyes slam shut, angry at himself that he let things get this far without keeping you in the loop. 

You’ve been telling him that you hate love for years now. After hearing it so many times, he’d just given up on the thought of you. Maybe if he said something before you went through all those shitty guys things could have been different. But he’s let this go on for far too long, and now you’re the one that was paying the price. 

“Y/N I have feelings for you.”

Your neck nearly breaks with how fast your head snaps up. He’s the one looking away now, his cheeks a bit rosy as he tries to hide himself. He isn’t doing a very good job though, his hair is only shadowing his eyes and you can clearly see the way he’s nervously chewing on his lip; a cute habit you have grown fond of these past couple of weeks.

If he didn’t look like he does right now, you’d assume he was messing around. But you know Jisung. You know his small little gestures and what they mean by now. You know when he’s being serious and when he’s telling a lie. He can look someone dead in the eye and lie to them, but when he tells the truth, he becomes shy and worried that he’s said the wrong thing. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You ask softly, gently reaching for his hand. The subtle contact makes him flinch, reacting by pulling your hand away. But his eyes meet your sympathetic ones, sparkling just like they always do, and he knows what he wants.

Jisung’s hand reaches back for yours, lacing his fingers through yours before giving your hand a light squeeze. “You hate relationships,” he chuckles lightly, the mood of the room instantly shifting as the laughter leaves his lips. 

“I hated the ones that weren’t with you,” you correct him, but your voice comes across as just a whisper. He’s close enough to hear though, a blushing grin forming on his face as you shyly look away. His heart flutters when he hears it, a million butterflies erupting in his tummy all at once.

“I hated the ones that weren’t with you too,” he coos, his eyes wide and sparkling as he looks at you with such adoration. 

Time moves in slow motion as his hand meets your cheek, your eyes look deeply into his chocolate ones as he moves in closer. As your eyelids flutter shut his tongue runs across his bottom lip, wetting the surface before closing the distance between you. Finally.

And in that moment you’re at peace. Everything you thought you’ve ever hated, love, relationships, and maybe Jisung for a hot second, are the only things that you long for. The 14 days don’t have to be over, and your days no longer have to be counted. When you’re with Jisung you’re happy, you’re comfortable, and you're confident that he can give you what you have always deserved – but have never gotten. 

His lips move against yours in slow, languid motions, his large hands holding you close like he’s holding on for dear life. But you won’t leave even if you want to, not now, not after all this. 

Slowly, Jisung shifts his weight and you move in succession. He’s laying you down on his bed, gently climbing over you without breaking the kiss. Things are becoming more heated now, you can feel it as his hungry lips devour your own. Your chest heaves up to meet his, your back arching off the mattress as his hands begin to scour your body. The heat pooling in between your legs is growing, an aching sensation overwhelming your core as your own hands reach up to rake through his long, fluffy hair. And you can tell he wants you too, the thin fabric of his sweatpants doing little to conceal the growing erection pressing against your thigh. 

You can’t help but let out a steep moan as his hips begin to grind into yours. Needy groans fall past his lips and onto yours as you roll your hips upwards to meet his small ruts. 

In a leisurely motion, Jisung’s body is moving upwards, his knee finding a place between your legs as he brings himself up to a kneeling position. You chase his lips the entire way there, sitting up straight to be sure the contact doesn’t vanish, too consumed by your need for him to leave his lips.

And then his needy hands are running along the waistband of your sweats, fiddling with the tie before breaking your heated kiss. “Is this okay?” His words come out in a whisper, his eyes searching yours for any signs of doubt, but all he sees is lust.

“Yes,” you confirm, out of breath from making-out for so long without coming up for air. The lightheaded feeling taking over you goes unnoticed though, and quite frankly you’re too caught up in Jisung to care.

Quickly, he rids you of your pants, looking back up at you for confirmation about your underwear. With an affirmative nod he’s removing those too, leaving you completely bare from the waist down as he stands over you fully clothed.

But soon he’s ridding himself of his own clothing, his shirt being pulled at the nape of his neck as he discards it across the room. He’s leaning back down to you, hungry for the feeling of your lips. He misses it, even though it's been less than a minute since he’s last felt your smooth lips on his. 

You won’t open your eyes to see, but with the shuffling movements and shaky connection between your mouths you can tell Jisung is stripping himself of any remaining clothing he has on. He’s needy, unable to wait any longer to get down to business, he’s already waited long enough.

You’re the one who breaks the kiss this time, too curious to see what he’s sporting down below for your own good. But you are not disappointed once you see it – he’s long and girthy; the pigment a shade or two darker from his skin tone than the rest of his body.  Your thoughts are wandering, wondering what it's like to have him inside of you; dreaming about what he feels like. Arousal pools at your core, mouth salivating as your daydreams linger.

“Like what you see?” Jisung chuckles. You barely notice that you’ve been staring, eyes wide and focused on the hardened dick before you, which is probably a bit uncomfortable for him. 

“Sorry!” You cringe at yourself lightly, covering your eyes in embarrassment in fear that you just ruined the mood you’ve worked too hard to create.

“Don’t apologise,” he smiles as he grabs your wrists, moving them away from your round eyes. Scrunching your nose in displeasure, you catch your lip in between your teeth, mentally face palming at how weird you’re being.

He couldn’t blame you though, it was taking everything in him not to gawk at you. It was the first time you’ve seen eachother naked. Bathing suits did little for your imagination, not that you had even thought about Jisung this way before.

But he eases your nerves by coming down face level with you, reaching for your shirt and pulling it up over your head. You look at him with wide eyes, taking in each part of him as he caresses your body gently. He’s in awe of you like this. So relieved that you’re finally his, that he has you like this.

Nimble fingers dance down your body, landing at your core as he runs one up your slit, collecting your arousal on his fingertip. An impressed smirk grows slowly on his face, “I can’t believe you’re this wet already,” he hums. “All for me.” 

His eyes remain focused on your center, devouring it with his eyes as his hands hold steady on your thighs. You can’t help but grow slightly embarrassed, dripping with arousal so early on though he’s barely touched you. A lump forms in your throat causing you to swallow thickly – this doesn’t go unnoticed by Jisung.

A concerned expression crosses his face, brow furrowing as he moves his hands upward to settle on your waist. “Hey,” his voice is soft, gentle and full of worry, “everything okay?” 

“Just nervous,” you answer, a fake smile showing on your face to try and combat your own emotions.

It is no secret that Jisung is a bit more experienced than you are in bed. He knows that, you know that, and that is enough to turn you into a nervous wreck. Leave it to your own thoughts to ruin the moment.

“We don’t have to…”

“No!” Your voice comes out a little too eager, a bit loud, shocking Jisung. His eyes widen in response, body jolting from the impact of your tone. “No,” you say more gently this time, “I want to.”

You did want to – you just have to get over your own nerves first. Lucily, Jisung didn’t mind and was willing to guide you through it.

With a reassuring smile plastered across his face, he laces his fingers through yours. As you lock eyes, you nod him onward, giving him the go-ahead to continue. He moves languidly, his fingers moving back down to trace your slit once more. The sensation makes you tense, the nerves tingling through your body making it difficult for you to calm down. 

But with a reassuring squeeze of his hand to yours, you’re taking a deep breath. Closing your eyes as you lie your head backwards onto his pillowcase. The smell of him consumes you, relaxing you effectively as his fingers meet the entrance of your core.

Shivers run through your body as he dips one finger inside. Your arousal acts as a natural lube, letting his finger glide gracefully into you. You gasp at the sensation, eyes rolling back into your head as he begins caressing your walls. His finger moves swiftly in and out of your core, his other hand still locked with yours to guide you through.

With your body finally relaxing, Jisung is able to add another finger into the mix. The extra pressure makes you shudder for a moment, taking a little to adjust to the greater size inside of you. Thankfully the mild discomfort subsides, and he’s able to pump his fingers in and out once more. 

He’s making sure to watch each of your expressions, growing harder and harder just from watching your face contort in bliss. With each of his movements you bite down harder onto your lip, focusing on him and him only. 

“You’re doing so well,” he praises as his thumb rubs circles over your hand soothing you. You can feel your heart swell at his words, heat beginning to rise to your cheeks. 

In one swift motion, Jisung begins to separate his fingers, stretching your walls as his digits move in scissor-like motions inside you. “Fuck,” you mumble, hips jutting forward in reaction. 

A steep moan leaving your lips as he brings his fingers back together, just to extend them once more. Your body is quickly getting used to the pressure, begging for more as you roll your hips.

He can sense that you’re eager from your movements alone. With one final squeeze, his hand is leaving yours. The empty feeling in your palm is unpleasant. But once you open your eyes and notice he’s using it to palm himself, his fingers groping around his length and beginning to pump slowly, that empty feeling is replaced with something else. 

Your mouth salivates with desire, hungry for the feeling of him inside of you. He’s aroused you enough, and you’re too eager to feel him for your own good.

“Jisung,” you moan, “fuck me please.”

His cock jumps in reaction to your words, his chest heaving as his breath catches in his throat. Never in his life did he expect to hear those words come out of your mouth – but he wouldn't mind hearing it again.

“Hmm?” He hums, knowing damn well what you said but being greedy enough to pretend that he didn’t. You whine in response, your legs shaking on the bed in a mini temper-tantrum.

“Please,” you drag out, “please fuck me.”

Your words are music to his ears. He removes his fingers from your dripping cunt, grabbing the backs of your knees to pull you closer to him and hike your legs up over his hips.

“Anything for you.”

Complying to your wish, he lines the tip of his cock up with your entrance. The feeling of his smooth head against your core is enough to make you moan, your head thrown back to expose the soft skin of your neck.

Jisung takes this as an opportunity to leave his own mark behind, leaning down to attach his lips to your skin. You gasp as his teeth graze your skin, his plump lips sucking harshly before his tongue is swiping over the area to soothe it. 

But your eyes open once he’s beginning to pull away to look at you. His eyes are dark, full of lust mixed with adoration, a sigh of relief leaving his chest as he gazes down at you under him. There’s a lot going on in his head right now. Of all the emotions swirling around, the thing he’s most focused on is how lucky he is to have you.

And before you know it, he’s leaning down. Pressing a chaste kiss to your lips, making you smile. One more kiss is left on your forehead before he's pulling back, securing the position of your legs on his hips. 

And then he’s realigning himself with your core, pushing past your entrance and slowly descending into the depths of your pussy. He’s moving slowly, taking his time as he thrusts into you. The delicious stretch is unfamiliar, but it's not uncomfortable – like you were made just for him. A simultaneous groan leaves your lips as he bottoms out, the tip of his cock pressing deep into you on a spot that’s gone untouched. 

He hums a sigh of contempt before pulling back, only to rock his hips into you once again. Your velvety walls welcome him delightedly, soft whimpers leaving your lips once he bottoms out again.

“Y/N,” your name leaves his lips in a low grunt, the bones of his pelvis driving into your skin as he begins to pick up his pace. In reaction you clench down on him, orgasm beginning to loom overhead with each movement of his hips.

Desire fills your senses as you roll your hips over to meet his thrusts. His movements are slow and intentional, making sure to bottom out each time to watch you squirm over his dick. He loves how your jaw drops each time his tip presses against your g-spot, knowing just when he hits it each time.

Jisung’s teeth are barred, sweat gathering at his brow as his dark fluffy hair sticks to his face. He’s trying to hold himself back, the overwhelming urge to finish just in reach, but he doesn’t want to stop. So his hands roam your body to try and distract him, his palms caressing up the sides of your torso as your back bridges into him. The feeling of hot breath fans over your face with each sigh he lets out. 

But the tightening knot in your stomach is threatening to snap with every movement of his hips. It's getting harder and harder to hold on with the power of his thrusts growing stronger.

“Jisung,” you whine, “so close” your hands find his back, fingernails dragging down his spine in attempts to ground yourself. Jisung’s face contorts as your nails pierce his skin, leaving lines of red scratches down the length of his posterior.

The stretch from his length and his rhythmic motions sends your senses into overdrive. Squeezing your eyes shut and grasping onto the sheets underneath you, you can taste the brink of your orgasm. Jisung is focused; his grip on your thighs strong and his face contorted with bliss. But all you can think about is how stupid you could have been if you had decided to just cut him out. What matters is that you’re here with him now, and the thought of that is enough to push you over the edge. 

Your breath hitches in your throat, stomach twisting and turning as your pussy throbs repeatedly around his member. Emotions running high, three words almost slip past your lips, but with the small amount of strength you can muster up, you hold them back. Another time, some time that isn't so lust filled like this one.

Jisung’s thrusts are growing sloppy. His grip on your legs tightening as his lip is caught between his teeth. And with just a few quick thrusts, he’s coming undone inside of you. White, hot spurts of cum paint your walls, filling you up and making you feel so unbelievably full. 

You’ve always felt close to Jisung – he knew everything about you and vice versa; but this time was different. The way his hands settled on your legs, bringing them down gently after finishing. How his eyes are becoming so soft as he looks at you, a lazy grin pulling at his lips. You’ve never felt closer to Jisung as you do in the moment. As his body collapses next to yours, pulling you in and holding you close as you recover from your highs, you’re completely at peace.

“Sorry I got carried away, I guess I should have asked if you’re on birth control still,” he laughs, burying his face into the crook of your neck. 

“Don’t worry, I am,” you chuckle alongside him.

Your naked bodies tangle together, his leg weaving its way through yours to be as close to you as possible. He’s intoxicated by you, closing his eyes as he rests against your body in complete bliss. Now that he has you this close he never wants to let go; and neither do you.

“Can I tell you something?” His voice is soft, whisper like but still holding confidence; his tone never falters.

“Anything.”

“I love you, Y/N.”

Butterflies erupt in your tummy, your heart thudding in your chest as heat rises to your cheeks. He loves you. It's not that friendship kind of love anymore; it's the relationship kind. The same kind that makes your heart skip a beat and body riddle with every emotion in the book. The kind that keeps you up all night thinking about – but also helps you fall asleep, knowing he’ll be there in the morning.

And all of a sudden it seems so stupid that you were fighting those words back in the heat of the moment just a few minutes ago. He felt it too, you always knew that.

“I love you, Jisung.”

Being in love is a dumb concept. All guys suck, relationships are stupid and love is a social construct that you didn’t feel like conforming to. There was absolutely no one that you would waste your time on, until Jisung came around. What you had been looking for your entire life has always been right infront of your eyes – you were just too dumb to see it.

Maybe love is alright, after all.

‘Perfect Score’ is copyright 2020-2021 @chaangbin, all rights reserved. Please do not repost on any platform or translate without permission.

↠ A/N this fic has been rewritten/reconcepted from my previous BTS fic Crush Culture.

#stray kids smut #han jisung smut #kdiner #kwritersworldnet #stayracha #kafenetwork #skz x reader #stray kids #stray kids x reader #stray kids fanfic #han jisung #jisung x reader #jisung smut #jisung fluff #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #han jisung x reader #skz jisung fanfic #jisung fanfic

[writtenbeginnings]

Dimitri Belikov x Rosemary Hathaway -  Spirit

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Title: Spirit Word Count: 2080 Rating: General (for now?) Genre: AU,  Triggers: None for now

Fandom: Vampire Academy Relationship: Dimitri Belikov x Rosemary Hathaway

Authors Note: Okay so! Thanks for the read guys, this was a work I started back in like 2015 i think from a prompt I received for another fandom I write for. I don't know whether to leave this as a little one shot and end it here, or maybe continue into a longer piece? Let me know what you think as I would love to hear!!

Rose liked to think that she was intelligent, and she was. She had gone to school, graduated and then moved onto college, did her three years and opened her own bar with her best friend's husband. However this evening, Rose was questioning her intellect. The six inch killer black heels that had been ‘so freaking awesome’ at the start of the evening were now causing her all sorts of problems. She hadn’t been expecting to be bussing it behind the bar, it was meant to be her night off to deal with the paperwork; which actually meant she spent the night drinking and watching their patrons from the two way glass above the bar, laughing her ass off.

Though as the afternoon rolled on more and more of their staff started calling in sick, it seemed a bug was floating around. Said bug had taken out everyone apart from her and Christian and a couple other of their staff. So now she was behind the bar, bitching about the fact her feet were killing her. Tonight was turning out to be one of their busiest nights since opening. Spirit; a club she and Christian Ozera had brought to life about a year before. It had only been in the last few months that they began to regularly hit the black on the books.

Rose blew back the long curling strands of her dark hair back from her face, deciding that she couldn’t be arsed to look hot and instead needed it off her face. She swept the dark mass of curls up from her face and neck and tied it into a messy bun upon her head, rolling her neck at the air which brushed against her skin. “Christian!” Her voice bellowed over the thump thump thump of the bass from the music. “We need more Redbull, a crate of JD and that sweet cheap shit the students like!” She looked down the bar to her partner in crime. A man she once couldn’t stand, to now actually liking if only a little. 

She could see the huff of air he expelled just from the way his body moved. She grinned, only Rose Hathaway could get under Christian Ozera’s skin so easily. “What the fuck does it look like I’m doing?” He snapped, Rose saw the movement of his lips more than actually heard him. “Why don’t you actually fucking work and get it yourself?” His head snapped up with his words and the brunette could see the curl of his lips. She flipped the man's finger and eyed the mob of customers. If she didn’t get it they would have issues on their hands. 

Grumbling and snipping under her breath she kicked the shoes off under the bar and breathed a sigh of relief, the best idea she had had all night. She made a ‘one moment’ gesture towards the ground and darted off towards the stockroom loading up a couple of crates of everything she needed, carrying as much as she could and kicking the rest along the floor in front of her. Once Christian rejoined her in the actual serving of their customers, instead of beating the til into submission, things began to ease. They were able to make it through the throng of party-goers hammering on the bar and now she was faced with the cool expression of a tall brunette with a hopeful expression. 

“What’d you want?” Rose stopped in front of him, having to tip her head back a little to get a good look at his face. Sharp lines and eyes that seemed never ending and glittering under the dancing lights of the club. 

“A job?” He raised an eyebrow; yes, just the one, and eyed her carefully waiting on a response. 

“Are you being serious?” Rose eyed the man, taking in the attire of a tight fitting back shirt, black jeans and what appeared to be a duster? Is that what they were called, those long black leather jackets that must have felt like a million degrees in the club. 

“Deadly.”

“Get your ass behind here now then, let’s call it a trial.” Rose made decisions on the fly, always had, it was what made her and Christian such a good team. She took the risks and he was there to level her out every now and then. She slammed her hand down onto the counter, stepping back to give the man room to jump over the counter and join them if he was serious. She watched his eyes light up and then the way his lithe body leaped over the counter in one agile movement. Rose grabbed the man a towel and threw it at his chest, it caught it quickly, stuffing it into his back pocket. “Figure it out and get served, drinks are programmed on the till, Christian will fix it if it goes AWOL.” She waved a hand down towards where Christian was once again in the process of hammering his hand on top of the piece of failing technology. “List what we’re serving, enjoy.” She flung a hand towards the drinks list tapped down on the lower bar and then was gone, dancing her way down towards the other end of the bar to serve. 

“Christian!” Christian called out offering up his name as her new employee came towards him. 

“Dimitri.” The other man offered in return, still staring wide eyed down towards Rose. “Is she always that ... crazy?”

“Always.” Christian laughed back, grabbing the money of a woman and then handing her change back. “She’s a free spirit,” he added, making up a tray of shots. “Get moving man, it’s wild tonight and if you want a job afterwards show us you’re not a waste of time.”

Dimitri moved after that, occasionally stopping to ask Rose and Christian questions when needed, but otherwise it was all pretty simple. He had been working in clubs for years now, but he had never found one to settle into, he worked for a few months at a time and then moved onto a new one. The thing about New York, and even Novosibirsk and Omsk was that there was never a shortage of nightclubs. 

It came to about 2am and there was a short while where things went quiet at the bar. Dimitri watched as the brunette he still didn’t know the name padded barefoot towards him, beers in hand. “You like you could use this.”

“Rose by the way.” She saluted him with her bottle and then took a long drink, draining half the bottle. They stood in the door leading out into a back alley, enjoying the brush of cool air filtering in. 

“Dimitri.” 

“So Dimitri.” Rose answered, rolling the name over her tongue as she thought about it for a moment. “Is that a Russian accent I hear?” Dimitri nodded, not adding anymore as he stepped out to serve a couple. Rose watched him from her spot in the doorway. He moved easily, like he wasn’t wasting a single ounce of energy with unneeded movement. Everything is precise and controlled. As she watched him she began to wonder if everything he did was so precise and controlled. It wasn’t a massive leap to make, he was walking sex appeal. Tight, black clothes; it was the male equivalent to a little back dress. 

“Been in the US for a couple years now,” he answered, turning back to her after leaving the money with Christian. He disturbed her from her train of thought, which probably wasn’t a bad idea since she was thinking about jumping his bones.Rose just nodded her head as she watched the crowd. 

It gave Spirit’s new hire the perfect opportunity to take in his hopefully new boss. He started at the floor, noticing the way she was barefoot. He had seen a pair of heels kicked haphazardly under the bar earlier that evening and now it made sense. His eyes trailed up and he took in the toned bare legs, leading to the incredibly tight black shorts which hugged her ass, oh so wonderfully. Her stomach was exposed, along with her hips and waist from the waist coat she wore. It appeared it was the only thing she was wearing aside from the red lace bra underneath. The whole ensemble was a definite turn on for him. He was going to continue using his time wisely to take it in, however when his gaze reached ehr face he could see her eyes on him. 

“See something you like, Comrade?” A smirk curled at her lips and she arched a little more provocatively against the door jam.

“Rose!” Christian’s shout drew their attention away from each other and they followed his hand to where he was pointing. 

 “One night, just night,” she hissed, dropping her beer onto the bar top and then leaping over the bar itself. She dodged through the crowd and got into the middle of where two guys were fighting and a woman was crying near them. Of course it's over some girl. “Alright break it up guys!” she bellowed, moving to step in between them. One of them threw a punch and it wasn’t aimed at Rose, she was just in the wrong place, it still collided with her. 

“Son of a bitch!” Turning unphased by the hit she slammed her fist into his face, ultimately knocking him out. Rounding on the other guy, who now stood there with his hands up she spoke. “Are you next?” she threatened clenching her fist at her side. He shook his head and took a few steps back away from her. “That’s what I thought, get ‘em all outta here,” she shouted towards the bouncers who were now coming in to see what was happening. 

Dimitri watched from behind the bar as Rose got clipped by the flying fist, he had moved to go and help but Christian stopped him. 

“Rose can handle herself and she will only be more pissed if you step in,” he spoke as softly as he could in a blaring club watching the torn expression on Dimitri’s face. He could see that he didn’t think it was right letting her handle it alone, but the look of surprise and smugness showed him that Rose had now knocked the guy out without even looking in her direction. 

“Now that’s hot,” Dimitri groaned, blowing out a long breath as he watched Rose lay out the guy and then turn on the other. After that things cleared up pretty quick the three of them were herded out by the bouncers and Rose was heading back towards them. Christian only laughed and went back to serving. “Ice?” he offered, dropping a handful into a towel and passing it to her.

“And vodka.” Rose added, pulling herself up to sit on the bar. She swiveled around so her feet were hanging on the inside and her back was to the crowd. 

Dimitri poured her vodka then handed it over. “Let me look,” he said, touching the hand that held the ice to her head. She pulled it away and he could already see the bruise forming, she would have a headache in the morning. “You do realise you’re meant to move out of the way of flying fists?” he teased, letting her put the ice back. 

“Shut up,” she glared, kicking him in the stomach with her foot. He caught it and held onto it. They stared at each other, he was smiling and Rose just wasn’t sure what she was doing. Her breathing had hitched when his hand caught her and the spark she felt was real. They’re gazes were caught and neither of them were breaking eye contact. Her skin felt like fire under his touch, such an easy, platonic touch was driving her wild and never had she felt such desire for a man. 

“Rose! Stop eye fucking the Russian and help me out!” Rose snapped her head to Christian’s direction, spotting the fact that all of a sudden most of the club had decided to come and get a drink all at the same time. She huffed a sigh, pulled her foot from Dimitri’s grasp and hopped off the bar. 

“Time to get moving Comrade.” Rose grinned, throwing the man a wink as she sauntered off down the bar, stopping at the first group of students and taking note of their order. 

#dimitri belikov #rosemary hathaway #dimitri x rose #dimitri belikov x rosemary hathaway #vampire academy #vampire academy fanfiction #written beginnings fanfiction

[kyuublu]

Quick Thrills

Kyoutani Kentaro x reader

Underground Fighter AU

Part One

Song rec: Monks - Frank Ocean

5 YEARS BEFORE

The smell of booze and smoke was a thing I got used to pretty quickly, did I ever grow fond of it? Not really.

“Y/N, take out the trash wouldya?” My boss approached me from the side before taking the glass I had previously cleaned. “Yes, Sir.” I gave him a quick nod, making my way towards the back door of the small bar.

With the trash in both hands I leaned against the door, pushing my way into the cold night air. A couple of barking dogs could be heard in the distance. As I approached the garbage containers, another sound got my attention. Heavy breathing.

I turned to look at the alley behind me. A figure was uncomfortably slumped against the wall, panting like their life depended on it. Oh, its him again. After recognizing the stranger, I carelessly threw the trash into the container and decided to approach him.

“Got your ass beat again, huh?” I was a little cockier than usual, probably due to a couple of shots I had to share with some customers. The boy looked up, a bit taken back from the sudden encounter. He huffed out a chuckle and looked back to the ground.

“You should’ve seen how they looked like.”

If you looked close enough, you could make out a small glimpse of a smirk, hidden behind his harsh frown. “What a shame, I would’ve loved to see that. I only ever see you around here, all beaten up.” The boy was shaking slightly. After effects of the adrenaline probably.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go, so...” He declared, not once meeting my gaze. I only hummed in response and quickly looked at the watch on my wrist.

“My shift ends in 10 minutes. You can come over to my place after that.” His brows furrowed even more at the last comment, making me laugh a bit. He didn’t even look flustered. “I’m pretty good at handling wounds, ya know. My dad was a nurse.” Finally he turned to meet my eye. Silence.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

A grin plastered across my face, I always liked people who didn’t talk too much.

5 YEARS LATER

As I applied yet another coat of the clear liquid across my lips, my confidence visibly rose. A quick look in the mirror only confirmed my thoughts. I looked ready to manipulate yet another man.

After leaving the mess of a bathroom I was in, I quickly spotted my partner in crime.

“Is this really necessary again?”

Kyoutani Kentaro.

One of the new upcoming fighters in the underground scene in tokyo. After years of training and beating himself to the top (literally), he has finally reached the potential of becoming the best of the best. Of course, he didn’t get that far all on his own though.

“Yes Kentaro, you know how we play.” I gave him a side glance before walking up to the bar to get another drink. “Wasn’t your plan to play fair? When did that change?” He grumble as he began leaning against the counter. His eyes were wandering around the crowd until they focused on a certain spot in the VIP section. “Oh come on, that was years ago!” I waved off his attempts at leaving the club early. I knew only wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.

“Making connections, knowing your crowd. That’s what will get you even further than any of those fools that you fight against.” Holding his gaze for a minute I turned back to look for the VIP section. “You mean, milking rich guys for their money.” His brow perked up in expectation. He knew what I was doing, but he also knew it worked everytime.

“How about this? I go and get the big bad rich guys to bet on you-“ I walked infront of my dear friend as I poked his chest playfully. “And you introduce yourself, act nice for a bit and then excuse yourself because you need some rest before the game tomorrow.” The man only let out a dry chuckle before shrugging “That was my plan from the start.”

After introducing ourselves to most of the investors that were lingering around the VIP section, one caught my eye specifically. It was always the same type of guy. I could already feel the disgust of my working partner when the man shook my hand with the biggest smirk.

“Please tell me you’re going home with that guy. Anyone but him.”

“Come on ken! You know the guys I go for... And he’s one of the biggest investors for-“

Before Kyoutani could listen to any more of my drunk bullshit he stopped me with a pat on the shoulder. “Just call me if this idiot pulls some funny shit.” I giggled and nodded my head like a little kid, only to so him roll his eyes. He knew what I was getting myself into again, and he’d let me do it again.

The apartment I was currently in must’ve been huge. As soon as the investor guy, that had previously introduced himself as Atsumu, and I had entered the place there was a huge glass wall. It provided a view of the whole city. The rest was just a blurr due to his lips crashing on mine as soon as we stepped in.

“So you and Kentaro.. Is there something serious between y’all?” His voice only sounding like a whisper next to my ear. I put my head back for a second and looked him dead in the eye.

“Are you serious? I’m his manager.” I grabbed his face closer before he could make another dumb comment. Suddenly Atsumu backed away again with a smirk. “So what? Just because ya work for somebody doesn’t mean it can’t become more.”

I noticed pretty quickly that his while personality seemed to revolve around teasing people. He got off on making people visibly uncomfortable.

“Don’t compare my working ethics with your flings at the office.” The fake blonde only scoffed before guiding my hips against his more forcefully. This was gonna be a long night.

“Ya really think he’s gonna win?”

“I don’t think so, I know it.”

[Kyoutani POV]

She always does this shit. That was the first thing I thought as soon as I heard the door open at 9 am. My eyes snapped shut as she wandered around the room, clumsily getting out of her clothes and looking for the couch in the dark. The smell of alcohol filling the room caught my attention as I peaked through my barely shut eyes.

She often slept in underwear, but I still didn’t get used to the feeling it gave me when I saw her walking around so carelessly. Y/n finally found the end of the couch and slowly sprawled herself onto it. I could only see her feet peaking out from the side. I hated when she came home like that. At this point it wasn’t just reckless, she just seemed pathetic.

1st Fight

[Y/N POV]

“Aran! You looking fine as always, I see.” The man held out his arms invitingly at the sight of me. “And you haven’t changed a bit, y/n.”

After letting go from the crushing hug, I frowned at his response. “I hope that’s a compliment.”

“I would never mock you, my friend.” He patted me on the shoulder until his eyes met Kentaros behind me. The fighter wore his usual frown, which was only accentuated by the black eyeliner under his eyes.

“I’m guessing you’re the infamous Mad dog I’ve been hearing about.” Aran held out his hand but was only met with another cold stare and somewhat of a grunt. I only sighed at his behavior. He always gets weird around new people, or just almost anyone besides me in general actually. I pushed his figure towards the door Aran had previously opened for us. “Sorry, he’s always a little grumpy before a fight.” The old friend only nodded and gave Kentaro a quick glance before entering after us. He was probably weirded out like most people who met him.

“You always seem to know someone, any place we go.” Kyoutani was trudging beside me now as we headed towards the lockers.

“Well yea, you always get to know some people when you work at a bar.”

“You quit like 2 years ago.” He huffed out.

“Like I said, you gotta know your crowd and thankfully I did enough research before we entered this scene.” My friend didn’t seem to convinced as he side eyed me. Poking his side I teasingly grinned up at him.

“Just appreciate my efforts, you big baby.”

[Kyoutani POV]

After hitting my last punch I knew it was over for the guy. His eyes only showing fear before I could draw out another swing to his face. I could feel the excitement taking over me when his body landed on the floor. I knew what was coming next.

“The Winner is... Maddog!”

The referee held up my hand before the guy could even stand up properly. At this point even the small crowd of people surrounding the ring weren’t paying attention to the guy who was knocked out. Everyone seemed ecstatic.

My eyes immediately found y/n’s. Without a doubt this was the best thing about winning a fight. The cheering from the crowd was nothing against the look she gave me every single time I won. Just for a moment, it felt like I was the only one she had eyes for. A genuine smile began forming on my lips when I saw her chanting with the crowd. Sadly the moment was over way too fast.

A sudden pat on the shoulder pulled me back into reality. The referee and I spoke a quick word and then I headed out of the ring. Back at the lockers I had just calmed back down again. The adrenaline usually stayed for a couple more hours after a fight but this time it didn’t seem to go down until a certain y/h/c came into view. She held out a big chunk of money in her hand and waved it around proudly. I couldn’t hold back my smile.

“Look at my boy taking big money home tonight.” Tossing the money on the spot next to me, y/n began to come closer. “I’m proud of you.” Her smile was wholeheartedly this time again until her gaze focused back on the money.

“But don’t get too cocky for now. You know who’s coming up next.” I nodded slowly in acknowledgement. “Come on, let’s get outta here.”

After walking for what felt like hours, we finally ended up at a bus stop where a bus was already waiting for us. Not just for us though.

“Really? One of those travel buses again?”

The woman beside me sighed again at my clear frustration. “Kyoutani, you know we can’t afford some freaking limousine.” Rolling my eyes at her exaggeration, I trudged after her into the vehicle. “We could’ve at least took a train or something.” This time she didn’t reply but only showed the driver our information. After handling that, we made our way towards our seats.

I was beat after this fight, but I sure as hell wasn’t to happy about having to sleep on an uncomfortable bus seat.

“Hey, I’m sorry dude but we just can’t spend the money on whatever we feel like.” It was clear that she genuinely felt bad about the situation. I shrugged as I took the seat next to her and threw my head back.

“It’s alright, I trust you with the organizing and stuff. You’re the boss after all.” The woman suddenly perked up at the ‘boss’ remark.

“Uhh so I’m your boss now, huh? I thought I was just your little assistant that takes care of you.”

My cheeks almost began to turn red until I pushed her shoulder playfully. “Sh-Shut up ya idiot.” Her giggles filled the rustling inside the bus and made my knees weak simultaneously.

Thank god I was already sitting.

[Y/N POV]

Kyoutani was out in minutes after the bus left the station. I looked over his awkwardly placed form. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was slightly tilted to the side.

My brows furrowed once I took in the current state of his body. He had scratches and blue spots here and there but that couldn’t compare to the pure exhaustion that was emitting from him. I knew this routine took a toll on him but everytime he came out of a fight I just felt bad. It was always a mystery to me why he had started fighting in the first place. The only thing I knew was his background of causing a lot of trouble in high school until he got kicked out of his home.

Thankfully our paths crossed pretty soon after and I took him in after finding him all busted on the streets. The idea of being his manager came when I first saw him fight in an underground competition.

My job at the bar only kept me somewhat afloat and my life seemed to be spiraling into a continuous cycle of depression.

Back then his fascination with fighting might have been out of pure need for thrill, but I was truly amazed by it. His drive shook me awake from that weird state I was in.

But it was still strange to me, what did he keep doing it for?

This guy got me way too worried. I shrugged off my thoughts, carefully placing my head against his shoulder. I slowly lulled my way into sleep as I took in the scenery of the drive to our next destination.

Shibuya

____

Hope u guys enjoyed another AU fic. Also Part 2 is coming pretty soon!

#hq x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x reader #kyoutani x reader #kyotani kentaro x reader #kentarou x reader #haikyuu!! #haikyuu au #kyotani kentaro x y/n #kyoutani kentarou

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Lion

Summary: Bruised and bleeding, Tommy Shelby ends up in Alfie’s office. Alfie doesn’t care about his condition, but there is someone who does. Alfie’s cousin. 

//This got much longer than I expected, enjoy!

            There was only one woman who worked at the Aerated Bread Company of Camden Town and for very good reason. A distillery wasn’t the place for a woman, according to Alfie Solomons. Especially not a good Jewish woman from a good Jewish family.

            And yet, Ariel Solomons still managed to wrangle a job out of her cousin. Nothing fancy, just as his assistant, managing his diary and calls. But it was a job.

             Alfie’s dog greeted Ariel at the door of the bakery. She stopped for a moment to give him a pat before making her way to her cousin’s office. Greeting a few familiar faces as she went, she strolled down the familiar halls of the bakery. Almost blind to the smell of rum after all the time she’d spent there.

            Ollie was lingering around outside Alfie’s office, keeping his eyes on the windows looking in.

            “’Morning, Ollie.” Ariel greeted and went to knock on the door before the man stopped her.

            “He’s talking to someone.”

            “I’ll just be a minute.” She didn’t have any qualms about flitting in and out of Alfie’s office. Unless he was negotiating with someone like Sabini, she would interrupt. Ariel knew that her cousin liked things done quickly. So, when something needed to be signed, she got it to him as soon as she could just to avoid a tongue lashing about procrastination.

            “I really wouldn’t-” Ollie tried to stop her again but she entered anyway.

            Ariel paused when she saw her cousin pointing a gun at the dark-haired man on the other side of his desk. She cleared her throat. “Erm…I’ve got contracts for you, Alfie.”

            The dark-haired man glanced over his shoulder. Ariel wasn’t sure what to look at first. His remarkably blue eyes? Or the fact that one of those eyes was completely red from internal bleeding.

            Alfie muttered something unpleasant under his breath and lowered his gun. “Give ‘em here.” He waved her over.

            Ariel approached the desk and showed him the papers and where to sign. As Alfie glanced over them, she looked up at the stranger.

            The blue-eyed man looked worse for wear. He’d clearly been through some trauma. That’s when his nose started to bleed.

            “Oh-oh, you’re um…” Frantically, Ariel dug into her skirt pocket to retrieve a handkerchief. “Oh dear, you’re bleeding.” She gestured to her nose.

            Alfie frowned. “Fucking hell, Tommy, they really beat the shit outta you didn’t they?”

            Tommy took the cloth from her and held it to his nose. “I’m here on business, Mr. Solomons, not to talk about personal matters.”

            “Have you been to hospital?” Ariel asked, ignoring the disapproving look of her cousin.

            He looked up at her. “Yes.”

            “And they released you in this state?”

            Alfie set the papers down and stood up. “Alright, love, time to go. Got more to talk ‘bout with Mr. Shelby.” He tried to usher his cousin out of the room, making little shooing motions with his hands.

            “Alfie, he’s hurt, he’s in no condition to be here right now. He ought to go back to the hospital.” She argued and stood her ground skirting around him.

            “He made it here well enough, yeah, he can sit and fucking talk.”

            Ariel crossed her arms over her chest. “As a registered nurse…”

            “Oh, fuck off with that. Will you? Will you give it a rest? You want to fucking go ‘round saying you’re a nurse then go work at a fucking hospital.”

            “Don’t speak to me that way.” She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t care if you’re the boss or not, I’m family.”

            Alfie let out a sigh and considered the consequences of yelling at his cousin. Should it get around the family he would get a serious talking to from his aunt, who, despite her age, could still pack a wallop.

            She’s your cousin, Alfred, and you treat her with such disrespect. What would your mother say? What would your father say?

            It would cost him time he didn’t have.

            “Fine, not like it’s me own fucking business or anything.” He muttered. “Congrats, Mr. Shelby, you’ve officially become her patient. In fact, yeah, since it’s such a fucking urgent matter, best you use me office, don’t want to move him, he’s too fragile, ain’t he? Can’t have him shattering to pieces, no, no.” The sarcasm was more than obvious but Ariel ignored him. “The well-being of a fucking Peaky Blinder is in me best interest and me fucking number one priority right now!” The man continued to rant as he left the office, slamming the door behind him.

            Ariel rolled her eyes and pulled up a chair to sit beside the man. “I apologize for his behavior.”

            “I don’t need any help.” He told her in a deep but steady voice.

            “Can you face me?”

            Tommy seemed to get the picture that the woman was persistent. If she could stand up to a man like Alfie, she wouldn’t have a problem with standing up to him. He turned the chair slightly towards here, the movement making him wince.

            “What happened?” She leaned forward and lightly touched his face to examine his eyes and the cut on his cheek. His nose had stopped bleeding, luckily.

            “I fell.”

            She snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, that’s what all the men ‘round here say. They fell. You lot are very unsteady on your feet apparently.”

            Tommy studied her face as she studied his. “You’re family to Alfie?” 

            She smiled slightly. “I’m his cousin. But I also work as his assistant.”

            “But you’re a nurse.”

            Ariel moved her hands to his hair to see if there were any knots. Her fingers moved quickly but gently. “I was a nurse in the war.” She explained. “Alfie said that if I took care of him and his men with their various injuries then he’d pay me more than any hospital would. I just have to keep his planner and answer the phones too.”

            “Ah.”

            “You’re Tommy Shelby?”

            “You’ve heard of me.”

            “I was the one who received your telegram and passed it along to Alfie.” Her hands dropped to gently press his ribs.

            Tommy couldn’t help the knee-jerk reaction of pain when she pressed into his broken ribs. He jolted away from her with a wince.

            Ariel withdrew. “Can I see?” She requested.

            He hesitated. Only moments before Alfie Solomons was threatening him with a gun. Now his cousin was trying to take care of him. It seemed suspicious. Maybe she was just a plant, there to figure out his weaknesses. Tommy hated appearing weak, especially when it came to injuries sustained from being jumped.

            But the woman’s touch was so gentle and there was a look of care in her ocean-blue eyes.

            Tommy unbuttoned his coat and waistcoat before untucking his shirt. Ariel lifted the fabric with care and took a look at his ribs.

            “Some fall you took.” She remarked while running her fingers over the severely bruised area. “You should have these wrapped as soon as you can. It would be best if you went back to the hospital but I’m guessing you left on your own accord. No doctor in their right mind would release you like this.”

            He nodded. Well, the girl was clever, he had to give her that.

            “Where are you off to after this?” She asked, lowering his shirt.

            “Back to Birmingham.” He answered and buttoned up his waistcoat again.

            Her brow furrowed. “I wouldn’t travel in your condition.

            Tommy adjusted his coat collar. “I got here just fine.”

            “That’s all well and good, Mr. Shelby, but it doesn’t mean you should have. If you don’t have your injuries taken care of properly then you’ll only make your recovery longer.”

            “I’m aware.”

            The door opened and Alfie came back in. Without knocking, it was his office after all even if his cousin was treating it like a private exam room. “Alright, check-up’s over. Mr. Shelby, you want to make a deal, let’s get this over with.”

            “Alfie…”

            “Ariel, so good to see you, love.” He gathered up the contracts, all signed, and stuffed them back in her hands. “Give me best to your mum. I’ll be ‘round for Sabbath soon, all in good time.”

            She didn’t budge. “Alfie.”

            “In the meantime, back to work with ya. Head on out, on you go.”

            “Nice to meet you, Ariel.” Tommy gave her a nod.

            The woman sighed and stood up. “Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Shelby.” She gave her cousin a glare before leaving with the papers in hand.

            Tommy watched her leave, a little struck that one of Alfie’s relatives was so gentle. It wasn’t too much of a shock how headstrong she was though.

            Unfortunately, Alfie took notice. Caught Tommy’s eyes lingering on her with a bit of interest playing in them. “You know what her name means, mate?”

            The Blinder blinked a few times and turned to face him again. “No, I don’t.” The origin of names wasn’t something he wasted time on.

            “It’s Hebrew.” Alfie crossed his arms over his chest. “Means lion of God. Usually a boy’s name, right, but when she were born, she screamed like a fucking lion’s cub. Just a little thing tryna roar. We call her Ari, just means lion.”

            “Thank you for the education.” Tommy replied, not too interested in the woman’s name. More so on who she was as a person.

            “Best you listen.” Alfie leaned forward. “She’s got a bite to her, right? But the worse you’re gonna get is from me. I ever catch word that you’ve been bothering her, you’ll wish I’d’ve thrown you into a lion’s den instead.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~`

            Tommy was still limping as he left the bakery.         

            “So, who beat you up?”

            He glanced over his shoulder to see Ariel was loitering by the front doors of the building. “Men.”

            She raised an eyebrow. “Well, I didn’t think a horse kicked your ribs in.”

            He smiled and shook his head. “Nope, not a horse.” He turned back around and headed for the barge.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Alfie was clever. Clever enough to know that under no circumstances would he allow his cousin, a bright, kind, respectable Jewish woman associate with a violent, shady, dangerous gangster.

            Therefore, if Tommy Shelby was ever in Camden Town for business, Ariel was sent across the city to run an errand that really didn’t need to be done. Alfie didn’t care when she came back complaining about how ludicrous it was. She didn’t know Tommy had been there and Tommy hadn’t seen her.

            What Alfie couldn’t anticipate was the result of a bad decision and a couple of years passing by. His aunt insisted that Ariel needed to be wed.

            What will become of her if we don’t arrange a marriage now? She’ll be alone the rest of her life? No husband? No children? It’s a disgrace, Alfie!

            And as the unofficial head of the family, it suddenly became his job to find a suitable husband for his cousin. Thing was, not many men in the Jewish community were keen on marrying into the same family as Alfie Solomons. Sure, they’d be marrying into wealth, but at what cost?

            Eventually, Alfie found someone who would accept the large dowry at the risk of being under Alfie’s thumb for the foreseeable future.

            He delivered the news to his cousin that he’d arranged a match. Ariel laughed in his face, told him to go to hell, and left.

            After the hard work he put into finding a husband, Alfie wasn’t happy. He told his aunt that either Ariel agreed to the match or she would no longer be supported by the family. Ariel, again, told him to go to hell, packed up her things, and left that night.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Tommy was flitting in and out of consciousness as he was wheeled down the hall. The walls seemed to convulse around him and the ceiling spun.

            “We’ve got an arrival for surgery.” The man wheeling the gurney announced. “Make way please. Nurse, if you’d administer the anesthetics.”

            “Yes-oh my goodness.”

            The voice responding was so familiar. But Tommy’s brain had turned to mush and he couldn’t place it to a face or a name.

            “Tommy?”

            He slipped back under before he could see her face.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Tommy was in and out for quite some time after his surgery. But the first time he was lucid, he found himself practically bolted to the bed. His head was locked into a metal brace and his body felt like it had been changed to nothing but lead. His throat was dry and his vision was still fuzzy.

            “Did that horse come back to get you, Tommy?”

            It began to dawn on him, the voice belonged to Ariel. The woman he hadn’t seen in years. He wanted to say something or at least smile but he couldn’t seem to do either. Nothing in his body was responding to his brain.

            “It’s okay.” She walked over and touched his arm. “You won’t be able to do much for a short while. You had major surgery and it’ll take time to recover. But you’re in good hands.” She placed her index and middle finger against his palm. “Can you try to squeeze my hand?”

            It was like he was hitting a hundred walls just trying to move his muscles. Something so simple was suddenly so agonizing. But he relented and managed to weakly move his fingers to wrap around hers.

            “Good, much better than I expected.” She said encouragingly. “Are you in pain?”

            He couldn’t even manage to focus for long enough to find out if he was in pain or not. But he lightly squeezed her hand again to agree.

            “Okay, I’ll bring you morphine. It’ll most likely make you fall back asleep. But you need as much rest as you can get right now.”

            Tommy started to nod off again, not able to move or even think he couldn’t convey much to her anyway.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~          

            It wasn’t too long until Tommy was able to speak again. Yet, for the most part he was immobile. The brace, as Ariel explained, was a precaution. The doctor didn’t want him moving his head and causing more damage.       

            “You’ve got quite the will to live, Mr. Shelby. If you had arrived any later, you’d surely be dead by now. A miracle you survived at all.” The surgeon had said.

            Tommy didn’t feel very lucky. He felt duped and defeated. And since he couldn’t move, there was nothing he could do but lay there and think. Think about all the mistakes he made, the ways he could’ve gotten the upper hand, things he could’ve done to further protect himself. But hindsight was only making him more disgruntled.

            It was fortunate he had Ariel. While the other nurses took good care of him, Ariel paid him special attention. He wasn’t sure if it was because they had met before or he was in such a sorry state. Either way, he didn’t question it much. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he adored the attention she gave him. In one of his most vulnerable and darkest times in his life, he had a little ray of sunshine.  

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~          

            “’Morning, Tommy.” Ariel walked into the room and went to open the blinds to let in some daylight.

            Tommy awoke, groggy and disoriented. He still wasn’t accustomed to waking up in the hospital, let alone waking up in the state he was left in.

            “Breakfast will be ‘round soon. Can I get you water?” Ariel paused to hear a grunt of confirmation. Although he’d regained his speech, sometimes it was delayed, especially in the morning when he was half asleep. She walked over to pour him a glass from the pitcher beside his hospital bed. “Did you sleep alright?” She wondered.

            “No.” He muttered and tried to shift into a more comfortable position.

            “Did you ask the night nurse to give you something to help you sleep?” She helped him sit up, propping a few extra pillows behind him to support him.

            “No.” He ran a hand over his face, stifling a yawn.

            “Why not?” She tried to hide her disappointment. Never had she met a more stubborn patient than Tommy. He hardly ate, refused aid in moving, and rarely slept.

            “That shit you’ve been giving me s’making me see things.” He replied grumpily.

            “What kind of things are you seeing?” She handed him the glass of water, making sure it was steady in his hand before she let go.

            His blue eyes met her face. There was a long pause between them before he raised the glass to his lips.

            Ariel sighed and made herself busy by adjusting the sheets on his bed. “Well, hallucinations can be common. But you need sleep to heal faster, Tommy.” She reminded him.

            He didn’t say anything else in response, happy to let the subject drop before she made a bigger deal out of it. He let her take the glass from him and he reached for his cigarettes. His hand trembled as he stuck the smoke between his lips and attempted to light it.

            Ariel let him struggle for a few moments before she offered. “You won’t get any better if you keep at it like this?”

            “Like what?” He went to run a hand through his hair but caught himself. Half his head was still shaved, the stitches were still in place. Ariel would scold him if he touched the sutures. So, he clenched his fingers and let his hand fall to his lap.

            “Being stubborn. You can’t heal on your own, you know. You need others to help you. That’s the way life is.” Ariel put her hands on her hips, facing him with a stern look. “You can’t carry the world on your shoulders.”

            Tommy raised his brow as if he was actually responsive to her advice, even when he wasn’t. He’d been carrying the world on his shoulders for a long time. He didn’t intend on stopping.

            “Is your sister coming to see you soon?” Ariel moved closer towards him to check his stitches. It was her job, after all, not trying to get him to be more receptive to help.

            “Not sure, why do you ask?”

            The nurse shrugged. “You always seem to be in a better mood when she comes around. She’s very important to you.”

            Tommy hadn’t realized that she’d taken notice of his relationship with Ada. “Am I in a bad mood the other times?”

            “I wouldn’t say a bad mood, although the other nurses call you surly.” She informed him with a scolding tone. “You’re prickly, I can agree with them on that. But none of us are going through what you are so I suppose we aren’t ones to judge.”

            He almost laughed. Prickly. He’d murdered men with his bare hands before and she was calling him prickly. “I don’t like being like this.”

            “I doubt anyone would. Major brain surgery isn’t something to look forward to.” Ariel began cleaning around his stitches, taking as much care to be gentle.

            “Just being helpless.” He mumbled and exhaled a breath of smoke. “I want to be able to leave this fucking place.”

            “Then you need to listen to me. Listen to the doctor and you’ll be out of here sooner. If you’re stubborn, it’ll take longer. Trust me. I’m only here to help you.” Ariel made sure he was supported enough by the pillows and cleaned up the empty glass of water. “Breakfast will be here soon.”

            “Thank you.” Tommy stubbed out his cigarette and watched her leave.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

            One morning, another nurse woke Tommy up. This was uncommon because it was usually Ariel who was there first thing to check on him. He blearily looked around to make sure he was in the same room. Paranoia had gotten to him and he was afraid his enemies would find where he was being treated.

            “Good morning, Mr. Shelby.” The nurse greeted with less warmth in her voice than Ariel’s always had.

            “Where’s Ariel?” His throat was scratchy from the long night’s sleep, aided by medication.

            “It’s her day off.” She replied. “She’ll be back Tuesday.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

            That put Tommy in a sour mood. He denied breakfast and sulked most of the morning, not giving more than one worded answers to the staff.

            Until about two in the afternoon when the door opened. Tommy looked over, surprised to see Ariel dressed in her normal clothing instead of the uniform she worked in.

            “They said it was your day off.” He looked confused.

            “It is.” She came in, taking off her coat and hat. “So, you should be grateful I’m here at work to keep you company.” She smiled and pulled up a chair.

            Tommy was still a bit perplexed but her presence already put him more at ease. “Aye? To do what? Lecture me more?” He teased.

            She laughed softly and sat down near his bed. “Your sister said you weren’t happy that you couldn’t read with your headaches. And since I can’t read to you while I’m working, I figured…” She shrugged and set down her purse, sheepishly looking at him.

            “You figured…”

            “If you don’t want me to stay then I can go. I know I’m coming in unannounced, I just thought we seemed to get along well enough and it’s only your sister coming to visit-”

            “I want you to stay.”

            Ariel smiled and reached into her purse. “Well, I’m not sure what you like to read. But I have taken to this Agatha Christie novel. I just enjoy the mystery of it all.”

            Tommy liked to see her outside of work, shyly telling him about things she enjoyed. It removed him the hospital setting even just in spirit. Sure, they were still there, but she created a different environment for him to settle into.

            “Now, I’ve already started it but I’m not too far in. I can go back and start from the beginning just so you’re not confused.” She held up the book to him, one hand touching the cover almost affectionately.

            “Of course.” He nodded. “Wouldn’t want to miss any of it.”

            Excited that he had taken to the idea, Ariel got comfortable and opened to the first page. She cleared her throat before “’The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as the Styles Case has now somewhat subsided’”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            It became a routine for them before either of them realized. On her days off, Ariel came with The Mysterious Affair at Styles. They exchanged pleasantries, she asked how he was and he wondered if she was having a nice day off. Sometimes they talked about their lives. She learned that he had been married and had a child before he lost his wife. He found out what transpired between her and her family regarding the botched betrothal. Then, Ariel began to read. When she noticed Tommy start to doze off, she marked the line but continued reading. That way, he would still lull off to sleep, but when she returned with the book she would start from where he started to nod off so he didn’t miss anything.

            “’No, right the other side of the room. Why? Poirot shrugged his shoulders. I wondered. That is all.’ Oh, did I skip a line…oh no, sorry.”

            “Ariel?” Tommy piped up when she broke away from the book’s text.

            “Hm?” She looked up.

            “When I’m discharged here, will you come and stay at Arrow House with me?”

            Ariel couldn’t help her lips from popping open in shock. “In Warwickshire? Why?”

            “I would like someone there just to make sure I’m still healing correctly.” It was a feeble excuse, Tommy knew that. But he needed something. He was afraid that when he left the hospital, he wouldn’t see Ariel again. That was something he wouldn’t settle with. He had grown far too fond of her company. “I would pay you and you could stay in the house. Anything you needed you could have. I would take care of you.”

            She stared at him with a look of disbelief. What he was offering was so unbelievable. It started off sounding like a job offer but it was starting to morph into something else. What it was, she wasn’t exactly sure. “Tommy…”

            “I just wanted-” Never before had he been so at a loss for words in front of her. “I didn’t want to stop seeing you.”

            Ariel slowly dog-eared the page they were on and closed the book. “So, you want me to move in with you. To work for you?”

            He nodded. His hair had grown back in for the most part and he looked less gaunt and pale. It wouldn’t be more than a week before he was discharged to go home. Once he could walk on his own without assistance, which he was close to. He could get up and wander around the room for a bit. He’d taken to walking slowly down the hall, Ariel by his side to make sure he didn’t get faint or weak. By the time he was home, he wouldn’t need her. Yet, he was offering her a job as a live-in nurse. To do what?

            “You won’t need me for longer than a week, Tommy.” She reminded him even though she didn’t want to admit it. Being a nurse, she liked to help everyone. But Tommy was special to her. She couldn’t exactly place a finger on it. Just like when they first met in Alfie’s office. She didn’t know why she was drawn to the mysterious man. But when he spoke so fondly of his son, the light in his blue eyes was irresistible. When she coaxed a smile from him, her heart skipped a beat. The highlight of her day was seeing him.

            “I need you.” His words came out vulnerable and almost breathless. He wouldn’t look away from her though, he was serious.

            “I-” She stammered for a moment. “I need you too.” She whispered in response.

            The relief on his face was evident. She had no idea how long he was planning to ask her to stay at Arrow House. Worried she would pull away, he kept putting it off. But now things were in place. Everything would be okay.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

            “’What is it, mon ami? Nothing, I said sadly. They are two delightful women. And neither of them is for you, finished Poirot. Never mind. Console yourself, my friend. We may hunt together again, who knows. And then’”

            Tommy had his face turned up to the dull sunlight that was straining to break through the moody gray sky. He was reclined back in the wrought iron chair that was placed out in the expansive lawn of Arrow House. He opened one eye to glance over at Ariel when she stopped abruptly. “And then what?”

            “That’s it. That’s the end.” She shut the now worn book and set it on the table in front of them.

            “Hm." He frowned and closed his eye again.

            “Did you like it?” She wondered.

            “I liked you reading it to me.”

            Ariel smiled and reached over to touch his hand. She had been at Arrow House for two weeks and it had been the best decision of her life. Charlie had taken to her, enjoying her company. The little boy was just as happy to have his father back home.

            And Tommy. Well, he was something else outside of the hospital. Not in a bad way, it was just good to see him settling back into his own life. Being able to do things on his own and resuming the confident airs he had before. But since Ariel had seen him at his weakest, he entrusted a great deal in her.

            He kissed her for the first time after she wished him a good night. He was so much gentler than she expected. After what he’d been through, she expected him to be tough towards everything in life. But he wasn’t guarded with her.

            Although the arrangement was strange and Ariel wasn’t sure where it would lead, she was more than happy to follow.

            “Well, I suppose it’s perfect timing,” Tommy said as he opened his eyes and saw Mary coming across the lawn to talk to them. “I have a meeting soon.”

            Although Ariel protested, he was already getting back into work. She urged him to lay low just a bit longer but it was difficult to keep him in a calm state.

            “Mr. Shelby, your brothers are here.” Mary said when she was close enough. “And a man who’s only called himself the Wandering Jew.”

            Tommy didn’t seem as perplexed with the odd moniker. He simply sat up with a sigh and let Ariel’s hand slip from his. “I’ll be back, you relax.” He told her and kissed the top of her dark hair.

            Ariel looked confused. Wandering Jew? What on Earth? But she just nodded and watched him and Mary walk back to the massive estate. She tried to take it easy and soak up what little sun there was out. But she couldn’t get her mind to stop running amok.

            Then, she suddenly sat up with a gasp.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Tommy was about to tell Alfie that he was in need of glasses when the door to his study opened.

            Ariel and Alfie stared at each other, both completely at a loss for why the other was there.

            “Ariel Solomons, have you lost your fucking mind?” Alfie went from zero to a hundred within seconds. “The whole fucking family has been looking for you for months!” He shouted. “We’ve ‘bout lost our damn minds ‘cause you decided to disappear off the face of the fucking planet! Now you end up at Tommy Fucking Shelby’s?” He stormed towards her with an angry look.

            “Don’t speak to me like that. There’s a reason I left!” She had no issue raising her voice right back at him.

            “It’s tradition, Ariel, you’re acting like a child!”

            “Fuck tradition, you just want to control me.” She spat back at him and lifted her chin, unafraid of her cousin.

            Alfie grunted and turned around to face Tommy. “As for you, mate, I fucking told ya to stay the hell away from her. Now she’s here? I swear I’m gonna fucking shoot you, Tommy.” He growled and a hand went to his waistband.

            “If you touch him I’ll kill you.” Ariel snarled. “So don’t even threaten him.”

            Alfie looked utterly at a loss for words. When on Earth had this all happened? His cousin disappeared and he finds her shacked up with a Shelby? It was like the worst was happening all at once. What would their family all say? “You can’t be serious!”

            “I love him. I’m serious about that.” She asserted and moved to stand beside Tommy.

            “Love? You don’t know what love is, Ari.” He scoffed.

            “And you do?” She shot back. “You’ve never loved anyone!”

            Alfie’s eyes narrowed at her. “This ain’t happening.” He desperately tried to get a hold of the situation.

            “It’s already happened. You can’t stop it.”

            “Alfie, I don’t intend on letting you breaking up our relationship.” Tommy finally spoke up. His stance protective by Ariel. “If this will be an issue then it’s an issue between us. It doesn’t involve her.”

            Alfie threw his hands up with a noise of frustration. “Fucking hell you two are gonna drive me mad!” He exclaimed. “What do you think this is gonna do to your mother, aye? What’ll she think? What’ll Camden think? We’ll be the fucking laughingstock of London!”

            Ariel crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t care. Tommy makes me happy.”

            “Happy. Love, you don’t know what the fuck that man’s capable of. You can’t be happy with him.”

            “What sort of things do you do?” She retorted angrily. “Was I ever safe with you? Was I ever safe with our family? How can you even say that?”

            Alfie was starting to realize he was losing the fight. “Can’t fucking believe this.” He turned away from them, running a hand over his mouth. “Fuck’s sake.”

            Ariel reached for Tommy’s hand, refusing to let her cousin tear them apart.

            “Alfie, you know I wouldn’t hurt her.” Tommy’s voice softened.

            The man wanted to bring up Grace’s death but the words wouldn’t come out. He let out an exasperated sigh and faced them again. Knowing how stubborn his cousin was, he knew he wasn’t going to win. “I apologize for having good sense.” He muttered.

            A small smile formed on Ariel’s lips when she realized Alfie was turning around. “I’ll never stop caring about our family, Alfie, but I can’t help who I love.”

            Alfie grimaced and pointed his cane at Tommy. “If you fuck up, I’m going to put your head on a pike outside me bakery.” He threatened with all the intention in the world.

            Tommy nodded. “I’d expect nothing less.”

            He glared at the two of them for a moment. “Fucking hell.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Fine. Fine. Stubborn git.” He muttered.

            Tommy sneaked a smile to Ariel whose eyes lit up with triumph.

           Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @giftofdreams @biba3434 @kimmietea

Masterlist 

#alfie solomons #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x oc #tommy shelbyxoc #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby one shot #one shot #fanfiction #ada shelby #charles shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky fookin blinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinder headcanon #peaky blinders oneshot #ofc #oc #solomons ofc #solomons oc #jewish character

[frasier-crane-style]

Terminator: Dark Fate

I have no idea how TSCC came up with two seasons’ worth of innovative scenarios about Terminators and these cinematic universe motherfuckers can only redo T2 with more CGI.

This movie is plotless. It has no real plot. It’s like Now That’s What I Call A Terminator Movie! There are so many callbacks and borrowings from all the other Terminator movies that it passes the point of homage and just becomes plagiarism. The bad Terminator is the same as the T-X, metal endoskeleton with a T-1000 shell. They kill him with a Terminator power core. They say Come With Me If You Want To Live and I’ll Be Back (twice! It’s the first thing Sarah Connor says and it makes no sense in context, it’s just something people say in Terminator movies). In fact, it has anti-plot, since it undoes a lot of the story developments in Terminator and T2.

The premise is basically just we’re going to remake Terminator 1, but people don’t like reboots, so we’re going to bring back Linda Hamilton and make it a technically kinda sorta sequel (sure, Skynet was wiped from existence, but another, completely different, yet exactly the same AI called Legion was created and did the exact same thing. Which also happened in T3, but they had the decency to still call it Skynet). But otherwise, it’s entirely people being chased by an evil robot from the future and trying to destroy it. 

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. T2 had the whole thing about preventing Judgment Day before it happened. T3 had Judgment Day actually happen. This one, nothing. There is nothing going on under the surface other than a bunch of action sequences and explosions. Even T3 got some mileage out of the idea that Judgment Day was inevitable. Here, our cast learns that Judgment Day was already ‘averted’ once slash that it’s destined to be repeated and they basically go “Eh. Figures.” I’m not kidding.

Wait, that’s not fair. Let’s count out the TWEEESTS.

1. In a very contrived way, the script waits an hour and a half to actually explain why heroine Dani has been targeted for termination--you know, the thing Kyle Reese explained to Sarah Connor the moment they were out of danger--all to set up this big ‘reveal’ that Dani isn’t the NuSarah, she’s the NuJohn (yes, they actually say this aloud, just so you soup sandwich motherfuckers in the audience get it). Hear that, neckbeards, John Connor is now a woman! And Mexican! And she’s got a bit of a gay vibe, because it’s 2019 and God forbid we have a heroine that isn’t a bit bicurious. If she has a cock and balls, my bingo card will be a winner.

2. Months after killing John Connor and thus completing his mission, an Arnold-model Terminator started a family (wow, that was quick) and learned the value of human life and eventually switched sides. This is a crazy new idea that also happened in Terminator: Genebissss, so it’s done and dusted in ten minutes, even though Arnold is the most engaging character. (He’s saddled with a lot of yuk lines about how he’s a comically serious Terminator, yet (teehee) works as an interior decorator, but at least he has a personality.)

3. The other good Terminator is Grace, who needs meds to keep up her cyborg strength or she’ll crash (this never affects the plot) (it’s like they read something about Rey Palpatine having no flaws and so they decided to give Grace the ‘flaw’ of literally having her own Kryptonite). She’s not a Terminator, she’s an augmented human, which means she can make MCU-style wisecracks every five minutes. (”I didn’t hear anything.” “That’s because you’re not a cybernetic super soldier from the future.” Actual dialogue.)

4. Linda Hamilton is back, baby! Yes, that’s right, they dragged her away from doing guest spots on Lost Girl! Can you believe???? She’s become a Terminator hunter that ambushes Terminators as they come back from the future and destroys them, because Skynet was both able to send back an infinite number of Terminators AND because now they can easily be destroyed by one five-hundred-year-old woman. 

This makes it a bit confusing why they have so much trouble taking out Ghost Rider, given that he’s a T-1000 skin with a creamy T-800 center. It seems like if you hammer him enough, he’s got no endoskeleton, and that’s all she wrote. That’s what happened to the T-X. Can his liquid metal skin just walk around without the other half of him? If so, what’s the point of the endoskeleton? The T-1000 managed without it and that seemed a lot harder to kill. At one point, Sarah hits the bare endoskeleton with a bazooka, which seems like it should’ve been a mortal blow, but it’s the first act, so I guess not.

And is it supposed to be funny that the opening takes place in a car factory where (in 2019!) the human workers are losing their assembly line jobs to machines? Because they’re all Mexicans? None of them ever look at a Terminator and go THEY TOOK OUR JOBS, but man, that one is all teed up for the Rifftrax boys.

For a movie with, as I said, no plot, it’s very rushed. They seem to be saying “yeah, it’s a dumb Terminator movie, you know the score,” (even tho it’s halfway aimed at people who aren’t Terminator fans; more on that in a minute) because it seems to take all of ten minutes for both good guys and bad guys to find Dani and start getting into CGI stunt double fights, which means the story has very little time to breathe and we have very little time to get to know any of the characters. The bad guy spawns practically at Dani’s front door! And pretty much does everything by massacring a bunch of people and then hacking a computer. The T-1000 had some intelligence, some charisma. This guy’s a big nothing.

And the Dani character is useless. She starts the story already super assertive, is barely traumatized at all by her loved ones being killed and her own life being endangered. There’s none of that relatable feel of an everyman suddenly being told they have a grand destiny and an incredible responsibility, because right from the start she’s standing up to her mean boss and doing the Nevertheless She Persisted thing. And all this while being literally five feet tall and looking all of twelve years old. 

I love these Spy Kids movies.

And at least the original two movies were smart enough to leave the future John Connor mostly to the imagination. This one actually shows us Dani as grizzled military badass, beating up guys and delivering inspiring speeches (would it surprise you to know that humans fighting among each other “is exactly what Legion wants”?), and it’s just--oh man. If ever a political leader is enough to make people think back to the good old days of Trump and Biden...

And if we’re going to talk shit (rightfully) about Jai Courtney’s Kyle Reese not being at all scruffy or traumatized or feral, it should be noted that Grace seems pretty well-adjusted for a post-apocalyptic guerrilla fighter (who all wear Starship Trooper uniforms). Aside from a tendency to smash the face in of everyone she comes across, whether they’ve done anything to deserve it or not (Sample dialogue, to a doctor who is looking at her X-rays after performing life-saving surgery on her: “Did I give you permission to look at my private parts?” SMASH. No, really!)

They really go all in on this cringey, woke af “You’re not the mother of some MAN, Dani. YOU ARE THE FUTURE!” And yet, there’s a hilarious amount of toxic masculinity in this movie, just without the dongs. About every other line Sarah and Grace have is generic tough guy bullshit about how they’re going to kick someone’s ass, how they’re suspicious of someone, how they’re hostile towards someone. If they had dongs, you would think they were the smallest dongs possible, because they are compensating for something, BIG TIME. Between the T-800 and Sarah and Grace, everyone in this movie seems to outright hate each other, to the point that Arnold’s killer cyborg is one of the more pleasant characters. It gets to where you just want someone to order a fucking decaf. Does the fact that Sarah Connor has a vagina keep it from being ridiculously over the top how she spends all her time either blowing up robots or drinking herself into a stupor? C’mon. You can’t complain about male characters having ‘man-pain’ then give Bad Grandma a pass over her ovaries.

And that’s it. It’s a Brundlefly shit between yet another dumb girlpower reboot for the people who’ve never seen a Terminator movie and a sequel with Sarah and Uncle Bob to try and get that last drop of blood outta this stone. They’re trying to make something that appeals to both people for whom this is their first Terminator and people for whom this is their latest Terminator and it just doesn’t work. The newbies don’t have any emotional investment in these characters and the Terminator fans don’t like it that all the old movies were rendered meaningless to prop up Grace and Dani.

Hilariously enough, I actually played Terminator: Resistance recently, which is a fun little mid-tier shooter that was meant to tie in to this movie... and it completely ignores all the Dani/Grace/Legion BS to take place in John Connor’s future war and tie in to the first two movies. That’s how forgettable this movie is. Its own damn video game adaptation pretends it doesn’t exist. Fuuuck.

Oh! Oh! Oh! And in that big, bad, sexist original Terminator, which was so unwoke and problematic, Sarah saved herself and finished off the Terminator herself. Here, Dani has to be saved by Arnold at the climax. The 35-year-old movie is more feminist than this one. Fuck you very much.

#terminator

[avinox]

So, finally played VtM with my friends (half of them have never roleplayed) and it was super fun. Here's a narration. Starring:

Billie, the Brujah

Meissa, the Gangrel

Manya, the Malkavian

(Valeria, the Tremere couldn't make it to this first session, but will be introduced in the second)

Ok, so I made my friends start in a bloody hotel room, not remembering how they got there, not knowing each other, and at Hunger 3. First thing, of course, was a Rouse Check, which Meissa immediately botched, reaching Hunger 4. Manya was freaking out cause she thought she was gonna get her organs harvested. Billie, OF COURSE, tried to open the door, got a messy crit, and pried it open. At the other side, literally nose to nose, was a chubby guy, who I thought looked pretty harmless. He was trying to open the door to get to them, and I mentioned he had a bag. Meissa and Manya joined forces to take the bag, got it, and found 3 stakes and 3 blood bags.

Manya: "I'm gonna question him"

"Ok, roll with 3 Hunger die"

Bestial Failure. Manya became overwhelmed with this whole shit and began punching the shit outta this guy, broke his lip, and the smell of blood triggered a Frenzy roll for everyone. Manya passed it, but both Billie and Meissa went feral, beat him up even more, and honestly would have killed him, but this was the Tutorial and I needed this guy. Oh, they also took a sip of his blood and satiated 1 Hunger. Scene ends (cause I needed it). The guy, though looking like shit, pulled through and was relatively ok. He explained that his Boss sent him, that he carried the stakes-Billie was aiming one at him-and the blood cause he didn't know what to expect. "Take us to your boss!" said Billie. "That's the plan" he replied. He explained they were vampires, and Meissa immediately came to terms with it and took one of the blood pack. Manya absolutely REFUSED, and Billie set it aside for later.

They went downstairs and the receptionist saw the scene. Billie failed to intimidate him to keep quiet, while Manya literally asked him to call the cops. He obviously did, but they went with the guy, who proceeded-still under threat-to drive them to the Ivory Tower, where they were greeted by a red-headed woman with a carnival mask.

"Thank you, Chemi (original name was Stu, changed midway because of reasons I'll explain later)" said the woman. "You can leave now."

"I don't think so" said the Brujah, holding the stake against Chemi.

The woman smiled.

Me: "You look at the stake, only to realize it's turned into a snake. It's gonna bite you!!!"

Billie: "Shit, what the fuck?!?!? I throw it!" All the while the rest are calling me a cheater (in case it's not clear, Billie was being Dementated).

"Thank you. Now follow me."

She lead them to a nicely decorated room, like an office-Meissa commented on it looking like the Volturi haven from Twilight-. At the center, behind the bureau, sat a woman, dressed in a black elegant dress. At her left, a black man with a very dark skin with blueish undertone, waiting in silence with a big-ass sword. The red-headed woman positioned herself at the right side.

"Hello" said the one in the middle. "I suspect you have questions. Allow me to answer them."

"Yeah" said Billie. "What's the deal with the blood?"

"I don't suppose anyone has seen a vampire movie?" She said. Everyone nodded. "Well, blood is your new food, you're gonna live forever-in theory-and you have to keep quiet about this whole thing. Got it? Also...your very existence is illegal in my grounds." No one rolled enough Insight to notice her worried tone or mannerisms. "BUT, I am willing to allow you to live...if you prove yourselves to me."

Time for Billie.

"To you? Who the fuck do you think you are to boss us!?"

"I am Nina, the Prince of Cádiz" she said, offended at the tone. She pointed to the man. "HE is Rashid, my Sheriff-"

"And I am Simone!" said the redhead.

"I'm not taking orders from you." said Billie.

"Oh, I think you will." Nina Dominated Billie, making her shut up and nod. She then turned to the others and said: "You're probably very hungry, aren't you?

By this time, Meissa was at 2 Hunger, so she said "a little", while Manya, still freaking out, tried to lie to avoid having to drink blood, Messy Critted, and began shouting "I'M NOT I'M NOT I'M NOT I'M NOT". Nina just nodded and didn't question her further.

"Still, you will go to the Big Kumara (yes, intended) to have a little snack before any of you Frenzies, and wait for my orders there."

"What's the Big Kumara?"

"My bar!" exclaimed Simone.

Nina also took a guess at everyone's Clan, obviously getting it right with the Brujah, while deciding she didn't have enough information to know the other two. Simone took the chance to wink at Manya (hinting Simone's a Malk, too, but this was mistaken as flirting). Nina warned them one last time what would await them if they disappointed her, making Rashid show off the sword, before they were led out.

Chemi was there, car parked, back against the wall, playing with his keys. Billie joined him.

"Tough life, huh?" she said. "Got a cig?"

"Sure" he said, handing her one while reaching for his lighter. "Now don't freak out-" he lit the cigarette, but Bille rolled well for Rötshreck, leaving him disappointed. He sighed quietly to himself. "So, Big Kumara, right? Should we go?"

"I wanna drive." said Billie.

"It's my car." Chemi said.

"Billlie, it's his car, let him drive." said Meissa.

"It's literally his car." said Manya. "Besides, you don't know where the bar is."

"I'll use the GPS!" said Billie, rolling and failing to get in the driver's seat before Chemi locked the car. "Fuck!" Then she tried to snatch the keys from him, but he was too quick and dodged her.

Manya wanted to try something out and used Mesmerize. "Billie, stop!" she failed the Rouse Check, getting to 4 Hunger. Now, one thing about Manya is that she has the flaw Stigmata, so she began to bleed from her forehead and her wrists. Billie and her where tied, so they both knew something had happened while also not happened.

"Shit, you alright?" Chemi asked. "Maybe I could get you that blood pack?"

"You don't look good." Meissa coincided. Manya nodded, defeated, drank the blood, and immediately felt better.

Chemi told them he had spare clothing (ugly, but just fine) in the back of the car, and Billie and Meissa changed while Manya insisted she was fine. They got in the car.

This was the moment to question Chemi.

"Are you a vampire?" someone asked.

"No, not quite. I'm a Ghoul, Simone's my boss. Been working for her since the seventies."

"So you're like, her pet?" said Manya.

"Oh, no, I'm not her pet."

"You ARE!" exclaimed Billie.

"I'm not!"

"Pet! Pet!" they both sang.

"I'M NOT A PET! I'M ESSENTIAL!"

At this point everyone laughed, Manya most openly, while Meissa quietly giggled at the back..

Chemi was so done.

They got to the bar. It had pretty nice ambient. Chemi encouraged them to find someone to drink from and discover more about their Disciplines.

Manya tried out Auspex + Bloodhound to find someone she had smelled that had a Melancholic aura, found him, and proceeded to try to convince him to let her suck his blood. Failure. "Ugh, not into that, freak."

Meanwhile, Billie wanted another cig. "Chemi, can you give me some money? PLEASE" She suceeded a pretty hard roll and got 5€ from him.

At the same time, Meissa seduced the bartender to get a free martini, thinking trial-and-error was the way to go about being a vampire. She drank it, and immediately threw up blood, right at her feet.

"OhmyGod are you okay???" the bartender offered to call an ambulance, but Billie heard the mess and convinced him that she had just drank a lot. The bartender wished her well and called a janitor to clean things up. Meissa and Billie went to the bathroom for the same thing, and also to calm her down.

Now, Manya had just failed her first hunt. She COULD Dominate someone to give her their blood, but she was a Consensualist, so that was out of the question. She asked if she could try with Chemi, I said sure.

"Chemi..." she said. "Can I have some of your blood?" Roll the Hunt die: failure.

Chemi, in a burst of power, looks at her dead in the eye and flips her off.

"Okay..."

After Billie and Meissa went out, they decided to question the bartender while Meissa searched the room for someone who had passed out (easy enough and she got it). They thought he was a vampire, but really he was just A Guy. Either way, Billie rolled for it: Messy Crit.

She walked up to him, cleared the table off glasses, breaking everything, and took the bartender by the collar. People gathered around, some just watching, others shouting "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!"

We ended it there cause it was super late.

#gades by night #vtm #vampire the masquerade #we had lots of fun this session but i think this is what we do in the shadows actually 😂😂 #can't stop thinking about chemi though #made him up to be the ally they could trust but they're SO MEAN #can't remember how to put a readmore sorry #btw this whole thing should've been like 30min to 1h of gameplay #it's happened before. i plan thinking they'll be efficient but no #now they got the police involved #if you read the whole thing please tell me your reaction 😂😂

[sammy-jo1977]

Winning the Heart of the Devil Part 3

Part 1  Part 2

Pairings: Matt Murdock x Alex (Oc)

Warnings: brief panicking, fluffiness, more sexy times, cursing, almost smut

Disclaimer: I don not own Daredevil or any related characters

Tags: @sllooney

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

Morning for Alex came painfully. Her wrist ached. Her had pounded. Hell her body ached. She was up just before sunrise. Sitting at her table with a cup of coffee in hand. A couple slices of peanut butter toast sat untouched as she stared off into space. Now she had been in tough situations before. Guys that got too grabby after drinking too much. But she had always had back up in a sense with those situations. Last night scared her more than she thought. If the guy in black hadn't shown when he did. While she possibly still would've gotten away on her own, there was also that chance that it could have gone down a very different road. Her boss had let her take a day after she called and told him what happened. 'Just come back to work when you're good. I got it.' At some point she faintly heard a knocking break through her thoughts. She blinked and focused again as another round of knocking sounded against her door. They weren't rushed or even that loud. "Coming." Collecting herself she got up from the table and made her way to the door. Her mind suddenly went into overdrive as she reached for it though. Thoughts of all manner of bad ran through her mind like a highway pile up. "Alex? It's Matt." Almost immediately her nerves calmed. She sighed in sheer relief at just the sound of his voice. A small smile played at the corner of her lips when she opened the door. He leaned on his cane just a little, one hand wrapped around it while the other held his suit jacket which was thrown over his shoulder. He caught her deep inhale, almost as if she was steadying herself before speaking. "Hey Matt. What's up?" Her voice was still a little shaky. Heartbeat was slowing back down. He knew she had almost lost herself before opening the door, it's why he had spoken up. "Nothing. Just thought I'd see if you were working tonight. And if not, would you like to go out for dinner maybe?" Her quick intake of breath and a small chuckle mixed with her heartbeat speeding up just a little made him smile wider. "I uh.." Something was off, he had picked up on it before. "Alex? You alright?" And again like it had been from the other side of the door. He managed to calm her nerves. It surprised him how easily she responded to him. Even just his voice. "Are yo…..", she stopped, a sigh escaped before continuing, "Could you come in? Or are you in a rush." She stepped back when he nodded, allowing him room to enter and closed the door behind him. Sitting on the couch, with she sat almost on the arm a heavy sigh."shit" The curse was low, barely above a whisper. He wanted to ask again if she was alright, but didn’t want to pressure. Instead he draped his jacket over the back of the couch and sat down next to her. "I uh.." She moved to re situate, unconsciously putting pressure on her wrist that had been hurt the night before, resulting in a slight hiss in pain. "Alex? What?" He reached for her, without a thought, the feather light touch along the palm of her hand, and he didn’t miss the almost undetectable flinch or the quick inhale. Matt started to pull back but her fingers curling around his own stopped him. Both sat in silence for a moment. But Alex broke. She thought maybe she had cried her fill when she had gone to bed last night. Soon as the sob broke from her Matt pulled her into his arms. She clung to him as the emotions crashed through her system. After a short while the sobs quieted. Alex found herself almost in Matt's lap, his arms around her, her head tucked into the crook of his neck. His fingers ran gently through her hair in slow pulls. Combing close to her scalp then pulling till the strands fell lightly against her shoulders. The steady rise and fall of his own chest brought a similar rhythm to her own. Her heat slowed to a steady beat again. "I'm sorry." barely above a whisper, her lips brushed against his throat. "Don’t be. No don’t be. It's okay." She lifted her head a little, but when he reached up and cupped her cheek she tilted her head up to look at him. "What happened? Talk to me." She closed her eyes and sighed. Her breath was shaky. He brushed a tear that ran down her cheek and listened as she told what happened before he had shown up, and her version of the rest. Reliving the ordeal threatened to spill out in a rush of emotion again during the retelling but she held firm. "And I guess I just uh… I mean I'm okay. But not. Does that make sense?" He sighed, a sad smile, "Yeah. Makes sense. But hey, you're okay now. Sounds like you did pretty good for a minute before that guy in black showed up. But um… have you thought about maybe taking self defense classes? At the risk of sounding a little patronizing, a woman walking alone at night, I'm worried about you now." Alex sighed, her lip tucking between her teeth. She pulled back a little. His hands falling from her face into her lap to take her own in his grasp. "Yeah I mean I guess. And don’t worry, I've heard it since I moved here. Friends, what family I have left. Shit my brother hates that I moved to New York. Guess I just never got around to it." She sighed again. Squeezing his hands lightly. "Shit. You were headed into work. I'm okay if you’ve got to go." He shook his head, "I can call Foggy. We don’t have anything big at the moment. I can work outta the apartment today. I don’t want you to be alone today." She stammered for a moment, trying to tell him he didn’t have to do that. But his phone started to go off. The automated voice announcing who was calling. It was Foggy. He laughed more to himself at the timing. Letting her hands go, he reached back for his suit jacket that had been left over the back of the couch and retrieved his phone. "Yeah Fog….. Uh huh yeah… um listen, you good if I stay home today?... Yeah, no I got a few things to take care of here…. Just need to go over a few case files…. Well I'm also helping out a friend…. Nah neighbor…. No you haven't met her yet.." He laughed again and shook his head. "Maybe.. Look man, I gotta go…. Okay…. Yeah maybe later… bye Foggy" His glasses reflected red in the light when he bent over to set his phone down on her coffee table. A smile on his lips as he turned back to her. "There. All settled." She scoffed, "You didn’t have to do that." He considered this, a small shrug."No but I wanted to." She shook her head and sighed. Both falling into a light silence before he spook up. "So. We've got the day. What would you like to do Alex?" She struggled with forming any kind of a response for a moment making him chuckle. Alex broke into a laugh herself, leaning into him, her hair brushing his jaw , forehead resting against his shoulder. "Good question apparently." humor in her voice. His head fell back as he laughed, her with him. "Mind if I make a suggestion or two?" He took her light chuckle as a go ahead. "First off? Food." She took a breath to say something but he stopped her. "No arguing. The untouched peanut butter toast and still full coffee cup does not count." She huffed much like a kid which made him laugh. "Okay fine. Can I at least shower first?" She looked up at him. His tongue slipped out, wetting his lips. And a low chuckle rumbled through his chest. His head turned to her, almost like her was looking right at her. The air felt charged, different than what it had been a moment ago. Almost like if she moved just a little closer things would play out very differently. And she thought about it, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, almost afraid to move. His adam's apple bobbed with the hard swallow he took before speaking in a low whisper. "Yeah. Go ahead." Alex moved slowly, and pushed herself up from the couch before heading toward her bathroom, sparing him a look over her shoulder before closing the door. Matt waited until he heard the door close before he let the breath out he seemed to have held. He turned his body just enough to fall back and let his head hit the back of her couch. "Damn it… oh shit." He quietly cursed. He heard her curse on the other side of the door, a shuddered breath escape her lips as she leaned back against what sounded like the counter. Of course he knew what effect he had on her. The two very close intimate times they had been around one another was full indication there was an attraction. He had wanted to kiss her just then, but stopped himself because he didn’t want to over step. The incident from the night before had almost sent her into a panic attack at the door earlier. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. But now that he focused, really focused, on her current state. The loud thundering of her heart. The hot burn of her body temp. And the deep but shuddering breaths that caused the heavy rise and fall of her chest. But it was the scent. Her scent, the one that was uniquely her but spicier, arousal. Another muffled curse before he heard the water turn on. He was fine until the quiet moan she let out when she stepped under the stream of water. Matt bit back a moan at the thought of running his hands over her body under the water. It really was almost too much. Enough that he prayed silently that she was one that took quick showers and wouldn’t draw this out. It was some small mercy that she spared him too much torment. Only a couple more moans escaped her, and a light squeal as she was turning the water off. The heat dropped too quickly and she was sprayed just briefly with the cold. She dried off quickly, but another curse followed by a quiet drumming of her fingers against the counter. With a heavy breath she wrapped the towel tightly around her body and cracked the door open slowly. "I uh.. Didn’t think this through very well." He laughed realizing the problem. "Do I need to promise not to look?" Alex laughed, looked out at him. He sat on the couch where she had left him. Knees spread and his elbows rested on them with his hands interlinked between. His head hung low, tilted just a little, and his glassed low on the bridge of his nose like he could almost look at her over the top of the lens. She chewed on her lip with a few of the thoughts that ran through her mind. "Would you laugh if I said maybe?" There was a teasing tone to her voice. One that had his own mind running rampant with his own thoughts. His head dropped down when he laughed. He sat up straight, a smirk played at his lips. "How about this?" With the question he removed the glasses, leaned back till his head rested against the back of the chair again and closed his eyes. His hands rested lightly on each thigh. The idea of going to him and stepping between the space left between his thighs came to her. Resulting in an almost inaudible whimper. "That'll…um." she cleared her throat. "okay. No looking." He chuckled, one hand moving up to go behind his head, the other crossed an X over his heart before resting on his chest. "Cross my heart." He heard the door open wider, and her bare feet against the wooden floor. She stopped just outside the doorway. Gripping the towel, she kept her eyes on him. All manner of thoughts played out in her mind. His too. "Be out in a few." her voice was low. She was barely holding back. He nodded without responding, not really trusting his voice. Matthew only opened his eyes when he heard the door to her bedroom close. A short few minutes later the door opened again. She found him in the same position from when she had come out from the shower. He looked up when she closed the door behind her. Her fingers brushed lightly against the softness of the leggings she had pulled on. The other hand adjusted the tank top underneath the light pullover hoodie she had slipped over her head. Her still damp hair, she had pulled into a braid, the end over her shoulder. "There is um…. A coffee shop down the road a little. We could grab a bite. They have uh… tables outside on a patio type setup." The weather outside was just a little cool, but not uncomfortable. He smiled easily nodding. "Sounds good." She moved closer to the couch and ducked down near the end he sat, using the arm to steady her, and pulled her shoes from underneath. Her body turned to prop up against the couch to slip them on. But in the process of readjusting to switch feet she lost her balance. A squeak escaped her lips, but she didn’t fall like she had expected. She gasped when she found herself against his chest. Arms around her waist. She didn’t even realize he had moved. "Huh.. Quick reflexes?" "Something like that. Ready?" She looked up at him, his arms still around her started to slip from her body and caused a chill. "Uh huh." It took every ounce of self restraint he had not to pull her against him and kiss her till she was breathless. And 'oh god' did he want to. His brain playing back all of the sounds she had made with every touch against her. He pulled almost completely away from her, his hand at her elbow to steady her till she got her other shoe on. Only when he felt her steady did he let go and collect his jacket, phone and cane. After collecting a few things like her wallet, keys, and phone, she turned back to him. "Ready?" He nodded with a smile and let her take his hand as he drew closer and they made their way down to the street. Matt's hand gripped lightly at her elbow, allowing her to lead him down the sidewalk. As they walked he asked her things about her life. "Well, I grew up in Texas. Small family. Just my dad and brother, Mark. Mom passed when we were little." "Go on." The smile he gave her made her giggle. "My brother is a year older. He stayed in our home town with dad. Um lets see, I actually tried to go to school to be a veterinarian but that didn’t pan out when dad got sick. Then…." She trailed off. A different tone in her voice. A Little pain and irritation. "Hmm?" "I got together with the wrong guy. First couple months were okay. Went south after that but I was too afraid to leave. Till Mark stepped in. It was just safer for me to move. He said he'd stay and watch out for dad. I hated to leave but yeah.." His hand squeezed her arm gently in comfort. "So there it is," she laughed a little. "Small town girl in a big scary city." He chuckled and squeezed her arm again. "Seems like you're doing okay for yourself." She ducked her head, her light laugh echoed around him. When Alex pulled him to slow down and then turned his senses were invaded by the sounds and smells of the coffee shop. The strong scent of the coffee, and the sweetness of icing on several different kinds of pastries. "Oh good. Not that busy. Come on." Once they had placed their orders, she steered them to a small table in the back. "So. You got to know all about me. Do I get to know stuff about you?" Matt chuckled, readjusting the grip on his cane, and smiled. "Go ahead. Ask away." Her questions ranged all over. Family life, more into his friends, what made him want to be a lawyer, just a little bit of everything. But the accident that blinded him. It wasn’t until after their order had been called out from the counter, and she returned, that she broached the subject. "You said it was an accident. What happened?" He sighed. Two cups of coffee and a small assortment of pastries stacked on a plate now sat between them. "I was nine. Pushed a guy out of the road because there was a truck. He was going to get hit. Truck… overturned. There was some uh, some kind of chemical in a bunch of barrels that the truck was carrying. Some of it spilled across my eyes. I didn’t find out until later one that it was some kind of hazardous or radioactive stuff. I don’t remember really." His voice trailed off at the end. Alex found herself watching him for a moment. Hands that flexed slightly. His head tilted to the side. The red tinted glasses balanced across the bridge of his nose. His expression is near unreadable. His lips pursed into a thin line as he inhaled and sighed. "You don’t like telling that story do you?" Her voice was quiet, and he tried to get a read on her voice. But Matt didn’t find pity like a lot of them when he told the details. What he found in her voice was more curiosity than anything. "Not really." She reached across the table and took his hand. "Alright then. Change of subject." "How about we go back to you. I like hearing your voice." She blushed, ducking her head. "Smooth Matthew. Very smooth." His thumb brushed lightly back and forth over her hand that remained on his own. After a couple passes he brought his other hand up and after stretching her hand out a little he started tracing small random patterns in her palm and along the sensitive skin of her wrist. Whatever she had started to say faltered as he did this. "Something wrong?" He asked innocently. "Ha ha, Funny. God you are a piece of work." The humor in her voice made him smile. He could feel her pulse at her wrist, the steady pounding rhythm mixed with her breathing he took note of all of it and more. She was at ease now. Maybe still just a little shaken. But the food and coffee seemed to have helped. And maybe if he was hopeful, the company helped too. He continued to play with her hand as she started talking about random things. She seemed to branch off a lot. Getting herself somewhat distracted from what she was talking about and starting on a tangent of another topic. After sitting there for some time and a few more coffee refills later, they ventured back out onto the street. They walked back to the apartment laughing and talking. Her hand was warm in his own. When they made it back to the apartment, she pulled him back just short of the door. Before he could question why, Alex stepped closer to him, her breath fanned along his jaw before he dipped his head down. "Thank you Matthew." Her voice was quiet, her lips brushed briefly against his own as she spoke. He wondered for a second if she would take the last space and kiss him. As badly as he wanted to himself, he restrained himself. Letting her make the choice. His own voice was just above a whisper. "You're welcome Alex." Her heart pounded in her chest. The heat from her body radiated around them . "We uh… We should get ins.." His sentence was cut off. The hand that he didn’t have in his was gripped tightly in his jacket pulling him closer. His own free hand moved to her waist. His cane clattered to the ground. Her fingers slipped from his and moved to the nape of his neck, scratching lightly. The groan he let out rumbled through his chest had her pulling him even closer, a moan leaving her own lips but muffled. When they eventually had to break for air, two words were uttered in a lust filled haze. "Inside. Now." A needy whimper left her lips. If she had been more alert she may have been embarrassed. With ease he reached down and picked up his cane then made his way to the door of the building. She almost asked how he was able to navigate the stairs as easy as anyone else. But what stopped her was the way he pushed her against the door of his apartment soon as they made it inside. His hands roamed over her body while his mouth pulled moans and whimpers from her, leaving her breathless and needy. She held onto him like he was the only thing keeping her founded. Her body molding to his as he pressed her into the door. One arm going around behind his neck, the other hand gripped tightly in his jacket holding him to her. She stood on her toes to even the height difference a little but found it not really helping other than making her a little unsteady. The light laughter that resulted from this realization had them breaking apart just a little. "Problems?" The smirk on his lips did things for the heat that pooled low between her thighs. "A few Matthew." He cocked an eyebrow up, his hands started drifting up her sides on their own accord. Taking the hem of her hoodie and tank top hooked on his thumbs with them. "Anything I can help with Alex?" His voice had taken a tone that had her lost. A husky whisper, one that had the blood in her veins buzzing. When his hands reached her rib cage, just under her breasts, he stopped. Fingers lightly tracing along the band of her bra. The coolness of the fabric even against her hot skin made him wish he actually could see her. "Is that?... Is that what I think it is ?" He felt as much as he heard her sharp inhale right before she moaned at the feel of his hands on her. "Maybe. What does it feel like Matthew?" His head tilted slightly, bottom lip pulled in between his teeth as he moaned. Alex ran her fingers lightly down his jawline and leaned in and whispered, "That’s right. Satin and lace. Matching set." The resulting growl from the man before her sent fire coursing through her. His hands drifted further under her shirt. The roughness of his skin a stark difference to the gentleness of his touch as he skimmed the delicate material of her bra. Alex pulled herself closer to his body as one of his hands moved along the edge and slipped his fingers underneath the material. But instead of moving to undo the bra like she thought he would, he slid his fingers back towards her front. The light brush along the swell of her breast made her gasp. The sudden swipe of his tongue along her pulse point resulted in a breathy moan and a light thud from her head falling back against the door. Just as his fingers began to retrace their path there was an interruption. The automated voice broke through the air. "Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Foggy." Matt froze and huffed out a laugh. "Do um.. should you get that?" Her voice was strained, but still he could hear the humor in her tone. "Absolutely not. I'll call him back later. Right now I've got my hands full anyway." Soon enough the voice stopped. She felt the smirk that came to his lips against her skin. Without warning he reached down, grabbed the back of her thighs, and lifted her up against the door. Alex gasped when he pressed into her. She felt how hard he had gotten in just the short time. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles. The new position and extra pressure left her mouth going dry and a fresh wave of wetness collecting in her panties. She ground herself against him, trying to get more friction against where she needed. Her movement of course pulled a moan from the man before her. Her nails scratched against the nape of his neck pulling slightly at the small hairs there. This brought another moan that she felt both in his chest and against her skin. His hands gripped her thighs harder, she was sure there would be small bruises. Suddenly... "Foggy... Foggy... Foggy..." "Fucking hell." Matt growled. His forehead making contact with the door behind her.

#matt murdock #matt murdock x oc #flirty matt #almost smut #netflix daredevil #sammy jo's stories #do not lose

[afewmarvelousthoughts]

Urchin

Summary: Lift a few bags or starve? For Sam that’s an easy choice to make. Though, sometimes easy choices can change the course of your whole life.  

Warnings: Some gross smell stuff. Nothing too wild. 

A/N: I feel bad that I haven’t had a fic update in a minute but I thought I’d share that the reason is because I’m focusing more on my own content. Def. not leaving fic just what little creative energy I have is going mainly to things not fic related (still getting bits and pieces in here and there though). 

To try and make up for it I thought I’d share some with y’all. This was an exercise that’s turned into a possible prologue for a story I’ve been sitting on for a long time now. I hope y’all like it and would love any feedback you want to share. [Also, I don’t expect any feedback at all since I know y’all are here mainly for fic and not original works.]

Love you pumpkins! 

Lungs burning with effort, feet flying over the steaming concrete, Sam runs faster than she has in her short life. Funny enough, the gnawing beast of hunger that drove her to this place has faded to a low hum, leaving only adrenaline behind.

A giddy laugh trips across her lips as she barely dodges a cluster of tourists. Maybe she was delirious - the situation at hand was dire at best, far from funny, yet still, she laughs. Honestly, she hadn’t felt this good in a long time. 

Gripping a lamp post to keep her worn sneakers from skidding out on the wet pavement she takes a hard left. Her haul, slung over her shoulders and stuffed into the pockets of her ratty cargo shorts, jostles with each stride. The weight of the designer bags and wallets feel like a full belly and maybe even a shower. They feel like some kind of freedom. 

“Get back here you little shit!” A man with a strong Long Island accent screams from somewhere behind her. Well, they would feel like freedom once she shook these assholes. 

Shouldda’ paid more attention, Sammy, she scolds herself silently. Had she seen the PD patrolling the venue she would have picked a different mark… Maybe. 

A row of Peking Duck in a window makes the hunger override everything for just a second. All of Chinatown’s intoxicating scents suddenly plotting to distract her. Before she can be too mesmerized, a far from appetizing smell brings her back to her current predicament. 

The seafood on the sidewalk vendor’s tables looks fresh enough. Down the alley next to him though, something else entirely was happening. 

Sam hears the telltale shuffle of the crowd and immediately sprints into the stench thinking to cut down the alley and behind the buildings, hoping the smell would lead the officers to keep running. 

“Fuck,” she chokes out, slamming into a near palpable wall of stench. Panic bubbles to the surface along with whatever her empty stomach could spare. There wasn’t time for any of that. 

Covering her mouth, forcing the bile back down, she tries to think. This alley was blocked off, if she headed back onto the street she was almost certainly going to get caught - that was simply not an option. 

Looming like a great beast is the source of the smell coating the insides of her nose. It’s a large dumpster, mystery ooze seeping from one corner like blood. Steeling herself, Sam opens the lid. 

Certainly, the waste inside had once had more form than what was there now. Unfortunately, the August heat and afternoon rain had worked a kind of dark alchemy transmuting it into the stuff of nightmares. 

Shouts from far too close seal her fate. With a breath of far-from-fresh air, Sam pulls the neck of her t-shirt over her nose hurling herself into the deepest part of the dumpster’s maw. 

Back pressed into a corner, eyes watering from the heat and overwhelming stink, she listens. 

“Jesus fucking christ!” A man audibly gags. “Ain’t no way she’s down here, Hardy.” 

“Did you see her out there?” Hardy asks, his Long Island accent making him sound all the more put upon. “Cuz I didn’t,” he lets out a breath. “Nowhere else for her to be.”

“Alright, you look. I-” Another gag cuts him off. “Nah. I’m done.”

“The hell you are, Jackson!” 

“You wanna find her so bad you go down there and look!” 

“I don’t wanna have to tell the Sergeant-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jackson grumbles. His steps are muffled but clear enough to make Sam’s heart jump. 

After a minute he huffs, “Nothin’. Just like I said. No one but us is stupid enough to come down here.” Silence hangs. 

“What about there?” Hardy asks. 

“What about- you’re joking right?”

“We need to thoroughly search-” 

“Thoroughly search… Man have you lost your mind?! No way in hell. No. Report me I don’t give a damn.” Jackson’s voice seems to fade as he speaks, clearly heading away from the dumpster. 

“Goddamn kid,” Sam barely hears Hardy say, fairly certain he’s not talking about her. “Nobody said this was supposed to be an easy beat,” his voice closer and closer. 

“If you’re scared of a little garbage,” he pauses to take a shaky breath in front of the dumpster, the smell clearly getting to him. If Sam hadn’t already been holding her breath she would have started. “You should probably go get some suburban gig.”

“You keep stalling old man. Open that beast if you’re so hard,” Jackson taunts from the mouth of the alley.

With a huff, Hardy opens the opposite side of the dumpster. “See it’s-” 

Even though Sam can’t see the man from her position she can feel the moment the stench hits him. With a clatter, the lid falls back in place followed by the clear sound of someone violently hurling. She fights to hold in a laugh. Jackson, however, lets loose. 

He whoops, “Oh, I’m gonna be smelling that shit for a week but it’s so worth it!” 

“Fuck you,” Hardy grunts between retching.

“You find your perp?”

“Fuck,” he gulps in air, “you.” 

Hardy’s boots fade away, “Like, you said, ain’t no one there. Let’s get the fuck outta here.” 

Sam doesn’t move for as long as she can stand it, wanting to be sure they’ve given up their pursuit. Finally, she slithers out of the abyss.

When her eyes spot the place Hardy lost his lunch she can’t hold in the laugh. Sure, she might smell like rotting fish for the rest of her life, but she wasn’t in cuffs and those assholes had to tell their boss they lost to a girl. 

Making her way through the city she feels like Moses, the sea of people parting around her. For once she doesn’t bother keeping her guard up, no one wanted to fuck with someone who looked and smelled like they crawled out of the bowels of the Hudson. 

Carefree, she calculates what she’ll need to do in order to make anything off the bags, hoping there was at least some cash in a few of them so she could eat. Not even the stink could chase away the ache of hunger now. 

Suddenly, Sam finds herself sprawled on the pavement. 

“Oh,” a woman with a foreign accent Sam can’t name speaks, “sorry about that.” Quickly Sam rights herself, looking back to the voice. 

The woman stands from the small sidewalk table she’d be at to pluck her umbrella from the ground. She’s not an overly pretty woman but the kind of person that’s desirable based on their presence alone. Also, with a chilling realization, Sam knows she’s seen her. The clutch in her left pocket suddenly seems very heavy. 

An almost mischievous smile curls the woman’s pale pink lips. “If you’d be so kind as to return my Channel to me I will happily buy you dinner.” She sits, waiting for Sam to respond. 

Maybe Sam was actually turning into a fish, her mouth opening and closing with nothing coming out. The chances of running into this same woman in a city of millions was… impossible. This was impossible. 

“It isn’t very easy to get the drop on me, you know. I can’t even be mad - even though, by the looks of you, that clutch will need to be burned.” With one patent leather pump, she pushes out the chair across from her. “Sit, girl.” It’s not until Sam is already in the chair that she bothers to wonder why she’d simply obeyed. 

Across from her, the woman grins, extending her hand. Sheepishly, she reaches into her pocket for the clutch, decidedly less filthy than the bags across her shoulders though still filmy with that unnamable goo. 

“Thank you,” the woman sets it on the edge of the table and Sam removes the rest of her haul from her shoulders, setting them under her chair. 

A waiter comes up, only barely glancing at Sam. 

“Ah, yes,” the woman beams at the man who appears utterly charmed. “I will take a glass of your best and coldest white and my friend here will have- Hmm,” she seems surprised by something. “I’m not sure. What would you like, darling?” 

“Uh,” what kind of drinks were there, she seems to have forgotten. “I guess a... Coke?” She finally responds after a painfully long pause.

“Excellent,” the waiter nods, disappearing inside. 

The woman studies Sam with unnerving intensity in absolute silence. With each passing moment, Sam inches closer to exploding. When the waiter arrives with their drinks she’s pretty sure she’s never been so happy to see someone. 

“Also, for you,” he holds out a plate with a warm damp cloth. 

“Oh, thanks…” Sam feels her cheeks heat under the grime. She wipes the cloth over her face, trying not to be horrified at the stain left behind. 

“What is your name?” The woman asks, taking a sip of wine, clearly savoring the taste. 

“Sam.” 

Her eyes narrow, “Not a Samantha, I think.”

“No,” she shakes her head. “Samara.” The sweet Coke chases away the taste of rotten fish for a glorious moment.

“Samara,” the woman echos, the syllables sounding much prettier on her tongue. “That’s a beautiful name.” She takes a pensive sip, “It means guardian, did you know that?” Sam shakes her head. 

“It’s good that you do now. Our names are powerful things, Samara. They hold secrets about what fate may bring our way.” 

Sam holds in a bitter laugh. If that was the case then fate had a sick sense of humor when it came to her. Once again the woman studies her in silence. 

“So…” Sam swallows hard, “What’s your name?”

The woman smiles slowly, “I told you names were powerful.” Sam nods. “You do not give away powerful things for free, my dear.” 

“Please,” the woman gestures to the menu before Sam, “pick whatever you’d like.” 

Half of the menu looks like it’s the type of food you finish in two bites and leave still hungry but gloriously, there is a burger. Sam orders that, with an extra patty and double the fries, her mouth watering so hard at the prospect that she has to fight to keep from drooling. 

“I can see only two explanations to our earlier exchange, Samara,” the woman pops a piece of bread in her mouth - Sam had already shoveled half the basked down her gullet. “Either, I’m getting old and rusty-” honestly, the woman could be anywhere from her mid-twenties to her 40’s, she certainly didn’t seem old- “or you are one hell of a little thief.” Sam fixes her eyes on the tablecloth. 

“You misunderstand me, Samara.” Sam looks back up at her. “I don’t mean that as an insult. Given that getting rusty is a very bad thing in my line of work, I’d much rather the latter be true than the former.” 

The waiter arrives, the prospect of food distracting Sam from the woman’s odd statement. Though she wants to maintain some form of decorum she can’t help but apply herself to the plate in earnest. It had been so long since she’d tasted anything half as good. To her credit, the woman doesn’t bat an eye. 

After Sam made it through half her plate she asks, “Are you alone in the world, child?” Her somber tone slows Sam’s pace. 

She feels she should be more afraid of this peculiar woman. After being on the street for a couple of years, it was impossible to not have heard the stories of girls being lured into trafficking rings or a pimp’s clutches by women who tried to gain their trust. Sam liked to think she was too smart for that. Only weak people fell for that kind of bullshit. And yet… 

“Yeah.” 

“It is a hard world for women. Even harder when we are alone.” Sam’s french fries almost get stuck on the lump of tension in her throat. “Yet you have clearly gained the skill you need to survive. That’s something to be proud of.” 

This time Sam can’t help but laugh, “Sure. Proud.” She shakes her head, “Lady, I’m covered in fish viscera because I had to hide from two incompetent cops in a dumpster today. I don’t think pride is the right word.” 

“You outsmarted two grown men,” the woman’s smile seems genuine. “Trained law officers - whatever that’s worth,” she raises a brow and Sam laughs once more. “You did what most wouldn’t have thought of or been willing to. On top of successfully pulling off a pretty impressive mark.” 

Was she honestly congratulating Sam on her delinquency? The absurdity of it all was too much suddenly and if she was being honest with herself, it was also unnerving. 

“What’s this all about, lady?”

The woman steeples her fingers before her, “I have a proposition for you.” She gives Sam a moment before continuing. “Someone with skill and a will such as yours is bursting with potential. I know people who can help you tap into that potential.” She opens the clutch and removes a card holding it across the table. Sam hesitates before accepting. 

A familiar lion in profile graces the front of the card beside text reading New York Public Library. Flipping the thick cardstock over Sam sees a name, number, and the address of the main branch. Nothing strange. 

“You inviting me to join your book club or something?”

“Something,” the woman’s smile is slow, knowing. She stands, picking up her bag. 

“Bring that card to the library anytime. Ask for, Rita.” She takes a few steps away before turning back. 

“I will not promise you that what you’ll find after will be easy. However, you’ll have a full belly and something more than just survival to strive for. I think sometimes, that is enough.” 

“Hold up!” Sam stands, sending the chair skittering across the concrete. 

“Good evening, Samara. Perhaps fate will allow us to meet again.” In moments the woman disappears down the street. 

Sam considers chasing her but instead collapses into the chair, staring at the business card until the waiter returns

“Here you are,” he sets the bill on the table. Given everything that just transpired, Sam expected to open the little black folder to find some hidden message, or instructions to meet a stranger under the bridge, honestly, anything but the check which was dangerously close to the triple-digit mark. 

That bitch, Sam thinks before a much more pressing issue pushes her anger to the side. As if he can sense the situation the waiter hadn’t stepped away from the table, instead, he stands expectantly for her to magically produce some method of payment. 

Given her appearance, the prospect of rifling through several bags until she produced said payment seemed like a sure way to make her earlier endeavors to maintain her freedom worthless. She smiles up at the man, hoping she looks like an innocent - though filthy - little urchin and not the subway rat she actually was. 

Taking a deep breath, Sam grips the side of the small bistro table farthest from the waiter. With one heft she sends it toppling into him. Ignoring the protests echoing down the street she bolts into the fading evening light, the bags from earlier forgotten in a tangle and the business card clutched tight in her hand. 

#original work #oc #fiction #short story #original short story

[arsnovacadenza]

So I finally played The Wolf Among Us

 Being the big bad wolf fan that I am, I’d been dying to get my hands on the game after seeing images of Bigby floating around pinterest. Then I found out it was discounted around 50% yesterday and I knew I GOTTA have it.

Here’s a not-so-short rundown of my thoughts since no one’d read my full review anyway. Also, bear in mind that I never read the graphic novels so I’ll be judging the characters and plot solely on the first and (currently) only game. Spoilers under the cut!

The good:

Bigby. God I ENJOYED playing as him. There was great satisfaction being able to play this rough, potentially dangerous character and see him grow into this person that Fabletown finally grows to accept. During my first playthrough, I wasn’t able to play him as a brutal, full blown anti-hero because I need to keep him on the community’s good side. I’m definitely gonna replay the chapters and choose the more violent options and see him go full badass wolf on everyone. Speaking of badass, I constantly kept thinking to myself “Wow, I’d LOVE to play as him in an action game.” That one big fight scene against Bloody Mary made me go “You’re doing great, sweetie! Keep it up!” 

The story definitely got me hooked. There wasn’t a time when I wished a speed button was available unlike Hashihime in the Old Book Town where I got bored during a sex scene.

It didn’t remind me of Happily N’ever After and its forced self-awareness that borders on annoying. Mini rant: I love when stories are set in a world where fairy tale characters meet and interact with each other, but that doesn’t mean every work that does it interests me because the handling of  the theme may not quite work (for me at least). I haven’t rewatched Shrek, but I never rolled my eyes every time they make a joke about a fairytale character. I never watched Once Upon a Time but I feel it’s gonna be a pretty mixed bag? It’s just weird seeing all these adult characters taking the whole thing seriously and not in an endearingly self-aware kind of way. The Wolf Among Us kinda did it nicely in that yeah, these were fairy tale characters. Let’s see them work their way as poor people living in New York. I like how they take on the poverty angle because it kinda reminds me of my country, sorta. 

To my surprise, the fight scenes DID IT for me. It’s satisfying to be able to beat the shit outta people I wanted to punch from the very beginning of the game (the Tweedles and Mary. Boy I wanted to see them banged up real badly). To be honest, I never played these Telltale games and I had my doubts about the combat mechanics. Turns out they were done pretty well. Also, I can’t shut up about the final brawl against Mary because....Big Bad Boi.

The meh:

Most of the character designs didn’t wow me. I could name the characters whose design I liked: Bigby, Georgie, Flycatcher, Bluebeard. The rest? Not so much. Some characters like Nerissa were a hit-or-miss while the rest are predictable (Bufkin, Crane, etc) or completely forgettable (Faith and Vivian’s design. Faith’s was at least memorable because her introduction was). The worst one, to me, was Bloody freakin’ Mary. Her design was simply underwhelming. I absolutely adored her true form, but her glamored form was simply...not there. I understand they don’t  want to play the edgy up to eleven which was probably why they didn’t make her tattoo-ed up like Georgie (which is a shame because her emblem has a cool design. Imagine the cool tattoos she could’ve had), but her design was just half-assed (to me anyway). Not gonna lie, I actually was hooked up by her first appearance  —a tough looking enemy with big butch energy  —and then she opened her mouth and she sounds like fucking Bayonetta. This is probably just my personal taste, but I hate the femme fatale villain trope to death and I hate seeing this masculine lady sounding like a generic seductive villainess. Plus, I didn’t see her much during my playthrough so she ended up NOT coming across a real threat or a worthy opponent to Bigby, just a violent bully I need to get through. 

The love interest character’s development was a mixed bag. I didn’t hate Snow White (like some people seem to do), but I was disappointed that she drifted away from Bigby before she gets the chance to solidify herself as his equal and partner. I know she marries him in the graphic novels, but I didn’t quite root for them to be together in the game. Mostly because of the boss-employee dynamic they had towards the end of the game, but it’s also because I also started to see how she didn’t grow to be somebody who understands Bigby and the plight of the non-human characters of Fabletown (case in point being Mr. Toad and TJ). She keeps saying that she does understand what life is like for people like Holly and I did sympathize with her when she talks to Bigby about her wanting to make Fabletown a better place, but the plot cuts her development once she has to act as Deputy Major in Crane’s place. She eventually becomes affixed as a cog in the machine. Sure, she’s needed to keep the system running, but her insisting on going by the (outdated) book just didn’t work I kept getting reminded of Louis from Beastars and how got his character development was. In Louis’ case, he started out as an covert bigot who strongarms his way to obtain authority, thinking he’d be able to make the world a better place. He does make good out of it, but we also see him coming to terms with his vulnerability which leads him to reach out towards other people with the same goals. Simply put, he changed from a know-it-all who wants to change the world so they’d suit his own views better to someone who genuinely wants to make a difference for other people. This....kinda doesn’t happen with Snow White. It’s probably because the POV (who stays on Bigby the entire time) or they’re saving  her character development for the sequel; we can’t really tell until Season 2 comes out.

Speaking of which, how does being a giant, fearsome wolf in disguise reflect on Bigby’s relationship with other animal characters like Mr. Toad? I thought there was some potential in contrasting Mr Toad’s inability to afford glamor and Bigby having his lycantrophy knife handed to him by Snow. I imagine the animal townsfolk would take jabs at him having the privilege to remain constantly human without having to constantly return to the 13th floor but it never happened. 

The resolution of the Crooked Man’s plot felt rushed and I was disappointed with how they handled the organized crime plot. It was built to be a grand scheme beyond Crane and the murder of the girls, but they resolved it way too quickly. It’s probably just me, but when you have organized crime and financial exploitation by (persumedly) a mafia, do you expect the villain to have their ass handed back to them in two chapters after their buildup?I  mean, during Bigby and Crooked Man’s confrontation at the factory,  I kept expecting the  Crooked Man to make his escape after the battle against Mary  — him being immediately dragged to court was anti-climatic. Does it really take that short a time to take down a big, magical mafia boss? Shouldn’t he have other witches at his beck and call (the secret lab at Johann’s place definitely hinted at that!)

I won’t refute if somebody brings up the lack of diversity in the entire cast. As far as I know, there was only one black person and they didn’t do anything with her character. I thought It would be nice if we get to see POC characters like Aladdin or Yeh-Shen (or replace Aladdin with Sinbad or Ali Baba if we want to go for total accuracy). It doesn’t help that the predominantly white characters look generic. Heck, some of the girls could have some variety in body shapes. For example, why not make Holly be a big beautiful woman? If you don’t want to make her morbidly obese, at least make her look heavier. You know, because she’s a troll. No, her wanting to look beautiful by concealing her troll form doesn’t work. Her wanting to be her own kind of beautiful (especially according to Troll standards) can be contrasted nicely to Lily having to wear her human skin because she needs to cater to her clientele, thus further emphasizing her lack of choice in her employment to Guido (and by extent the Crooked Man). 

How long has it been since the exodus? Why is the Fabletown government still this terrible? I really want to be able to see the demographic at a bigger scope. For example, I’d like to see more of the dynamic between people like Bluebeard and the people at the Business Office. Also, what’s up with people with various problems going straight up to the Business Office? Do they not have accountants? How do they handle the legal stuff with the mundies? Who’s handling legal? The organization at the Business Office is just...weird. I thought they’d have some sort of higher council since I thought they’d need a bigger power to keep more powerful magic beings (like the witches) in place. Are things done better in the graphic novel?

Some of the animation lagged/look really janky on my Envy 13 laptop. Also, I encountered a bug at the beginning of some chapters where choices show up when they don’t need to, as well as some weird cuts during scene. Had to exit and reboot the game to proceed. 

That’s all I can think of now. Feel free to send an ask so we can gush about the husbando material that is Bigby Wolf if you have other opinions!

#the wolf among us #snow white (twau) #bigby wolf #the crooked man (twau) #twau spoilers #the wolf among us spoilers #by the way hashihime isn't that bad check it out if you like lgbtq+ visual novels #or just yaoi #because it still handles stuff like consent issues wrong #also #where is red riding hood #is she going to be a boss or something #like jeanne was to bayonetta in the first game?

[papa-rhys]

Benevolence - Preview

Here’s Chapter One of my novel for your viewing pleasure. 

It’s only my first draft so it’s subject to change! Enjoy!

The papers have spelled my name wrong again – damn mess that they are. 

It ain’t like “Olivia Sullivan” is difficult and if they was strugglin’ so damn much, they coulda just used “Black Olli” like everyone else. They say I got some Indian in me, that it’s what makes me so “savage” in nature, but I don’t know if that’s true or not and I don’t reckon the press knows a damn thing they’re talking about when it comes to Indians. To be honest, I don’t know how much of anything them papers say about me is true, these days.  

Probably most of it. 

When you live the kinda life I live, you get in the habit of forgettin’ all the awful things you do. All the dead faces you leave behind ya tend to blur into one, and after a decade or so, the papers can say anything they damn well please about you ‘cause you can’t remember enough of what you’ve done to confirm nor deny it.  

Readin’ through the paper feels like I’m reading a Penny Dreadful, only I’s the subject of it. I ain’t got the foggiest idea whether or not I killed that man like they’s sayin’, just like I ain’t got the foggiest whether or not I got Indian blood tricklin’ through my veins. But I guess there could have been a point between the seventh and eighth shot of whiskey a few nights back where I did indeed bounce that man’s head off the edge of the bar and kill him. I suppose it does align with my reputation. 

I close the paper and fold it in half, slapping it onto the wooden bench beside me and getting to my feet. It’s a painfully hot day in El Santo, New Mexico - hotter than usual, even. The black shirt and jeans I’m wearin’ ain’t helpin’ matters, but us Sullivan’s always did value style over comfort. Stupid, really. Good fashion sense never did much to help ‘em when The Law came chargin’ into camp. The thought makes my skin flush even hotter and I shake it off. God, I’m achin’ for a little rain. 

Folk around town are busying themselves, taking advantage of the sunshine overhead. Cowboys mosey on by, dipping in and out of the saloon despite it only being just past ten in the morning. The ladies are dressed in their cotton dresses and holding their lace parasols, chatterin’ to each other about their god-awful husbands. 

Ma ‘n’ Pa always reckoned I’d make some feller a fine wife. And I suppose I would. If I wanted to. But I reckon I’m built for the life I got. I can shoot, I can brawl, I can lie, and I can damn well rob a feller blind. The Lord didn’t design me for cookin’ and cleanin’ and watchin’ babes in their cradles. I ain’t no damn maid and it’d be a waste of all I’m good at if I settled for bein’ one. I don’t gotta be cooped up in no farm house in order to show a man I love him.

I head for the general store and pick up a few supplies for the road. Baked beans, jerky, some cartridges for every one of my weapons, and a few carrots and corn cobs for my horse, Monty. It’s a long day’s ride ahead of us until we get into the next town over and I reckon we’ll both be beat by mid-afternoon and dyin’ for a good bit of grub. 

“Hey there, boy,” I coo, patting him on the side of the neck as he huffs. There’s a funny lookin’ guy standing outside the saloon a little ways up the street that’s been eyeing me since I went into the general store and I reckon I’ve been made. But I ain’t too keen on letting him know that I’m aware of him, so I keep my head tilted down as I fuss over Monty a little more. “We should make a move, I reckon,” I tell him, earning a shake of the head from him. “Yeah, well I’s the boss, not you.” 

I untwist the reins from the hitching post and mount up, keeping my head forwards as I bring Monty around and keeping my eyes off the man outside the saloon. I observe him from the corner of my eye on the way past – black hat, long black coat coverin’ a brown shirt, and gold capped boots. Ain’t no mistakin’ who he is. 

He’s a Red Wolf. Hell, I’d bet my life on it. 

I dig my heels in and Monty starts into a trot; his hoofs thudding rhythmically against the dirt road. I don’t want the Wolf to know I’s made him, but I sure as hell do want him to be able to catch up with me farther along the trail that leads outta town. He’ll follow, for certain. He wouldn’t be able to resist a young woman  and besides, he knows exactly who I am and Red Wolf creed says he’s gotta kill me soon as he recognises me. Here’s hopin’ he abides and manages to catch me.  

Otherwise, how else will I be able to kill him? 

I pull the reins steady and Monty comes to a stop at the side of the trail just before a winding tree. We’re about two miles outta town now and it’s one of the last few trees around before the scenery fades into open land, offering nothing but sky and half-dead grass either side of the trail.  

I’m outta my saddle in a split second, hopping down onto the dirt and securing Monty’s reins to the tree. He gets skittish around gunfire. Not all that useful for an outlaw, but he’s a good boy and does what he’s told, so I’ve kept him all these years regardless. He gets antsy as the man from town appears a ways down the trail and I lean against Monty with my elbow rested on the saddle and one boot crossed over the other, waiting for him to reach me. 

It takes a few minutes for him to catch up to me and for a moment I think he’s gonna keep ridin’ west, following the open road into the next town over; which would be a shame ‘cause I’m really in the mood for killin’. But he stops just ahead of me and drops down off his beige Arabian; his spurs clinking with the impact. 

He’s a few years older than me – maybe 30 ish – and his jaw is shadowed with a scruffy stubble that looks more than a few days overdue for a trim. There’s wrinkles in the corners of his eyes as he scowls at me and what’s visible of his cheeks between the wide-brimmed hat and the previously mentioned stubble is littered with scars. He makes his way towards me with his hands on his hips - flicking his coat open to flash me a glimpse at his twin pistols - and I turn to face him, lowering my arm to my side where my Colt sleeps, cradled against my hip. 

“Mornin’, Miss,” he says, nodding his head. He seems friendly enough but I know who he is. I know it’s feigned. That friendly neighbour act might work on cowboys and workin’ girls, but he ain’t foolin’ me and there’s no way he’d expect to given who I am and the history our clans got with each other. 

“Why don’t you go ahead and stop right where you stand, partner,” I tell him, stopping him in his tracks a few feet away. “I don’t reckon you’s as dumb as to not know you I am.” 

He smiles and his crooked, blackened teeth make my stomach churn a little. “I know’s exactly who you is, Miss Sullivan.” 

He dares to take another step – his hands still on his hips and his chest puffed out – and I draw as fast as the thought flits through my mind. Raisin’ a gun to a man is second nature to me. He chuckles and raises his hands, but not high enough. His chuckle stops and he draws too and in the blink of an eye, we’re both starin’ down the barrel of each other’s weapon.  

I fire first, but I don’t got any use for him if he’s dead, so I aim for the hand that holds his gun and blow a hole in his thumb, earning a roar from him. The pistol falls to the dirt and he stumbles and I’m on him in seconds; pouncing on him like a rabid dog. I’m straddling him now and he fights back until I clock him around the jaw three times with the butt of my Colt and he finally gives up. 

“Alright, alright, you made ya damn point,” he hisses, spitting a mouthful of blood into the dirt beside us. 

I grip him by the collar of his shirt, curling the fabric around my fingers and pulling tightly. “Who named The Sullivans?” I ask him. “Who told The Law where we was campin’?” 

He smirks up at me. “Your gaggle of inbred yeller-bellies had quite the bounty on yer heads,” he says. “Happens y’all just got sloppy.” 

I hit him again. “You know as well as I do that that ain’t true, so cut the shit ‘n’ give me the name of the Wolf who tipped ‘em off.” 

“I ain’t got –“ 

Another smack should do it. 

This time I angle my strike downwards and get him in the nose and the crunch it makes under the impact of my Colt is enough to damn near echo. It’d surely turn my stomach if I hadn’t done it a million times before.

He yells and his head flops back and for a second I’m worried I’s killed him, but he starts shakin’ his head and I reckon he don’t think his buddy is worth dyin’ for.  “Jacob Dixon,” he breathes, his head rolling on his shoulders and his eyelids fluttering. “Goes by ‘Dix’… he’s the feller who ratted ya damn gang out. Just… enough with the damn hittin’, girl.” 

“Where’s this feller at?” I ask. He shakes his head and swallows hard. “You tell me where he is ‘n’ I won’t bleed ya like a stuck pig,” I spit, my face inches away from his. 

“Don’t go pokin’ around for him,” he tells me. “You’ll only find stuff you didn’t wanna know.” 

“I swear to the heavens if you don’t tell me the location, I will kill you.” 

“Alright, alright… But if I tell you, you’ll let me go?” he asks, blood trickling into his mouth from his nostrils and spitting back up at me as he talks. 

“Sure, I’ll let ya go,” I tell him. “If you give me the location.” 

“We’re camped before the Arizona border. I don’t know the name of the place, just that it’s inside the boundary of the New Mexico Territory.” He coughs and splutters and spits another mouthful of blood. “We’s been there a few weeks.” 

“How many of ya?” 

“I thought was gonna let me –“ 

I’m runnin’ real low on patience and the thought of a bullet carvin’ a path through this guy’s skull is lookin’ real temptin’. “How many?” I roar. 

“Five of us! The rest of the fellers is spread out in different states. Boss wanted us coverin’ the way from here to California. Said you was gonna be comin’ for him ‘n’ didn’t want ya to get closer than he’d like.” 

I push myself up onto my feet and dust myself off, smacking the dirt away from my knees as he flops onto the floor. “What’s ya name?” I ask him, fixin’ the position of my hat. 

“Tommy,” he croaks, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and looking at the blood smeared across it. 

“Thanks for yer help, Tommy,” I tell him, raising my Colt and bringing the sights flush with his forehead. “But I never liked folk who grovel.” 

“No, wait, I –“ 

With a squeeze of the trigger, there’s one less Wolf in the pack. One less name on my list. Tommy’s blood seepin’ into the dirt of the trail beneath him, the liquid poolin’ around his head and creepin’ its way towards the spot where his Arabian had stood before takin’ off at the sound of the gunshot. His eyes are still wide with fear, his arms and legs sprawled out in every direction, and I feel damn good about it.

I wipe my mouth and then raise my neckerchief to my forehead to mop up the beads of sweat I’d earned in the sun-doused scuffle. Stuffing my Colt back into its holster, I head for Monty, who huffs and stomps at the gunshot that surely rings in his ears as much as it does in mine. “There, there, boy. It’s alright,” I tell him, placing my hand to his nose and soothing him. “I’s got us a lead on that rat of ours.”

#my writing #writeblr #writerblr #excerpt #writing #w benevolence

[feliix]

Crush Culture ✦ KTH (18+)

✦ Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

✦ Rating: M ✦ Word Count: 14k (screams)

✦ Genre: fluff, angst, smut, fake dating!au

✦ Summary:  Once summer hits and you return to work at the local ice cream shop, you’re swarmed with couples coming in on lovey-dovey on dates. You’ve always hated the idea of relationships and love, but it’s Taehyung’s mission to make you reconsider by the end of the summer.

✦ Warnings: childhood friends 2 lovers, idiots 2 lovers unprotected sex, fingering, pining, soft sex, light mentions of marking, mentions of bad past relationships, Tae is kinda a player but he turns out alright

✦ A/N: a big big thank you to the lovely @hobiance​​ for helping me plan yet another fic and @jinned​ for giving me the much needed support and hyping me up until I finished my first long boi ilysm ♡ also thank you to my lovely beta @jinterlude​ who I would be completely illiterate without! the most beautiful banner you’ve ever seen is made by none other than my baby @koophoriia​ ily bunbunbun

Written for the BHQ Bangtan Boardwalk Collaboration

Taglist: @krystle1990​ @imluckybitches​

“Gross”

Another couple. Probably the 50th overly lovey-dovey pair that you’ve seen this evening alone. The shop is packed full of them on warm nights like this.

To say ‘love’ isn’t really your thing isn’t far from the truth. Relationships suck. Been there, done that.

You always keep the same theory; relationships either end in heartbreak or marriage. And even still, marriage can still end in heartbreak, so what’s the point?

“Stop being dramatic,” Taehyung laughs after catching your snide remark from around the corner. He had just run to the back to get you a fresh package of cups after using up all the stock in the front.

Tonight is busy, to say the least. The sun is setting, and it’s the perfect time for families and couples alike to come in and get a cold and tasty treat, especially on a day as hot as this one. It’s over 100º, and the humidity is doing a real number to your hair.

“It’s not dramatic,” you sigh, leaning on the counter behind you as Taehyung maneuvers around you, placing the cups on the shelf underneath.

It’s just the two of you on the schedule tonight. Your boss is kind of an asshole, leaving 2 ‘kids’ in their early twenties to run the shop by themselves while he went off to do god knows what. Probably at the bar across the street, since his car is still parked in the back, but he’s nowhere to be found. That’s okay though, it's better than having him loom over your shoulder and critique your scooping texture the whole shift.

“Whatever you say,” Taehyung shakes his head.

Unlike yourself, Taehyung is a hopeless romantic, always looking for love in the wrong places. It always seems that his relationships never work out though, which has always confused you – Taehyung is a great guy.

So great that you have been best friends with him for as long as you could remember. It all started that time in pre-k, where you poured a shovel of sand on his head in the sandbox. Initially, it did make him cry, but he got over it eventually. Ever since, he’s been right by your side, sandy hair and all.

“How much longer,” your eyes roll back in your head, neglecting to look at the watch on your wrist in fear that your shift has a significant amount of time left.

“Just under an hour, we should start the closing checklist so we can get outta here,” Tae responds as he reaches for the rag and sanitation bucket.

Nodding your head, you follow his plan – beginning your mission to clean like a speed demon so you can leave at 8 o’clock on the dot. You’ll be damned if a customer comes in at 7:58, but there's always one Karen that comes as you’re about to lock the doors. You hate those Karens.

Lucky for you, closing tonight went as smoothly as it can go. You and Taehyung are ready to go at 8 on the dot, clocking out and locking up behind you.

“So what are we doing tonight?” Taehyung asks, his fingers adjusting the headband that sits just above his forehead.

“I was gonna go home and sleep…” you trail off, avoiding eye contact with him. You know his eyes are much too convincing to look into, and you are beyond exhausted from working a double today.

“Booooo you’re boring,” he teases, stopping in his tracks in the center of the parking lot, “it was an early night we should do something.”

With a deep sigh, you stop as well, turning around to meet his suggestive smirk. He knows he’s about to get his way before you have the chance to argue back with him. So you tilt your head, waiting for him to explain what he has in mind.

“I’ll be at your house by 9.”

And with that, you’re starting the ignition to your car and racing home, carefully, of course.

Taehyung is always spontaneous like this.

After making it home and rushing to get ready, Taehyung was there to pick you up, a few minutes late, but that’s just par for the course. When you end up at your favorite boba spot, you know Taehyung wants to talk about something. He never wants to sit down at a place like this just for small talk, you’ve picked up on his signs and can read him like a book.

But when you finally get your drink and sit at your favorite table in the back corner, he doesn’t say much. It’s almost like he’s waiting for you to speak up. His eyes staring down at his drink instead of sipping it, hands rested in his lap with his lip caught between his teeth. It’s puzzling, slightly, you thought he wanted to hang out tonight and do something adventurous…

The awkward silence and lack of gestures from Taehyung is starting to make you uncomfortable, so you decide to take matters into your own hands.

“How are things going with that girl,” you ask before bringing the straw of your tea to your lips, sipping nonchalantly.

“Oh yeah,” he sighs, his fingertips drumming along the surface of the table, “it didn’t really work out.”

When it comes to Taehyung, relationships never really seem to work out. To say it lightly, he is extremely picky. His last relationship ended because he thought the girl breathed too loudly. The girl before that had an annoying laugh,  and then the one before that bit her nails.

Eventually, his pickiness has become a trend to the point that Taehyung will entertain a girl for a month or so. Then, he'll find something so minuscule within the said girl and turn it into a dealbreaker. The nit-picking things are way too much to move past for Taehyung. It’s clear that he is in search of the ‘perfect woman,’ like that even exists.

“You’re probably better off.”

You don’t think much of the words before they leave your lips. Relationships are a ton of work, is it really worth it to put all your effort into something like that? There is a way to just be happy on your own, you know.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He’s taken back by your statement, his eyebrows furrowing in response as he waits for your answer.

“You know what I think,” you tilt your heat matter-of-factly, “relationships are a waste of time.”

“What is with you and all this ‘anti-love’ stuff anyway?”

His question catches you off guard, a boba bubble almost catching in your throat leaving you a coughing mess. Taehyung chuckles at your discomfort, waiting patiently for you to get it all out and answer his question.

“I’ve wasted too much time with too many dead-beat guys to even think about love,” you sigh again, your coughing fit subsiding as you reach for your boba once again.

“Not all guys are dead-beats, you know.”

His words come out harsh, almost as if he finds your words offensive. Like you are meaning to group him in with all the guys you’ve dated in the past. Which is strange, Taehyung knows that he’s different. For one, you’ve never dated him before and two, if he was such a dead-beat you wouldn’t have kept him around for so long.

You can’t talk to guys, or most people like you talk to Taehyung. He’s the one you rant about the dead-beats to, along with everything else under the sun. He knows all the shit that you don’t tell anyone else, he’s like your own personal human diary. Secrets are always safe with him, it's not like he has anyone who would listen to the gossip even if he wanted to tell.

After a minute of silence Taehyung’s expression changes, his eyes squinting at you in that ‘I have a crazy idea’ type of way. It’s a look that you see often, and you couldn’t say that you would ever be used to it.

“Okay then I’ll make you a deal,” he proposes, a glimmering look in his eye that made you somewhat nervous. You never know what you are getting with Taehyung, but most of the time his ‘deals’ are on the crazier side.

“What is it?” You still ask although you’re a bit nervous to hear his answer. If his plan is to set you up with one of his delinquent friends or something–

“Be my girlfriend.”

Your eyes widen as the words leave his lips, confusion taking over your expression as a small chuckle leaves his lips. He can't be serious…

“Your what?”

“Two weeks is all I’m asking for. Be my girlfriend for just two weeks, and I’ll show you that love isn’t as shitty as you think it is.”

“You’re crazy,” you shake your head, a disbelieving smile stretching wide across your face.

“C’mon Y/N,” he challenges, “it’s two weeks of your life, what else do you have to do?”

The quirk of his eyebrow and quick squint of his eyes grabs your attention. He’s serious about this, scarily serious, and you aren’t quite sure how to react to that.

“What’s in it for you?” Your chin falls into your palm as you stare at him, waiting for his response.

“Well for one,” he starts, a sigh leaving his lips, “I won’t have to listen to you complain about how much relationships suck anymore.”

Just when you don't think you can roll your eyes any further into the back of your head, your own actions surprise you. If looks could kill, the one you’re giving him right now would surely take him out. He doesn’t pay much mind to it though, he’s used to your sass and just shrugs it off.

“This is an awful idea,” you glare at him as if it will change his mind. You’re certain this experiment of his would not change your own. Love sucked, and that was that.

“Two weeks,” his voice carries a taunting tone, his eyebrows wiggling to entice you into his plan. He isn’t going to give up on this easily, you know Taehyung. And Taehyung always gets his way.

“Fine,” you huff, “two weeks and that’s it. And if my mind isn’t changed you owe me 3 more of these,” you say, picking up your tea from the table and shaking it at eye-level for emphasis.

His bottom lip catches between his teeth, satisfied with your response. He isn’t exactly sure how he’ll manage to pull this off, but he’s definitely up for the challenge.

“We start tomorrow at 8, I’ll pick you up after work.”

Crossing your arms over the table, you bury your head in your arms. This is going to be the most interesting two weeks of your entire life.

“So you’re like dating dating?” Lainey’s jaw drops, excitement prevalent on her face as you spill about your night with Taehyung.

Lainey is the only person in your life that understood your hatred for relationships, other than Taehyung of course. Not that she shares the hatred herself, she just heard enough about how much you despise being in one to know how you felt.

Along with Taehyung, Lainey is your best friend. And she’s the only person in this world that you can bear to work a double with on a Saturday.

“That's the plan,” you sigh fiddling with the scoops behind you. It’s pretty slow for a Saturday afternoon, not many customers have come in since you opened up at 11.

That’s the thing about working at an ice cream shop – it sucks when it's slow, and it sucks when it's busy. Though it isn't a miserable job, you at least have Tae and Lainey to keep you company.

The smirk on Lainey’s face hasn’t disappeared since you told her about Taehyung’s deal. She’s shocked that you actually agreed to something like this, especially since it’s with Taehyung. The same Taehyung that ended a 3-month relationship last year because the girl ‘smelled like peaches.’ It’s only a matter of time until Taehyung finds your own deal-breaking trait.

“For the record,” you turn to look at Lainey, a grin still evident on her face, “I don’t think this is gonna change my mind.”

“Y/N,” Lainey whines as she draws out the last syllable of your name, plopping herself down in a chair to pout. “Stop being so…so…”

“So?”

Her face crinkles as she racks her brain for the word, rubbing her temples in hopes that it will come to her. Your eyebrow crooks in response, a slight chuckle leaving your lips as you wait.

“Pessimistic!” Lainey’s face lights up as it finally comes to her. She does have a point. It’s been a while since you actually let anyone in

“You know Taehyung, you never know, maybe something could happen,” her eyebrows lift at the end of her sentence, too suggestively for your own comfort.

“Okay no, that's exactly why this is only two weeks. I know Taehyung, he’ll be over it in 2 weeks.”

“Whatever you say,” the pitch of her voice is raised teasingly. She doesn’t believe this will be a two-week thing.

Lainey has been friends with you and Taehyung for 4 summers now. Once she started working at the ice cream shop with you two it was an automatic connection. Letting her into your little clique with no hesitation, you quickly became 3 peas in a pod.

But Lainey sees a lot of things that you aren’t able to see for yourself. You had grown up with Taehyung, grown accustomed to his unique mannerisms and behaviors without even noticing. Lainey, on the other hand, has a different point of view.

She sees the way Taehyung looks at you and how he hangs on each and every word that leaves your mouth. How he longs to make you laugh, watching you with a growing grin each time a chuckle passes through your lips. She notices every behavior that you see as nothing more than ‘friendly.’ But who is she to say? So, for now, the information remains tucked away and stored in her mind for a later date.

Your fingers drum on the glass cover of the freezer beneath you, leaning against it as you wait for a customer to come in. All this time with nothing to do is really doing wonders for your imagination; thinking about what Taehyung has planned for the two of you to do tonight. Nothing special, you hope, he really doesn’t need to go all out for this.

“He’s picking me up after work”

“Oooh he’s picking you up?”

“Shut up,” your eyes roll at her teasing nature, growing slightly embarrassed by how giddy it’s making you. It’s just Taehyung, and you are just hanging out like you do every other night.

The rest of you shift flies by – it always does when you work with Lainey. Before you know it, the closing checklist is coming to an end, only a few steps left before you can finally get out of here. The clock had just turned to 7:55 pm, but Taehyung still isn’t here. Not that you’re expecting him to be on time or anything, this is still the same Taehyung you have always known.

What you aren’t familiar with is the nervous butterflies fluttering around in your tummy as the clock approaches 8pm.  What are you even nervous about? It isn’t a blind date, other than the fact that you have no idea what you’re doing. And it isn’t even a date. It’s Taehyung for crying out loud.

Speaking of the devil, the chimes in the front of the shop ring as Taehyung passes through the doorway. You don’t see who it is at first, your back turns to the door as you sweep behind the counter. The chimes ringing at this time of night do trigger your fight or flight instincts though, ready to turn to whoever is approaching and give them a dirty look for coming in this close to closing time.

But once you turn around and see Taehyung standing in the doorway with a bouquet of sunflowers, your tension quickly subsides. You swear that you can feel your heart skip a beat, heat rising to your cheeks as you try your hardest to form a manageable sentence. It's okay that you aren’t able to, though, the surprised look on your face is enough for his own to light up and beam across the room.

“I’m here to pick up the pretty girl with the coffee ice cream stain on her shirt,” he chuckles, his bottom lip catching between his teeth.

He dressed a lot nicer than usual attire; a dress shirt with a loose pair of slacks dressing his slim figure. His hair is light too, much different than the dark brown curls that frame his face. He’s really going all out for this – and you’re wearing a pair of running shorts and an ice cream stained t-shirt.

Lainey is just as stunned as you are, frozen in her spot with her jaw practically on the floor. She looks at you with wide eyes, her eyebrows raising as a smug expression crosses her face. You look in her direction, about to ask if she’s alright to finish closing on her own, but before you’re able to say anything she’s already shooing the two of you out the door.

With a goofy grin displayed across his face, he hands you the bundle of flowers, tied together with a delicate white ribbon. You mumble a thank you, still stunned that he showed up here looking like that to take you out tonight. So he is the romantic type, note taken.

“You like nice,” you gulp nervously. It already feels like a date and you haven’t even left the parking lot yet. If this is how things are going to start you had an exciting 13 more days ahead of you...

“As do you,” he smirks, his eyes wandering down to the small brown stains littering your shirt. Eyes narrowing, you read the expression crossing his face – of course, he’s joking. “I brought you some fresh clothes to change into don’t worry.”

Relief rushes through your body as the words leave his lips.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

An interesting yet on-brand response from Taehyung. He’s a big fan of surprises – as long as he’s not on the receiving end.

The drive to your destination seems long. You aren’t quite sure how long you’ve been on your way; between the agile back seat changing of clothes, which you are surprisingly skilled at, and the anticipation coursing through your veins, you’ve lost track of time All you know is that you’ve been driving through backroads for at least 15 minutes, and the destination doesn’t seem anywhere near.

“This is it.” The car pulls into a small dirt parking lot, dimly lit by some dingy street lights that aren’t doing such a great job illuminating things. Your eyebrow crooks unintentionally – this was it?

Your eyes wander outward as Taehyung parks the car, unable to see anything further than a 10-foot radius.

“Where are we?” The question leaves your lips in a worried fashion. Trees surround the parking lot on all three-sides, while the road you've pulled in from occupies the fourth-side. You’re hesitant to get out of the car, but as Taehyung rounds the front and opens the door for you, you’re on your way out. He motions for you to hold on as he pops the trunk – returning with a blanket and a reusable shopping bag filled with god knows what.

He still hasn’t given an answer to your question though, and you still aren’t quite sure where you are. If It was lighter out you assume it would be beautiful here, all the greenery dark and shadows hovering over you from the trees.

The bright light from his cell phone flashlight lights up the way, a path on your right

“Hell no,” your arms cross over your chest as you stand still in your place. He’s out of his mind if he thinks you’re going into the woods this late at night. You’ve seen enough horror films, stuff like this never ends well.

“C’mon, it’s not as bad as it looks,” Taehyung laughs at your pouting manner, amusement filling his system as you glue your feet to the ground of the parking lot. His puppy dog eyes plead for you to follow him, a hand outreaching in your direction for the taking. You contemplate it for a moment, your eyes narrowing as you ponder the possible outcomes of the situation before you.

“Fine,” you huff as you take his hand in yours.

His hand feels different in yours this time. His long fingers lacing between your smaller ones in the perfect fit that you’ve neglected to notice before. You’ve held his hand before, platonically though. This time it’s platonic too though, right? It’s just a date. A platonic date between two friends. Two friends who are dating on a two week trial period. So yes, it is strictly platonic. Right?

The dirt path doesn’t drag on for too long, but the sounds of bugs ticking and twigs breaking beneath your feet is enough to startle you. Every scared and breathy gasp that  leaves your mouth is followed by a small fit of laughter from Taehyung. At least one of you is amused.

But the dirt path soon turns rocky, a clearing becoming more and more noticeable as Taehyung’s flashlight brightens the way ahead of you. The rows of trees come to an end as the ground flattens, a giant slab of rock lying beneath your feet. Out ahead of you is completely dark, and until you approach the darkness you don’t notice that you’re just a few yards away from the edge of a cliff. A river lies below the edge, the sound of water rushing fills your ears and calms your nerves. It is quiet out here, peaceful and without distraction.

Taehyung stands back as you admire the scenery around you – your own phone flashlight now out and panning around to look at the view. It’s beautiful out here, nothing to worry about but the sounds of the water and whatever Taehyung is doing behind you…

You couldn’t have zoned out for more than 2 minutes, but once you turn back around to face him a picnic blanket lies on the ground before you. Snacks scatter the extent of the fabric, a few candles placed in the center

“You really went all out for this, huh?” A nervous laugh leaves your lips before you swallow harshly. Never in your life has a guy ever gone all out like this for you. A late-night picnic at a secret location, fixed with all of your favorite snacks and some candles for ambiance.

“Had to,” he smiles, “it’s our first date.”

You join him on the blanket, grabbing for a bag of popcorn as you sit down. Maybe relationships wouldn’t suck so much if all men treated you like this…

Woah woah woah. It’s just Taehyung. Taehyung who already knows all your favorite things to eat. He’s just trying to be convincing – to prove to you that men take you on dates, do nice things. But stuff like this never lasts. Two weeks from now you’ll be going back to the same old Tae and Y/N friendship that you’ve always had.

The conversation goes on as normal tonight, he doesn’t make any moves (as expected, it’s Taehyung) and you enjoy the view and calm atmosphere with your fake but not so fake boyfriend. You stay out on the cliff for a few more hours before he takes you home. Taehyung put a lot of effort into making tonight special, and you appreciate him for that. But even after all his effort, you know that real relationships aren’t like this.

Every guy you’ve dated would try to woo you over in the beginning too. They call it the honeymoon stage for a reason. Things are always great in the beginning, lavish gifts and dates, loving gestures. That kind of thing never lasts. Soon the effort runs out, the guy gets bored of putting the work in, and they end up sleeping with your freshman year roommate. Well, at least that's how it is for you.

The bundle of sunflowers Taehyung gave to you earlier on in the night sits on the end table next to your bed. Each time you look at them all you can picture is the goofy grin he sported as he stood at the entrance of the ice cream shop. It replays in your mind like a movie. How he dressed up all spiffy just to take you out. How he took you to a spot only he knew about, somewhere so off-site and serene that he knew you’d remain uninterrupted. You can’t help but wonder if he’s using the same old tricks on you that he does to other girls though. If he only knew about that place because he’s taken someone there before.

Not that it matters though, you aren’t his real girlfriend. You’re just on a trial period. But for some reason the thought that he might have brought another girl to the same spot before doesn’t sit well with you.

“Sooooo,” Lainey teases, her chin falling into her palm as she leans on the freezer before her, “how was your date with Y/N?”

Taehyung chuckles at her nosiness, he’s sure you’ve already told her all about it. There are no secrets left between you two. Even sometimes Taehyung felt like the odd man out around you both.

“It was good.”

Taehyung keeps his answer short, leaving the rest up to her imagination. He isn’t one to kiss and tell or to not kiss and tell either. Things are better that way.

“Just good?” Lainey challenges, knowing there is much more that he’s leaving out. Her eyes narrow as she waits for his response. You haven’t told her anything about last night, not even where you went after he picked you up. Things are radio silent on your end.

Taehyung glances back at her, contemplating whether or not he should spill the beans.It would be nice to have someone else to confide in since it's always you on the receiving end of his secrets; however, this is the one secret that you can't know.

He chews on his bottom lip pensively, if anyone knows what’s on your mind, it would be Lainey. Not that Taehyung is looking to pry, he just has no indication to how you feel about last night, or about him.

Before Taehyung can even open his mouth to speak, a knowing smirk is spread wide across Lainey’s face. It’s that kind of look that makes him nervous – she knows something.

“You like her,” she muses, tossing her hair over her shoulder as the words catch in the air. It’s out there now, and it’s obvious. Well, maybe not obvious, but clear as day to Lainey – and that is more than enough to make Taehyung worry.

“I don’t,” He denies her claim, his willpower too strong to give into her.

“Oh yeah? Why do you self sabotage every one of your relationships then?”

Her words catch Taehyung off guard, his jaw clenching harshly as an annoyed breath is forced out of his nostrils. He wants to deny her claim once again, but he can’t bring himself to keep brushing off these feelings that have had a grip on him ever since he was young.

Lainey is right too. He does sabotage each relationship that comes his way. Taehyung goes out of his way to find something wrong with each girl he dates. He can never admit it to himself, but in the back of his mind, he knows that it's the fact that none of those girls are you.

“It’s written all over your face every time you look at her you know?”

Was he really that obvious? Did it show that much whenever he was around you?

“What do you mean?” Taehyung clarifies, the small once of hope bearing weight in his chest that Lainey is just joking around. That she doesn’t actually know the one thing he’s been holding onto for so long.

She doesn’t have to respond for him to know the answer. The quirk of her eyebrow and knowing expression on her face says enough.

“Well you can’t tell her,” he sighs, hand gripping harshly on the countertop as he stares down at the black and white checkered floors. Lainey turns to look at him staring down in distress, a sympathetic glance directed at him. He’s worried you’ll find out.

You can’t find out. If you do, then all bets will be off. Once you know Taehyung’s feelings for you there is no way that you’ll let your little arrangement continue. He knows you only agreed to this because there is nothing between you romantically, or at least as far as you know.

Lainey bears her weight on the cooler behind her, leaning comfortably on the cool glass. “I want her to be done with this ‘I hate love thing’ just as much as you do,” her fingers mock air quotes as she continues, “Want me to be honest?”

“Please.”

“I think you might be the only one who can change her mind.”

Taehyung’s heart skips a beat as the words leave her mouth. Blood rushes to his ears, pumping like a snare drum as he considers what she just said. He’s confused as to what she means. You agreed to fake-date him, but you still hate love.

A comfortable silence fills the air, Lainey watching him as his lips roll between his teeth as he’s deep in thought. Change your mind. The words repeat in his mind like a broken record. That’s what he’s trying to do, for the right reasons; so that you won’t be so miserable. But behind those selfless reasons come with smaller selfish ones. He gets to be with you as more than a friend now, and although it’s nothing more than some kind of test run, he can’t help but feel like this can be something more too.

“Like you think…” he gulps, clearing his throat as the words stutter out of his mouth, “I could get her to fall for me?”

The lack of response that Lainey gives is ominous, but the raise of her eyebrows and toothy grin forming on her face needs no words to tell. If anyone is to change your mind, it’ll be Taehyung.

That night Taehyung took you to the drive-in movies. To be quite honest, you couldn’t really recall what was playing, some Pixar film with bugs as the main character if you can recall it correctly. You were far too distracted laughing with Taehyung, watching as young kids played around on a grassy patch near his car. The giggles that left his lips each time the little girl waved to him were music to your ears. You never noticed how much he loved kids, how good he was with them.

The image of his hands clasped together as he fawned over the little girl, picking dandelions in the grass and racing to place them by your feet was burned into your memory. The boxy grin that graced his face all night long. The way his eyes squinted from his cheeks, pushing up as he smiled so big. The whispers of the word ‘cute’ each time her pigtails bounced while she toddled away.

Missing the movie doesn't disappoint you. If anything, the memories you've saved from tonight are more than enough.

The next night you were unable to go out, the shop was so busy that you were not able to leave until an hour and a half after your shift was supposed to end. Some punk kid dropped 2 cones on the floor on his way out and decided it would be best to leave them there without cleaning anything up. Maybe if it hadn’t been so busy then you would have noticed the spill before it dried up and stuck to the tile floors.

Naturally, you spent a good 15 minutes trying to mop up all the stickiness on the floor. But to your luck, Taehyung is working with you that night. Once all the customers left the shop he hooked his phone up to the speakers, grabbed your hands, and danced you around the shop. Well, it was supposed to be dancing but it probably looked more like Taehyung swinging your arms as you attempted to not trip over your own feet.

It makes up for not getting to go out though, and you’d take a night like that over a fancy dinner any chance you got. 

It’s been 12 days since you became Taehyung‘s girlfriend, and as the remaining days decreased, so did your hatred for love. Each night he planned something special. The real kicker was the texts that you get once he makes it home from dropping you off every night. A simple ‘I had a great time tonight’ was enough to make your heart swell and heat rise to your cheeks.

And as you notice your hatred for love and relationships leaving you, you notice another feeling enter your system. Or several feelings…

Things are getting just as sticky as the night two when ice cream cones landed on the shop floor face down, sprinkles and all. Spending time with Taehyung like this is bringing some things to the surface you didn’t know were buried in the first place.

Every night that you spent with Taehyung over the past 12 days allowed you to see him in a new light. You got to see him on a different level than just friends. You got to see what every girl that fawns over Taehyung experiences.

Something about your friendship never let you jump past that barrier. You only see him as a dear friend of yours. Nothing more and nothing less. And now the issue is that...you aren’t sure how you’ll ever go back to see him as such.

You like Taehyung as more than a friend, that's for sure. And you know because of that things will never be able to go back to the way they once were.

Maybe you're reading too much into it, but your gut is telling you that you aren't the only one feeling this way.

The feeling of butterflies that pound in your stomach each time you meet eyes with him has to be reciprocated. There is just no way you can be feeling this way and he isn’t.

This isn’t like the feelings you’ve caught for any guy before, this is something else. Every night when you go home you lay in bed, staring at your ceiling with a dumb grin on your face as you think about your time together, about him. About the way his black curly hair falls in front of his eyes each time he looks down and how his smile lights up every room he was in.

These things that you were so blind to before can’t escape your thoughts, and it makes you wonder how many times or things you’ve looked over that make you melt, just like you are right now.

But in just 2 days, this trial-boyfriend period will be over, and you’ll have to go back to being just friends. Each day, each hour, each minute that approaches feels heavier and heavier. Anxiety floods your system each time you think about things being over, or that this arrangement you have isn’t even real.

When you think about the growing feelings you have for him, you honestly can't imagine what your life will be like any other way. What it would be like going back to just hanging out here and there. And what it would be like

You can’t even fathom thinking about what it would be like hearing him talk about another girl again. It makes you sick thinking that there's going to be someone after you, because in just 5 days this will be all over, and you’ll go back to being the girl best friend, nothing more.

Maybe it’s just wishful thinking that Taehyung has more feelings for you too. But the glimmer in his eyes as his bangs brush out of his eyes and they land on you tells a different story. When he looks at you it feels like you are the only two people on earth. He sees nothing else but you, and the way your eyes sparkle back at him.

Each day you spend with Taehyung after that feels like a wrench tightening the screws of your heart. 14 days is just not enough.

“Earth to Y/N” Lainey says waving a hand in your face. You must have zoned out, for god knows how long.

“Thinking about Tae?”

“What,” she catches you off guard, straightening your posture and brushing yourself off before responding to her, “no…just thinking.”

“Right,” the sarcasm drips from her lips, turning away from you as she wipes off a table in the front.

For personal reasons, you’ve kept Lainey out of the loop during this whole fake-boyfriend Taehyung thing. It’s better if you keep your feelings to yourself until you figure them out. And although it feels really really strange not giving Lainey the intel on what’s going on in your life, you know it’s for your own good.

Once you put what is in your head out into the world, you can’t take it back. What if you are just in the honeymoon-phase? If these feelings for Taehyung are only because he’s trying his best to woo you, and then they’ll just fade away as things return back to normal.

Something in you tells you that this isn't the case, but the small shadow of doubt in the back of your mind keeps you from talking to your best friend about it anyway.

The thing is, you don't have to tell Lainey for her to know. Every time Tae picks you up from work to take you out you shine. Your smile spreads so wide she’s afraid your cheeks will tear. The nervous shake of your fingers as you grab for your belongings as you head out the door doesn’t go unnoticed in Lainey’s eyes. She knows you too well to look over things like this, she just wanted to wait for you to say something first.

But now that you aren’t, Lainey has decided to take matters into her own hands, asking you about it herself.

“Lainey,” you start, waiting for her attention before you pull out a stool, sitting down and motioning for her to follow suit. She does, a questioning but knowing look evident on her face as she joins you. “You know how this thing between Taehyung and I is just an experiment or whatever?”

She nods in response, her hand quickly falling into her palm as she listens intently to your words.

“I think I messed up.” Your head is buried in your arms, laid over the tabletop in embarrassment.

“What do you mean?”

Her question is more for clarification, she wants to hear you say it herself. She knows that you’re gonna tell her you caught feelings. She sees it coming from a mile away, you confirming it is just the icing on the ice cream cake.

“Don’t make me say it,” you whine, neglecting to pick your head up and look at her. You can feel the grin on her face. You know she's smirking at you right now, doing her best to hold back a laugh. Finally, you got over your ‘I hate love and relationships suck’ thing.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” she sings, quite obviously teasing you while another deep sigh echoes from your chest. You manage to pick your head up, leaning onto your elbows with your chin caught between your palms as you face her.

“I like him.”

It comes out as a whisper, but Lainey hears it loud and clear. If you didn’t know better, you’d assume that the smile on her face can't grow any larger, but it does. She jumps up from her chair in victory, doing a funny dance with her arms whooping in the air to celebrate. You’re confused as to why, but you’re too far in your own thoughts to pay it any mind; your head just sinks back into your arms as your forehead presses against the cold metal table beneath you.

“I knew it,” Lainey smiles, her happy dance subsiding as she sits back down across from you. “I knew this fake dating thing was gonna work.

“Yeah well it really worked, because now I have feelings for a guy that’s never gonna reciprocate them for me.”

Your tone is laced with sarcasm, a disappointing ring outlining each of your words. You’re too embarrassed to look at the girl sitting before you, worried that if you do all the emotions you’ve been holding onto for so long will spill over and stain your stone-cold image; one you’ve maintained for far too long.

But Lainey’s your best friend. The only one that you should be comfortable being vulnerable about your feelings for Taehyung with; for some reason all you can’t bring yourself to be.

Before you can get a grip on your emotions tears are streaming down your face, falling onto the cold metal surface under you in small puddles. 

A sympathetic sigh leaves Lainey’s lips as she tries to gain your attention, “Hey.”

Inhaling deeply, you face her – mascara strewn across your face in black streaks and eyes nearly bloodshot. You’ve held this in for far too long. Only a double would tire you out and exhaust you enough to cry on the clock. Thank God it’s a rainy day, no customers ever come in on rainy days.

Or at least, no customers usually come in on rainy days. It's not until you hear the bells on the front door ring that you’re wiping your eyes, whipping around to greet whoever was entering.

And then you see him, standing there as he shakes out his umbrella, a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand.

And he sees you; mascara running down your face and tears staining your cheeks. He’s early. Your stomach turns at the sight of him, emotions not stable enough to handle carry a normal conversation like  

“Y/N,” his voice is quiet, worry dripping in his tone as your name leaves his lips. But you can’t face him right now, not like this.

Your feet move faster than you mind, standing up and rushing to the back to avoid him. Taehyung doesn’t follow you, just stands there and watches you walk away, solemn and worried that he’s done something. 

It’s not until Lainey is rising from her seat and pacing over to him that he’s brought back to reality.

“Taehyung,” she starts, hands coming up slowly to console him, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here right now.”

“Wh-What’s wrong?” His lip worries between his teeth, eyes glossy as he stares at the door you just closed behind you. He’s looking at it intently, mind flooding with worry, wishing so badly that the door will just fly open, and you’ll tell him what was going on. In the back of his mind, he knows that you won’t, at least not for now. Talking about emotions has never been your strong suit, and chances of that changing at this moment are at an all-time low.

Lainey is unsure how to answer him, caught in between not wanting to lie and keeping your feelings private. She doesn’t want to speak for you; but she’s scared of saying something that can make this situation worse.

Her mouth gapes as she searches for a response to his question, lips opening and closing and she hums to find the right words. They don’t come.

The umbrella hanging from Taehyung’s hand drops with a crash, starling Lainey as she jumps at the sudden sound. But before she is even able to speak, the bell to the front door is ringing again, and Taehyung is walking away into the pouring rain.

The next day you wake up feeling numb. You’ve received several texts from Taehyung the night before, none of which you have the energy to reply to or even look at for that matter.

The guilt riddling your body has become too much for you to handle. You left work last night without even saying goodbye to Lainey. She’s a good enough friend and coworker to know that what you’re going through is more important than working the counter at an ice cream shop. 

After Taehyung left she came back and let you know; she almost had to break down the door to the backroom in order for you to let her in. She told you to go home, get some rest and that you’d talk tomorrow.

But after waking up the last thing you want to do is talk about Taehyung; to think about him.

Every time you thought about how your arrangement was supposed to end in just a few days you felt sick. You have worked so hard to open up just to build your walls back up again. And now you’re back at square one.

When you agreed to be Taehyung’s girlfriend you did not expect to fall for him like this. He’s Taehyung. He’s your personal diary, the one who knows all the shit that nobody else knows and listens to all the shit that no one else cares about.

Feelings ruin everything. Love sucks, and you knew this before you agreed. You agreed under the circumstances that Taehyung could show you that relationships could be fun; not under the circumstances that he would make you fall in love with him,

And the more that you think about it, maybe you were always in love with him. Maybe you always had these feelings for him, but they were trapped in the tight bonds of friendship that your subconscious never let you out.

But none of that even mattered now. The deal had to be off, and you need to distance yourself from Taehyung before you are hurt any worse. The longer this goes on the worse that you are going to feel when it's all over.

How are you supposed to go back to normal after this? Like is Taehyung thinking that showing you how amazing relationships are, you won't fall for him or something? Or does his true plan consist of making you fall in love with him, just to string you along like every other girl he's dated?

You’re trapped in the never-ending spiraling thoughts, soiling your image of Taehyung with each new theory that crosses your mind. None of them are good. All of them paint him as a player, as someone who just used you.

But the little thump in your heart when you notice the sunflowers placed on your bedside table wants your mind to change. Your heart wants you to believe that Taehyung feels something too, that throughout this arrangement he has seen a different side to you too – that he’s fallen for you just like you have for him.

It's a knock at your door that guides you out of your thoughts. The repetitive tapping at your front door that drags you out of bed. And when you check your peephole and it's no one else, but your small blonde best friend standing on your doorstep that has relief rushing through your system.

The door cracks open, Lainey standing there with an umbrella in her hand – even though it was nearly 100º with clear skies.

“Why are you still in your pajamas? It's noon.”

She pushes past you and to your living room, plopping down on your couch and making herself comfortable as she waits for you to join. You spin on your heels, an exhausted breath leaving your mouth as you pace over to her, plopping down beside her.

“Why the umbrella?” Your brow furrows as she hands it over. You take it though, still confused behind the meaning of the object that you're holding and where it came from.

“It’s Taehyung’s.”

You nearly drop it as his name leaves her lips. The name causes your stomach to tighten, mouth-drying instantly as emotions well behind your eyes.

“Why?” Is all you can mutter out. Why was she giving it to you, why was she here, and why did she have it?

“You need to bring it back to him.” She says sternly, her eyes locked on you as she waits for you to look back at her. But you’re too focused on the umbrella placed gently in your hands, tracing your finger over every wire and the soft rubber handle.

“I can’t.” Your words come out in a whisper, breath light and airy as you sigh, sinking your body back into the couch cushions. Giving the umbrella back to Taehyung will mean that you have to go see him. And if you see him, he’s going to want to talk to you about last night, then question you about why you haven’t been returning his texts. No. You will not be giving Taehyung his umbrella back.

“Y/N,” your name leaves her mouth gently, a sigh following it before she reached for you, rubbing your arm comfortingly before continuing, “I think you need to talk to him.”

“Lainey,” you let out an annoyed sigh, “you know I can’t do that.”

You’re serious in your words. Not that you don’t want to talk to him. If you could, you would, but you can’t. There are too many emotions involved. The wound is fresh and seeing him would be rubbing salt right into it.

“Y/N,” she sighs, this time more forceful, she’s trying to get something across to you but it's going right over your head. “Talk to him. Please.”

“You know I’m going to end up hurt if I do.”

Tears well in your eyes as the words croak from your throat. It's dry and scratchy, full of fear and anxiety.

“I think you’d be surprised,” she mumbles, her eyes instantly widening on realizing the words that just escaped.

Eyes wide with confusion, they’re begging her to go on, but if she does then Taehyung won’t be the only one in deep shit right now. You can’t know what she knows.

“What do you mean I’ll be surprised?”

“I have to go,” she stands instantly, motioning to the umbrella, “and you need to bring this back.”

With a slight ruffle to your hair, Lainey is giving you a supporting smile and waving goodbye. And you’re left alone once again – just you and Taehyung’s blue umbrella.

It takes a lot of courage to get ready today. You make sure to take your sweet time rummaging through your closet, flipping through articles of clothing for the better half of an hour. At the end, you opt to go with a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. There isn't enough energy in your body to put on anything else, and you know you’ll just want to curl back up in bed once you get home. Sweatpants are safe, and safe is just what you need.

No makeup today either. If things are anything like you’re expecting, your makeup will just end up ruined anyway. It's your better judgment to shower though, you’ve neglected to take one after work last night; opting to just bury yourself under your covers as soon as you got back. But today is a new day. And with a fresh shower and your comfiest pair of sweatpants, you are about as ready as you’ll ever be to get your heart broken into a billion pieces. 

Umbrella in hand, you step out onto your front steps, relishing in your last few moments of ignorant bliss before making your way to Taehyung’s. You immediately regret your wardrobe decision as the sun beats down on your frame, the humidity making you feel sticky and gross – your favorite pants are  no match for this heat.

But you’re on your way to your destination anyway, the drive feeling longer and more drawn out than normal. Taehyung didn’t live that far away from you, but the ride there still felt like an eternity with each theoretical scenario passing your mind. 

Dragging your feet, you make your way to the front steps of his house. You’ve been here a million times, but today is different. From now on, every time you drive past this place all you’ll know is heartache.

You brush yourself off, taking a deep breath before bringing your hand up and pushing the doorbell. The sudden ringing sound startles you, even though you have every indication that it’s coming – you’re just too nervous and jumpy for your own good.

Footsteps approach the door, your stomach tightening more and more with the muffled pitter-patter of footsteps. You’re praying to God that it’s his mom, hoping that Taehyung just so happens to be out – even though his car is in plain sight parked just a few meters away from you. Wishful thinking, you suppose.

When the door to his house opens, you struggle to maintain your composure. He’s dressed similarly to you; a pair of sweats and an old sports t-shirt that has definitely seen better days.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

His eyes are sunken in, dark circles dragging underneath his eyes and his lips pulled downwards. He looks like a sad puppy, his dark hair all scruffy and sticking up in each direction – probably from him running his hands through it so many times. 

“I came to give you this,” you extend the umbrella out before you. He nods before taking hold of it, his hand far at the opposite end making sure not to keep his distance. The more you look at him, the more sorry you feel for dodging his texts. He looks like he hasn’t slept a wink, and you’re afraid it’s all because of you.

“Oh...uh, thanks,” he struggles to make eye contact with you, looking down at the object in his hand. 

It’s awkward, uncomfortable, and you can’t seem to find the words to say to break this strange tension between the two of you. He’s acting weird, shifting his weight back and forth but not moving away to close the door. His mind is racing once again – contemplating whether or not to just invite you in or leave it at that.

But with every aching bone in his body, he musters up the courage to lift his head, looking you directly in the eyes. Their dark like his, definitely from the lack of sleep you had the night before. Your mouth is turned downward too; hands fiddling together to try and distract yourself.

“D-Do you wanna come in?” He stutters, stepping aside slowly as he gestures towards his house. He suddenly worries when you don’t respond right away, taking a second to contemplate if this is a good idea or not. Ripping off the band-aid is never easy, but it needs to be done.

“Sure,” is the word that you decide on – hoping that it doesn’t make you seem disinterested or too desperate to talk. Maybe he’s just being kind though. Maybe it’s an empty offer, something that you say when you’re trying to be nice, but subconsciously hope that they won’t take you up on it. Like when you offer to share your food with someone, but you’re really hungry. You do it to be nice, not because you actually want to split the delicious looking burger and fries on your plate.

He leads you inside and to his bedroom. It looks the same as always, but it feels different. It still smells like him though, the comforting woodsy scent of pine and mahogany that he always reaches for. But that comforting scent is anything but comfortable. You’re frozen in place, unsure if you should sit on his bed and make yourself at home, much like every other time in the past. For now you just stand in the doorframe, waiting for him to tell you to take a seat, just like any polite guest would. A guest. You have never felt like a guest in his home before, or around Taehyung in general. But that imaginary wall between the two of you is standing tall and sturdy, and suddenly the two of you are reverted back to being strangers.

You watch as he toys with something on his desk, his fingers dancing from object to object and sifting through papers to look busy. The point of it – unknown to you but to him, he’s buying time. Trying to think of the first thing to say, what to ask, or if you even wanted to talk. Maybe you only agreed to come inside to be nice. Maybe you were too worried about hurting his feelings if you said no. But alas, here you are, standing awkwardly in his doorway as he shuffles around his room, his brain flooding with thoughts – but his mouth can not form them into audible words.

“I’m sorry for ignoring your texts.”

Your voice catches his attention, dropping whatever paper he’s looking at now and turning his gaze to you. You’re sunken into yourself, your chest thumping with anxiety as his eyes begin to wander your frame. Not in a ‘I’m checking you out’ manner though; more of a ‘you look so sad and I don’t know what to say to you right now’ kind of way. 

It’s true though, he doesn’t know what to say – which is why he’s staring at you, hoping the right words would just pop up and he didn’t have to use any brain-power at all. He doesn’t want to say ‘it's okay,’ because it's not. You never ignore his texts, and that alone tells him enough about what's going on. You are upset at him.

“What did I do wrong, Y/N?”

His words sound accusatory but his tone is soft, gentle and full of worry. Eyes swollen and looking like they are about to fill to the brim with tears, his sight is focused on you; now not able to look away.

“I-I don’t know…”

Your answer is honest. You don’t know if his intentions are dirty. Yeah, that’s what you thought initially, but looking at him with such hurt written all over his face tells a different story. 

Taehyung is silent, unsure of what more he can do or say to make you talk to him. He can’t force you to open up, he never has and he never will – that’s always been his rule. Everything you’ve shared with him has been on your own terms and conditions. Taehyung has always been here to be your listening ear, but he never pries.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

His voice is soft, eyes full of sympathy as he holds himself together. Those were the words he has been looking for. Now the ball is in your court and you’ll have to be the one leading the conversation. It’s just what he needed to figure this shit out.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Y/N,” he sighs as he drops himself down onto the mattress, “I shouldn’t have to say this for you to know it, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

You do know that. You really, really do. But this time things are different. Is he expecting you to just come out and speak your truth like there won’t be consequences? No, he won’t push you to tell him anything you don’t want to. But the worry in his eyes and clammy hands are begging for you to just let it out so he can stop being in the dark.

You sigh out an ‘okay’ before sitting down beside him. 

Rip the band-aid off Y/N. Quick and painless.

His eyes narrow, almost to a squint, staring right through you in hopes of reading your thoughts. Your expression is nothing but blank as you try your best to gain some sort of composure. Do you just speak up and spill your guts? The words replay in your mind over and over until your thoughts are beat down and misshapen. 

You can picture his face when you say it; disgusted with a trace of disappointment and some confusion spread into the mix. Or maybe he’ll laugh at how pathetic you were, catching feelings for your fake boyfriend.

That’s it. There’s no way you can tell him. It would be much easier to just get up and leave. Tell him to pretend like none of this ever happened and that you needed some time to cool off. A few months maybe, or maybe you could just ghost him entirely. 

“Y/N?”

The sound of his voice breaks you out of your toxic thoughts, and his chocolate brown eyes bring you back down to earth. You can’t just leave him in the dust. He’s looking at you like you’re the only thing that exists. Things will be okay, right?

“Sorry, sorry,” you exhale deeply as you calm your thoughts; shifting the nasty scenarios out and accepting that whatever happens after this conversation is your fate. 

“Taehyung, I-I guess I wasn’t expecting this boyfriend-girlfriend thing we’re doing to go like this.”

His brow quirks at your words, confusion riddling his expression as his eyes narrow. With a tilt of his head, he’s pushing you to continue, visibly riddled with your choice of words.

“Swear you’ll be honest when I ask you this?” You question him, your hand moving closer to his as you lean in slightly. He’s like a magnet, you can’t help yourself from moving closer; even though the proximity of the two of you is clouding your thoughts and you can feel your heart beginning to swell.

He nods in response to your question, his eyes full of concern as he waits for you to continue, “Why did you ask me to do this thing?”

He knows that a question like this was coming, only if he could have prepared for it. But he didn’t, so his throat is left dry and scratchy as his mouth opens, only to stutter a bit before closing it back up. No coherent thoughts or words are able to escape his lips, just nonsense mumbling that caught himself off guard.

With a deep breath, he closes his eyes, regaining his composure before he can face you again. He agreed to be honest, and if honesty is what you want, honesty is that you’ll get.

“I’m sorry.” That’s all that he can say. 

Oh no. This is exactly what you were expecting before you came here. He’s gonna tell you that he didn’t mean to mess with your emotions, that he felt you catching feelings and got carried away. That he’s sorry that he ruined your friendship and played you like a violin all at once.

“Me too.”

You don’t know why you’re apologizing, but you are. It feels wrong. Absolutely utterly, and undoubtedly wrong. Apologizing for your own feelings is not something that you are okay with. Especially when he made you fall for him like this. Okay so maybe thinking that is giving him too much power, but who the hell takes you out on dates for nearly 2 weeks straight just to laugh about it later. How can he expect you to not catch feelings for him? With his deep voice and fluffy hair that always hangs in front of his eyes, that little giggle he has when he finds something amusing. Everything about him was attractive. And you’ve fallen for it all. Hard.

“Wait, why are you sorry?”

A scoff escapes your mouth unintentionally, but it’s well deserved. “For being the idiot to fall for a guy that was playing her, I guess.”

You can’t look at him any longer, so your eyes fall to your lap, staring at your chipped nail polish and dirty fingernails instead of reading whatever dumb expression he has now. But if you just took a second to look up, you’d notice the widening of his eyes, how his fingers are beginning to shake and his mouth gape. 

“Wh-What?”

“Don’t make me say it again Taehyung, I don’t feel like sounding stupid one more time.”

“No no I heard you, it's just,” his eyes slam shut, angry at himself that he let things get this far without keeping you in the loop. 

You’ve been telling him that you hate love for years now. After hearing it so many times, he’d just given up on the thought of you. Maybe if he said something before you went through all those shitty guys things could have been different. But he’s let this go on for far too long, and now you’re the one that was paying the price. 

“Y/N, I have feelings for you.”

Your neck nearly breaks with how fast your head snaps up. He’s the one looking away now, his cheeks a bit rosy as he tries to hide himself. He isn’t doing a very good job though, his hair is only shadowing his eyes and you can clearly see the way he’s nervously chewing on his lip; a cute habit you have grown fond of these past couple of weeks.

If he didn’t look like he does right now, you’d assume he was messing around. But you know Taehyung. You know his small little gestures and what they mean by now. You know when he’s being serious and when he’s telling a lie. He can look someone dead in the eye and lie to them, but when he tells the truth, he becomes shy and worried that he’s said the wrong thing. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You ask softly, gently reaching for his hand. The subtle contact makes him flinch, reacting by pulling your hand away. But his eyes meet your sympathetic ones, sparkling just like they always do, and he knows what he wants.

Taehyung’s hand reaches back for yours, lacing his fingers through yours before giving your hand a light squeeze. “You hate relationships,” he chuckles lightly, the mood of the room instantly shifting as the laughter leaves his lips. 

“I hated the ones that weren’t with you,” you correct him, but your voice comes across as just a whisper. He’s close enough to hear though, a blushing grin forming on his face as you shyly look away. His heart flutters when he hears it, a million butterflies erupting in his tummy all at once.

“I hated the ones that weren’t with you too,” he coos, his eyes wide and sparkling as he looks at you with such adoration. 

Time moves in slow motion as his hand meets your cheek, your eyes look deeply into his chocolate ones as he moves in closer. As your eyelids flutter shut his tongue runs across his bottom lip, wetting the surface before closing the distance between you. Finally.

And in that moment you’re at peace. Everything you thought you’ve ever hated, love, relationships, and maybe Taehyung for a hot second, are the only things that you long for. The 14 days don’t have to be over, and your days no longer have to be counted. When you’re with Taehyung you’re happy, you’re comfortable, and you're confident that he can give you what you have always deserved – but have never gotten. 

His lips move against yours in slow, languid motions, his large hands holding you close like he’s holding on for dear life. But you won’t leave even if you want to, not now, not after all this. 

Slowly, Taehyung shifts his weight and you move in succession. He’s laying you down on his bed, gently climbing over you without breaking the kiss. Things are becoming more heated now, you can feel it as his hungry lips devour your own. Your chest heaves up to meet his, your back arching off the mattress as his hands begin to scour your body. The heat pooling in between your legs is growing, an aching sensation overwhelming your core as your own hands reach up to rake through his long, fluffy hair. And you can tell he wants you too, the thin fabric of his sweatpants doing little to conceal the growing erection pressing against your thigh. 

You can’t help but let out a steep moan as his hips begin to grind into yours. Needy groans fall past his lips and onto yours as you roll your hips upwards to meet his small ruts. 

In a leisurely motion, Taehyung’s body is moving upwards, his knee finding a place between your legs as he brings himself up to a kneeling position. You chase his lips the entire way there, sitting up straight to be sure the contact doesn’t vanish, too consumed by your need for him to leave his lips.

And then his needy hands are running along the waistband of your sweats, fiddling with the tie before breaking your heated kiss. “Is this okay?” His words come out in a whisper, his eyes searching yours for any signs of doubt, but all he sees is lust.

“Yes,” you confirm, out of breath from making-out for so long without coming up for air. The lightheaded feeling taking over you goes unnoticed though, and quite frankly you’re too caught up in Taehyung to care.

Quickly, he rids you of your pants, looking back up at you for confirmation about your underwear. With an affirmative nod he’s removing those too, leaving you completely bare from the waist down as he stands over you fully clothed.

But soon he’s ridding himself of his own clothing, his shirt being pulled at the nape of his neck as he discards it across the room. He’s leaning back down to you, hungry for the feeling of your lips. He misses it, even though it's been less than a minute since he’s last felt your smooth lips on his. 

You won’t open your eyes to see, but with the shuffling movements and shaky connection between your mouths you can tell Taehyung is stripping himself of any remaining clothing he has on. He’s needy, unable to wait any longer to get down to business, he’s already waited long enough.

You’re the one who breaks the kiss this time, too curious to see what he’s sporting down below for your own good. But you are not disappointed once you see it – he’s long and girthy; the pigment a shade or two darker from his skin tone than the rest of his body.  Your thoughts are wandering, wondering what it's like to have him inside of you; dreaming about what he feels like. Arousal pools at your core, mouth salivating as your daydreams linger.

“Like what you see?” Taehyung chuckles. You barely notice that you’ve been staring, eyes wide and focused on the hardened dick before you, which is probably a bit uncomfortable for him. 

“Sorry!” You cringe at yourself lightly, covering your eyes in embarrassment in fear that you just ruined the mood you’ve worked too hard to create.

“Don’t apologize,” he smiles as he grabs your wrists, moving them away from your round eyes. Scrunching your nose in displeasure, you catch your lip in between your teeth, mentally face palming at how weird you’re being.

He couldn’t blame you though, it was taking everything in him not to gawk at you. It was the first time you’ve seen each other naked. Bathing suits did little for your imagination, not that you had even thought about Taehyung this way before.

But he eases your nerves by coming down face level with you, reaching for your shirt and pulling it up over your head. You look at him with wide eyes, taking in each part of him as he caresses your body gently. He’s in awe of you like this. So relieved that you’re finally his, that he has you like this.

Nimble fingers dance down your body, landing at your core as he runs one up your slit, collecting your arousal on his fingertip. An impressed smirk grows slowly on his face, “I can’t believe you’re this wet already,” he hums. “All for me.” 

His eyes remain focused on your center, devouring it with his eyes as his hands hold steady on your thighs. You can’t help but grow slightly embarrassed, dripping with arousal so early on though he’s barely touched you. A lump forms in your throat causing you to swallow thickly – this doesn’t go unnoticed by Taehyung.

A concerned expression crosses his face, brow furrowing as he moves his hands upward to settle on your waist. “Hey,” his voice is soft, gentle and full of worry, “everything okay?” 

“Just nervous,” you answer, a fake smile showing on your face to try and combat your own emotions.

It is no secret that Taehyung is a bit more experienced than you are in bed. He knows that, you know that, and that is enough to turn you into a nervous wreck. Leave it to your own thoughts to ruin the moment.

“We don’t have to…”

“No!” Your voice comes out a little too eager, a bit loud, shocking Taehyung. His eyes widen in response, body jolting from the impact of your tone. “No,” you say more gently this time, “I want to.”

You did want to – you just have to get over your own nerves first. Luckily, Taehyung didn’t mind and was willing to guide you through it.

With a reassuring smile plastered across his face, he laces his fingers through yours. As you lock eyes, you nod him onward, giving him the go-ahead to continue. He moves languidly, his fingers moving back down to trace your slit once more. The sensation makes you tense, the nerves tingling through your body making it difficult for you to calm down. 

But with a reassuring squeeze of his hand to yours, you’re taking a deep breath. Closing your eyes as you lie your head backwards onto his pillowcase. The smell of him consumes you, relaxing you effectively as his fingers meet the entrance of your core.

Shivers run through your body as he dips one finger inside. Your arousal acts as a natural lube, letting his finger glide gracefully into you. You gasp at the sensation, eyes rolling back into your head as he begins caressing your walls. His finger moves swiftly in and out of your core, his other hand still locked with yours to guide you through.

With your body finally relaxing, Taehyung is able to add another finger into the mix. The extra pressure makes you shudder for a moment, taking a little to adjust to the greater size inside of you. Thankfully the mild discomfort subsides, and he’s able to pump his fingers in and out once more. 

He’s making sure to watch each of your expressions, growing harder and harder just from watching your face contort in bliss. With each of his movements you bite down harder onto your lip, focusing on him and him only. 

“You’re doing so well,” he praises as his thumb rubs circles over your hand soothing you. You can feel your heart swell at his words, heat beginning to rise to your cheeks. 

In one swift motion, Taehyung begins to separate his fingers, stretching your walls as his digits move in scissor-like motions inside you. “Fuck,” you mumble, hips jutting forward in reaction. 

A steep moan leaving your lips as he brings his fingers back together, just to extend them once more. Your body is quickly getting used to the pressure, begging for more as you roll your hips.

He can sense that you’re eager from your movements alone. With one final squeeze, his hand is leaving yours. The empty feeling in your palm is unpleasant. But once you open your eyes and notice he’s using it to palm himself, his fingers groping around his length and beginning to pump slowly, that empty feeling is replaced with something else. 

Your mouth salivates with desire, hungry for the feeling of him inside of you. He’s aroused you enough, and you’re too eager to feel him for your own good.

“Taehyung,” you moan, “fuck me please.”

His cock jumps in reaction to your words, his chest heaving as his breath catches in his throat. Never in his life did he expect to hear those words come out of your mouth – but he wouldn't mind hearing it again.

“Hmm?” He hums, knowing damn well what you said but being greedy enough to pretend that he didn’t. You whine in response, your legs shaking on the bed in a mini temper-tantrum.

“Please,” you drag out, “please fuck me.”

Your words are music to his ears. He removes his fingers from your dripping cunt, grabbing the backs of your knees to pull you closer to him and hike your legs up over his hips.

“Anything for you.”

Complying to your wish, he lines the tip of his cock up with your entrance. The feeling of his smooth head against your core is enough to make you moan, your head thrown back to expose the soft skin of your neck.

Taehyung takes this as an opportunity to leave his own mark behind, leaning down to attach his lips to your skin. You gasp as his teeth graze your skin, his plump lips sucking harshly before his tongue is swiping over the area to soothe it. 

But your eyes open once he’s beginning to pull away to look at you. His eyes are dark, full of lust mixed with adoration, a sigh of relief leaving his chest as he gazes down at you under him. There’s a lot going on in his head right now. Of all the emotions swirling around, the thing he’s most focused on is how lucky he is to have you.

And before you know it, he’s leaning down. Pressing a chaste kiss to your lips, making you smile. One more kiss is left on your forehead before he's pulling back, securing the position of your legs on his hips. 

And then he’s realigning himself with your core, pushing past your entrance and slowly descending into the depths of your pussy. He’s moving slowly, taking his time as he thrusts into you. The delicious stretch is unfamiliar, but it's not uncomfortable – like you were made just for him. A simultaneous groan leaves your lips as he bottoms out, the tip of his cock pressing deep into you on a spot that’s gone untouched. 

He hums a sigh of contempt before pulling back, only to rock his hips into you once again. Your velvety walls welcome him delightedly, soft whimpers leaving your lips once he bottoms out again.

“Y/N,” your name leaves his lips in a low grunt, the bones of his pelvis driving into your skin as he begins to pick up his pace. In reaction you clench down on him, orgasm beginning to loom overhead with each movement of his hips.

Desire fills your senses as you roll your hips over to meet his thrusts. His movements are slow and intentional, making sure to bottom out each time to watch you squirm over his dick. He loves how your jaw drops each time his tip presses against your g-spot, knowing just when he hits it each time.

Taehyung’s teeth are barred, sweat gathering at his brow as his dark fluffy hair sticks to his face. He’s trying to hold himself back, the overwhelming urge to finish just in reach, but he doesn’t want to stop. So his hands roam your body to try and distract him, his palms caressing up the sides of your torso as your back bridges into him. The feeling of hot breath fans over your face with each sigh he lets out. 

But the tightening knot in your stomach is threatening to snap with every movement of his hips. It's getting harder and harder to hold on with the power of his thrusts growing stronger.

“Taehyung,” you whine, “so close” your hands find his back, fingernails dragging down his spine in attempts to ground yourself. Taehyung’s face contorts as your nails pierce his skin, leaving lines of red scratches down the length of his posterior.

The stretch from his length and his rhythmic motions sends your senses into overdrive. Squeezing your eyes shut and grasping onto the sheets underneath you, you can taste the brink of your orgasm. Taehyung is focused; his grip on your thighs strong and his face contorted with bliss. But all you can think about is how stupid you could have been if you had decided to just cut him out. What matters is that you’re here with him now, and the thought of that is enough to push you over the edge. 

Your breath hitches in your throat, stomach twisting and turning as your pussy throbs repeatedly around his member. Emotions running high, three words almost slip past your lips, but with the small amount of strength you can muster up, you hold them back. Another time, some time that isn't so lust filled like this one.

Taehyung’s thrusts are growing sloppy. His grip on your legs tightening as his lip is caught between his teeth. And with just a few quick thrusts, he’s coming undone inside of you. White, hot spurts of cum paint your walls, filling you up and making you feel so unbelievably full. 

You’ve always felt close to Taehyung – he knew everything about you and vice versa; but this time was different. The way his hands settled on your legs, bringing them down gently after finishing. How his eyes are becoming so soft as he looks at you, a lazy grin pulling at his lips. You’ve never felt closer to Taehyung as you do in the moment. As his body collapses next to yours, pulling you in and holding you close as you recover from your highs, you’re completely at peace.

“Sorry I got carried away, I guess I should have asked if you’re on birth control still,” he laughs, burying his face into the crook of your neck. 

“I am,” you chuckle alongside him.

Your naked bodies tangle together, his leg weaving its way through yours to be as close to you as possible. He’s intoxicated by you, closing his eyes as he rests against your body in complete bliss. Now that he has you this close he never wants to let go; and neither do you.

“Can I tell you something?” His voice is soft, whisper like but still confident. His tone doesn’t falter.

“Anything.”

“I love you, Y/N.”

Butterflies erupt in your tummy, your heart thudding in your chest as heat rises to your cheeks. He loves you. It's not that friendship kind of love anymore; it's the relationship kind. The same kind that makes your heart skip a beat and body riddle with every emotion in the book. The kind that keeps you up all night thinking about – but also helps you fall asleep, knowing he’ll be there in the morning.

And all of a sudden it seems so stupid that you were fighting those words back in the heat of the moment just a few minutes ago. He felt it too, you always knew that.

“I love you, Taehyung.”

Crush culture once made you want to spill your guts. Every guy sucked, relationships were stupid and love was a social construct that you didn’t feel like conforming to. There was absolutely no one that you would waste your time on, until Taehyung came around. What you had been looking for your entire life has always been right in front of your eyes – you were just too dumb to see it.

Maybe love is alright, after all.

‘Crush Culture’ is copyright 2020 @parksfilter, all rights reserved. Please do not repost on any platform or translate without permission.

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[fatandnerdy30]

Little Orphan Spider 8

The night called to the teen, and he was going to answer it. Running to his window, he slipped his slippers off. "Hey, Ms. Friday?" The teen whispered Can you please unlock the windows? It's time for a little 'teenage rebellion'," Peter said with a smirk.

"Of course, Peter," Friday whispered back, making the boy laugh a little. "Thanks, Ms. Friday. I'll let you know when I'm back, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer and crawled up to the opening and slipped out, freezing. "Holy shit this is high," he whispered, terrified. "It's okay, it's okay, just gotta get to my suit, then I can web my way outta here...." He stared at the city streets, the cars seeming like they were miles below him, the car horns not even sounding from where he stood. The lights around him left the boy vulnerable to the guards and the cameras, so he had to be quick. So, taking a deep breath, he began his descent. Slowly he began to crawl down the glass, feeling his microscopic hairs sticking as he made his way. He was angry that he couldn't even bring his web shooters. "Why didn't I take the elevator?" he asked himself, shimmying into a shadowed corner to catch his breath. He was halfway there.Just a little more...he made the mistake of looking down and, even though now the cars were closer, they were still pretty far. "Why does he have to have such bad taste?" He made his way down, finding the vent that led to the bathroom. "Ms. Friday, it's just Peter," he whispered as he loosened the vent, waiting for an alarm, but none came. "Thank you," he sighed. "You're welcome Peter. But, I must say I had emergency services numbers on standby. If you do that again, I will have to let Boss know." "I know, but that won't happen again, okay?" He shimmied inside the vent and reached in, feeling his suit and he grabbed it with a sigh. It was still there. "I'll see you later, Ms. Friday." He shoved his Uncle's pajama's into the vent after folding them. The boy put his web shooters on his wrists and sighed at the familiar feeling. Now he was ready to do what a spidey does. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Spider-Man is on patrol," Natasha said from the doorway of the living room. Instantly the team got to their feet. "How do you want to go about this?" Clint asked, grabbing an arrow. "One on one, or as a team?" Tony frowned. "No, not as a team. Fury doesn't want him dead. He just wants him on the team. I don't care about his identity right now, no matter what Fury says. I just want him on the damn team. I've seen the things that guy can do." Clint raised his hand at this point, getting everyone's attention. "I heard his voice, and I think you're wrong about his age, Tony," the archer said, brows furrowed. Steve looked up and nodded. "I have to agree with Clint. That night you sent me out to find him, he was crying, and when he spoke, his voice sounded young...like, teenager young." Tony's face went white and he brought his hand up. Now he felt like shit for hitting the guy-no kid- with his blasters. "Okay, so at least we think we know his age, approximately, maybe. We can work with that, but for know, try and talk him into at least joining us on missions. Got it?" The team nodded then looked at one another. "Who's going?" they asked, almost in unison. "I'll go," Bruce said suddenly from the doorway. Tony shook his head. "No, we just said we can't kill this kid. We need him alive, and you're not the best when it comes to that when you get angry." "Then I'll go with him," Natasha got up, slipping a knife into a pocket. "I'll keep him calm, and besides, he's the best talker out of all of us." Bruce nodded with a smile. "No Hulking out, promise. I just want to meet the kid is all." "Okay, but the rest of us will be on stand-by. Let's go." Tony tapped his chest, the nano-bots building the suit on him as he walked, covering him like a second skin, his face being covered last before he took off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Martin Li sat in his office doing the last of his paperwork, when hw could have sworn he'd heard a voice whispering. Furrowing his brows, he sat up and looked around, even moving the curtains. No on was in the room with him. "Martin Li...." The voice was back! Suddenly, his head started splitting and he cried out. Not again! He whimpered from the pain, searching his desk for the pain pills his doctor had given him. He found them and opened the bottle when he felt a sudden jolt come from his legs. Looking down, the group home caretaker saw his pant legs suddenly going an odd white color, and a strange sensation, like sparks running up his legs came from his feet, then traveled up his legs and to the rest of his body. He groaned and noticed his hands were changing a dark, inky black and watched with a scared face as the color crept closer and closer to his face. The man tried to scream, but suddenly, he was in a world of black, falling unconscious. Mr. Martin Li was gone for now. In his office sat a man who looked like a photo negative, a smirk on his face. Now he could get some things done. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter was in the middle of stopping a mugging, when suddenly his senses went haywire and he looked around. What was that? He shot his webbing at the mugger, and delivered the bag back to the woman who sat on the curb watching him with wide eyes. "Th-thank you!" she said, smiling. She was cute. "You're welcome, Ma'am!" Peter said, in a deep voice, saluting her, copying Captain America. "Just keeping the streets safe. Take care!" He shot a web and was out of the area in seconds, looking back to see the woman give the mugger a kick before the police showed up. "That was harsh," he winced. "What was with that voice?" Ned's voice came from his ear, his snickering in the background. "What!? I have to make it seem like I'm older, or else the public isn't gonna take me seriously. Stop laughing!" Peter fumed, his voice breaking a few times. "I'm sorry, it's just you sounded like one of those macho G.I.John cartoons." "Ha-ha. Hey, my senses went crazy before, as if my life were in danger, but there wasn't anything around. Anything on the scanners?" Peter shot another web off, disconnecting with a flip to attach to another building. "Nothing...wait, there is. It's another drug bust, but...oh shit, those weapons are back, Peter." Peter felt his stomach drop. The last time he'd seen those weapons, people died. "Okay. I'll go and check it out. Hack a camera and tell me what's going on." "Got it. The drug bust is going down on one-hundred-fiftieth and eighty-fifth street. Be careful, Spider." "Thanks, chair guy. I'll let you know when I get there." Peter was silent after that, listening for the sound of sirens. There were a lot tonight, but there was one going in the direction he was going. He aimed to go the way they were, following the police until a flash of red caught his attention and he balked as Ms. Romanoff sped up to stay under him, Mr. Barton riding behind her, his arrows trained on him. "Oh come on! Not this again! I'm the good guy!" He changed his trajectory, but it did no good when his senses went crazy again and he winced when a high pitched sound rang and messed him up enough for the archer to hit his webbing with an arrow and Peter went tumbling through the air, landing on the ground and rolling to a stop. "Unggh....Gonna feel that in the morning," the teen groaned, holding his side and his head. "Spider-Man?" Peter's head shot up and he found himself staring directly at Dr. Banner, who smiled and waved a little. "Hi, Spider-Man...my name's Bruce. I was sent here to talk to you." Another police car passed, making all four people watch it. "We ain't got time fuh that," the teen said in a deep Brooklyn accent. "We got weapons, bad ones, up on eighty-fifth street. Dat's whea I was headin' before you clowns knocked me outta da sky." Peter stood, wincing when he put his full weight on his leg, his senses still ringing. "If you ain't got nuttin' betta ta do,  then leave me to mah work." He lifted an arm, when suddenly a knife was pressed to his back. Looking back, he saw Ms. Romanoff holding it there, a deadly look on her face. "We were sent here to ask you to join the avengers. If you don't want to, we'll have to force you." "Tony didn't say that!" Bruce argued, and the woman shrugged. "I'm improvising. So, you gonna join us? Stark doesn't care about your identity, as long as we know you're on our side." Peter sighed. "I've always been on your side. I beat da bad guys, don't I?" He shook his head. "I'll tell ya what. Help me take this drug ring down, and you've gotta deal." He held one hand out in front of him and the other behind him. Natasha didn't remove the knife, but took the red clad hand. "Deal." WIthdrawing the knife, she hopped back on the bike. "Which way?" "This way. Yo, Bannah, you need a lift?" Peter turned to the doctor, who shook his head. "No, I think I'll sit this one out, thanks anyway. I don't wanna cause anything more." He laughed and walked away, towards Stark Tower. "You lead," Clint said, pointing his hand out. Peter nodded once and stuck a hand out, web shooting from his wrist and he propelled forward. "Peter this is so cool," Ned's voice came over the device in his ear. "You're teaming up with the Avengers! Does this mean I'm an Avenger, being your guy in the chair?" "I don't know," Peter responded snappily. The one thing he didn't want to do had happened. He was going to become an Avenger....so that meant that Fury was most likely going to get his number. How was he going to explain why his phone went off whenever everyone else's did? Unless he had Ned give Fury his number, who then would tell Peter. But, the teen didn't think the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. would like that very much. How was this night going to get any worse? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Mr. Stark being at the drug ring, that's how. Peter groaned as he landed on a telephone pole, looking down at the billionaire while Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Barton pulled up. "Hey Tony. What's up?" Natasha clicked a button and her helmet disappeared. "These guys had weapons that were made by my company," Tony sighed. "We stopped making them years ago, but these assholes got a hold of them and mixed them with Chitauri parts to make them even more powerful. Who knows how many are out there, or how they got a hold of these. I thought my company destroyed any and all weapons we made." He sighed and looked up, jumping a bit when he spotted Spider-Man sitting on a telephone pole. "Oh, welcome, Spider-Man, glad you could make it." "Stark," Peter greeted, deepening his voice even more. He had to make a voice changer in his suit. "What's with the team up?" Mr. Stark motioned between Peter and the two assassins. "We made a deal with him. We help him solve this, he becomes an honorary Avenger," Natasha sent him a sly smile. Peter had to smile He knew a way out. "And, it looks like ya didn't get ta help me. Too bad, so sad. Maybe next time!" He quickly jumped and shot a web to a nearby building and disappeared. "Why are you letting him get away?" Tony asked, eyes wide. Fury is going to kill him... "Relax," Clint said with a grin. "We know what we're doing. Where's he going, Nat?" The woman pulled out a handheld device and pulled up the map. "West," was all she said and looked at Tony, as he clapped and smiled. "We got him. And of course, that's my technology, so thank me." Without giving the two a chance to respond, he quickly suited up and blasted out of there. "I'm going to look for more of these weapons. See you later." "What a show-off," Clint sneered. "Yeah, but you know we all love him." The man smiled and nodded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter's senses were going a mile a minute. It felt like someone was following him, but every time he checked, there was no one there. He was heading back to Stark Tower when suddenly he remembered, he had to leave his suit in an alley way for the night. He really didn't want to, but maybe he could find an old abandoned building. That's when he saw the piers in the distance and smiled. He could leave it under the docks! Wait, no, then it would reek of fish...He knew he couldn't bring it to his room....Ned! "Hey, chair guy," Peter asked into the ear device. "All ears, Spider." "Do you think I could leave the suit at your place? Because I can't bring it with me to the tower, too many security guards and stuff." "Really? I'd be happy to help, Pete." Thank God for his best friend. "Okay, I'll be reaching your place in about five minutes. Wanna come over tomorrow?" "Peter...you just made my lifetime." Peter just laughed as he rounded the corner, landing on Ned's window, only for his friend to throw it open and pull the other into a hug. "I think I love you," Ned cried. "That's nice, Ned....but, let me get the suit off before you soak it." The other boy nodded and apologized, handing Peter some clothes he kept there for sleep-overs. "When can I come? Will I get to meet the Avengers? Is Tony Stark nice? Does Black Widow have a boyfriend?" Peter laughed at his friend's questions. "Calm down. I'll call you when I ask Mr. Stark, okay? And, don't ask Ms. Romanoff anything like that, okay? I like you the way you are, all limbs intact." They laughed as Peter got changed. "Okay, I gotta get back See you tomorrow." With that, Peter left and shot a web. But, soon after, he noticed Ms. Romanoff watching the front of Ned's house, flipping a knife in her hand. How did she know he was there? He had to wonder that as he made his way back to the tower, making sure to stay out of the light.

#Ironman #TonyStark #IronDad #SpiderMan #PeterParker #SpiderSon #MamaPepperPotts #ProtectiveAvengers #mr.negative