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#and honestly I support them in destroying their dads into dust
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FNAF movie Vanessa and Michael Afton fight their Dads
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dark-elf-writes · 9 months
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Zkkakaksjsjajdjdjsjd this au is making me very happy rn.
Were you thinking of itachi and Naruto being the same age or just closer (and is sasuke and everyone still younger or are they aged up too?)
But either way, I keep thinking of itachi being this little genius far too aware of what life as a shinobi and heir to a major clan means. Him finding everything in this world predictable in its cruelty. At least until he finds a selfless little blonde hunched protectively over a hurt fox kit and flashing long fangs at two kids that were clearly trying to hurt it for fun.
This Naruto with whisker shaped scars instead them being jinchuriki marks. Scars over mute marks? I love that fanon idea so much but I honestly forgot about it for a while. So maybe?
RED HAIRED UZUMAKI BLOODED NARUTO WITH CHAKRA CHAINS IS MY LIFE YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
Kinda in love with this Naru looking just like his mom but having a lot more of his dads mannerisms? It’s just doing something to my heart (and probably Kakashi’s life expectancy)
If he had the uzumaki bite healing thing, do you think it’d work with Itachi’s eyes? That’d be interesting.
I would say Naruto a year or two younger than Itachi while the other usual suspects are the same age as normal.
(I’m also playing with the idea of them of course being spies in the Akatsuki but also playing both sides and working together to try and save the Jinchuriki)
Okay yes the eye question for the healing is important but what would it do for Itachi’s tuberculosis UNNAMED RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
Snnxndjshsbs Naruto who while more jaded still has a good heart under all that scar tissue and a weak spot for the underdogs. Naruto who made genin but was left in the dust because no matter how hard he tried to prove himself no one wanted to promote the monster. Naruto who is just as skilled as the ANBU (he runs circles around all but two of them after all sharp chittering laughs mocking grown adults as he eluded them yet again) but gets none of the perks. Naruto who feels one of the two chakra signatures that are kind and perks up.
Both of them who see someone like them. Someone that doesn’t fit in. Someone with a gentle heart in a cruel world. Someone who grew fangs and claws to fight back against that cruelty.
Itachi isn’t entirely sure why he confessed everything to Naruto. Why he told him of every horrible detail of his assignment.
He wasn’t expecting righteous anger on his behalf. Wasn’t expecting a clawed hand in his own offering to help so he didn’t have to do this alone.
(He still isn’t sure to this day if Naruto meant help with the ordered Uchiha massacre, help him run, or help him kill the mage and his advisors himself. He isn’t entirely certain Naruto knew either.)
They leave the village covered in blood. Naruto still cloaked in chakra that dripped with malice as he supported itachi with an arm around his middle. They were rogues now. Missing nin. They could never go back.
“Why?” Itachi gasped forcing them to a stop as he looked at the short boy next to him. So much power in such an unassuming package. The power to destroy entire clans entire villages if he wished. “Why help me?”
Naruto blinked, eyes still more red than blue as he cocked his head to the side. (It was hard to tell how much blood was on him with that wild mane of red hair.) “you were one of the only people who were nice to me, and you needed help.”
It hits Itachi then, how much power he truly has here.
Naruto doesn’t hate the village. (Or he does but that is not his driving motivation)
Naruto is following who he considers to be his only friend.
And itachi…
He will not be as cruel as the world around him. Will not throw that friendship back in Naruto’s face. Will honor it and return it tenfold.
He owes Naruto that much.
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captorsicallfriends · 2 years
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So in school this one year I had this one bitch in my class whom we will call Regina George for hopefully obvious reasons. And she was just. A massive bigot. Constantly bullying the neurodivergent kids, being an asshole to gay ppl, openly hating sushi. She was just,,, the worst. And I had made it my personal mission to destroy her (not like that you sickos). I drew a shitty copy of her face and stuck it to a pillow whenever I needed to punch something and you may think I'm lying about that much like a politician may say he wants equal opportunity for all, or a person on the internet claims I'm "really not that attractive so I should stop worshipping myself" which doesn't even make sense because like hello can you see me rn and also all my trauma and mental illnesses are stored in my dump truck ass which is why it's so big and you probably think I'm deflecting my deep rooted insecurities by making jokes about how hot I am which is not true and- point is I really hated this Regina bitch. So deep was my burning desire to set her hair on fire that I hatched a plan. Regina obviously wants more bigots and Trump supporters in positions of power, right? What better way to anger her than have me, an openly queer and pagan punk that's read the communist manifesto 3 times, get onto the school council leadership team? Pretty smart, right? Wrong. I had no leadership experience whatsoever and in hindsight I probably should've been focused on getting onto the team to help people rather than have my one motivation be a giant middle finger to some rich cishet girl who's dad is probably gone. Ok that was dark but you get what I'm saying, I hated this bitch. But anyway, I gave my big speech about leadership and equality and if I got onto the team I'd give the school bathrooms actually good toilet paper that doesn't feel like I'm having intercourse with a cactus covered in sandpaper. And it worked. My unhinged demonic definitely-possessed-by-a-crack-addict, stop-trying-to-drink-the-box-of-juice-you-found-in-a-bin-wtf-is-wrong-with-you self got onto a team full of white brunette children with rich parents. Excellent. Now all I needed to do was convert a herd of pubescent children into spitting on Regina's shoes and throwing gas cans back at the police. Shouldn't be hard, right? Wrong again. Apparently no one is willing to listen to a short feminine presenting dork with anger issues. Weird. My plan to make Regina's life miserable was failing. And there was only one thing left to do. You know those thoughts you get, where the side of your brain that practices kindness and forgiveness tells you not to do it but the other side that eats crayons and memories WAP is telling you to do it for no other reason than it'd be fucking hilarious if you were a character in a tv show (which I'm starting to feel like with U guys. I'm not mad tho, I feel like a small mammal in an enclosure as a group of four year olds watches me take a shit as they start giggling hysterically). So I stared deep into the mirror of agony and asked God where my moral stance lies if not elsewhere than replaceable specks of dust on a dirt road. And god, with her many mouths and her many tragedies, says nothing. So anyway I bought a roll of stickers of the lgbt pride flag online and stuck them on all of Regina's belongings without her knowing. Yes it was funny as shit no I don't regret being an asshole. The immense amount of joy it brought me to see this girl become enraged and try to frantically tear off a sticker of a rainbow off her school bag. Which really proves that you can do all the goodness your heart demands of you but at the end of the day death and life do not care what you have done and so why not make yourself immortal. Anyways this has been fun bestie love U also who do you speculate I am I'm curious 💖💖💖
oh my gods i don’t know if i should be proud or terrified, i’m most likely feeling both. but honestly she had it coming
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ve1vetyoongi · 4 years
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heart of gold (blades of ice) | ksj
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Pairing: Seokjin x Reader
Genre: fluff, smut, angst.
Au: christmas!au, figure skater!oc, hockey player!seokjin
Word count: 20k
Summary: After a fall during figure skating practice dashes your dreams of competing at nationals, you vow to hang up your skates for good. That is until you cross paths with Kim Seokjin, captain of the ice hockey team, who is determined to get you back out on the rink and melt the ice in your heart.
Warnings: unprotected penetrative sex (don’t risk it protect ur biscuit kids), fingering, nipple play, handjobs, fluffy smut, mentions of panic/anxiety, cavity inducing fluff, all the cheesy Christmas cliches we know and love and also probably a number of terrible skating/ice hockey inaccuracies pls forgive me lol i tried.
Disclaimer: although some parts of this fic take place when the characters are teenagers, all smut takes place when they are legal, consenting adults!
A/N: hello 🥺 it’s been a while but i finally finished writing this fic for @jamaisjoons’ 12 days of bangtan collab! (link to be added bc tumblr sucks) I had so much fun writing something fluffy for a change (although there’s some angst in there too for all you sadists who ask me for more of that) and it really got me into the Christmas spirit this year so i rlly hope it can do the same for you 🥺🎄 a big merry Christmas to all of you guys, thank you for being here with me through 2019 and pls don’t forget to check out all the other amazing collab fics!! all the love hehe ~ 💞
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You spot your best friend Seulgi sat on the bleachers immediately. Her red hair stands out like a sore thumb against the white glare of the campus ice rink.
It's mid November and the cold wind that whispers over your skin as you watch skaters glide past on the ice paints the tip of your nose a rosy pink, even with a scarf wrapped tightly around it. Seulgi doesn't seem bothered by the temperature, wearing nothing but a pale blue bodysuit and tights all while stuffing her feet into a pair of polished ice skates nonchalantly as you climb the steps.
Seulgi doesn't even have to look up to know it's you when you slump down beside her. You've been best friends since the age of five and she would recognise the frustrated sigh you let out beside her in an instant.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice quips, chastising enough to finally pull your eyes away from the rink. You don't respond, stubbornly slinging your chapped hands into your coat pocket and avoiding her gaze until you feel a gentle hand on your arm. "I thought you said you weren't going to torture yourself anymore, Y/N."
You finally turn to look at her. There's a flick of silver liner on her lids that sparkles like tiny snowflakes against her dark lashes. She looks like she belongs in one of those figure skating magazines you used to ponder over as a kid. Like she belongs here, belongs on the ice.
You belonged here too, once. Before the accident.
The accident. 
The accident that destroyed your dreams of competing as a professional skater. The one that every single competitive figure skater at the rink whispers about in the locker rooms when you aren't around. The accident that turned the looks of astonishment and wonder you used to receive as you whirled around the ice into nothing but half smiles and pity as you now stand beside it.
Seulgi is looking at you like that right now, her puckered bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she searches your face for any sign of brokenness. You focus on steadying the rise and fall of your breath, letting the ache that seems to permanently stab at your chest these days whenever you're reminded of just how much you miss skating float away with the wisps of condensation that leave your lips with every exhale of chilly air.
"Trying to stay away was worse," You shrug. "I like being close to the ice."
"That's what you said last week before you had a panic attack after I slipped in the middle of my routine," Seulgi crosses her arms over her chest. "What if it happens again?"
"I'm feeling better, really." You manage to look her in the eyes, attempting to sound as convincingly sincere as possible.
"Fine. But don't make me say I told you so." She tucks your hair behind your ear before she's distracted again. "Hey, don't look now but Jimin's heading this way!" Seulgi squeals, fixing her hair hurriedly. 
She crosses and uncrosses her legs before settling into a position she deems natural and alluring, though it just makes her look stiff. "Do I look okay?"
You let out a puff of laughter. Seulgi has been head over heels for Jimin for as long as you can remember. You disapprove for the most part since Jimin has a reputation for being a world renowned ass but what with her being the most envied figure skater at the rink after winning a gold medal at nationals and him being the top ranked ice hockey player on campus, it only seemed like a matter of time before they would "team up". And Seulgi seems determined to make it happen before the year is out.
You follow her gaze to where the ice hockey team are clambering out of the locker rooms, hoots of laughter echoing through the rink as they push and pull each other playfully in their wobbly skates.
Sure enough, it's Park Jimin who interrupts your inner dialogue as he skates over to the barrier, waving up at Seulgi who grabs you by the hand and pulls you down to rink beside her despite your grumbling. Moral support, she says.
"Seulgi!" His skates crunch against the ice as he swings to a perfect stop. "What's up?"
"Not much! This is my best friend, Y/N. I don't think you guys have met before—"
"I know who she is." Jimin looks you up and down. "Skater right?"
"Ex-skater." You correct him.
"Oh that's right." There's a glint in his eyes as he pretends to pout, tugging on his collar like he wants you to think he made a mistake. Everyone around here knows about the accident so it's hardly believable. Jimin knows that you don't like him. Is he trying to get under your skin? "Whoops."
"Anyway..." Seulgi swiftly interrupts the strangely tense staring contest going down between you and Jimin, hand curling around your forearm like she's afraid you might jump him or something.
Jimin's eyes snap back to Seulgi. "So, I've been meaning to ask. Would you be able to get free tickets for me and the guys for the Christmas party at the rink next week?"
You roll your eyes. So that's why he suddenly decided to come over here to talk to Seulgi. Jimin was known for picking up girls with his sweet bargaining talk and empty promises and dropping them when they no longer had anything to offer, and this seemed like another one of his tricks — after all, everyone knows that Seulgi's dad owns the town's biggest ice rink and that tickets for the annual Christmas parade are like gold dust to get your hands on.
Jimin flashes Seulgi one of his trademark pearly grins and you can see her panties practically drop as she nods eagerly, even despite the condescending look you give. Don't do it. You try to send the words with your brain waves or something but apparently thirteen years of friendship isn't strong enough to break down the barrier of Park Jimin infatuation.
"Of course! I'll add you to the guest list!"
You slap a palm to your forehead.
"Great! I guess you could call it a date..."
Jimin's sweet talking becomes too cavity inducing to bare so you resort to resting your chin in your palm and watching the hockey team play instead.
You've seen them practice here hundreds of times so it's no wonder the brand new player sat at the edge of the ice, doing up his skates alone in a number 33 jersey, stands out to you instantly.
The whistle blows and the game starts and you gasp when you see how easily and languidly he glides across the ice. "Who is that?"
Jimin follows your gaze, resting his elbows on the edge of the rink just in time to watch the mystery player slide past his opponent before sending the hockey puck flying into the net with an easy precision. His teammates skid to sharp stops, jaws hanging open in disbelief at his skill as they fumble to congratulate him with loud thwacks to the back of his jersey.
"Who is that?" Seulgi's mouth is open in disbelief as Number 33 just brushes his team off with a humble nod, as if the attention makes him bashful, and skates to the centre of the rink to maintain his starting position for the second round.
"Him?" Jimin rolls his eyes. "That's the new captain. Can't remember his name. Don't care, honestly. Said he moved here from downtown or something, I don't know, but everyone acts as if he's an ice hockey prodigy or something."
"He's good." You jump in. "I've never seen someone make a goal that easy before."
"I just don't understand why coach chose him to be captain instead of me." Jimin murmurs under his breath, though you still catch the disdain in his voice as Number 33 makes yet another goal. "There's only one scholarship up for grabs and it has to be mine."
The funny feeling is back in your stomach again as the game finally comes to an end and the guy in the number 33 jersey disappears into the locker room. You just can't put your finger on it. Why are you so drawn to this random guy?
"Earth to Y/N? Hello?" Seulgi waves a hand in front of your face and you notice the blush on her cheeks as Jimin jogs away. "Critique my salchow jumps while I practice?"
You nod and Seulgi disappears onto the ice, taking her starting position before the music plays and she glides across the ice with ease. But you barely even feel the pang in your chest like usual as you watch her perform a routine you know you could do a million times better because you're too focused on the name that echoes through the arena as the guy in the number 33 jersey emerges from the locker room, helmet in hand now as he shakes free his head of dark brown hair.
"Kim Seokjin!"
Suddenly everything becomes clear.
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5 years ago.
Adrenaline runs hot in your veins as you tip toe onto the rink.
Seulgi's dad always let you be the first to break the fresh ice in. There's nothing you love more than the first crunch of your blades against the blanket of undisturbed frost, how the coolness of the ice hits your chapped skin as you gain speed, skates gliding on autopilot like they're following the map of patterns every spin leaves behind in the mosaic of ice.
Here it's easy to forget. All that matters is focus and balance and fingertips skimming ice. Reminding yourself to push further, to embrace the dizzy feeling of flying. Getting lost in the speed and the adrenaline and the goddamn burn in your quads as you close your eyes and spin and spin, arms poised like you might take flight at any second. Like you're one with the ice.
And when the determined sweat on your brow freezes and the blisters from your rental skates gets too much, you glide to the edge of the rink and drape yourself over the barrier with a triumphant smile. Your body aches and even though you shiver there's a warmth in your chest.
Freedom. And you can never get enough.
You don't realise your gasping for breath until a nervous cough pops your bubble of serenity and you're reminded you're at the ice rink and your shift is about to start and there's a strange guy in a fur hood and mittens peering up at you with wide eyes.
What the...?
"Can I help you?" You ask.
An awkward silence stretches out as the guy stares at you quizzically for a second, eyes dragging from your skates up to your face. You see him swallow thickly when he meets your gaze.
"Me?" He glances to the left and then to the right, cheeks flushing a deep shade of red when he finds the rink otherwise derelict. "Oh, uh...I was walking by just now and I saw you and—"
"If you wanna skate you need to buy a ticket." You hoist yourself off the rink, clomping across the heavy rubber carpet towards the ticket booth in your skates like you're on a pair of wobbly stilts.
He thrusts his hands into his pockets and trails a few steps behind you, eyes trained to the ground as you lift the hatch and slip behind the cash register. "Right. I knew that."
"What size do you need?" You call over your shoulder.
"Huh?"
He's a couple feet shorter than you and his forehead barely pokes over the counter of the booth but you can still sense the confusion in his voice. It takes all your strength to bite back a smile. "Your shoe size? For your skates?"
"Oh — right! Uh, 12 please." The guy scratches the back of his neck bashfully as you hand him a pair of freshly sharpened rental skates. His hand shoots out a little too eagerly, mitten covered fingers just barely brushing yours, the touch enough to send a jolt through your entire body like you'd just touched something icy cold. You pause, your own cheeks heating up now as the fur hood hugging his ears falls down to reveal a mop of messy brown hair and a pair of gentle eyes that won't quite meet yours.
You cough, eager to gloss over the awkward moment quickly. "First time here, huh?"
The embarrassed chuckle he lets out is endearing. "Yup. Is it that obvious?"
"Kinda." A smile finds your lips as he slips off one of his sneakers and fiddles with the laces of the ice skates clumsily. "So what brings you here?"
His foot finally slides into the boot. He smiles triumphantly. "I want to learn how to do what you did."
You quirk a brow. "Me?"
"Yeah. Just now, when you were skating. It was awesome. Like you were flying or something." He swallows. "I hope you don't mind that I watched, you can tell me if it's totally creepy-"
You cut off his nervous rambling with a chuckle. "It's fine, really." It's your turn to avert your eyes now. "Besides, I'm not awesome. But thanks."
You watch the professional figure skaters that frequent the rink to practice every week with their perfected turns and toe loop jumps and hand sewn leotards that glimmer in the rink's reflection. They are poised and disciplined, floating across the rink like their skates never quite touch the surface. You are nothing like them. And you never will be.
"Are you kidding?" The guy all but splutters. "You're the best skater I've ever seen!"
"And how many other skaters have you seen?"
"Zero." His eyes glint cheekily. "But I'm sure none of them could top you, skater girl.”
You practically choke at that, face flushing a deep red as you bump into a rack of ice skating brochures before panicking and dropping to your knees out of sight behind the booth.
Way to seem natural! What had gotten into you? Idiot.
You squeeze your eyes shut, pinching your inner arm like you might wake up from a crazy dream and this whole embarrassing-yourself-in-front-of-cute-boy malarkey would disappear with it. Alas, when your eyes open you find that you are very much awake and brochures cover the booth of the floor.
Luckily, he doesn't notice; he's already getting to his feet shakily, whitened knuckles gripping the side of the booth as he tries to find his balance. You remember how it felt the first time you wore a pair of skates. How the edges dug into your ankles and every step felt like you were on a tight rope. Now they felt natural.
"Woah!" His first steps are like watching a baby deer, arms outstretched as he desperately tries to maintain his dignity and stop from face planting before he even gets out on the ice. "This is harder than I thought..."
You slowly get up from your knees, a coy smile finding your mouth as you peer over the counter. The new customers were always the best to spy on; you and Seulgi spend hours back here behind this very booth spluttering over hot cocoa at the people who always seem to fall on their asses as soon as they touch the ice. If she was here right now she'd probably say something about how he was ticking every first skater cliche box possible.
Frantic windmill arms? Check. Nervous muttering? Check. The balance of a penguin in high heels? Triple check.
You rest your chin in your palm, biting back your amusement when he staggers over to the edge of the rink and tentatively takes his first step onto the ice. His skate immediately slides out from beneath him and his knuckles turn white around his grip on the barrier as he struggles to pull himself back upright, glancing side to side bashfully to check if anyone spotted his screw up.
"I meant to do that..." He grunts, taking a deep breath as he moves closer to the ice again. This time, his first step is successful and after a few almost mishaps he seems to finally get the hang of it, pushing his weight back and forth so that he moves — albeit shakily — across the rink, gaining speed by the second. He punches the air triumphantly, letting out a long hoot of elation.
"Look I'm doing it! — wait...ah!" Despair flashes across his features when he realises his body is headed straight towards the barrier at full speed. "How do I stop?!" He cries, legs scrambling to find their balance.
"Oh no..." You wince, covering your eyes. "This can't end well."
It's too late to help him now and all you can do is wince and watch in horror as he crashes onto the ice in a pile of clumsy limbs with a grunt.
"Ouch!"
You count the seconds that he's down, waiting for the moment his head pops up over the barrier. Ten seconds. Then twenty. Thirty, and still no sign of his dazed face or choppy bangs.
Oh no.
Before you can think better of it you are clambering over to the rink and gliding across the ice to where he lays on his back, eyes shut.
He's not...he can't be...is he?
"Are you okay?" You prod him with the toe of your skate. No response. Panic courses through your veins as you fall to your knees and shake him by the shoulders. "Oh my god, please wake up!"
A lazy smile appears on his face, words a little slurred. "I'm fine! I'm fine!"
You lean back into your heels with a sigh of relief as he scrambles onto his elbows and brushes the ice chips from the back of his coat.
"That was..."
"Dangerous." You deadpan.
"Amazing!" He breathes, pure wonder lighting up his face. "I want to go again!"
Your mouth hangs open as he tries to scramble to his feet awkwardly and without success, his skates sliding out from beneath him again. He grabs at the scarf strung around your neck to try and save himself, only he ends up just pulling you down with him into a heap on the ice.
"See! Dangerous." You tut, rolling your eyes as you feel the wet ice soak into the back of your jeans. Nice, now you would have to walk around looking like you pissed your pants for the rest of the day.
He pouts, blowing a frustrated puff of air from the corner of his mouth to dislodge the bangs that fell messily across his eyes in the scuffle. "You made it look so easy! How do you do it without falling on your ass?"
You snort. "You don't. If you wanna learn to skate you're gonna have to embrace having a cold ass once in a while. Skating is about being able to pick yourself back up again each time you fall." You rub the small of your back with a frown. "Even if it bruises."
You get to your feet and reach out a hand for him to take, pulling him up after you. When he finally finds his balance you grab him by the elbow to glide over to the safety of the edge of the rink where he can't be a liability to himself. He lets out a breath of relief when his fingers grasp the barrier.
"Aren't you scared to fall?" He puffs, wiping the sweat that has formed on his brow despite the chill in the air from the ice.
"Terrified." You grin when he glances up at you through his bangs, eyebrow quirked. "But that's part of the fun."
"Teach me." He says suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Teach me how to skate." He clasps his hands together, eyes full and round. "Properly! Like you. Please?"
You let out a sigh. You barely even know this kid. For all you knew he could be a crazy person!
But something about the way his eyes shine when he lifts his hands from the barrier and manages to keep his balance makes you hesitate. You recognise the flushing smile on his face, can imagine the warm feeling of triumph thawing his chest.
Passion.
How could you say no?
"Fine. Meet me here every day at 3. And don't be late."
"Deal." He holds out a mittened hand for you to shake. "My name is Seokjin, by the way. What's yours, skater girl?"
"Y/N." You say when you take his warm hand in yours. "Nice to meet you."
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Three o clock becomes your favourite time of day.
Seokjin is like a snow storm in a cup. True to his word, every day when the clock ticks over to 3PM he comes flying into the rink in a flurry of cheesy smiles and dad jokes.
And even though you make fun of the bundles of scarves up to his eyes (that his mom made him wear, as he likes to remind you begrudgingly) and roll your eyes every time he trips over his own skates or bruises his knees or falls on his ass, you can't deny the fact that you're starting to enjoy having him around.
You're not the only one who loves his company. Everyone at the rink is talking about the guy with the bowl cut who is showing so much potential. Probably because Seokjin is much better than you at making friends, instantly becoming well liked in the skating community for his humour and his up and coming skating skills. You hate to admit it but when Seokjin smiles and flirts with the pretty figure skaters from Seulgi's class it makes you burn with jealousy, especially when they titter at his stupid jokes like they're the peak of comedy.
But when Seokjin sees you tying your skates and watching from afar he always turns down their offers to buy him coffee and bounds over to you like a puppy, ready to launch into a recount of some anime he watched last night or one of the advanced skating jumps he wants you to teach him despite barely being able to keep his balance on the ice.
And that's why Seokjin makes you feel like you belong here just as much as everyone else. Because he sees you when no one else does. Because you finally have something that is all your own.
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"What's up, skater girl?" Seokjin shoots you a set of finger guns when you look up from the skating magazine in your lap before he leaps over the ticket booth counter. "No customers today?"
You shake your head. Sunday's were always slow days at the rink. That's why you liked these shifts. It's peaceful just being alone with the ice.
"Guess you could say we're totally ice-olated! Get it?" He cackles as he pulls out a pair of white skates from his backpack. His parents bought them for him as an early Christmas present. They are much nicer than your scuffed rental ones and you tuck your feet under the chair so that he can't see them while he ties up his laces.
You chatter absentmindedly as you make your way to the rink as usual. It's only been a few months of lessons but Seokjin doesn't even flinch now when his blades touch the ice, immediately taking off around the rink as fast as he can to blow off some steam before skidding to a stop in a flurry of ice chips when you flash him an amused grin.
"I can never get enough of this feeling." He spins in demonstration, the ends of his hair fluttering up in the breeze that whips around him. "Can we keep learning the routine today? I think I almost got it perfect last time."
"Sure." Seokjin had begged you for weeks to teach him a figure skating routine so you showed him one of the easy ones you saw the beginner skaters perform sometimes. He was getting pretty good now, rarely falling on his butt or missing a step like before. The concentration on his face as he copies your demonstrations and the triumphant grin that replaces it when he finally gets a jump right fills you with a sense of pride.
You're about to skate over to the boom box and hit play on some music so you can go over the routine when the door busts open and in walks Seulgi's figure skating class. You instantly fill with dread as their eyes land on you, scrutinising, and you feel a heat rise in your cheeks.
"Hey Seokjin!" One of them calls — Jennie, you think her name is — as she drapes herself over the barrier seductively. "Why don't you come over here and show us what you're made of? Without your, uh, friend"
"Sorry Jennie, I'm kinda busy right now." He shouts back. "Maybe some other time."
A weird combination of envy and sadness rises inside  you. "Just go." You mutter. "They can teach you a lot more than I can. I don't care."
Lies. You care so much the words taste sour leaving your mouth but you're sure the way Seokjin wistfully gazes towards the pretty girl with fluttering eyelashes who throws her sheet of black hair over her shoulder invitingly tells you all you need to know.
You sting with inferiority. You are just a rookie after all. A nobody. Why would Seokjin want to hang out with you?
With an awkward pout you take off and start skating in circles absentmindedly. It acts as a pleasant distraction, lets you breathe a little bit. Another pair of skates scrape somewhere behind you and then Seokjin's shoulder brushes up against yours. You push harder and faster but he's good now and keeps up with you easily, even as you both start panting with exertion.
"Why don't you take skating classes here like them?" He asks suddenly. "I know it bothers you. You spend so much time skating, don't you wanna do it for real?"
Seokjin's question takes you by so much surprise that you forget your balance and before you can react you're sat in a heap of limbs on the ice. You hide behind your hair when you hear the figure skating team tittering with laughter, amused that however hard you try you will never be able to skate like them.
"Because I'm not like them." You mumble. "I don't have supportive parents like you and I don't have the talent they do." Seokjin says nothing and you wait for him to leave you for Jennie instead but he just stays rooted to the spot. "Why don't you just get proper lessons if your parents can afford it? Why do you keep coming back here everyday to me?"
Seokjin doesn't respond. The next thing you know, there's a loud crash and he's throwing himself forcefully onto his butt on the ice beside you. "Whoops!" He says, putting on a show for the skaters to hear. They immediately stop laughing when he sends them a stern look.
"Because I like you." Seokjin whispers, but only loud enough for you to hear this time, making a point of rubbing his back like the fall hurt to make you laugh. "Not them."
He offers you a hand and you both scramble to your feet. The smile on your face hurts your cheeks but you can't bring yourself to let it go. And as Seokjin spins you around until your giddy and your teeth start to chatter you forget about the skaters and the inferiority and fill with nothing but belonging.
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"You're getting better." You tell Seokjin as you skate hand in hand over to the edge of the ice. "In a couple of weeks you'll be able to skate without me supervising."
He smirks. "I know."
"How humble." You punch his shoulder but he barely flinches, just chuckles when you nearly lose your balance again and he has to grab you under the elbows to keep you upright. "Woah!"
When you look up you're practically nose to nose with him. His breath is warm when it tickles your cheek and you feel yourself go slack in his grip. Seokjin's eyes are filled with stars as they dip down to your mouth and then back up to your eyes.
It hits you how much you want him to kiss you. How much you want to kiss him. Although he seems to have other ideas...
"Hey, I almost forgot!" He pulls away and you let out a shaky breath, scuffing the toe of your skate against the carpet bashfully. Seokjin's face lights up as he fumbles around in his big coat pockets. "I got you something for Christmas. Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
He's practically jumping from foot to foot with excitement now. "Just do it!"
You oblige with a fond shake of your head, squeezing your eyes shut, heart fluttering when Seokjin presses something cold and smooth into the palm of your hand.
When you uncurl your fingers you find a delicate Christmas ornament in your palm that is shaped like a pearly white ice skate. The tiny boot is tied up with red and white candy cane laces and the silver glitter on the blade sparkles in the low light.
"Oh Seokjin..." You gasp, turning it around in your fingers. "It's so pretty."
"Do you like it?" Seokjin asks anxiously, searching your face, a grin appearing on his lips to match your own when you nod eagerly.
"I love it!"
"I thought of you as soon as I saw it." He scratches the back of his neck, suddenly shy. "Now you can think of me when you see it, too."
You slide Seokjin's gift into your pocket, walking beside him in a comfortable silence towards the exit. "See you here again tomorrow?"
Seokjin's hand falters on the door handle, something close to pain crossing his features. You wait for him to answer your question but he never does. Instead you're being pulled into a tight hug, his arms squeezing you so tightly you start to feel light headed. At least that's what you tell yourself. It can't be the way his warm breath flutters against your neck, right?"
"Thank you. For everything." He murmurs into your hair. "For being you."
Your arms wrap around his back instinctively. "All of a sudden?"
"Just remember that, okay?" He flashes you a final small smile before his warm embrace is gone and he's out the door and being whisked away with the flurry of snow that has begun to fall.
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Seokjin doesn't come back the next day. Or the day after that. Even when a week passes by with no sign of him you still find your head snapping up each time the door opens or you see the flash of a red scarf.
"He's not coming, Y/N." Seulgi sighs, pushing your legs down from where you balance on the windowsill with your forehead pressed to the glass to make room for her own body to squeeze in beside you. "My dad says his family left town last week, remember?"
You keep your eyes glued to the path outside. If you focus hard enough you can almost see him barging through the door like he always does, making his unruly presence known by calling out some irritatingly unfunny dad joke that still managed to somehow make you laugh when he cracked himself up. Or grabbing your hands and swinging you around on the ice until you're both panting and laughing and teary eyed at the same time but you don't care because you're together.
And if you close your eyes you can still remember how it felt when he wrapped you up in his arms before he left and you wonder if anything he ever said meant anything at all.
Fresh snow has started to fall and just like that the boot prints he left behind are covered up, like they never even existed. Like he never even existed.
You bite your lip. "How could he leave without telling me first?"
"Oh Y/N." Seulgi rubs your shoulder. "I'm sure he had his reasons."
"Whatever." You jump down from the window, slinging your hands in your pockets only to feel your heart pang when your fingers brush up against the Christmas decoration Seokjin gave you.
You dangle the string from your finger, admiring the way it sparkles and glints when it hits the light, even when your eyes start to fog up with tears that just won't seem to disappear no matter how hard you try to rub them away.
And with that you drop it into a stray box of Christmas decorations and it's like Seokjin really is gone for good now.
"Y/N?" Seulgi's dad pokes his head into the ticket booth. You have to wipe your cheeks with your sleeve quickly, mustering up the closest thing to a watery smile as you can. "I was thinking about your Christmas gift. How would you like some skating lessons with Seulgi. I watched you today and I think you're really talented. Let's not waste it, hm?"
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Present day.
"So you're telling me the kid with the weird hair is back?" Seulgi asks, though you can only see her eyes peering over the top of the cardboard box filled with Christmas decorations that she lugs out of the storage closet. Her dad asked you to decorate the huge tree that looks like it belongs out in a forest instead of in front of the ice rink, which is how you find yourself balanced precariously on a wooden ladder trying and failing to lasso tinsel over the furthermost branches.
"He doesn't have weird hair." You say through gritted teeth as the ladder wobbles and you miss the branch once again. "And his name is Seokjin, Seulgi."
"Same difference." Seulgi barely puffs before her foot slips and the box is sent flying to the ground in a wince worthy crash of jingling bells and cracking glass that bursts all over the carpet. "Oh shit! These were my grandmas! My dad is gonna kill me...hey, can you rescue the survivors while I go get something to clean up this mess?"
"Sure."
"Don't start on the lights without me!"
Seulgi disappears into the back and you breathe a sigh of relief when you hop down the ladder and your feet touch the ground again.
It takes all your strength to heave the box onto a nearby table, frowning when you open the flaps to find nothing but a pile of sparkling crushed glass where Seulgi's grandma's prized ornaments should have been. Rolling up your sleeves, you begin to remove the salvageable ones, pausing when your fingers curl around a familiar shape.
When you open your palm it reveals a small silver ice skate with candy-cane laces hanging from a dainty silver string.
Seokjin's gift. How did it get here?
God, you really are hung up on this guy, huh? Wherever you go these days reminders of him seem to follow. Without figure skating to distract you, you have fallen back into your old missing-Kim-Seokjin ways and you can't help but scowl at your own weakness for some guy who just up and left without a single word five years ago.
"Hello?" A voice deeper than Seulgi's echoes through the rink, followed by a gust of chilly wind and the slamming of the entrance doors. "Are you open?"
Is that...
"Seokjin?"
His name leaves your lips as a whisper but the shrill sound of the ornament falling from your shock slackened fingers and shattering into a million pieces alerts him of your presence.
Shit. Seulgi is gonna kill you.
You bend to your knees, desperately trying to reassemble the smashed shards but failing miserably.
"It's ruined." You have to bite your lip to stop angry tears from sliding down your cheeks as you stare down at the miserable pile of broken glass. All that is left of a happy memory gone forever.
A pair of boots stop in front of you and when you lift your head you're met with a familiar pair of gentle brown eyes staring down at you in concern.
"Skater girl?"
He's back. Kim Seokjin is back. And he's here!
In your surprise you accidentally squeeze the glass between your fingers too hard, hissing when you feel a sharp scrape against your palm. "Ow!"
"Hey, watch out! You're bleeding."
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The last place you expected to find yourself today was cradling your cut hand behind the ticket booth while Kim Seokjin of all people rummages beneath the counter for the first aid kit. It's almost as if he never left with how easily he shrugs off his coat and gets to work.
"You still keep it down here, right?" You nod and he lets out a little ta da when his head re-emerges behind a box filled with bandages and antiseptic. "I remember from all the times I fell out on the ice and you had to patch me up."
When he sits down on the stool opposite you it's like you're experiencing a severe case of dejavu. He looks exactly the same as he always did yet somehow completely different; his shoulders are broader than you remember them and it looks like he started gelling his hair back, exposing his forehead. Your eyes can't help the way they trace the curve of his jaw, sharper now, and the ice hockey shoulder pads that protrude from beneath his winter coat.
One thing is the same though. The way he takes your wrist gently into his lap and begins to wind a strip of bandage around it with caution, glancing up at you every now and again to check it isn't too tight or too painful. He always was the kind and patient one after all.
"There." He says when he's finished, thumb running across your wrist just barely before you take back your arm sheepishly, still avoiding eye contact. "You should really be more careful. You won't be able to train with an injured hand."
You wince at the mention of figure skating. Of course Seokjin hadn't heard about the accident yet — he was living in a different town when it happened. But that didn't make it any less painful.
Seokjin frowns when he sees your face, mistakenly reaching for your hand again. "Does it still hurt?"
You take a sudden step back and his hand falls to his side. "No. It's fine." You grab your bag with your good arm and swing it over your shoulder. "Thanks for this but I gotta go."
A hand curls around your arm, pinning you in place before you can even take a step. When you turn begrudgingly Seokjin is biting his lip. "Did I say something wrong?"
A sigh escapes you and Seokjin reluctantly lets you go when you shake your arm free of his grip, finally taking a deep breath to fill your lungs with enough courage to look him in the eye.
"You didn't say anything at all. That's the whole problem, Jin." His mouth hangs open and he starts to stutter something but you put up a finger and he stops, retreating back into his seat like a scolded puppy. "You just left! Without even telling me where you were going! And now you're back here?"
"Y/N listen—"
"Why? Why are you back Seokjin?" The way your voice wavers makes his eyes widen.
He scratches the back of his neck almost remorsefully, avoiding the real question and your eyes. "I...I transferred. I applied for a ice hockey scholarship to play here. I was actually hoping I'd find you here, to see if maybe you wanted to go skating again sometime or something..."
"Listen, I don't skate anymore okay?" You scoff, turning on your heels and marching towards the exit. "So don't bother coming back."
Just then Seulgi reappears from the back. "Y/N? I found some more decorations — oh."
The last thing you hear is her voice calling your name before you march right out of the rink and get as far away from Seokjin and the memories and the longing and the hurt as possible.
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November has already rolled into December by the time you see Seokjin again.
Seulgi's family's ice rink is bustling with locals in scarves and wooly hats, alive with a buzz of excitement that mingles with the cheesy Christmas tunes playing overhead and the smell of hot cocoa from the concessions stand as the town eagerly awaits the beginning of the annual Christmas parade, of which the rink is the central attraction.
The rink is decorated to the nines and you can't deny it looks breathtaking; you aren't a total grinch after all. You're almost sure that you've woken up in some kind of alternate winter wonderland, like you're a character in one of those decorative snow globes they sell at the mall and the whole place could be picked up and shaken until the air fills with Christmas spirit like the first flakes of snow on a winter's morning.
Except nothing about working the ticket booth feels even remotely festive. Your cheeks have started to hurt from all the polite smiling at even the rudest of customers and the sly side eyes and grimaces you and Seulgi throw at each other every time you see another kid fall over and need first aid and there's fake snow in your hair and tinsel stuck to your shoe.
You've just slumped into a heap on the stool behind the counter after dealing with a particularly lumpy case of motion sickness from one of the parents begrudgingly skating like baby deers behind their children when you spot Jimin and the rest of the hockey team elbowing through the crowd to the ticket booth.
You can't help but roll your eyes when you see the pair of dark shades balanced on the bridge of his nose that just look silly with his winter coat and the smug smile on his face as he barges to the front of the queue and rings the bell on the counter like a man possessed.
"Can I help you?" You ask nonchalantly, inspecting your nails.
Jimin turns up his nose. "Is Seulgi around."
You shake your head. A lie. She's just in the back taking her gingerbread cookies out of the oven so she can hand them out to the children while they are still warm.
"No. You've got me. How many tickets?"
"We're on the guest list, actually." Jimin purrs. "Seulgi said so herself."
You pick up the clipboard on the counter and pretend to scan the guest list, pushing your bottom lip out mockingly as you shrug your shoulders. "Sorry. Doesn't look like you are. Now that'll be ten dollars each or I'm gonna have to ask you to leave—"
"Pfft, let me see that." Jimin reaches over the counter and tries to snatch the clipboard from your grasp but you just end up in a childish game of tug of war. With a scoff he suddenly let's go and wipes his hand on his jacket with a scowl, looking you up and down with gritted teeth. "What is your goddamn problem, Y/N? Would it kill you to be nice to me for once?"
"Me? Nice to you?" You let out an exasperated sigh, fists clenching as Jimin's entourage begin to look nervous, some backing up and others tugging him by the arm to back down which he only shakes off, eyes never leaving yours like he's daring you to look away first. "You are my problem, Park Jimin. You think you can come in here and use Seulgi? Well you'll have to cross me first—"
"Did someone call me?" Seulgi's sugary laughter rounds the corner before she does, confusion crossing her features when she sees Jimin's tense jaw and the murder in your eyes. Not exactly Christmas spirit, is it?
"Let's ask Seulgi herself about the guest list, shall we?" Jimin's face lights up with his signature smile that has Seulgi heating up in a blush and you mentally face palming as you reluctantly hand over the clipboard and watch Seulgi zero in on the PARK JIMIN she wrote in her own curly scrawl, the 'i's dotted with tiny hearts.
"Yep, you guys can go on through." She says with a grin, seemingly too blind with love to see the I told you so look Jimin sends your way.
"Seulgi are you really gonna—"
"I knew I could count on you Seulgi," Jimin drawls. "How about we go skating together?"
Yup. That's it. Your best friend has been taken over by the love bug and nothing you say now will bring her to her senses as she nods eagerly and begins ticking each member of the hockey team off her list.
"...Kim Taehyung...Jung Hoseok and last but not least, Kim Seokjin!"
Hold up...
When you stupidly snap your eyes up they instantly meet the very pair you've been trying to avoid. Seokjin's.
There he is in all his glory, tall enough these days to see over the counter. The smile on his face fades when he notices you too.
"Y/N? Hello?" Seulgi snaps you back out of your Kim Seokjin induced trance, blushing when you realise you must have been staring and that's probably why he's fiddling with his coat zipper and avoiding your gaze. "Can you handle the ticket booth for a bit while I go for a skate?"
All reservations are wiped from your mind and you have to swallow hard before any words come out that aren't oh my god or Seokjin. "Y-yeah, sure."
"Great!" She swings over the counter. You stare at your feet, face uncomfortably hot under Seokjin's gaze. Seulgi takes Jimin's elbow. "See you later!"
"Have f-fun." You manage to mumble, relief flooding your chest when Jimin and his entourage become smaller and smaller before disappearing amongst the indistinguishable hustle and bustle.
Your breath catches when you finally lift your gaze and find Seokjin still stood frozen in the same spot, opening and closing his mouth awkwardly like he wants to say something but doesn't quite know how.
I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave. I don't think you're a freak like everyone else just because of your accident.
You can imagine so many different combinations of words leaving his lips except the ones that he finally croaks aren't quite what you're expecting. "Uh, I need to rent some skates. I forgot to bring my ones..."
Oh.
A few awkward seconds pass until you realise he's waiting patiently for you to do your job and get him the freaking skates instead of standing open mouthed like some kind of frozen ice sculpture that doesn't know how to function, and you turn a little too abruptly, eager to hide the heat in your cheeks and nearly knocking the whole rack of rental skates down in your haste.
God! Why do you always embarrass yourself in front of him?
"I need a size—"
"12. I know." Your voice sounds small as you turn back around and hand him a pair of black skates, freshly sharpened just like how you knew he liked them. Or used to like them anyway. "I remember."
Something close to pain briefly flashes over his face and there's another silence that feels deafening despite the screams and cheers of skaters a few meters away that fill the atmosphere.
He coughs when his hand brushes yours as he reaches to take the ice skates and you feel your eyes widen when an electric current runs up your arm and settles in the left side of your chest with a funny pang. His eyes slowly meet yours, soft and gentle and filled with stars just like you remember them. Your heart starts beating so fast you're sure everyone at the rink can hear it now.
You can almost hear your words from the other day echoing in his head. Don't bother coming back.
And when he rips his gaze away from yours, the warmth of his fingers disappearing with it as he turns on his heels and starts to walk away without so much as a goodbye, you realise just how much you didn't mean them. How glad you are that he's back here, at the rink, like old times, like you've always silently hoped he would be despite never admitting it to yourself until now.
That's why you can't help yourself when you swing your body over the counter and jog after him, with a call of, "Hey, Seokjin, wait up!"
He stops abruptly at the sound of his name and you almost crash into the back of him, grateful for the arm that shoots out and catches you before you can stumble over your own feet.
"Woah, be careful. You coulda got hurt—"
His arm is still around your waist when you start mumbling incoherently, out of breath and desperate to get the truth off your chest in this sudden burst of bravery before you chicken out and retreat to the bubble of timidity you've found yourself in since the accident.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about the other day I was just kinda surprised to see you again and I lashed out." He cocks an eyebrow when you finish, before you're spluttering, "Good surprised! It's, uh, good to see you again is what I'm trying to say — really good to see you."
There's another silence that feels immeasurable and you feel hot embarrassment caress your face as you scan Seokjin's features for any sign that he's going to push you away or tease you for being such an idiot that still likes him even after he left you and—
Then he's laughing. Deep chuckles vibrating against your cheek as he pulls you into a bear hug and you're smushed up against his chest and breathing in his woody cologne until you're laughing with relief too.
"It's good to see you too, Y/N." He says when he finally lets you go and maybe he's just cold but you're sure there's a trace of a blush on his own nose as he shoves his hands deep into his pockets like he can't trust them not to reach out and grab you again. "Really good."
"Hey Kim Seokjin, stop flirting and get your ass over here stat!"
Seokjin's eyes roll in unison with your own when none other than Park Jimin's voice ruins the moment. When you both turn and find him leaning over the barrier of the ice rink, beckoning Seokjin with a single finger, you cant help but snort at the exasperated sigh that leaves the boy beside you.
"Will he ever give me a break?" Seokjin mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose and mouthing sorry as he nods his head to signal for you to join him. Jimin offers you both a salute in greeting.
"Captain," Jimin practically snarls around the word, contempt evident in his voice despite the grin plastered to his face. It only grows when he turns his attention to you. "And sweet little figure skating champion Y/N — oh wait!" He must see the way your face drops because he can't conceal the laughter that bubbles up next. "Whoops. Did I say something wrong?"
Seokjin looks between you and Jimin with confusion which quickly turns to concern when he sees the way your fists have started to shake. His hand falls to the small of your back and you briefly feel all your anger rinse away.
"Lets just go, Y/N—"
Jimin seems to have other ideas. "Hey Seokjin! Did you hear about Y/N's little...accident?" He calls. You stiffen and Seokjin finally meets Jimin's gaze head on, somewhat curious. "It happened right here on this very rink. The day before nationals, right princess?" Jimin waits for you to nod before he continues. "I'm sure she can fill you in on what happened while you two flirt like school girls. Maybe then you'll understand why she feels the need to make everyone around her miserable. Because her injuries healed but she's still broken."
A gasp comes from somewhere behind Jimin and you instantly recognise it as belonging to Seulgi who has just skated into the middle of the battle ground. She's not the only one who looks surprised — a couple members of the hockey team flash you sympathetic looks. It drives you crazy. You hate being their goddamn reason to throw a pity party.
"Even after my accident I can still skate better than you ever will Park," You spit. "And don't you forget it."
Jimin's eyes glint with something dark and you swallow thickly. Oh no.
"Then how about you prove it to all of us, huh?" He smirks when you just gape at him, the implications of his words sending a chill down your spine. Jimin pretends to tap the non existent watch on his wrist when you stay rooted in place with wide eyes."We haven't got all day. You gonna get your skates or what?"
Get your skates on. Right now?
"Okay." You wince at how timid your voice sounds, not even able to enjoy the surprise on Jimin's face because of the fear tightening like a coil in your stomach as you let your feet carry you over to the rack of rental skates.
When you reach for your favourite pair — your old favourite pair — you find your hands are shaking uncontrollably. They don't stop even as you somehow manage to slip them onto your feet and clomp back over to the edge of the rink where Jimin waits with a cheshire grin and Seokjin and Seulgi rush forward to stop you from taking another step as soon as they see the way your breathing has quickened and your practically gasping for air now. When did it get so hot in here?
"Y/N I really don't think this is a good idea, you don't have to—" Seulgi starts, but you brush her off, determined to prove Jimin wrong.
Sure, it has been nearly a year since you last got on the ice without falling into a panic attack. Sure, your heart is racing so fast at the thought of the blades beneath your feet touching the frozen surface you can feel it in your throat. Sure, you still let yourself cry sometimes when it's late and Seulgi's fast asleep and you wake up from a dream where you're skating and you're free and then the icy bitterness of reality sets in and you remember that's all gone now.
But you're not broken right? You can't be.
No. I'm not broken.
You grit your teeth. "I can do it."
I'm not broken.
Your knuckles whiten with how hard you're gripping the barrier as you drag your feet closer to the edge of the ice.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
I'm not broken.
Your vision starts to blur into a swirl of Christmas lights and ice skates and Park Jimin's stupid grin.
You squeeze your eyes shut as the tip of your blade touches the ice and then—
"Stop!"
An arm curls around your waist and pulls you back. You let out a sigh of relief. It's Seokjin and he's holding you upright now as you clutch your chest and try to breathe, determined to stop angry tears from slipping down your cheeks.
You're broken. Utterly and completely. Jimin was right.
"Back off, Park." Seokjin barks and you're aware of how Jimin is clutching his stomach, laughter spilling from his lips as Seulgi stares on nervously.
"Why? Because you know I'm gonna steal your scholarship at the Christmas Eve game?"
Seokjin scoffs. "Because you're being kind of an ass right now. Come on, Y/N, grab your coat."
"Why?" You manage to splutter, still needing Seokjin's support as he pulls you behind him to the locker rooms.
"We're getting out of here."
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The sky has faded to a deep blue-black when you push out of the ice rink into the chilly winter evening beside Seokjin.
You pull your coat tighter around your chin, unsure if the way your limbs shiver is because of the December weather or the fear still lingering in the pit of your stomach.
Seokjin's presence beside you is comforting. It brings you back to reality somewhat. He doesn't mention the earlier tension between you, just flashes you a small smile instead. "Come on. Let's get warmed up."
The Christmas lights strung between lamp posts above your heads provide a subtle glow that makes his eyes softly gleam as he offers you a glove covered hand just like he used to, all those years ago before he left. With a shy glance you slide your hand into his, cheeks burning, but grateful for the feeling of Seokjin squeezing your hand reassuringly, grounding you like lead to a balloon.
Maybe you would regret it tomorrow when you remember that this wasn't going to last and he was inevitably going to leave you again. But old habits die hard and you can't resist the natural feeling of mutual comfort that settles between you like a warm hug from nostalgia.
Seokjin pulls you behind him to join the throng of people in woollen scarves and fuzzy earmuffs making their towards the annual Christmas market your town always throws to celebrate the holidays. The entire street is alive with joyous laughter and twinkling lights, the smell of freshly baked mince pies mixed with pine wreaths soothing you instantly.
Seokjin buys you both a cup of steaming mulled wine from one of the cozy market stalls with thatched roofs playing tinny Christmas tunes. You take it from him graciously, thankful for the fuzzy warmth it provides as you breathe in the festive aroma.
You walk together in a comfortable silence, enjoying the way Seokjin's arm brushes against yours sometimes and how he always blushes when it does. He keeps looking at you like he wants to say something but doesn't know how, resorting to sipping the hot liquid he cradles between his palms instead as if to stop the words from tumbling out without permission.
You're about to tease him for it, ask him to spit it out, whatever it is, or forever hold his peace — but then you see it.
Across the street sits a quaint shop with a SANTA STOP HERE sign on the door. It's decorated just as festively as the rest and would have blended in to the picturesque scene had it not been for the thing on display which catches your eye.
Before you know it you are wandering up to the window with wide eyes, breath fogging up the glass as you take in the pair of pearly white ice skates glaring at you from behind your own reflection. They're tied up neatly with a red bow inside the store's display and they seem to sparkle beneath the twinkling Christmas decorations like they're covered in thousands of tiny snow flakes. The sight nearly takes your breath away.
You can almost hear the way the blades would scrape the ice just the way you liked it, how the cold air would make your eyes water as they carried you around the rink. How the satin interior would never rub your toes and the fur trim would hug your ankles just right.
A pair of skates like these were supposed to belong to one of the pretty professional figure skaters you could never quite keep up with when you were on the ice, routines so rehearsed they could be free styling to the inexperienced eye, silver laces complimenting their daintily sequinned bodysuits.
Not someone who only has plain bodices and rental skates and wears ugly burns on their knees from hitting the ice too hard. Not someone like you.
Besides, you promised yourself you would never pick up another pair of skates again. What is the point in dreaming?
"So..." Seokjin starts, blowing at the steam swirling from his paper cup. "What happened back there? You seemed kinda freaked out."
You freeze. Seokjin shifts. "You miss skating huh?"
You drop your eyes to the liquid in your cup. Were you that easy to read? Or did Seokjin just remember you better than you realised?
"Mhm." It comes out a little choked but you force a smile, hoping he'll believe it even if it doesn't quite meet your eyes. "But I'm a law major now. Don't have a ton of time for competing anymore."
It isn't a complete lie. You are a law major now, much to the pride of your family who always thought skating was a waste of time anyway.
But becoming a lawyer isn't your dream. It was your back up plan. Because your dream of being a competitive skater will never come true now and you had to accept it somehow. Throwing yourself into classes and deadlines seemed like the best way to keep your mind occupied, even if it doesn't make you forget your troubles in the same way skating used to.
"Sounds boring."
You shrug. "Sometimes."
Seokjin narrows his eyes. "But I know you, remember? The Y/N I knew always had time for skating. Did...did something really happen?"
You bite your lip, glassy tears fogging up your vision. God, you told yourself long ago to stop crying every time someone brought up the accident. When you wipe at your eyes harshly with the back of your hand you hear Seokjin suck in a nervous breath.
"You don't have to tell me, I'm sorry for bringing it up—"
"No! No it's okay." You shake your head with a loud sniff. "It's me, not you. It happened a few days before I was due to leave for nationals. I was practicing at the rink with Seulgi like usual and the next thing I know I'm lying in a hospital bed with my leg in a cast." You sigh, a twinge of pain running up your leg as you remember the stiff feeling of the cast. "I don't even remember what happened, not really. Seulgi said I hit my head pretty hard. Haven't been out on the ice since."
"I'm sorry." Seokjin's eyes soften and his hand hovers over yours like he wants to comfort you but doesn't know how. "I can't imagine not being able to skate, I think I'd...I think I'd go crazy."
You shrug. "You get used to it after a while." A lie. "It doesn't matter anyway." Another lie. "Besides, it's not like I can't skate, my leg healed just like they said it would. I'm just..."
"Scared." Seokjin finishes. You feel a flush of embarrassment rush to your cheeks as you nod carefully. You've never told anyone this. Not even Seulgi. But something tells you Seokjin would understand.
"I want to skate again so badly. Like with every bone in my body badly. But every time I even get near the ice I just...freeze up like I did earlier at the rink." Your head falls into your palms, self condemnation evident in the spiteful laugh you afford to your own weakness. "Ugh you must think I suck so bad."
A group of carollers stroll by merrily and you're grateful that their rendition of Silent Night catches Seokjin's attention and covers up your embarrassingly loud sniffle.
"I don't think you suck." Seokjin says eventually, blowing on his hands to warm them up. "It's natural to be scared, especially after something like that. A wise person once taught me that even the best skaters are terrified to fall. It's part of the fun."
You flash him a small smile. The accident still feels raw though and you're eager to change the subject swiftly.
"What about you? Any grand plans for the future?"
Seokjin scratches the back of his neck bashfully. He never did like being boastful. "Took a year out so I could practice playing ice hockey. You've heard about the Christmas Eve game right? The scholarship board is gonna be there.
"Who would've thought that the Kim Seokjin, worst skater in town, would end up being captain of the team?"
He punches your shoulder playfully. "Hey! I wasn't that bad."
"You don't remember falling on your ass every time I tried to show you how to skate?"
Seokjin rolls his eyes. "Well a wise person once told me that being a real skater means being able to pick yourself up each time you fall." He rubs his chin playfully. "And something about getting a cold ass."
You scoff, somehow embarrassed that Seokjin had remembered the words you spoke all those years ago. Embarrassed at how weak you have become since then. "She sounds like an idiot."
"A wise idiot."
You shake your head fondly. Seokjin's laugh is warm and it makes you feel all fuzzy, like just for a moment the cavity in your chest is full. You realise then just how much you missed it. How much you missed him.
When you drag your attention away from the skates on display, your wandering eyes catch a glimpse of the Christmas fairground in the shop window's reflection. You let out a gasp, tipping your head back to look up at the giant ferris wheel that lights up with a million different rainbow colours like a firework against the dark blanket of night.
"You wanna go for a ride?" Seokjin asks, looking somewhat amused.
"Can we?" You're fully aware of just how childlike you must sound right know but the gleeful glint in Seokjin's eyes puts you at ease instantly, a smile lighting up his features that is brighter than all the Christmas lights around you. It's enough to make your stomach do somersaults.
You furrow your brows when Seokjin suddenly takes off into a run, scarf trailing behind him in the wind. "Last one there has to pay for our tickets!"
"What? Hey!"
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Before you know it you're climbing into one of the tiny ferris wheel cubicles after begrudgingly paying for both of your tickets, the space between you and Seokjin so slim your knees touch. The ride feels shakier than it looked from the ground and you let out a shriek as it stutters to life, the cubicle rocking back and forth lightly as you begin to raise into the air.
Seokjin appears startled. "What's wrong?"
You weren't expecting the ride to go this high. Perhaps your crippling fear of heights would have been a good thing to mention before you got on.
"Falling." You manage to choke, hands gripping the safety pole so tight your knuckles turn white. "Scared of falling."
"Hey. C'mere." A mitten covered hand engulfs your own. It feels familiar, comforting. Your breathing instantly slows when Seokjin squeezes your fingers tightly. "I won't let you fall."
"Promise?" You whisper, still not convinced as you watch the people on the ground below get smaller and smaller.
"Promise." Seokjin chuckles. "Hey! Look!"
You manage to lift your gaze to where Seokjin's finger points, all fear melting away like snow when you lay eyes on the view of the town stretching out before you like tiny pieces of a toy village. The location gives you a perfect view of the giant Christmas tree that has been set up in town, decked with golden tinsel and shiny baubles alongside the thin layer of frosty snow that glimmers on rooftops and church steeples like a thousand stars.
"Woah." A gasp leaves you involuntarily. "It looks so..."
"Beautiful." Seokjin finishes your sentence with a smile but when you turn you find him staring straight at you. A blush caresses his cheeks. He coughs bashfully and you're reminded of the younger, shyer Seokjin you used to teach to skate at the ice rink.
The Ferris wheel comes to a halt when your cubicle reaches the very top. You smush your nose against the safety glass. If you squint you can just about make out the ice rink in the distance, along with an abundance of skaters gliding serenely across the ice. For a moment your heart leaps and you long to be down there, flying and spinning beside them, but then you remember the accident and you sink back with a frown.
Seokjin's velvety tone beside you brings you back down. "It's because of you, y'know."
"Huh?" You blink.
"You're the reason I started skating in the first place. I'd never be captain if you weren't such a good teacher."
You snort lightly. "If I'm such a good teacher how come I can't even skate anymore myself?"
Seokjin's smile is pitying but determined. He holds out his hand as if he wants you to shake it and you furrow your brows in confusion.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yeah...why?" Suddenly the cubicle starts moving back down and you are thrown into a less than graceful heap directly into Seokjin's lap. "Oh!"
"Woah there..." Seokjin's arms curl around your torso instantly, bigger and stronger than you remembered them being. You're hit with the scent of his laundry detergent and the lightly minty whisper of his breath across your cheek when you turn and find yourself nose to nose with him. "Be careful, skater girl."
A flush caresses your cheeks and this time it's not because of the cold. "I trust you!" You rush.
"Promise?" His breath is warm when it ghosts across your lips.
"Promise."
He just stares at you for a few seconds before you realise you're pressed so close to his chest that he can probably feel the way your heart is beating faster than one of those mechanical Little Drummer Boy decorations.
You cough and slide off his lap into the space beside him, muttering a few awkward sorry's and instantly missing his warmth when your fingers curl around the cold metal pole instead.
Seokjin's grin doesn't leave his face until you're both safely on the ground again and it only grows when you let him slide his hand into yours after he lifts you free from the death trap of a Ferris wheel and your boots collide with the sweet, sweet tarmac.
"Good. Because I have an idea."
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"Remind me," Seokjin grunts as he hoists himself over the college campus gate, the locks and chains holding them together rattling under his weight before his feet land neatly on the other side. "Is trespassing illegal, little miss law student?"
"Very." You follow his previous actions, nimbly climbing the railings before letting Seokjin lift you to the ground on the other side. "Why are we here, anyway?"
His breath is visible against the darkening night as he pulls a key from his pocket, dangling it in front of your face teasingly. "Being team captain has some...perks."
"Perks? What kind of perks — Seokjin, wait up!" Before he can answer your question, he's already flattened himself against the brick wall with a sly smirk, looking both ways before sliding around the corner like a shitty MI5 agent. You stay put, arms crossed stubbornly, before Seokjin's arm appears from the dark mouth of the corner and drags you behind him with a yelp.
"Just trust me, okay?" Seokjin starts with a smile, but not before his face is draining of colour and he's lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "Shit! I forgot about the cameras..."
"Cameras?" You squeak, following his gaze up towards the CCTV camera pointed toward the entrance a few feet away, like it's a predator waiting to catch its prey. "Seokjin! We can't get caught, you could lose your chance at a scholarship and I could get kicked out and—"
"Chill, we've got this. I've done this hundreds of times!" Seokjin's eyes flit to the ground when you raise an eyebrow at him. "Just, you know, to practice and stuff. Not with other girls or anything. Not that there are other girls! Just you. Because you're the only girl that I ever — never mind..."
A few moments pass in silence as you just blink at him  while he scratches the back of his neck. Watching him toe the dirt with his shoe sheepishly has a small smile growing on your face and all your inhibitions get thrown to the wind as quickly as your heart has started to race.
"I trust you." Seokjin looks up hopefully. "Let's do it."
He practically punches the air at your unreserved participation. "Here. Put this on." He yanks the green winter hat off his head, revealing his cutely dishevelled hat hair, and pulls the fabric down over your head roughly.
"Hey! Watch it. I can't see!"
He just laughs, thumbs pushing back the material to reveal your eyes, the fond curve of his lips coming into view when your vision adjusts. His hand pats the bobble on the end of the hat amusedly, like he's satisfied with his work. You pout. "What? It looks cute. Now come on, keep your head down and no one will ever know it's us."
You shoot a final wide eyed glance at the camera. You had already lost one dream and you couldn't afford to lose another. And if you lost it because of your own stupidity...
To your surprise, Seokjin's mitten covered hand slides into yours and its the feeling of his big palm enveloping your own that brings you back down. Something about the way he squeezes gently is comforting and fills you with a warmth that makes the December night feel a lot less chilly.
Seokjin smiles when you squeeze back. "Ready?"
"Ready."
And then, before you can change your mind, your feet are following Seokjin's as you run together in a fit of giggles past the cameras towards a back campus entrance, a funny feeling of elation fizzing through your veins as Seokjin swaps the hand he's holding so that he can use his dominant one to fiddle with the key in the lock.
"Remind me again, little miss law student." After a few tense heartbeats, the door swings open, and Seokjin flashes you a mischievous grin. "Is stealing the ice hockey coach's key so you can sneak in to the ice rink after dark illegal?"
Your eyes widen as he disappears into the dark entrance. "Very illeg- woah!"
Before you can protest, Seokjin's arms wrap around your waist, dragging you inside with him. Your hands curl around his neck automatically when he swings you around and around until you're both dizzy and spluttering with laughter in the darkness.
"Seokjin! Stop! Where are we?" You murmur into his hair when he finally sets you down on your feet, chests flush together as he backs up so that your shoulder blades press against the wall.
"Can I ask you something?" He whispers, suddenly serious. Your eyes have barely adjusted to the low light but you can tell his lips are inches from yours and you shiver when his warm breath tickles your nose.
Your hand instinctively reaches out to brush away the bangs covering his eyes, breath catching in your throat when Seokjin's brown pupils bore into your own, close enough to see the frost on his dark lashes.
"Of course," You manage to squeak, suddenly aware of how you've been holding your breath. "What is it?"
Did you miss me as much as I missed you? Can I kiss you?
You squeeze your eyes shut when his lips brush your forehead. He smells of minty shampoo and you're sure your heart is beating so fast it's going to escape from your chest any second. If you just lean up a little, place a hand on his shoulder and stand on your tippy toes...
"Why shouldn't you tell jokes while ice skating?" He whispers against your skin. His voice sounds hoarser than before and you notice the way his Adam's apple bobs when he swallows hard. Is he trying as hard as you are not to kiss him?
"Enlighten me." You breathe.
He keeps drawing ever closer and you pucker your lips...
"Because the ice might crack up."
Your eyes snap open just as he finishes leaning in, reaching over your shoulder to flick a switch that has the whole room lighting up before you.
Oh.
You're briefly disappointed until your eyes finally adjust, and you can't help but gasp at the sight akin to a winter wonderland before you. Strings of Christmas lights are suspended carefully over the familiar campus ice rink you know and love, glimmering like multicoloured snowflakes in the ice's reflection. The bleachers are lined with frosted Christmas trees flashing with silver tinsel and baubles that glint like river-light against the night.
You bite your lip but that doesn't stop elated laughter from escaping you, throwing your arms around Seokjin's neck, his own deep chuckle joining in when he staggers and barely keeps his balance.
"I've missed you." You say when you finally come down and you're both just staring at each other giddily now.
"Even the dad jokes?" The nod into his neck in confirmation makes Seokjin punch the air, though his laugh suddenly trails off and he starts to wring his hands nervously a moment later. "You might regret saying that when I tell you why we're here..."
"Seokjin?"
He flashes you a sheepish smile.
"Surprise! I'm gonna teach you how to skate again!"
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"Absolutely not!"
"Come on, you said you trusted me remember?" You feel the colour drain from your face, Seokjin's fingers tightening around your wrist when you try to back step. "I can tell how much you miss it, don't you wanna be able to perform again?"
The memory of how it felt to glide around the ice is enough to make you shiver, a longing settling in your stomach for the cheers of the crowd as you land a perfect jump mingling with your skates scraping the ice.
For the feeling of being free again. That's what you miss more than anything in the world.
"I do." You bite your lip. "But..."
"But?"
"But I'm broken, Seokjin! Just like Jimin said."
"Hey. Look at me." Seokjin whispers when you turn away, probably able to see the glassiness of your eyes as his forefinger bumps beneath your chin. "You're not broken, okay? You're just scared."
You hug your torso. "Well duh. What if something happens? What if I fall again but this time my injuries don't heal? Or worse what if you fall—?"
Seokjin squeezes your shoulders gently and you realise that you're rambling. You trail off when you find him smiling at you reassuringly. "Listen. We don't have to do this if you don't want to. It's completely up to you. But if you do decide to start skating again, I promise I'll be there to pick you back up when you fall okay? Just like you did with me."
A sudden confidence grips you. Freedom feels so close again you could touch it. Who better to experience it with than Seokjin?
"Okay. Let's do it. I want to skate again."
Before you know it you're sat on the bleachers, sliding your feet into a pair of skates Seokjin retrieved from the lost and found closet. Your shaky fingers pause when they find the laces. Seokjin's warmth appears beside you.
"You okay?"
He's frowning and you realise your teeth are chattering with nerves. "Mhm. Just cold."
"You can be honest with me, you know." Seokjin gets to his knees and gently swats away your hands from your skates, his own fingers deftly stringing the laces. "I know this must be hard for you."
"I'm just nervous." You swallow.
"I'll be by your side the entire time." Seokjin assures. "And if you even come close to falling I'll catch you. I'm not captain of the team for nothing right?"
You snort and kick him with the toe of your skate teasingly. Seokjin's tongue pokes out of the corner of his chapped lips as he concentrates on tying your laces into a neat bow, glancing up at you to check they're tight enough and flushing when he meets your gaze head on. It's endearing and gets your heart racing, and not just with anticipation or nerves any more.
"Promise?" Your voice shakes.
His hand covers yours in your lap. It's mitten covered and warm against your frost bitten skin. "Promise." He scratches his neck. "But if you want to back out at any time just tell me and we can forget this ever happened—"
"No!" You quip, squeezing his shoulder. "I want to do this. With you."
Seokjin flashes you a smile and offers you his elbow. "Then what are we waiting for?"
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Panic rises like bile in your throat as you get closer and closer to the the rink.
"No, no, no." You freeze up. "I can't!"
"You can." Seokjin insists, wrapping an arm around your waist as he guides you to the very edge. "Just don't think about it too much."
Don't think about it? How can you not think about it when your heart is beating a million miles an hour and your vision is blurring and you feel like you're going to pass out every time your body tells you to run run run as far away from the danger as possible?
"Look." Seokjin uses the barrier to lift himself onto the ice, sliding his feet back and forth to convince you. "I'm okay, right? Haven't fallen yet."
"Yet." You swallow, gripping the barrier to keep your balance even though you're still stood on solid ground.
"I won't." He offers you a hand. "Now come on. It's your turn."
You close your eyes and take a deep breath. You'll be fine if you just stand on the ice right? Baby steps.
Your palm slides into his and before you can change your mind you're launching yourself forward, eyes squeezed shut as you simply glide straight ahead into Seokjin's open arms. Relief washes over you when he holds you tight and you're safe again, one eye opening carefully to check you're really balancing on the ice and not a pile of limbs on the ground.
"See! That wasn't so bad right?" You shake your head. "Now you just gotta remember how to move..."
Your eyes widen. "Seokjin, I think this is enough for today—"
"Wait!" Seokjin fiddles with the zipper of his pocket to retrieve his phone, removing one of his gloves so he can tap at the screen. "We can't do this without music."
A few seconds later Seokjin is pressing play on a slow track he has downloaded on his phone and sliding one of his earbuds into your ear, the other into his own. You recognise it instantly as it's the same one you used to perform to when he begged you to teach him a routine five years ago. He grabs you by the arm again and smiles, big and bright. "Perfect. Ready?"
You're squeezing Seokjin's hand so tight you're sure the circulation to his fingers must be cutting off but he doesn't say anything, just keeps his other hand protectively at the small of your back as you slowly start to slacken your vice like grip on the barrier.
To your surprise, your feet move without you telling them too, naturally gliding along the slippery surface as if they've never been away from it. Muscle memory, you figure, as you find yourself beginning to gain some speed.
"I'm doing it!" You pant, relief washing over you as the breeze hits your face. "I can't believe I'm doing it!"
Your eyes are glued to Seokjin's skates, focusing hard on moving your own in time with his every step. You feel his chuckle vibrate through you and you don't even have to look up to know his eyes are shining.
"See? I knew you could."
The music humming through the headphones reaches its pivotal moment and you've done this routine so many times you know what move comes next. A one foot spin.
A bout of fear ripples through you again but Seokjin's right there to soothe you when he sees your eyes widening as he starts to twirl you around. "Just let go!"
"Let go." You repeat to yourself, finally taking your fingers away from the barrier as you lift one skate from the ice and begin to spin and spin and spin until the cold wind burns your skin and you're so dizzy you don't know whether to laugh or cry.
You don't even notice the music has stopped until you come to a shaky standstill. You're gasping for breath and Seokjin is just staring at you, mouth open.
"Damn. I forgot how good you are."
"Shut up." You're grinning now, elation coursing through every fibre of your being. "Let's go again! — ah!"
All the spinning messed with your vision and it feels like everything goes into slow motion as your legs crumble beneath your weight and your body collides with the cold ice. All you can hear is your heart, pumping into overdrive with fear as you close your eyes and brace for the pain in your leg to begin.
Except confusion settles in the pit of your stomach when it never does. You wriggle you're toes, relieved that they seem to still work and then you're sitting up in a daze.
Seokjin's face appears over yours, eyes filled with fear as he pulls your head into his lap. "Are you hurt? I'm so sorry Y/N, I never should have brought you here, this was a bad idea—"
Exhilarated laughter interrupts his concerned rambling and before you know it you're clutching your stomach and wiping happy tears from your eyes.
You're not broken! You're. Not. Broken. And for the first time since the accident you feel free again, like all the anger and hurt and sadness inside you just melted away to nothing.
"Huh? Did you hit your head?" He asks confused, coughing bashfully when you throw your arms tightly around his neck.
"Thank you! For bringing me here. Can we go again?"
Seokjin helps you to your feet but stops you from getting ahead of yourself. "I think this was enough for today but how about we agree to meet here again tomorrow at say...3PM?"
You reach out a now steady hand for him to shake. "Deal."
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The next few weeks fly by when you have skating with Seokjin to look forward to every day.
As time goes by you start to regain your confidence, the panic that used to paralyse you whenever you set foot on the ice dissipating whenever Seokjin was around to reassure you.
You feel lighter than ever, like you're on top of the world. It's like everything is falling into place again. You have your skating back but more importantly you have Seokjin. And just being with him is like you're going at full speed on the ice, adrenaline and freedom coursing through you even when you're stood still.
It's like time stops when you're together just you and him and the ice, and that's how Seokjin finds himself running across campus in his ice hockey gear, late for practice again.
"So much for being a 'good captain.' Seokjin doesn't even turn up and he gets a college scholarship?" Park Jimin rolls his eyes at Jennie who is perched on his knee. Since Seulgi cut things off with him after his little show at the parade they've been pretty cosy, mostly because of their shared hatred for you and Seokjin respectively. "It's all that girl's fault."
"Who? Y/N?" Jennie says. "Ugh, I know. She's so full of it. I swear she thinks she's some pro skater or something."
"I mean, she is pretty good." Jimin confesses, stroking Jennie's thigh when she furrows her brows, smiling meekly. "But you're better, obviously."
"I don't know." She murmurs with a huff. "I was kinda glad when she stopped skating, y'know, because it meant that I was top of the league again. If she starts competing again..."
Jimin's eyes suddenly brighten with an idea. "Then we only have one option."
"What?"
"For me to become captain and for you to stay at the top, we gotta finish them once and for all."
"I like your thinking." Jennie purrs, but not before Seokjin runs into the campus locker rooms, out of breath as he fastens his ice hockey helmet around his chin.
"Sorry I'm late! I promise it won't happen—"
"Again?" Jimin scoffs, gesturing around at the rest of the team who are packing up their things. "Dude, you missed the whole of practice. We couldn't wait any longer so we had to start without you. Without our captain."
Seokjin throws his duffel bag into his locker, slamming the door shut a little too harshly. "And I said I'm sorry." A hush falls over the room, all eyes landing on the pair locked in a stare out. "I'll go practice now to make up for it, okay?"
He's hardly through the door when he hears Jimin snicker under his breath to Jennie. "This is why I'm telling coach he shoulda made me captain."
Seokjin freezes. "What did you say, Park?"
Jimin lets out a deep chuckle, standing up and squaring his shoulders though he's still a couple feet shorter than Seokjin. "I said that you're a shitty captain and I'm gonna take your place and your scholarship at the game on Christmas Eve."
"With your technique?" Seokjin pinches the bridge of his nose. "Tell me a funnier joke, Jimin."
"The only joke is your pathetic excuse for a skater girlfriend," Jennie spits, appearing behind Jimin and wrapping her arm around his waist in solidarity. "Maybe if you spent more time with your actual team instead of teaching that lost cause to ice skate you wouldn't feel so threatened."
"I'm not threatened." Seokjin clenches his fists. "...and she's not my girlfriend."
"Then prove it."
The contours of his face harden, jaw tense and shaking with a desire to set Park Jimin well and truly straight clouding his rationality as words he doesn't mean come flying out of his mouth before he can think better of it.
"Y/N means nothing to me, okay? I'm just teaching her to skate again because I feel bad about her accident." A finger pokes Jimin's chest harshly. Jennie seems startled. "And you're right. Maybe it is getting in the way of my focus. But guess what? From now on I'm only gonna be focused on beating your ass at the game on Christmas Eve and taking the scholarship that belongs to me."
"What?" A small voice sounds somewhere behind him and when Seokjin turns he finds you stood clutching the red scarf he left behind at the rink.
He can tell by the paleness of your face and the way your lip quivers that you heard everything. And before he can reach for you and explain, you're fleeing from the rink in a flood of angry tears for ever letting Seokjin melt the ice in your heart, even for a second.
"Y/N! Please wait!" Seokjin tugs at his hair exasperatedly, turning back to Jimin who is clapping with a dark smile.
"Looks like you have a choice to make, Seokjin."
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"Go away, Seulgi." You grumble as your blanket cocoon is ripped away from your body. You hear the footsteps of your best friend patter across the carpet to the window, the light that floods into the room when she rips open the drapes making you groan. "It's too bright."
"Come on, time to get up!" You yelp when a perfectly manicured hand wraps around your ankle, dragging you away from the warmth and comfort of the body-shaped dent in your mattress. "This situation officially requires an intervention! And as your best friend I am taking it upon myself to get your ass out of bed."
It's been almost a week since you last saw Seokjin. Almost a week since he crushed your heart like glass and stamped on the shattered remains and threw them into the garbage disposal when you found out you were just his charity case and nothing more.
And more importantly, it's been almost a week since you realised just how real your feelings were for him. Are for him.
After a small struggle Seulgi wins, despite how erratically you kick your legs in a bid to break free from her grip, and you end up landing with a thud in a pile of blankets and throw cushions on the floor. You rub your eyes with a sigh. "An intervention?"
"Yeah. It's been, like, a whole week since I've seen you leave this room Y/N. I have skating practice in half an hour and you're coming with."
Seulgi gets down cross legged, shuffling up beside you and pulling the blanket over both of your laps. When you finally blink at her blearily for the first time you see her flame-like hair has been scraped back into a tight ponytail and she's wearing a matching mesh skating outfit, clearly ready for practice.
"Thanks but no thanks." You snort. "As much as that sounds thrilling I'm good here."
Seulgi shakes her head and prods your shoulder, sing song voice hardening into a lecture. "You can't hibernate forever, Y/N."
"Can too." Your fingers find a loose thread in the throw cushion in your lap, picking at it mercilessly to avoid looking your best friend in the face for fear that she would see through your facade. "I like hibernating. It's fun."
"Fun?" Seulgi rolls her eyes. A few seconds pass before she lets out a gentle sigh, her voice softening. "Listen...have you spoken to Seokjin yet—"
You wince. Just the mention of Seokjin makes your heart pang.
"No." Your voice wavers. "And I'm not planning on it. How can I after what happened?" Finally allowing yourself to talk about it feels good and before you know it you're burying your head in your hands and letting everything go. "God, I'm so embarrassed, Seulgi."
"Oh, Y/N." Her hand rubs your back soothingly. "What really happened between you two? Why did you run?"
You swallow hard. "I just...got scared."
"Of skating again? You seemed to be doing better since you started training with Seokjin..."
"No. I was scared of..."
"Your feelings for him?"
You pause, unable to help the small smile that creeps onto your lips even despite the warm tears that have started to roll unceremoniously down your cheeks.
"How do you always manage to read my mind?"
"I'm your best friend remember?" Seulgi draws a line between your foreheads before she wraps her arms around your waist and lays her head on your shoulder. You squeeze her back, silently thanking her for being there when you need her. "Besides, it's not like you've been hiding it. Whenever he's around you go all heart eyes for him." She grimaces. "I'm starting to see why you used to complain about me and Jimin so much."
"Do not!" You grumble, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks when she shoots you an are you serious? look. "Okay fine, lets say theoretically I am all heart eyes for him? What's the point in even admitting it when everything is messed up now, anyway? He said it himself. He never felt the same way about me."
"Well, theoretically, I would tell you to just talk to him. Bottling up your feelings isn't gonna change anything. Besides, I think you still have a chance at making things right. I've seen him waiting around outside the rink after hours. For you."
You avert your eyes. Seokjin? Waiting outside the rink? For you?
"He was probably just passing by or something." You grumble with a shake of your head.
"Everyday this week?" She raises an eyebrow. "Seokjin is good for you, Y/N. You've been different since he turned up...good different. Back to the Y/N we all know and love."
"If you love me so much why won't you let me sleep for a little while longer?"
"Please, you know it's just because I need my honorary wingwoman back. Kim Taehyung is coming by the rink tonight." It's your turn to raise an eyebrow. Seulgi laughs. "Okay maybe it's because I love you a little bit. I think getting back to normal and being at the rink will lift your spirits. Whaddya say?"
You roll your eyes but Seulgi doesn't miss the curve of your lips. "Fine."
She claps her hands gleefully, jumping to her feet and rummaging through your closet. She throws a Christmas sweater at your head. "I'll be waiting in the car!" She skips out of the room, humming the tune of a vaguely recognisable Christmas song beneath her breath. You shake your head fondly when wisps of her red hair poke back around the doorframe a moment later. "Oh, and don't forget to dress warm. There's gonna be a blizzard tonight, remember?"
A few minutes later you're sat in front of your mirror, brushing the frizz out of your hair in a bid to look somewhat presentable when Seulgi knocks on your door again. You roll your eyes. She's always impatient.
"Uhh, Y/N?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" You yell, grabbing your coat. "Hang on!"
"There's someone here to see you."
Your bag drops to the carpet with a thump when you round the corner and see him stood on the doorstep.
"Seokjin?"
Well, you can't see much of him because he's wrapped head to toe in snow gear and he has a huge box in his arms with a red bow on top and there's snow all over his coat but seeing him again makes your chest constrict none the less.
Seulgi still has her fingers on the door handle and she's looking between the pair of you with wide eyes as you just stare long and hard. "Well, I guess I'll leave you two to it then." She sings, but it sounds squeaky and forced as she wraps a scarf around her neck, ready to face the blizzard outside. "Y/N, you know where I am if you need me."
You manage to get out a nod and then Seulgi is awkwardly shuffling around Seokjin who is blocking the doorway and seems to have forgotten how to use his feet.
It's not until the cold air from outside starts to permeate the cosy warmth from your crackling fire place that you realise Seokjin is really here — and he's still standing outside in the goddamn blizzard like he wants to become a human snowman.
His voice brings you back down with a jolt.
"Can I come inside?"
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Slanted shadows cascade across Seokjin's face as he peers through the blinds. The street outside is buried beneath a blanket of snow, and even from where you sit with your chin in your palm on the back of the couch you can see an icy flurry of flakes falling from the sky like frozen jewels beneath the glow of the street lights.
"Doesn't look like anyone's gonna be driving anywhere tonight." Seokjin murmurs. "This blizzard seems pretty severe."
You raise your eyebrow with a sigh. First Seokjin turns up on your doorstep unannounced, teeth chattering and covered in snow, and now he's gonna have to spend the night here? With you?
Seulgi sent you a text to let you know she was going to be staying with Taehyung for the night (wolf whistle) and follows up with some flirty emojis and a comment about enjoying your alone time with Seokjin which you can't see happening anytime soon what with the thick tension that sits heavy in the air.
Yeah, this could not get any more awkward, right?
Wrong.
"Thank you for the dry clothes." Seokjin gestures to the much-too-small hoodie that stretches across his torso and the jogging pants that barely reach his calves. The biggest items of clothing you could find in the clean laundry basket to replace his snow-sodden tshirt and jeans that had become transparent in some places by the time you invited him inside. If the situation weren't so tense you'd find it funny. "I thought you were gonna leave me out there all night and let me freeze to death for a minute."
You don't laugh, just keep your eyes on the dark swirls of hot cocoa you stir in two steaming mugs. He flashes you an awkward too soon? smile when you hand the largest mug to him, watching as he takes a grateful sip and sighs when it warms his insides.
A few seconds of silence pass interrupted only by the crackle of the blazing fire that creates orange flickering shadows over the contours of his face while you curl up on the opposite end of the couch beneath the patchwork blanket Seulgi bought you last December.
Finally you let out a sigh, looking at him properly for the first time. He seems worn around the edges, eyes ringed a little red as he fiddles with his fingers awkwardly. There's a pang in your chest.
"Why are you here, Jin?" The waver in your voice makes Seokjin's eyes soften at the corners. "I thought we were over. Whatever we were..."
"I wanted to talk to you."
You raise an eyebrow. "Couldn't you have waited until after the blizzard passed?"
"I needed to talk to you. To tell you the truth."
The truth. Did he really drive all the way over here just to rub it in that you meant nothing to him?
"What?" You scoff bitterly. "That you never really liked me? That I was just a joke to you this whole time?"
"No!" Seokjin reaches for you, some of his hot cocoa sloshing onto his pants in the process. He retracts his hand when you flinch. "That I'm a shitty, selfish idiot who got too caught up in his own drama to see what mattered most."
You dig your fingernails into your palm and promise yourself not to cry. "Then what about those things you said to Jennie, huh? Explain that."
"The scholarship." He tugs at a hangnail with his teeth, eyes filled with remorse. "When you saw me talking to Jimin that day he was trying to make me mad. He told me that if I kept skating with you..."
Suddenly it all makes sense. A wave of relief and realisation washes over you. It feels like your heart stutters back to life and you suck in a shaky breath.
"He'd tell the coach you weren't committed and get you kicked off the team." Seokjin nods and you instantly feel guilty that you didn't hear his side of the story before, fury towards Jimin burning up in your veins as you shake your fists. "That asshole! He's been mad this whole time that you got made captain instead of him and now he wants to ruin your chance at a scholarship? I have every mind to kick him in his tiny, useless—"
"I'm the asshole, Y/N." Seokjin tears you out of your rage as he leans forward and buries his face in his hands, shoulders quivering. "I let him get in my head and make me say things I didn't mean when I don't even care about the scholarship if..."
Your mouth is suddenly dry. "If what?"
He runs a hand through his hair carefully, finally lifting his gaze to lock with yours. "If I can't have you."
It's like you've been punched in he stomach but in the best way and you want to jump for joy or squeal like a goddamn school girl but all you can do is sit there with your mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.
"But now I've lost you again and this time it's for good and I'm so so sorry—"
Before you can think better of it you're planting your hands on Seokjin's broad shoulders, throwing your leg over his lap and crashing your lips together.
"Mmf!" It takes a couple seconds for Seokjin to catch up but when he does he lets out a tiny gasp, chest melting against yours as his lips finally move in sync with your own. "Oh."
The way he sighs into your mouth is like he's been waiting forever for this and you feel a similar sense of satisfaction, finally able to curb the craving for him that has been aching inside you for Seokjin for as long as you can remember.
"You haven't lost me." You pant when you bring yourself to break away for a breath. "And you're not an asshole. You've been working towards this scholarship for years so—"
It's his turn to cut you off now, Seokjin's fingers hooking beneath your chin and tilting your head towards him so that he can press his lips against yours in a tentative kiss, swallowing your words in transit.
It's slow and languid, the way he slots his plump bottom lip between yours, making you melt instantly. His cheeks feel warm and soft in your hands as you cup them, the action feeling somehow just as natural as the warmth blossoming in your chest when Seokjin moves his lips against your own with an impossible tenderness.
"I missed you so much." Your eyes are still squeezed shut when he places a peck to the tip of your nose, tucking a stray hair behind your ear as he forces you to look at him by bumping your chin playfully. "I'm sorry."
You pull him closer to you, so close you're sure he can feel the way your heart is beating like a drum. "Don't be. Just kick Jimin's ass at the game tomorrow, okay?"
"I can do that."
He smirks, leaning in for another kiss but hissing when his crotch brushes your thigh a little too directly that has a warmth pulsing between your legs when you feel the big problem he seems to be trying to hide.
You gasp. "Are you...?"
"Maybe..." A groan passes his lips and he tips his head back bashfully, unable to curb his smile when you start giggling into the crook of his neck. "What? I've been imagining this moment for years."
"Then hurry up and kiss me again, idiot."
This time the kiss is hungrier, tongue and teeth tangling together as his hands tighten in your hair. He tastes like hot cocoa and you can't help but groan when his tongue languidly brushes against yours, hips starting to press down into his teasingly.
"Need more, need you — oh!"
"A-are you sure? I'm good just kissing if you don't wanna..."
"No! I want to." You promise. "I trust you."
"Good." Seokjin's lips murmur next to your ear as his fingers dig into the underneath of your thighs, the hardness in his pants pressing against your stomach as he gets to his feet and you throw your legs around his waist with a squeal. "Because I don't think I could handle a whole night here with you like this." Seokjin's teeth pull at your bottom lip and you open your mouth to groan but Seokjin's eyes flutter closed and he ends up staggering straight into the elaborately arranged Christmas tree that Seulgi spent hours decorating. "Shit!"
You both freeze, staring at the mess of tinsel and lights scattered across the ground before you're shrugging your shoulders with a whoops! and guiding Seokjin to your bedroom as he chuckles beneath you. The decorations can be cleaned up later but you need Seokjin now.
Throw cushions soften the blow as you're dropped onto the bed and Seokjin crawls over you, parting your legs with his knee and wasting no time in attacking your neck with his lips. He smirks against your collar bone when you shiver as his hands creep up the hem of your sweater and you rotate your hips impatiently against his thigh, desperate for some relief from the throbbing ache in your heat.
"Can I?" You nod and he wastes no time lifting the garment over your head and you reach behind to unclasp your bra, a shaky breath leaving Seokjin when his eyes roam across your bare breasts, sitting back against his heels to drink in every inch of skin.
"You're beautiful." A heat rises in your cheeks when he attaches his lips to your hardened nipple, lavving his tongue over the bud, a groan tumbling from his chest when you tangle your hands in his hair and arch your back, desperate for more.
"Please." You whimper, hands feeling for the waistband of his sweats when he comes up for air with a pop. "Wanna feel you."
The rise and fall of his chest quickens when your warm palm grasps him over the fabric, pads of his fingers tightening around your thigh when you sit up so you can slip your hand into his boxers, letting out a moan of your own when your fingers finally wrap around the girth of him.
He's hot and hard and heavy in your palm and your heart skips a beat when your thumb spreads the bead of precum leaking from his tip down his shaft, the slick movement of your hand as you begin to stroke him increasingly faster making his head fall into the crook of your neck.
"F-fuck Y/N." He bucks up into your fist and you smirk. "F-feels so good. Been imagining this."
"Me too." You confess, giggling when he grabs your wrist and flips you over so he can press you into the mattress again. "Can't believe this is happening."
"Me either." His fingertips run down your sides tentatively, hooking beneath the band of your jeans which are quickly stripped away and thrown across the room with a grin. He stops when he gets to your panties though, glancing up through his dark lashes, eyes ever gentle and filled with a combination of lust and fondness that you know you'll never be able to get enough of. "Are you sure?"
Your heart thumps with anticipation as you nod, pulling him down to connect your lips. "I'm sure." And with your confirmation Seokjin is dragging the lacy fabric down your bare legs slowly until they join the rest of your clothes on the floor.
Seokjin's eyes dip between your legs when you part them shyly, an involuntary oh my god slipping past his lips when he sees how your folds glisten with wetness, palm coming between your legs so you can grind your neglected clit against the heel of it while he slips a finger into your tight heat.
"Oh!" The intrusion makes you writhe, on one hand grateful for some relief but on the other ever more eager to feel fuller. The pads of his fingers drag against your walls deliciously and the pressure on your clit is just right and you feel your climax steadily build between your legs. "Wait!"
Seokjin pauses and you take advantage of his momentary confusion by flipping him onto his back, bracing your hands on his chest. "Wanna make you feel good too."
"H-how..." Seokjin starts, but then your hand is wrapping around his cock and lining the tip up with your entrance before sinking down to the hilt with a soft exhale that mingles with Seokjin's. "Fuck."
It takes a couple seconds for you to adjust to the size of him and you rest your cheek on his chest, listening to the way his heart beats uncontrollably. His fingers stroke your hair and you feel so overwhelmed with warmth that you're sure of it now; you're in love with Kim Seokjin.
"Ready?" His nod is eager and when you start to move your hips his head throws back into the pillows and you can see the way his adams apple bobs every time his cock nearly falls out of your heat before your slamming back down again in a steady rhythm.
Eventually you feel the coil in your belly start to tighten again, eyes rolling back as you lose yourself to the feeling of his cock hitting your sweet spot with every thrust and you're a mess of whimpers and breathy moans. Seokjin's big palms come up to cup your ass, holding you steady so he can pound his own hips up to meet your movements at an even faster pace than before.
"Seokjin!" You cry, bracing yourself with a hand on the wall behind the bed. The angle has your clit grinding against his pubic bone with every upward thrust and before you know it you're shuddering and reaching your high, vision turning black as you feel your walls tighten impossibly hard around Seokjin, the action enough to have him falling over the edge with you.
A few seconds pass where your pants of satisfaction just mingle together before Seokjin is cupping your face and whispering the three words you've always wanted to hear against your lips.
"I love you." He croaks, the sincerity in his voice making the corners of your lips turn up. And in that moment you feel the last pieces of your heart flutter into his hands and you know you are undeniably, irrevocably, forever and always his.
Seokjin suddenly flips you onto your back, leaving a series of playful kisses all over your face, each punctuated by a sillier "I love you!" until you're pushing him away by the chest and snuggling up into his side instead, head on his arm where you feel so safe and warm you never want to leave.
"Can I ask you something?" You whisper shyly. He nods, eyes falling shut as he plays with your hair contentedly.
"Why did you leave without telling me before?"
Seokjin brushes your noses together. "Because I knew I wouldn't be able to leave if you told me not to go."
You smile up at him, thumb tracing his jaw fondly. "You cheesy idiot."
Realisation flashes across his face. "Wait! I forgot about the cheesiest thing yet." You groan when he throws the covers off, assaulting you with a blast of cold air as he pulls his pants back on and disappears back into the living room. His head pokes around the doorframe cheekily, something hidden behind his back as he stalks back over to the bed, eyes glinting. "I got you something."
You furrow your brows when he produces the large box from earlier, now able to read your own name scrawled across the gift tag in his messy handwriting.
"Surprise!" He holds it out for you to take. "I wanted to wait until Christmas but now feels like the right time to give it to you."
Your fingers shake with excitement as they carefully untie the ribbon and remove the lid, revealing an abundance of pink tissue paper surrounding a pair of the most beautiful ice skates you have ever seen. The very same ice skates you remember seeing in that shop display at the Christmas market all those weeks ago, except the laces have been swapped out for a pair of candy-cane coloured ones, just like the miniature ornament he once gave you has been brought to life.
"Seokjin." Tears well in the corners of your eyes as you turn them over in your hands in pure disbelief. "They're really mine?"
He nods, scratching the back of his neck anxiously. "Do you like them?"
"I love them." You assure him, scrambling to your knees so you can plant your hands on his shoulders and kiss him hard and slow. "But I love you more."
His face heats up a rosy red and he pulls you into his chest to avoid the evidence (and the cheesy grin appearing on his face.)
"Impossible."
“Wait!” You sit up suddenly with a pout. “But I didn’t get you anything.”
Seokjin just laughs. “You’re the best Christmas gift I coulda asked for.”
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It's Christmas Eve and you're sat in the bleachers, eyes glued to the number 33 jersey moving swiftly around a group of defence men on the ice below.
Through the unruly cheers of the crowd you can hear the faint throb of your own heartbeat pulsing in your chest, breathing rigid as the game gets tense — there's one minute left, the score is 2:2, and the opposition is pretty good for a college team — but you know Seokjin is better and you cross your fingers tightly as you see him steal the puck.
With a sharp flick of his wrist he launches the black puck into the air. It spins a few times before it slams into the net and the crowd around you erupts into a frenzy. Your heart beats with pride as his team mates lift him onto their shoulders, punching the air and thumping his back in elated congratulations. Even the scholarship board who you can see sat in the front row seem impressed, nodding their heads and scribbling furiously in their notebooks.
Kim Seokjin! Kim Seokjin! Kim Seokjin!
Seokjin lands back on his feet and then he's ripping off his helmet, cupping his forehead, and squinting up through the harsh reflection of the ice at the bleachers, scanning every single face until his eyes land on yours and a giant grin tugs at the corners of his lips. Suddenly it's as if everyone around you disappears and it's just you and him against the world.
But the moment is interrupted when Seokjin is suddenly knocked off his feet by another body moving at full speed. Park Jimin. You know it's him because you can see his hard eyes peering out from between the bars of his helmet as he throws his hockey stick down on the ice and angrily swings himself over the barrier so he can storm out of the rink.
A cacophony of gasps sound around you. The whistle blows. Seokjin is flat against the ice. Your heart starts to pound.
"Come on Seokjin. Get up. Please get up." You cross your fingers behind your back, brushing away the searing fear that runs hot in your veins telling you to run, that he's injured beyond repair. "Get up!"
And then, he gets up.
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Before Seokjin can reach the edge of the rink you're running down the bleachers, pushing through the crowd to get to him. He's breathing heavily when he pulls off his helmet but that doesn't stop the beaming smile that appears on his face when he sees you coming his way.
"You're an idiot!" You whisper into his neck when you crash into him full force. His arms curl around your back, legs wobbling in his skates as he tries to find his balance and prevent you both from falling. "You could have gotten hurt! Or worse!"
"But I didn't, did I?" Seokjin cocks an eyebrow. "Not even gonna congratulate your boyfriend on his smashing win?"
Seokjin chuckles when you shake your head and hit his chest with a pout that desperately wants to turn into a smile. His eyes soften when they meet yours and you instinctively unwind your scarf and drape it around his neck when his teeth start to chatter.
You finally give in to the way the corners of your mouth tug. "Just shut up and kiss me already."
"Gladly." Seokjin chuckles, pulling your face into his hands and planting his lips on yours.
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sylvain-writes · 3 years
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Guarded Hearts and Safe Houses (Leonardo x Reader) Chapter 3/9
Rated: T Gender Neutral Reader, canon typical violence/injury, light angst, strangers to lovers, supportive family for @melodiousmelodrama
You wake just as the sun comes up and in truth you’ve barely gotten any sleep at all. In the living room, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph snore soundly. Your father putters around the kitchen, making coffee and whipping up eggs for quiche.
“I imagine they’ll be hungry. It’s got protein and I’m sure reptiles eat eggs. They are reptiles, aren’t they?” Your father rambles when he’s nervous. Of course, a house full of strangers - mutant strangers - would have him on edge. “Gram will be up in an hour or so to watch the news and take her meds. Do you think… Well, no they’re too big to hide, aren’t they?”
“Dad…” you smile sweetly at his concerns, “it’s going to be OK.” Bitterly, you remember Leo’s reluctance to accept your family’s help. How he acted like it was an inconvenience to him. You remember the eager way he pulled his hand away from yours. “Have you seen Leo? I can ask him when they plan to ship out.” You doubt he’d want to ‘accept charity’ or ‘overstay his welcome’ or ‘drum up more debt,’ or whatever Leo is calling it this morning.
Your Dad points with the egg soaked whisk, indicating the rooftop as he catches drips with his bowl. “I checked on him. He’s a troubled young man.”
You roll your eyes and start a kettle of tea for yourself. But when you open the cabinet for a mug, you take down a pair of travel mugs without much of a thought. 
Looking down at the mugs, you sigh knowing you’ll bring tea for Leo in spite of the pinched feeling in your chest. Once both mugs are prepared and sealed, you take your jacket off the hook and head for the window.
"The stairwell works, you know," Father says as you reach for the window latch.
You give you father a shrug and accept the cups of tea he passes through the window to you on the fire escape. "Thanks."
"Don't be too hard on him," your father says, somehow reading your thoughts. "I think he's punishing himself up there, blaming himself for what happened to his brothers."
"Did Mikey wake up yet?" you ask with concern.
You're relieved by your father's nod. "Mom checked him out before he fell asleep again. They're all going to be fine. Could use some more rest though."
Father closes the window behind you and you make the climb up the metal stairs to the roof.
You find Leo slowly carrying out a series of movements. You assume it's a form of Tai Chi or Yoga. Careful not to disturb him, you take a seat by the ladder and allow yourself to be lured by the strength of his forms.
Leo turns, pulling his fists to his hips as he takes a wide stance. Facing you, he comes to a stop, expels a measured breath, and meets your gaze. "I know why you're here.”
"You do?"
Another slow breath. "I mapped a route,” he says, his tone devoid of emotion. “If we leave before the top of the hour, we'll have enough cover to make it to the sewers."
"I'm not here to kick you out. I brought tea.” You gesture to the mugs sitting beside you and cross your arms over your chest. “And Father's making breakfast. You'd be rude to leave now."
Leo seems invulnerable to your attempts at humor. "We can't impose ourselves on you any longer."
How can he think your family is trying to push them out, when all they’ve done is ask them to stay, to recover. "You're not an imposition. Don't you get that? Your brothers are hurt, Leo. You're hurt."
Leo walks over, and reluctantly takes the mug when it’s offered. "We heal quickly," he assures you, blowing carefully over the tea before taking a sip. His stubbornness, however, doesn’t blind you to his lingering injuries.
"You were dropping your arm while you did your karate thing. The left side was always a bit slower than your right. Tell me that was deliberate."
Leo rolls his shoulder. Though he manages to suppress a wince, his eyes go tight at the corners. "It's nothing."
"It'll matter in a fight."
"I'll be back to rights by nightfall. Krang won't attack during the light of day. Not yet, at least."
"So that settles it.” You smile. You’ve won. “Wait til nightfall."
Inside, everyone was seated around the table for breakfast. Everyone.
You pulled up short, seeing Gram's chair at the head of the table. "Gram, you're… in the kitchen..."
Grandmother purses her lips. "I got hungry dear and I could smell your father overcooking the quiche again."
You scan the room, wondering what her reaction had been to the mutants. "So you came out to help and..."
"And found there was no need.” She gave a light chuckle. “Donatello had it under control. Finally got the oven calibrated. And that Raphael,” she pet his arm and he seemed to melt under her attention, “such wonderful knife skills."
"What about Mikey?"
"Oh,” she says, smiling affectionately, “he's eaten half the donuts in the box."
Mikey scowls, powdered sugar dusting his lips and fingertips. "Hey, lay off. It's all part of the healing process. OK?” He stuffs another donut hole into his mouth, muffling his voice. “I was gravely injured, dudes. I need proper sustenance to repair the damage."
Raph snorts as crumbs fall into Mikey’s lap. "Yeah, too bad them donuts ain't cure brain damage."
"Uh huh," Donatello smirks at both of his younger brothers and Raph kicks him under the table.
“You’re one t’ talk, brainiac .” It’s a curious exchange. Raphael both poking fun of and defending Mikey nearly in the same breath.
Leo sighs at your side before addressing his brothers. "Get your strength up, guys. Help out where you can.” To your grandmother and father, Leo gives a small bow. “We thank you for your hospitality. You've been gracious hosts and your medical assistance has been invaluable. I'm sorry to impose ourselves upon your family for any longer than truly necessary, but-"
"But nothin," Raph says, swallowing hard to clear a mouthful of pancakes. You see Gram sneaking more turkey bacon onto the big guy's plate. "They said we could stay. Donnie called Splinter. It's all good, bro. Sit. Eat. Chill."
Mindful of his injuries, but going along with his brother’s playful spirit, you nudge Leo with an elbow. "Yeah, bro. Chill.” You know Splinter’s approval goes a long way, but you think seeing his brothers well and comfortable around your family has allowed Leo to breathe easier. He doesn’t resist when you push him toward an empty chair.
The rest of the day goes by better than you could have imagined. Who knew they guys were as obsessed with retro gaming as your cousins?
Mikey isn't feeling well enough to pick up a controller, but he's quick to offer insights and cheat codes for the game.
Leo spends most of the time fussing over his younger brothers. He makes sure there are snacks and water, breaks from screen time, and injury checks. It seems like Mikey passing up his turns in video games is really out of character for the guy. Leo watches him closer than the rest.
The concern Leo shows for his brothers niggles at your heart. It pushes aside the parts of him that annoy you to make room for growing respect. Affection for the man sneaks up on you, warming your chest before you realize it’s there.
Leo stands beside the TV, waving a tea towel in front of his brother’s faces, announcing it's time for dinner. You almost want to laugh at the scene. His brothers sprawled over the living room fighting over controllers and bags of pretzels, while he clucks at them like a mother hen.
But then something about it kind of clicks. You get it. You understand why he's stern and focused. He's taken it upon himself to be the responsible one. And his brothers are able to goof off, able to have these hours of fun, because of that.
"We're heading out after we eat,” Leo says as Donnie turns off the TV. Leo skips over you as he takes turns looking all of his brothers in the eye. "Get this place cleaned up."
Dinner is full of laughing and teasing, carried over from the evening’s gaming. You think you even spot a smile on Leo's face once or twice.
You pass him the basket of bread and catch his eye. You're grateful for the moment he spends looking at you, still smiling at his brothers’ warm-heartedly debate with Gran on whether or not milk belongs in tea.
It’s sad to see them go, but you don’t expect the guys to return so soon.
Donatello is the one at the window, not four hours later.
Just when you were getting water, about to turn in for bed, you hear a knock on the window. You jump at the sound. The glass in your hand slips into the sink.
Donnie keeps to the shadows on the fire escape. The news he brings is devastating. His eyes don’t meet yours when he speaks and his tone of voice sounds discordantly flat compared to the news he brings, but you know he’s telling the truth. There’s no way anyone would lie about this.
“The Lair, our home, has been destroyed.”
With an arm outstretched toward the kitchen chairs, you invite him to sit, but he remains crouched outside the window in the dark.
“We have to find somewhere to lie low. Leo will say it’s selfish to ask… that we can’t ask for more from your family… but it’s the only way I see it, that we can be safe and keep your family safe as well.”
Your blood runs cold. “My family? You think we’re at risk.”
“I honestly don’t know. But it stands to reason that anywhere we’ve been is at risk. We can defend your home, your family, if we are here. Or nearby. Perhaps there’s someplace-”
“No. Stay. Gran knows you guys now. I can spend the night in her room. You can spread out between mine and the living room. It’s not ideal, but it could work. Right?”
Donnie's eyes close as he considers what he's lost. “It’s more than we have. It’s more than-”
“It’s yours. I’ll talk to my parents. You know they’ll say yes." Shelter isn't the only help your family can provide. "My father will help anyway he can to find out who did this. And my mother, well, you know she’s fascinated by you guys.”
“Yeah.” There's a small shift in Donatello's stance that makes you retrace your words searching for the source of his discomfort.
“You don't like her poking around, do you?”
“We don’t want to be an experiment. A freakshow.”
“I don't think she sees.you like that, Donatello. But I’ll tell her to back off with the questions about your biology, if that helps.”
Donatello nods, but then shrugs. “I’ll tell her what I can. She's a doctor. If she's really going to help, she'll need to know.”
“Only what you’re comfortable sharing." You know Donatello has taken on the bulk of
medical care for his siblings. He's the expert. If he's acknowledging a need for your mother's help, there must be something about these new enemies, a new danger, he fears.
Concern fills the pit in your stomach. "Where are your brothers?”
Donatello's gaze slides to his right. “Mikey’s here.”
You peer out to see the youngest turtle perched upon the fire escape stairs, camouflaged by shadow. “Why don’t you guys come in?”
“...Cause,” Mikey says rubbing his hands together before giving you a stiff, lop-sided grin, “we’re takin’ you out.”
Your gaze passes between them and Donatello raises a hand to help you through the window. “Out?”
There's a graveness to Donatello's voice that makes Mikey's cheerfulness seem even more forced. “You asked where my brothers are. Well, Mikey’s here, yeah. But Raph and Leo…”
“They’re totally buggin, man.” Mikey's smile is still in place, but you see him swallow hard. You see the twitch at the corner of his eye as he struggles to keep his mood light.
Donatello nods solemnly. “You got through to Leo before. He doesn’t want to ask your family for more. But if you come-”
“I’ll come," you agree quickly. "Of course, I’ll come. Just… let me change clothes?”
Your search for a jacket takes longer than ever. Your mind races and your body quivers with excitement. It was one thing to invite them into your home after watching them fight, after seeing them injured.  It’s another thing to be invited into their home. No, what did Donatello call it?  Their Lair.  
You’re about to step into their world. A world of mutants and monsters. And you’re far less frightened than you think you should be.
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lyriquette · 3 years
Text
RWBY farming au
Conceived in the Frosen Steel server, a RWBY farming / hydroponics AU. I’ll probably use some of the ideas in this for Rising Snow. Mostly background with scattered pieces of actual fic. - lilac 
If people don’t mind this format, I’ll probably post similar world-building AUs in the future.  
Featuring: Penny Polendina, Oscar Pine, Whitley Schnee.  
Because of the freezing cold and the years of industrialization in Mantle, Mantle/Atlas soil is incredibly poor for growing plants. Most food product is imported from Vale, and in turn Atlas supports Vale in terms of sharing their technology. It's why the two Kingdoms are more modern in appearance than the other two kingdoms, not to mention that they were originally good allies during the Great War.
In this AU, Watts develops his murder machines first and ends up winning whatever contract Atlas was offering. The Penny Project is later realized by Pietro, and Pietro later resigns as he picks up on the increasing militarization in Atlas as if General Ironwood was preparing something big - and he wanted his daughter not to be involved.
Pietro decides to move down to the Crater in Mantle to facilitate that. That way no one would know about Penny. He then creates a small shop to help repair electronics and create prosthetics for the unfortunate. It’s through this change in locale that Penny learns how bad things are down at Mantle. 
The main reason is food. Though Atlas and Mantle do have greenhouses, they're only able to supply food for a small amount of people - and it's usually just to the rich who want to eat fresh produce up in Atlas. The rest of the food is imported and thus expensive. In a way, food is a means to keep Mantle underneath Atlas's thumb because if its citizens don't work, they can't eat. If they quit, someone else would gladly take that job just to feed themselves and their family. Thus, a cycle of control is created where people simply can't break free of the poor conditions nor could they really complain, because to them it's happening everywhere. 
The SDC is the main actor in that, given their non-essential businesses are everywhere. If they decide to forcibly close down those businesses, many many people would be out of a job and likely die. Whether the government would act or not is a coin flip - the SDC needs Mantle for labor, but Atlas could run effectively without it - they have robots for labor, the rich for funding, and a military arm in the form of Atlas Academy. 
---------------
Most of the Faunus who lived in the Crater did not trust Penny and Pietro at first, but given Pietro's generosity and Penny's kind demeanor, they slowly warm up to them. The White Fang within Atlas is more of a community hub that supports each other because they can't afford to be militant; attacks of SDC buildings end up having extremely bad repercussions on Mantle Faunus which includes unofficial anti-Faunus hiring policies or firings - the whim of the SDC can easily kill a couple thousand of them from that alone. 
----------------
Penny initially started this project, not because she wanted to change the world, but because her father had been getting more sick lately, getting thinner, and starting to get sores in his gums and bleeding more easily. She later on would learn that these were signs of malnutrition - scurvy - things that those living more centrally in Mantle or up in Atlas didn't get but was a problem now because of where they lived. Though buying vitamin supplements did help, it didn't quite replace actual food - and nutrients were often better absorbed and palated in the form of food, especially when it came to the nonessential but still important minerals. 
However, she knew that things simply did not grow in Mantle. And the things that did grow were usually hardy weeds turned poisonous due to absorbing heavy metals from the ground. It was all too common to see a desperate man or woman just collapse shaking from eating too many wild weeds because they couldn't eat anything else. Maybe one day, they could plant enough weeds to help improve Mantle's soil quality, but it didn't help her dad now. 
She's heard of hydroponics before. It wasn't exactly a secret; however, the science was in its infancy stages. Part of it was because people in the food importing business did not want others to grow cheap, domestic food - greenhouses were already bad enough for them. However, the main reason was that people didn't quite know what made plants succeed in growing and creating produce (farmers were the least likely people to work in permanently cold Solitas) - usually the plants failed to germinate, died drooping (overwatering), or end up growing but don't create produce (never bore fruit). Even though there was limited success, the yield would be extremely poor, and the amount of time and energy could've just be used to create another greenhouse instead.
But this was okay for Penny cause all she really had was time and energy. And it wasn't like she was selling food. She just wanted to grow produce, so her dad could eat healthier. 
Her dad supported her efforts by getting the short experiment logs of the initial hydroponics projects at Atlas. And it became clear to Penny that there were many holes in that research with the main factor being that there was not an actual farmer to help with the research. And with the arrogance of Atlasian scientists (Watts being the archetypical example), who would bring a down-to-earth farmer who knew nothing of science and the like? Lacking expertise and knowing that the entirety of Atlas would be of no help, Penny sought the CCT for assistance. 
--------------
Oscar didn't particularly like farming. He wanted to become a Hunter, but his aunt wouldn't let him. Too dangerous, she said. He might end up mixing with the darker elements of Mistral because of it, not to mention the fact he’d be fighting the Grimm on a regular basis. Better to be a farmer in central Mistral with a nice stable income like how his parents and their parents and their parents' parents lived. 
Still, he never complained out loud. After going to school in the morning, he helped worked the fields in the afternoon, the same as the other farmhands like his uncle and his cousins.  He was living under their roof, and he knew it was hard to provide for a thirteen-year old who was just starting his growth spurt. He probably ate more than his aunt and his baby cousins combined now. And their family generously paid for his living conditions without forcing him into anything he didn't want to do. 
As of late, he's been a bit happier with his lot in life. Using the CCT, someone from Solitas had contacted him in regard to farming - about how they wanted to grow things in Mantle and potentially revolutionize the lives of people there. But they couldn't due to the soil being bad. In what way, he didn't particularly know. They discussed the issue with each other through voice-chat, talking about their very different lives and even the possibility of something called hydroponics - honestly, it felt like finding a kindred spirit. And he looked forward to the days he could talk things out with his new friend. 
"Hey, wait. Check this out," Oscar said as he checked the CCT forums, "Your thread got replied too." 
"Really?" said a bewildered voice on the other line. 
"Yeah, a Penny123 is asking about farming in Mantle too. Even mentioned hydroponics." 
"...Let's try bringing this Penny in." 
"You sure, Whitley?" 
"Yeah. As much as I want us to keep the credit, it's not like we're going anywhere right now. Maybe this person will have new ideas." 
==========
So a duo became a trio. And Whitley was right. What Penny brought to the table was the scientific expertise. She might not know how hydroponics actually worked, but she did have the means to analyze the soil content (retrofitting some of her sensors for more specialized purposes) and simply put - she was a scientist. On the other hand, Oscar had the farming expertise - he knew what soils worked well with which crop, the habits of each plant he grew, he knew what plants liked more water and which ones preferred less, and what a plant should like when it was growing well.
Whitley was the odd duck in the group. First of all, he wasn't quite doing it for altruism's sake. He was doing it because he disliked his family - and really hated the Schnee Dust Company, seeing that it's responsible for his mother's drinking, his parents' loveless marriage, Winter abandoning the rest of the family for Ironwood and the Hunters/Huntresses, and Weiss's likely plans to abandon ship on him too (he's angry at her for that, but after having Oscar to confide in, it wasn't as bad as being left alone and isolated completely.) 
He's also responsible for making sure that his two partners weren't murdered in their sleep. Going this route infringes upon the interests of several major corporations including the SDC and the food import companies. Seeds and food products coming from and going to Solitas were tracked very closely. Penny is also given some chilling news from Whitley: people have tried building greenhouses at the Crater before, and all of them were destroyed without a perpetrator to be found.
The danger was serious enough that Oscar was also planning to move to Solitas to not implicate his aunt and uncle when he and Whitley finally started the project in earnest. With Penny around, Oscar potentially had a place to stay (Oscar also was like "i can do heavy lifting, the dishes, cooking, farming, etc" as part of his self-advertisement). 
Even Whitley acknowledges that he himself might not be safe. One wrong move on his part - and well, if his father was able to endure nearly a decade of loveless marriage just to take over the SDC, there's no telling what he'll do when he realizes he's working against his interests. 
Penny needs some time to think. She now knows that her tiny project of letting her father eat better is connected to the livelihoods of so many and also brings a lot of danger along with it. Not just to herself but to her father - her dad would also be a target if things go south. With her partners’ agreement (since it's inevitable Pietro would get wind of things since the project will be occurring in his house), Penny talks to her dad about the hydroponics / farming project. He's worried for her but understands what she wants to do - she's filled with purpose now and wants to help the people out. As much as he's scared for her and doesn't want her to do this, he can't help but feel a bit of pride about his daughter growing up. Still, he makes her promise that as soon as things start looking bad, they'll stop. They'll quit and not look back. He asks to speak to the other two, not quite realizing they're a pair of thirteen-year olds, and extracts the same promise for their sake. 
------
As plans for moving and gathering soil samples are being made, Pietro starts building Floating Array. 
Penny begins dragging several abandoned shipping containers to the "backyard" of their store, saying her dad needed some raw material for experimentation when in reality it's gonna be where the heart of their project is. 
Weiss starts getting worried about her younger, now constantly sneaking around and speaking to the scroll in hushed tones. She overhears part of his conversation - about how he'd get in a lot of trouble for a certain course of action (directly smuggling goods in using his authority) - and worries that he's getting bullied. 
Oscar tells his family that his friend found him a job working as an engineer's assistance in Solitas, and he'd like to stay there for a year. His place of employment has already paid for the transcontinental ticket.
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deeeelightfuldee · 3 years
Text
Your ex taps you on the shoulder and says, “I still love you.” You say? ooooof. I don’t think i’d buy that. I hardly think people who DO show they have feelings for me are being truthful, so I doubt that.
Do you play video games? haven’t in some time, but I want to get back into it a little.
Do you spend a lot of time with family? oh heck yeah. I have a really great family.
Is your house more than two stories tall? nah, it’s the two stories with a basement.
Have you ever hit your significant other? Has he/she ever hit you? I will never raise my hands to another human being. I once dated someone who was a veteran and had severe ptsd. we were napping one time and he got aggressive. that wasn’t HIM though. 
What makes you an attractive person? (Talk about your personality too!) physically, I suppose I have nice eyes and a decent smile. personality wise, I am warm, friendly, loving, supportive, sometimes funny, very loyal.
What color is your hairbrush/comb? depends which one I use. I have a pink one right now. 
What snacks do you have available in your household atm? I honestly haven’t got a clue. I haven’t been let out of my room in 2 weeks.
Has anyone recently told you that they like you, or find you attractive? yes. it’s weird.
Are you attracted to the last person you Facebook messaged? DEF not. he has been asking me out since we worked together maybeeeee.. 8-9 years ago? 
Do you care about anyone that doesn’t care about you? yes! I am trying to learn how to undo that. it’s not that I don’t want to care about him, but I know and can soooooooo clearly see that he doesn’t care anymore, and it is extremely emotionally draining to watch.
Was your last Facebook friend requests from a male or female? I wanna say female but idk
Which one of your relatives is most likely to embarrass you? scott
When was the last time you ate a bar of chocolate? couple days ago.
Do you play any games on Facebook? Nope.
What would you like to get a degree in? I have two degrees -- one in psych and one in SLP. 
Do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? ahahahaha yes. almost always wide awake from 3-6
Would you prefer to read a book, watch a movie or TV show, or play a video game? typically more in the movie/show or book mood.
Do you usually get popcorn or soda at the movie theater? Both. nothing like that buttery, salty goodness that obvs requires an enormous drink
What genre of films do you like the best? either make me EXTREMELY sad, or romantic.
How many bank accounts do you have? 2
Have you ever had the flu? Yeah.
What is your goal for the next few months? i have several. the only one that can/will be public right now, is to get my lungs back to functioning as they were.
Have you ever had some kind of sleep-disorder? How did it affect your life? yes. I have very bad breathing during sleep. I have had 11 sleep studies done, because my breathing will just stop randomly, which luckily my brain wakes me. it doesn’t really affect my like severely.. I function normally. but shoooooot, if I got normal levels of sleep i’d be a force to be reckoned with.
Have you ever had food poisoning before? Describe the experience. Yes. It was AWFUL. vomiting for 2 days straight. it was so gross.
Funny, charming, cute, romantic, smart - choose only 2 for the opposite sex. smart and romantic.
Have you ever let somebody use you? Why did you do it? hmm. I think there have been times where i’ve let people have more access to me than they should have had. or there have definitely been times I’ve been used in school groups. But honestly, I tend to be protective of myself. I stop when I feel enough is enough. 
You can go back in time & change something in your mom’s past - what is it? I would want either Bill to not die, or for her to be spoiled incessantly by someone else.
Do you know anybody who is around the exact same size as you? Who? psh. no. my friends are all tiny which is just not fun.
Ever been to a haunted house? How scared were you? Yeah. i found it so fun.
Been on any websites today you wouldn’t want your parents to see? ahahahaha no. 
Which is worse: dusting or mopping? mopping. i hate doing the floors.
Did you pull a senior prank? Not really advised when a homeschooler. 
Did you graduate? Yes. that was a rough, rough day.
Have you ever been unfaithful in a serious relationship? Nope
What was the last song you listened to? i think it was Happier than Ever by billie eilish. the lyrics are ... woof. 
Are you one of those lucky people with 20/20 vision? 20/12 -- the last time I had insurance anyway.
Is fashion one of your interests? honestly, if I had money, it would be. but it isnt right now.
Do you think you’ll eventually find that special someone? It’s getting harder and harder to believe that will be the case. I knowwwww I need to start dating, but every time I go to open up an app, I hesitate and chicken out. I just was so happy before.. its hard to think I could be able to offer anything to anyone right now.
Do you care what people think? veryyyyyy few people. I care about the thoughts of those I genuinely love and respect. However, I still ensure I’m protecting myself regardless.
Is acting something you enjoy? No. 
What was the last thing you broke/sprained? I have a bum knee, so I sprain that from time to time. I last broke a finger.
Have you ever fought with a friend because of their boyfriend/girlfriend? Because of yours? ahahahaha yes. but years ago. never because of mine.
Has a stranger ever yelled at you for your language? No. I don’t cuss. 
Whose house, other than yours and your families’, are you most comfortable at? probably either nathan’s or em’s.
Has any of your friends’ family ever yelled at you? alix’s family used to yell at me a lot for being fat. that used to mess me up. 
Did you ever play a sport as a little kid? Did you enjoy it? soccer. no, i found the endless running to be unnecessary. 
Did you ever watch the show Full House? yup
Is there a celebrity you are just DETERMINED to marry? no, thats so out-of-touch with reality
Have you ever burned someone’s picture? yes, i have.
What’s the longest hike you’ve ever been on? i think it was 8 hours. I hate hate hate hikes. But, thats because I have really weak lungs, so my doctor says it’s like lighting them on fire.
Would you ever get a lip tattoo? No.
Who is the first person of the opposite sex that pops into your head? kile
Do your parents smoke cigarettes? my mom hasn’t since a teenager. I think my dad does still. though, i dunno for certain.
What does one of your T-shirts have written on it? uhhhh, PTK honors society
Name a pet you definitely wouldn’t want. Any reptile or insect. <<<< same
Would you prefer your partner smaller or taller? Taller. 
Do you enjoy going through old pictures? Yes. very much so.
Do you believe people when they say they don’t judge people? No, i respect people who are truthful saying they either try not to judge, or that they do judge despite their desire to stop.
What did you love the most about the town you grew up in? sooooooo much. it’s small town-y, quiet, safe, lots of trees, family close by.
What’s a movie you cried the hardest during? ps i love you will always shatter my heart.
What’s your favorite restaurant? buona or ashford
Is there a dessert you don’t like? im not wild about pastries.
What’s a book that you read because everyone else was reading it? hmmm maybe that one mrs. pettigrews home for peculiar children.
Underwater or outer space? i’m fascinated by both. typically more interested in the water.
Dogs or cats? both. all of them.
Kittens or puppies? kittens.
Bird watching or whale watching? whales!!!!!!!!
What was your best subject in school? in HS probably history. or science. in college, psych or neuro.
What was your worst subject in school? Math. always freakin’ math.
What is one thing you wish you knew in high school? Uhhh. hm. i don’t think anything. I liked my experience.
Who is your fashion icon? nada.
Diamonds or pearls? Both are nice. I love pearl stud earrings and I really want a simple, one pearl necklace. I am kinda ruined for diamonds for some time. My favorite rings and necklace were diamonds from kile and I just cant bring myself to wear those anymore.
What color dress did you wear to prom? pink
Honestly, are you jealous of someone right now? oh sure. I am envious of those with bangin’ bods. I’m envious of those who have great finances. I am envious of those who live life married to their love. I’m envious of people who see kile regularly. But there are difficulties that come with any of those situations.
Honestly, when was the last time you REALLY cried your heart out? not long ago. the whole crushing reality of losing kile just destroyed me. I’m OK now.
Do you need to return anyone’s phone call? ahahahahah. I just reject all calls.
Who are you closest to? My mom and nathan rn.
Have you ever had a bad concert experience? no
Are you currently sad about anything? several things have recently been really saddening, but I’m ok. Ill get thru it.
Have you had any form of exercise today? Its going to be some time before I’m cleared for that. I almost faint from taking a shower and I have to be on oxygen after doing the one flight of stairs. 
Can you handle blood? doesn’t bother me at all.
Has any place hired you underage for a job? yes. I mean technically, I was legal to work in that I was 17, but the company didn’t want to hire younger than 18.
Have you ever carried a concealed weapon? not like in public, but at a house or gun range, yes.
Are you currently searching for a job? soon.
Does eating breakfast make you sick? i’m never ever ever hungry for it. I know i should, but its the worst. I don’t even like breakfast foods.
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dragonofelder · 4 years
Text
Eri in the Past - Story Idea Part 2
I’m back again, with more! Both some present day stuff, as well as glimpses of Eri’s future. But that can wait, so on with the plot!
Last we left off, the time traveling Eri has escaped Overhaul early, and is now living with Eraserhead (Aizawa) and his husband Present Mic ( Yamada)
(Aizawa is still looking out for flaws in Eri’s act. He knows something is wrong, beyond the obvious.) 
Not much happens for a while, in all honestly. Eri isn't dumb enough to go wandering by herself, so she can’t go find any of her future siblings, especially Izuku
I’ll say Eri knows about One for All, and that in the current time Izuku is still training with All Might
So she just waits, relaxing and making plans.
Because the UA teachers are nosy, especially Midnight, she meets a bunch of them, including Nedzu
(She doesn't know that meeting was so Aizawa could get the principal’s opinion on her.)
Meanwhile Midnight declares herself Eri’s aunt, and agrees with Mic that she is the cutest 
Come the time of the entrance exam, she tries to convince her parents to take her, but nope
Mainly because she tried to convince Aizawa (who is, yanno, suspicious)
When term comes round she goes after Mic instead, turning up the cute factor.
This works, because Mic is weak. According to Aizawa at least
So Eri gets taken to UA, but is left in a staff room with books and such, and told not to go wandering
Ha, yeah right
(Unknown to Eri, this is another test)
Eri watches 1-A’s Quirk Apprehension Test, but gets caught by All Might
(Because he was part of the Shie Hassaikai raid, All Might does know about Eri, that she is living with Aizawa, and that she is under investigation)
But she is very cute, and All Might is very weak, so he can’t be that mad
Aizawa is less happy, but silently accepts this will be his life now
Eri searches for (stalks) Mirio and the other Big Three, and weasels her way into his heart
(She’s doing a lot of weaseling in this. I just like the word. Weasel)
Eri properly meets 1-A during the Battle Trial, when she sneaks into the control room to watch
They find her adorable but strange
She says her dad is a teacher, but she doesn't tell them its Aizawa, leaving them to speculate.
Meanwhile, Eri is making plans to stop USJ
(Because I dislike the traitor sub-plot, I’m going to use a common fic thing and say Shigaraki used the press as a distraction to sneak in, and steal info from a staff room.)
Be a shame, if... all the files had been drawn on. With permanent marker.
Oh dear
Eri apologies to All Might for drawing on his work documents, she’d run out of paper.
The fact some of them have been turned to dust has nothing to do with her, honest!
(Cute Weasel Face)
Sadly it’s here my ideas for this AU ends. I don’t know where the plot would go from here, except Eri eventually being found out. And hugs, lots of hugs.
What I can give you is stuff about the PLF War from Eri’s future! Sad stuff first, slowly becoming funnier.
The war lasted for about four years, destroying a lot of Japan in the process
Other countries had similar uprisings, or those that simply took advantage of the chaos
It ended with the death of Shigaraki, which was reluctantly caused by the Symbol of Heroism, Deku
At that point Shigaraki was 101% percent mad, stuffed so full of quirks he was actually reaching the limit of All for One, and would not stay down at all
So really, no one can blame Izuku for having to do it
A bunch of other villains died, some due to infighting (see below) but some because the Hero Commission basically gave heroes the right to kill
There were a large number of Hero deaths as, including;
Yagi died after he gave himself up as a hostage to save an entire city. His pre-recorded eulogy told the world to never give up hope, and fight always against evil.
Aizawa died protecting his students, holding off a horde of Nomu
Mirio, still quirkless, volunteered for rescue operations, and died when a building fell on him
(as some angst, before they managed to find his body, their was a worry the stress reactivated his quirk, and he had fallen without being able to stop)
As an extra death, Monoma. He pulled off a nice trick where he copied the AfO from AfO himself (again, see below). He then went on a quirk stealing rampage, rendering numerous villains quirkless, and going out in a blaze of glory (I have mixed feelings about Monoma, so I’ll be nice when I can)
Short timeline;
Attack on UA: in the second year of the war, while the Izuku is in his third year, Shigaraki pulls off a full out attack on UA (Basically it’s the Battle of Hogwarts). The attack is repulsed, and most of the school is saved, but Nedzu still decides to close the school for the foreseeable future
The Two Japans: The PLA takes control of half of Japan, ruling from Deika City. They managed this by killing most of the government. It ends during the Meta Coup 
Meta Coup: Elements of the old Meta Liberation Army, believing Shigaraki is not following the ideas of Destro, try to kill him. It goes badly, but does cause a distraction
HPSC Coup: happening around the same time, the Hero Public Safety Commission tries to take over, using a lot of heroes that are under their thumb. It goes... well? Afterwards the Hero Ranking system was ended
War for One: Another villain civil war, this time caused by All for One! Essentially he does not approve in the direction Shigaraki is taking things. The PLA losses Gigantomachia and the Nomu, and although Shigaraki manages to kill AfO, this is the beginning of the end
And now funny stuff;
After most of Japan’s government was killed, the HPSC tried to take power, but what politicians were left with support from Pro Heroes decided a more neutral party was needed. And Nedzu did currently have nothing much to do...
After the Meta Coup control over all of Japan was regained. For a while, Nedzu literally ruled the entire country. He spent most of the time laughing manically, and doing numerous reforms of practically the entire system. After the war ended, he stepped down for an elected government
Over the course of the war Izuku unlocked all the quirks withig One for All. Shiggy was very confused, and slightly worried each time a new one popped up.
Inko? Fine. Her and a bunch of hero families were secretly moved out of the country. After the war, Izuku went on holiday for a year, and the two traveled the world before returning to Japan
Eeer... yeah that’s it
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multisfabulis · 4 years
Text
Savior of Monsters
Word Count: 1776
TW: Major character death
You ever have an idea brewing around in your head for who knows how long until you finally gain the confidence to bring it into existence? This fic is that in a nutshell.
So I've had this idea of writing the Asgore fight in his POV for almost 4 years and it only came about because I was listening to one of the many ASGORE songs up on YouTube one day and the visual of his hand shaking as he's about to strike Frisk down came out to me and it was over. The reason it took so long for this fic to even exist was because I didn't have much confidence in myself as a writer back then and it was because of me posting my original fics I slowly gained that confidence to finally write this.
A LOT of this dips into headcanon territory and it's not written in an RPG-like format because I honestly do not know how I'd write that without it seeming clunky. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading this!
Read on AO3 | Read on DA | Support me on Ko-fi!
     The shimmering light of the barrier filled the room. Asgore stood facing the human, dreading what he would do next. He really didn’t want to do it, especially to a child that seemed to be the spitting image of Chara. But if monsters had any hope of leaving the underground and going to the surface, then he had to do it. So…
     “Human…” They had a sad expression on their face. “It was nice to meet you. Goodbye.”
     He bowed his head and drew out his crimson trident. He trained it on the human, causing them to draw their own weapon. It was a dagger, adorned with several pockmarks on the hilt and a dull blade. He remembered it belonging to Chara whenever they would help him with gardening. Memories of that time began to rush into his head but he forced them back.
     They stood there in silence. Then he raised his trident up slightly, wanting the human to deliver the first strike. They shook their head and he knew at that moment he’d need to force them into attacking him.
     Large fireballs appeared on both sides of the human and homed in on them. They barely managed to dodge them but not before the flames licked their body. He repeated the motion he did earlier to try and goad the human into attacking him. They gave him the same answer.
     Waves of smaller fireballs swarmed them. They ducked and weaved through the fire, the flames leaving scorch marks on their clothes. His hands trembled for just a moment, realizing how close he was to burning them. He burned the six children before them and the guilt threatened to eat him alive at every waking moment. This was for the sake of monsterkind but nothing could justify the loss of six innocent souls who had simply fallen down and came to him so they could leave. He didn’t believe it did at the first child and he certainly didn’t believe it did now.
     Smaller waves of fireballs attempted to block them in for giant hordes of fire to come swallow them whole. His breathing got shaky as the blaze moved closer and closer to them, beads of sweat forming on their brow from the intense heat. The human was luckily able to leap out before they were incinerated but it was too close for comfort. Yet they still refused to fight back.
     It was then he had enough and swung his trident. If using his magic wouldn’t work, he may as well physically strike them. The prongs of the trident hit the blade of the dagger, the human parrying the blow before finally thrusting the dagger into his abdomen. The pain was insignificant at best but the expression on their face was one of remorse.
     It reminded him of the time Asriel and Chara tried to bake him a butterscotch pie and ended up poisoning him instead. Chara had laughed the entire time he was sick but he knew they felt guilty. It was after the ordeal was over they apologized to him and the look on their face was almost the same as the human’s now. Was fighting this child who looked like one of his own his punishment for failing them?
     That was when the fight really began. He’d hurl wave after wave of fireballs at them and they’d try to dodge them each and every time. Even as the flames left more and more of their mark on them, they managed to skirt past the greater danger. The only way they’d attack him was when he’d do it first. It made him feel more like a villain than he already was.
     This fight, along with the previous six, were nothing like the ones he had with humans before, the time they and monsters lived alongside each other. He had just been crowned king, if only because monsters were in need of a powerful leader to aid them in the war, and he tried desperately to push the humans back. No matter how many he’d strike down with his furious might, their comrades would save them by slaying many more monsters. He watched countless brethren crumble to dust and the wind carry their ashes to a place far beyond his comprehension. He hated humans for driving him and the survivors of his kind into the underground. It was only through the passage of time and his time on the throne his hatred of them had dissipated. Then they had killed his remaining child, Asriel.
     He and Toriel had been so lost in their grief over losing Chara that they hadn’t noticed him leaving with their body. It was when he came back as another monster entirely they realized what he had done. After setting his sibling down, he crumbled to dust, a sight Asgore never wanted to see again. How could they? Wasn’t it enough to have killed most of his kind and forced the rest into hiding? They had to kill his son, his sweet boy, and for what? He became so enraged that he declared war on humanity and vowed to destroy all the humans in an act of vengeance. Not just for him but for every monster whose lives they’ve worsened because of their actions. Any human that fell into the underground would be shown no mercy.
     Now he was tired. Tired of waiting, tired of killing, tired of his kingdom looking to him for hope and having to pretend he’s their savior when he’s not. He made that declaration in a fit of inconsolable anger and he wishes he could take it back. He doesn’t want to kill anymore. How many more innocents’ blood will stain his hands until the war is over?
     The room was now filled with smoldering embers and cinders. The light from the barrier left the room engulfed in a faint orange glow. They stood facing each other, trying to catch their breath as they waited for the other to make their move. He called upon rings of fireballs that took over the whole room to overwhelm the human. It was at that point they cried out in pain from their inflicted burns.
     Damn it, Asgore, what are you doing, he berated himself. He only meant for the fire to graze them, not actually hurt them. Were they just too exhausted to get out of the way in time? As the flames were extinguished, the human fell to their knees, clutching their shoulder and their dagger tossed aside.
     This was his moment, as much as he was dreading it. He walked over to them, trident in hand and eyes focused on the ground. He needed to do this. The kingdom’s pinned their hopes and dreams on him. If he were to fail this now, after everything he’s done to get this far, they’d be forever hopeless. With a heavy heart, he turned the prongs of the trident down, raised it high in the air, and---
     They looked up at him and a memory flashed in his mind. His rosy cheeked, doe-eyed child, Chara, handing him a pink, hand-knit sweater with the words “Mr. Dad Guy” embroidered in yellow thread on it. It was the first and only gift they gave him and it was a treasure he cherished deeply. His hands shook as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t do it. They were too much like Chara and killing them would feel like he’d slain his own child.
     The trident clattered on the ground as he dropped to his knees. He failed. He failed as a father, as a king, as a savior. The human would escape this place and monsters would be doomed to live in their underground prison. He didn’t know which was worse, living on as a broken man or dying as a failure to his people.
     He finally looked at the human. Parts of their clothes were burnt or had scorch marks and some of their face was covered in soot. They were still holding on to their shoulder but they seemed just so tired. Their journey would soon be over. All they’d need was to take his soul and cross the barrier.
     He began telling them his story. His declaration of war, what he planned on using the souls for, how his family became irreparably broken, everything. He never wanted power, wanted to hurt anyone. All he wanted was for everyone to have hope and to see his wife and kids again. He begged, pleaded, with the human to take his soul and leave the underground. A child such as them didn’t deserve to be here any more than they already were so this was best.
     Yet they were merciful. They kicked the dagger away and shook their head vehemently, refusing him. He was utterly confused on why they were choosing to stay here and suffer than live happily on the surface. Did they enjoy their time here in the underground and didn’t want to leave the friends they made? He may not have understood but a glimmer of hope welled up inside him.
     “Human… I promise you…” He reached out a hand towards them. “For as long as you remain here… My wife and I will take care of you as best we can.”
     They could sit in the living room, telling stories and eating butterscotch pie. They could be like a family. Was this what it felt like to have hope again? To be given a new chance at life after trudging through the darkness for so long? They stretched a hand out and had a hopeful expression on their face.
     It quickly turned to one of horror as he felt tiny pellets stab him all at once. In all his years of seeing others disintegrate, now it was his turn to become dust. He was foolish to hope after all the sins he’s carried out. This was the right and just judgment for a monster such as him.
     He should feel sad over knowing he’d be leaving things unfinished, without any closure. Yet it was freeing to have his burdens be lifted off him as he crumbled to dust, his ashes scattered.
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adonis-koo · 5 years
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Three’s a crowd
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Plot: (CEO AU) When your mom’s fairytale life begins to bleed over into your world you’re suddenly caught between two men and one big secret, what was suppose to be a relaxing trip soon begins to spiral out of control. All you wanted was a free vacation…
Pairing: Jungkook/Reader/Jimin, Hoseok/Reader, Taehyung/Reader, Seokjin/Reader
Genre: Smut, angst, drama, angst with a happy ending
Word count: 8.1K
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Warning ⚠️ This fic touches on drug use, alcoholism and abuse. Please read with caution if any of these things are triggers for you 🖤
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Gnawing against your lower lip you sighed, running a hand through your hair. You got it, Hoseok didn’t want you anywhere near him, and for good reason. But if this was all really connected, you might not have a choice but to confront Jungkook.
You put up a good front but deep down you still weren’t sure if you were ready to face him after that, but what choice did you have? So much was happening, so much you didn’t understand. You didn’t want to assume the worst but, what if it was? Someone else could be killed, you could be killed. 
Closing your eyes you gave another sigh before ultimately putting your phone away, while you wished all the answers would fall at your feet you knew that wasn’t going to happen. And until then, you were just going to have to continue your life. Standing at the foot of the shotty steps to the front porch brought you back to reality.
You hadn’t seen your father all week, would he have noticed? He never did send you a text, or had he destroyed his recent phone and wasn’t able too? Dread bubbled in your stomach as you forced your feet forward, he hadn’t overdosed had he? They would’ve called you, right? Right!?
Your footsteps fluttered quickly before fumbling with your key to open the door. You weren’t sure why you were so paranoid. Most people would’ve been happy to know such a deadbeat was gone from the world, but he was your dad! Sure he wasn’t the greatest but...God now wasn’t the time for a pity party.
Swinging the door open you instantly reeled from the foul stench inside, groaning you covered your nose as you glanced around. The place was totally trashed, except the difference between your apartment and this, was it always looked like this. Just a little worse since you missed going last week. 
That and the large pile of vomit your dad laid collapse in. Setting your bag down you tried to keep down a gag as you shut the door, this place clearly needed some sort of ventilation. You had instantly made way for the windows, opening them up for some much needed cool evening air. 
After that you had begun your evening of cleaning house. Starting with the living room and the mess your father had made. You weren’t about touch him but the least you could do was get rid of the smell around him. Then there was all the trash and empty beer cans you had picked up before dusting and vacuuming. You had expected your dad to wake up through all the noise but he was out cold. He must’ve drank a lot. 
Sighing you glanced down at his figure, feeling an overwhelming amount of sadness overtake you for a moment, all you wanted was a loving family growing up. How did you end up here?
Pressing your lips together before ultimately sighing once more, making your way to the kitchen to begin your work there. Why were you even doing this? You had so much on your plate that was worth a lot more to focus on at the moment then...this.
Why were you even here? Maybe Taehyung was right, maybe he was a lost cause. All you ever tried to do was help him back on his feet, and all he did was go running back towards his life. Maybe you should just go…? You were tired from such a draining day and honestly could use what few hours you could get rather than being a personal maid.
You paused from your position with the broom as you genuinely debating on going. That’s when you heard a rustle in the living. Confused you set the broom down as you peered out to see your dad, confused as you with squinted eyes waking up. Welp there went your chance to leave. Shaking your head while crossing your arms as you finally murmured, “I leave for a week and come back to a shit show. What happened this time?”
“Fuck you, disappear for a week and now you’re coming to see me out of what? Pity?” Your dad snarled back while rubbing his head his hangover clear as day making his voice groggy and the movement of his body slow. 
Your lips curled in disgust as you crossed your arms, “I’m not a fucking kid I don’t have to let you know when I’m not coming. All you do is take my money then kick me out anyways.” You turned on your heels as you resumed sweeping up the kitchen again. Anger simmering in your veins at his words, how dare he act like he actually cared that you were gone. Maybe Taehyung was right, maybe it was time to just call it quits.
You didn’t want to be the girl with a fucked up childhood and daddy issues attached but if that’s the image you had to live in, survive with. Then that’s just what you’d have to do. You practically lived on your own your whole life anyways, you didn’t need him. You didn’t need anyone.
You had paused again, knuckles tightly holding onto the wooden handle of the broom and your jaw was clenched more than you had even realized. Maybe it was the stress from the engagement, or maybe it was the words Jimin had used against you, the ones that cut deeper than you wanted to admit. Or maybe it was because whatever Jungkook was involved in was beginning to affect you, whatever it was. You were ready to fucking snap.
“I am your father,” You took a deep sigh as you heard his voice boom from the other room, forcing your tense shoulders to relax as you rubbed your eyes, “And I like to think I have a damn good reason to ask where you disappeared to for a fucking week. No goodbye, no note, not even a simple fucking text?” 
You turned around to watch your father’s heavy steps stomp into the kitchen glowering at you, and for a moment, you realized what your mom had always meant when she said you took after your dad, that same clenched jaw and icy glare staring back at you.
Except your gaze was much more brittle than his, more dead as you decided to reply, “She’s engaged.” You watched his expression morphed into confusion slightly as you huffed, a small bitter smile tugging on your lips as you clarified, “Mom, she’s engaged. Her boyfriend took us on a trip for the week, that’s where I was.”
You watched his expression sullen just as you figured it would as he ran a hand through his hair before looking back at you with glaring daggers, “Oh so that’s the only reason you came?” He sneered out, voice firing back up in anger as he snapped, “To gloat that whore finally has a new idiot to suck dry of money?”
Setting the broom down you swallowed thickly, knuckles curling as you tried to keep yourself calm, he was purposely doing this to get a rise out of you. To give him a reason to throw you around, “Don’t come fucking crawling to me when she leaves you just like she did me.”
“Crawling to you for what?” You snarled out snapping your gaze to his, your face darkened and temper flaring, “You make it fucking sound like you actually took care of me when we both know that wasn’t the case. You were the one who wanted to know where I was, I just answered your question, I know it fucking kills you to leave me out of your problems, but can you not for once?”
“You ungrateful little bitch,” Your dad snapped out as you began to walk towards the backdoor, the air was too stiff and your blood was boiling with a thirst for blood that you knew would lead to no where but pain for yourself, he only followed you though as he continued to antagonize you, “You know if it fucking wasn’t for you I’d still have a wife, and now even she doesn’t want you. You’re so fucking worthless even-” Your father hadn’t been able to finish his sentence as you swung around, your curled fist connecting to his jaw in unbrittled anger.
The pain came swelling into your knuckles instantly and the force of the punch ripping your skin open as he was knocked back but not as nearly much as you had hoped, “What gives you the fucking right to say that to me? Huh!?” You snarled out, “I didn’t ask to be put on this goddamn planet just to drop out of school at fifteen, I didn’t fucking ask to be so desperate for goddamn money to get away from you that I work two jobs and only get three hours of sleep a day, I didn’t ask you to become some deadbeat, drug addict, shitty father okay!? I owe you jack shit. You wanna know why you lost your wife?”
You could hardly finish you sentence when your dad had stumbled over, grabbing you by the throat before slamming you against the wall, “Because you fucking drank all of our money away, you beat the shit out of her and then expected her to not do anything-”
“You shut the fuck up right now!”
“-You made my life fucking miserable,” Your voice was horse and strangled and your feet were brushing off the ground as your hands had wrapped around his wrist, “The only worthless person here is you, fuck you.” 
You were thrown to the ground making a violent throb in your ribs thrum and the blood dripping from your knuckles splattered against the ground beneath you but all you could focus on was the pair of shoes trudging towards you before lifting you up by the collar of your hoodie, “You’re right I should’ve just beat the shit out of you instead you ungrateful bitch. Get the fuck out of my house and don’t come back.” 
You could barely register the unbridling pain you felt against your face at the punch he threw your way causing you to fall back against the floor, your breaths shaky and your vision dotting as he walked out of the kitchen. You stayed on the floor with your arms supporting yourself halfway for another minute still registering the blow and the blood that dripped down your chin, the bust in your lip that had been healing reopened and you wouldn’t doubt you’d be sporting a nasty welt on your face after that.
But just as he said, you weren’t coming back. Not now, not ever. You weren’t sure what your breaking point was, or maybe it was the stress of everything, but at the moment. You were done with his shit. You forced yourself off the ground in determination despite your lightheadedness as you made your way out of the kitchen. 
Grabbing your bag by the door before walking outside, The sun was just beginning to set and the air had cooled. You could hear the almost feral dog of the neighbor snarling at you from the other side of the fenced front yard and distinctly you could hear shouting in the distant along with a car screech.
You were all too familiar with the uneasy ambiance of the rough neighborhood of your childhood. Wiping the blood from your chin as you stepped down the stairs you pulled the hoodie over your head, it usually did the trick from keeping people from bothering you.
Especially when you were dripping in blood. 
In fact, you looked like you fit in here perfectly here. Plentiful of sketchy people passed by you without so much of a bat of the eye as you shoved your hands into your pockets. Where would you go? You weren’t about to volunteer yourself to go back to Seung’s estate and your apartment was in shambles.
You supposed you could crash at Hoseok’s again, but you doubt you’d get any sleep with him ranting on how you shouldn’t be considering talking to Jungkook…Jungkook...you swallowed as you fidgeted with your phone in the pocket...You could always call him. He’d let you stay the night, right? No he wouldn’t, you told him to stay away and did you really want to spend the night at someone who murdered ruthlessly?
Your hand gripped your phone tighter before sighing, you were low on money but you could squeeze in a motel as long as you could bum lunch off of Taehyung, or was he still pissed at you for going with Jimin to dinner? You groaned as you sighed, running a hand through your hair, it was beginning to get dark out and you knew better than to stay out later than necessary if you didn’t want to find trouble.
“You’ve seen better days.”
And when one door closed, you supposed, another opened. You stopped dead in your tracks at the sight in front of you, Yoongi only leaned against the light post, cigarette in mouth as he inhaled the fumes before letting the smoke roll off his lips. 
But all you could think of was him passing the gun to Jungkook, the one he used to kill someone with. You swallowed thickly but kept your blank, if not intimidating expression, “I’ve never had a better day. What are you doing here?”
“Keeping an eye on you,” He replied casually making your expression hardened in an unasked explanation, this guy had been following you? For how long? “The kids orders, he’s been worried sick about you y’know. Looked like kicked puppy after you left the party.”
“Kicked puppy my ass! He fucking killed someone!” You shouted indignantly as you waved your arms about not giving two shits who could hear you, what was anyone gonna do in this beat up shitty neighborhood? “In fact, you helped him!’
Yoongi’s nose scrunched slightly as he flicked the butt of his cigarette, making the ash flutter to the ground as he replied, looking fairly nonpulsed by your outburst, “I didn’t do anything besides hand him the gun, he was the one who chose to shoot. It’s not the first time he’s done it and it won’t be the last, rule number one: don’t pissed Jeon off when he’s in a bad mood.”
He was acting like this wasn’t about life or death! Your lips parted in revolt as you curled away from him, “That doesn��t change the fact that he still killed someone. What the fuck are you guys involved in!? And why am I being dragged into it?”
That seemed to make Yoongi stir as he rose his brows, curious now as to how you knew that information before sighing, slumping against the pole again, “Can’t say, I just do Jungkook’s dirty work when he’s too busy, if you want answers you’re gonna have to face him...maybe not looking like that though,” He waved too your face while cringing, “You’d send him into cardiac arrest, he’s already paranoid about your safety.”
“Well this isn’t from whatever he’s paranoid about,” You huffed as you crossed your arms. Why was Yoongi talking like Jungkook actually cared about you? You knew each other for a week, you got each other off and that was that. He wasn’t actually serious about the romantic thing, was he? He was publicly engaged now, there was no way that could be the case.
And furthermore, you didn’t need his protection nor want it. In fact, you just about fucking had it with guys all around. They all sucked, no exception. 
“Yeah but that isn’t gonna make it any better,” Yoongi shrugged, finally flicking the finished cigarette to the ground before smudging it out with his shoe, leaning off the pole as he stepped closer to you, “He still won’t be happy. Come on, let’s go.”
He turned around walking towards the narrow alleyway as if you’d actually follow behind him on your own account. After a moment, he seemed to realize the problem of you not actually trusting him before turning around as he curved a brow, “What? You don’t want to be out after dark, I’m sure you’ve learned that by now. I’m not gonna strangle you in an alley or some shit, you need a place to stay, come on.”
“How the fuck do you even-” You cut yourself off, frustratedly huffing before following behind him into the sketchy, dark alleyway where few questionable people had leaned off against the walls on his phone while another was blowing smoke off his cigarette. They both gave a nod to Yoongi as if they knew him. You genuinely wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case.
It was a quiet walk and the alley way only darkened further making it more eerie but eventually Yoongi stopped at a dead end, or what looked to be had it not had a door against the decrepit brick wall. In all honest, it looked like a crack house.
“Well don’t just stand there,” Yoongi called over his shoulder as he opened the door making you wearily follow behind.
“You don’t actually live here, right?” You murmured as you stepped into the ratty, dirty living room, or what was supposed to be one, by the looks of it.
Yoongi finally paused, turning around to face you as he hummed, “And what if I do? It’s not like I ever have time to sleep anyways, come on Minho was hoping you’d stay for at least dinner.”
You felt odd more than anything as your face contorted into a cringe but allowed him to lead you into the dining area, everything was so dirty and the old circle table couldn’t have been sanitary. 
Minho was dancing around the stove while humming to the buzz of the radio setup on a stool as he began to drain out the noodles he had been cooking, whirling around in delight to see you, “Oh good, I thought for sure you were gonna tell the cops about the whole…” He gave his hand a wave, aiming a finger gun up to his head while pulling its imaginary trigger.
You only facepalmed, your heart rate still spiked despite his playfulness as you sighed, sure the thought had crossed your mind. But who would believe you when you were literally accusing a billionaire of murder, “My word against his? I may be a street rat but I’m not a dumb one.”
Minho had plucked his beer up from the counter as he cheered it towards you before taking a long gulp, “We’re all street rats in this house don’t worry, we’re the ones who actually make it somewhere in this life- not necessarily a good somewhere but...hey it gets dinner on the table.”
He had already fixed up a bowl of what looked to be gas station ramen in bowls for you all before setting them out on the table, gesturing you to sit down.
You frowned as you watched them both relax out, you supposed they didn’t have a reason to poison you…”You know,” Minho hummed, slurping on his noodles as he gave you a cheeky smile, “That’s what I like about you Y/n, even though Yoongs already told you we won't- that we can’t hurt you, you’re still on your toes. Never trust anyone.” 
Finally you took a seat as you glanced between them, a million thoughts racing in your mind, but the smell of ramen was invading your senses and you hadn’t even ate dinner yet, finally you plucked up the chopsticks before digging in with them, “What do you mean you can’t hurt me?”
You glanced up while slurping on your noodles, Yoongi only hummed as he leaned back in his seat, obviously not as talkative as his...partner? Room mate? Coworker? You weren’t sure what they were, Minho seemed to be more of the conversationalist out of the two and honestly? You could see why, Minho had a good nature and cheekiness about him that you’d never peg as an aid in murder, but you supposed that was the idea.
“Exactly what it sounds like,” Minho answered before snorting out a laugh, “Jeon’s orders. I honestly can’t tell if he’s using you as a rebound or he just really is that whipped for you. Anyways he says jump we say how high, no questions asked.” 
You picked at your noodles as your expression hardened slightly, just what was Jungkook associated with if both Yoongi and Minho worked under him? You tried to recall your drunk conversation with him when you first met Yoongi, but his words were hazy in your head. Something about Yoongi doing dirty work? You were too drunk and too horny to bother questioning his words at the time, but having long since sobered up, it made you wonder just what did the word, dirty work mean? 
Was it really a murder you had witnessed? Had that man did something to deserve a punishment so extreme? Or was Jungkook really so temperamental to go as far as killing someone out of moodiness? You just couldn’t see someone with such a soft expression when addressing his mother, someone with a pretty bunny smile and dimple adorning his left cheek, honestly, just the idea was too difficult for you to believe. Even days after it happened, you were still reeling in denial. 
You wanted to believe there was a good reason Jungkook did it, but in the end, good reason or not, it didn’t change the fact that he still did it in the end. There was no coming back from murder, there was no washing off the blood that would forever stain his hands, was that his first kill? You doubted as much, given the cold look in his eyes when he pulled the trigger, the way his body didn’t even flinch at the sound of the gun going off, even the recoil or the body hitting the floor didn’t disturb the anger in his eyes. No, that was far from Jungkook’s first kill.
You swallowed thickly, your starved appetite sudden churned more into sickness with each passing thought of the event that had undoubtedly change your life from here on out. You didn’t want to accept it, but things weren’t going back to normal any time soon, and while you could still hope, you had little faith in reality you’d ever return back to regular life.
“Little late for him to be on a rebound,” Yoongi snorted, pushing up from his chair as he walked over to the fridge, pulling out a beer both for himself, and you assumed one for you as well, “It happened well over a year ago when they were both actually dating.”
Minho puckered his lips as he leaned back in his chair, looking as if this was something they discussed on a regular basis about their boss, his dark eyes following his friend as Yoongi sat back down, sliding the spare beer your way as Minho finally asked, “Then what do you think it is?”
“Fuck if I know,” Yoongi shrugged making Minho groan, “Probably freaking out he has to tie the knot to some prissy bitch who can’t keep her legs shut and now he’s trying to get his dick wet with every girl he can.”
Minho didn’t look sold on his words though as he glanced back over at you, taking in a big chunk of his noodles while slurping with a full mouth, “If that was the case he wouldn’t have given us the orders he did about Y/n,” he washed down his food with his beer before turning to you fully, “What do you think?”
As if you actually knew what the fuck was going on more then them, in fact, they probably had a lot more insight then you. Throwing up your hands you scoffed, “Like i’d know? Guy blew my back out for a week and now I’m suddenly an witness to murder, I almost got killed in a shoot out, Seokjin pulls out a fucking USB from my couch and tells me I need to go talk to him? You think I fucking know what’s going on?” You sputtered out animatedly as you waved your hands about, “Because I honest to god don’t.”
“Oh shit, that’s where he found that?” Minho raised his brows in surprise as he opened his mouth again, Yoongi suddenly punched his arm making him yelp as he rubbed the sore spot, shooting him a look.
“Remember orders dipshit,” Yoongi rolled his eyes before sighing, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his jean pocket before looking towards you, “If you want to know anything going on, then you bet your ass you’re gonna have to talk to Jungkook, he doesn’t want you hearing from anyone that isn’t him. I can gossip with you all night long about his love life but his work ethic? Off limits.”
You sighed again, finally cracking open the beer as you swallowed down a large gulp, the warm buzz in your throat pleasant enough to make you relax as well as you could, “I figured as much, but I guess while we’re on the topic of his love life, what the fuck is up? What’s his deal with Jae?”
Minho looked like an ecstatic child at your words as he gave you a boyish smile, his fluffy chestnut brown hair falling below his brows as he leaned forward in his seat, “Jae royally fucked up with him, that’s what’s up. They used to be really together back last year, and Jungkook was whipped for her, he would have never cheated on her, just to disclaim but things change. He ended up finding her in her penthouse with Park Jimin between her legs so…”
“What!?” You shouted out your eyebrows shot up to your forehead at Minho’s almost crazed smile, as if he had been looking forward to telling you this juicy bit as he laughed. It even elicited a small smile from Yoongi as if it really was amusing.
“Jungkook had been suspecting her cheating for a month or so when he found them together,” Yoongi clarified, “But that was just a one time fling, or at least that’s Jimin said. Anyways Jae can’t keep her legs closed for long, which I don’t care about, it’s more about the fact that she can’t keep her legs closed when she’s in a relationship-  it’s just in bad taste to bait a guy into loving you when you don’t reciprocate and add insult to injury bang every guy in a five mile radius. Anyways Jimin and Jungkook have been pretty tense ever since. I’m sure you’re involvement probably hasn’t helped it.”
You sunk into your seat while playing with your chopsticks, you hadn’t realized just what you were getting yourself into when you allowed Jungkook to stay in your dressing room that morning, nor did you realize what their story was when you voluntarily let Jimin put you over his lap in the sauna. You just wanted a good fuck, but apparently, even that was too much to ask for anymore.
“Guess I should’ve kept my legs closed too huh.” You sighed before you resumed eating, slurping up the rest of your noodles. Had you realized where this trip was going to lead you, had you know the consequences of your actions, just what it really meant getting involved with either of them, you would’ve never said yes to that trip.
Not in a million years. But maybe this all happened for a reason? You weren’t much of a believer in a great plan for life, you weren’t much of a believer in anything at this point in your life. But at this point? You weren’t opposed to going on a little bit of faith. Anything, to help you endure this situation and try to understand why and how you had become involved.
“Not your fault,” Yoongi shrugged blowing smoke from his lips as he continued, “You just wanted a good fuck, but maybe chose your one night stand a little better next time…” 
You couldn’t fault him for that, you shrugged while taking another drink from the bottle, “I just have one question, is Jimin involved too?” 
“Nope.” Yoongi hummed taking the cigarette from his lips before stubbing it out in the ashtray, “His old man has too much of a kind heart for this line of work, and while I’m sure Jimin knows something is up, and it’s probably killing him to not be in on it, they’re just one cut too low for this shit.” 
It made you feel a little better, for as much of an asshole as Jimin was, at least he hadn’t lost a part of his humanity like Jungkook had, he didn’t have that blood staining his hands. And sure he wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t a terrible person either. For as detached as he was, he still had a sliver of innocence left that Jungkook was void of.
You sighed once more, letting the conversation between Minho and Yoongi continue as you finished your noodles, occasionally glancing at both of them before back down at your empty bowl as you fiddled with the neck of the bottle you held.
It wasn’t until a med kit was slapped on the table in front of you that you jumped, glancing up at Yoongi you had pulled his chair closer to you, making you edge away from his figure that sat down, “You’re dads a piece of shit,” He hummed out, gesturing you closer, “Now let me see, you have blood all over your face.”
You glowered at him, even flinching slightly as he pushed the hoodie down before grabbing your face for closer inspection, he wasn’t wrong. You could smell the metallic scent of blood that had been dried up on your chin from the bust in your lip resplitting open, the bruise welting on your cheek was probably swollen and given how much you had been touching your face, the blood all over your hand from your knuckle wasn’t looking too much better.
Yoongi only pulled out an alcohol wipe before brushing over the blood on your chin, his eyes were expressionless as always but focused at the same time, “How do you know this is from my dad?”
It was easy to forget your odd relation to Yoongi and how he seemed to unnervingly know so much about you. You would have pegged it as his stalking on Jungkook’s orders, but this had started up before you were witness to their murder. Yoongi had to know you from outside of Jungkook. Yoongi only hummed again, “Why don’t you use that damn brain of yours for once?”
You parted your lips in offense but he only continued cleaning up the blood from your chin before pressing the pad against the bust making you whimper in pain.
The sting burned into your lip harsh enough to force your eyes into watering as Yoongi finally lifted the wipe away, only to reach out for your hand to examine your knuckle, the skin had definitely been ripped and most of your hand by now had been covered in dried blood while your knuckle still oozed the dark red substance.
“I do use my brain thank you very much! Maybe a little too often.”
“Obviously not enough,” Yoongi replied, “Think smartass, who use to give you lollipops every time you cried when the stray cat would hiss at you.”
“Twix is not a stray cat you fiend!” You gaped in even bigger offense before it hit you like a train, your lips sudden parted and your pupils blew out as Yoongi groaned, leaning back in his seat, “Suga!? What the fuck?” Your mind could hardly reel at just who was standing in front of you, “I thought I fucking had a fever dream and just made you up out of my head! Where the fuck did you go!?”
Yoongi only straightened before sighing, grabbing a new alcohol wipe before wiping down  the dried blood from your knuckle, “Shit happens Y/n, you know that just as well as me.” 
Yoongi...or Suga, had been a childhood friend of yours. 
But you were so young at the time you had nearly forgotten of his existence, in fact, you at one point had assumed maybe you just made him up in your head in an attempt to cope with the trauma.
He lived down the street and had found you crying on the sidewalk after one particularly bad fight between your parents that had you running from the house until you ended up tripping on the sidewalk, skinning your knee in the process. Yoongi at the time, was shorter than you by a few inches and all skin and bone, his now bleached hair had been a shiny midnight black that dusted over his eyes- that at one time weren’t so dead. 
With a lollipop in mouth he had handed you a spare in his pocket, you had looked at him undoubtedly like a lost puppy while sniffling but took it with no questions asked, ‘You look like you could use it more then me’ that was all he said before continuing on his way.
You had after that become unofficial friends with him, the next time you had saw him after that was when you were sitting on the sidewalk with chalk in hand, the lollipop you had been saving plopped in your mouth when his shoes came into view.
‘Are you here to give me sugar again?’ Your words had been muffled though, the lollipop causing a huge dent in your mouth making the word sugar come out sounding like ‘Suga’, much like your short lived friendship with him, that had become his nickname which he never bothered correcting. He didn’t tell you his real name, simply going by the one you provided. 
Your friendship with Yoongi couldn’t have lasted more than a month, but those days seemed better than most, the last time you saw him was when he had been struggling to climb the stairs of your front porch covered in blood. 
You were too young at the time to ever ask why, simply crying out for your mom to come and help you get your friend into the house. He could barely walk and had large lashes going down his back, sweat made his hair cling to his forehead and his face covered in bruises and welts. 
It was quiet in the room and Minho had long since left to rest in his room, leaving the table vacant outside of your harsh stares towards one another. You swallowed thickly, unable to truly wrap your head around this new information.
You couldn’t have been older than eight when you last saw him in such a torn, beaten up state, he had stayed the night at your house until your father had come home drunk and angry, your mother, panicked had ushered you both out the backdoor and told you to not go too far and wait awhile to come back.
Things were hazy after that memory, it had been well over ten years, surely this wasn’t a coincidence. You weren’t sure what to do until you finally swallowed one last time, “Show me.” 
His pupils widening was enough of an answer, but you refused to believe it was genuinely Suga, the scrawny street kid that had helped you hunt down your once feral cat Twix, the kid who had traded lollipops for cigarettes, the kid who had brightened your dull, dark days even if it was just by making you smile from a candy bar.
You felt a whirlwind of emotions inside you, half you didn’t even understand yourself while the other part of you was null and void, while Suga was a short but sweet memory, it had also been years, years of cold reality that turned you from an innocent child to a cold adult, and clearly he had been through the same. 
“You already know it’s me.” Yoongi’s glare cut out as he finally pressed down, maybe a little harsher than necessary on the open wounds of your knuckle making you choke out a whine in pain which caused him to ease is initial force.
You ripped your hand away from him though, your face as easily harsh as his as you snapped out, “I don’t fucking care show me! You can’t fucking tell me this is a coincidence that my lost childhood friend suddenly pops back into my life when all of this shit is going down- where did you go? Why didn’t you tell me when you saw me? Why did you ignore my question when I asked at the bar if we knew each other!? So yes! Sue me for wanting real fucking proof. Show. Me.” 
Yoongi glowered as he snapped back, “You’re such a fucking impatient brat you know that Y/n?” But he didn’t argue further like you anticipated he only turned away with his back facing you as he let the jacket drop from his shoulders before pulling the white shirt from over his head. 
He had hunched down dark and brooding, his athletic build was lean but muscle was still taunt beneath it’s skin. 
It wasn’t his lilith muscles that had been undoubtedly used over the years that your eyes had focused on though. Your lips had quivered before parting at the lash marks scarring his back. When you were a kid, you assumed he must’ve thrown a cat over his shoulders. But your innocence had yet to been plucked from you back then unlike now.
Those weren’t cat scratches, they were whip marks. 
Plenty of emotions had bubbled in your chest, fewer making their way inaudibly up to your throat leaving your parted lips soundless as you lifted a shaky hand. You could both feel and see him flinch under your gentle feathery brush over the lashes, some had faded, the more bloody ones you remembered had stayed seared into his skin, a permanent reminder of whatever he endured.
“Are you…?” Yoongi suddenly turned, surprise in his voice at the shaky sniffle that had erupted from your voice. Your face was an even sadder sight at the tremble of your lips and tears leaking from your watery eyes. You eyes held remorse but anger, long rooted bitterness ran through your veins.
“I fucking hate this world.” It was all you could manage out, your face twisting into righteous anger but the tears didn’t stop flowing down your face. You hated that people cruel enough existed to do this to him, you hated that people like your father existed, wallowing in nothing but their own misery, too blinded to see the damage they caused everyone else, the same people they birthed and swore to protect.
Maybe you were at a turning point in your life, you weren’t sure. But all you felt was anger and yet still, your vision was blurred. You were so angry you were crying, who in their right mind would whip a child? Beat an already broken woman? You had so many emotions running through your entire body, there was an immense pressure in your chest and your head was beginning to hurt at so many taxing emotions coursing through you.
You wholehearted hated this world.
Yoongi sighed, pulling his shirt back over his head to cover the taint of this world covering his skin, the turning point that undoubtedly changed his life. You never saw him again after that day, not until you were drunk with a billionaire while he stalked the alleyways with dead eyes.
Turning to face you his lips twitched, the expressionless face had for a second, almost cracked at the sight of the anger radiating from you, and yet all you could do was cry.
And out of everything Yoongi could’ve done, he did the least expected thing and wrapped an arm around you pulling you close, “I know.” 
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Groaning you emitted a sigh, well aware of the store clerk giving you the side eye at your run down drained appearance, both of the cashiers had made small talk which only fizzled into background noise as you scanned over the well stocked energy drink section. You felt like garbage, your body felt like garbage and you were near brain dead emotionally speaking.
Times like these called for appropriate measures, your mind needed the buzz of caffeine and the rush of the overly sweetened drink. If you could have it your way you’d easily eat another pack of ramen to go with it.
But right now you had a little over fifteen minutes before your shift at the psych ward would start, this drink- a Fruit Punch Rockstar, would hopefully pull you through the next grueling six hours of your shift. 
Yawning you paid for your drink before walking down to the hospital’s mental institute wing before finally clocking in, the sweet punch flavor of your drink already putting some life back into your body as you stretched out grabbing your jumpsuit from the closet of the breakroom. 
You certainly had a lot on your mind too say the least but what else could you do except just go with it? It seemed like that was all you could do anymore.
Hoseok had clocked in not too long after you and thus your night of work began with your regular routine of clearing out the rooms, luckily bathroom rotation wasn’t on you and Hoseok this week, granted getting stuck with the third floor, wasn’t that much better, but...okay you were wrong it was worse when the patients had an...accident, and then proceeded to smear it all over the walls.
You were practically gagging with a cough as you snapped on the sanitary gloves and medical mask to help with the stench, this was such a thankless job. Meanwhile you had confided in Hoseok about your revelation with Yoongi as he continued scrubbing down the wall, “So you actually know this guy?”
“Briefly…” You sighed, dipping the mop back in the bucket- Hoseok told you it was overkill and unnecessary for the wall but you downright refused to get as close as him, your stomach may not have been weak but you still wanted to keep the ramen you had ate hours before down, “Feels like a lifetime ago, I mean we were kids back then...I don’t really know how to feel anymore, my life’s become such a shit show I guess I should’ve anticipated something like this happening…”
Hoseok only shook his head, the dark brown hair brushing just at his eyebrows shaking as he hummed in thought, “Well it’s unexpected i’ll say that much. But maybe he can shed light on what’s going on.”
“Already tried, him and the other guy are working under Jungkook- who...I guess gave them orders to protect me…? Or something like that, I don’t know. Anyways Yoongi told me Jungkook wants me to hear everything from him so….” You shrugged before going back to wiping up the wall, most of the feces had been cleaned and you and Hoseok had opened up the windows in the room to get some ventilation going, even the smell wasn’t as strong anymore.
“I still don’t like it,” Hoseok frowned, typical of him to keep his standing view but you knew it only came from rationality, he just didn’t want you to get hurt, both by the unknown which you were faced with or by the men you had become invested in without realizing it, “But you’re gonna ignore me anyways, aren’t you?”
You finally set down the mop back down in the cart as Hoseok finished up tidying the room, plucking your drink from the cart as you gave it a long chug, “While I wish I could just ignore this and let it disappear off the face of the planet, you and I both know I can’t. This seems serious, and you are right, this is beyond us but that’s the point. If I really am somehow tangled up in this, I have to do something.”
Hoseok finally sighed in defeat, both know you wouldn't listen, and that ultimately you were right, you had to at least know what was going on at this point. And all of your questions pointed to Jungkook, “Just be careful,” you both exited the room while pushing the cart, you had just finished your last stretch of the third floor and only had to clean the first before you’d call it a day. Heading towards the elevator Hoseok continued, “So when do you plan on talking to him?”
You shrugged as you gave it some thought, the idea had been plaguing the back of your mind, that was the real question, you had already told yourself this was what you were doing. But actually doing it, actually facing Jungkook after what had taken place, it wouldn’t be easy. 
“I don’t know, I still feel like I need time to process everything, but I don’t really know if I can afford to do that. Seokjin made it feel imperative that I talk to him as soon as possible...I just don’t know if I can face him yet…”
You sighed while pinching the bridge of your nose. You could just imagine those large doe eyes pleading at you, acting as if he hadn’t killed someone, as if he hadn’t killed many. You weren’t sure you could face that yet, you genuinely weren’t sure if you could face that moral dilemma of whether to forgive him or not. 
Hoseok sent a look of sympathy your way as he gave your shoulder a squeeze, “I’m sure you’ll know when the time is right.” The doors slid open to the first floor as you both walked out. Sighing you nodded silently as you plucked your can up, drinking the last of its contents as Hoseok knocked on the first door only to find it was still in use. The first floor was the most active and was going to be the hardest to clean with everyone constantly using the rooms, it was a pain in the ass but it was at the very least, doable.
You both continued your journey for a vacant room until you paused at the sound of a voice, that voice, “I don’t care what it takes, keep his room on high profile until we get him to speak, nobody goes in, nobody goes out, clear?” 
The half empty Rockstar in your hand was almost crushed by your grip as your eyes met with Jungkook, who for whatever god forsaken reason he was here, just ended his short, snippy phone call. Whatever irritation he held on his face had melted away though, at the sight of you. 
You both stood there for a little over five seconds, as if just as shocked to see the other before he quickly reacted as his eyes honed in on your rough appearance, “Y/n.”
“Oh my god.” You sighed, turning to face away from him as you ran a hand through your hair, what had you done in this life to deserve this treatment? All you wanted was just a few more days to come to terms with what had happened? Why couldn’t you be granted, at least that?
“Y/n please, I know you don’t want to see me but can we just talk for a moment?” Jungkook’s voice called out quickly coming closer and just as you anticipated his tone was near pleading.
Why did you have to run into him here? Of all places? What was he even doing here? He had no business in a psych ward. 
“She doesn’t wanna see you, buddy.” Hoseok had practically jumped to your defense making you turn back around to see him standing in front of Jungkook, close to the same height but that didn’t make Jungkook’s cold icy glare any less daunting.
“Stay out of this,” Jungkook’s voice came out commanding sending a chill down your spine, his tone was so foreign and demanding as he continued with a bite, “And let me see her.”
Hoseok’s glare, wasn’t all too pleasant either as he almost growled at such a pompous kid really getting you involved in his messy shit. Before your friend could retort anything he’d later regret you sighed grabbing his arm.
“Hoseok, it’s fine.” You frowned, as he sent a glare also your way, one more in warning for you to not push yourself into doing this. But what choice did you have? He was here right now, he wanted to talk, and who knew? Maybe this would be your only chance at getting him to just tell you the truth.
He huffed but stepped aside, “Don’t be too long.” 
And with one last withering glare towards Jungkook, who gladly returned it he went back to the cart. And there alone you stood in front of the tall figure of one of the world’s youngest billionaires and murderer, Jeon Jungkook.
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Note: Hey loves! It’s so good to be back and thank you guys for being so patient with me! I just wanted to let you guys know that I will be posting again I just won’t be sticking to a rigid schedule so expect an update once every other week ish? Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed! Lots revealed this chapter....
Taglist: @sapphireprinces5 @jazzytfw @theslumberingcat @mrsfandomz @cainami @nininek12 @loveherpersona @expensive-bangtan-girl @yoongnysus @sugajinny @peachy-bhun @brokencrownqueen
(Let me know if you’d like to be added!)
130 notes · View notes
fairy-writes · 4 years
Text
So I binged RWBY season 7 today and made notes. Here are said notes and thoughts on the episodes!
So my notes will probably not be in any particular order because my brain hops from point to point and forward one and back three so sorry if it’s confusing!
Ep 1: 
Qrow’s voice actor gave me a heart attack, I forgot they changed his voice actor. I honestly thought I was watching Darker than Black or My Hero Academia with his voice.But I like it! Jason Liebrecht is one of my favorite voice actors!
James Ironwood makes me so sad because I love him and he’s trying his best.
I had a problem initially with the animation of the fight scenes, I think they just seemed too… smeared? I can’t quite place it but I had a hard time keeping up with what moves the characters were performing.
I wish I could have seen the tuning of Maria’s eyes! I was getting serious FMA vibes with automail and whatnot but I didn’t get to see the procedures Doctor Pietro performed!!
Oscar getting to fight was probably one of my favorite scenes, I love my farm boy and I’m hoping Ozpin comes back at some point!
I’m… conflicted on Penny returning… I mean, it makes sense that she would be rebuilt, but as something that had an impact on Ruby in the past with her being destroyed… they kind of just… brushed it off…
Ace Ops! I like them already! I got a request for someone from Ace Ops and I’m excited to get to know them all!
Also, I would have preferred it if RWBY went with security in the beginning (IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT EASIER), but they have to be rats and not do that so meh.
Also, Weiss is worried about being sent back to her dad. Call me dumb, but isn’t she a legal adult and doesn’t have to live with him if she doesn’t want to? Like? Legally she has a say?
Ep 2:
I have a feeling the Ace Ops are treated like pit bulls, have a bad rap and people either hate them or are terrified. But they are intensely loyal and are actually good people.
Ok ok ok, they want to see Ironwood, illegally mind you. By breaking in and sneaking in to see him. But the second they get caught (RIGHTFULLY SO, YOU ARE SNEAKING INTO A KINGDOM) and are taken to see him legally… they get all mopey and sad. JUST OBEY THE LAW PEOPLE
I don’t know why I’m so focused on the detail in everyone’s shoes. But I am.
Winter is in the right for being upset at Weiss. I WOULD BE TOO.
I AM SUPPORTING AND TRUSTING IRONWOOD, JUST SAYING THAT NOW
Ironwood’s plan makes sense, I do believe the people should know about Salem.
Also, why is Qrow all buddy buddy with Ozpin again? He was talking about him like he missed him, but I was under the impression that he hated Ozpin after learning his background.
WHY ARE YOU LYING TO IRONWOOD RUBY?! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU DIDN’T WANT WITH OZ. I can tell Ironwood knows something is off but he can’t tell what.
Not sure when to put this, but i hope they bring up everything with Adam, like I hope it is part of Blake’s and Yang’s character development.
Qrow getting a hug from Ironwood makes me happy, he needs some happiness and friends in his life!!
I like the Ace Ops, the guy with the wolf tail is going to be one of my favorites I can tell But I’m biased and like anything to do with dogs.
Ep 3:
UPGRADES TO THE WEAPONS YES
This leader of the Ace Ops is really cool, I like him but I can’t really get the image out of my mind that he probably plays soccer or something. Like a soccer dad or something.
The initial designs or Team RWBY looked cool in theory, but I don’t think they translate to the animation style very well. I’d have to say Ruby’s is probably my favorite, except for her hair. She looks like a duck. It looks like they were almost going for an Edward Elric or Meliodas style cowlick but it didn’t work out too well.
Again, wolf faunus guy is going to be my favorite.
The zippers of Blake’s costume is bugging me, just a note.
And Oscar bringing up the lying is great and I love it.
Not going to lie, Blake getting attacked by the Haunter looking grimm or whatever it was, gave me a big jump scare.
Centipede grimm… what’s 1000-7 anyone? No? Okay I’ll shut up.
I want Qrow and the leader of the Ace Ops to be friends, Qrow needs friends.
I LOVE THE ACE OPS ITS OFFICIAL
ALL OF THEM ARE MY CHILDREN
Also it’s really nice to see graduated huntsmen in action, working as a team and all. We really only have seen Qrow by himself but it’s cool to see a team in action!
Another speed semblance is awesome and I love it!!
Clover has a good luck semblance? Why is that so funny to me?
Also watching Marrow parade Ruby around is the epitome of cute.
DAMN IT TYRIAN DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT
Also, did they ever explain why his eyes turn purple?
Ep 4:
I like that the Ace Ops are civilized with each other but don’t act like best buddies. It’s a really cool change from the buddy buddy attitude of RWBY and JNR.
I’m still hating Jaune’s hair cut.
Yaaaaaaaaaaay murder!
I’m also not sure how I feel about Qrow’s outfit, it almost makes him look like a toy soldier.
And yaaaassss Ironwood bashing Jaques is one of the best things ever.
Also I think they’re forgetting the fact that Weiss is a legal adult?
And Papa Schnee is gaslighting Weiss, I hope people call that out.
He’s also threatening military personnel and Ironwood at that. You know that talk about the noose and stuff… Isn’t that illegal?
I can tell Penny is going to bug me, I really believe that she could’ve been written out.
Really dumb, but can Yang feel pain if she disconnects her arm? How does she move it? Is it like Fullmetal Alchemist’s automail?
I think Ozpin does trust others with the whole truth, not just himself. I think Qrow is lying to himself to make himself feel better.
I 100% believe Summer would have trusted in Oz and pressed on with what he had planned. But hey, that’s just me.
It still throws me off when Watts talks because he’s also All Might and those are two very different people.
I feel like they are trying to build tension by ending every episode with the villains, but that’s starting to get old and I’m only on episode 4
Ep 5: 
Ruby is a morning person and it’s already wearing me out.
This almost slice of life scene is really nice!
I like that it shows that team RWBY and JNR are really adept at fighting and all, but it also shows that Ace Ops are superior.
Nora riding her hammer like a Mario Kart is awesome
YAY NEON’S BACK
Also Neon, Oscar is like 14, back off
Ren is being sad boy and it makes me sad too.
Qrow and Clover having a minute to be friends is nice!
And how easily did Qrow give up drinking? That’s not really something you just… give up?
Robyn (Robin?) makes a good point, Mantle does need help and they aren’t getting it. But she’s going about it the wrong way.
Pipsqueak and 5 o’clock shadow are excellent nicknames.
Training between Winter and Weiss is really cool! I like the little sisterly bonding scenes are really sweet!
Weiss makes a good point, everyone is doing what they think is right, even if it doesn’t look like it.
I don’t like that they are keeping the Winter Maiden almost as a prisoner, but I can also see why he’s doing it the way he is. And the fact that Winter is accepting it the way she is is such a breath of fresh air from a classic hero’s arc she could’ve been put down.
I still trust Ironwood! That’s all I’m saying!
I also believe that Yang and Blake should branch out and work with others, not just each other. It isn’t healthy. Especially if the writers aren’t TALKING ABOUT ADAM.
PLEASE TALK ABOUT ADAM, THAT’S A HUGE TRAUMATIZING EXPERIENCE THAT THEY AREN’T TALKING ABOUT
Ep 6: 
Nora’s bringing up a point that is really important!! Maybe Ozpin couldn’t beat Salem but maybe someone else can! Maybe Ruby can once she gets a hold on her silver eyes!
Marrow is still my favorite, I love him so much.
The little sheep faunus that follows Robyn around is so cute. Her weapon is not so cute. But I love her anyway. I LOVE FAUNUS OKAY
I feel like Rooster Teeth is trying to push the subtle message of getting registered to vote and I’m lowkey cackling.
Okay, serious thing here. I love that Renora is a ship that sailed. Really I do, it’s probably my favorite RWBY ship. (though I like to think it sailed a while ago) But I feel like we didn’t really earn that kiss? Like I feel like it would have been better if they hadn’t argued and like it was a last ditch effort to stop said argument. I don’t know, I have a lot of feelings about it.
Watching Tyrian in action is super cool! The way he was animated is so fluid and mesmerizing and I really love it! Great job Rooster Teeth!!
Also Watts almost looked like a conductor and if that’s what Rooster Teeth is going for I applaud them. But also, on the funny side, it looks like he’s waving his arms around like a maniac.
Penny being framed is really neat, but why do I feel like it’s going to be brushed off?
Marrow telling everyone to stay is hilarious to me and I love it.
Papa Schnee pledging to serve while Grimm are attacking is a really cool parallel.
According to the end credits, I’m taller than Ruby… For once I’m taller than an anime character other than Edward Elric!
Ep 7:
Penny’s head pat is so cute.
I understand why Ironwood put the ban on assembly and the curfew up. It makes sense while they’re trying to catch Tyrian.
Also the semblance that gives someone the ability to turn things invisible?! Dude that’s so cool!!
Everything Ironwood and Ace Ops are saying makes sense. I can see how his mind is working and I can tell he’s just trying to keep everyone safe.
Also, where has Maria been? What has she been doing?
“Why can’t people do what they used to and fight to the death?” Maria I love you.
Blake being Batman over here, my goodness.
Blake using Dust with her semblance again! Finally!
Hahaha cutting off swearing is probably one of my favorite tropes.
James wanting to ask and talking to Ozpin hurts my heart. I just want Ozpin back!!
Seeing someone still messed up by the Fall of Beacon is really nice, everyone else seems to brush it off.
Ep 8:
I hate dinner parties… I have a feeling this won’t go well…
“Sir, with all due respect, you’d have to pay me.” OMG Winter I’m dead XD
I hope Weiss has a song in this like “This Life is Mine” I really really hope she does.
Also THIS IS THE PERFECT CHANCE TO HAVE FORMAL WEAR
I WANT TO SEE THEM IN FORMAL WEAR
Awww I liked Klein :(
Qrow and Clover’s friendship is so nice, I like it :)
Part of me wishes Whitley had a wardrobe upgrade. It would have been a nice change of color!
Oscar eating in the background is me in any social situation.
Why does every rich businessman have a long ass dining table? Seriously? Why?
Ren looks so proud of himself, also seeing Whitley doused in wine is hilarious. Also, purple really is his color!
Guys? Please let Ironwood talk? You want to know why but you keep interrupting him before he can get a word out.
YAS WINTER GO OFF ON HIM
It’s also a nice touch that all the people on Papa Schnee’s side has wine while everyone else has water, I don’t know if it was intentional but I noticed it and thought it was cool!
Weiss’s mom is very pretty! I’m also really glad to see Weiss actually talking to her mom. And seeing her mom trying to talk some sense into Weiss is really cool too. 
Ep 9: 
Ok ok, PLEASE STOP INTERRUPTING IRONWOOD! DIDN’T ANYONE TEACH YOU BETTER?!
Question about Robyn’s semblance, would it work with Ironwood’s prosthetic side?
“You are under arrest! Can I do that?” One of my favorite quotes in this show.
Please Winter, just sock Papa Schnee in the face.
Yes James, Robyn knows. Because people who CAN’T KEEP A SECRET TOLD HER
I forgot how much I love the designs of the bigger grimm, I mean. The other ones are fine. But the giant ones? Masterpieces
I’m starting to ship Robyn and Ironwood, they have the potential for ‘enemies to lovers’ kind of fanfictions.
“You aren’t alone.” OKAY RUBY HOW ABOUT YOU TELL HIM YOUR SECRETS?!
Stupid question I started thinking of, how much do Huntsmen get paid?
“Ugh kids” I feel you Marrow, I feel you
Please give Ironwood a break, he needs a vacation. Petition to give Ironwood a vacation!
The music, I keep forgetting how much I love the instrumental music in RWBY.
Aaaaaaaaand Neo and Cinder are back… no one saw this coming… BECAUSE IT WASN’T SET UP BEFORE
Writers of RWBY… please set up things like that little by little! Even if it was just something small, like a glimpse or something! Not just throwing them back in the story because of the potential conflict it would cause!
Ep 10: 
Yesssssss big strong queen on the Ace Ops!
The slow piano during Ironwood’s speech is really pretty. It’s giving me goosebumps!
Ironwood’s speeches are some of the best anime speeches I’ve ever heard, the music choice really helps make it so much more impactful.
“Our tin soldier’s heart has lost his mind.” Nice tin man reference!
“The timeline has changed.” Cinder are you a time traveler now?
HELL YEAH I’VE ALWAYS WANTED SOMEONE TO HAVE A BAZOOKA
Also, I think people forget just how terrifying elephants can be until they are RUNNING RIGHT AT YOU
Ruby this would be really nice if you would use your silver eyes right about now
Penny looked legit like someone out of Dragon Ball Z and it’s making me cackle.
The whole thing with Robyn, Qrow, and Clover vs Tyrian is something I’ve heard very vague things about and I’m not looking forward to it.
SUPERHERO LANDING BITCH
All Might vs Ironwood… I’M READY!!!
Ep 11: 
FINALLY AN IRONWOOD SONG
I’ll have to look at the lyrics after, but it’s really cool to see Ironwood in action!!
I mean we saw him in action back at the Fall of Beacon, but this is against another human being!
A detail I wish was added was Ironwood’s punches landing differently with half of his body being metal and the other half being flesh.
Also Ironwood… Please be okay, please don’t lose an arm…
The fight between Tyrian and the three was very short but very clean and nice!
Ironwood falling into paranoia is out of character in my opinion. But you know, just my opinion, the writers don’t seem to care about him much.
OH SHIT SALEM
“Set the stage for me.” You and what army?
RIGHT THE FLYING MONKEY ARMY I FORGOT
Summer Rose and the screaming is messing with my head.
Apparently it’s messing with Ruby’s too…
I don’t know why they’re so worried about Ironwood doing what he’s doing. It does make sense. And team RWBY’s choices are finally coming to bite them in the ass, it makes me happy!
Except for leaving Mantle to die, I think that’s the only thing I don’t like. But casualties are always a part of war.
Okay RWBY… you guys are a bunch of kids, and what’s your plan? You don’t have one! Ironwood came up with a plan against Salem! It does mean people are going to die and yes it’s sad, but people die a lot and more are going to be killed if you try and do something stupid and reckless.
But I’m anticipating that RWBY and Co. are going to win because of their protagonist powers.
Ep 12: 
Children children don’t fight. Though Tyrian is making me laugh.
I wish they all talked about it like civil adults, but I suppose Robyn is a bit too childish.
I want Ace Ops to win, but they won’t because protagonist powers and it kind of pisses me off.
You know, all Marrow has to do is use his semblance right?
As gross as it is, it’s kinda cool seeing how Tyrian got out of his restraints.
OK WHY IS HE TEAMING UP WITH TYRIAN?! It makes no sense? It would’ve made more sense if they both teamed up on Tyrian and then fought after, maybe they wouldn’t have had to fight because Qrow genuinely found a friend in Clover so he’d give up so he can also get to Ruby.
Also Blake and Yang probably broke her back.
Seeing Ruby go toe to toe with someone and only won because Weiss intervened was cool.
Aaaaaaaaand Ace Ops is down and I’m pissed.
AND NOW CLOVER IS DEAD?! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING ASSHOLE!!
TEAMING UP WITH A SERIAL KILLER AND EXPECTING HIM TO NOT KILL HIM IS LIKE EXPECTING SOMEONE NOT TO BREATHE.
Clover just wanted to trust Qrow. THAT’S ALL HE WANTED.
But not gonna lie, seeing Qrow cry still makes me upset. 
It seems like the writers are taking away anyone who either gets shipped with Qrow, or whoever he has a relationship with that isn’t RWBY. Ozpin? Gone. Ironwood? Pretty much estranged and not seeing eye to eye anymore. Tai? Who knows what’s happening with him.
Ep 13 (Finale): 
I’m not excited for the finale.
I’m really not.
But starting it off with a fight with Neo is a cool idea.
Seeing her fight using her umbrella is always one of my favorite things about her character.
And now a fight with Cinder vs Winter and Penny.
“It just makes us hungrier and I refuse to starve.” Really cool quote! Even though Cinder is probably one of my least favorite characters.
Winter using her summoning thing to make a manticore was super cool too!
Penny saving Winter, please tell me they become friends after this.
“My life doesn’t matter!” “I disagree!” Okay okay Penny gains one point in my character list for this quote.
Seeing Neo as Nora was cool, though I don’t understand why Ren was hesitating to attack her. They’ve surely spared before right? Like he shouldn’t hesitate that much? 
But him crying is really really sad.
YAS BOSS ASS BITCH WINTER MAIDEN OLD LADY
I really wish we could’ve seen her personality more, she seems really nice.
Though I gotta say, her exploding with power was really epic.
Ren please don’t scream, it hurts my heart.
Please don’t make Penny the winter maiden. If she becomes the maiden then I’m going to riot.
DAMN IT SHE’S THE MAIDEN
That pose Oscar, you’re becoming Ozpin. And I miss my wizard. I want him to come back.
Him using the cane as an actual cane because he’s injured is really cool. Plus the fact that he draws so much comfort from Ozpin’s cane is so sweet.
Ironwood is going down a dark path because the writers want him to and it’s pissing me off to no end.
SHOOTING OSCAR ISN’T IN CHARACTER FOR IRONWOOD OKAY?!
Winter cutting off Cinder’s arm is one of the best things in this episode
OZPIN IS BACK AND THAT’S ALL I CARE ABOUT
Now Ruby decides to use her silver eyes?
OZPIN IS BACK BITCHES
Literally all I care about is Ozpin coming back, though the song is pretty I guess. 
Part of me is happy Qrow is arrested.
Winter forcing Weiss and Co to run is really sweet and touching in her own way. She just wants her sister to be safe.
Cinder ticks me off, she’s very childish and if that’s supposed to be the point it’s working. She’s not really all that intimidating
Now Salem has a flying whale? Is this a reference to the whale that swallowed Pinocchio? 
OSCAR HAS MAGIC
OZPIN IS BACK
I WILL NOT STOP FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS
That’s all my thoughts on this season of RWBY! Thanks for reading if you got this far! And my requests are OPEN for male rwby character x reader requests!
fairytailwzard over and out!~
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starkendgame · 5 years
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okay so i saw endgame twice last weekend
there’s spoilers ahead y’all so i suggest scrolling on by if u haven’t watched
anyways
here are my thoughts and they’re all over the place so
- first hawkeye scene was already so sad also do i sense a kate bishop??
- tony teaching nebula how to play paper flick football was the so cute i love their dynamic
- also seeing how caring nebula was during that time oh man i am soft
- okay but how did carol just happen to come across tony and nebula’s ship???? like there’s a whole universe,,, and she just found it??
- “i lost the kid” had me ready to cry so fast
- rocket responding to being called a build-a-bear with “maybe i am” snsksjkd
- tony’s snap at cap was so valid and i think he needed to let all that out and cap really needed to hear that
- also i like that they gave him credit for his warning that the world needed a suit of armor because it shows some dummies that he created ultron with good intentions
- support group cap is a good concept and also kinda sad bc we know sam was also a support group leader
- this is an unpopular opinion and people will definitely disagree with me but carols new haircut was not doing things for her
- nat crying over clint made me big sad especially the second time around
- honestly i really liked nat in this movie more than others, her character really shows some depth
- i swear i’m going to get 3000 tattooed on me somewhere that shit HURTED
- on that note morgan stark is the most adorable little girl i’ve ever seen and dad!tony deserved to be a concept for more than 5 years (or 5 minutes from an audience point of view)
- like if you didn’t hear “define lunch or be desintagrated” and immediately melt ur a liar
- scott running around the vanished memorial in panic is :(
- okay cassie looks way to old for just a 5 year time jump im sorry someone had to say it
- hulk/banner is so fucking weird it’s so uncomfortable but also it didn’t bother me to the extent where i wanted it changed bc it was pretty funny
- also him giving scott tacos had me rolling
- thor bod is okay and i think shitting on him for it is mean we all acknowledged that he’d been through a lot after infinity war
- “shit”
- tony inventing time travel super casually? iconic.
- tony also creating a gauntlet in a hot second even though thanos had to fatty go to nidavellir and use some special ass metal to get his? even more iconic.
- all the domestic scenes where the avengers just sit around trying to figure out where to make their jumps and nat with her little notepad and bruce going “shut the front door” all of it was so good
- alright here’s the tea the thor we know and love would not just ignore loki when he went back in time he’d have exactly the same reaction as when his mother showed up
- their whole relationship that was built in ragnarok just fucking died and i refuse to accept that
- also seeing loki made me very happy and very sad i miss that dramatic little bitch
- also i love frigga
- america’s ass
- literally imagine checking out ur own ass and being like “damn,,” while ur friends also do the same
- “i can do this all day” “yeah i know” was solid fucking comedy even he’s tired of it
- “hail hydra” was also so good that bitch really took full advantage of being from the future he was so proud of himself
- i feel like nebula perhaps could have warned nat and clint about vormir but idk
- nat is so fucking important and deserved better, no memorial? no funeral? really?
- honestly and this is a problematic opinion but i wish it was clint and not nat because marvel wasnt doing enough with his character anyways and nat was such an integral part of the team in so many ways and it’s kind of terrible that i think this bc clint has a family but nat was honestly the heart of the team
- but she did so good and i’m proud of her she really died a hero’s death and she needs recognition
- the broken shield like how it was in tony’s vision is rough
- cap lifting mjolnir??????? Wack
- shuri yesssss i really hope she has a bigger role later in the avengers but im upset tony didn’t get to meet her he would’ve loved her :(
- the scene when everyone came back and it was just everyone in one place was such an experience like man the goosebumps
- also seeing peter for the first time back made my heart swell i love that boy
- tony and pepper iron couple is everything i needed thank you
- tony and petey reunion <3
- but also i felt like peters lines during their reunion were a just the slightest bit odd but that’s just the script not toms acting
- scott looking at hope when she calls steve “cap”
- the fact that cap called peter “queens” is really cute and overlooked also pepper calling him “kid” like tony does
- the girl team up WHEW chile can i tell u i was smiling so big that shit had me SHOOK at first but then it occurred to me how unlikely it is that they would all end up in the same spot and that was completely there just to make fans have the exact reaction we’re all having and so they could score brownie points i’m sorry i had to say it
- okoye is hands down the most badass woman out there no powers no armor no shield no suit no fancy tech she’s just out there kicking ass with her spear and i appreciate her
- also this might be dumb but if carol is the strongest of all of them, why couldn’t she use the gauntlet and perhaps survive
- also it’s just stupid that they acted that carol was going to be such a big part of the movie but she was there for maybe 2 hot seconds
- seeing that crusty purple small dick grape finally get dusted was all kinds of satisfying
- “we won mr stark” “i’m sorry tony” and “you can rest now” fucking destroyed me thanks
- i’m going to fucking miss tony so much i’ve cried so much
- he’s literally been my favorite superhero for 11 years Fuck
- proof that tony stark has a heart also destroyed me bitch i am GRIEVING
- who’s gonna make the abnoxious sarcastic witty comments now Bitch the mcu lost so much with the death of tony stark
- also i really hope they show peter having some issues after all this i think it’s only realistic there’s a lot of trauma he went through
- harleyyyyyyy :)
- cheeseburgers :(
- also speaking of harley can he pick up the genius invention slack in the future i think that’d be so good
- queen brunnhilde <3 ur gonna do great
- where’s gamora?? also her timeline has got to be super fucked up now
- is thor gonna be in guardians 3??
- also it’s a bit upsetting that even with the snap that brought everyone back, half thor’s people are still dead bc they died before the snap
- ned and petey reunion <3
- caps ending has me a little conflicted because yes it’s nice that he got his happy life and everything but i am gonna be one of those people who thinks it’s a bit out of character
- also if i’m being honest, tony and caps endings should’ve been switched i feel like, tony really needed to be able to have his happy ending and stop blaming himself and living with that guilt i think he deserved that closure and also having that character on standby for future movies seems super useful to push some plots forward?
- and with cap his whole thing was that he really wasn’t supposed to live past that plane crash and i felt like if his character was gonna go out it would be the way that tonys did bc i mean the man stood up in front of a whole freakin army before he knew help was coming
- that aside i think bucky should’ve gotten the shield, mostly because i think that’s only fair but also sam already has falcon, but all bucky has is the winter soldier and that has all types of bad shit attached to it so idk i think to make him captain would’ve been better
- i do think bucky knew what cap was gonna do he literally said “i’m gonna miss you” before he left even though he was supposed to have been back in 5 seconds his time and he didn’t look freaked out at all when he didn’t also he told sam to go ahead and talk to steve that bitch Knew
- also the sun didn’t fucking shine and i’m pissed they completely fucking desreguarded his entire monologue in that scene
- if tony and nat don’t get big ass memorial statues im going to sue
- also i hope peter and morgan have a cute sibling relationship please it’s what we need
- the sound of the first iron man suit being built at the end really got me and it was only 2 seconds of Sound
- but i wish we got an actual end credit scene like scenes with tony and morgan or something that teases far from home or some homage to the A6 idk it was underwhelming to not have a scene
- also i can’t watch any marvel movies now without being REALLY sad so there’s that i’m a little bit of a disaster
- i think overall this movie overlooked a lot of development that went on before hand and in that sense i think it lost a lot, but in terms of how the story went down i think it was good there was just a few things i wish they added (thor and loki ahem ahem) and honestly the movie should’ve been longer w an interlude but it was good + worth the watch i’m just a huge emotional wreck
- (also a side note: i’ve seen some people questioning why others are so upset over these fictional characters and it’s because yes we have attachments to the characters but also the actors, and after the characters die the actors won’t be in any more of these movies and we won’t see any more of their content or interaction with the rest of the cast and that shit is sad we’re gonna miss them so there are some tears)
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kaix-maxi · 5 years
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why you should love nikaidou yamato
i love the drunk onii-san of i7, he’s literally hilarious,,, ANYWAYS, why should you love nikaidou yamato?? well if you don’t already, i’m about to tell you now!
one, yamato is the leader of i7!! he literally takes care of everyone, especially the underage group,,, he prepares lunches for them!! he even sticks cute flags into tamaki and iori’s lunchboxes, like that’s literally the sweetest imo,,, he acts like some old geezer that’s not interested in putting in effort and wants to take it easy, but he does all this,,, -cue tamaki voice- ty yama-san.
ALSO,,, please don’t forget the time i7 danced outside trigger’s live tour (after the ban was lifted)! they ended up getting in trouble so tsumugi decided she was going to go off to apologise, and smack bang! yamato is outside!! he knew tsumugi was going to get her head blown off, and decides to come with her, saying he’s the leader of i7 and he should also take some of the responsibility of i7 deciding to dance outside!! he’s literally such a big supporter of i7
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and that leads straight onto my second point!! two! yamato is so supportive of i7 in general,,, like first and foremost, remember at the audition? he was going to drop out because he was going to let the people that actually had dreams go and try to achieve them! like it went straight to everyone else, then himself in that moment,,, what a good boy
also please don’t forget that he is so weak-willed to honest and hardworking kids like riku and mitsuki! and ok ok, he is honestly super weak to mitsuki,,, like it’s occasionally mentioned in the story that when yamato sees mitsuki working super hard, he actually wears this super upsetting expression because he’s in this for revenge, whereas mitsuki’s dream was to be an idol since he was a kid. he has a big heart.
and remember the king’s game?? he just wanted tsumugi’s lap pillow and then,,, he just gets riku. and he’s like “ahhh i want out“ but riku’s just so happy about getting chosen that he relents and decides to use riku as a lap pillow despite how much he doesn’t want to (i mean cmon look at his face, does that look like a face of willingness? yes but look at how happy he’s making riku) he’s so important in making i7 happy
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three, despite how much he cares, he’s so lazy,,, i mean, isn’t that the biggest mood?? if you can’t relate to liking to take it easy,,, i beg you to take a break and just,,, rest,,, like please.,.,.,,., have you just seen him become the laziest human, holding a can of beer in one hand and is just like “you should do what you like on days off” yamato i approve
and yamato doesn’t even want to clean his room, have you seen his pet robot cleaner (roomba) musashi? he treats it like his actual pet though! he even wipes it clean and takes care of it,,, like yamato is so wholesome in everything he does?? and plus, don’t forget that his ideal date is a ‘stay-at-home date’ because he’d prefer being with them in general, rather than going out to places
four, he is incredibly skilled! he learns choreography faster than everyone else and his expressiveness is better than anyone else and he’s extremely observant as well! remember when mitsuki was just like “well crap, idk why i can’t dance as well as the others?? i’m doing everything that the others are doing but i can’t???” and then yamato jumps in. he’s just like “you’re shorter than everyone else (savage yamato strikes again) so your strides will be smaller, that’s why you’ve got to make longer strides to compensate (for your short height mitsu)” and then mitsuki’s just so happy that yamato was able to pinpoint the problem!!
also let’s not forget the music fest incident! when everyone else was lagging behind, super confused and everything, yamato (and nagi) was still smiling and able to dance properly!
plus, his expressiveness! that is one of his best qualities as an actor and an idol! he can actually act really well, even emitting certain auras like bloodlust. like he’s nailed everything about acting, he is practically a god at it! (idk what else to say here so i’m moving onto the next point,,, best face ever though)
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five! let’s not forget how much of a secret worrywart yamato is!! during a rabbit chat (i believe it was the goodnight awesome ones but please don’t trust my memory) he emitted a bloodlust aura to mitsuki when they had to act, and then mitsuki started avoiding him (because he lowkey got scared of yamato). because of that, yamato started getting upset and just says to tsumugi “mitsu’s avoiding me and idk why, this is making onii-san sad”! and then he just gets so happy and relieved when mitsuki starts talking to him again!
let’s not forget when tamaki got into a fight with gaku? yamato just started seeing red, and grabbed gaku and is just “what’re you doing to our tama?!” he’s the true overprotective dad
he’s literally takapapa #2 when it comes to yaotome gaku. he makes sure gaku can’t hit on tsumugi, he’s like “stay away from our manager”, he is so overprotective of everyone!! (omg please look at the rabbit and ribbon yamato has on him)
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but he’s also like this,,, please make up your mind nikaidou yamato (although he knows his boundaries too because like, on his bday, he’s just like [to the manager] “want to go out in secret? jkjk tonight, onii-san’s lovers are the fans”)
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six, anyone that wears glasses should be able to relate to this! yamato cannot see anything without his glasses which is why he noped outta there when nagi tried taking his glasses (”nagi, onii-san needs this to survive in life”). and yamato has canonically confirmed that glasses are,,, his identity lmao!! when someone told him to take off his glasses during sougo’s rabbit parka chat i think, he was literally “are you trying to negate my identity?” it’s hilarious
i found that so funny omg can we not forget the fact that his king pudding chibi literally has glasses like him.,.,.,.,.,.,.,
seven, speaking of yamato’s identity/ image, it’s so important for him to remain inconspicuous (which i guess is also one of the reasons why he doesn’t want to do acting [the main reason is very spoilery so i’m keeping that out of here for now])!! like mitsuki asked yamato to see his family and yamato just instantly went sour and made a bitter laugh THEN there was also the one time he yelled at nagi for asking him about who this acquaintance he met up with was (and then he felt bad right after)
truly yamato, you are more than just a ‘little mysterious’, you are hella shady
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eight, he is part of the wholesome pythagoras trio. let me, once again, elaborate to you how much yamato cares that he’ll go to hell and back for everyone in i7! if you’ve seen yamato’s unit rabbit chats, you’ll know what i mean,,, he was literally like “uwaaaa here they come, here they come” each time nagi or mitsuki was coming at him, because they basically,,, destroyed him! nagi was hugging him so much he thought he couldn’t breathe while mitsuki is destroying each and every one of his bones #ripyamato
nine! i don’t really ship anyone together in i7, but apparently, he’s shipped with almost everyone so +1 for nikaidou yamato for compatibility!!
IT’S ALL SPOILERS HERE SO BEWARE!!
i headcanon that he learns choreography faster than anyone else since he used to have to remember drama scripts and stage directions to be a part of movies and stuff,,, i guess he would be dragged into that considering his father is a pretty big and famous actor; chiba shizuo
anyways!! yamato literally became an idol just for revenge,,, like he is HELLBENT on getting revenge on his father,,, like i dont remember why he hates his father (i think it was because yamato was a secret love child?? and he was mad about that when he found out) but you know what stops him from exacting his revenge?? he’s worried about ruining idolish7!! literally i7 stops him. he is truly a supporter of i7,,, so good
he ends up getting these nightmares about basically everyone looking at him, and they’re just like “are you satisfied now yamato?? you screwed us over for your revenge, i hope you’re happy”
not exactly a good thing, but yamato is NOT afraid to screw things up,,, he literally strangled yuki at one point when he (yuki) was pushing on all of yamato’s buttons #ripyuki
also to expand on yamato being weak to mitsuki, he’s in this for revenge so i believe his original intention was once they get famous, he’s gonna screw crap up for chiba shizuo on the news or something, which also means he’s going to turn everyone’s idol career into complete dust and ashes - which also means killing mitsuki’s childhood dream which has finally come true (which is also why he gets this super sad expression i’d think)
BUT OK i need to end this because i am once again, getting laggy from how much content is on this one post -wheezes- but yes, i hope you appreciate nikaidou yamato a little more than you already did, have a yamato to conclude
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mightylauren · 5 years
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Avengers Endgame SPOILER FILLED Thoughtstream
Pretty much a blow by blow reaction stream straight from my mind in list form of the entire movie from beginning to end. Clearly full of spoilers so it’s below the cut and tagged to death. There’s some all caps screaming. A few keyboard smashes. A fair amount of cussing. Probably a fair amount of typos as I typed this while totally not rewatching it in the comfort of my home. 
Totally not.
I don’t really expect anyone to read all of this but it was all festering in my mind and now it’s out. 
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SERIOUSLY I SPOIL LIKE EVERYTHING BELOW THE CUT DON’T CLICK IT UNLESS YOU’RE SURE YOU WANT TO SEE IT.
Who put’s mayo on a hotdog?
Oh man hawks didn’t even see it happen nooo. I knew we were opening with Barton family dusting but ouch.
Tony calling Nebula the blue meanie!
Nebula refusing the last of the food and making Tony eat it makes me love her even more. 
Tony somehow keeps his sense of humor even in the face of death. God I love him. I know he’s gonna make it off this ship.
HA, that Internet joke about Carol showing up right after the trailer scene is true. That’s hilarious.
They never explain how Carol knew to look for them, but I’m going to guess she came to earth ala the scene after Captain Marvel and then went back out to see if she could find him.
Or she got REALLY lucky
I’m unclear does Nebula need oxygen and food? Or just significantly less than a full on human? She seems much better off than him.
Steve shaving did we miss seeing the beard one last time by like seconds? rude.
OMG Rocket sitting down and taking Nebula’s hand. The last of their family. Everyone else gone. My heart is aching.
23 days so we’re less than a month past Vanishing Day
Ha Tony calling Rocket Build a Bear is my first genuine laugh this movie.
I honestly was dying on the inside the whole time Tony is losing his shit on Cap. I mean he needed to say it all but seeing how sick he is and falling apart. He rips off his reactor and hands it over then collapses.
My heart.
Rhodey man. “That’s cute, Thanos has a retirement plan.”
Man this is the least planning they’ve ever done before a mission. They’re just gonna pack up, hop in a space ship and go kill Thanos? Cool. Coolcoolcool.
Okay it’s pretty good to see a lot of that trailer stuff is from very early on in the movie.
“Who here hasn’t been to space? You better not throw up on my ship.” XD
How does this big ass planet that can clearly sustain life have no life on it? Just Thanos some birds and some Meiloorun fruit?
That’s a Star Wars reference for those of you who don’t cross fandom lines.
So his snapping arm looks completely borked.
OH SHIT THEY CAME IN SWINGING
FUCK THOR CHOPPED OFF HIS ARM DAMN
ASDFKSAJDOFIUA THE STONES ARE GONE
Wait why is Banner still not Hulking out? How is that suit still running?
Damn he destroyed the stones. He knew they’d come.
DAMN THOR WENT IN HARD.
We are like twenty minutes in and Thanos is dead? I… what?
*crumples up and throws away all predictions she had before going into the movie
FIVE YEARS LATER?!?
FIVE
FIVE YEARS
I should have brought a paper bag to breath into.
Okay there’s the support group. Yup a lot of the footage from trailers and stuff is front loaded at the beginning of this. Which is good, because no clue where this is genuinely going.
Did… did a rat just bring Ant-Man back? A rat?
Shit how long has it been for him?
Oh wait, he’s looking for his people maybe not that long.
P-professor Chang?
Can you imagine how disorienting this all is for Scott? Pops out five years after a tragedy like the snap with no idea what the hell is happening.
My sister literally turned to me and said “no trash service but they built a monument?”
Valid question. Very valid. 
OMG CASSIE IS ALL GROWN UP I CAN’T.
I don’t think he fully realized how much time had passed until he saw his daughter.
“You’re so big” just made me tear up a little.
I just had a baby daughter four months ago. So I’m trying not to imagine what it would be like to vanish along with a bunch of other people and then turn back up five years later.
CAROL’S HAIR.
I’m sorry some of this is probably going to be completely incomprehensible unless you’ve seen the movie it just needs venting.
I am liking that they’re all reporting to Nat. That Rocket and Nebula are clearly teamed up.
OMG rocket made a joke about the haircut and Carol called him Fur Face
In case you didn’t know I have a ridiculous love for Rocket so I’m just glad he’s got a support system right now with almost the entirety of his found family dusted.
Capt. Marvel is basically saying she’s out for most of this movie isn’t she? I guess that makes sense she’s OP as hell.
Rhodey is tracking Clint but reluctantly. Clint’s clearly gone off the deepens a bit. Vigilante. Nat isn’t taking it well. Oh no she’s crying. 
This movie is gonna kill me.
I’m trying to imagine seeing a pod of whales in the Hudson River and I can’t imagine it. 
Okay so I’m guessing Scott’s about to turn up covering another major point from the early trailers. Yes yes yes. This is good.
Nat explaining that the Avengers gave her a family and a life and made her feel like she was a better person. Oh girl. You’ve done enough. It’s okay.
HA THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES ARE PRICELESS
Scott doesn’t know science. He’s trying so hard. We need the Science Bros. Where are they?
FIVE HOURS
FIVE FUCKING HOURS?
HE WAS IN FOR FIVE HOURS AND LOST FIVE YEARS????
“Scott, I get e-mails from a raccoon so nothing seems crazy anymore.” LFAO
Tony has a daughter I’m dying. It had to be a little girl. 
Wait is he serious about eating crickets on lettuce? He might be this is semi post-apocalyptic.
Tony does not look happy to see them.
YES LET’S PULL A TIME HEIST. Tony isn’t feeling this but I am.
Oh, Scott, honey. Back to the Future? 
Though Tony your protege Peter used movies to make plans all the time. Maybe it’s not that laughable.
Okay I would die for his daughter. “Mommy sent me out here to save you.” Don’t think you were supposed to just say that outloud kiddo but props on a successful mission.
I know Tony too well for this. He’s saying no, because he loves his family. He needs his family. He’s scared to lose his family.
But now this idea is going to itch at the back of his brain aching to be solved.
Come on Tony lets go back to the future and pull off a time heist.
Hulk in glasses and a sweater is was not even on my theory bingo card what is happening. Is this his diner? They had to find him so he’s clearly not working for Nat right now. I have so many questions.
This whole thing with the kids is awkward. 
Come to think of it I have questions about how the infrastructure that is supporting things like cell phone networks is still functioning after the vanishing. Maybe because it’s been five years.
Is Nat flirting with Banner to get him to help?
Tony looking at a picture of Peter he’s got to try.
OH MY GOD HE GOT IT IN ONE EVENING.
EVEN HE LOOKS SURPRISED.
SHIT! 
I’m glad there is laughter in this movie and it’s not entirely heavy. I mean it’s Marvel I should have known.
He calls his daughter Little Miss. And she just extorted a juice pop out of him. I love Dad Tony. 
This is gonna hurt later I just know it. I can feel it in my gut.
“I love you 3000” My heart.
I’m glad that Tony is just going to have a straight up honest conversation with his wife about this.
He’s grown so much.
Oh Pepper, she’s telling him to do it. There’s some unsaid deep communication happening in this conversation. Bless this pair so much. She’s going to let him go and he’s going to go even though his gut his telling him that the road is not going to end well for him.
That’s why he wants to put it in a lock box and drop it to the bottom of a lake.
This is just so damn good so far. No complaints yet.
I kind of love this Hulk. He has no idea what he’s doing here but I love him. He’s like only half taking this seriously.
BAHAHAHA THIS TEST. HE comes back as a baby and Hulk is like “He’ll grow” I mean he’s not wrong but not the right answer buddy.
Another genuinely funny scene. 
“TIME TRAVEL!” With his hulk arms held wide.
Tony is literally speeding in his car there. Cap doesn’t even look that surprised.
Oh this is the Tony and Steve getting back on the same page moment I’ve been waiting for. I love it. I really love it.
HE BROUGHT THE SHIELD.
I love that it was in the trunk buried under kids stuff.
Tony is back and I love it even if I’m scared it’s gonna mean his end.
“Rhodey, careful on reentry theres an idiot in the landing zone.” As if I couldn’t love Nebula more in this movie.
Wait “New Asgard Please Drive Slowly” just threw me for a total loop. Good to know all the Asgardians didn’t actually die in that ship.
VALKYRIE!!!!
She’s like not acknowledging the Raccoon LMFAO
Holy hell what is happening here. Oh man Thor what have you done to yourself.
Actually, I get it. 
Are they playing Fortnite? 
This whole scene is super surreal right now. 
I actually kinda dig it but I did NOT see it coming. This movie has gone places I never would have predicted.
Thor kept strong for so long. He lost so much. He got all the way to the point where he’d done all he could think. He killed Thanos and there was no way to undo all that could be done so he just settled and existed. He drank and played video games with his buddies.
I get it.
Rocket just lured him onto the ship with beer. 
Was good to see Korg and Miek are alive. And there for them in their own ways.
RONIN ALERT.
Oh dude he’s just fucking people up does he even have a bow with him?
Nat waited until there was some way to undo the snap before reaching out to him. She’s just been silently tracking him waiting for a good reason to bring him in. 
In a matter of seconds Tony calls Thor “Lebowski” and Rocket “Ratchet” and I have always lived for his dumbass nicknames. 
Lebowski Thor is officially what I’m referring to this iteration of Thor.
Oh look a classic time travel trope a limit in the number of trips they can make. Makes sense though, Hank Pym was always very protective of how to make the particles so they only have what was made before the Vanishing.
I love the team debating how time travel really works. Listing all the time travel movies. Bill and Ted even snuck into the list. 
Not sure sending Clint back for the test was the best choice this is gonna be rough.
Okay he started to lose it at the end but he made it.
YES brainstorming session this’ll be fun.
Tony’s gentle handling of Thor says a lot. Tony’s been to rock bottom and recognizes the symptoms. At the same time I laughed when he offered breakfast and Thor said no he wanted a Bloody Mary.
ROCKET CALLING SCOTT AN EXCITED PUPPY BAHAHAHA
Nebula is so dramatic I’m here for it. 
Laying all over the desk brainstorming for Nat to finally figure out that there are three stones in one place at one time. This is the content I came for.
TIME HEIST LETS GO.
And just like that its 2012 this is surreal.
LMFAO HULK DOESN’T WANT TO SMASH.
Interesting seeing what the Ancient One was doing during the battle of New York. On a roof defending the sanctum from Chitauri.
OH SHIT SHE JUST PUSHED BANNER’S SOUL OUTA HIS HULK BODY
I didn’t see that coming.
Just a glimpse of Loki. :-(
It was almost cruel to send Thor to Asgard to do this. I mean someone had to go with Rocket, but damn this is tough to watch.
DAMN Rocket smacked him. And also just called Mantis “the chick with the antenna”. Pep talk’s not bad but Thor is crying I don’t think he can do this.
I don’t know why they want to do it that way anyway, Jane would have taken one look at him and known it was the wrong Thor.
Wait… they’re sending Nat and Clint to Vormir… oh God… oh no…
Okay so that’s going to suck in a few minutes lets just put a pin in that.
Nebula you waited a bit to tell Rhodey that there’s another you out there looking for the same infinity stone you’re there to fetch. 
Oh look its like just barely pre-Guardians Gamora, Nebula, and unfortunately Thanos.
I have a bad feeling about this.
OH SHIT I HAVE A VERY BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS.
Turns out two Nebula’s in one place is bad voodoo. She’s seeing video from the other Nebula which means THANOS can see video from the other….
Yeah this is all gonna go bad.
HAHAHA Tony just checked out Steve’s ass. 
AMERICA’S ASS!!!
It’s hard to remember that this shit is going to fall apart when I’m laughing.
Tony just flicked Ant-Man to his target and all I can think about is Gimli an “toss me” from LOTR.
Is Cap about to fuck up a bunch of people in the elevator again?
STEVE YOU SNEAKY BASTARD YOU JUST HAIL HYDRA’D AND STOLE THE SCEPTER.
2012 Time heist is about to hit a hiccup isn’t it. OH MAN they just gave Tony a heart attack.
LOKI NO
I mean yes but no. Loki just nicked the Tesseract and dipped with it. 2012 Loki is just gone.
There’s like timeline repercussions there. Not entirely sure what they are but there will be repercussions.
Cap fighting himself! CAP CHECKING OUT HIS OWN ASS!
Man the Time Heist is so rapid fire there’s too much to absorb.
“I’m totally from the future.” - Lebowski Thor breaking a law of time travel
Thor’s heart to heart with his mom is giving me feels. He needed this.
YES MJOLNIR IS COMING WITH HIM!
Ok it’s never occurred to me how ridiculous Quill would look dancing around without the music. That’s hilarious.
AH SHIT THANOS KNOWS AND HE’S THERE AND THIS IS WHERE IT GOES TO SHIT.
NEBULA </3
It’s so good seeing Steve and Tony back on the same page trusting each other. And clearly completely throwing Scott “Piss-Ant” Lang for a loop. 
I didn’t expect a detour to the 70’s. AAAND that’s his Dad. Tony’s just run into his own father. 
This movie is a roller coaster I’ll tell ya.
This is all mush if you’ve read this far you deserve an award. Or a sticker. One of those.
What a weird decision to have Tony have this whole meet up with his father here. And now Steve is taking refuge in Peggy’s office. Like this is almost mean to do this to these two. 
Why is it the Russo’s never could decide if Steve had gotten over Peggy or not gotten over Peggy. Back and forth and back again. I take it we aren’t going to see the niece at all in this one?
Alright boys lets get the hell out of the 70s this felt like a weird trip without the drugs.
Damn Nebula why is past you such a bitch when I love present you so much. I know I know that’s because you grew and what not but shit I don’t know what you and Thanos are about to do but it’s about to suck.
FUCK I FORGOT ABOUT VORMIR BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH GOING ON
I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready for this. I don’t want either of them to die. This sucks. No No no no onoanfnaondaksldfj;lasdkja;
God we’re going to have to literally watch them fight over which one is going to sacrifice themself.
Here it is, I’m crying now. Me and Barton are just going to cry here in this puddle if you need us. 
They’re all back, except Nat. Which means that’s the wrong damn Nebula and no one notices because NO NAT. Shit. Shit shit.
This movie is going to give me a heart attack.
“Did she have any family?” “Yeah. Us.” :’-(
Okay Thanos like fucked up a whole mining community and shut down a star afterwards to forge a gauntlet to put the stones in and here’s Tony Stark plopping them into like an Iron Man armor piece like its nothing.
Looks sleek too. I dig it.
And they’re all too busy with the glove to notice fucking Nebula. SHIT. 
Man it’s hurting Hulk just to WEAR the damn thing. Thanos was just strolling around wearing it, which doesn’t bode well considering I see Nebula is bringing Thanos here. 
Cool. That’s cool. This is fine. 
How long of a moment of joy are they going to get. Clint’s wife is calling. Birds are singing. Shit is inches from a fan.
THERE’S THE SHIT. HOLY SHIT HE’S BLOWING AVENGERS HQ COMPLETELY OFF THE MAP NOOOOOOO
There’s like a whole hour left. Tell me they all survived that. I was not ready. I WAS NOT READY.
Oh here’s that shot of Hawkeye in the tunnel. Much later in the movie than a lot of those trailer shots. Fascinating. 
So 2014 Thanos is here with his whole crew and there’s a complete gauntlet here. Shit.
Well, they’re all alive. They’re not together entirely but they’re all alive.
Double wielding dad bod Thor just braided his beard with lightning and I’m here for it.
The stakes are at maximum. Now Thanos wants to destroy it all not just half. So failure here can never be undone there won’t be anyone to Avenge anything if he gets the gauntlet this time. That’s not terrifying at all.
Fuck that’s the wrong Nebula. BUT THERE’S THE RIGHT NEBULA WITH GAMORA.
Clint is like in the middle of this stand off like “wtf is happening I should have kept my hands on the glove”
Nebula just killed her own past self. And she didn’t vanish so no Back to the Future rules here for sure.
Damn Thanos is giving the boys a run for their money even without a single stone. 
Shit is Thor gonna die?
HOLY SHIT CAP HAS THE HAMMER AND THE THEATER JUST MIGHT EXPLODE FROM THE SOUNDS OF THE AUDIENCE SCREAMING ABOUT THIS.
Damnit Thanos is calling in the whole army. Cap is like the last one standing on the front line and he’s not backing down because he’s Captain “America’s Ass” America. Thor is down Iron Man is down. The others are trying not to drown. Shit.
OMG ON YOUR LEFT I JUST MIGHT CRY.
HOLY SHIT ITS EVERYONE I’M CRYING. 
PEPPER FUCKING POTTS IS HERE AS RESCUE HOLY SHIT.
TALK ABOUT THE CALVARY RIDING IN AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND HOLY HELL.
HE’S GONNA FUCKING SAY IT
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
It’s a good thing they sound proof these theaters now or you’d hear this across town the audience is going fucking nuts.
There’s too much to touch on all this chaos I’ll hit the highlights because it’s so much.
Pepper and Tony fighting back to back.
Thor and Steve switching weapons, Thor telling him to keep “the little one” aka Mjolnir.
Tony and Peter reuniting and the hug.
Quill seeing Gamora and it’s the wrong Gamora and actually that broke my heart a little bit because his Gamora is gone forever.
Playing hot potato with the gauntlet.
Scarlet Witch fucking Thanos up to the point he panics and starts firing on his own troops to get her off of him.
Spider getting the gauntlet and for the first time ever activating instant kill on purpose.
Peter becoming the hot potato along with the Gauntlet.
OMG ROCKET FOUND GROOT AND HE’S BODILY BLOCKING HIM FROM FIRE MY HEART.
When the ships started firing up my sister elbowed me and legit was like “She’s here.” 
All the women assembling around Captain Marvel!! Even Gamora is with them holy shit!
Damn it the glove is back within his reach and I can’t with this. 
GET HIM CAROL DON’T LET HIM DO IT AGAIN.
She took a headbutt to the face like it was nothing and he panicked like a bitch pulled the power stone and punched her with it. 
OH MY GOD TONY
My sister silently handed me a tissue and I fell the fuck apart.
I never thought in a million years they would have it go this way. Tony snapping. Dusting Thanos and his army. 
I can’t even comment more on this scene I’m too sad. Everything after is too sad. The funeral.
There are infinity stone colored stones in the “proof that Tony Stark has a heart” setting. 
I love you 3000 Tony Stark.
Thor leaving Valkyrie in charge and heading off with the Guardians.
Quill clearly looking for new old Gamora. I doubt she was dusted so she must have just faded away after the battle to do her own thing.
Glad that Nebula is with them though.
I feel a loose beginning set up for the actual Asgardians of the Galaxy.
Bucky said goodbye to Cap like he knew Cap wasn’t going to be back with them in five seconds. He knew.
We’re lucky he didn’t come back as a baby though. ;-)
I mean I’m surprised they went this route with Cap but I’m happy for him.
I’m happy for Sam too. We knew at the end of this the mantel had to get passed and here it is, old man Steve passing the shield to Sam.
I bet that show about “Falcon” and Bucky is really about the new Captain America and Bucky. Just saying.
Steggy shippers rejoice and the cries of a million Stony and Stucky shippers can be heard round the world.
Is that a sentence I just wrote? I never got into MCU shipping stuff personally.
And then all there is at the end is the distant sound of Tony forging that first armor.
A reminder that Tony Stark built all this in a cave.
From a box of scraps.
TONY….
I’ll be mourning Tony for a long while. I was always team Tony.
They did him right tough. His arc was satisfying and RDJ performed beautifully in this one.
My heart aches. They had to give him a daughter. I’m watching my daughter sleep totally not thinking what it would be like for her to lose her father. 
I’m gonna go hug my partner when I’m done with this.
Over all I am happy with Endgame. I mean with time travel they obviously left loose ends all over.
They say they can’t change time and the whole present becoming your past when you go back while the past is your future blah blah blah
But like clearly things are changed. 2012 Loki got the tesseract and escaped
2014 Thanos is no longer in 2014. So the Guardians movies happened but also couldn’t have happened? I dunno it’s confusing.
So basically the MCU has finally caught up with it’s comic book roots of being a confusing jumble timelines. How poetic.
Anyway if you read this you are amazing and feel free to private message me if you want to scream about Avengers Endgame and have no one else to do it with.
I feel better having vented this all out.
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dearmyblank · 5 years
Text
dear justin,
   i have quite a lot to say honestly. im also pretty sure you will never read this, which is fine by me. i wish i could pour out all my feelings to you like i used to, but all that is gone. I threw the relationship away, and i regret it more than anything. You truly loved me and i reciprocated those feelings back. but at some point we just, stopped talking. I was busy with graduation and you were busy with school as well. part of me was afraid to text you for some reason. i guess i thought i was annoying you somehow. It started on valentine’s day. so many useless things i remember. To be honest, i was a complete wreck over thanksgiving break. last year that was the time we really got to know each other. remembering that made me go into a complete breakdown. crying and  shaking…. yknow the usual. the weird thing is that i mourned our “loss” so late. Right after we broke up, i was lying in bed crying. Not sobbing. The next day i woke up. Then the following week, i went to school. No one knew. I acted normal as i always did. Shit, my parents didnt even know i was dating in the first place. I was busy. Graduation and finals had me by the neck. I never broke down because i literally couldnt. Too many things were at stake. I had too many responsibilities that i could not just ignore. So, i got through it. Then, during the summer, i went to dc. it was fun i must admit. It was a good distraction from what was in the back of my mind. Then they passed by, June….July…August….September. September. September 30th. Our birthday. How great, my ex has the same birthday, i couldnt forget even if i wanted to. Feelings began to bubble, only a little. But i was able to hold them down, new have interests kept me occupied. October was fine. It was a fun month and honestly i feel absolutely wonderful around my friends. We’ve really connected this year. Then, the thanksgiving break comes up. I absolutely lost it for whatever reason. I remember last year’s break very clearly. That’s probably why. I’m okay now. But of course im writing this letter for a reason. I miss you immensely. I wish we could have met at least once. I was never able to hold you in my arms or kiss you or do any of the things i was dying to do because i loved with every part of my being. I’ve had a few faint dreams of you, one of them being yesterday. I dont know if they mean anything but i love you still. We confessed to each other on christmas, i will cry this christmas night to myself, where nobody will see. i wonder if you feel the same? i presume my emotional self is the only one still sad, still upset, still broken, still wet with tears down my face. im sure you’ve moved on. You had lots of friends. You even had a girl you liked im sure. while those thoughts absolutely destroy me, i am happy for you. I am happy that you were able to do something that i will probably never be able to do. you were my first love. I know i wasnt yours, so you were able to move on easily, right? if not, the  am also glad. Im glad im not the only one. i still have your number, it has collected dust over these long months. i probably never call or text you. Fear is my greatest. You understand of course, we were like twins weren’t we. We were the same age, same birthday, we had so many things in common, we were practically the same person. Maybe that’s why it didnt work out. I guess we were like magnets. 2019 is approaching. what are your plans? i dont have any yet. You know im still on twitter? i changed my @ of course. But if your memory is good you can find me easily, im not locked. emily and i are still mutuals. I wonder if she realizes im the same person? i dont know what happened to rylee, her account is silent so im not gonna bother dming her. I thought about asking emily, but that’s probably a dead end. Plus, i dont want to bother her with my old problems. Remember how you confessed to emily and got rejected? Rylee told me. Sorry, it was supposed to be a secret but not like that applies now. plus youre not even fucking reading this. Hello to the random person reading my life story. Dont feel bad, there’s millions with the same feelings as me right now. back to justin. im shaking i type this all out. Did you know my muscles tense up and shake uncontrollably when im nervous or excited? it’s quite the feeling. i often got like this when i was talking with you. Everytime my phone would buzz i would get so excited. i also apologize for all the times i fell asleep on you. Justin, you were such a bright light in my life. Please live your life. Live healthy and happy. I hope your mom is doing well. Your dad as well. and the cats. i dont really know what else to say. I dont want this letter to end either. it’s almost like a last chance. if you’ve been contemplating contacting me, do it. Even if you just came back to spit in my face and tell me how much i hurt you, i’d be happy. If you hate me, its okay, i still love you.i still love yakuza btw. also whenever i see akagi or anything related to mahjong i think of you. the thought of you is very bittersweet. Yet i still eat it over and over again. i go by jayden now. i also think im nonbinary now. i remember when i was thinking of changing my name from “ j ” to “jaden” you were so supportive. i didnt deserve you. oh well, it all in the past. if you dont want to contact me thats fine by me. but if you want to, please go ahead. Please find me. Im desperate, i know. but i miss you. “I love you,” that was the last thing we said to each other. you remember right?
                     With love, j.                        
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robininthelabyrinth · 6 years
Note
Fic prompt: as a kid, Len inherited his maternal grandfather's books. Old, valuable books. When things started getting worse, he would seek refuge among their pages, reading things meant for far older, wiser men - such as instructions in how to make a golem... Many years later he still hasn't found a way to tell Mick the truth...
for the magical creature bingo board, square: author’s choice :)
——————————————————————————————
He shouldn’t have done it.
Len knows he shouldn’t have, and feels almost bad about it, almost, and he doesn’t feel bad about anything anymore. Hasn’t for years, ever since he started helping Dad out at age five and got his ass kicked for asking about why stealing wasn’t wrong like they said on the TV.
He doesn’t really regret doing it, but that doesn’t change that he shouldn’t have done it.
He shouldn’t have stolen his grandfather’s books, to start with. They weren’t his to have: his grandfather would never have given it to him. Not the grandfather he spent most of his time with when he could, his father’s father, the kindly old man with the ice cream truck and the sad eyes and the deluded hope that his angry son would be content with his father and his wife and so spare his son, but the other one.
He called him grandfather, but he was Len’s mother’s uncle, since her father was long dead; the tall, stern Rav Eleazar, who smiled rarely and did not approve of Len’s mother but insisted on teaching her son Hebrew and the little scraps of Jewish faith he could fit into the one week a year he spent in Central. The one who Len worked so very hard to please, learning Hebrew even on his own time in the library. The one who, when Len read out a whole prayer by himself for the first time and beamed from the sheer pride of it, laughed softly and said, “You remind me of her.”
“Her?” Len asks.
“The Golem of the trenches,” Rav Eleazar said, and his gaze was distant and soft. “I met her in the Great War, where she stood tall among the men, with stars on her brow and truth on her tongue. She fought with honor and with love for all mankind, and walked freely through No Man’s Land where bullets could not touch her.”
It took some time for Len to put it together, the rumors and the stories and the legends, before –
“You met Wonder Woman?” he marveled. “For real?”
“Oh, yes,” Rav Eleazar says. “She is one of our own, you know – a long-wandering Jew taught her mother the tricks of it and stood by her as she formed her out of clay, wrote the shem of God in her mouth and on her brow, and now she is the guardian of mankind.”
“You met Wonder Woman! The superhero! She’s a legend! Tell me about her!”
And Rav Eleazer did.
But he told his tales too well, to a growing thief like Len, because Len couldn’t help but want to know more.
So Len stole his grandfather’s oldest diary.
The one with the stories of his time in the war.
The one with the secrets.
He meant to give it back, he really did, but his mother died a few months later and his grandfather never again returned to Central.
So he carried it with him.
Carried it when his father beat him for questioning his judgment about a job.
Carried it when that job went south and his father hung it all on him.
Carried it through the trial, which no one came to watch.
Carried it to juvie, where no one stood by his side.
Carried it to the hospital, a stab wound bleeding in his side from a shiv no one was there to defend him from.
Carried it through his stay there, with indifferent nurses and doctors barely even looking at him.
Carried it back to juvie, teeth gritted and eyes burning red with hate and hurt and loneliness, to be beaten again and again and again, for the color of his skin and the tenor of his faith and even just because, until he just couldn’t take it anymore
And he pulled out that book and he went to work.
The juvie catered to both of the Gem Cities, but it was located in a far off suburb of Keystone, where the streets had all but faded to rural fields and there weren’t enough people to complain and keep the juvie out, so it was Keystone soil Len went for, thick and strong, warm between his fingers and filled with life already.
He built himself a man, big and tall and strong, with a back strong enough to take the hurts of the world.
He shaped fingers to be clever and quick, shoulders to help support him, strong legs to brace himself against any onrushing force.
For his brain, he put a scrap of lettuce from lunch, to represent growth, and stolen lighter, to represent destruction.
For his heart, Len worried at his own lip until it bled, and he spat that blood into the mud that he mixes with the last few tears he has within him.
Defend me and be by my side, he wishes, with all of his cold little heart. Be mine always.
And he carves the name of God, the shem, into his man’s rib, where it will be safe, and puts the name of truth upon his brow.
And then Len sits back, fury spent, energy gone, nothing left, and closes his eyes.
Please work, he thinks.
He won’t be able to take another disappointment.
If his grandfather lied, if his grandfather’s stories were no more than stories –
It would break his heart.
Please work.
Please.
A warm hand touches his elbow and Len sighs, an exhale of breath. He’d hope to escape notice long enough to complete his task, but apparently that wasn’t to be.
“Hey, kid,” a gruff voice he doesn’t recognize. “You okay?”
Len opens his eyes.
His man of clay looks back at him, open concern in his gaze.
It’s been so long since Len has seen anyone look at him kindly, look at him with concern, that he’s almost forgotten how looks.
“Hi,” Len whispers, unaccountably shy, and smiles, just a little.
And his man of clay smiles back.
Len can’t bring himself to regret that much. Michael, Len called him, named him, and the system recognized him as Michael “Mick” Rory when he followed Len back in – a boy with no family, no home, a pyromaniac whose family burned in a freak accident that he blames himself for.
Len has no idea if Mick Rory actually existed before his Mick walked back into juvie with him, and honestly, he’s too scared to look.
That’s not what he regrets.
What he regrets –
What he regrets is never having damn well explained any of this to Mick.
He should’ve done it from the start, he knows that, but he was scared. That’s explanation, not excuse; he played dumb when Mick asked him what he recalled about Mick’s past, pointed to the story the institutions gave them, avoided any reliance on proof, let Mick learn it and re-learn it until even he thought that was his real past, until he woke up at night dreaming of faces of sisters and brothers he never had.
Or maybe he did; what does Len know of golems? Maybe those dreams are of faces of other golems – Prague, Vilna, Themiscyra – far away.
Maybe Len’s been keeping that from him, too.
Fuck, Len’s fucked this one right up.
And now it’s too late.
Now Mick knows.
It was the fire that had revealed everything.
Len crafted Mick with a lighter in the center of his brain, a pulsing, beating core that thrummed with a remembrance of its love of fire, and it manifested as pyromania. Len was able to help Mick manage it well enough most of the time, but then - the job in Shreveport.
The whole room went up in a rush of flame.
Len scarcely escaped.
Mick, trapped by his love of fire, did not, and the flames consumed him.
But Mick is no mortal man, and fire cannot kill him. He is a golem, made of clay, and you know what fire does to clay?
It hardens it.
Len goes and finds those that turned the warehouse into a trap and kills them, only crumbling after the deed is done, falling to his knees and bowing his head in sorrow and regret.
That is how Mick finds him. His skin is glossy from the heat of the flames, but his face is cold.
“You knew,” he says. It is not a question.
“Yes,” Len whispers.
“Tell me everything.”
Len tells him all of it.
Not just the beginning, born of pain and desperation and a terrible fear that no one would ever love him, but the rest of it, the sickening pangs of guilt, the growth of love, the wrench of knowing that he should speak but finding he cannot, the understanding that he betrayed Mick every day with his silence -
Mick listens, his face closed, his body uninviting.
When Len finishes, cracked open and empty, Mick says nothing.
There is nothing but silence.
Finally, Len can take it no more. “Mick,” he says - more a plea than anything else - but finds his well of words has run dry. “Mick -”
“I need to think about this,” Mick says, and his voice is flat and unfeeling.
Len nods, numbly. That makes sense. That’s reasonable. Mick can think as long as he likes, as long as -
“Alone.”
Len bows his head, the little spark of hope that had been kindling in his chest abruptly extinguished.
It’s only just that this be the result. It doesn’t mean he likes it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t ripping him apart, gutting him, but he understands it.
It is fair.
It is awful, terrible, all-destroying, but it’s fair.
Len brought this on himself.
On them both.
Mick leaves.
After a while, Len leaves, too.
The next year goes by in a terrible blur. Len runs heists, same as always, going through the motions with a dull heart and an empty mind. He gets money and dumps it into bank accounts and turns around and keeps going. He has to keep going.
He knows if he stops, he will fall apart.
He goes - and goes - and goes -
It’s all nothing without Mick.
Len worries about him.
Oh, he knows it’s ridiculous. He knows Mick is all but invulnerable - bullets, knives, blunt force, fire, water, it’s all the same to him. But he has one vulnerability - that mark of truth on his forehead, right between the eyes where it can be mistaken for the wrinkles of stress.
If anyone changes a single stoke of that mark - erases truth and makes it death, a mere letter apart in the original Hebrew - then that’s it.
Dust to dust, ash to ash - clay to clay.
Len wakes up in a cold sweat on a regular basis to images of Mick, his beautiful Mick, dissolving into clay. He’d always known of this risk, but somehow it had not terrified him quite so much, in such a bone-deep manner, as it did now, with Mick gone who-knows-where. Gone where Len cannot protect him.
Even finding a superhero wasn’t really enough to break Len’s apathy. Oh, it’s nice; it’s a challenge. Len spends the whole time thinking wistfully of how he would enjoy this, if he remembered how to enjoy things without Mick.
His heart is gone.
He adds the heat gun to the pile of gifts for Mick that he has no opportunity to give.
He starts planning the next heist - either Keystone or Coast City, since it’s all the same for him right now - when there’s a knock on his door.
Len’s heart throbs for the first time in a year. Anticipation.
He knows that knock.
Len wants to dash over to the door, but his body is seized up. He walks to the door, slowly and surely, and opens it.
It’s Mick.
He looks good.
“Mick,” Len whispers.
“Len,” Mick says, and smiles.
Len suddenly needs to sit down.
Mick catches him as he falls, luckily, and guides him to the couch.
“What the fuck,” Len says groggily.
“Sorry,” Mick says. “My fault. I didn’t realize - you never said - about the distance. You should’ve said.”
“Distance? What about it?” Len asks.
Mick rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Of course you didn’t know; that’s why you didn’t tell me. I should’ve known. Len, to make a golem, you have to put your heart and soul into the making or it doesn’t work.”
“Okay..?”
Mick taps his chest. “My heart beats with your heartbeat. When I go away from you, your heart is gone as well. But I’m back, now.”
Everything is in color. Len hadn’t noticed how dull it was the last year, how everything was dull, how even his lovely, sparkling Lisa seemed flat and uninteresting, though he loved her just as much as ever.
“I think I know what you mean,” Len says. “But you don’t have to stay just because of that.”
“I don’t have to stay,” Mick agrees, and there’s a stabbing feeling in Len’s chest. “I want to.”
The feeling fades, replaced by a steadily growing glow of irrepressible joy.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Mick says. “About golems, about humanity, about life, but most of all, I learned that I don’t want to be apart from you.”
Len smiles.
He gives Mick the heat gun – he gives Mick all the gifts he saved for him, anything he thought Mick might like – and they go together on a heist, then on a supervillain spree, because they’re back together, and no one can stop them.
They even go travelling in time, but it doesn’t suit them, and they try to pull out of it. Len has a strict code, so they have to finish the mission first, but they want out. They want out.
Out doesn’t come the way they would have wished.
“The Oculus explosion will kill even you,” Len hisses to Mick’s ear. “This isn’t a fire. This is a nuke!”
“I know,” Mick says, and his face is beauteous in its calm. “But that’s my duty, in the end. I’m here to protect you. I will do it.”
“You will not,” Len says, and takes his place.
Sara carries Mick away, surprised by how light he is for his strength. She does not know that he is clay, and Len does not tell her. Mick’s secret will die with him.
Len braces himself, and wishes Mick well.
A glowing gold rope wraps around his arms.
“What,” Len says, a second before he’s quite literally lassoed into a glowing portal that appears right by his side.
He stumbles out onto a beach, surrounded by a lot of women.
Very tall, very scary women.
“Um,” Len says. “Hi?”
“Welcome,” one of them says, stepping forward.
Len’s never met her before, but he knows her on sight.
“Holy crap, you’re Wonder Woman,” Len blurts out.
She smiles. “Call me Diana,” she says. “After all, you are my brother-in-law.”
Len opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it, then closes it again. He feebly gestures his lack of understanding.
“Mick is a golem,” Diana clarifies. “As am I; and so he is my brother. And you have married him, which makes us kin.”
Len tries to say something and fails.
“He speaks very highly of you,” she says.
“Well, Mick’s the best,” Len finally says. “None better.”
There are approving smiles all around him, which is a surprise – Len never makes a good impression on anyone – until Len realizes he’s still wrapped in Diana’s famous lasso of truth.
Well.
Mick is the best.
“Unfortunately, I cannot find him right now,” Diana says apologetically. “Will you stay here until I can?”
“Sure,” Len says, a little dazed.
He was expecting a few weeks.
It’s a whole year.
Not that it’s bad – Len doesn’t mind being on an island entirely composed of women, even if his movements are somewhat limited for religious reasons. He finds enough to keep him busy, though they do make him give back everything he steals. They don’t mind that he steals, mind you – they seem to think of it as a very clever game, and that he’s remarkably good at it – but they like the way they’ve distributed things and he doesn’t get to rearrange that at will.
Actually, he ends up becoming rather good friends with Hippolyta, who created Diana all those years ago out of clay with the help of some wandering sailor, and who is the only person who understands why Len’s vitality dims and his world goes grey the longer he’s away from Mick. Diana carries her heart with her; Mick has Len’s own.
“He knows you live,” Hippolyta assures Len. “He knows, deep inside, though perhaps not consciously – do not worry. You will be reunited, in time.”
Len waits, and waits, and waits, even when he sees cracks in the timeline – helpfully laid out in the every-shifting tapestry of Arachne hung up next to but not inside the temple of Athena for obvious reasons – and worries about Mick.
Even when he collapses as his thread is plucked out of its line in the tapestry, and wakes a few weeks later with a new set of memories and a newly intensified hatred of brainwashing.
At least he can assure himself that he only shot Mick through the heart, which would not have killed him, and at any rate, that future was averted.
Still. That was awful.
“I really need to find him,” he says to Hippolyta, Diana having gone out on mission. “I really need to find him. He’s suffering.”
“You’re suffering, too,” she says. “Soon.”
“I’d really appreciate a timeline,” Len grouses. “You’re literally centuries old. Your ‘soon’ and my ‘soon’ are not the same ‘soon’.”
Luckily, it turns out to be closer to Len’s ‘soon’ than Hippolyta’s.
In fact, it turns out to be during a massive universe-crossing invasion.
Diana makes an appearance.
“Ohmigodohmigodohmigod,” Cisco hyperventilates. “It’s Wonder Woman.”
Barry is vibrating with excitement, quite literally. Iris is just making squeaking noises and waving her hands frantically. Caitlin is frozen in place and attempting to communicate her excitement through blinks.
Even Oliver Queen, master of the unimpressed face, has stars in his eyes. “It’s an honor, ma’am,” he says, shaking her hand. “I mean – that is –”
“Diana is fine,” she says, and smiles, and Oliver looks like he needs to sit down.
Len gets that. He’s amused, watching; he’s not expecting to be recognized, what with the armor he’s currently wearing while the resupply lines go and grab his gear from Thermyscia. He’d been training when the call came, and at any rate, you can’t wear a leather jacket or a parka in a Mediterranean island.
Not even if you have a theme.
But his heart is beating strong and the world is in vivid color once more.
The Legends have arrived.
Sara is out first, flanked by Ray and Firestorm.
“Oh my god, it’s Wonder Woman,” Firestorm says. “I mean. Wow. I idolized you growing up. We did. Both of us. I mean – wow, this is embarrassing.”
“Think nothing of it,” Diana says, laughing. “I am honored.”
“Ditto to what he said,” Ray says, looking dazed. “Wow – like, so much ditto. Wow.”
Sara looks like she’s been hit by a truck. It’s not uncommon when people meet Diana. “Yeah,” she says. “Seriously. Wow. And you and your Amazons will be working with us on this? Wow. Now that’s an honor.”
The other Legends follow – Nate and Amaya and Zari, which Len has seen in the tapestry, and Mick.
Mick.
Len would go to him, but his feet are frozen in place.
(Karma for being amused at Caitlin’s plight, no doubt.)
“This is so cool,” Nate says, while both Zari and Amaya seem to be bouncing up and down in a fit of excitement too intense to actually permit them to speak. “I’m going to go say – Mick, what are you doing?”
Mick ignores him and continues walking straight up to a distracted Diana, reaching out for her.
“Mick!” Sara squawks, echoed by Ray and Firestorm. “Stop!”
Diana turns, sees him, and embraces him warmly. “My brother,” she says warmly. “I hope you are well. I have him for you.”
“You’d better,” Mick says, looking relieved.
Nate attempts to insert himself between the two of them. “You’re just amazing,” he gushes, ignoring Mick entirely despite the way they’re intertwined. “I mean, you’re Wonder Woman – Mick, let me talk to her, you had your moment –”
“Buzz off, Pretty,” Mick says, pulling back and making a face at his crewmate. “I wanna talk to my sister.”
“Mick,” Nate hisses.
“Perhaps we can speak later, Mr. Heywood,” Diana says politely, her kind smile unaffected. “I have not seen Mick for quite some time.”
“Wait, you guys have met before?” Ray asks, looking between them. “For real?”
“Did you miss the whole brother-sister thing?” Mick asks dryly.
“We didn’t miss it, we were just stunned,” Firestorm says. “Man, Mick, why didn’t you tell us you’d met Wonder Woman?”
“Didn’t seem relevant.”
“How is that not relevant?” Sara asks, then shakes her head. “Don’t answer that. Really cool, Mick. How did you two meet? And what did you do to get called Wonder Woman’s brother?”
Diana laughs. “He did not have to do anything,” she says, squeezing Mick’s hand. “He was born. Is that not the typical way of it, with brothers?”
“She’s older,” Mick says. “In case it wasn’t obvious.”
“Wait,” Cisco says. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re literally siblings? Mick’s from Thermiscyia?”
“How?” Ray asks. “I thought they were women only.”
“I’m from Keystone, idiots,” Mick says. “She’s still my sister. Listen, we’ve got something really important to discuss – more questions later.”
“Agreed,” Diana says. “If you will be so kind as to excuse us…?”
The crowd parts like the Red Sea, and lets them pass, Diana leading Mick back towards the Amazons. Of course, as soon as they’ve left the group, and the Amazons have close ranks around them, blocking them from view, frantic whispers and gestures erupt in the group left behind.
Len would normally be wallowing in amusement, but his focus is elsewhere.
Mick.
He pulls off his helmet.
“You,” Mick growls, and lunges forward.
Len is moving at the same time, and they crash together, arms around each other, holding each other close. Len feels the wave of dizziness, the feeling of heat burning in his chest, and he knows enough now to let it flow through him, from Mick into the rest of his body, and when he regains his ability to stand, Mick still has him held tight.
“I won’t do that again,” Len promises.
“You’d better,” Mick says. “I won’t let you.”
They stand in silence for a few more minutes.
After a few minutes, Len says, “How do you feel about threesomes? There’s a list of interested Amazons I’ve been collecting.”
“Yeah, I’m in,” Mick says, rolling his eyes but unable to keep the smile off his face. “Maybe after the current crisis?”
“If you insist.”
“I think I do.”
They grin at each other.
“Cisco rebuilt your gun, you know,” Mick says. “Caitlin’s been using it.”
“Trust me, I know,” Len says. “I’ve been watching Arachne’s tapestry.”
Mick blinks at him.
“Long story.”
“No, I know what it is, but it’s only supposed to be readable to – you know what, never mind. Let’s go fight.”
“You can’t leave it at that!”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you’ve developed a functional form of immortality by becoming an Amazonian prince –”
“Don’t be absurd!”
“Technically, my dear, you did marry the brother of the princess,” Hippolyta says mildly. “You qualify. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
Len’s reintroduction to the Legends and the Flash turns out to involve some unattractive gaping on his part, because his friends are all awful people, but it still works out somehow. He only has to punch a half-dozen of them or so.
Besides, he has a new job.
Namely, protecting Mick from avid fans trying to convince him to get Diana to give out autographs.
Len minds exactly not at all, as long as Mick’s by his side.
And in the end, they go back to where they ought to be.
The Gem Cities just aren’t the same without their golem.
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