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j-u-u-z-o · 10 months

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“I Guess I’m Late for Practice?” (Atsumu x F. Reader) R-18+

Photo: credits to owner. ⚠️

Warning ⚠️: fluff, R-18+, Eventual Smut to SMUT, Grammar.

AN: Hey y’all! I was thinking about writing this scenario after I wrote a small Drabble the other day. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I wrote a scenario! 🥹❤️ Also, sorry for the wait! I was too lazy to edit it but now it’s ready!

Anyway, please read the warning! Some people are so blind istg. I hope you enjoy! Please like/reblog or comment! it would be greatly appreciated. ❤️

Synopsis: Timeskip! Atsumu has volleyball practice today and his gf (reader) tags along with him because they want to spend time with him before he leaves for the next MSBY tour. So what happens next?

Didn’t read the warning? Need eyeglasses? Don’t skip! Read it again. Okay?😉

Don’t like it? Call 1-800- ignore - it or keep scrolling, Today! 📞👍

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He’s late.

It’s currently 5:15pm and it’s dark outside.

The sounds of the window wipers wiping away the rain from the windshield and the heavy droplets of rain falling on the roof of the moving silver sedan is sounds depressing. “Ugh. Why does it have ta’ rain all day today.” Atsumu grunted. He was driving to practice after he picked you up from campus. You’re sitting next to him in the car because you chose to tag along for a bit. “Hm. Maybe because you’re leaving me in the next few days.” You looked out the window on your side. You didn’t want him to see you pouting.

A chuckle was heard next to you. Atsumu placed his big hand on your thigh as the other steered the wheel. “Ya don’t have to say that, baby. Ya sound like I’m leaving ya’ tomorrow morning.” He caressed it with his fingers and kept it there. You hummed and placed your hand on top of his and rubbed your thumb across his knuckles.

“It’s only for… a few months.” He said but his tone was not as bright he thought it’d be. He feels the same way you’re feeling. But he to has practice today and so on - with his team before they go on their next tour in three different countries: Argentina, Brazil and then back to their country, Tokyo.

Your hand lifted his own from your thigh and interlaced it with yours. “I know, Tsumu.” You sighed.

——————————————————————————

“Alright. We’re here.” Atsumu pulled up to a parking lot and saw a few of his teammates cars in there. “Great, is there any space for me?” He pouted as he searched for a parking spot.

“You didn’t have ta’ come with me, babe.” He said as he looked around. “You had a long day of classes today and you have a project too. Plus, I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“I know…” you gripped his hand, gently. “But I have time to stay and…I want to watch you play.” You spoke. Atsumu turned his head to you. He lifted your hand with his and kissed it. “I love ya, babe.” He smiled. Moments passed and he finally found a spot next to Bokuto’s black suv. “Let’s go, babe.” The sounds of the heavy rainfall were so strong that you almost thought about staying in the car. However, your thought process was interrupted when he leaned over to give you a quick kiss before the two of you got out of the car.

“Wait by the door, y/n!” He quickly opened the trunk to get his duffle bag. Atsumu didn’t want you to get wet from the rain so he gave you his extra hoodie he found from the back seat. You nodded and quickly ran to the shade. You watched your boyfriend who’s wearing his black sweatsuit, grab his duffle bag, hang it over his shoulder and run to where you stood.

You giggled. “What’s so funny?” He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and opened the door. “Nothing, Tsumu.” He poked your check.

Inside, you can hear sneakers squeaking on the floor, running, the sounds of the volleyball bouncing around the gymnasium. Even the shouting of the team members.

“Alright!”

“Next ball!”

“Left, Kiyoomi!”

“Nice catch, Hinata!”

The familiar voices of his teammates ringing in your ears sounded like they were in an actual game. Atsumu opened the gymnasium’s door and called out, “Oiiii!” and waved. The members looked around and saw Atsumu. You slowly peeked out and smiled at them. “Oiiiii~ Oh! Y/n-chan!” Hinata and Bokuto shouted. The other members greeted the two of you.

They were in their second round of the game. “Hey.” You said softly as if they could hear you. “They can’t hear ya, babe.” Atsumu chuckled. So you waved instead. They waved back. Atsumu then pointed his thumb back towards the gym’s locker room and they nodded. “Be back soon!” Atsumu turned and held your hand as he walked to the “men’s” locker room.

“I’ll sit and wait for you in the gym-“ you reminded him - there could be other people from different teams in the locker room. “It’s just us on the roster today, babe.” Atsumu wrapped an arm around you and opened the door to the locker room. You walked in and noticed that it is very quiet. “See? No one.” He took you all the way to the back of the locker room where his team occupies.

You unzipped the hoodie that you were wearing and hanged it up on a rack. Astumu did the the same; now topless and he opened his locker. You sat down on the bench. He hummed a tune as you opened his duffle bag and took out his volleyball uniform. Your eyes lowered and you tuck in your lips. Number 13. Suddenly a wave of sadness hits you. You really don’t want him to leave you alone for the next few months. You want him to stay with you.

“Babe?” Atsumu noticed how quiet you are and turned his head to see you sad. “Baaabe.” He dragged out, sadly. His hands are on either side of your cheeks and he lifted your head up, gently. “Ya don’t have ta’ cry.” You sniffed and sniffed. You looked anywhere besides him to not get too teary eyed. “Y/n. Look at me.” you looked at him. “I’m not going anywhere soon. I leave in about two weeks.” He said lowly. “I know…but - ” you tried to tell him but your throat started to hurt. He kissed your lips, softly.

“C’mere.” He sat down on the bench and made you straddle him. Both of your legs on either side of his thighs. He held you close to his bare chest. “Y/n. I love you.” He grinned and you kept sniffing. “I love youuuuuu.” He said playfully and nibbled your neck.” You giggled. “I’m not a baby, Tsumu.” You smiled softly as you combed his hair with your fingers. “I know you’re aren’t, baby.” He lifted his head to look at you and wiped your tears.

Your dried tears on your cheeks; your beautiful eyes and smile warmed his heart. Your lips met his once more and you felt the deep desire to kiss him deeply.

Atsumu moaned deeply. His lips enveloped yours easily and smoothly. Your kisses echoed in the room. Just the two of you. You moaned when he pulled up your shirt that was tucked in your uniform skirt and his warm hands stroked your waist from underneath. Your breath hitched in between kisses as you felt his fingertips slowly caress your form. “Ah…” you moaned. He broke the kiss and went down to leave open mouthed kisses on your neck. You gasped when you felt his kisses on that one spot that always makes your pulse flutter. Atsumu chuckled.

You bit your bottom lip and grounded your hips to feel his clothed member under his black shorts. you grinded on him, slowly. Your covered nub seeking relief from how much affection he’s giving you right now. Atsumu groaned and held you tighter as he felt your warmth above his member. He stopped leaving kisses and hid his face in your neck - to focus on the feeling. You rolled your hips up and down to feel some relief. Atsumu helps you by moving his hands down under your uniform skirt - gripped your ass and pulled you closer to him.

“Ah!” You shivered when you felt his member poke your covered nub. Your legs are spread out above his and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders as you bucked against him. You can hear Atsumu exhale a satisfied groan. “Tsumu.” You whispered. He looked up at you - his brown eyes darkened with lust. His attention is only on you. Not saying a word, he leaned forward to meet your lips but you pushed him down on his back on the bench.

Feeling hot and needy - your breathes proving it. Atsumu watched you from below - straddling yourself better on his well built form - putting both of your hands on his chest. He held your waist as you began grinding on him. He closed his eyes and moaned. You breathes echos in the locker room. You felt how hard his member was getting every second as you watched him bite his lips - relishing your warm weight on his member.

Atsumu spread his legs wider to feel your warmth and began bucking his hips up to your warmth. “T-tsu..mu!” The bouncing of your body above his interrupted your call that you leaned forward and placed your hands above his head on the bench, for a better balance. You can feel his hardened girth even more each time you landed on it. “Mmm…oh yeah.” He moaned and bucked a little faster. The bench creaked a little due to his pace that you tried to tip-toe on the floor to reduce the sounds coming from the it, but to no avail.

He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you down to kiss him. his other hand laid on your lower back to keep you above him, closely. He hissed when his tip bumped against your clothed entrance. “Fuck.” He groaned. Held held your form tightly - you’re not going anywhere - his strength is unmatched. “Tsu…mu” you breathed into his mouth. You felt the tip trying to get through your panty and into your entrance.

He clicked his tongue. He rolled his hips up. He doesn’t like the teasing. you looked at how needy he’s being that you raised your upper body and rolled your hips, too. “Yeah. Like that, baby.” His hands rose up to your clothed chest and groped them. You pulled up your shirt along with your bra. A light chuckle was heard from him and he groped them. You twitched when his thumbs brushed your nipples, softly. Each time he did that, you rolled your hips on his member. “Shit, baby.” He rose up and you leaned close to him. He licked your nipple, slowly. Swirling it with the tip of his tongue. You head fell back and you stared at the ceiling.

Atsumu held you by your waist to keep you from moving away. He knows how sensitive you are. His tongue swirled around it more, lovingly. It felt too good. Your shirt is getting wrinkled as your hands tried to hold it up. He looked up at you as he’s licked it and then wrapped his mouth around it. “Ugh…Tsumu.” You push your chest closer to his face as he sucked it and then whimpered when his finger tips traces your form, feathery. he then flicked your nipples, slowly. “Mmm…” he groaned.

Your breathless moans filled his ears that he pulled your hips close to his - encouraging you to ride him again. You submitted as your fingertips caressed his undercut and the other still holding your shirt up. Soon after, atsumu removed your top and whispered, “pull it the side, baby?” He looked at you, pleadingly. You looked at him, surprised. “Eh?” You said breathlessly. He leaves kisses on your neck - waiting for your answer. Breathless and flustered, you looked up at the ceiling to think about this risky move.

Atsumu kissed up to your jaw while he was still waiting for your answer until you stopped him. “But your training…” you whispered, sounding concerned. “just the tip.” He whispered back and you nodded. He kissed you, softly.

Lips wrapped around each other’s, gently. You pulled out his member and stroked it, slowly. Atsumu moaned and went back to kissing your neck. “Oh yeah…” he breathed out on your neck in between kisses. He hissed when you were rubbing the now wet tip with your thumb. His groans made you become more impatient for what’s to come.

You like how satisfied he looks - his head tilted, watching you stroke his length they way he likes you to. Atsumu moaned while he caressed your waist with his fingertips and the other hand on your thigh. “Okay, your turn now, baby.” You placed your hands on his shoulders and looked down in between. He smiled softly as his fingertips pushed your panty to the side. His breath hitched when he felt your arousal rub off on his fingers after he pulled the material away from your heat. “Shit, baby.” He rubbed his fingertips and dipped his fingers in between your folds.

“Wow.” He heard the squelching sounds as he rubbed your nub in circles. You squirmed and moaned when he dipped the tip of his middle finger into your entrance. “Ya so wet for me, baby.” He smirked. You pushed him down on his back. Atsumu watched as you took his length and rolled your hips in circles, on the tip. “Ahh.” You moaned as you stroked your sensitive numb around it. Soon after, you lowered your self on his length that atsumu eyes and mouth widened. “Fuuuck.” You softly smiled down at his reaction.

Up and down, just on the tip. Atsumu caressed the back of your thighs as you so. “Oh baby…”. His deep moans made you throb. You couldn’t help yourself so you took in his entire length and seated yourself. “Oh!” The room echoed. You giggled at your boyfriend’s surprised response - as if he just saw an angel. “You little minx.” He laughed and held your hips.

The wet sounds echoed between the two of you in the locker room.

“Oh yeah…ugh.” You moaned out as you bounced off his length, the wet sounds coming from your arousal, slapping his pelvis. Atsumu took your hands and interlaced them with his. From below, you look like a goddess. Your body jolting from his strokes as your tits bounced in front of his face. “That’s it baby. Use me to cum.” Atsumu’s deep thrusts met each time you came down on him. Rough and steady. The veins on his length stroking your plush walls while it rubbed against your nub.

His throaty moans filled your ears when you clenched his length. You leaned forward - your nipples rubbing against his chest and your lips met his. “Mmm.” He pushed his feet in - sneakers squeaked on the floor as used the opportunity to grab your ass and push it down and buck up into your heat, swiftly. “O-oh…atsu-“ you breathed out into his mouth, uncontrollably. His warm breathes hitching into yours. The wet sounds made him go deeper; the bench below the two of you kept rattling. “You feel so good, baby.” He smiled, lovingly.

“Y-you make me feel so good, Tsumu.” He chuckled and abruptly raised his form. You yelped and held on to his shoulders. A chuckle came from him again , “I can make you feel even more better, baby.” Atsumu got up walked to the wall. “I’m a pro. Remember?” You giggled at his smug face. Your back met the cold wall and your legs were under his grip. “This is better.” He rolled his hips up slowly - his length massaging your walls while his pelvis rubbed against your nub. “Ah…” you breathed out. He kept rolling it up, over and over that you were to fall apart. His girth hitting that spot inside of you. You started to feel putty in his hands.

His slow pace felt so good. You gently grabbed his face and kissed him, passionately. “You like that,baby?” He broke the kiss and You nodded. “I know you do.” He grinned and Your lips smacked against his again, with so much love and affection. In between the hot kisses and slow pace, you felt your walls start to pulsate. Atsumu felt it and started began bucking, feverishly. “Ohhh…yeah right there, angel.” Your arousal slapping against his pelvis and your whimpers made his body press closer to yours. You’re both breathing into each other’s faces.

“Oh…my Tsumu…” you whined. you were getting closer to your climax. His deep thrusts stroked your plush walls as pelvis slapped your swollen nub. You lost feeling of your muscles. Your leg, in fact. Dangling in the air. You kept whimpering - your walls and your nub throbbing, all at once. “Almost there. We’re almost there, baby.” He can feel how tight your walls are squeezing him - his climax is reaching for release. “Ah!” body is getting crushed by his and the wall behind you - you couldn’t move. His pelvis kept slamming against your nub - you trembled until you finally released. “Ugh!” Atsumu thrusted once more and froze. His chest heaved against yours.

You both stayed still. You whimpered - your walls still throbbing on his length. You looked at your boyfriend, flushed out. You smiled and you wiped the sweat from his forehead. Atsumu grinned. “I swear ya make me go nuts.” You giggled and kissed him, softly. “Mmm.” He moaned as he rolled his hips into your warmth. You squirmed. Still feeling the after shocks a bit as you rolled nub against his pelvis, to ride the last sparks of your orgasm.

He sighed. “I love you, y/n.” He reluctantly pulled his length out. You winced at the emptiness. He gently put your legs down but you almost fell down since you couldn’t feel your legs after being held up for a while. So he helped you sit down for a bit.

“Well! Time for practice!” He shouted randomly after a while - he helped clean the two of you up with an extra sweat towel and fixed yourselves.

With his arm wrapped around your waist, he kissed your lips once more, softly. You hummed, lovingly. You both walked to the door to the gymnasium from the inside of the locker room. “I’ll call you when I get to my friends place, Tsumu.” He opened the door, “I can drop ya off, babe.” You shook your head, “I have to go start my project. I’ll pick you up.” smiled. “Hm. Okay~.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

He watched you walk to the front door of the building and turned his head to his teammates. Looking at him in disbelief.

“What?”

“Oi Oi Oiiii!!! We’re practicing and you just have to make it obvious , huh?!” Bokuto crossed his arms.

“Hm? No…I didn’t?” Atsumu said with his signature smug face.

“Liar.” Sakusa said in disgust.

“Ohhhhh????” Hinata’s eyes widened.

“I’m serious, guys!” He chuckled and put his hands up to “surrender” but quickly moved it down when a volleyball was aimed at his crotch. “Oi!”

*blinks* “Ohhhh…” Atsumu froze.

He still has a boner.

“I can’t believe this…Hurry up and start stretching, you Idiot!” Inumaki demanded. “We better not lose because of you and THAT!”

“Mad coz ya didn’t get sum.” Astumu mumbled and suddenly screamed as more balls were thrown at him.

🤍 Tags: @darthferbert @idiotlittleme

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loki-cees-all · 7 months

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Chapter 3 - Then With the Eyes Shut {TLTGYA - Post-TVA!Loki x OFC Longfic}

Previous Chapter / TLTGYA Masterlist / A03 Link / Next Chapter

Pairing : Post-TVA!Loki x Oliviette (OFC)

Chapter Summary : Loki is trying his best to just ignore his new cellmate, but she’s really not making it easy for him.

Chapter W/c : 4.7k words

Chapter Tags / Content : Heavy angst, again. Oops!

Author's Note : Sorry this chapter is so late! It’s a long story, but I got kicked through a Time Door and was temporarily lost to time. Anyway - hope you all enjoy this chapter, and thank you so much for reading!

18+ Only - Minors DNI

⊱ ─ ༓ ── ⋅•⋅⊰ ─ ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ∙ ⋅ ─ ⊱⋅•⋅ ── ༓ ─ ⊰

Loki had never been one to loathe his own nightmares; he needed their reminder, and he craved the pain they caused. But the nightmares had betrayed him - forcing him into revealing his presence to his new cell mate, and so he was absolutely cursing them now.

He’d forced himself to look away before responding to her query about escaping, and while he hadn’t directly witnessed her disappointment and confusion, he had felt them. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Loki resented having to admit out loud that he’d rather stay there in that horrible place, that his reluctance to leave was probably going to damn her as well.

She was an innocent bystander, someone who didn’t deserve the danger and chaos and death that followed Loki wherever he went. But he knew she was doomed the moment she entered his presence, whether they stayed or left.

The woman had made several more attempts to communicate after he laid back down, and Loki had ignored every one of them. But he didn’t dare fall back asleep; he was bound to have another nightmare, and having another person there to witness its aftermath was just too intimate, and too much for him to deal with, on top of everything else.

So he just continued laying on his side, his dark cloak pulled tight around him and his forearm curled underneath his head, and his eyes open but not seeing as he listened to the dungeon sounds that he had grown painfully accustomed to. The water droplets and distant screams were almost comforting at this point, but the sound of the woman’s quiet sobs and prayers for assistance were most certainly not.

Loki couldn’t blame her for them, though - she had every right to be frightened. He could feel her muscles tensing up with every scream in the distance, with every footstep of the guards down the hallway. And for some reason, her anguish was much harder to deal with than the ones of his previous cell mates.

He told himself it was just because she was the only one who ever knew he was there, and that he just needed to be patient for another two or three days, because eventually the guards would come for her. Eventually, she’d be put out of her misery, and Loki would be able to nightmare in peace once again.

Until then, Loki would continue to suffer while awake. Keeping his heavy eyelids open was an enormous effort, and shifting his position on the floor felt like trying to push cinder blocks against an ocean’s current. He never would have guessed that simply lying down would be so exhausting.

Not even the rigorous warrior training he was obligated to endure under Odin’s guidance had been this depleting, and while he hadn’t necessarily been conscious during the horrors inflicted upon him on Knowhere, his body had still suffered tremendously.

Just how long had he been awake anyway? There were no windows in his cell, no sunrise or sunset to witness, and mercifully, no clocks to mark the passage of time. That had been his favorite part about this place, back when there was nothing to look forward to and nothing to dread.

It was peculiar that they hadn’t come for her yet. No one else, other than him, had ever survived for this long. What exactly were the guards waiting for?

Loki clenched his jaw and sighed in frustration. He didn’t want to ask questions - even to himself - and he certainly didn’t want answers; they just made doing nothing that much harder, and it wasn’t the kind of punishment he had been seeking in the first place.

All he could do was remind himself that this was all temporary. He didn’t know or care if the universe was trying to offer or taunt him with a chance at redemption, but he wasn’t going to fall for it again. The opportunity - or the illusion - would eventually pass, just like all the other times he had tried and failed, and soon he’d be able to return to his nightmares.

For the most part, he dreamt about running; from himself, from truth and lies and pain and respite. From villains and heroes as they chased him down endless hallways with countless doorways. And whenever he stopped to open them, each one led to the memory of a time he could have made the right decision and didn’t - when he could have just not snuck the Frost Giants into Asgard, when he could have just stayed in the Void with his other variants, or any time he could have just not picked up the Tesseract -

Loki gasped violently, and his eyes flew open in a panic - he had started to fall asleep again. He immediately froze in place, listening for signs that the woman had heard the disturbance. But she didn’t move or speak, and Loki was grateful for that.

His lungs heaved for air and his heart thudded painfully in his chest as he desperately tried to calm himself down, and his jaw set in place as he forced his eyes to focus on the cracks of the stone before him. The most prominent one was deep, chiseled and eroded away by years of water and pain. Smaller cracks branched out from the primary fault, some above it and some below, just like the doomed offshoots from the Sacred Timeline.

He couldn’t help but wonder - were those branches still being pruned? Or were they allowed to continue, drifting and splitting in countless directions with endless opportunities for variants of He Who Remains to come into power? To declare war against the others? To destroy and conquer everything in their sight in pursuit of their own narcissism?

Before he knew it, his eyes were filled with tears. He hadn’t driven the knife into He Who Remains, but he might as well have. The failure was on him, and the countless lives that would be ruined whether the TVA continued pruning or the dangerous variants were allowed to come into power was his burden to bear. His glorious purpose…

This wasn’t working - sleep only led to nightmares, and staring at the wall only invited rumination. His mind wasn’t in his own control, Loki’s muscles were aching and screaming for a change in position, the damn TVA belt was digging painfully into his belly, and as much as he didn’t want the woman witnessing his nightmares, he definitely didn’t want her to know he was weeping.

Loki needed a different kind of distraction, and since he had no previous history with the woman, perhaps she could be the right kind.

It was excruciating, but Loki did it anyway. He placed his palm flat on the stone floor and carefully pushed himself upright, his joints creaking and popping uncomfortably after months of disuse. Moving slowly and cautiously, and stifling multiple groans of pain, he finally managed to bring himself into a sitting position. He was still hiding in the shadows, still unwilling to expose himself, and he leaned back against the stone with a heavy sigh.

His long legs were outstretched before him, one ankle crossed over the other, and his hands were folded neatly in his lap and underneath the dark cloak. Physical pain was temporarily assuaged, and he waited patiently for his green eyes to adjust to the meager shift in lighting conditions.

It had been a long time since he had looked at this side of the cell, and not much had changed; the hallways were still sparsely illuminated with poorly-maintained lanterns, the stone walls were still grizzled and filthy, and the bars were still aged and corroded. There was nothing new to see, and nothing new to feel, and inevitably, his gaze migrated over to his new cellmate.

She was still in the same position as when he had last looked at her, knees pulled to her chest and huddled against the opposite corner of the cell. She even wore the same expression of despair and anguish as before, except she had somehow managed to fall asleep. Her eyes were now closed, and she was breathing in and out slowly, and that was the only reason Loki felt comfortable looking closer.

The woman’s fiery red hair, woven into one long braid slung over her shoulder, glowed in the lantern light; in any other conditions, her hair would have been stunning, but in here, it was just tragic. A long and thin chain hung around her neck, the links hooked together to support whatever gem or stone her fingers was wrapped around, clinging to it like it was magically going to transport her to safety.

In that same hand, Loki could see she clutched the small blade of an unused dagger, its blade free of chips and jagged edges, and her other arm was hidden inside her dark cloak.

Loki found himself wondering who she used to be before she was brought here, and what she had done to deserve it. He had always prided himself on being a quick study, an expert on reading between the lines of who people were, of what they craved - and more importantly - what they lacked.

He was always able to use that skill to his advantage - but Loki was stumped with this one. Her clothes, black leather and dark green cloth, were relatively clean and well-tailored. The dungeon guards could be after money, but that seemed unlikely while her jewelry and weaponry were left untouched. And as far as he knew, there was no extortion happening in this place - only death, perpetuated by mysterious guards, who for all Loki knew, were simply doing this for fun.

As if on cue, the sound of clinking keys echoed from down the hallway. Surprisingly, Loki felt no relief at the sound, and he closed his eyes to concentrate on the footsteps of her reapers coming to collect what they were owed; except it wasn’t the usual pair of guards moving down the hallway, it just was one of them.

His brow furrowed, and his eyes cracked open just as the lone guard came into view and paused before the cell door. The guard held some sort of tray, balanced in one hand while the other pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and began to unlock the cell door. It was only then that the woman startled awake.

She gasped in fear as she scooted back away from the door, pushing herself with her feet and trying to find a safe distance within the confines of their cell. She still clutched her dagger tightly, instead of using it to fight, and Loki, still hidden in the shadows, remained unmoving as the guard stepped inside and carefully placed a tray of food on the floor.

Loki couldn’t believe it. After how many weeks and months, how many prisoners and deaths, not once had he ever encountered anyone being fed here. Not once had the guards kept anyone around long enough to even warrant feeding.

In fact, it was the first time Loki had ever gotten a good look at any of them. The guard moved slowly and with purpose, dressed head to toe in black clothing that lacked any markings or indications as to who he worked for, or what their goal was. The mask he wore was flat and expressionless, tinted with ochre and had two thin cutouts for the eyes and none for the mouth.

And even with the mask obscuring his features, the guard radiated animosity towards the woman as he lingered in the cell - as if he completely despised her, even as he was feeding her.

The guard finally backed out of the cell and relocked the door, and the woman eyed the tray suspiciously, conflicted between wanting to trust the food, but not wanting to be poisoned either. She didn’t seem to notice the guard’s covered face turning as he moved down the hallway, still staring at her from underneath the mask as he walked away.

Loki’s brow furrowed as he turned his attention back to the woman. She carefully placed the dagger on the stone floor and inched her fingers forward to reach for the tray, her green eyes still transitioning between apprehension and hunger in the face of the unappealing food that had been delivered by her captors.

The tray contained a bowl of grains, soggy and mushy and almost certainly cold, and next to it sat a hunk of bread, the age of which was undeterminable. No one would ever choose this as a meal, but it was probably the only food she’d seen in days - and Loki, months. But her apprehension hung heavy in the air, suffocating him like the unanswered questions he was dying to ask.

“They wouldn’t have bothered with imprisonment if they were going to poison you. Just eat it.”

The woman practically leapt out of her skin at the sound of Loki’s voice, like she had forgotten he was there. She shrank back against the wall, gasping for breath and scanning the cell wildly. “Oh, now you wish to talk?!”

Loki’s expression remained impassive as he looked back at her. “Your unease was distracting. Just eat it,” he repeated coolly.

After a moment, she swallowed hard and nodded as she slowly pulled the tray closer to her. “Right, of course. Obviously poisoning me now would really be crossing a line…”

The woman smiled sarcastically as she spoke, and the corners of Loki’s mouth twitched underneath his stoic expression. Maintaining a sense of humor under these conditions was an impressive feat - another item to add to his growing list of questions - and he decided it might be worth it to give in to the curiosity. It would be a temporary reprieve from the nightmares, and Loki knew they were still waiting for him - but they could hold on just a little bit longer.

The woman cleared her throat as she carefully picked up the spoon with her right hand and dragged it clumsily through the porridge. Loki noticed that her other arm was still hidden within her cloak, and that her eyes flitted nervously between the dagger on her tray, her only weapon to defend herself, and the spoon, the only tool she had to feed herself.

So they kidnap her, break her dominant arm…and now they’re feeding her…

None of it made sense. Clearly they intended to keep her alive - albeit broken - for a long time, but for what purpose? Loki hated that he wanted to know, that he couldn’t resist the puzzle pieces sitting before him. He had come here to suffer, not to play games, and yet he couldn’t stop himself. “Who are you?”

The woman’s expression softened, and she looked towards him in the shadows. “My name is - ”

“No, I’m not asking for your name,” Loki replied, staring intently at her from the shadows and doing his best to ignore the optimism on her face. “Who are you to the guards?”

“Me? I’m…nobody,” she laughed nervously as she twirled the spoon through the porridge.

Loki cocked his head as he leaned forward. There had to be some explanation as to why they would go through the effort to capture but not kill her. “Then why are they feeding you?”

The woman turned her head to look in his direction, her green eyes narrowed as they searched the darkness for his. “I don’t know. Why aren’t they feeding you?”

Loki chuckled to himself; he wasn’t interested in answering questions, but he couldn’t help but admire the way she was dodging his. It had been quite a long time since he had found something so intriguing, and for a moment he almost forgot about the horrors that usually unraveled whenever he pulled on a thread.

“I already know why they aren’t feeding me. What I don’t know is why you’re getting special treatment from the masked guards.”

The woman’s expression shifted from irritation to concern as she set the spoon back down into the bowl. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten anything?”

Loki wasn’t expecting the change in her tone, or for anyone to bother showing interest in him ever again. He looked down at his hands in his lap as they fidgeted with each other. “Why? What difference does that make?”

“I was just wondering if the reason you’re so moody is because you’re…hungry.”

He swallowed hard, baffled by her conclusion and consideration. Loki was hungry, that much was true, but he wasn’t ever going to admit to that. “That’s…completely irrelevant, I - ”

The woman cleared her throat to interrupt him, and he paused as his eyes slowly traveled upwards. She was holding out the chunk of bread, extending it in his direction with a benevolent smile on her face. “Share?”

Loki’s eyebrows knitted together as he stared at her expression of sincerity and kindness, struggling to answer a simple question without an uncomplicated answer. Food wasn’t going to solve any of his problems, and yet the offer felt like a lifeline for a lost soul that had spent far too long drowning in sorrow.

He believed he didn’t deserve that lifeline, but before he could answer with what would almost certainly be a refusal, his muscles were inexorably pushing him upright. They made the decision for him, as if their need for sustenance nullified his desire to stay isolated.

Loki cautiously took a few steps closer, a massive effort for someone who had spent over a thousand days in the dark, but as he reached for the bread, the woman moved it just out of his grasp.

“If you’re going to eat with me, you can’t go back to hiding in the shadows. Agreed?” the woman offered, a slow smile creeping across her face as she looked up at him.

Her green eyes sparkled with the guileless amusement of someone who didn’t know what they were actually asking of him, and Loki was grappling with the urge to resist temptation, to fight the siren’s call of both avoidance and hostility over her simple offer of food and company.

It was foolish, and it was going to end in disaster, and Loki couldn’t understand why he was considering it at all. The years of previous mistakes had led him to believe that he couldn’t be trusted to make the right call, that the last choice he had made - the one to stay isolated from everyone and everything - was the only good thing he’d ever done.

But it was just bread, and Loki told himself that the conversation would just be temporary, and so Loki cleared his throat and set his jaw in place. “Agreed.”

The woman smiled with an innocent sort of triumph as she handed the bread back to him, and Loki felt his heart skip a beat. It was nothing, it was just a simple gesture, one that he didn’t deserve - she just didn’t know any better yet.

He pushed the feeling away as he settled back down on the stone floor again, adjacent to the shadows but not within them this time. The woman shifted her attention back to her porridge, and Loki, feeling exposed and unsure of what to do or say, focused his attention on the bread.

He turned it over in his hands, studying its shape and color - round and flat and carelessly formed, with a dark and over-cooked crust. It gave way under the pressure of his hands, snapping in half with a loud crack. Loki glanced over, and the woman was smiling softly at him.

These two strangers were sharing a meal inside a dungeon meant for horrors and torture and pain, and Loki had to remind himself to not get used to it, because the price for even the simplest of meals was always going to be regret.

“So, what should I call you?” the woman asked before bringing a spoonful of porridge to her mouth.

Loki tore off a piece of bread and put it in his mouth, chewing and swallowing to buy himself some time instead of answering. He was sure that no one here had ever heard of him, that saying his name wouldn’t set off any alarm bells - but still he hesitated. What if his reputation had somehow preceded him? What if he actually wasn’t that far outside of the Nine Realms?

A thousand other what-ifs swirled in his mind, and the woman was still waiting for an answer after sharing her kindness and food that he definitely didn’t deserve. Maybe his name would somehow cast a spell for all of his enemies to hear, and they’d finally be able to find him, and they’d make sure he never had anyone to share a meal with ever again. That was what he deserved.

“My name is…Loki.”

He braced himself for the eventual fallout, like his shame would manifest itself into the monster he knew he was, but nothing changed. The woman continued eating, perhaps only finding the time it took him to answer strange instead of the actual answer, the water droplets continued falling, and the darkness in the dungeon remained stagnant.

“And why don’t the guards bring you any food, Loki? Are they punishing you beyond locking you in here?”

It was a very loaded question, one with a very complicated answer, and Loki wasn’t sure how to handle it. He broke off another piece and put it in his mouth as he weighed his options - on the one hand, he didn’t know this woman at all, or if she was trustworthy; clearly the guards thought her important even if they hated her, but what exactly was she capable of?

But on the other hand - what did he have left to lose?

“The guards don’t know I’m here,” Loki answered truthfully. It was so unlike him to unveil himself like this, and he didn’t know whether it was because he had spent too long wallowing in apathy and simply didn’t care anymore, or if he was so desperate for connection that it weakened his sensibilities.

The woman lowered the spoon back to the bowl as her brow furrowed. “Wait - you’re hiding here? Why?”

Another loaded question, and he was really starting to regret answering them. He had come out of the shadows to be distracted, not to have someone question his actions or judgment. The woman seemed genuinely curious about him, but how could he even begin to explain himself, and what would be the point? It wouldn’t alleviate his burden, and it would only lead to more questions.

“I deserve to be here. This is where I belong,” The words felt like acid on his tongue, and Loki sighed heavily, looking down at his hands as the woman processed his words with even more confusion.

What am I - the God of Self-Sabotage?

Those words he had spoken to Mobius so long ago were intended to be sarcasm at the time, but it was still the absolute truth. It wasn’t too late to end this, to lay back down and face away from her again. It might take a bit longer than a few days, but eventually she would be just as dead as all the others, and everything could go back to the way it was supposed to be.

But he stayed where he was, exposed in small slivers of light as he crushed another chunk of bread between his teeth.

“I’m…so sorry, Loki. I cannot imagine how whatever you’re hiding from could be worse than this…” the woman replied, shaking her head as she looked around the cell. “Or how you could possibly find respite in a place like this…”

If she knew the truth, she wouldn’t be sympathizing with him right now, and Loki considered telling her about the awful things he’d done that had led him there. Just to get her to stop feeling sorry for him, to make her scared of him, to make her hide from him…because he was too broken to do anything else.

Loki didn’t respond, busying himself with chewing and swallowing, and he could feel her gaze return to him before she spoke again. “Look, whatever you’ve done - it can’t have been so bad - ”

He wanted to believe her, but she was so very wrong about him, and his heart ached as she continued justifying what she had no way of understanding, the pressure of her reassurances constricting his insides and sending blood rushing through his ears. He could barely hear what she was saying, but her expression was kind and forgiving and it was too much for him to handle.

“With all due respect - ” Loki finally snapped, interrupting and meeting her sympathetic expression with a fiercer, more intense one of his own. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know me, and you don’t know what I’ve done.”

The woman stared at him for a moment, her eyes widened in surprise, before looking back down at the tray in her lap. “You’re right. I apologize…”

Loki shook his head as heavy silence descended around them. He hadn’t meant to be so insistent, but she was in direct contradiction to the torment he was deserving of.

Tearing off another chunk of bread, they both chewed without speaking, unsure of how to continue. The air hung heavy, full of regret and musk and uncertainty, but he could feel the woman’s gaze shifting to and from him, like she wanted to ask him another question. He could only pray that it wasn’t about himself.

“So, um…do you happen to know who the dungeon guards are? Or what they want from me, or the others?”

Loki was unable to hide the snark still lingering in his tone. “How am I supposed to know what they want with you?”

The answer to that question was what had initially drawn him out of the shadows in the first place, and he was vexed that she had somehow managed to turn his interrogation on its head so easily.

The woman either didn’t notice his growing irritation, or was deliberately ignoring it. “And I take it no one’s coming to rescue you?”

He sighed and leaned back against the stone wall. It was cold and unyielding, like the cruel fate he deserved, like the harsh loneliness he had felt his entire life. No one would have come to save him, even if they knew where he was.

Somehow his cellmate seemed to understand that, judging by the forlorn look in her eyes. Loki felt raw and exposed, oddly juxtaposed against his desperate need to be understood - a feeling he thought was dead and buried a long time ago. Why was this happening? How did she do this to him?

The woman moved her tray to the floor and stared intently at him. “Look, no one’s coming for me either, so we need to break out on our own. It shouldn’t be too difficult if we’re working together.”

So that’s all she wanted - for him to save her. Loki ran a hand across his face, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. That was a choice she expected him to make, one that put her very life at stake, and more importantly - it would require him leaving in order to save her. His head already ached with the burden of it all, and that familiar dread of his previous captors forcing their own wills on him was washing over him again.

“Plus, we have the element of surprise if the guards don’t - ” the woman continued, and Loki was now positive that she was definitely ignoring his trepidation entirely. Her expression was hopeful, and he couldn’t stand it.

“No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not!” Loki seethed through gritted teeth, and his jaw clenched together as anger coursed through his veins. “If you want to leave, you’ll have to do it alone!”

Their eyes met, and she looked absolutely crushed again. He was sorry no one was coming to rescue her either, but that couldn’t be his burden to bear. He hadn’t meant to be lured into any sort of camaraderie, he just didn’t want to fall asleep again. And while Loki knew doing nothing was worse than trying and failing, he couldn’t bring himself to take the chance.

“Look, I appreciate the meal, but this was a mistake,” he sighed heavily. “You’re better off on your own.”

Loki shoved the final chunk of bread in his mouth and started to chew. And without waiting for a response, he lowered his back to the stone floor, resuming his position on his side and closing his eyes.

He told himself he was better off without her too.

⊱ ─ ༓ ── ⋅•⋅⊰ ─ ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ∙ ⋅ ─ ⊱⋅•⋅ ── ༓ ─ ⊰

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deathbyyoongx · 2 years

Text

everytime; chapter 4 — myg

╭ chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...

╭ word count: 5.3k

╭ summary: Everyone knew Min Yoongi as the guy who wouldn’t say no to a nice pair of tits. His cocky attitude and stunning looks made it hard for most girls to resist. And even though you would like to say you’re not like the others in that aspect, you unfortunately happened to be his ex. But even though you despised his guts for the last 3 years or so, he somehow managed to find himself a way between your legs on one semi-drunk night.

╭ pairing: fuckboy!yoongi x ex!reader

╭ genre: smut, angst, bit of fluff, more smut

╭ warnings: enemies to fwb, dom!yoongi, sub!reader, jealous ex!jungkook, bestfriend!jimin, hate sex, yoongi has a degrading kink but so does yn, brat taming, hair pulling, spitting, slapping, hickeys, choking, unprotected sex (STAY SAFE GUYS!), creampie, praise kink, hand kink, possessive yoongi, sexual content ofc, mentions of drinking, ...

╭ author’s note: this fic is inspired by the song everytime by ariana grande. I also recommend using the chrome extension InteractiveFics for a better reading experience ;)

Its been a while, woops

22/08/2022

The sound of your doorbell ringing caught you off guard as you were trying to find some milk for your cornflakes. You looked through the peephole, and the sight of Jimin send you into a frenzy. You cussed and cussed again as you were running towards your room. “I’ll be there, wait a minute.” You rummaged through your closet, finding the first turtleneck you could find before heading back to the front door. When you swung the door open, you saw Jimin waiting for you with a rather mad expression. “What are you doing here?” Was the first thing you asked, a sweat droplet running down your cheek.

“I came to help like you asked me too.” He nonchalantly answered.

You frowned your eyebrows. “Yeah, tomorrow, not today.”

He looked back at you with a puzzled expression, realising his confusion of the dates. “Oh, anyway. Where were you last night? You never came back we were so worried about you?!”

Jimin walked into your apartment, inviting himself to come in, closing the door behind him. “Uh, I-uh got sick.” You said, walking over to your couch before you placed yourself down onto it.

“Sick, huh?” He didn’t buy it.

What you also didn’t tell him was that last night, after your little rendezvous with Yoongi, you snuck out of Hoseok’s house as fast as possible. Not because you wanted to get away, but because your neck and chest were covered in hickeys that you couldn’t hide from anyone with what you were wearing that night. That’s why you had to wear a turtleneck right now, even though it was 30 degrees Celsius outside.

“Yeah…sick.” You smiled. “What, don’t you believe me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to believe, but-” But before he could say anything further, another ring of the doorbell could be heard. This time though, Jimin decided to open up. “Oh, hey Jungkook.”

Jungkook looked a bit confused for a second, expecting it would be you opening the door. “Oh, hey.” He said before he noticed you behind Jimin sitting on the couch. “Jimin told me he was coming over so I wanted to do the same. Are you okay? I was worried sick yesterday! You didn’t respond to any of our texts.”

You could describe the feeling you were feeling now as standing on your tippy toes in a pool, keeping your head just above the water. You were suffocating yourself right now by your poor decision making from yesterday.

“I’m really sorry guys.” You desperately plead “I guess I drank too much and got distracted.”

Jimin pouted his lip with combination of squinting his eyes in doubt. “Distracted by what?”

“You also don’t seem to be so hungover.” Jungkook added to ruin your alibi even more.

“Aren’t you hot? It’s like 30 degrees outside?” Jimin spoke again, making you finally have enough.

You stood up and started hinting the two boys to leave your apartment. “No, very cold, very sick. So please, go I need some alone time like right now!”

By the way they’ve been looking you the entire time, you could tell they were very suspicious and confused about your secretive behaviour. But before they could say anything, you already closed the door in front of them, not answering their desperate pleads for you to open the door again.

You leaned against the door and sighed, quickly taking off that dreadful turtleneck.

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Y/n, you’re so dumb!

How could you be so stupid? Did you enjoy last night? Well of course…but it just made everything worse for you! You didn’t think about the consequences it would had. You didn’t really care about what Jimin or Taehyung would think, but it all boils down to protecting Jungkook’s feelings. You knew how much he hated him and how badly everything went down after the breakup of you and Yoongi. You knew he just wanted the best for you, but that led you to having the need to avoid even the slightest hint of Yoongi’s existent around Jungkook. He also was just fucking jealous of the guy too.

Beep beep

That’s when a small notification sound caught your attention, making you fish out your phone out of the sides of the couch.

[11:02] Jimin: Look, Idk with who, but I know you hooked up with someone last night

Your heart had sunken to your stomach and it felt as if you were really getting sick this time. Your blood started pumping from the sudden adrenaline rush since you couldn’t feel more stressed than in this moment. It couldn’t be right? Yoongi wasn’t the type to tell the others? Or was he? Did he change that much? Was he really just a cocky asshole? You couldn’t think straight, which led you to finding Yoongi’s account again and doing the dreadful thing you always wanted to do. So you pressed the button that you had been staring at for months.

Unblocked

[11:08] y/n:Did you tell Jimin about what happened yesterday?????

With biting nails you were waiting for a respond. With every passing second you started stressing even more. Maybe he wasn’t even home. Maybe he was with another girl. You shook your head. No, he couldn’t be with a girl. That guy is not the type to have fuck dates at this hour. He was probably working, which meant he would probably not read your message anytime soon, right? Maybe it’s better for you if he didn’t answer right away. But who were you kidding? You were in no state of mind to behave normally now. But before you could even think of putting your phone away, a text message popped onto the screen.

[11:12] Yoongi: Uhh…hey

[11:12] Yoongi:No I didn’t?

Your heart stopped. And all you could think was…wait ,what?

Were you really the idiot here or was he playing with you? Maybe you should’ve asked Jimin first how he got that information…

[11:13] y/n: Why do you think that???

You send to Jimin.

[11:13] Jimin: y/n, you were wearing a turtle neck in this weather…told me you were ‘distracted’ at the party…bit suspicious don’t you think?

You. Wanted. To. End. It. All.

[11:14] y/n: Heyy

[11:14] y/n: hahaha…

[11:14] y/n: Uhh…just forget I said anything

[11:14] y/n: Thank you!!!!!!

You quickly wrote to Yoongi, questioning your whole life existence in this very moment.

[11:15] Yoongi: …okay?

[11:16] Yoongi: Nice to see I’m unblocked again

[11:16] Yoongi: Can’t they know about what happened between us?

[11:16] y/n: No, they can’t

[11:16] Yoongi: Why not tho?

[11:17] Yoongi: We’ve fucked before, it’s not like they would care

[11:17] y/n: It’s complicated

[11:17] Yoongi: Right…

This was not how you wanted to spend your Sunday morning.

When work suddenly called to take over someone’s shift, you couldn’t be more than thrilled to go since you then had an excuse to ignore everyone’s text messages. And with everyone you meant Jungkook.

“Why didn’t you come and say hi to me yesterday?!”

What you didn’t know however, was that Jia was also working today.

Jia’s sudden question made you stop what you were doing. You awkwardly laughed as you turned yourself to her. “I-uh, thought you were busy.”

“Of course not! Yoongi wouldn’t mind you saying hi, you know.” His name alone made your heartbeat increase. “In fact, I didn’t see him for the rest of the night.” Memories of you and Yoongi that night flooded through your mind, making your cheeks unwillingly turn a subtle pink. “But he told me he’d make it up for me by taking me out for dinner.”

And with that, your increasing heartbeat got shattered. “How nice.”

“I know right?!” She beamed. “Oh, and I saw you with Jungkook yesterday. He got handsome didn’t he?” She teased, making me playfully roll my eyes.

“He has always been handsome.” You answer back, refilling the straws on the counter.

“Yeah, but like now he’s like a man and you can tell he had been going to the gym.” Thinking about Jungkook in the gym had made Jia a bit more excited than she should be. “Are you two back together?”

You chuckled. “No we're not.”

“Why not? Seems like a waste of a good guy, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe.”

“Then we could go on double dates!”

Ow yeah, great idea! A double date with two of your exes that hate each other and your obnoxious co-worker who doesn’t know you’re fucking the same guy. “With you and Yoongi?” She excitedly nodded to your question. “Jungkook doesn’t like Yoongi”

A quick pout appeared on her face. “Why not? They used to be quite close right?”

“Yeah, but something happened.” You turned to Jia, noticing she was waiting for you to add something to your sentence. “I don’t know the details.”

She sighed in dissatisfaction. “Yoongi’s also not the relationship type of guy though. So I guess that’ll never happen anyway.”

You mentally scoffed and decided to act dumb “He’s not?”

“No, I already talked about it with him before, but something in me says I can change him.” She said in full confidence.

“Good luck with that.” You said sarcastically, hoping she wouldn’t notice. And as you were refilling the milk, a thought popped in your head. “Are you in love with him?” You asked out of curiosity and out a bit of fear. You didn’t know which idea you hated more: her being Yoongi’s casual fuckbuddy or her being actually head over heels over him. But her answer made you sigh out of relief.

“Love is a big word.” She said after thinking about it for a second. “But I think he’s cute.” She smiled.

The hours passed, and happily for you without any mention of any guy named Min Yoongi or Jeon Jungkook. And even though you didn’t want to, but whenever you were eying down Jia, it reminded you of how Yoongi’s dick had been in her. A vile thought, but your jealousy had always gotten the worse of you. You really wanted to like her, but the thought of him doing all the things he did to you to her did something with you.

“Oh my god, he’s here!” Jia quickly took of her apron and took out her hairclip. “Tell him I’ll be right back. I’m going to get my stuff!” She beamed as she quickly hopped off to the backroom.

“Who’s here?” Asking was useless, cause you could see the man in question standing at the door, smirking at you. “Never mind.” You quickly looked away, acting as if you didn’t see him. You were searching something to make it look like you were busy, but luck wasn’t in your favour. Everything got restocked and cleaned for the next day, and worst of all, by you.

You felt his presence at the other side of the counter, which made you suddenly act if the cuticles of your nails were very interesting. “Not even a hello?” You suddenly heard.

Not looking up, you said “I don’t know you and you don’t know me, got it?”

A simple ‘tsk’ left his lips as he slightly shook his head. “Hoba found your panties by the way. He gave them to me.” He said, smirking as soon as he realised he got your attention.

With wide eyes you looked up at him. “Did you tell him?!”

“No, he just saw you leave the bathroom after me.” He said with a small laugh after that. “Anyways If you want them back, I guess you’ll have to come over.”

And all you could think was this bitch “You can keep them.”

He shrug his shoulders and looked back at the door of the backroom, which soon opened to reveal a dressed up Jia. He smiled at her, making your heart ache. “You look absolutely stunning.”

Jia giggled. “Oh, stop it you!” The way he put his arm around her…just how he used to do with you. Corners of his lips curling up, giving her a small smile. “See you next time, y/n!” She waved.

With pressed lips, you gave her a quick smile back. And the moment she turned her head away, that’s when you gave Yoongi one last look. This time he wasn’t looking at you. He gave Jia all of his attention from the moment they stepped out of the door. Whatever, you thought by yourself. Why should you care. It was a one time thing you kept telling yourself. Even though something in you really wanted your panties back.

Who would’ve thought that your little interaction would upset you as much as it did. Usually you would come home, filled with joy since another day of work was over. But when you finally sat down into your new bought couch, you couldn’t help but be filled with anger. Dinner wasn’t even on your mind. How could it be? Knowing Yoongi and Jia were going on another date, which would probably end in the same scenario you had with Yoongi the day before. You sighed out of frustration. There was only one logical thing to do now.

Text Yoongi.

[18:23] y/n: Hope you’re having fun

Your impulsiveness got the best of you again since the send button was pressed faster than you could comprehend. How dare he do all those things to you yesterday and then show up to work to pick up one of his other girls? No way. The nerve he had. And weirdly enough, you didn’t regret what happened yesterday. Your eyes suddenly sprung open of the thought of yesterday.

Oh no…

Was what Yoongi said true? Did Hoseok saw you leave the room after Yoongi? If yes, did he tell Jimin? Taehyung? Or worse, Jungkook?

[18:27] y/n: Hobi…

[18:27] y/n: Is what Yoongi said true…?

[18:27] y/n: Do you know what happened yesterday?

Fuck it, you thought as you walked over to your liquor cabinet. Since your stomach was filled with so much jealousy already, the only thing you could devour now was a nice glass of white wine. You popped open a new bottle and poured yourself a glass that suddenly got lit up by the light of your phone.

[18:32] Hobi: Yes and I think you guys are fucking disgusting

[18:32] Hobi: I invite you to my house for the first time

[18:33] Hobi: And the first thing you do is fuck my best friend in my bathroomㅠㅠ

“Shit.” You cursed out loud.

[18:33] y/n: I got carried away in the moment!!!!!! I’m sorry!!!!!!!

[18:33] y/n: Did you…tell anyone?

[18:34] Hobi: Of course not

[18:34] Hobi: Why would I tell other people if I didn’t even wanted to know

[18:34] Hobi: One good thing to came from that is you and Yoongi are back to talking

[18:34] y/n: I guess…

[18:35] y/n: I wouldn’t say back to talking…it’s complicated

[18:35] Hobi: I’m surprised…

You knew he meant that sarcastically

[18:36] y/n: Oh…and Hobi…

[18:36] y/n: Is it true that you found my panties…?

[18:38] Hobi: …

[18:38] Hobi: I did

[18:38] Hobi: But I gave them to Yoongi so…

[18:38] y/n: How did you even know they were mine?

[18:39] Hobi: Cause Yoongi told me…

[18:39] Hobi: He was helping with the clean up the day after

[18:39] Hobi: Then I found them…and I knew I saw you two leave the bathroom the night before so yeah

[18:39] Hobi: I just had to connect the dots

[18:39] Hobi: Yoongi also told me they were yours so yeah

[18:40] y/n: Well…thank you Hobi

[18:40] y/n: again…sorry

[18:40] y/n: ttyl

You took another sip to comprehend what just had happened. At least you got your answer, Hoseok did know. You were at least relieved that you could trust him enough that he wouldn’t tell anyone else.

But here you were again hours later, tossing and turning in your bed, thinking about the one and only Min Yoongi. His name kept lingering in your mind, no matter how hard you tried to think of something or someone else. Yoongi, Yoongi and more Yoongi. Reimagining how is hands felt on your body. How the petals of his lips pressed against your skin. The thought alone turned you on, which subconsciously led your right hand into your panties, mimicking the motions Yoongi did to you that night. And so you started fantasizing again. How his tongue circled around your sensitive nub, making you lose all sense of reality. Or how his husky breath against the nape of your neck made you shiver. Or how his growing bulge kept rubbing against your…

Beep beep

The sudden notification snapped you out of your trance.

It was him, which made you happier then you should be.

[01:16] Yoongi: Hope you realise how unsurprised I actually am that you texted me that

[01:16] Yoongi: Oh and don’t worry, she’s not the only one I had fun with tonight

His snarky little comment made your desire turn into full jealousy. And you knew damn well he said that just to piss you off.

[01:17] y/n: Min Yoongi fucking multiple girls? What surprise!

[01:18] Yoongi: Yeah and you’re one of them now

[01:18] y/n: That’s not true

[01:18] Yoongi: Oh, isn’t it?

[01:18] Yoongi: So we weren’t fucking when I was filling you up with my cum?

[01:19] y/n: Why you gotta say it like that????

[01:19] y/n: You’re fucking disgusting

[01:19] y/n: And that was a one time thing, it won’t happen again

[01:19] Yoongi: Oh? It won’t?

[01:20] y/n: No, it won’t

[01:20] y/n: I was just drunk and horny

[01:20] Yoongi: Why are you texting me then?

[01:20] y/n: What do you mean?

[01:20] Yoongi: Your basically telling me you want to go back to how it used to be

[01:20] Yoongi: Which is completely ignoring my existent

[01:20] Yoongi: But here you are

[01:20] Yoongi: unblocking me

[01:21] Yoongi: Texting me to ‘have fun’ cause that’s your way of telling me that you’re jealous

[01:21] Yoongi: Acting as if you don’t like me paying attention to you

[01:21] Yoongi: Cause if you didn’t, I assume you would’ve stopped responding a long time ago

[01:21] Yoongi: It’s almost cute how dumb you are

[01:22] y/n: I don’t know why I sent that, okay?

[01:22] y/n: Sometimes I do things without thinking twice

[01:22] Yoongi: How about you stop trying to convince me and yourself you don’t want me, and just send me something pretty to keep me busy?

You felt your cheeks turn red and your heart started pumping out of excitement. You shook your head, no. You shouldn’t let your sick desires for this man get the best of you…right?

[01:23] y/n: You got to be kidding me

[01:23] Yoongi: What? Its’ not like you haven’t done that before ;)

[01:24] y/n: Oh yeah, that’s right !

[01:24] y/n: Maybe you should think about those pics then instead huh

[01:24] Yoongi: But I’d like updated pictures

You bit your lip as you started to think if you should do it. Yoongi noticed it took you a while to respond in comparison to before, knowing you were having second thoughts.

[01:25] Yoongi: Look, you don’t have to send me anything but if you don’t want to

[01:25] Yoongi: But it sure is welcomed

You looked down at your sleepwear, finding your worn out shirt with holes far from sexy. Leaning over at your right, quickly reaching for your most presentable lingerie in your top drawer. As you hastily put it on your body, a part of you couldn’t believe you were doing this for him. So here you were, making mirror selfies in the most lustful way you possible could. Your hair messy and every curve visible just for him. And after being quite pleased about the results, it didn’t take you long to press send.

And no matter what you did or how much you tried to convince yourself you didn’t want him to fuck you senseless, he seemed to get exactly what he wants.

[01:29] Yoongi: You never disappoint

A very pleased grin appeared on your face after reading his message, feeling quite flattered he liked them. You laid down onto your bed, waiting for his next text, assuming this would be a lovely night of sexting. However, him suddenly calling you caught you off guard. “H-hey.” You stuttered as you picked up.

“Did you change into that just for me?” Was the first thing for him to ask, making you a bit embarrassed by his sudden call out.

So the only obvious thing you could do now, of course, was lie. “No, I-I just happened to have that on.”

You could hear him scoff on the other side of the line. “You’re such a bad liar. You looked absolutely stunning in it though.” Another smile came onto you as he said that. “Do you like pleasing me?”

You started playing with your hair. “Maybe.” You teased.

Yoongi smirked, finding your reaction cute. “Do you regret what happened yesterday?” He asked out of genuine concern.

“No.”

Your answer made some weight leave Yoongi’s shoulders. Even though he always loved testing your limits, in no circumstances would he want to take it on a level where you would feel uncomfortable. “Can’t believe how shy you are right now.” He teased.

“It’s just been a while since we talked okay”

“And who’s fault is that.” He scoffed.

“Not the point” You quickly added.

What you didn’t know was that Yoongi was being very smiley as well, reminiscing about the time you were still dating since you were acting the same now as you were back then. “Well, I didn’t mind seeing you again” You couldn’t control your smile after he said that.

“Of course you didn’t, but something like that won’t happen again”

“Why not?”

“Because I refuse to become one of your girls.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.” He said. “I’ll be nice.” The huskiness in his voice when he said that made you swoon. “Didn’t you like the way I made you feel?”

Memories from that night quickly flashed through your mind. “I did.”

“That’s what I thought.” That’s when Yoongi reminded himself why he called you in the first place. “Are you still wearing the same thing?”

“Yeah…”

“Still wearing the same black panties?”

“Uhu…”

“I want you to take them off.”

“W-what?”

“You heard me.”

A sudden excitement rushed down to your stomach, making you do as he told without thinking twice. Grabbing the hem of your blacked laced panties and sliding them off, throwing them to the side. “They’re off.”

“I want you to touch yourself and think its me between your legs” He asked with a smirk, feeling himself, literally, getting more excited. “Got it?”

“Yes, Yoongi.” His wish was your command. Sliding down your fingers, spreading your folds before you took some of your wetness to glide over your swollen nub. Subconsciously holding your breath as you were playing with it.

“Are you wet?” He asked in between the silence.

You bit your lip. “Of course I am” You reassured.

“Good girl.” He praised. “I wish I could see you right now.” Yoongi said, eyeing down his ever so growing bulge inside of his grey sweatpants as his right hand’s playing with the string of his joggers.

Your breathing became unsteady. “I wish you were here too.”

“What would you want me to do if I was there?”

“Hmh-“ Was all you could mouth. Even though this wasn’t the first time you guys did something like this, it still managed to make you timid.

“If you can’t tell me what you want, then you won’t get it.”

Oh god, those words had given you another round of sheer desperation for him. How you would love for him to come over now. This time, not a chance of anyone barging in. It would be just the two of you, accessible for one another for hours on end. With the amount of fantasies you had about him ever since that night, you were confident you two could go at it for hours. And you know he sure wouldn’t mind. A small moan escaped your lips “I’d want your fingers pleasing me instead of mine. I want you to make me come as you did yesterday.”

“You really enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

You hummed a ‘uhu’ in between your heavy breathing “I really did. I haven’t been able to control myself ever since.”

Your sudden confession had peeked his interest. “Oh, haven’t you now? I thought you didn’t want me?”

The combination of the white wine and your never ending horniness made you give in into Yoongi’s questions without second thought. “I think we both know what I really want since I’m finger fucking myself by the thought of you as we speak.”

“Ooh, there she is.” He responded as if he had found something. “The shy girl got replaced by the y/n I know. Gotten your confidence back, huh?”

Another moan slipped out as your grip around your phone tightened. “You don’t know how bad I want you right now, Yoongi.”

“Getting desperate there, huh? Just for me? I’m flattered.” Satisfaction took over Yoongi’s facial features as he realised he had been on your mind ever since last night. “You’d love for that to happen again, don’t you y/n?”

“Fuck-Yoongi, you don’t even know.”

His lips curled into a sadistic grin. “But yesterday was a one time thing, right?” Of course he said that. Of course he would use your own god forsaken words against you in this moment. And you knew he was enjoying every single bit of it. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be. But only if you make it very clear to me how much you want me.”

You started to have a hard time keeping your legs open. “I want you all to myself, Yoongi. I want to please you like no other girl would. I’d obey you like no other, just for your enjoyment.” Yoongi’s desire for you became hungrier as the minutes passed. Just the thought of you alone being so worked up about him made his imagination drive to unspeakable places. And you could tell by the size of the tent in his sweats. “I want you to fuck me senseless.”

You slipped out another moan without thinking much of it, but on the other side of the line you just flipped a switch for someone. “Fuck babe, I’d love to hear more of that. Just you moaning my name over and over again as I stretch you out.”

“I wish I had your dick inside of me instead of my fingers, Yoongi” You pleaded, as you started to pick up the pace of your fingers. “I need you so bad.”

“Of course you do, dirty girl.” Yoongi knew he wouldn’t be able to contain himself any longer by the way his dick was twitching. “My dick is rock hard for you baby.”

“Yeah?” You moaned, inserting both your middle and ring finger inside of you. “I wish I could help you to get rid of it.” Just thinking about Yoongi’s face while you’d suck him off made you even come closer to your orgasm. “I’d be on my knees begging for just a taste.”

“God just thinking about it makes me insane.” He groaned as he gave his clothed member a hard stroke. “You’d look real pretty sucking my cock.”

“I want you to grab my hair as you do it” You moaned. “You’ll be in full control of my motion, just the right pace for my Yoongi” Yoongi bit his lip as he eagerly grabbed his rock-hard cock out of his boxers, tip red burning full of desire, giving it a few slow strokes. “Looking up to you, watching you trying to hold in your moans as I suck you off.” Fuck, you wanted him so bad. “And when you cum, I want to lick everything up. Every last bit, I want to taste you.”

Wasting no time, He vigorously started stroking himself, unable to control his hormones any longer. The mere thought of you doing all those things made him sexually frustrated, making him rethink if he had should’ve spend the night with you instead of Jia.

He scoffed. “You’d do anything to please me, isn’t it?” He panted

“Anything.”

The grip around his cock tightened as a reflex to your words. “Come for me, baby. I want to hear your beautiful voice as I touch myself.”

“Yes Yoongi.” The more you started to focus on your orgasm, ,the louder you seemed to get. However, the louder you got, the heavier Yoongi’s breathing got. You started smirking, since now it felt as if the roles of the day before were reversed. It felt as you were more in control in this moment. And even if it didn’t felt like that for Yoongi, you sure were going to try. “You wish it was my mouth pleasing you instead of your hand, don’t you?”

A grin appeared on his face, knowing well enough what you were doing. “Of course I do, baby-fuck.” It was embarrassing for him how close he was already getting to come lose. “Then you’ll be able to show off your improvement, huh?” He teased.

Even though you wanted to scoff, a moan left your lips instead since you were almost at your climax. “I-I’m coming, babe.”

“Come for me, please.”

“Yeah- Yeah-“ Almost being unable to hold onto that damned phone as your whole body was clenching together when you finally reached your peek. Slammed thighs together and letting out deep breaths as you felt your body loosen up again. But the person on the other side was just getting to his orgasm with the helps of your messy moans. And the last thing you could hear was a deep groan and heavy panting on the other side, making you smile out of satisfaction. “Did you come too? That didn’t last very long.” You teased

Yoongi’s head was thrown back, his jet-black hair covering his eyes as he panted to come off his high. Cum dripping down his veiny hand, knuckles white from his grip. “fuck, y/n.” He needed a moment before he could respond to your snarky little comment. “As if you’re not a mess now.”

You scoffed. “I can handle more than this.”

“I bet.” He chuckled, grabbing the nearest tissue he could find to clean himself off. “Can’t wait to see your endurance next time I see you then.”

You suddenly got shy again. “N-Next time?”

“Come on, you can stop acting as if you don’t want to see me anymore, y/n.” He said slightly annoyed. “Besides, I would love to take you out again.”

“I doubt that.” You said, not because you didn’t believe him, but because you didn’t want to believe him.

Something in Yoongi’s tone had softened. “No really. How about tomorrow? I know your schedule. I can pick you up after work.”

“At work?? Jia would see us?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah? So? Unlike you, I don’t care who sees us. Besides, it’s not like it’s a secret I’m seeing other women.”

Him mentioning the fact you weren’t the only girl in his life mad your heart ache. Was going out with Yoongi again a good idea? Probably not, but something in you had been waiting for this opportunity for so long that it would be cockblocking yourself a this point. “Other women, yeah. But she doesn’t know about…us, you know”

“Then I’ll guess you’ll have a new topic to talk about then” He couldn’t care less about what other people would think. He only cared about you right now and how he would love to spend time with you, no matter who was looking. “But if you don’t mind me, I’ll have to clean up the mess you made me make.” He heard you let out a little giggle, making him smile. “Goodnight babe.”

“Goodnight Yoongi.”

And with that, he hung up.

A part of you was dreading the idea. Were you really going back to being emotionally drained by no other than Min Yoongi? Or was this time going to be different. You scoffed at yourself as you shook your head. Of course it would be different. It would be even worse. Cause this time you weren’t his and he wasn’t yours.

Taglist; @flowerblu00, @brinda-9, @seokjinkismet, @sugainmybowl, @mxxxnshine

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cartoon-lovers-world · 4 days

Text

Hiya! I'm back with another, as you can tell, Trolls fic, cause, well, you can never get enough, am I right?

Now, this one is a bit different cause it's the first time I write about something other than Broppy... DawnDory!

Anyway, reviews are always appreciated, enjoyyyy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perfect

"I'm sorry, Delta…"

"But… I thought you loved me…"

"I do! I really do! I just… I can't take any responsibilities right now, alright?"

"Am I really a burden to you?"

"It's not your fault, it's mine! I am the problem, not you!"

"You wanna be alone? Be alone."

—------------

John's eyelids flung wide, his form erupting into an upright stance with the suddenness of a thunderclap. He drew in the morning air, a deep, steadying torrent that filled his lungs, whispering a silent mantra to calm the tempest within. Inhale. Exhale. It was nothing more than a dream, a figment woven from the threads of a restless mind. A mere dream, he reassured himself, yet it clung to his consciousness with the vividness of reality.

He sighed as he leaned back against the cushions.

This was the day.

The turquoise-haired forced himself to his feet, grabbing the usual leather jacket and red goggles and getting ready for the day. He opened his bedroom door, the faint creek alarming his brothers of his presence. He walked in with slow, sluggish steps, yawning and stretching still. Bruce lazily got up to make him his plate, while Clay and Floyd only gave weak waves of their hands. Branch didn't even look up, as expected.

"Mornin', guys," John mumbled, taking a seat between the youngsters.

Then silence rang again in the room. Awkward silence, you can call it. But this wasn't new, things were different now, and the Brozone members have been trying to reconnect since the reunion. Even if it was a bit difficult at times.

"So," Clay was the first to speak. There was a small grin on his face as he muttered, "Which chapter are you in now?"

John's eyes lit up. "I don't remember, but it's the one where Charles gets arrested."

"First or second time?"

"He gets arrested again?!"

The lime-haired troll looked away with a slight cough. "Oops."

"Bro, you spoiled it!"

"I didn't know you read that slow!"

"That hurts, man…" the older said dramatically. "I read at my own pace."

Branch's eyes darted between his bickering brothers. "Tale of two cities?" he guessed. They nodded.

"Does he know that Sydney d-"

"No, no, no, no, no!" John covered his ears and closed his eyes. "I don't want any spoilers!"

Branch smirked, eyes still fixed on his meal. "So, Clay, how did you feel about the part where-"

"Stop it, Branch!"

The duo exchanged small smiles.

"So, what did you plan for tonight's party?" Bruce chimed in. "Poppy's counting on us."

And it seemed like the question summoned fire inside the eldest's eyes. "I made the ultimate playlist!" he exclaimed excitedly, vocalizing the' ultimate' for dramatic effect. "We'll burn the stage tonight!"

The other Brozone members exchanged knowing smirks.

—------------

"Now, we have blue cupcakes for the Techno trolls, red ones for the Rock trolls, and orange ones for the Country trolls, purple ones for Funk…" Poppy trailed off, trying to recall the colors that should be on the table. She was missing two. "And… who else?"

"Classic and Pop?" Branch suggested with a knowing smile.

"Oh, yeah!" The girl beamed. "We need yellow and pink cupcakes!" She made her way to the kitchen for the third time that day, her eyes scanning the counter for the familiar small vials. She let out a loud, "Found them!" as she held them in her hands.

Branch looked on as his girlfriend poured countable droplets of yellow in a batter-filled bowl then handed it to him while she stirred her own pink. His gaze darted between the two bowls. "You sure this much food coloring isn't unhealthy?" he asked.

She waved him off. "Branch, I eat tons of colorful cupcakes every day and I'm perfectly fine!"

"If you say so, then," he muttered, finally bringing the spoon back and forth between the mixture.

"Make sure you stir in the same direction."

He nodded.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Poppy suddenly exclaimed, pulling out another bowl seemingly out of thin air. "I made some for you!"

The dull troll raised an eyebrow. "For me?"

"Mhm!" she hummed. "Zero food coloring and a teeny tiny bit of sugar! Just like you like it!"

"Oh…" He didn't expect that. "Thanks, Poppy."

Her smile widened. "So, how are things with your bros?"

"Good, I guess." Branch replied simply.

Poppy paused. This wasn't his usual calm tone. This was a sad one. "Hey, is everything alright?"

He nodded.

"Is… is Floyd getting worse or something…?"

"No, no," he quickly assured her, "It's John, actually…"

"John?"

"Yeah…" Branch stopped. He didn't know how to explain it. "He's been… off…"

"Off, how?" Poppy persisted.

"I don't know how to explain it… he's been acting weird since the day you told us you were throwing this party."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"I did!" Branch exclaimed. "But he always brushes me off!"

"Maybe he just needs time." Poppy moved closer to her boyfriend, gently brushing the flour that had managed to stick to his cheek with her thumb before she went to grab the frosting. His hand was on the exact spot she had touched when she was placing a tray of the treat in front of him.

He slowly rested his palm on the tray, his cheek getting slightly cold as the breeze hit it again. "You think?" he asked in a small voice. Poppy nodded.

"You only began to open up to me a few months ago," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but… we're trying to reconnect, and he's not helping us."

Poppy pondered for a minute. "Maybe he's mad at something?"

"More like sad." He didn't even know he had this feeling about his brother.

—------------

Red like the berries he was holding was her hair.

A shade of green he didn't quite know the name of was her fancy tail. It was the same as his hair, though not really the same.

He smiled faintly when he stumbled upon another flower. Orange petals, deep green leaves, just like her skin and eyes. Now the palette in his head was complete.

Perfect, as he liked to call it.

Delta was perfect, unconditionally perfect, for some reason, and John sometimes found himself mesmerized by the effect the country troll had on him. Why did all the standards of 'Perfect' fall out when it came to her?

In the quiet moments of twilight, when the world seemed to hold its breath, John Dory's thoughts would invariably drift to Delta Dawn. She was a melody that lingered in the air long after the song had ended, a tapestry of colors in a world that often appeared monochrome to him. Her laughter was a symphony, her smile a beacon; she was the embodiment of a serenity he had known only in fleeting moments. It was in her presence that the cacophony of his insecurities fell silent, where the relentless pursuit of perfection seemed to pause, and for a moment, everything was enough.

John often pondered the enigma that was Delta. She was like the sun - radiant, life-giving, and yet, impossible to hold. Yet he had let her go when he had her in his amrs. She was the gentle pull of the moon on the tides of his heart, a force that moved him in ways he couldn't understand. Her spirit was untamed, a river that flowed with a purpose all its own, carving paths through the bedrock of his defenses. In her eyes, he saw the reflection of a man he could be, free from the chains of doubt that shackled him.

The day he left her was a day the music died within him. The colors of the world dimmed, and he wandered through life in a grayscale landscape, haunted by the ghost of her perfection. He had convinced himself that he was unworthy, that his flaws were canyons too vast to cross, that his love was too shallow to quench the thirst of someone so profound. Yet, in the solitude of his regret, he realized that Delta never sought perfection; she sought him, just as he was, with all his imperfections.

Delta was the dream he dared not dream, for fear it would crumble under the weight of reality. She was the question to which he had no answer, the puzzle whose pieces he held but couldn't place. In her absence, he learned that perfection wasn't a destination but a journey, one that they could have embarked on together, discovering the beauty in the imperfections that made them uniquely themselves.

Now, as the years have passed, the memory of her is a bittersweet refrain that echoes in the hollows of his heart, somehow still pulling him from the grips of a gray heart, a gray form. He now knows that it was not her perfection that he loved, but the way she made the ordinary extraordinary, the way she saw the world not as it was, but as it could be. And though she may never want to have a word with him, she remains the compass that guides him, the north star in the constellation of his life's journey.

For John, Delta Dawn will always be the one that got away, not because she was perfect, but because she was real. She was the love that slipped through his fingers like grains of sand, a reminder of what could have been if only he had been brave enough to hold on. And in every sunset, in every whisper of the wind, he hears the faintest trace of her song, calling him to remember, to hope, and perhaps, to love again.

And that's what he was going for.

Her love.

Her forgiveness.

—------------

He had to find her.

John's gaze wandered through the place, the lights being an obstacle with their blinding colors and hues. But he could swear he had just seen her. Where did she go? She was just there, right in front of him!

"Delta-"

"You're John Dory from Brozone, right?"

"Can I have an autograph?"

"Is it true you're making a performance tonight?"

A sea of questions, one the leader didn't quite know how to answer, or where to begin, for that matter.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied hastily, not sure what he was saying. His eyes were still on her-he lost her!

"Can you let me through?" It came out more furious than he had intended. But it went unnoticed by the small crowd around him, they were more focused on his frantic steps as he managed to escape the circle they had trapped him in.

"Where is she?" John muttered to himself, turning around like a madman as his eyes longed to spot the familiar red hair, or green tail, or-

"Looking for someone, John Dory?"

"Delta-" John's voice trembled as he turned around, his gaze locking onto the cascade of familiar fierce red hair that had haunted his dreams for years. The party around them seemed to fade into a hush, the laughter and music dimming into the background as he took a tentative step forward. His heart was a frenzied drummer, pounding against the walls of his chest with a mix of dread and longing. Years had passed, years filled with the echo of her name and the weight of his own insecurities that had driven him away.

And now he was facing her again.

"Delta, I–" he tried again, his voice stronger, but the words clung to his tongue, heavy with the gravity of what he needed to say. He needed her to know that not a day had gone by that he hadn't thought of her, that the void she left was as vast and as desolate as a night sky without stars.

Delta's arms were crossed in an impatient manner at this point. It only added to his anxiety.

He had rehearsed this moment, practiced the lines, but now they seemed inadequate, pale imitations of the torrent of emotions that threatened to overflow. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, that he was a fool, that he had let his insecurities dictate the course of a love that was meant to be timeless.

As he finally found the courage to hold her hands, the world around them seemed to pause, the air charged with the electricity of a moment that held the power to change everything. "Delta, please," he whispered, his voice laced with a vulnerability that he had never allowed himself to show. "I left because I was afraid–afraid that I wasn't enough, that I couldn't be the man you deserved."

The confession hung between them, a fragile bridge over a chasm of years and unspoken words. He saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes, the dawning realization of the depth of his regret. He didn't need to say more; the truth was there, laid bare for her to see, a silent plea for redemption.

He waited for words he hadn't yet spoken to sink into her, with bated breath and a hopeful heart, only to hear the words he had long feared to hear.

"I'm sorry, John." She turned away, ready to leave the past troll. But he was holding her wrist, silently begging her to stop, a touch she wanted to run away from yet found herself leaning into.

"Delta, please, just-"

"Just what, John Dory?" Delta's voice was a soft murmur, like the gentle babble of a brook, carrying years of unspoken words and emotions. "You left without a word, without a reason that I could understand. And now you return, speaking of mistakes as if they were pebbles on the road, easily kicked aside."

John looked at her, eyes a mirror of regret, reflecting the past they had shared, a past filled with music and laughter, now tinged with the silence of absence. "I know," he said softly, "but I'm here now, just give me a chance."

And seeing no attempt to speak from the girl, he went on, "Delta, I know I can't change the past, but I'm here to face it, to face you," John said, his voice steady but tinged with regret. "I left because I was afraid, afraid of how deeply I felt for you, afraid that I wasn't perfect."

"And here you go again with the perfect-"

"I'm changing, I promise I'm changing."

Delta's eyes searched his, looking for the sincerity that had been missing before. "John, love isn't about being perfect, it's about being real, being here," she replied, her voice softening.

"I know that now, Delta. And I'm here, real and raw and ready to be whatever we need to be," John reached out, hoping for a connection.

Delta hesitated, then allowed herself to lean into his touch. "We have a lot to work through, John. But maybe, just maybe, we can start with trust," she whispered.

John nodded, the relief evident in his eyes. "I want that, Delta. I promise, no more secrets between us."

"And I want to believe what you're saying," Delta said, a tentative smile forming, before it was replaced with a frown. "But I need more time."

John felt her grip slowly slipping from his, and he could swear the chills of the night started to turn his hands cold once again, now that their shelter wasn't here anymore.

The air was thick with the electric buzz of the party, a cacophony of laughter and chattering Trolls, but for John Dory, the world had narrowed down to the space between him and Delta Dawn. The music, a melody that once bound them in happier times, now played like a serendipitous plea for reconciliation. As Delta's fingers began to loosen their grip, a silent testament to the chasm his insecurities had wrought, John felt the weight of his past decisions anchoring him to a moment he wished to rewrite.

"Wait," he said, his voice barely a whisper over the music, but it reached her, a soft command. Delta paused, her fiery gaze locking with his, an entire conversation passing in the silence that enveloped them. Then a song swelled, a familiar tune they both knew, and in a move that surprised them both, John extended his hand once more. "Dance with me?"

It was a question, a hope, and why did she stop? Delta, whose heart had been a fortress, felt the walls tremble with the notes of her favorite song. It was as if the universe conspired to remind her of the rhythm they once shared, a dance of two souls intertwined by choice and chance. Her anger, justified as it was, began to ebb, replaced by a curiosity for the future they could still pen together.

She still loved him.

She hesitated, but a gentle, "Just like old times?" from her ex made her rethink the decision she was about to voice out loud.

She placed her hand in his, the party around them blurring into a whirl of colors and the other Trolls fading into the background. They moved to the music, a dance that was both a memory and a discovery, a blend of what was and what could be. John led with a gentle certainty he hadn't felt in years, and Delta followed, her movements a mix of hesitation and hope.

With each step, each turn, they wove a silent promise to listen, to understand, to forgive. The dance became a dialogue, their bodies speaking the words their voices had yet to find. And as the song reached its crescendo, John and Delta found themselves not at an end, but at a precipice of a new beginning, a chance to leap into the unknown, together. The music may fade, the party may end, but the dance, their dance, could well be eternal.

—------------

Branch was watching, nibbling on the special treat his girlfriend had made for him, and the two-person crowd he was looking at was none the wiser. John seemed happy, much to his surprise. He hadn't seen the usual mischievous smile for days, and something inside him was happy for his oldest brother. He didn't even realize Poppy was there until her lips made contact with his cheek.

"Hey," she said softly as she broke the sweet gesture, her plan having worked.

"Hey, you." Branch's attention was solely on her now. "Any news?"

"Do you like it?" she asked, pointing towards the cupcake in her boyfriend's hand. A simple nod, and she knew she had nailed it.

Then her face suddenly lit up. "Are you ready? Brozone's supposed to be on stage in, about, five minutes!" She looked around. "Where are your brothers?"

Branch's eyes scanned the place, not taking long before recognizing the familiar palette, minus one, scattered around the place. "Clay's with Viva, Floyd's with Satin, Bruce is probably in the kitchen, still checking on the food, I'm here…" He paused, looking ahead. "John's there."

The pink troll followed his gaze, and almost immediately, her face broke into a wide grin. "Wow, I didn't know John is so social."

"Neither did I." Though this was never how you would see two people who have just met dancing, though. "I don't think this is their first interaction."

"We didn't know other Troll tribes existed until only a few months ago."

"We have different pasts, Poppy." He smiled, faint as it was. "Maybe we didn't. Maybe he did. Who knows?"

She shrugged, climbing and sitting on the empty spot of the long table, making sure she was still near her partner. "Do you want me to postpone you and your brothers' performance?"

"That would be nice." Their fingers were intertwined, a gesture this time made by the male. "Thanks, Poppy." His gaze shifted to the couple dancing in the distance once more.

John Dory was happy.

#Trolls #Trolls band together #Trolls fanfiction #John Dory #Delta Dawn #DawnDory #They literally had zero interaction but they have my whole heart-

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ritsuuu-0206 · 1 year

Text

"Guess who?"

Beatrice was reading a book when hands covered her eyes from behind. She smiles fondly, knowing that voice anywhere.

"You'll have to do better if that's your plan on scaring me, love."

Ava giggles, her hands moving to wrap around Beatrice's shoulders. She leans in to kiss her cheek playfully, nuzzling her after. "I doubt I could scare you but it's worth a try~"

Beatrice stares at the cloth in her hands. "You want me to wrap this around my eyes?" She raises an eyebrow at Ava, who's trying her best to contain her excitement.

"Yes! We have a surprise for you so you have to put it on!"

"You do know that telling me that defeats the purpose of a surprise?" At Beatrice's words, Ava pouts with a frown.

"Well, you haven't seen what it is so you'll be surprised anyways." She huffs. "Hurry put the blindfold on so we can get going!"

Beatrice holds the cloth out to Ava. "Will you help me put it on?" Ava takes the cloth and straddles Beatrice. She tilts her head up and gently places it over her eyes, bringing the ends to the back of her head and tying a knot. Ava finds it hot looking down at Beatrice while she's blindfolded. She leans in to peck her lips quickly, grinning when Beatrice moves to chase her lips when she pulls back.

"Maybe we should use this tonight?" Ava wants to kiss Beatrice again when she nods, a blush on her cheeks as what must undoubtedly be a thought of what could happen tonight enters her mind. She wants to tease her more but they do have a party to attend, so Ava will be patient. "I'll make this the best birthday you ever had." She whispers into Beatrice's ear, relishing how Beatrice shudders.

Beatrice doesn't know how long the bag has been over her head. She's tied to a chair, breathing quick and shallow as it hurts to breathe normally. Her captors didn't go easy on her and they probably cracked a rib but no matter how painful the beating was, Beatrice wouldn't give up any information.

It felt like an eternity in the darkness and she couldn't be more happy than to see Ava and her sisters when the bag is removed. The brightness of the room blinded her momentarily but she smiles at the sight of Ava, who cups her cheek with a shaky hand to guide her gaze towards her.

"I'm sorry we took so long. We'll get you home and patched up so stay awake for me, okay?" Ava's voice is cracking, tears brimming in her eyes. It makes Beatrice hurt to see Ava barely holding herself together. She manages a nod as they lift her carefully, bringing her to the van.

Beatrice couldn't see. Her eyes are in pain and her head is throbbing. She could feel something tight wrapped around her head. Everything hurts and it's dark and the increasing rate of the heart monitor does nothing to help.

"Ava..?" She manages to whisper through her hyperventilation. She needs to see Ava. She can't remember what happened and she needs to know if Ava is safe, she needs-

"Bea!" She hears Ava's voice, feels Ava grasping her hand. "Beatrice, I need you to breathe. I'm here, listen to my voice."

Beatrice tries to focus on Ava's voice. She breathes in and out with Ava's guide, listening to the beeping becoming steady once again.

"Ava, what happened..? Are you hurt? Is everyone safe?" Beatrice asks once she's calm enough. She feels Ava's hands tighten momentarily.

"I'm fine, all healed by the halo." She chokes out. "Everyone is safe. Injured, but alive." Beatrice hears Ava inhale deeply. "You're not injured badly, but... Your eyes... The doctor said that the cut is deep and you'll never be able to see again... I'm sorry.. if only I was faster, I could have saved you."

She feels droplets on her hand as Ava's voice turns shaky. She processes the words, letting it sink in. She'll never see again. She'll never be able to see Ava or her sisters again. She's now useless in the field, and will never be able to fight alongside Ava.

She chokes on her sobs, the reality of her situation crashing down.

#warrior nun #avatrice #hurt!bea agenda

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farfromstrange · 2 years

Text

Foreigner's God: Chapter 9

Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC

Chapter Summary: Stress can be a trigger for so many things, there is at least some truth in that statement. Whether good things come of it, that's to be determined. Or in other words, Eliza is pretty sure she has lost her mind, Matt looks like he's been run over by a bench trunk but he's Matt, so his first priority isn't him, it's her, and Foggy proves once again that has impeccable timing.

Warnings: blood, thoughts about relapsing, drugs, mentioned sexual assault, repeated use of the word 'rape', mentioned child abuse, Matt Murdock crying, making out

Other characters: Claire Temple, Foggy Nelson

Word Count: 11k

A/n: At the beginning of this story I was like (it's gonna take till at least chapter sixteen for the slow burn to stop burning slow) and then I reached chapter nine and was like fuck it! Let's give them some of what they want. Anyway, you're welcome!

Read Chapter 9: Block Me Out here on AO3!

18+ MINORS DNI

“Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?”

Claire stood in Matt’s living room, rubber gloves covered in blood. She had her little first-aid kit with her, and she was still wearing her light blue scrubs from work. Her shift had barely ended when she got the call. The kind person she was, she jumped into her car and headed for Matt Murdock’s apartment. She knew the path like the back of her hand by then. The many times she helped to stitch him up were in the tens, she figured. She told Matt she was done. She wasn’t doing this anymore. She didn’t want to. Being with him hurt her, he hadn’t been good for her. That was the reason why she drew the line underneath their ‘relationship’ if you could even consider it that. They surely didn’t share that much in common. She just had a very skilled chance and he tended to get hurt due to his desperate need to throw fists at criminals. They were nothing alike and yet Claire had never cared that much for a person before she met him. He was truly special but in a broken way. Broken people tend to do stupid things.

Though when the stranger’s voice sounded from the other line of the phone that night, she grew curious. When the woman told her Matt was on the verge of bleeding out and refused to be taken to a hospital, so she took him back to his apartment, barely breathing, and she didn’t know what to do, she packed her stuff and left the hospital in a hurry. She didn’t know Eliza, for all she knew it could’ve been a prank call, but it was the same number Matt gave her to call her and only her, and the woman was crying when she called. Only someone who was truly worried would’ve done something like this. The thought that she might’ve been a danger to Matt or her didn’t cross her mind for a second. She believed her instantly.

That was how the nurse got to where she was in the first place. She stitched Matt up, making sure he was alive and comfortable, before rising from her spot on the floor. Her eyes trailed over the young woman on the armchair across from the leather sofa. The billboard outside shone hues of red on them. She had her shirt taken off, only standing there in her bra, but she didn’t care. She was stitching herself up while Claire took care of the one who needed her attention more. Eliza couldn’t have cared less.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Claire said after her first question wasn’t answered. “I can’t even wax my own legs without crying and you’re threading a needle through a stab wound on your abdomen without batting an eye. It’s…” she shook her head, “It’s insane.”

She tossed the needle back into the kidney dish. Small droplets of her blood covered her sterile fingers. She took the bandage she had prepared before and slapped it on. “Yeah, well, I’ve been doing this for a long time. Eventually, you grow numb to it,” she said.

“You shouldn’t have to though. I mean, isn’t experiencing pain what makes us human?”

“I’m not… it’s a long story.”

“I guess that’s the thing about you heroes, right? Everything’s too complicated. You don’t think anyone would understand.”

Eliza forced a smile. “Something like that, yeah.” She flinched when she got up from the armrest. The stitches began to pull and she was forced back into the reality of the situation. She woke up for the first time that night. Her mouth parted. Silently, she gasped. “Ouch!”

Claire stretched her arm out. In her hand, she was holding a small orange bottle. “Ibuprofen,” she stated. “I would offer you aspirin, but-”

“Aspirin thins the blood,” she finished. “Yeah, I know.” She switched her gaze between the nurse and the drugs in her possession. Innocent painkillers, at least to most people. Ibuprofen doesn’t tend to cause addiction without being attached to other, heavier painkillers beforehand. Still, the consumption could trigger a relapse. It still takes away the pain, only in a much different way than morphine would.

She forced her eyes away from the bottle. “I’m good, thanks.”

“You sure?” she cocked an eyebrow. “Seems like you’re in pain.”

“I’m just sore. Thanks though. I appreciate it.”

“Alright.” Claire stuffed the Ibuprofen back into her bag. “If he needs some, he’s got some pills in his medicine cabinet in the bathroom. The key’s under the soap bottle on the sink.”

Eliza looked at Matt in his bedroom. The door was open and he was snoring softly. “The medicine cabinet in the bathroom?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

The cold of the pack of peas nudged at her forearm. “Here,” Claire said. “Put that on your eye. It should keep the swelling down.”

“Thanks,” Eliza smiled back. It wasn’t a genuine smile, only to ease her conscience.

“You care about him, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Matt, you care about him,” she said.

“Is it that obvious?”

“I can see it in your eyes. You were scared, still are.”

“I just can’t lose him,” Eliza admitted. “Maybe that’s selfish,” she said, “but I don’t care. I’d do anything to make sure he’s okay.”

“I don’t blame you,” Claire collected the last supplies she’d scattered around the living room. “Matt is something, alright.”

She looked at his sleeping frame. “Yeah, he is.”

“I just want you to be careful. Matt’s almost like a broken vase; there’s a high chance you could cut yourself on the pieces as you try to pick him up, or simply by being around him. He might not even realize it, and by the time he finally does, you might’ve already bled out.”

The words struck a place within her she had long ignored. The place first opened after he revealed his identity to her, but his pain blinded her. She felt sorry for him; she wanted to make everything alright again just to make him smile. But the man was broken, he pushed without thinking and he was so laser-focused on pleasing his savior complex that he didn’t realize the pain he was causing to the people around him until it was inevitably too late.

Eliza liked him, she truly did, but she didn’t know if it was the right thing to let herself fall closer into his trap – she was broken too. It isn't like math, two negatives don't make a positive, and two broken parts don't necessarily make a whole. They could hold each other, but there would always come a time when either of them would hurt the other. The pain would drive a stake through their hearts, make them bleed, and then they’d run toward each other again until there was nothing left but broken bones.

It wasn’t fair. She didn’t deserve that and neither did he. They were too broken to care for someone else – to care for someone else without hurting each other. Life was cruel to them, it made them lose control. They needed to focus on themselves rather than gain feelings for another. Mental issues aren’t fixed by relationships. Mental issues will persist until they’re taken care of individually.

It’s easy to fall in a time of need, but how do you get up when all you can hold onto are the sharp ends of broken pieces?

Eliza wiped her cheeks. She straightened her shoulders. The world was frustrating and she hated it. “I know Matt’s, uh, not the easiest person to be around,” she said. “But I know what I’m getting myself into. I’m broken too and believe me, there’s plenty of space to cut yourself on my edges, too. What I think he needs is someone to stay and never leave, not even when times get rough.”

Claire shouldered her bag. “You gotta ask yourself if it’s worth it,” she said.

“I know.”

“But if you truly care about him, there’s nothing you can’t conquer. I see it in your eyes. You’re persistent. I don’t know you, but it has to be you if there’s anyone good for him.“

“I’m not so sure about good, but I think… I know that there will be pain, lots of it, and I’m not sure if what I’m doing is even the right thing, but there is something between us. I can’t ignore that, not right now. Not when I need him – when I need Daredevil – the most.”

“Well, whatever it is,” Claire said as she reached for the door, “I believe you’ll find your way.“

“Thank you, Claire. If there’s anything I can do,” she said, but the nurse interrupted her.

“There’s no need. Just make sure that he doesn’t almost die next time. I made my peace with never being involved in his drama again and I’d like to keep my distance.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“I wish you the best of luck,” she said. “I’m sure there’s a way where all of this-“ she motioned around her, “ends well.”

Eliza gave her an appreciative nod. Claire didn’t say anything else.

The sudden loneliness made her knees tremble. She reached for the light switch, making the world disappear into the darkness and the flickering billboard outside. She stared at the colors and watched them play on her face in the reflection of the windows.

She made her way into the bathroom like she did earlier that evening. She hadn’t realized the cabinet before. When she stepped in, she looked around with a changed perception. She caught the metal cabinet almost instantly. The key was, as predicted, underneath the bottle of soap. She wondered why he kept it there. Had it been Claire’s idea or his own? She stuck it into the lock. Her fingers trembled. It had been a while since they did that. As she turned it, her stomach dropped.

“What are you doing?” she muttered.

The rational, the left side of her brain, seemed to fail miserably to answer the question. She didn’t have any self-control. The door to the land of dreams opened. Orange bottles lined the shelf. There was also nasal spray and cough syrup in the top right corner. Typical cold medication, only to use when needed. She also found a bottle of Hetlioz, but it seemed like he wasn’t taking it anymore. The medication is used to cure Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder. She read about it the other night, after first meeting Matt at the police station. She researched the issue of blindness to understand him better and the medication popped up since Non-24 was a popular disorder among the blind. Matt seemed to have struggled with it, but since his Daredevil schedule made him lose sleep anyway - and his senses kept him awake, even with medication, she figured - he didn’t need it anymore, so he stopped taking it.

Underneath the specific medication and ordinary I’ve-got-a-virus-and-the-pharmacy-gave-me-this medication, the row of painkillers began. Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Tylenol and Advil - over the counter medication. The question was, why did he have so many painkillers on him? Then again, he was Daredevil. He religiously went out, beat up bad guys, and got stabbed at least every two days. He was probably in desperate need of relief every once in a while. She couldn’t blame him. Though when she looked deeper, she saw the lonely bottle of Codeine in the corner. She expected a lot, but not prescription medication on his shelves. He didn’t look like the type of man to go to the doctor’s office and get himself medication for whatever plagued him. Matt liked to suffer.

She took the orange bottle which the narcotic was filled into. His name was on the label. Matthew Murdock. There was no reason for the prescription on it. Maybe he had an accident once, or maybe he’d had surgery. Maybe Claire stole it from the hospital. Who knew?

“How’s your chest?” Nick Fury asked casually.

She was lying in the uncomfortable hospital bed, her body completely coated in white bandages, but she could barely feel it. “It’s fine,” she told him.

“You look better than the last time I saw you.”

“The last time you saw me, I was bleeding out.”

“Yeah. Well, you’re not anymore.”

“Obviously.”

“So, what did the doctor say? Any news on recovery?”

She shook her head. “He gave me some Oxy and told me to get a physical therapist or I might never be able to work again. But at least I got some jello.” She pointed at the small red cup on the table over her lap.

Fury nodded curtly. “I know a good physical therapist,” he said. “I’ll hire him for you as soon as you get out of here. I think it’s in both of our best interests that you can get back to work as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.” She dug into the strawberry jello. “I appreciate it.”

Before he left, he told her, as casually as possible for Nick Fury, which said a lot, “Glad you didn’t die.” And he patted her shoulder, a nice gesture. He’d never done that before.

The nice nurse taking care of her came in when he left. She was carrying the small plastic cup alongside the glass of still water.

“Time for your meds!” she chirped. “Some antibiotics, vitamins, and painkillers. How’re you feeling?”

“Better now,” she answered. “Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate it.”

“It’s my job, darling.”

She swallowed the three pills - the antibiotics and vitamins - easily, though before she inserted the Oxycodone into her mouth, she stared at the white capsule. One hand held the water while the other clutched the drug.

Sarah tilted her head. “Is there a problem?”

She was quick to shake her head. The pill tasted slightly bitter on the tip of her tongue. “All good.”

Eliza swallowed it without a second thought.

She smacked the bottle of Codeine back into the cabinet and shut the door so loudly, she was afraid she woke up the whole neighborhood. At least to her, it seemed that loud. The blood was rushing in her ears. Her fingers itched uncomfortably, still feeling the residue of the orange bottle heavy in her hands. The air weighed a ton, as did her heart.

Eliza leaned against the sink. She looked at her face in the mirror, clear as day, with the soft yellow light in the background. Her eyes were sunken, the bags dark, and the circles even darker. She had a pimple here and there, and her eyebrows had started to grow out. The peas didn’t help much to help the swelling around her eye. The skin began to discolor into a bluish-purple. Her jaw was also bruised, but the skin there turned green instead. The crack in her lip had dried blood all around it - she hadn’t washed her face yet and neither did she brush her hair. She was a dead woman walking.

She opened the tap. Cold water ran into her hands. She sprayed it on her face. The wounds burned slightly, finally being cleaned. She stared at herself again. “What is wrong with you?” she asked out loud. “What. Is. Wrong. With. You? Get it together!”

Something crashed in the bedroom next door. Quickly, she broke through the door just to see Matt thrashing around. He was awake, eyes wide open, and his breathing came labored. His hands felt around for something familiar.

Eliza sighed. “Matt!” she called his name. He didn’t hear her at first. She slowly moved to the edge of the bed. “Matt,” she said and reached out to him. He grabbed her hand, intending to push her away or fight her or both, but when he felt her pulse, he relaxed slowly.

“It’s me. I’m here. You’re okay. You’re home now.”

Matt pulled at his hair, eyes darting around the room, still frantic.

“Hey.” She touched his cheek gently. She turned his head towards her. “You’re safe, okay? I’m here."

“You’re here.” He held onto her wrists. He repeatedly stroked her pulse points as if to make sure she was still alive. A few seconds later, his hands moved to her face. He felt her up gently, checking her features, and he searched for all the injuries she might have had. He caught the split lip, and the bruise around her eye until he moved to her torso. He placed his finger over the bandage on her side. His fingers bunched the fabric of the oversized shirt - his, no doubt. She smelled like him, too.

She tilted his chin up. “Are you okay?” she asked.

He took a deep breath and nodded, “Yeah. Are you?"

“Yeah."

"Okay, good. Good,” he said.

She cradled his head as he fell into her neck. He sniffed her. If it had been anyone else, she would’ve been creeped out, possibly even disgusted, but this was Matt. He used his sense of smell as means to see the world. By smelling her, he felt like he saw her.

He wrapped his arms around her form. “You’re alive,” his nose brushed against her throat.

“I’m alive,” she said.

“I had a dream. It was s-so real.”

“If it involves you getting stabbed and then almost getting blown up in a warehouse with a Russian psychopath, I hate to break it to you, but that wasn’t a dream.”

“You died,” he said. “In my arms. I couldn't-” he grunted, "I couldn't save you."

She took his hand to place it above her heart. "Feel that? I'm alive."

He struggled to get the words into his head. For all he knew, his senses could be playing tricks on him. They did it before.

"Matthew," she called his name sternly. "I'm alive. My heart is beating. I'm okay."

"It was so real," he whispered.

"I know, but it wasn't. It was just a dream."

He exhaled. "Just a dream."

"Yeah, just a nightmare."

His muscles eased.

"You are the one who gave me a heart attack," she admitted then. "You almost died in my arms. That was real. Do me a favor," she peaked up at him, "Don't ever do that again?"

He chuckled. “Are you sure it wasn't a drea- Ah!” His hip screamed in protest and he fell back into the mattress. “Fuck!”

“You probably shouldn’t have done that.” She checked the bandage to see if anything happened, but he looked fine. “The wound was bad, but Claire stitched you up. You know, the nice nurse you told me to call because you wouldn't go to a hospital? She told me you had way worse. I think she was trying to calm me down, but it only made things worse."

He groaned as he shifted again. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Good, that means your head’s still intact. Here,” she fluffed his pillow, “Lay back down. You need sleep.”

“You too,” Matt said and he scoffed at her shocked expression. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I just asked you to kill your dog.”

“Same difference,” she said. She rose from the bed.

His arm shot out. “No.” He squeezed her forearm. “Stay.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“You want to sleep on the couch. You don’t have to. I’ve heard it’s pretty uncomfortable.”

“From who? Other women?”

“People,” he corrected her. His eyes softened slightly. “Stay with me, please. Just for tonight? I promise I will stay on my side of the bed. I just…” He hated to say it. He didn’t even want to. “I don’t want to be alone,” finally, he admitted.

Eliza played with his t-shirt absentmindedly. He was asking her to stay. She couldn’t just lie by his side and act like the world was okay - it wasn’t. But at the same time, she was in pain and she needed to get out of her head. She needed sleep, so to say.

“Okay,” she said.

The relief washed over him like an ocean. A lonely tear escaped his eye. “Thank you.”

She walked to the other side of the bed. Her shoulders were tense, her muscles throbbing. The day spun around in her head. She hadn’t taken the time to reflect on all that happened and while she wanted to, she couldn’t bring up the strength to do so. Tears stuck to her cheeks. The second her head hit the pillows, her eyes grew heavy.

The tightrope was getting thinner and she was getting drunker. Any second and her feet would slip. The fall was several meters high and the ground at the bottom was covered in needles. Her fall would result in the return to old patterns, and she knew better than anyone that old patterns meant a definite death sentence. She knew the chances of survival this time were zero to nil.

She rolled to the side, focused on Matt. She listened to his breathing. He was alive, she had to remind herself of that. All the blood and destruction only claimed Ivan’s life. The man that mattered most was alive next to her, sleeping peacefully, and the danger was averted for the time being. She could rest.

Eliza inched closer to him. His warmth lulled her in. She placed her head just above his shoulder. He surely wouldn’t mind, she thought. As she tangled her legs with his, she reminded herself that this was home. She didn’t have anything to get back to. This was it. She had left everything else behind for this one thing, and Matt was the only constant that remained.

“Are you crying?”

She lifted her head. “No,” she lied.

“You are,” he stated.

She rolled over to the side, her back turned to him.

“Don’t ignore me.”

“I’m not.” Her sobs were stifled through the bedsheets. “Go to sleep, Matthew.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m not asking you to leave, only to sleep.”

“I can’t just lie here and listen to your sobs.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not an idiot.” She felt his hand on her back. “Tell me, what’s going on in that little head of yours?” he asked.

His gentle touch only made the tears flow faster and the sobs grow harder. “I don’t- I can’t-”

One swift motion and Matt had her turned around. She fought against him, but even injured his hold was strong, and she eventually decided it was of no use to fight him. She allowed him to curl her into his chest and simply hold her while she cried. The tears pearled off his bare chest.

“I just wish-” she was interrupted by another fit of sobs that made it hard to breathe. “I just wish he’d killed me.” It felt good to say it.

Matt cradled her head in his hand. “Shh,” he pressed his lips to her scalp, “I know.”

“I don’t want to feel that way, but I do and it’s scaring me because the last time I felt so hopeless, I didn’t care, I just-”

“You went into my medicine cabinet,” he didn’t ask.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Did you take anything?” He already knew she hadn’t.

She shook her head. “No.”

“Good. Good. I’m proud of you.”

“Don’t,” she cried, “because I shouldn’t have thought about it but I did and now I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I can’t- I can’t do this anymore, Matt. I’m so tired.”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry,” he said. He kept kissing her scalp repeatedly. “I’m so sorry. You’re gonna be okay.”

“I don’t know.”

“I do.” He shushed her again. “Just promise me you won’t open the cabinet again.”

“I won’t. I’m sorry.” Her sobs slowly turned into small hick-ups. His hand smoothed down her back to help her through it. The aftershocks wrecked her world.

Matt wiped her cheeks. “It’s okay. You okay?”

“I’m okay,” she said.

“Okay.”

Morning came too soon. Eliza barely fell into the endless spiral of sleep when soft sun rays kissed her awake rather roughly. Of course, Matt wouldn’t need blinds to cover his windows. He could sleep soundly with the brightest of lights, and Eliza understood that but she wasn’t an early bird and she certainly hated getting out of bed, especially when she didn’t wake up on her account. She got really grumpy and even Matt’s blindness didn’t matter at that moment because goddamnit, she’d slept so peacefully.

She opened her eyes to the weight on her chest. Sometime during the night, he must’ve escaped his side of the bed, replacing the mattress with her chest. His large frame covered her body almost entirely. Eliza scratched her nails along his scalp. He was deep in slumber. She almost cursed herself for choosing to push him off of her.

Matt didn’t seem to mind though. He rolled over with a pained groan, hugging one of the blue silk pillows close to his chest and that was it. He slept like a baby. She still pulled the blanket further up his body.

Eliza lifted herself off the mattress. The stitches on her side pulled with every move she made. She suppressed the groan that threatened to escape. The pain was nasty, but she had worse. She forced herself out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where she downed at least two cups of water before the burning in her chest subsided.

There was a strange pressure behind her eyes. It pulled at her scalp, her temples, and even her sinuses. She pinched her nose, searching for some kind of relief. Her first guess was stress headache. Her entire body was sore in one way or another, this could just be her muscles seeking revenge for the rough handling in the past couple of days. Her mental breakdown hadn’t been much of a help either. Her eyes were swollen and she looked, quite frankly, high as fuck, although she wasn’t. She was glad she wasn’t, that she put the bottle down and admitted it to Matt. God knows what would’ve happened if she followed through with it. She was angry at herself for even letting it get this far.

She scoffed. “Guess we’re weaker than we thought,” she thought. She did it out loud, whyever that was.

Eliza checked her new phone. There was nothing on it, but she had to follow her habits as if nothing happened. She opened the search bar to type in two words. As soon as she did, several sites popped up. She went straight to Google Maps.

Addicts Anonymous. Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, 900m from your current location. Starts at 12 pm.

The pain hit her like a freight train. A sharp knife drilled straight through her skull. It seeped through every bone in her head, she even felt it on her lips. She heard every sound in close vicinity to the apartment complex. Cars honking, people laughing, loud shouting over the many tourists scouting the city. Like an alarm, the high-pitched ringing shot through her ears out of nothing at all. It just appeared and it made sure to cause damage. She tried to massage her head, but the second she lifted her hand, her entire body went stiff.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She was back there again, in the red wasteland of her imagination. She stood in the middle of the desert. The pain was only a mild throbbing in the back of her head. She stared at the space before her, confused and scared. Yes, Eliza was scared, something she would never admit proudly.

In the smoke, a figure began to emerge. She changed her stance, fists clenched at the sides. If she was going to be attacked in her mind, she might as well try to fight it. For all she knew, she was simply hallucinating. This could be just a migraine, she figured. With her powers, everything was possible.

The figure became clearer. “Who are you?” she asked. She was surprised her voice even sounded in the place of nothingness. The smoke parted. White peaked through the red. A white dress, small feet, even smaller frame. It was a child, a girl, barely seven. She stared up at her through hooded eyes, hair standing wildly in all directions.

"You should have known you'd eventually meet me back here," the voice came from behind her. She twirled around to see the same face that haunted her at the compound.

Eliza switched her eyes between the little girl and the personification of her own evil thoughts. Her doppelganger walked up to her younger self, the suit she wore a mixture of black and red with a torn-apart cape.

She sighed. "But you hate to listen, don't you?"

“They’re coming for us,” the little girl’s voice was dooming.

"See? It had to come down to this. Bringing therapy metaphors to life."

Eliza took a deep breath. "Is this real?" she asked and pointed at the girl.

Her reflection shrugged. "What isn't? You know," she said, "every time you use the word reality, I start to think you might have finally started to remember, and yet every time, I'm disappointed. Honestly, if you hadn't ignored the truth right in front of your eyes for so long, I wouldn't have had to come here. But here we are! Weird, isn't it?"

The circles around her eyes were black and blue. With her skin as pale as the night, fake Eliza looked anything but healthy, and neither did it look like her. She couldn't remember a time when she carried such a dead look in her eyes, evil etched into her features. The woman in front of her was made out of black morals while hers were mildly grey, at best.

She started to pace the floor, drawing circles around her. The girl stood rooted to her spot. It seemed like the taller one was in control of her. She was in control of everything.

"The device was good, I have to give Ivan that," she said, "but you saw what happened. There is nothing that can cage the kind of power you have. Well, we have. I sometimes forget I'm not just some random stranger. My bad." Her laugh sounded manic, and it echoed in the void space.

“Wh- what are you even talking about?" Eliza asked.

"Do you like our new look?" she retorted instead.

"What?"

"I went for crazy bimbo at a funeral. You know, considering Eliza might die soon. Hopefully, before they get the chance to kidnap us, I'm not picky."

Third-person point of view. This was slowly starting to freak her out. "I'm not gonna die."

"You're not. Eliza is. Are you even listening?"

She threw her hands up, groaning loudly. "Who even are you?"

The woman sighed in response. "Here's where it gets complicated..."

"How so? It's not like you've been messing with my head the past twenty-four hours."

"The problem is I can't tell you without you figuring out yourself," she explained. "I don't have a hand in this. I can only stand by and act ominous, waiting for you to come around so we can finally worry about what's really going on with you. It's not like Hydra is the only reason you're changing right now."

"What?" Eliza couldn't follow. She tried to, but her mind blocked out any viable thoughts. She was an idiot in her own head. The other side of her was just toying with her. She had to be going insane. Perhaps she was suffering from a psychosis of some kind. Or she was on drugs and didn't even know it.

The fake rolled her eyes. "You're not high," she said.

"How did you even-"

"Did you miss the part where I said that I am you?"

"Yeah, right, because any of this makes absolute sense. Like, what's that kid doing here?" She pointed at the girl. "She doesn't even fit in."

"Nothing fits in here," she said.

"You certainly don't."

"I'm the most fitting thing in this place and that says a lot."

"Okay," Eliza waved her off with an exasperated sigh. "Get to the point, me!"

The fake snapped her fingers. She wasn't really fake, but she surely wasn't real, so any other word would have been useless to describe her.

The little girl snapped out of her trance. She repeated her previous words. "They're coming for us," she said.

"Who’s coming?” Eliza questioned.

“There’s something in us. Something they want. You can’t let them win. Don’t let them win!”

“You mean Hydra?”

The girl tilted her head. “They’re all coming,” she clarified.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" the fake Eliza seemed to have just as much of an impatience problem as the real one. She placed a hand on the girl's head. "She's boring me." With one push, she had her falling through the smoke and beyond the secret world, she had built for herself. It was just the two of them now.

Eliza cocked an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Hydra's coming," she stated. "And they're coming for you, which also entails me because I'm the one who has to keep saving your ass."

What was happening? This wasn't her. Couldn't be. Though the way she used the words with sarcasm reminded her so much of what she heard come out of her mouth on the daily. It was strange, terrifying even.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, breathlessly.

“I just want to go home." Something human glistened in her eyes.

Eliza wondered, “Home where?”

The next event was a bit of a blur. Eliza stared at the hand as it wrapped around her wrist. The fake's eyes began to glow with the familiar shade of crimson. It was like she was staring right into a mirror. And it wasn't just a threatening feeling this time. This was real, as real as it could possibly get.

Smoke danced around the air, but it was clearer, more dominant, and almost sluggish looking. It crawled its way out of her body and wrapped around Eliza’s limbs. She tried to return to her consciousness, but the foreign substance shot into her chest, right through her heart. Her chest bloomed with new life.

The power she felt was surreal. Her body was on fire and yet she needed more heat. She wanted to burn even brighter. Eliza gasped loudly. Her body slouched. The slug disappeared and she was left empty, shaking. She was on her knees then, alone in the wasteland of her creation. She caught herself on one hand, almost elegantly.

“What was that?” she called out.

“Power,” the fake told her.

“What did you just do to me?” Eliza frantically touched her body up and down, but everything was where it needed to be. “What was that? Oh, my God!”

“Your mind has been closed for so long, you don’t even know who you are. You're finally starting to see, but it's taking far too long. We're in danger, alright? Terrible, terrible danger and there is little we can do as useless as we are without you discovering your true potential."

Now it was getting kind of personal.

“They want us and they know who we are,” she urged. “Your mind is finally starting to open, but they want to use us. We can’t let them use us. The fate of the universe is at stake.”

She seemed to disappear with the growing storm of red sand. Her eyes stayed the same color, boring into her own with such intensity, she could only return the favor.

“What?” Eliza asked. “You haven’t even told me what this is!”

“Figure it out,” was all she said before she disappeared completely.

One last shot of sharp pain and she was back in Matt’s kitchen, sweating, panting, and on fire. The glass slipped from her fingers. She didn’t have the time to react, the glass just crashed against the floor. The sound knocked her back into reality, but not without leaving her confused and speechless.

“Shit!” she cursed at the mess she made.

I won't be able to stick around much longer.

She tilted her head at the broken glass on the kitchen floor. The water was running in her direction. Small whispers broke out of prison. She couldn’t tell what they were saying or if they were even real, but she felt compelled to try something.

Eliza lifted her hand slowly. The shards slowly came back together. They fit together like puzzle pieces. She did a damn good job for someone who hated puzzles. With the glass, the water formed a small lake before making its way back to where it came from. She watched in awe as the red smoke crossed like the curtain before a screen - she thought about putting the glass back together and in an instant, it was back on the counter. Her bare feet were no longer standing in tap water but rather on the cold kitchen tiles.

Somehow it seemed real but also it didn’t. She felt like a stranger in her own body, an alien on earth. She touched the glass, careful as ever. There were no cracks, no glue residue, nothing out of the ordinary other than the fact the glass that had been broken only seconds ago was no longer making a mess on Matt’s floor. She didn’t turn back time, that was for sure. The coffee machine was still running. If she had turned back time, the cup would’ve been empty. She changed something else. It was like she changed reality. She didn’t use telepathy to put the glass back together, she didn’t even touch it. She single-handedly changed what happened to fit her view of the world better, only with the power of her mind and an outstretched arm.

Her knuckles tightened around the glass. Why she did it, she couldn’t figure out, but as fast as they had closed around it, her fingers opened and the glass slid back out. Once again, it shattered on the floor, and it was loud, louder than the first time. She flinched. The water splattered on her toes.

Why did you do that?

“What the-” Eliza pulled out the paper towels in a frenzy. She saw her reflection in one of the tiles. “What is happening to me?” she wondered. The reflection cocked her head. The same black, veiny eyes stared back at her, just without the smoke surrounding them this time, and she also didn't seem to be backing her into a corner. She was trapped behind the tiles.

If I didn't know better, I'd say you were going slightly insane. But since I do know better, I think you know what you have to do.

“What are you doing?” Matt’s morning voice was still groggy.

Her head shot up. She couldn’t explain it, could she? Perhaps she was insane. It certainly felt that way. She looked up from the compromising position. Her reflection was gone. Somehow she always disappeared whenever she wasn't alone anymore, especially in Matt's presence.

Was fake Eliza afraid of him?

No. He's just really doing it for us.

She turned with a slight frown. The voice was most definitely back in her head, still daunting, still knowing better than her.

“You shouldn’t be standing up,” Eliza stated. She kept her voice steady, attempting not to arouse too much suspicion. She could easily blame it on health issues, the way her heart was bouncing, and she would find an excuse for the monologuing too.

Matt stood in the doorway, hand pressed to his several injuries. “I’m fine,” he lied. “What’s wrong? I heard the glass shatter.”

Glass, singular. He only heard the first one.

“Nothing, I’m just clumsy.“

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not- I just had a headache, that’s all. I might have taken it a bit too far yesterday," she said.

"Yeah, you might have."

"Trust me, I'm cursing myself for it plenty, you can get in line. What you doing up anyway?" She furrowed her eyebrows at him. He shivered under her intense glare. "You should lie back down, Matt, before you pop your stitches.”

He made his way from the door towards the sofa. One of his sweaters was draped over the back. “I can handle it,” he said.

Eliza huffed. She knew there was nothing she could do to change his mind. “You want any coffee?” she asked instead.

“Coffee would be great.”

“Okay, but you gotta sit down.”

“Fine,” he sighed.

She had already made acquaintance with his coffee machine, so it took only a couple of tries until she managed to get two piping cups of coffee out of it. She sat down next to him. Matt sipped the caffeine – he was surprised she remembered how he liked his coffee. The liquid parted slightly at his breathing pattern. Eliza seemed to have the same thing on her mind for she placed her cup down at the same time he did.

“About last night-“ they stared at each other, the words coming out in unison.

He cocked his head and she laughed. His lip twitched into a smile at the shyness of it.

“Sorry,” she said.

“You go first-“ again, they spoke at the same time.

Matt laughed, too, this time. “Please,” he said.

Eliza pulled one knee up to her chest, the coffee warming her cold hands. She looked at the man across from her – they were oddly in synch. Not that she minded. The experience was entirely new. As someone who had gotten used to being alone, being abandoned, and being the second choice, always, she didn’t have many stories that went the same. She still had to get used to being so excruciatingly open.

“About last night,” she began, this time without interruptions. “I’m sorry how it went down.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “You gotta stop saying that every time something goes wrong.”

“But it’s true! If I hadn’t pushed us to go in there, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“It would’ve happened, either way, Eliza. You know that.”

“Jesus!” She threw her head back. “I know, it’s just… I’m trying to find an explanation and this one makes the most sense to me. I’m going crazy here. Last night- I was so incredibly triggered. If I don’t explain what happened with something that makes sense to me, I think I’m gonna throw up and die.”

He pouted.

“Anyway. They - the press - are saying it was a gas leak,” she stated.

“I know, I can hear my neighbors downstairs listening to the news,” Matt said. “But wait, can we talk about what else happened last night-”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she blocked him.

“Eliza, you almost-”

“I don’t want to talk about it!”

He sighed. He fell silent until he found something to say. “Do you have meetings you go to?”

“God!” she groaned. “What do you not understand about what I just said?” she asked him. “Why do you have to keep pushing it?”

She was being unfair, but defensive people mostly are.

“This is not something you should ignore,” he shot back.

“I’m not ignoring, I’m delaying dealing with it.”

“You wanted to hurt yourself.”

“Yes,” she said, “I wanted to. Now I don’t. Case closed. Is that enough for you or do you need that in handwriting?”

Matt lifted his shoulders, hands above them. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s your life,” he said.

“Exactly.”

“But I meant it when I said I won’t watch you get hurt.”

“And you won't have to.” She shrugged. “I’m fine. I just need to find these people and bring them to justice. Can we focus on that, please? Just for today?”

“Of course,” he smiled.

Eliza got up. She took his empty cup and her own and traveled back to the kitchen. She stepped over the spot where the broken glass had just been, trying not to cut her feet open. “This is what Hydra wants,” she said as she poured them another. “They want us to lose ourselves. We can’t let that happen.”

Ivan’s words nagged her. Everything about the situation felt wrong. She couldn’t explain it, the sensation bubbled deep in her stomach and made her throat dry. “Ivan knew what he was doing,” she said more to herself, but this was Matt she was talking to. He caught onto her words.

“Who was he, exactly?” he asked.

“A power-hungry Hydra soldier who always wanted to be the best. Back then, I was still in his way, but after I was gone, he could easily climb the ladder.”

“Was what he said true?”

She had been waiting for the dreaded question.

“Partially,” she said.

“How so?”

“I killed the diplomat’s daughter, yes, but when I did, I was her age. And no, I didn’t enjoy it. At that moment, I was focused on what Hydra wanted. I didn’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t in control.” She didn’t dare to look at him. “I killed her. She died because of me, but everything else, especially the reason for why I did that, is on Hydra. I’m not like them, not anymore.”

His words nudged her, “I believed him for a second, but then I heard your heartbeat and I knew it wasn’t true. I know you, and the Eliza I know would never intentionally hurt a child.”

“I, myself, was a child,” she whispered.

“I know. You didn’t do it for you, you did it because they wanted you to. These are two entirely different things.”

“Yeah,” she slid the fresh cup of coffee over to him, “Ivan gets in your head easily though. I wouldn’t have blamed you for still believing him.”

Matt chuckled. “He’s not as good as you think he is.”

“Not everyone is a human lie detector.”

“They should be,” it was a joke. She snorted. “At least you can laugh again. It’s nice,” he said.

“I just- this doesn’t feel right,” Eliza admitted. “I know Ivan. This isn’t his MO. Other operatives, yes, but not Ivan. He wouldn’t make a sacrifice like that without a plan. I mean, they found bodies but who’s to say he didn’t make it out?”

“Eliza,” his lip twisted into an amused smile, “The entire warehouse blew up. I don’t think anyone survived that.”

“Just because he held the box doesn’t mean he died. I looked into it, there wasn’t a bomb when I first checked.”

Matt raised his eyebrows. “You think he switched them out?” he asked. His fists tightened around the porcelain cup.

“What other explanation is there? Ivan’s always been so adamant about being the man on the top, of surpassing everyone. Why would he kill himself? Just because of the serum? No, he wouldn’t do that. I don’t think he would. From what you heard, do you think he would?”

“I honestly don’t know."

“None of what happened last night makes sense. Why would they be so careless? If this was the last bit of the serum they had left, they would’ve been smarter than that. The bomb I get, Hydra has done this many times before, but the sacrifices? Something isn’t right.”

“Maybe they wanted us to believe that we got onto them.” He reached for her hand. “All cards on the table. Now.”

Are you going to tell him or are you going to chicken out, like you always do?

Her heart fluttered. “What?” She wasn't sure who she was talking to.

“You were talking about someone," Matt prompted.

“No," she was deep enough in denial to forget the name whenever she wanted to, and she wasn't going to put it at risk.

Eliza got up as fast as she could. Matt’s arm hit the table. He sighed in defeat, or was it exhaustion? She wasn’t sure.

“If you know who’s behind all of this,” he said.

“I don’t!” the words came harsh. “I don’t know who’s behind this. I don’t even know what they want. It’s Hydra, they’re as unpredictable as they come.”

“You were talking about a man, with Ivan. The one who told them to kidnap you. I think I know who it is, judging by the way your heartbeat just picked up. It did the same the night you told me about your past. I know we’re talking about the same man, but I need you to open up to me.”

“What does it matter?” she asked.

“Maybe we can find a connection-“

“He doesn’t exist! No one knows who he is. He’s a ghost, okay? Even if I told you his name, it wouldn’t help us much. For all I know, he’s dead somewhere. I hope he is. If he’s alive… I don’t want to think about it. God!” She pressed her palms into her eye sockets. “Stop making me think about it!“

“Sweetheart,” his gaze softened.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sweetheart,” Matt said again, and her body shook with tremors he could’ve heard without even trying. “Talk to me, please.”

“I can’t,“ the breath got caught in her throat.

Tears welled up in her eyes. The world turned into a threatening box again. She hid behind her hands, but the demons were already in her head and she couldn’t escape their gigantic claws as they sucked the life out of her.

Coward.

“Every time I think about his face,” she choked out, “I remember everything he did to me. It makes me sick. He makes me sick. I just want to scrub his dirty hands off my body.”

Matt wanted nothing more than to get up and catch her in his arms. She tried so hard to keep the tears at bay, afraid to be weak, afraid to cry again, but her body had other plans. He wanted to wrap her in cotton until he had made the world whole again, only so she wouldn’t have to cry anymore. She was like this broken thing he felt responsible for, and while that was wrong thinking, he couldn’t help the way he felt. His heart ached.

“Can you come here?” he asked.

Eliza shook her head. “No,” her voice cracked.

“Okay.”

That seemed to confuse her. “Okay?”

“Yeah, you expect me to force you?” Matt caught onto even the smallest change in her behavior. It didn’t take long for him to piece the puzzle together. “He forced you to do things you didn’t want to do,” he realized. “Did he- did he touch you?” His stomach churned at the idea alone.

“Matt,” she begged.

“I just want to understand.”

“I don’t know what to say. He- after SHIELD finished with my interrogation and got all the information they needed – and it wasn’t much because while I do remember his torture, I don’t remember the details – I swore never to say his name again."

Eliza shuddered. This time, the tremors stemmed straight from anger. “He thought he had this sadistic claim over me,” she admitted. “Sometimes I was his daughter, other times, his plaything. He made me,” she scoffed. “He shaped me in any way he saw fit and every time I disobeyed even in the slightest, he punished me. He conditioned me to follow his every demand and I did, just like that. I would’ve worshipped at his fucking feet if it meant I’d get his gratitude. I was his favorite child because I was proof he achieved something no one did before and I guess I just needed someone to love me, so I accepted every piece of affection I was offered, as twisted as it was. I let him touch me because I knew it would give me the recognition I wanted.”

He looked away. The brown of his eyes was so much darker. He pursed his lips, sucked them in, then released them again. His fists clenched in his lap. She couldn’t read him.

“He didn’t rape me if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said.

Matt shook his head. He still refused to look at her. She was slowly growing anxious.

“He just… sometimes, he would lie with me. He would, like, stroke my back and- and he really liked to watch my thighs when I was wearing something short. He liked to make me put my hair up and wear make-up so I could put on a show for him. Did you know I used to dance ballet?” Once again, he didn’t move. “Well, he liked to watch me dance, and whenever I did what he wanted, I’d get a reward. But he never raped me. I don’t- at least I don’t think it’s called rape when something like this happens.”

“Did he touch you?” he asked. His voice vibrated deep in his chest.

“Yeah.”

“Did he touch you somewhere you wouldn’t let a random man touch you?”

“I-” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Did he get off on it?”

“Sometimes he would… but he didn’t- he never- no, he never raped me.”

He nodded knowingly, still looking anywhere but at her. “Did he ask for consent?”

“No.”

“Then he sexually assaulted you, Eliza.”

She realized why he wasn’t looking at her then.

“Doesn’t matter if he- it’s still sexual assault when someone inappropriately touches you without your consent, especially when he gets off on it.”

“Matt,” she called softly.

The only reason why he wasn’t looking at her was the fact he was crying. He didn’t want her to see the tears staining his cheeks, nor did he want her to catch the angry look on his face. She squeezed her lips shut. He was crying because of the things she said and it made her feel so endlessly guilty.

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Stop,” he cut in. “Just stop apologizing. None of this was your fault, so it doesn’t need an apology.” Finally, he turned back to her. “You didn’t deserve this.” He cracked. “You didn’t deserve any of this. God, I’m so sorry!”

She sat down in the chair next to him. His hand trembled when he wiped his cheeks. The sobs turned into silent groans at the back of his throat.

“No one should be allowed to touch you without your consent. No one should- he should have never used your body for his pleasure.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. If I ever see him,” he said and his eyes found a spot just below her ear, “I’m going to kill him.”

Eliza ran a hand through his hair. “No, you won’t,” she said. “You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re Matt Murdock and you’re better than this.”

He had his index finger under her chin. Had they been this close before? He used the rough calluses of his fingers to guide her head a little further up and to the side. He was searching for her eyes with his - the unseeing gaze went anywhere but where he wanted them to, but that was okay. Eventually, they landed on her lips. She couldn’t help but stare back. His scent invaded her senses. The disinfectant from the night before was thick in the air, but he still smelled like sandalwood and rain and him. His natural scent was indescribable.

If you had told Eliza at the beginning of the year that she would end up like this, she would’ve declared you crazy. She was prone to taking risks, but she was also careful around strangers. Daredevil was, essentially, a stranger. He wasn't in her usual crowd. She didn’t hang with vigilantes. She never really hung with anyone other than the Avengers. And the men she had spent time with in the past were nowhere near as sincere as Matt Murdock. He set out to steal her heart from the beginning and he was starting to succeed.

She never saw herself in a situation like this, but she had imagined it a couple of times before.

Eliza stared at his lips. He licked over them. She couldn’t stop, she was getting closer by the second, but at this point, she didn’t care. They were both addicted to something, although different kinds of substances, and since neither of them could get their fix, they chose to fall into each other. It was human nature. And this time, they refused to refuse each other this sweet moment of relief.

She wasn’t sure who decided to close the gap. Perhaps it was the both of them. When their lips collided for the first time, she forgot how to breathe. It was gentle at first. They barely touched, but she felt him and he felt her, and she could taste the coffee they shared only moments before.

He listened to her heart for an answer. It jumped. She was waiting for him to make the next move.

He dove in with more pressure the second time. This one was certainly more passionate than the first. The millions of butterflies flew out of their cages in her stomach and fluttered to her heart where they began to build their nest.

Eliza grabbed his cheeks eagerly. She wanted to drown in him. He felt so good and tasted even better. They became one. His lips were soft and the way they moved against hers in the perfect rhythm had her seeing stars. She was an addict; the first taste had her longing for more. She needed more.

Matt moved his finger from under her chin and instead grabbed her face in his. The other stayed just below her neck, his fingers hot yet cold against her shivering skin. She had goosebumps everywhere, even places she hadn’t fathomed as possible. The man wasn’t human. He felt like heaven and tasted sweet as hell. He was the apple Eve stole from the tree, the snake that tempted her, and the Devil that corrupted her. Matt was Eliza’s temptation. The second she gave in, she was doomed, but in the most beautiful sense possible.

The pair breathed heavily between wet, messy kisses. She had her hand tangled in his chestnut hair, pushing him further against her lips. He melted into her.

When her breath ran out, she moved back slightly. Her eyes remained closed, lids way too heavy to open them. Matt sought her out. His lips traveled aimlessly until they found her cheek and he kept kissing there while she tried to breathe. She couldn’t.

His thumb traced her bottom lip. He parted them slowly. She was terrible at taking hints, but this one seemed clear as day. Her tongue darted out. The tip of his thumb pressed down on it, testing the waters, and in an instant, she sucked him in. He moved back in surprise, only so his lips were no longer attached to her skin. He grumbled a string of curses, tongue circling around his digit. Her mouth was so warm and her spit so wet against his heated skin, he felt the desperate need to shove it further down her throat. But he didn’t.

She released his finger with a sinfully wet sound.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

He could have asked her what she was doing, but his brain wasn’t quite connected to the language center of his brain and so all that came out was an incoherent sound.

As an answer, he pressed his swollen, plump lips back to hers. Their teeth clashed. His tongue darted out to force her lips apart, and she let him. Her own fought back against him, neither of them wanting to give in. In the end, he won, and he explored her mouth like Indiana Jones on a mission.

He was way too good at that. The way he guided her face, his tongue in her mouth, and his lips moving against hers in such a beautiful rhythm, made her moan into the kiss. She was embarrassed. A simple kiss wasn’t supposed to rile her up like this, though Matt Murdock seemed to be doing it for her. He took her breath and he stole her heart.

Matt broke the kiss first. His forehead fell against her nose. Eliza was late to catch her breath.

“Foggy,” he breathed.

She only slowly blinked back to life. “What?” she said.

The knocking repeated itself, steadily growing noisier. “It’s Foggy,” he said.

“Matt, I know you’re in there!” the man’s voice yelled from the outside of the apartment. “Come on, open the door! I need to talk to you.”

He pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Hide.”

“Excuse me?” She frowned at him.

“You need to hide. Go into the bedroom and close the door.”

“What the-“ they had just kissed and he was trying to hide her like a teenage boy whose parents had just gotten home early, “Matt.” He shoved her into his bedroom. She stumbled over her own feet, onto the bed and the silk sheets. She stared at him, still shocked about the sudden change of events. Her body was still aching from the kiss, and that was when she realized he could tell. He made sure to linger his fingers a few seconds too long because he knew.

He tucked at her arm, pulling her into his chest. His heart was hammering underneath his skin. He kissed her again. She had to lift herself up a little to reach him and he helped her by slinging his arm around her waist. She had nowhere to go. His palm was pressed between her shoulder blades. The knocking continued, but Matt stayed unbothered. He reveled in the feeling of her against him, the sensation of her mouth dancing against his, and the way her heart beat fast against his.

He pulled back when the yelling started to hurt his ears. She stumbled out of his bruising grasp. Her legs turned to jelly. She could barely stand on her own. Their fingers stayed intertwined as he stepped away, and only slowly did they part ways. It was their middle fingers that held them together the longest, but then he was suddenly too far away and she lost her hold on him.

She was met with the milky glass of his bedroom door. Foggy wasn’t supposed to see them together. He would’ve asked questions and then he would’ve been involved and Matt wanted to prevent that. One less person to worry about. And he loved Foggy, so to keep him out of the line of fire was something he had dedicated his life to when he became Daredevil. Didn’t work so well for the most part, but he was trying and that was admirable, even though sometimes, he used the wrong means to make sure he was alright.

Eliza pressed her ear to the door. Of course, she wanted to know what was happening. She wasn’t the good girl some might think she was. She needed to know more about Foggy’s sudden appearance.

“Hey man,” she heard him say, followed by loud footsteps. “What took you so long?”

“I was looking for a shirt,” Matt said. He was quick on his feet with the lies. Remarkable.

It was silent for a moment. “You went out Daredevil-ing again,” he stated. The disappointment in his voice was clear, yet the worry was heavier.

Matt didn’t speak and Foggy accepted his silence as an answer. “Did you get hurt again?”

Once again, no answer.

“Jesus, Matt!”

Eliza had no idea why she felt guilty for Matt’s inability to tell his friend the truth, but she did. It irked her a little because this, for a change, wasn’t her fault.

“Is it bad?” Foggy asked. “Is that why you won’t answer your phone?”

Her eyes fell on the device next to the bed. His phone was on the nightstand, but it wasn’t plugged in. She checked. The battery was dead.

“My battery died,” she heard Matt say. At least that wasn’t a lie.

“Sure it did after you went out beating up bad guys!”

“Foggy, please-”

“You know that I get a heart attack every time you don’t answer your phone after a night out? I always expect to find you half-dead again.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

Foggy scoffed. “Are you? I mean, have you checked the time?”

“The time?” She only imagined Matt frowning. “What time is it?”

Eliza peaked at the alarm clock. How was it twelve already?

“You didn’t show up to work,” he said. “And you didn’t answer your phone. I thought something happened to you, Matt! I was worried sick. What happened?”

“It’s-” he took a deep breath, “It’s complicated. You just have to trust me, Fog. Everything’s fine.”

“Well, I don’t trust you! And I don’t believe you either. Not when I can see the blood on the floor and that there is an obviously female shadow behind your fucking bedroom door.”

She looked up. Shit.

“So either you did some really kinky shit last night or you were involved in that gas leak that blew up a warehouse at the docks.”

There was no way Matt could smart his way out of that one. Their cover was blown and they didn’t even do anything. Foggy appeared to be better at this than first expected.

“If it’s not true,” he continued, “Then you won’t mind if I just check your bedroom, huh?”

“Foggy,” Matt warned.

“Don’t ‘Foggy’ me! I barely even know you anymore. I thought we were friends.” His steps came closer as did the silhouette she caught through the door. “Friends don’t lie to each other, Matt! I’m tired of being excluded from your life every time you get yourself in trouble. I told you, we either do this together or not at all. And if that means exposing your lies to force you to tell me the whole story, I fucking will!”

He pushed the door open so hard, the hinges creaked.

“Who do you have in- WHAT THE FUCK?!”

“Listen,” Eliza said, standing at the foot of the bed, and her hands fidgeted awkwardly in front of her body, “I can explain.”

But instead of listening to the pathetic classic line people tend to use whenever something goes wrong and they’re not sure what to say to prevent a catastrophe – and this went wrong plenty – Foggy shut the door right in her face.

“Fuck.”

Fuck, indeed.

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melusine0811 · 2 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Fourteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Characters: Rose Tyler, Thirteenth Doctor, Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who), Fourteenth Doctor (Doctor Who) Additional Tags: Regeneration (Doctor Who), From Thirteen to Fourteen?, Tenteenth?, Ten the third?, What's his face, That beanpole who keeps showing up at BBC studios, Fluff and Angst, Full Regeneration scene, Telepathic Bond, I don't want to go, Haha guess what bitches I'm back, But with Rose present, Time Lord Telepathy (Doctor Who) Series: Part 2 of Chaos Verse Read now on Ao3 Summary:

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This is the full regeneration of the Thirteenth Doctor to the Tenth!Fourteenth Doctor, but with Rose present. This is now part of the canon of my story "When the Chaos Calls Me Out." You don't have to have read it to understand this, but it is recommended because there are a few things mentioned.

Obvious spoilers for The Power of the Doctor.

I hope it continues to portray my love for Jodie and how she played the Thirteenth Doctor. Before everyone gets obsessed with having our beloved Space Man back whenever the new episodes come out, let's please remember that Jodie changed everything. She brought representation for women in the role of the Doctor, and she brought representation of the LGBTQIA+ community. She was color, and she was light. She was energy and she was love.

While I love Ten's era the most and he's also my favorite, Jodie is MY Doctor, because she represents me.

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The light is coming.

It whispers her name…it always has.

Now, intricate and ethereal phosphenes and spinning galaxies whirl through her vision as though she were a child again, pressing on her eyelids with the heels of her hands, counting down the days when she’d get to travel in time and space.

They’re manifested by her consciousness, this time though.

Her vision is blurred, like looking through droplets dragged down glass.

Each burst of light bubbling, rippling up her skin and into her periphery; each crawling snarl of pressure, each pulse in her muscles, each grasp by gnarled hands, and each alternating, fluttering palpitation of her hearts scream out that it’s time for change.

The gasp of regenerative hemoglobin pulsing through her veins due to the Master’s violent act is much like an allergic reaction— like a rash, only add dynamite instead of red, itchy bumps.

It gets more painful every time, standing on this precipice and refusing to fall in.

The manifestations of her consciousness- some of her most outspoken incarnations one could say—had just gotten done telling her NOT to regenerate, and now she’s being left with no choice.

She’s being forced to the edge of that cliff anyway, skidding past all of them and giving a tiny wave and a powerless shrug as they continue to alternate between forms, shaking their head.

Still, having her first ‘Doctor-shaped’ incarnation there, grabbing his snappy lapels and telling her to hold it off was a bit odd given their last encounter—like he was still very much against the whole regenerating business (but he’d still yank out a lifeline in a pinch).

She’s losing hope. She needs more time. More time. Why is it that she can’t ever get more time when she really needs it? She’s a TIME LORD for Rassilon’s sake. Her designated occupation is gift wrapping Time to the rest of the universe, but she always gets tangled in its thorny trap on her own. Like she’s breathing life into the cosmos, reducing her own existence until she’s degenerated to that warped, jagged timeline in the mangled TARDIS on Trenzalore, all those centuries ago—because what was she, really?

She’s always managed to make this process bloody complicated by purposely holding it off, though. Like sticking her finger inside the spout of a shaken can of soda, watching as it trembles heedlessly with potentiality.

Like a bomb that’s not only suppressed, it’s expanded and gone nuclear.

This incarnation had felt so much different. It had been brilliance, and colour. So much lighter than carrying the burdens of her other bodies. It had almost felt easier to bear. She’d been able to laugh and smile easier. To love more readily.

And she had. This incarnation was special.

Partially because she’d been the one reunited with Rose Tyler— and this was the incarnation still carrying her scent on her skin.

Her mind works in overdrive again, just like the first time she had regenerated in front of her. What if Rose didn’t love the person on the other side of this? Of course, that was ridiculous, Rose had gotten over the last time this happened fairly quickly. And yet, she had rejected that incarnation at first….

As she stands limp in Rose’s arms, Rose leaning heavily on the TARDIS console for support, she’s helpless.

She’d had just enough strength to say goodbye to Yaz. Enough resolve…but then it had broken her. And it has broken Rose, too— Yaz was like a sister.

But it’s much like the universe is serving her an eviction notice. Again. Get out of that body, or else.

She feels sick. Her flesh feels like it’s no longer her own… she’s being forced to give it to someone else. Like it’s smudged onto someone else’s canvas, and she’s no longer in control of the brush.

She’s sick with sadness, sick with worry, sick with the energetic phenomenon that’s happening to her body, sick with this fever, sick with exhaustion…

And sick with the knowledge if who inhabited and completely changed the blueprints of this body, even temporarily. She feels dirty, tainted—he had worn her clothes. Her coat, and her earring. Her shirt, with the rainbow of hope across her chest. Her skin is already burning from being the Master, even a brief period, his hatred suffocating her. She had BEEN the Master. For the first time, she understood. Because sometimes the night falls and doesn’t stop unravelling.

And at times in her life, she hadn’t been that far off from him. The warrior. The one-time Destroyer of Worlds, as Davros had once said, as she remembers the timeline where she had left a trail of Gallifrey all across the Medusa Cascade.

And she had FELT herself screaming at the TARDIS, and to Yaz, and then to Rose.

And all of this had happened in a glass booth, no less. The irony was almost as suffocating as the terror clawing up her back..

What if she regenerated into HIM again?

First of all, he would kill Rose, now that they were alone. Or he would enslave her and make the Doctor—still in his consciousness—watch.

He would take over her TARDIS.

She has to get a grip on herself, and start examining logic. It is going to be just like every other time.

Maybe she could tell the TARDIS… or signal to Rose if that if something bad happened, to remember the TARDIS always looks after the Doctor and her companions.

She can’t speak, words are torn from her mouth like useless birds, rising with a violence against the original translation. How she’s feeling now involves transfer across a spatial dimension, across territory that is currently hijacked, and she is helpless to do anything about it.

She asks Rose telepathically to remind the TARDIS to look after the next one— as though she needed to ask. However she’s robbed from saying it out loud, which would give it agency…more sincerity, transferring it into the performative.

She is waiting for the moment that she can’t hold it off any longer and the ancient instinct etched in her DNA starts to erupt. But not yet. Not with Rose’s lips against her ear, whispering reassurances. Not with her soft fingers in her hair.

Not with the taste of her skin still fresh on the Doctor’s lips from the previous night. Not with the press of her shape, and how the planes and curves of this body fit oh, so beautifully together with Rose’s. Not with the dance between their two bodies nearly written in the stars.

Read more on Ao3

#doctor who #thirteen x rose #ten x rose #fourteen x rose #doctor x rose #the power of the doctor #regeneration #doctor who fanfiction

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nar-nia · 2 years

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on time

warnings: you guessed it, mentions of mind control and death

word count: 1k

You walked upstairs, your heart beating in anticipation of what was to come. Well, more fear than anticipation, but also a bit of hope. Every new step meant a step closer to Felix. You paid attention to your feet, not looking up, until you suddenly saw another pair of shoes.

"Oh, sorry," you said, taking a step backwards and looking up. You almost took another step backwards when you recognized the face: Han. One of the missing persons.

He didn't react to you at all, just staring into nothingness. His eyes were not moving, his whole body still - until you heard a quiet 'ping'. Suddenly he came to life, his hand grabbing for his phone, reading a message. He hesitated for a second, before he grabbed something in the bag of his pants. Eye drops, as you found out right after he put them above his eyes, a few droplets flying down. And then he looked at you.

"Hello." That was creepy.

"Uhm, hi? Han, right?"

"Who wants to know that?" Hm. Seemed like no one here liked to answer questions. But two could play this game - you had already told Chan way too much anyways.

"I do. I'm looking for my friend." And a way to save all of them, but he didn't need to know that. Not when he was so out of it earlier. Seemed like the newspaper guy had been right when he talked about mind control - Han really seemed like he had been in a trance. Until his phone… you wondered what kind of message he had gotten.

"Chan told you I was coming, didn't he?"

"I don't even know who you are," he smiled. Something was still off about him. Sure, he looked alive now, moving, but at the same time not really. His body moved, but his feet never left the place he was standing. Almost like they couldn't.

"Can you come over? I'd like to show you a picture of my friend."

He just shook his head. "If you want to show me, you should come over to me."

Aha. So he really couldn't move. But why? So he wouldn't run away? You highly doubted that it was for your sake, for your safety - it didn't seem like the safety of their 'guests' seemed like a priority. No, it must have been connected to the message he got earlier. You needed to see it.

"Can you tell me what time it is?"

Instead of an answer or showing you his phone like you had hoped he simply pointed towards the walls, and that's when you noticed it. Clock after clock after clock, each a different type and a different time. This was… unusual. There was not one who seemed to work, but there were several ones who were broken, a big crack in the middle, or lying destroyed on the floor. You got your phone out, comparing the actual time with the ones on the wall, but there was only one that seemed to be halfway right. It had stopped around 5 minutes before now - which should be the time you had entered the door to the staircase. You felt yourself paling. Maybe you were overreacting, but this couldn't be good.

"What do those clocks mean?"

"They show the time."

"What time."

He just smiled again, shaking his head. "It's important to keep track of the time."

"What. Time."

"My friends time."

This guy didn't make any sense, and the longer you stared at the clocks the more you could feel another headache coming up. You also still hadn't seen his phone, and the possibility to see the message seemed to shrink with every second.

"Is this my clock?" You pointed at the one that had stopped a few minutes ago, hoping that he would say no and it had actually stopped multiple days or even weeks ago.

But the grin on his face destroyed your wish. "It is! It wasn't planned but you are right on time."

No. No no no. "When does the clock stop, Han?"

No answer, but you already had it. Seemed like a new clock 'appeared', in whatever way that was meant, when someone seemed to investigate or get close to the oddinary. And in the moment you actually got in this clock stopped, like yours had. But what about the ones that were broken? Or even worse, lying completely destroyed on the ground? You didn't even want to think about it, the thought sending cold shivers down your spine. You wished you would have known the time Felix had disappeared. Although…

You had seen him a few classes earlier. So the time of his disappearance must have been sometime between 16 and 19 o'clock. Three hours that had turned your whole life upside down. You looked at the clocks again, and there were three who could fit. Two still intact hanging on the wall - and one almost completely destroyed, tossed in the corner. But that couldn't be, right? Chan had said that he was doing well. So his clock must still be hanging on the wall. But could you really believe him? Could you believe anyone here?You tried not to worry too much, but you couldn't help yourself. This whole thing with the clocks was just weird, and you didn't like where this was going. But you were already in too deep to give up.

"I should stay on time," you suddenly said, turning back to Han. You couldn't allow yourself much time to think or otherwise you might actually leave. "Can you tell me where I need to go?"

"Of course! Just follow the rabbit."

He was insane. He was officially insane. "What rabbit?"

Han pointed at the corner of the wall - and there was indeed a small rabbit painted on it. You changed your mind. Everyone and everything here was insane.

Han bowed down, his eyes now in front of yours. He had the same tone of green as Chan - unusual, especially because it looked like poison. "Just follow the white rabbit."

It only occured to you a bit later that you completely forgot about his phone message. Right now, without really knowing why, you just followed his orders.

before | masterlist | next

this is so short but i didn't really have lots of ideas for han. i'm sorry, i swear i love you 😩 i'm on a little vacation right now and can't answer your asks, but please don't hesitate to send them anyways because i do see them 😊 i hope you enjoyed it even though it was so short!

taglist: @cb97zone @kpopworldwide (let me know if you want to be tagged!)

permanent taglist: @maeum-your @blessed-sky @sunoona @hoonsmarsbar @soobin-chois @sjyuniverse @wonniesimp @parkmejeon004 @taekbokki @axartia

#stray kids #skz #stray kids au #skz au #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fanfiction #skz fanfic #skz fanfiction

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fantasyacee · 2 years

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Enough to kill

chapter one: death

warnings: mentions of death, weapons, threatening life

a/n: welcome to my first series! i hope you guys like it. been working on this for a while. it’s on my AO3 and wattpad, same username. enjoy <3

I sat at my vanity, dagger and poison in hand. I look down at the note you left along with the murder weapons when you visited my room after you killed my father. You said you had to. You said that we couldn’t be married if you didn’t. My father never liked you. Mother was sceptical. They would never let you take my hand. They would never let you be the next king of Nethilor. When it came time for me to pick my betrothal, your family was not invited. So you did what you had to do. You did what you thought was right to prove to the world how much you love me. Enough to kill.

Oh Cassius. What have you done? A tear runs down my cheek as I reread the note for the 15th time.

My door knob rattles fiercely and I jump. My heart skips a beat before I remember that I locked my door.

“Vivienne Archer, you know how I feel about locked doors!” Queen Lilith calls through my door.

“Sorry Mother, I just wanted to be alone!” I call back, quietly scrambling to put the note and weapons in my private chest.

I lock the chest and hurry to my door. While unlocking the door I look at myself in the mirror hanging on my wall. My eyes are red and puffy and my hair is a mess. Perfect.

“Yes Mother?” I swing open the door and hope to God no one goes looking through my room.

“I’m guessing you found out?” Mother looks me up and down.

“Ha. How’d you know?” I sniffle.

No one has to know that I wasn’t crying about Father. That man can burn in hell. But Cassius can NOT be found. I will make sure of that.

“Where’s Cassius?” Mother inclines her head to have a better look into my room.

“I haven’t seen him all day, Mother.” I step back so she can enter.

Mother enters, lips pressed together and looks around. Her eyes land on my vanity and my heart starts racing. Did I leave the bloodstained handkerchief on the table? Did I not clean up the blood droplets? Her eyes fall away and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

I walk towards my closet and open it up to show it is only filled with dresses and not a human. “See.”

“Hmmm” Mother nods and heads towards the door. “Well if you see him tell him his family is invited to the funeral.”

“Yes ma’am.” I salute and try to smile.

Mother looks at me and presses her lips tightly. I quickly drop my hand and clear my throat. “I’ll tell him.”

“Good. Now...clean up we have company coming.” With that, Mother leaves and closes the door.

I sink down to the floor and burst into tears. I crawl to my chest and open it up. The note lays on top of the dagger, now fully cleaned of blood. I blow out à breath and the note flips over.

Vivienne,

By the time you read this, you will have heard the news already. The king is dead.

How? No one will ever know. Yet your doctors are still trying to figure it out.

By who? Me. Yet no one but you and I will know. I trust you will not give me away.

With what? A dagger and poison. Though only you and I will know.

Why? Because I had to. If I didn’t, you would marry Prince Nickolas. A vile thing.

You always hated your father anyway. He was cruel. To not just his people, but his family as well.

Your mother on the other hand. Acceptable. Neither agrees nor disagrees with our relationship.

I hope that when I come back, we can forget this ever happened and live happily together.

Again, I trust that you will not give me away.

-Cassius

P.S. I hope you like this new addition to your collection. Happy Birthday.

I stare at the last part. I hope you like this new addition to your collection. Mother always said that I should have a small weapon on me at all times. And I do. But not just one. I have several. After Mother got me my first dagger for my 14th birthday I became obsessed with them. The sharpness of the tip. The carvings of the hilt. The shine of the knife. Beautiful. And every year since then I was given à dagger. Ones from different kingdoms, different countries. Every one of them more beautiful than the last.

Cassius gifted me the dagger he used to kill my father for my birthday. I do hope he used gloves or wiped his fingerprints off before he gifted it to me. If not then…

I grab the dagger and head to my closet. I never closed my doors when my mother came in so I just reach on the top shelf and grab my handkerchief box and go to my vanity.

I take out à handkerchief and wipe it all over the dagger making sure to get in all the crevices of the carving. Once I’m done I sheath the dagger then walk over to my glass cabinet above my nightstand. I open the door and carefully put in the dagger next to the one I got from Father last christmas. I close the door, never to touch that dagger again.

I turn towards the chest with the remaining murder contents. I grab the empty poison bottle and note and head toward the fireplace. It’s the middle of winter and the fire burns brightly. I throw the bottle in and watch as it melts. A chill goes down my spine and I fling the note into the fire as well.

As I stare into the fire watching the last remnants of my fathers murder burn away I let go of one last breath before I turn away to get ready for our guests.

In my closet I pull out a dark red gown with a high neckline and long billowing sleeves that go down to my knees. The long train in the back swirls around me as I move to my shoe rack. I pick out deep red five inch heels that’ll hurt my feet in minutes. I have to look serious. My father just died.

As I’m waiting for my maid to bring me tea I stand on my balcony looking out over the garden. Everyone is running around, preparing for the funeral that’s happening in a couple of days from now. No doubt I’ll have to speak at the funeral. Telling everyone how much I “loved” my father and how much he “loved” me. I’ll have to fake cry. I know that.

I hear a knock on my door and know that Elise is here with my tea. She knows she can just walk in without knocking but she forgets. She usually just comes on in after knocking but today she waits. Giving me time to collect myself though there is nothing to collect.

“Come on in Elise.” I call and she opens the door, tray in hand.

“Here you are Miss.” Elise curtsies and holds out the tray.

“You don’t have to be formal Elise. My father died, yes, but that doesn’t change how you act.” I walk around my room taking small sips of my tea as I go.

“Yes, Your Highne- Vivienne.” Elise stutters.

“I’m not my mother Elise. Calm down.” I answer.

“Of course Vivienne.” Elise sits down on the edge of my bed and runs her hand through her hair. “I just can’t believe he’s gone. I know no one liked him but it’s still shocking.”

I stare out my window absently cradling my drink. “Yes. Shocking.”

After a while of just standing there I shake my head and put my drink on my vanity. I walk to the door to head towards the Great Hall to meet our guests.

“Oh! Elise, I’m going to need a dress for the funeral. Black, obviously. I want lace sleeves and maybe a lace bodice. Definitely a train in the back and I want a full skirt but not too big.” I turn towards Elise still on my bed.

Elise takes in the information that I just gave her, thinking of a design. Almost immediately her whole face brightens and I know she has an idea. She jumps up and runs to the door. “I have the perfect design! I’ll get Anne and Thalia to help me with it! It’ll be done in no time!”

Elise bows and runs out. I laugh and follow her out grabbing one of my crowns with rubies engraved in points. As I walk to the Great Hall I position my crown on my head just right where it won’t slip or fall off.

Everyone stares at me when I walk in the Great Hall. My steps falter by a millisecond, surprised by how many people were there. Cassius comes running out of nowhere to wrap me in one of his warm hugs. Usually he keeps it subtle that we are dating when a bunch of people are around but today lets it all out. Asking if I’m okay, if I need anything, how I’m feeling, etc.

“Cassius, I’m fine.” I reassure him for the 50th time.

“I just want to make sure, Vivienne.” Cassius holds my shoulders with a concerned look on his face.

“And you’ve made sure too many times to count.” I stare into his beautiful hazel eyes.

“I just-I’m worried about you.” His eyes search mine, asking the question we both are wondering.

“I’m not who you should be worried about” I drop my voice to a whisper so only Cassius and I can hear it.

“So you got my gifts?” Cassius matches his voice to mine

“I wouldn’t call them gifts…” My voice trails off as I see my mother walking over to us.

Cassius sees her too and straightens up. “I’m glad you’re okay Vivienne.” He turns to Mother and bows. “I hope you are doing alright as well Your Majesty.”

“I’m managing.” Mother nods and gestures for me to follow her. “The camera’s are coming on soon let's get into positions.”

“Right.” I turn to follow Mother but Cassius takes my hand, spinning me around, and hugs me one last time.

“Do you like your dagger?” He whispers

“Unfortunately, it’s beautiful.” I whisper back.

“Happy birthday my love” He chuckles darkly.

We break apart and head to our spots. Me standing besides my mother and Cassius standing besides his father, Lord Keir. A door shuts and I close my eyes. Prince Nickolas, my betrothed, is here.

The doors burst open and in comes Nickolas and his family. His eyes immediately go to Cassius and his father. Nickolas stops in front of Cassius.

“Prince Cassius. What are you doing here?” Nickolas asks.

Cassius folds his arms and sizes Nickolas up. “Vivienne called me. She wanted comfort after hearing about her fathers death. After all, I am her lover.”

“And I am her betrothed.” Nickolas sneers. “You know you are not welcome here.”

“And who said that?” Cassius raises an eyebrow.

“The king.” Nickolas says matter of factly.

“The king is dead!” Mother steps in. “Vivienne did not call Cassius, I did. I knew that Vivienne would want him to help her grieve so I called him.”

Nickolas stares at Mother in disbelief. “You called him? You are the queen and you called him?!”

“Yes. I called her betrothed.” Mother states.

I whip my head around and stare at her. Nickolas’ eyes turn angry. I catch Cassius’ eyes and smile still shocked at what my mother said.

“You can’t do that! Cassius was not one of the choices! She chose me!” Nickolas starts

“I did not choose you!” I face him now furious. “I had no choice! Father made me choose you! I would never choose you if you were the last man alive!”

“Didn’t your father teach you not to speak out of turn?” Nickolas walks toward me.

That last bit pushes me over the end. I slap Nickolas and start screaming. “You bitch! How dare you speak to me that way! You are NOT the king, you are NOT my husband, you are NOT the owner of me! I speak when I want to, talk to who I want, and love who I love! You will respect me!”

Nickolas grabs me by my hair and yanks me towards him. I grab my dagger from my thigh and hold it up to his throat. Everyone freezes. Mother just smiles knowing full well that I will kill him if he goes any further.

“Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. Me.” I say through clenched teeth.

Nickolas stares at my dagger wide eyed. His breathing quickens, making it hard not to smile. He lets go of my hair and puts his hands up. I press my dagger into his throat taunting him. Cassius comes up and puts his hand on my arm, silently telling me to calm down.

“We don’t need any more blood on our hands.” He whispers in my ear.

I sigh and take away the dagger from Nickolas’ throat. I lift up my skirts to reveal the frog on my thigh. After putting my dagger away I face Nickolas again.

“If you ever put your hands on me again I will not hesitate to kill you.” I tell him. “I am not weak. I am an Archer.”

“Nickolas, get out of our presence.” My mother looks down at him.

Nickolas nods and heads to his position for the camera.

#fantasy #eventual smut #romance #oc x oc #original story #original female character #original male character #angst with a happy ending #fluff

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watchyourbluesturngolden · 2 years

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just a little dizzy

hey girliesssss so I have not been doing so great lately unfortunately! obviously this piece is a reflection of that :) I've said it before in another fic that I have POTS (posture orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) which long story short means my heart rate goes rlly high when i stand up or when I'm in hot water/temperatures. and a few weeks ago I got so dizzy in the shower i literally almost passed out so yeah this is how i imagine harry would handle that :)

if you want more info on POTS feel free to ask!!! I will give you all the info I have or there's lots of websites you can get information from! anyways enjoy :)

warnings: chronic illness, fainting, slight anxiety

word count: 2.5k (whooo)

-----

"Harry?" your voice was soft as you peeked your head into the living room.

He hummed in response, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

"Do you think you could help me with something?"

This prompted his attention. He looked up at you, smiling slightly as he put the book down and stood up. He stretched his arms up over his head, letting out a soft groan as he tilted his head to stretch his stiff neck muscles. "Of course, baby, what do you need?" He asked, making his way across the room to you.

"Um- it's kind of awkward," you said, a faint blush heating your face as you looked down at the floor.

"I'm sure it's fine, is something wrong?" he asked gently, tipping his head down to try and meet your eyes.

"Not wrong, i guess, but I was wondering if you could help me shower? If you think it's weird you definitely don't have to, but i just always feel bad under the hot water and it makes me feel so much worse when i lift my arms above my head to wash my hair and-"

He cut you off with a gentle hand on your hip. "Of course I can help you. It's not weird at all, i promise. I want to do anything I can to make you feel better."

You bit the inside of your cheek, anxiously going over all the possible scenarios in your head. "Okay, but only if you're sure it's not weird, because sometimes my legs get really red and I get dizzy and the whole thing just makes me feel really gross and sick-"

"Hey, hey," he gently cut off your nervous rambling once again. "I don't know who told you it's weird or gross, but i promise it's not a big deal for me. All I ever want to do is help you and make you feel better."

While you didn't love the idea of him seeing you in such a vulnerable and probably unattractive position, you really did need to have your hair washed. The amount of energy it took to complete this task simply wasn't worth it, especially not when you had someone right here who was fully willing to help you out and make it easier for you.

You nodded decisively. "Okay. But only-"

"I'm sure, baby," he promised. Somehow he knew where that sentence was going before you had even spoken. He grinned teasingly, giving your hip a little pat as he said, "Let's go, before you manage to talk yourself out of it."

-----

"Too hot?" Harry asked, his hand already on the shower knob in case he needed to adjust the temperature.

You shook your head, letting the warm water run down your shoulders and back. "It's just right."

He nodded. "Can i start with your hair?"

"Mhm, it's the teal bottle."

He reached for the bottle you gestured at, flipping the lid open and pouring a generous amount into his hand. "Tilt your head back," he said softly.

You did as he instructed, stepping out of the stream of water and closing your eyes. He massaged his fingers around gently, making sure to saturate every part of your hair with the citrusy soap. Once he was satisfied, he guided you back under the showerhead and tilted your head in the correct position to rinse your hair. He did all the work for you, moving your head around and shielding your eyes from any stray water droplets. Once he was sure he had cleared your hair of any remaining bubbles, he lifted your head and gently kissed your cheek.

"Done?" You asked, returning his gesture with a small smile.

"With the shampoo. You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," you nodded. "Usually I only feel bad when i have to put my arms above my head."

He pouted slightly. "I'm so sorry, honey. Does this happen every time you shower?"

You nodded, avoiding eye contact.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have been helping you a long time ago."

"I didn't want to worry you, or make you do anything you didn't want to," you admitted sheepishly.

"You could never," he promised. "I always want to do anything I can to help you."

Your eyes began to well up with tears at how sweet he was being.

"Oh, no, please don't cry!" He stepped closer to you in the small space, his face twisting with concern. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset-"

"You didn't," you cut him off with a small sniffle. "I'm just... i love you so much."

"I love you too," he said, clearly very relieved now that he knew the reason for the mistiness in your eyes. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling your body to his under the warm stream of water. You stood with him for a minute, listening to the steady beating of his heart. You compared that to your own, which was running at least twice as fast as his. Something you should have probably prepared Harry for.

"Oh also, my heart is beating super fast right now, but that's normal, it's just from the hot water. I'm not dying or anything," you explained casually.

"Good to know," he laughed slightly. "Do you want me to turn it cooler? If it's making you feel sick at all-"

"It's not, I'm fine, I just thought i would tell you in case you wondered why it felt like a jackhammer in my chest."

He laughed again, shaking his head at how casually you explained the whole thing. He would never understand how you managed; how you could be so lightheaded about something that caused you so much pain and discomfort.

"Is it all right if I do your conditioner now? Or if you're not feeling good, we can get out and try again in a few hours," he offered.

"I'm okay," you reassured him for the hundredth time. "Thank you for checking, though."

Once he was sure you were okay to continue, Harry began the same process as with your shampoo. He guided you out of the spray of the water and began spreading the smooth conditioner down the length of your hair. He made sure every strand was completely coated, paying much more attention than you ever did when you did it yourself.

"This is a crucial step," he explained. "How else will you get your hair to be silky and luscious like mine?"

Once he was completely done with your hair, his eyes traveled to the pink loofah hanging from the shower caddy. "Do you want me to keep going? If you're not comfortable with that, you can do the body wash yourself, and I can stay in case you need help. Or I can leave if you want me to."

"Oh! I can do it myself if you don't want to," you said, feeling a little embarrassed. "You've helped so much, you don't have to do any more."

His face softened. "Baby, that's not what I meant at all," he said. "I just mean, I'll do whatever you're comfortable with. If you want me to wash you, then I absolutely will. But if you don't, I won't be upset at all. Just want to do whatever you're okay with."

"There you go again, being the absolute sweetest," you smiled, feeling the slight sting of tears starting to form in your eyes again. "You can do it."

"Alright," he smiled, pulling the loofah off it's hook. He flipped open the top of your body wash, inhaling deeply at the familiar scent. "I love this stuff," he declared. "It makes you smell so good."

"I'm sure it makes me irresistible to you," you joked, turning slightly at his prompting.

"Absolutely irresistible," he agreed. He set the soap back on the shelf, turning back to you with a loofah full of bubbles. "Come on, let's make you smell nice."

Just like with everything else today, Harry was very gentle while he washed you. He moved the loofah in slow circles, making sure he covered every inch of you in soap. He scrubbed from your shoulders, all down your arms to the tips of your fingers, and back up again. He spread a few bubbles onto your back, but then used his hands to massage the soap around. He pressed a little harder on spots he figured might be sore, getting a few grateful sighs from you in return.

Overall, everything was going well. That is, until he got down to washing your legs. He had dropped to his knees, and he told you to hold onto his shoulders while he picked up one of your legs. He placed it on his lap, scrubbing your skin with the same gentle movements he had applied everywhere else.

You closed your eyes, enjoying his soft hands and the pleasant smell of the soap, but unfortunately, your relaxed state didn't last long. You started to feel the beginnings of nausea, so you placed your other hand against the wall to steady yourself. To your dismay, the feeling only got worse. You opened your eyes only to see black spots dotting the corners of your vision. You started to feel lightheaded, and you knew this was not going to end well if you didn't act quickly.

"Harry," you managed to get out, though your voice was small. "I'm feeling... really bad."

His head shot up to look at you, taking in the way your eyes had closed again and how you were swaying slightly. He dropped the loofah immediately, setting your leg back down on the floor of the shower before he stood. He kept his hands on you the whole time, making sure you wouldn't lose your balance even with how dizzy you were.

"You're alright, it's going to be okay," he soothed, helping you down onto the floor slowly. "Just lean on me. I won't let you fall."

He sat with his back against the shower wall, supporting your head in his lap as you let your arms fall limp.

"Can you turn the-"

Before you even finished your sentence, Harry was reaching up to make the water cooler.

"Thank you."

"Of course," he said softly. "Still feeling dizzy?"

You nodded, not bothering to open your eyes. "I think I'm..." Your sentence tapered off, and your head fell slightly to the side. Thankfully, Harry knew exactly how to respond in this situation. He pressed his hand to the side of your face, gently bringing your head back into his lap so you wouldn't be straining any muscles. He stroked his other hand through your hair softly, humming quietly to himself as he counted the seconds in his head. After he reached about 30, he began to get a little worried. But then, before he could panic too much, you began to slowly shift in his lap. He breathed out a big sigh of relief, bending over more to look at you.

"You coming back to me, love?" He asked quietly, stroking his thumb against your cheek. He gave you a few moments, not sure if you were fully awake yet. After a few more seconds had passed, he spoke again. "Can you hear me, honey?"

You moaned softly, turning your head away from him. "I'm okay," you mumbled.

"I'm very glad to hear that," he said, continuing his soothing movements. "Gave me a little scare there."

"I'm sorry," you winced, turning back to look at him. "I tried not to, but i just got so dizzy."

He frowned. "It's not something you ever need to apologize for, not ever. I never want you to feel guilty for this kind of thing. I only meant I was worried about you, not that it was a problem for me to take care of you. It will never be a problem- i will always take care of you. Okay?"

"Okay," you replied softly, looking into his eyes. "Can we get out of here? I am very uncomfortable on this floor."

He laughed, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against yours. "Leave it to you to diffuse very scary situations with jokes," he pulled back, shaking his head. "Yes we can, I just need to rinse the rest of the soap off of you."

He first helped you sit up, insisting you wait for a minute like that to make sure the dizziness was completely gone, then very slowly he helped you stand all the way up. He had you lean against him as he guided you under the lukewarm water to rinse off the rest of the bubbles, then he turned the water off and opened the shower door. He grabbed your towel first, wrapping it around you and making sure you were settled before he reached for his own.

"You still doing okay? It might be better if you sat down- I can bring you your clothes."

As much as you hated to be so dependent on Harry, you knew he was right. "If you could go grab my pajamas, that would be great," you smiled, slowly moving to a sitting position with your back leaned against the shower wall.

"I'll be right back," he promised. "Don't get up to anything crazy while I'm gone."

"I'll do my very best," you smiled. "I'll do my very best."

-----

"I'm surprised you're agreeing with me so easily, usually you fight me so hard when I try to get you to rest," Harry commented, helping you into your pajama pants.

"Oh, normally I would, I'm just too tired right now," you grinned. "Once I take a nap, it's over for you."

"I'm sure it is," he laughed. "Come on then, let's get in bed."

You looked at him in surprise. "I didn't mean you have to- it's barely after noon."

"Yeah, but I want to stay with you," he insisted. "In case you need anything."

"I'll be sleeping," you argued. "It's pretty hard to need things when you're unconscious."

"What if you wake up and need something?" he argued right back. "I'm not going anywhere; you can't get rid of me that easily."

You smiled, shaking your head. "If you insist."

"I do."

"Alright then, lead the way."

Once you were both settled under the blankets, Harry pulled you closer and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

"I'm sorry you have to do all this for me," you said quietly.

Even in the darkness, you knew he was frowning. "Please stop apologizing. I told you, I don't mind taking care of you at all. I just hate that you have to go through this. I wish i could take it all away, and make you feel better."

"You do make me feel better," you said. "Every single day." This time it was you who kissed his cheek, and you could practically feel him blushing as your lips brushed his skin.

"I love you so much," he said softly.

"I love you even more."

"Not possible," he argued. "I love you the most."

Harry pulled you even closer into his arms, and you fell asleep feeling safe, and happy, and loved

#harry styles x oc #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles/reader fanfiction #harry styles/y/n #harry styles/you #harry styles/reader #harry styles fanfiction #pots #postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome #chronic illness

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mintwithchoco · 3 years

Text

beaux rêves: Ep 5 - Evaluation

ITZY Yeji x Male Reader

Word Count: 3063 words

Categories: smut, handjob, edging, daddy kink, spanking, office sex, little bit of degradation, assistant! yeji

aff link

“...and I guess that’s all for now, keep up the good work Chaeryeong!” You said to a red haired woman, one of the interns that is working under you.

You were the leader of the Marketing Team in IT’z Company, a brand that is well known all over the world for being pioneers in multiple fields. You knew that it was a big role to have and a monthly intern evaluation is one way for you to keep the quality of the team and the work. There were four interns in your team and all of them have been doing a fantastic job. You were definitely proud, already thinking of asking the higher ups on an incentive raise because of their hard work.

“Thank you, sir!” Chaeryeong said, giving you an adorable smile before getting up from her seat and heading towards the door of the interview room.

“Oh yeah, Chaeryeong?”

“Yes sir?”

“Please call in Lia for me.”

“Alright sir.” Chaeryeong and her warm smile left the room, leaving you and your assistant alone.

“They’re doing so well!” Your assistant said while analyzing through the files containing the evaluations of the interns.

“Yeah, I’m definitely gonna give them a raise.” You replied back while preparing the file for the last intern evaluation.

“Have you finished the powerpoint for our meeting tomorrow?” You asked.

“Yes, I’ll send the powerpoint to you after this.”

“Great! Thank you so much, Yeji.”

“O-Oh, it’s...it’s nothing really. I’m just doing my j-job as your assistant.” Yeji blushes furiously, unable to hide it from you who just smiles at her cuteness.

“Hey, don’t be so shy now! You helped me out a lot with my work, so I need to give you a reward sooner or later.” You said, making Yeji look towards you with a look of certainty in her eyes.

“A reward?”

“Yeah, it could be anything you want. As long as it’s not that expensive.” you said, laughing.

“Then…” Yeji moves her seat a bit closer and suddenly caresses your thigh, moving her lips near your ear.

“I want you, daddy.”

“Woah, Yeji! H-Hold on,” You flinched away immediately, almost choking at her words.

“T-This is h-highly inappropriate for w-work.”

“But da-”

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door, making you quietly sigh in relief.

“O-Oh! Come in.” You said.

The door then was opened by a woman in a light peach long sleeve top with a plaid vest covering it. Her brown hair draped over her shoulders beautifully, letting you focus on her attractive visual. As she entered the room and closed the door behind her, you and Yeji watched as she slowly walked over to the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

“Sit down please, Lia.” The woman reacted by sitting down on the black office chair.

“How are you today?" You asked first.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." Lia answers, giving you a smile after.

“Glad to hear that. Alright then, let’s start with the evaluation.”

As you go through the questions one by one, Yeji is beginning to grow frustrated. Biting her lips, she began playing around with her pen constantly. Her brain suddenly thought of an idea that was risky, but pleasurable at best. Her left hand slowly slides over to your crotch, making you widen your eyes. You eyed her, silently telling her to stop with your slightly angry gaze. But, Yeji replied back with a smirk and mouthed something with her lips.

“My reward, daddy.”

Her fingers move towards the zipper of your pants and open them, revealing the center part of your boxers. You were panicking, your eyes went all over the place as you listened to Lia's answers to your questions. To avoid suspicion, Yeji also asked her a few questions as she started to pull out your hardened cock from your boxers.

“Sir? What’s wrong?” Lia asked after hearing you gasp because of your exposed cock.

“Uhh, n-nothing! L-Let's continue.”

“So, did you encounter any problems with our clients recently?” Yeji’s fingers wrap themselves around your cock.

“Hmm, let me see....”

Your ears were trying their best to hear Lia’s answer as Yeji started stroking you softly under the table. A lot of precum was already being made on the tip of your cock due to the thrill of being stimulated by her hand in front of your intern without her noticing it. She collects your precum and spreads it all over your shaft to lube it up. You wanted to moan so hard, but there was still work to do.

There were a few questions left, so Yeji’s handjob won’t last for long - something you were both thankful and disappointed in. She opens up a file and pretends to be reading it as she sped up her strokes, making you grit your teeth underneath your lips. When you ask Lia a question, Yeji will slow down her strokes. But once Lia is answering your question, she picks up her pace, making it harder for you to keep your sense of professionalism.

A burning sensation suddenly came into your stomach, signifying that you were going to orgasm soon. Just as you were about to reach your peak, Yeji stopped stroking you in an instant, letting your cock throb violently as you felt your load slowly going back into your balls. You faked a cough instead of moaning as a way to relieve the intensity that you had earlier. Lia was nothing but naive the entire time, diligently filling out a form that you gave to her as the last part of the evaluation.

After a few minutes, Yeji starts her handjob once again, this time you were even more sensitive as you already feel your orgasm building up slowly once again. Lia finishes up her form and gave it to you who was struggling to keep calm. Meanwhile, Yeji was smirking to herself as she continued her hoax of reading the files while keeping a steady pace of her strokes on your shaft.

“Sir, are you okay? You look sick…” Lia said in a concerned tone.

“Yeah, are you okay?” Yeji asked as well, feigning ignorance that she was the reason for the droplets of sweat forming on your forehead.

“I’m j-just feeling...a little l-lightheaded, yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll t-take some medications l-later.” You replied as Yeji fondled your warm balls.

“Oh yeah, sir?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for taking me home last night.” Lia’s words made you confused at first, but you instantly remembered that you gave Lia a ride home yesterday because her car broke down.

“Oh, it’s nothing really. Others would’ve done the same.”

“If you’re free sometime, maybe I could...treat you to dinner?” Lia said in a somewhat flirty tone while biting her lower lip hungrily.

“Uhh, sure I gu-AHH!” You shouted in pain due to Yeji squeezing your balls as jealousy filled her brain.

“Sir?!” Lia was about to stand up before you raise up an arm as a hint that you’re fine.

“What happened?” Yeji places her hands on your shoulders after wiping off your precum on your pants to show her concern.

“M-My leg cramped...It’s a-alright now.” You said while quickly putting back your cock into your boxers and zipping back your pants.

“Anyways, we’re done now with the evaluation. You’re doing a great job, keep it up Lia!” You said after writing out a few more words on the evaluation papers.

“I will, thanks sir!” Lia’s eyes turned into a crescent and her lips formed an adorable smile.

“Don’t forget about our dinner! I’m looking forward to it. Take care now!” Lia said, flashing her signature eye smile at you before leaving the room.

You smiled and proceeded to organize a few things on the file while Yeji stared at you with her eyes filled with lust and jealousy because of Lia’s flirty behavior.

“Daddy-” Yeji was cut off by you suddenly standing up while taking back all the files on the desk.

“My office, five minutes.” You said coldly before exiting the room.

Four minutes later, Yeji was now in front of your office. She was nervous about what's gonna happen to her. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times.

“Come in.” Yeji opened the door and was greeted by you sitting on your chair with your back turned towards her.

“Lock the door.” She does so and stands in front of your desk with her hands in front closed together.

You let out a big sigh and stood up from your seat to face her. Your mind was only thinking one thing: punishment.

“Bend over.”

“What?”

“Bend over.” Your tone was a bit more aggressive this time, making Yeji shiver and immediately bending over the desk with her hands flat on the surface of it and her back arched.

“Giving me a handjob during important work, squeezing my balls and edging me,” You said as you walked slowly then stopped on her left side.

“Daddy’s going to punish you baby.” You whisper into her ear, widening Yeji’s eyes.

Not wasting anymore time, you yanked her skirt and drew it up to her waist, revealing her round ass and a blue thong that was covering her crotch. Squeezing her soft cheeks with both of your hands, Yeji bit her lips as she was turned on by your dominance, her pussy starting to leak out juices. You traced your fingers over her clothed pussy, feeling a wet spot already formed.

“Wet already? What a naughty slut you are.”

“Yes daddy, I’ve been so naughty. Please punish me daddy!”

“Shut the fuck up.” You spank her right cheek hard, emitting a loud sound that vibrates around the room.

Yeji shrieks in pain and pleasure as you give two more slaps on both her right and left cheek. Her ass beautifully ripples on each slap, hardening the tent that was beginning to form in your pants.

“That was for giving me a handjob while I was working.”

You crack your knuckles, preparing yourself for the next set of spanks on her butt. You lifted your palm at a decent distance before bringing it down to her bottom hard and fast. Three more similar slaps came quick after, each landing perfectly on both sides of her buttcheeks. Yeji tries her best to keep her moan from coming out of her mouth, not wanting anyone to notice what was going on inside your office.

“That was for squeezing my balls.”

Her cheeks were already turning red due to your smacks, so you let her rest for a while by squeezing them gently to heal a little bit of the stinging pain. With your left hand holding her hips, you lift your free hand further than before, aiming to spank her harder. The right cheek was your target, so with a deep breath, you smack them as hard as possible, prompting Yeji to flinch violently and letting out her first moan.

You made up a set in your head - two on each side of her cheeks, five times. As your smack begins to increase in power, so does her moan being louder after each one. On the third set, you rubbed her butt once again before continuing. Thank god you only had four interns in your team alongside their desks being pretty far away from your office, so you placed a bet that no one could hear anything.

“And this is for edging daddy!”

Your last smack on her ass was the hardest, causing Yeji to let out a shriek and shed a few teardrops from her eyes. Both your right palm and her ass were now sore and painted in a bright red color.

“You okay?” You asked her while squeezing her flesh to relieve the pain.

“Y-Yes daddy…”

“Good, because I have more things planned.”

As Yeji heard you unbuckling your belt and unzipping your pants, her pupils grew out of excitement, finally getting the reward which was your cock. You let your pants rest on your ankles and placed yourself behind her, letting her feel the heat from your crotch on hers. Quickly discarding her thong by ripping it off of her, you grind your bulge against her damp pussy, not caring how your boxers were getting stained by her juices. Yeji squirmed because of the teasing that you intended to do, and your cock was already hurting because of the restraints that were still on it.

“Do you feel that? Do you feel how hard daddy’s cock has become?” Yeji nodded.

“Too bad that you’re not gonna feel this throbbing inside of you.” Your hand then moved to her hair and grabbed a handful of it, forcing Yeji’s head to perk up.

“So, if you want daddy to fuck you,” You get close to her ear once again.

“...then beg.”

“Daddy please please pleeeeease fuck me! I promise I won't edge you during work ever again. Please daddy, don't leave me like this!" Yeji begged you like her life depended on it.

You loved it. You love how Yeji was under your spell, and that alone is enough to make you aroused. Without saying any words, you pulled down your boxers to let your hard cock free and aimed it at her entrance. Yeji gasped in shock as you forcefully pushed yourself into her warm hole with her juices acting as a lube. She was insanely tight, her walls gripped onto your shaft with an intense pressure as you involuntarily let out a loud groan.

Lust takes over you fast as you grab her hips and start pounding her insides right away at a fast pace. Yeji cried out a few swear words, her pussy was completely filled with your shaft as your thrusts were deep and powerful. You showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon, even though you were blue-balled by Yeji earlier and had the potential to reach your peak early.

Suddenly, you heard the sound of footsteps coming closer to the door. You slowed down your thrusts and immediately closed Yeji’s mouth with your right hand, silencing her moans to hear who was outside your office. The person then knocks on the door a few times.

“Sir? Are you there?” That husky voice behind the door was none other than Shin Ryujin, another one of your interns.

“Y-Yeah, I’m a bit busy right now, w-what’s wrong?” You asked while burying your whole cock inside of Yeji’s tight cunt.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure.” Yeji’s body was shaking violently, feeling the fullness of being sheathed by your shaft.

“Alrighty! And oh, should I add extra cream for you, sir? I know you like your coffee thick and smooth.” Ryujin’s words were making you think of something else and your cock reacted by throbbing inside Yeji.

“Oh Ryujin, you definitely know what I like.”

“I’m just doing my job, sir. Anyways, it’ll be ready in about 10 minutes since someone forgot to boil the water earlier.” Ryujin said, clearly talking about Lia.

“It’s fine, take your time!” You then heard Ryujin’s footsteps as she walked away.

A few seconds were wasted on you confirming that Ryujin was gone. Pulling your cock out of her pussy, you turn her around, lift her up and lay her down on your desk after clearing it up. Yeji looked exhausted, due to your shaft being embedded deep inside of her earlier. But that doesn’t stop you from plunging into her depths once again, this time starting off slow.

Your hands sneaked up to her blazer, unbuttoning them to reveal her matching blue bra underneath. Yeji was moaning constantly as your pace began to quicken, but it was quickly muffled by your lips kissing her deeply. Both of your tongues danced along with each other, savoring the moment of exchanging pleasure into your bodies.

“Oh fuck daddy, you’re stretching me out so much!” Yeji firstly said after you broke off the kiss.

“Yeah, you love it don’t you, you slut?”

“Yes, use me as your cumdump daddy!”

“With pleasure.”

With that, you pumped into her as fast and as hard as you could, eager to fulfill what she wanted to be - a slutty cumdump. The burning sensation in your abdomen was felt even more with each thrust of your hips. Yeji’s moans were encouraging you to the max as she was also reaching her own peak. The lustful look in her eyes, silently begging you to cum inside her, it was finally all too much for you to take.

“I'm gonna cu-”

You couldn’t even finish your sentence as you exploded inside her, all the muscles in your body flexing as you sent your warm and thick load into her tight hole. Yeji followed soon after, gushing all of her juices onto your cock and staining the desk. Your legs shook harshly as your orgasm was a big one since Yeji edged you earlier and eventually, your body fell on top of her by the end of your orgasm.

You stayed there for a while, exhausted after releasing every last drop of your cum into her pussy. Yeji smiled and gently pats your head to calm you down from your high.

“Thank you daddy.”

//timeskip//

Lunchtime arrived and you decided to grab a quick one with Yeji at a restaurant near your office. As you both were eating your meal and talking about some work-related topics, you felt a weird sensation in your body.

“Oppa,” Yeji said.

“Yeah?”

“This is just a dream, isn’t it?”

Silence filled the air.

“What are you talking abo-”

When you blinked your eyes, you were suddenly transported to a place full of nothingness. It was black all around you, with fog surrounding the floor. Eureka hits you in an instant.

"I've lost it."

Your legs automatically move to search for that pathway. The pathway that leads you to another dream. As you continued to run towards it, it felt like you were going around in circles. The scent that you're familiar with was gone as well.

Exhaustion came to your body as you stopped running and panted heavily. All hope was lost, you thought. You were never going to experience that dream ever again.

A ray of light suddenly appears in front of you and a familiar voice could be heard.

“Wake up!”

Blink.

#itzy smut #yeji smut #itzy #yeji #kpop smut #kpop fanfiction #reader insert #male reader

453 notes · View notes

wkemeup · 3 years

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Sunrise (7)

summary: After an explosion takes his arm and his only sense of belonging, Bucky is content to live out the rest of his days in the hollow comfort of the dark. This is, until Sam drags him down to the local VA and he meets you. (Modern AU) pairings: bucky x reader chapter word count: 4.8k warnings: ✨kissin✨ 🧡 series masterlist / series playlist

“I can't believe this happened,” Natasha groaned, sinking further into her couch cushions as if it could swallow her whole. She held a bottle of cheap vodka in her right hand, her left digging through a bag of sour cream and onion chips. Her red hair was untamed for the first time since you’d known her with strands sticking out at the sides and pieces falling out of her braid. She took another swig from the bottle.

“Maybe it’s not that bad?” you offered, though the slight alteration of your pitch gave way to your doubt.

Natasha had been hired through her new security firm to work the art rooms at MOMA. You’d walked her through the hiring process and sat through hours' worth of practice interviews and resume building and anxiously bouncing your knee as you both huddled around the library computer and waited for the email to come through confirming her hire.

She’d worked so hard for this job. She’d held it for almost six months without incident.

Nat deadpanned as she wiped the excess droplet of vodka from her lips with the wrist of her sweatshirt. “I tackled a civilian, Y/n.”

“You said he was acting suspicious! Isn’t that enough of a defense?” you tried, betrayed again by your tone. You winced.

“He was staring at me with those beady little eyes of his,” Nat grumbled, shoving a few more chips in her mouth, continuing before she had a chance to swallow. “He kept looking over his shoulder toward me like he was checking the surveillance of the exhibit, like he might be staging a robbery in his head or coming up with methods to blow it all to shit.”

She huffed the hair from her eyes, only for it to fall down exactly back into place at the center of her forehead. “Turns out the only plotting he was doing was to get my phone number. Didn’t know that, of course, until I’d had him pinned to the ground and his hands behind his back.”

You sighed. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for veterans like Natasha to struggle in maintaining steady employment. Adjusting to civilian life never came easy. It was why so many soldiers chose to reenlist again and again. Even after years of PTSD and the fractured relationships their distance left behind, they boarded that plane. You’d witnessed it firsthand.

“They fired me,” Nat admitted, sinking further into the couch.

She was one at the VA the others feared. With her strong features and deep voice, intimidating glare and the aura of a woman twice her size, no one took to her be anything but the stone-cold persona she amplified. You were one of the few she let her guard down around long enough to see the fragile, loving person underneath.

“I’m sorry, Nat,” you told her. You reached for her hand, squeezing it in your own.

She shrugged. “It’s fine. Move on to the next one, right?”

You nodded. Keep moving forward. It was the most she could do.

“But enough about me,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “What’s going on with you and the broody amputee?”

“Nat!” You swatted her hard on the arm.

She was unbothered, shoving another handful of chips into her mouth. “Don’t pretend like it's not completely obvious how much the two of you are into each other. Every time I look up to take a sip of coffee at book club, one of you is making heart eyes at the other. Spill.”

You didn’t know where to begin. It felt like you’d known Bucky your whole life. But you started with the moment Sam introduced you at the VA. You told her about the moments at the library and how eagerly he read through every book you placed in his hand. You told her about the coffee trips to Luciana’s and the extra time he spent helping you set up for book club and cleaning up when it ended. You told her about the walks in the park and surprise visits at the library.

There were a few moments you left out, like Bucky’s panic attack on the crowded streets and the flashback episode the fireworks created, but you told her about the good parts. The holding hands. The comfort you felt when he walked into the room. The kiss you’d shared just a few hours earlier.

“Shit, we’re talking about James Barnes, right?” Natasha laughed as you told her he’d been the one to press forward to kiss you first. “Sam used to talk about him all the time before he started showing his face around the VA. I’d gotten the impression that he was barely keeping it together after what happened over there, like he was a ghost or something. Sounds like he’s got some game back though.”

You nodded, a laugh on your lips though it felt a little drained. You thought of the picture on Sam’s desk and the vibrance in Bucky’s smile with his arms thrown over the shoulders of his closest friends. You thought of the version of the man Natasha described, the same one Sam referenced in the library the day before when he thanked you for helping Bucky find himself again.

Curiosity crept it. It was more than that, though. You wanted to understand how a man so full of life and charm and energy could be wiped clean so quickly. You wanted to know, not for your own selfish indulgences, but so you could better understand the man you were falling for. A man who lost himself for so long and was only now starting to pick up the pieces again.

“Do you know what happened to him?” you asked, a bitter taste of shame lingering in your mouth.

“I don’t.” Natasha shook her head and you sighed, nodding. You resigned to let the inquiry go entirely – it wasn’t something you’d ever ask Bucky about directly, but then Natasha cleared her throat. “I do know he came home with a Bronze Star, though. Sam said he won't even look at it.”

You narrowed your eyes. “A what?”

“A Bronze Star. It’s awarded for exceptional bravery in combat,” Natasha explained. “My guess is it’s got something to do with how he lost his arm.”

You suspected as much. He carried himself with such distain, as if he couldn’t stand the body he was in. You’d felt the sharp cringe in his back whenever your hand drew too close to his left side, how he’d often stare at you in disbelief whenever you so willingly reached out to touch him. He’d never once removed his jacket in front of you and sometimes you wondered if he made careful avoidance of the mirrors in his own home, too.

***

The first time you saw Bucky again, you’d kissed him on the sidewalk. Rushed up to him as you skipped steps descending outside the doors of the Brooklyn Library, hands pressed firmly to the sides of his face, and just... kissed him.

It startled him at first, enough for his arm to hold out at his side, frozen, for just a second too long before it settled on your spine. Your fingers gently traced along the stubble on his cheeks, smiling bright against his lips, and he’d kissed you back as tourists and locals filtered through the busy walkway as if they were little more than a blur around you.

It became routine, it seemed, for Bucky to be waiting at the steps of the library for you. He didn’t shy away when you raced towards him, didn’t flinch when you reached for his hand, didn’t hold his breath so tight he could hardly focus.

Instead, he was full of laughter. He made jokes that would put Sam’s cheesy one-liners to shame. He walked with you on empty residential side streets even when his anxiety had started to ease only so could take his time with you, dragging his feet along the pavement to stay by your side as long as possible. It was what he told you, anyway, and your heart just about leapt from your chest.

You began to see glimpses of the man in the framed picture upon Sam’s desk. Outgoing. Flirtatious. Charming.

Sam noticed the difference almost instantly. The way his eyes flickered over to the two of you, narrowed upon the absence of space between you both as you leaned against Bucky on the couch, books nestled in your hands. Sam had been standing in the doorway to book club, peering in through the window, when you noticed him staring. His smile grew wide upon his face, a very unsubtle and enthusiastic thumbs-up followed, and you waved him off before Bucky noticed he was there.

No one in book club asked questions when after another meeting, you’d taken to resting your head on Bucky’s lap as you read, his own book settling on your shoulder. Tony peered over the top of his binding a few times with a curious stare the time Bucky had finished his book early and spend the remainder of the time reading yours over your shoulder, his finger drawing patterns on the top of your thigh, a kiss pressed to your shoulder here and there. Natasha smirked from her seat on the floor.

It happened so quickly, how easily you’d fallen for him.

Always in the smallest moments, in the sweetness of his smile, in the way he glanced over at you every so often as if he were checking to make sure you were still there. He opened up pieces of himself to you, set them gently into your hands and waited to see whether you’d keep them safe or throw them to the fire. It was agonizing for him – the vulnerability of trust – but you’d hoped that by protecting the pieces he showed you, he’d feel safe enough to give you more. You wanted it all. You wanted all of him.

Sam insisted he’d never seen Bucky smile as much as he has been since he met you, including in the time before the war. It surprised you at first, until you remembered the photo on Sam’s desk. It was the same smile Bucky flashed you just moments before when he swiped a bite from your donut while you were talking to Tony. Teasing. Lighthearted. The weight of mere feathers on his back.

“Y/n? You alright?”

Bucky’s voice drew your attention away from the tourists wandering around the park, taking photographs of the ducks at the edge of the pond and the old oak trees with leaves of fallen red and orange at their roots, the open branches giving way to a view of the Manhattan skyline.

You blinked a few times, turning to Bucky as he sat on your left, his brows furrowed in concern. You must have been quiet for too long, which was unusual for you, so you pushed out a smile for him, a slight squeeze in his hand.

“Just thinking,” you told him.

“What about?”

You pulled his hand into your lap, tracing over the lines in his palm absentmindedly. A distant pulse of his heartbeat could be felt in the tips of his fingers.

“You.”

He smiled at that, the corners of his mouth curving high up into his cheeks. A twinge of pink rested on the tips of his ears. He chuckled in an effort to hide his nervousness, though it lingered into his voice. “Me? I’m sitting right here.”

“What? I can’t think about you?” you teased, bringing his hand up to your lips as you pressed a kiss to his knuckles. He watched you with the kind of awe that left him speechless for a moment. It was your favorite look on him; how his lips parted ever so slightly, the blue of his eyes shading into something softer, the muscles in his face slacking.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, I guess that’s okay.”

“Good,” you smirked, setting in against his side. You rested your head on his shoulder, playing with his hand in your lap as you watched two little boys chasing the ducks around the pond, flapping their arms and trying to encourage the ducks to fly.

You’d been sitting on the old, wooden bench under the tallest oak tree for nearly two hours when you glanced up to find a series of dark clouds rolling in and obstructing the cast of red and oranges filtering along the horizon. They hung heavy and ominous as a shadow lingered over the park.

“Hey Bucky?” you started, sitting up straight as you gestured to the clouds. He had a sort of sleepy look in his eyes like he could have been content to sit there with you all night long. “We should probably get out of here before—”

You felt the first raindrop on your cheek. Wiping it away, you looked up into the sky just in time as sheets of rain poured out from the clouds. You gasped, grabbing a firm hold of Bucky’s hand and yanking him up to his feet.

“Come on!” you yelled over the rush of rain as it slammed onto the cobblestones in the park and shook the trees. Bursting into laughter, you threw the hood of your jacket up over your head in a half-ditched effort to stay dry. Bucky’s hand secure in your own, you took off running, only for his laughter to follow you as he chased you down the streets.

Rain drenched into your hair and ran in droplets down your spine, clothes soaked through to the bone by the time you realized where you were running. Luciana’s was just around the corner, calling to you like trumpets at the golden gates. Hot chocolate nestled between your palms, the warm hum of the radiator, nibbling on leftover pastries from the day. Truly, Heaven.

By the time you reached Luciana’s, you’d nearly slammed into the door trying to get inside. The canopy was incredibly small, no bigger than space for a single person, but you reached out and gripped Bucky by the lapel of his jacket and tugged him beside you to pull him from the rain. You could feel the heat of his breath through his labored pants, the small puffs of warm air pressing out into the cold, and you laughed nervously at how close you were standing.

“Her daughter has a dance recital tonight,” Bucky read from the sign posted on the inside of the door. “It’s closed.”

Sure enough, as you looked inside, the lights were out, chairs flipped upside down and resting on the tops of the tables. Rain poured against the windows, the mist of it still catching your spine and you pressed up closer to Bucky, nearly against his chest. You tried to control how fast your heart was beating, but you were almost certain he could feel it.

“Okay, let me think,” you said, more so to yourself, as you looked out into the streets. They were empty, save for a few cars going about ten under the speed limit and a few teenagers sprinting by in backpacks and school uniforms. Your apartment wasn’t too far from here...

“Follow me!” you shouted over the rainfall, grabbing a hold of his hand.

***

Bucky didn’t have much time to ask questions, because your hand was in his again and suddenly you were dragging him back out into the streets. You took him down the block, through a few back streets, and along a series of brownstones with fallen leaves littering the streets and the high arch of tree branches shading the sidewalk in small relief from the rain.

You skipped up a few stairs, shouldering open the door and pushed Bucky inside. He waiting in the small doorway as you dug through your bag for a pair of keys, wiping a line of rain from your forehead. You exhaled in relief as the door unlatched and you reached for Bucky’s hand again, guiding him inside.

One floor up and the first door on the left, you stepped inside of your apartment and quickly began rushing around to rid yourself of your jacket and the soaking wet shoes on your feet. Bucky stood planted on the doormat, the door closing slowly behind him.

Rain tapped against the outside windows, a dark cloud of grey hanging in the sky and casting a shadow into your living room. A single lamp illuminated the space in a soft yellow tone, touching over dozens of blankets hanging over the couch and bundled up in a basket on the floor, books piled high on the coffee table, newspapers with highlighter marks folded neatly on the kitchen table, and a few cardigans draped over the chairs.

“Can I make you coffee? Tea?” you asked from the kitchen as you wrung out your hair in the sink, shaking off the excess droplets from your hands. Bucky glanced down at the floor, realizing he was carrying water through the hardwoods in your apartment. He winced, quickly making his way back to the doormat.

“I’m alright, thanks,” he said, keeping himself as small as he could on the mat.

“Take your shoes off,” you instructed, pointing to the series of boots lined up by the door. “I’ll go find you some dry clothes.”

With that, you disappeared into your bedroom.

Bucky stepped out of his shoes, wandering further inside. He’d been too out of it the last time he was inside your apartment, too unfocused with one foot across the ocean to really look around.

He found himself drawn to the hallway leading up to your bedroom, with pictures hanging along the wall in old, wooden frames. Some from what looked to be your childhood, with softer features upon your face and dressed in overalls and bright pink sneakers. Then, a few from high school with your arms hung around the shoulders of your friends, mid-laugh. But there was one in particular that caught his attention.

At the very end of the line, hung a photograph of you standing in front of a couple who looked to be your parents. You seemed to be a few years younger, judging by the cut of your hair and the softness in your features. On your left was a man dressed in an air force uniform, hands clasped behind his back. You were standing on an airbase, smiling, but your eyes were red, reflective. Like you’d been saying goodbye and were desperately pretending otherwise.

“This was all I could find,” you said, emerging back from the bedroom with t-shirt and sweatpants in hand. They were too large for you, men’s sizes, and Bucky felt his heart clench as he saw the faded air force logo on top corner of the shirt. He wondered if it belonged to the man in the photo.

“Thank you,” he nodded as you placed them on the counter.

You were wringing out your hair with a towel when he realized you’d changed, too. The dampness on your skin clung to the fresh cotton of your t-shirt, pulling it tight against your chest. He exhaled a tense breath.

"God, look at you,” you laughed, a hand reaching up to touch the tips of his hair as they dripped excess water down onto his shoulders. You pushed it to rest behind his ear, brushing the lingering rain from his cheeks. “It’s unfair, you know?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, confused. “What is?”

“That you look this handsome soaking wet.”

His instinct was to laugh, but the way you were looking at him made his breaths a little shallow, his stomach twisting into knots. You weren’t teasing as you said it, no lingering joke in its wake. He swallowed.

“I... uh... what? No.” He tried to brush it off, but your hands had slid along his waist behind the hem of his jacket and it stopped him dead in his tracks.

He held his breath as you flattened your palms against his stomach, running your fingers over what once had been hardened muscle before he let himself fall into darkness that took over his life for months. Now, his body favored something softer. You didn’t seem to mind though as you bit down on the fullest part of your lip, hands sliding around to his spine.

“Let me take this off? Please?” you asked, voice low, with the kind of inflections laced within your tone that made Bucky shift uncomfortably in his stance. Your hands slipped up along his chest, lingering by his shoulders and you gripped onto the lapel. It was soaking wet.

“You must be freezing,” you tried again, a little lighter this time, offering him a sweet smile. You must have noticed his apprehension because you softened a bit, letting your hands rest against his cheeks as you drew his attention to you. “It’s alright, Bucky. It’s just me.”

He searched your eyes as you gazed up at him and though he tried, he found no reason to turn you away. His heart was pounding in his chest, his right hand shaking a bit, but then, you leaned forward and captured his lips against your own, and suddenly, he was at ease again.

You kissed him and his right hand found its way to rest against your lower back, pressed flat against your spine; it clenched into the fabric, seeking more, and his fingertips brushed over a sliver of bare skin. He felt your hands slid down along his neck, to his collar, until they slipped under the fabric of his jacket against, resting on his shoulders. You were waiting for his permission.

Then, as you pulled away from his lips for only a second, he nodded. Your lips returned to his almost instantly, and he wondered if maybe you were trying to distract him, or help to ease him as the fabric draped down off his shoulders. His heart was thunderous in his chest, louder than the press of rainfall against the windows outside, but there was a sense of calm in it, a nervousness certainly, but a comfort, too.

He felt the weight of the jacket lift from his shoulders as you set it to hang over the chair. He felt instantly lighter, like you’d removed an anvil from his back, and he suspected it had less to do with the rain-soaked fabric than he cared to admit. He kept his eyes closed as your hands roamed along his shoulders, focusing on the feel of your lips as they traveled from the corner of his mouth along his jaw line.

“Bucky?” you called so sweetly it nearly made his knees buckle.

“Mmm?” He felt a little dizzy, high on the touch of your lips to his skin.

He heard the soft ruffle of fabric as you grabbed the clean clothes you brought for him on the counter. Then, your hand slipped into his and he let his eyes flutter open. You were watching him with more affection than he was prepared for. His heart lurched forward, aching to jump right into your arms.

“Come this way.”

He nodded, trailing behind you as you led him into your bedroom. The lighting was dim, barely casting in a soft orange glow from the lamp at your bedside. The clouds were still dark and heavy as they hung outside the windows, the rain obstructing the view of the brownstones across the street.

“Here,” you set the clothes on the bed. “Get changed alright? I don’t want you catching a cold.”

You smiled for him and his heart just about burst. Then, you disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

Bucky stepped forward, running his hand over the Air Force logo in the top corner of the t-shirt. He picked up the shirt, and held it against his nose. It smelled like you, like maybe you’d been wearing it for years now, but there was a name written in sharpie on the inside tag. It was barely legible, but it didn’t look like your own. He tried not to think about who gave you this shirt and who wore it before him, and he quickly removed the damp one soaked to his skin in favor of the one you’d given him.

He changed his pants, too, and a wash of relief came over his body as the chill faded from his skin. The clothes were warm, soft, and he raked his fingers through his hair, thankful it had dried enough to stop from dripping down onto the fabric.

“Hey,” you called, emerging from the bathroom. Your eyes paused on him for a moment, taking him in with the fresh clothes on and something unrecognizable flashed over your features – something that resembled sadness. You shook it off quickly, pushing out a smile as you walked toward him. “Better?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to your hairline as you wrapped your arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

You leaned up to kiss him again and he swore everything around him came to a sudden stop. You tugged him down onto the bed, sliding in behind him as you threw the covers over you. Bucky kept his back pressed to the mattress as you climbed over his waist, settling with just enough of your weight compressing against him that he found a relief in it.

His right hand slipped along your waist line, sliding flat over bare skin, warm to the touch. You smiled against his lips and he found himself laughing as you peppered kisses along his cheekbones, his nose, his hairline, down along his jaw, and then finally – back to his lips again.

So lost in you, in the moment, he felt his left hand slid along the underside of your shirt, fabric brushing over the top of his hand as he touched over your ribs and inching closer to your chest. He stifled a moan as he cupped at your breast, swiping his thumb along the pebbled nipple. It wasn’t until he felt an echo of a muscle spasm at his left shoulder that he realized he wasn’t feeling anything at all.

His eyes snapped open and he found his right hand at the base of your spine, your shirt untouched. Reluctantly he glanced down at his left side; the open sleeve of the t-shirt leaving no pretenses in its wake. He was empty there. A piece of him missing. He tried to swallow back the frustrated groan before it passed through his lips, but you heard it. You felt it, too.

“Bucky?” you questioned, concern littering your eyes as you pulled away. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No, of course not,” he replied quickly, brushing his hand along the side of your face until it drew a smile back to your lips. The way you were watching him, like maybe he could entrust you with the darkest parts of himself, if only for glimpse, and it pushed him to say more. “I just... I hate that I can’t hold you the way I want. There’s more that I would—” He groaned, head sinking back into the pillows. “I’m not used to... I don’t— I don’t know how to with only one... um...I haven’t— Not since before—”

He bit down on the inside of his cheek, his ears flushing red. You seemed to understand what he was saying as you nodded ever so slightly; the fact that he’d barely learned how to manage his life again with only one arm – everything from washing his hair to getting dressed in the morning, to chopping vegetables and reading a book. He hadn’t even attempted to consider what it was like to be with a woman like this; to want to hold her and please her and touch as much of her as he could. It never crossed his mind before you.

“I’m in no rush,” you said simply, like maybe you were implying you’d wait around long enough for him to figure it out. Or maybe, you’d be willing to help him learn again. You leaned in to press a chaste kiss to his lips. “It’s late. You’ll stay tonight, won’t you? I don’t want you out in that storm.”

Bucky nodded, feeling a little dizzy as he stared up at you. Backlit from the soft glow of the lamp illuminating around you like a halo, Bucky would have said yes to just about anything you could have asked of him. Relief pressed over your features and you sank down onto the bed beside him, curling up against his right side.

Your arm draped across his waist as his circled around your shoulders, fingertips drawing patterns along your skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. Then, you reached over him to turn off the lamp and a comfortable darkness blanketed the room, the only break from the silence the gentle tap of the rain against the windowpane.

For the first night in months, he welcomed the kind embrace of a dreamless sleep.

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x you

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ppangjae · 4 years

Text

SEVEN LETTERS | Jaehyun

SEVEN LETTERS | THE STORY UNTOLD (SEQUEL)

SUMMARY. On a camping trip, you find a message in a bottle that’s been washed up the shore, only to find out that it’s a message from you in the future. Your message tells you three things:

You must make Jeong Jaehyun fall in love with you because,

He’s your soulmate and

Because of your future self’s mistake, he ended up falling in love with someone else.

GENRE. soulmate!au | childhood friends to lovers!au | slight fake dating!au | fluff | angst

important note: the text from the letters are in bold

WORD COUNT. 10.1k+ words (BIG oof)

author’s note. here she is 🥺 this didn’t take too long to write out, which is very surprising. it is extremely impossible for me to write a 10k fic over the course of two days. i think i’m just really ingested in soulmate!aus and it just triggers so much imagination and creativity. anyways, enough of my ramble, i hope you enjoy this fic as much as i enjoyed writing it! also, it’s unedited so if there are any mistakes, i’m apologizing in advance!

It would be an utter lie for you to say that Jeong Jaehyun didn’t have a tiny little spot reserved for him in your heart. It was like he packed your feelings for him in a suitcase and brought it along with him on the trip to your heart. But just like that tiny spot you have for him in your heart, your courage to tell him how you feel is just as tiny. Maybe a bit tinier.

But you think you’re okay with it. You’re fine with how you and Jaehyun are right now.

Endearing gazes. Lingering looks. Skipped heartbeats. Flushed cheeks. Unspoken words and thoughts—

“The water’s cold!”

You snap out of your thoughts, looking to your right to see Jaehyun jumping up and down in the water. Fortunately and unfortunately, he has a shirt on. He’s shivering with his teeth clattering. You let out a snort, shaking your head.

“Jaehyun, get over here and change your shirt before you catch a cold!” You both hear his mother scolding him. The both of you share a look before bursting into laughter.

“Yes, mother.” He sighs, heading back up the shore before his mother gets even more angry than she already is. You watch him as he walks past you, flicking some water in your face to tease you.

“Hey!” You exclaim, wiping the droplets of water that hit your cheeks.

As you’re left all alone by the lake, you take off your sunglasses to get a nice look at the sunrise. The sun is blinding but it provides much warmth that seeps into your skin.

This camp trip is a yearly event where your family and Jaehyun’s family would get together and travel up to the cottage. It was something you and Jaehyun looked forward to every year. The both of you would be sent off to university in two different cities before coming back for the summer to spend it together at the cottage. It’s the highlight of your summer. It’s been the highlight of your summer for 18 years.

You kick off your sandals before taking a few steps into the lake. The water sure is cold, you think to yourself. When your feet are submerged in the water at ankle’s height, you look up to notice a light glare in the lake. You squint your eyes.

“What the fuck is that?” You ask yourself as the object is floating closer towards you.

The closer it floats to you, the more you make out of it. It reaches your foot and your eyebrows raise in surprise. “A message in a bottle? These things still exist?”

You’re about to call Jaehyun to tell him what you’ve found until you notice your name written in large, capital letters on the message. Your eyes slightly widen. Slowly bending down, you grab the bottle. You’re just about to pry the cap of the bottle open until—

“Y/N, your mother’s looking for you.” You hear Jaehyun say. You freeze in your spot, shoving the bottle into your hoodie before zipping it up. You slowly turn around, quirking an eyebrow. “She needs help baking the cookies. You said your roommate gave you her famous recipe?”

“Right! Thanks.” You fake a smile, rushing past him and patting his shoulder.

Jaehyun turns around and looks at you confusedly.

“Y/N, did you bring your roommate’s cookie recipe—”

“I texted it to you just now.” You cut your mother off as you rush into the cottage, heading straight to the bathroom. Your mother purses her lips into a tight line, grabbing her phone before uttering a soft ‘thank you, honey!’.

Gently closing the door shut, you lean against the door. You unzip your hoodie to grab the bottle. You’re curious as to why your name is written on the piece of paper. It causes you to pry the cap open, flying it into the sink. The cap rolls around in a circle before stopping right above the drain. You pull out the letter and indeed, your name is written on it. As you unravel the paper, your hands start to clammer.

Y/N,

You’re probably wondering who I am and why your name is written on this piece of paper. I am you from the future. Fate brought my message to you and you’re getting this message for an important reason. Take in a deep breath before reading the rest of this letter.

You’re in complete disbelief. Your shoulders slump and you slowly slide down the door. Is this even possible? Is this some sort of prank? A joke? But the handwriting in your letter looks exactly like your handwriting, making it all a bit more believable. You continue to read.

Jeong Jaehyun is your soulmate. Yes, that dorky little dude who’s your best friend? Yes, he’s your soulmate. You know that you’re in love with him. Don’t even try to lie. In case you were wondering, yes, you will still be in love with him in the future. But there’s a huge problem and I need you to fix it to prevent yourself from experiencing regret for the rest of your life.

As I am writing you this letter, Jeong Jaehyun is in love with someone else. He did not fall in love with you; his soulmate. He’s getting married in a couple a months. In order to rewrite the future, I want you to remember three things:

You MUST make Jeong Jaehyun fall in love with you because,

He is your soulmate and

Because of my mistake, he ended up falling in love with someone else.

You run a hand through your hair. This is too much for you. It’s all coming at you in full force. This is too much information for you to process in one sitting. You’ve already done so much at university, you don’t need any more stress for the rest of the summer. Besides, you just got here. You continue to finish reading the letter.

I am counting on you, past self. I don’t want you to live the rest of your life heartbroken, knowing that Jaehyun is in love with someone else, knowing that he’s getting married with another woman that isn’t his soulmate, and knowing that he will start a family with her and spend the rest of his life with her.

Don’t turn out like me, past Y/N. You’ll regret it.

Now go and rewrite your fate.

It’s what you deserve.

Good luck,

Future Y/N.

You let out a scoff.

Great. Now what?

“Are these the famous cookies your roommate makes?”

Jaehyun sniffs the freshly baked cookies and reaches out to grab one for himself. His mother swats his hand away and he lets out a yelp of pain. Your mother enters the dining room with another tray of freshly baked cookies and sets it down on the table. She hands you the other tray that’s already been cooled down.

“Why are you giving me this? I can’t finish all of this in one sitting.” You chuckle as you take the tray from her anyway.

“It’s not for you.” Your mother nods her head out the window. “It’s for the new neighbours. They just moved into the cottage. You know, the cottage that was being built last summer?”

“I was wondering why the cottage didn’t look so familiar,” Jaehyun mumbles with a mouthful of cookies.

“Want to come?” You ask him.

He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t see why not.”

The both of you are heading towards the cottage. Jaehyun’s busy admiring the layout of their patio while you’re putting on your best girl next door smile. Jaehyun knocks on the door and it takes a couple of seconds for someone to open the door for you.

“Oh—hi!” It’s a woman who looks like she’s around your age. She’s wearing sweats and a hoodie, but she has a warm, welcoming smile that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable. “I’m guessing you’re our neighbours.”

“We are, yes,” Jaehyun beats you to it. You glare at him but he barely catches it. You raise an eyebrow out of curiosity, following his trance that’s landed on the girl. Your eyes squint. “We baked you some cookies, please take them, it’s my recipe—”

“Uh, your recipe?” You scoff and he gives you a warning look. “What? Why are you looking at me like that—”

“Your recipe? Oh, I’m sure they’re delicious.” She cuts you off. She gently grabs the tray from you and you fake a smile. “I’m Yeona. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other this summer.”

“I’m Y/N—”

“I’m Jaehyun!” He cuts you off again.

You frown.

“Nice to meet you, Jaehyun and,” Yeona smiles while giggling. “Y/N.”

“If you need anything, you can always let us know.” Jaehyun grins. “If you’re feeling bored, you could always hang out with us—”

“Nice to meet you too, Yeona!” You throw your arm over Jaehyun’s shoulder, weighing your arm heavily on it. He gives you an irritated look. “I hope we can make great memories this summer.”

“You guys are such a cute couple.” Yeona chuckles.

Your smile is wiped off your face. “Oh, no, we’re not dating—”

“I think we’re a cute couple too.”

“What?” You blurt out. “We’re not—”

When you look at him, his eyes meet yours. He gives you a ‘play along’ look and you find yourself clearing your throat and putting up an act. You fake a laugh, nodding your head.

“We are! Yes, we are dating—we’ve actually—we’ve been together for a year now!” You exclaim, thinking of all the ways you could kill Jaehyun in his sleep.

“We’ll get going. It was nice meeting you, Yeona.” Jaehyun smiles.

Yeona watches the two of you as you interlock fingers and walk down the sidewalk back to your cottage. You’re this close to kicking Jaehyun in the shin until you both get back to your cottage. Once Jaehyun shuts the door, you slap him in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for—”

“Since when were we dating?”

He lets out a laugh. “I just find her really cute and so I figured—”

“You figured that the only way to make her interested in you is by pretending that you’re—”

“Taken?” He finishes it off for you. “By you? Yes. I figured it would be the only way.”

“Why are men so dumb?” You sigh annoyingly, pondering on whether you should start pulling your hair off of your scalp. “Why are men so dense?”

“It’ll only be for the summer—”

“That’s exactly the problem! We’ll be fake dating for the whole summer. I don’t want to be playing pretend and be boo boo the fool for a whole summer.” You argue. “I want to go fishing. I want to go hiking. I want to go swimming! The last thing I ever wanted is to fake date you—”

“Well, too bad. The damage has already been done.” Jaehyun smirks. “Besides, we probably won’t have to put up the act for the whole summer. I’m going to fake dump you for her—”

“You like her?” You blurt out.

“Yes. I like her. I find her really close to my ideal type—”

“Do you think she’s going to date you after finding out that those cookies that she’s probably eating right now are not from your recipe?” You test him. He clamps his mouth shut. “Exactly.”

“It’s not bad to be hopeful—”

“And it’s not bad to just tell her that you like her either.” You fold your arms until you remember something important. And it comes in the form of your own handwritten letter.

You MUST make Jeong Jaehyun fall in love with you because he is your soulmate and because of my mistake, he ended up falling in love with someone else.

“Should I just do that?”

You snap out of it. “Do what?”

“Just tell her that I like her and that we were just joking about us dating—”

“No!” You exclaim with your eyes widened like saucers.

“Why not?”

“Because—” You start, trying to look for the right words to say. “Because you’ve already made a huge mess and if you tell her the truth, the chances of her liking you back will be lower.”

Jaehyun stands there as if he’s deep in thought. You fold your arms, waiting for him to say something—

“You’re right. You’re a genius!”

You think you’re going to get a headache.

Three weeks pass when you get your second letter from your future self. You’re cooped up in your own room, holding the piece of paper in your hands with your eyes reading each word from left to right. Just like the first letter, the second one comes to you in a bottle that’s been washed up to shore. You found it just in time when you stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air.

Y/N,

Remember this specific date: July 31st.

Also, I’m sure you’ve met Yeona at this point. Believe me when I tell you this, Jaehyun has the biggest crush on her. He’s not joking around. He’s truly in love with her. She is the embodiment of his ideal type.

You grab your phone to check the date. It’s July 31st. The letter came right on time. At least your future self is still organized. You were afraid that your future self would grow lazy.

On that day, Jaehyun will ask you to go to the beach.

There’s a knock at the door. “Who is it?”

“Jaehyun, duh.”

You neatly fold the letter before placing it underneath your pillow. “Come in.”

He opens the door and pokes his head through. “My mother cooked breakfast. Let’s go down to eat.”

As you’re getting off of your bed, you notice how he looks hesitant to ask you something. You put on your house slippers and as you reach up to him, you look at him questioningly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He will ask you this because he knows that Yeona will be going to the beach. He’ll try to convince you by saying that the weather’s nice—

“Do you want to go to the beach today? The weather’s nice today, we should take advantage of it.”

I want you to tell him this— “Let’s go to the fair instead. I heard it just opened up yesterday.”

He will try to convince you to go to the beach instead. Don’t give in. “You don’t want to go to the beach? Didn’t you say you wanted to go swimming? Tanning?”

“But we always go to the fair. Besides, this year, they’re only open for a week.” Just keep suggesting somewhere else to go.

It will work. “They’re only open for a week this year?”

You slowly nod your head. “Unfortunately.”

Trust me. “We should probably just go to the fair instead, then, huh?”

You smile.

“We should.”

“What if we bump into Yeona?”

Jaehyun glances at you. You know that the both of you won’t bump into Yeona, for she is going to the beach instead. He shrugs his shoulders as the ticket vendor is wrapping a one-day wristband on his wrist. The both of you enter the annual fair and it immediately brings you memories of last summer and the summers before that.

“We should probably hold hands then,” he mumbles softly.

You look up at him. “Huh?”

“We should be prepared in case we bump into Yeona.” Jaehyun suggests.

He doesn’t give you a chance to say anything and grabs your hand. Your hand fits perfectly in his, especially when your fingers interlock. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest. Who knew that the smallest thing to do like holding Jaehyun’s hand would turn out to be the biggest deal to you?

“Your hands are sweaty.” You mumble, trying to stop yourself from heating up.

“It’s pretty hot outside, huh?”

“Yeah, it sure is.” You bite your lip.

He grins. “Yeah, your cheeks are really red because of the heat.”

“Are they?” You gasp, letting go of his hand to cover your cheeks.

He chuckles. “It’s cute.”

Your hands slowly fall back to your sides. “Cute?”

He hums in reply, avoiding eye contact. He grabs your hand and interlocks your fingers. His ears are turning red, just like your rosy red cheeks.

“Why did you want to go to the beach?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I heard Yeona will be going.”

“Do you,” you begin until you hesitate. “Do you like her?”

He nods. You’re not sure what to say or feel. But there’s one thing you’re sure of.

“I like her a lot.”

Jaehyun’s whipped for her.

The fair will be packed. “It’s quite busy today, huh?”

Jaehyun nods. “I think it’s because they’re only open for a week.”

You won’t bump into Yeona. In fact, you and Jaehyun will have the best day ever. Enjoy it while it lasts.

“What ride should we go on first?” He asks.

Your eyes scan the rides that await you. Your eyes land on one of the rollercoasters a few metres away. It’s right across from the Ferris wheel.

Don’t forget to have fun. This is your first chance to make him fall in love with you.

“Let’s ride the rollercoaster!”

And so as you’re lining up to ride the rollercoaster, you look down at your hands. Your hands fit perfectly together, don’t you think?

You could definitely get used to this.

“I have two seats left for this ride!” One of the operators announce and you’re shooting your arm up into the air.

“We’ll take those seats!”

“Great. Just come on over!” The both of you are rushing to your seats and buckling in your seatbelts. Jaehyun’s still holding your hands.

“Enjoy your ride!”

At the end of the day, Jaehyun will ask you if you want to ride the Ferris Wheel.

“The sun is starting to set.” You point at the sun.

Jaehyun smiles. “We should probably ride the Ferris Wheel. Do you want to ride it?”

I want you to say— “Sure. I’d love that.”

And he will make up some stupid excuse like— “Great. I want to take pictures of the sunset. I think I’ll get a good shot of the sunset when we’re at the top of the Ferris Wheel.”

Thus, the both of you are hopping onto one of the carts. You’re sitting right across from him. In romance movies, Ferris Wheel rides always lead up to the character’s undying love confession to the love interest when they reach the top of the ride. You could definitely see how it will never happen, especially when Jaehyun’s too busy taking pictures of the fucking sunset.

Don’t get your hopes up too high. It’s not going to feel romantic. And it sure isn’t. You’re sitting there, texting your roommate to compliment her cookie recipe that your mother can’t seem to stop baking. You can hear the faint clicking sounds coming from Jaehyun’s phone.

“Y/N—”

“Yeah?” You look up from your phone to hear a soft ‘click!’

But there is one thing that will happen and it will stir up Jaehyun’s heart. You guess this is it. He stares at the screen of his phone for a brief moment before slowly looking up at you.

“Did you just take a picture of me?”

He will make up another stupid excuse by saying— “Yes, I did. I think it’ll be a good picture to use for your Tinder or something. I’ll send it to you.”

“Why, you little—”

“Sent it!”

You look down at your phone to look at the candid photo Jaehyun texted you. While you’re busy looking at the photo and whining over how Jaehyun took the worst angle of your face, you barely notice how Jaehyun’s staring at the same photo but on his phone.

There’s a soft smile beginning to spread across his lips. In the photo, you’re looking at him with doe-eyes. You’re glowing because the sun is facing you. You look… beautiful. Why is he studying the photo longer than he should?

He sets it as his lockscreen.

The third letter from your future self comes a couple of days after you and Jaehyun spent a day at the town fair. But this time, it doesn’t come in a bottle. This time, you find it in your mailbox after your mother asked you to check if she or Jaehyun’s mother had any mail. It’s quite alarming, but it was like you were destined to check the mail that morning.

“Any mail for us?”

You shake your head. “Nope. I’ll head back to bed, I’m still a bit tired.”

Your letter is tucked underneath your bra and once you arrive in your room, you pull it out. You sit against your door, ripping the letter open to see your handwriting.

Y/N,

On August 14th, Yeona and her family will come over for dinner. You and Jaehyun will continue to put up your fake dating act. But it won’t be for long.

After your dinner, Jaehyun will tell Yeona the truth. I don’t remember what his excuse was, but I do remember Yeona feeling relieved because at that very moment, she will confess to him.

You will feel like shit. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. But there is one thing I want you to do, and that is to stop them from kissing out on the front porch.

That shit hurt like a buttcheek on a stick and I don’t want you to experience it.

“Y/N, make sure to wake up before five because the Kims are coming over for dinner!”

You let out a frustrated sigh. You read the last few words from the letter before crumbling it up into a paper ball. You aim for the trash can near your bedside table.

Things get better and I will make sure that they get better.

The paper ball goes into the trash can perfectly. Swish.

Trust me.

The Kims arrive right on the dot with a tray of lasagna and a bowl of what seems like potato salad. You find it hilarious how Jaehyun’s dressed up with an odd mixture of casual and formal clothing. He has his hair slicked back with hair gel and he’s wearing his best white button-up shirt with.. pink house slippers?

You’re not sure what kind of look he was going for, but Yeona doesn’t seem to mind.

“Come on in! Let’s eat!”

Everything is laid out on the dining table. Yeona looks at the two of you with suspicion as Jaehyun sits next to her and not you. You look at Jaehyun confusedly and he barely notices. You take a quick look underneath the table to see Jaehyun’s foot and you give it a gentle kick. He jumps in his seat, glaring at you.

“I’ll switch seats with Y/N,” Yeona chuckles softly. “It’d be best for the couple to sit next to each other, right?”

Your mother and Jaehyun’s mother share a confused look before bursting out into giggles. Your mother shakes her head, waving her hand. “Oh no, sweetheart, they’re not dating—”

“We are—” Jaehyun tries to cut your mother off but he stops himself when his mother gives him a warning look.

You begin to panic. “I—we just started dating two weeks ago—”

Yeona frowns. “But I thought you’ve been dating each other for a year—”

“Let’s eat, shall we?” Jaehyun insists, flashing an uneasy, nervous smile.

You shouldn’t be feeling embarrassed. In fact, Jaehyun was the one who brought you into this mess. From your future self, you know that the truth will be exposed during dinner with the Kims. But you weren’t prepared for this.

“I’m so confused.” Yeona looks at the both of you.

“Yeona, can we—I can explain—can we please talk outside?” Jaehyun asks, moreso pleads.

She looks at him with a wavering glance. “S-Sure. We can talk.”

The dinner continues and there’s nothing but tension and awkwardness in the room. You’re left all alone with the adults as Yeona and Jaehyun step outside to have a talk. You’re picking at your asparagus and steak, pondering on whether you should stuff your face as if it’ll make you disappear into thin air. You could feel burning stares from your mother and your eyes meet hers. She’s looking at you like she demands an explanation but all you could do is shrug your shoulders and wince.

“So, Yeona’s in third year university like Jaehyun and Y/N?” Jaehyun’s mother tries to change the atmosphere.

Yeona’s parents nod and flash a small smile. “She’s studying Economics.”

“Wow,” Jaehyun’s father muses. “I guess Yeona and I will get along quite well.”

“Really?” Yeona’s mother says.

His father nods. “I graduated from an Economics program. If she has any questions throughout her undergrad, she can definitely ask me.”

You’re starting to feel insecure.

“Let me just say that Yeona is very beautiful, just like you.” Jaehyun’s mother tells Yeona’s mother, who lets out a giggle.

“Oh, that’s very flattering to hear. I try my best to stay young. But it’s nice to see that it’s been passed down to Yeona.”

Jaehyun’s mother smiles. “She grew up very well.”

You will feel like shit. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it.

Hell, you weren’t sure how bad it was going to be but now you know. You feel like utter shit. This isn’t even your fault. If Jaehyun didn’t lead you into this mess, you wouldn’t be feeling this way. You wouldn’t be sitting in the midst of a conversation between adults, feeling like you’re invisible. Your insecurities wouldn’t be getting the best of you.

You slowly get up from your seat. “Sorry, excuse me, I’m going to get some fresh air.”

They don’t even notice your absence. Your feet somehow drag you to the front porch, where Jaehyun and Yeona are having their talk.

But there is one thing I want you to do, and that is to stop them from kissing out on the front porch.

That shit hurt like a buttcheek on a stick and I don’t want you to experience it.

Your eyebrows raise. You shut your eyes, mustering up all the courage. Your hand grabs the doorknob and you open the door just in time to see Jaehyun and Yeona leaning in. They pull away from each other and look at you with surprise.

You fake a gasp. “Oh, sorry! I—I just wanted to see if everything was okay.”

“I—”

“I’m so sorry.” You apologize again, closing the door.

You lean against the door and feel your eyes well up with tears.

Even though the kiss didn’t happen, it still hurt.

It still hurt like a buttcheek on a stick.

The fourth letter from your future self comes from you on your last day at the cottage. Jaehyun and Yeona are officially dating and they plan on maintaining a long distance relationship when Yeona flies back to London for university. Spending the rest of your summer heartbroken felt like shit. You’re kind of glad that summer is over and you don’t have to spend any more days at the cottage in nothing but the comfort of your room.

The letter arrives in the mail, just like the third letter.

“Is this the last bag?”

You shove the letter into your pocket. Jaehyun looks at you suspiciously, specifically at your pocket. He’s holding your duffle bag packed with your clothes. You nod your head. “Yeah, that’s the last bag.”

“What’s in your pocket?”

“Nothing!” You blurt out.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing.” He walks past you to place your duffle bag into the trunk of your car. He dusts his hands off.

“It’s nothing, I swear.” You reassure him.

You feel your heart stop when Jaehyun starts poking your sides to tickle you. You feel his hand sneak into your pocket to grab the letter. He has it in his hands and he’s just about to read the writing on the envelope when you snatch it from him.

“Hey, is that a love letter?” He grins, reaching out to snatch the letter from you.

You gasp. “No! Jaehyun! Please give it back. It’s not for you to see—”

He’s waving the envelope in the air and you’re jumping up and down to get it from him. He’s continuing to wave it in the air until you jump too high. When your feet land on the ground, you stumble and place your hands on his shoulders to prevent yourself from falling over. He wraps his other arm around your waist to stop you from falling over. The both of you freeze up.

You slowly look up to see him looking at you with an expression you can’t seem to make out. His hand that’s holding the letter is still in the air. The both of you stare into each other’s eyes, trying to read each other’s looks. His eyes trail down to your lips, which are inches away from his. You’re the first one to snap out of it, pulling away from him.

You reach up to snatch the letter from him. He looks at you with a daze.

“Sorry.” He says softly.

“Is everything packed up?”

You don’t say anything to him. You turn around to see your mother locking the door to the cottage. You realize that everyone, except your mother, witnessed what had just happened between you and Jaehyun. You feel your cheeks heat up again.

“Well, I guess summer’s over.” Your mother sighs sadly. “I can’t wait until we see each other for Christmas, though!”

“Jaehyun, are you sure you packed everything?”

Jaehyun looks at his father who’s seated in the driver’s seat with his head poking out the window. He nods his head. “I’m one hundred percent sure.”

“I guess this is it. See you guys later.” Your mother says.

There’s no such thing as goodbye hugs when it comes to your families. That’s because you know you will see each other eventually.

You turn back around to face Jaehyun. He’s still looking at you with that look you can’t read.

“I’ll see you later, dork.” You mumble, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

“You better kick ass at school.” He points at you as the both of you head to your cars.

“You too.”

“I’ll miss you, dork.” He adds.

“Me too, loser.”

And man, the moment you hop into your car, you’re already missing him a bit too much.

You almost forget about the fourth letter.

You remember the letter when you reach the gas station. Your parents are inside the convenience store for a washroom break. You rip the envelope open to see a small piece of paper. The letter is short this time, you note.

Y/N,

It’s been a while since I wrote you the last letter. You’re probably on your way back home from the cottage. You’re probably missing Jaehyun already.

I’m writing this letter to you a bit too early. You can definitely come back and read this letter again when the day is near.

December 24th. Christmas Eve. You and Jaehyun will be home just in time for Christmas. You will have the usual Christmas Eve dinner with the Jeongs.

However, your train ride back to the city will be delayed. Jaehyun will be the one to pick you up at the train station. This is your second chance to make him fall in love with you because on Christmas Eve, it will be the first snowfall of the season.

Now, what is the significance of the first snowfall of the season, you ask?

As your mother hops into the car, you fold the letter and subtly put it inside of your pocket. “Mom, can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“What’s so special about the first snowfall of the winter season?” You ask.

She lets out a snort. “You’re twenty-one and you don’t know what the first snowfall means? Gosh, you’re so inexperienced when it comes to dating.”

You chuckle. “What does it mean?”

“Have you noticed the brutal amount of couples out on dates on the first snowfall of the season?”

You shake your head. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, I realized there are a big amount of couples out that day.”

She hums in reply. “They say that if you are planning on confessing your love to your crush, you should do it on the first snowfall. Not only is it romantic, but confessions that are made that day are always reciprocated.”

“Always?”

She smiles. “I claim this first hand because your father confessed to me on the first snowfall.”

December 24th.

Your future self proves to be right. You’re sitting in your seat, looking out of the window. The sky that was bright and blue when you hopped on the train is now dark. You can see the stars scattered across the sky. A couple of minutes later, the train operator announces that there is a huge delay and the arrival time will be an hour later than the expected time on your ticket.

You sigh. As you’re pulling out the letter to give it one last read, your phone buzzes in your pocket.

“Hello?”

“Y/N, your parents told me that your train has been delayed.”

You smile at the sound of Jaehyun’s voice on the other line of the phone call. “Yeah, my father’s going to pick me up so there’s nothing to worry—”

“I already insisted on picking you up instead. What time are you expected to arrive?” He asks.

You feel your heart flutter. “You’re going to pick me up?”

“Of course. I missed you, you twat. Also, we have to make a quick stop at the diner for your favourite cheesecake. They said that they’ll be open until midnight.” He replies.

“I almost forgot about that.” You chuckle. “I’m expected to arrive around ten. Are you sure you’re okay with picking me up?”

“I’m more than sure.” You can hear him smile. “I’ll see you at ten. Is there anything you want me to bring?”

“Just you.” You laugh. “And the car, of course.”

“Well, duh. We wouldn’t want to walk home with your heavy ass luggage, now would we?”

“Shut up.” He’s tugging at your heartstrings. “I’ll see you at ten, Jaehyun.”

As you’re hanging up on him, you turn the letter around to finish the last part of the letter that you haven’t read yet. You specifically left the last part to read on the day of because you were afraid you would forget what to do.

There’s something really crucial that you have to do. If you mess this up, everything will be put at risk. As I said, this is your second chance to make Jaehyun fall in love with you.

An hour goes by faster than you expected. You’re hopping off the train with your luggage. As you’re stepping out of the train station, you’re searching for a familiar car in the parking lot.

“Y/N!”

This is completely off topic but Jaehyun will look really cute. He will be sporting a scarf that covers half of his face. He will look extremely cuddly and soft.

“Jaehyun!”

When he reaches up to you, it will start to snow.

Indeed, as Jaehyun is a metre away from you, you start to see snowflakes falling from the sky. You can hear your mother’s words echo in your head. First snowfall and love confessions. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest. You’re not sure whether it's the cold wind or Jaehyun’s presence that’s making your cheeks red. You’d like to think it’s the former.

Jaehyun will stop to look up at the sky. He will say— “It’s snowing!”

“The first snowfall of the season.” You add, letting out a soft giggle. “Long time no see, dork.”

The first snowfall of the season will remind him of Yeona. A frown will threaten to spread across his lips but he won’t let it show. That’s because him and Yeona have been going through a rough patch in their long distance relationship. But he won’t tell you this until after the Christmas dinner when you’re both a little tipsy from the beer.

You won’t get drunk with him tonight because things will turn out different this time. However, I want you to ask him this— “Do you know what the first snowfall of the season means?”

He will answer with— “First snowfall means first love. It also means that the person you’re with on the first snowfall of the season will be the love of your life.”

You won’t expect his answer because it’s completely different to your mother’s take on the first snowfall’s significance. This will further stir up Jaehyun’s heart.

“Do you believe in it?” You let out a lighthearted chuckle. “If you do, then that means I’m the love of your life.”

He will jokingly say— “Why? Are you in love with me or something?”

This is the crucial moment. You must say— “Yes. I’m in love with you, Jaehyun.”

His face is washed with shock and confusion. You’re both standing outside of the train station. Your grip on the handles of your luggage tightens when Jaehyun doesn’t utter a single word out.

He will joke around even more and say— “You’re joking. Stop joking around, Y/N. I don’t think Yeona would like hearing you say that.”

And it will hurt like a bitch. But try your best to keep yourself together. I want you to avoid the topic and say— “Let’s get going before the diner closes. You know the Christmas dinner is not Christmas dinner without that bomb ass cheesecake.”

He tilts his head in confusion. Why are you avoiding the topic? Are you joking? Why does he feel relieved to hear your confession? He shouldn’t be. He musters up a smile.

“Let’s get going, then.”

The months and days after Christmas Eve and what seems like a rejected confession makes you heartbroken. Your roommate is tired of hearing you let out sad sighs and soft sobs throughout the day. But you couldn’t help it. Your future self told you that it will hurt like a bitch. It truly did feel like a bitch and it still does.

On the night of your last exam of your fourth year of university, you make a trip to your mailbox to find another letter. It’s the fifth letter from your future self.

You find yourself sitting in your dorm room all by yourself while your roommate is out partying. You open up the letter.

Y/N,

It still hurts like a bitch, right? Well, in this letter, I will tell you what happened that caused future Jaehyun to end up with someone else. I hope it will make you feel better.

On July 31st, we ended up going to the beach. We bumped into Yeona. Yeona ended up hanging out with us and I felt like a third wheeler. Yeona was sort of picking up the idea that Jaehyun and I were fake dating and that it was all just an act. The more they hung out that day, the more Jaehyun realized that his crush on her was more than just a crush.

That night, I cried to sleep, wishing that we went to the town fair instead.

On August 14th, Yeona and her parents came over for dinner. The dinner was awkward. However, after the dinner, Jaehyun asked Yeona if they could talk. I was busy doing the dishes until Mom asked if I could take the trash out. I remember walking out of the door to see them kissing out on the porch. It felt like shit.

He told her the truth. He told her that it was all just an act to make her fall in love with him.

That night, they were officially in a relationship.

On Christmas Eve, Jaehyun picked me up at the train station. We both noticed that it was the first snowfall of the season and we were joking around about its significance. He had jokingly asked if I was in love with him and I said no. I told him that I wasn’t in love with him.

Around that time, Yeona and Jaehyun have been arguing more frequently. They were going through a rough patch in their relationship. It was starting to make Jaehyun question whether he truly loved her or not.

But around that same time, Jaehyun was slowly catching feelings for me. He had jokingly asked if I was in love with him because he sincerely wanted to know and if I had said yes, it would’ve given him a clear sign.

Later that night, he told me about his rough time with Yeona. He was slightly drunk and confessed that he was catching feelings for me, but because I said I wasn’t in love with him, I made him realize that he’s truly in love with Yeona.

I think this is what made him sure of marrying her.

I regret lying to him. I wish I told him that I was in love with him.

I started writing letters to you, past self, in hopes that you would get them somehow. Mother said that she started getting letters from her future self when she turned eighteen. She said that if you start getting letters from your future self, it means that fate is trying to link you up with your soulmate in the past after failing to make it happen in the future.

I truly believe in it. And so I hope you get my letters to you, past self.

Rewrite your future.

Jaehyun and Yeona’s wedding is next month.

I’m still pondering on whether I should attend their wedding.

That night, you cried yourself to sleep. There is still much left to read from the letter, but you’re too sad and heartbroken to read the rest of it. You decide to save it for later, when the time comes.

Just like your future self, you hope that you will successfully rewrite your future.

Because you can’t imagine being in love with anyone else except Jaehyun.

You slam the trunk shut, dusting off your hands before hopping into the front seat of your car. Your father picked you up on move-out day. Although you were supposed to graduate this year, you decided to take an extra year just for good measure.

Your father starts the car. “We missed you so much.”

“I missed you guys too.” You smile while buckling in your seatbelt. You suddenly remember what your future self wrote in the fifth letter.

On the car ride home, Dad will ask you if you really don’t want to go up to the cottage this summer. “Hey, are you sure you don’t want to spend the summer up at the cottage?”

And as much as you want to go, tell him— “I think I’m going to pass this summer. I have a couple of online summer classes and staying up at the cottage will be a huge distraction.”

Here’s what happened. I decided to spend the summer up at the cottage anyway. It was extremely awkward. Yeona and Jaehyun took that summer as an opportunity to deepen their relationship. All I did that summer was cry my eyes out. What seemed like a relationship that was crumbling to pieces was mended back together the moment Jaehyun and Yeona reunited for the summer.

This time, you are not spending the summer up at the cottage. I want you to continue with that internship offer. I wish I did. I regret not doing it. I hope and wish your absence will stir up Jaehyun’s feelings for you.

“You’re right, honey. I think staying at home for your online courses is the best way to go.” Your father agrees.

“And it’s even better because if I pass one of the courses, I might be considered for an internship.” You beam at him.

“Really?”

“Really!” You exclaim.

He reaches out to ruffle your hair. “I am so proud of you, honey. You better kick some ass.”

But hey, at least something good will come out of your summer away from the cottage.

The sixth letter arrives months later. You’ve just graduated and this summer, you decided to give yourself a break and spend it up at the cottage with the Jeongs. This time, the sixth letter comes in a bottle that washes up the shore. You’re taking a hike all by yourself when you decide to read the letter. You take a seat on one of the stones overlooking the small town.

Y/N,

This summer up at the cottage is crucial.

August 8th. On that night, your family and Jeongs will have a bonfire. When both of your parents decide to head to bed early, they will leave the both of you together.

You check your phone for the date. It’s August 7th. You have one day to prepare. Your future self was considerate this time around.

You will most likely have a heart-to-heart talk with Jaehyun. He will tell you that he’s been pondering on whether he should propose to Yeona and ask her to marry him.

Later that day, you decide to sit out on the dock. You’re dipping your feet into the lake. Just the thought of Jaehyun proposing to someone else makes your heart ache. You can’t even imagine how your future self is coping with the heartbreak.

“Can I join you?”

You look over your shoulder to see Jaehyun. You pat a spot next to you. “Sure. Come here.”

He takes a seat next to you and dips his feet into the water. You’re both sitting next to each other in silence. You’re sure Jaehyun has a lot of questions he wants to ask you.

“You know, I missed you last summer.” He starts off.

“I missed you too. Sorry I couldn’t come, I had a lot of things to do.” You say softly. “How are things with you and Yeona?”

“Things are well.” He smiles.

Oh how that smile makes your heart shatter in ways he doesn’t even know. “That sounds great.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame that Yeona and her parents aren’t spending their summer here.” He frowns.

“Yeah, why not?”

“Her cousin’s getting married.” He replies.

“Do you miss her?”

He lets out a sigh. “I miss her a lot.”

The rest of your afternoon is spent sitting at the dock in silence. There’s surely a lot on both of your minds.

August 8th.

You almost forget what to do when the day arrives. But you’re glad that you remembered when your parents called it a night and left you and Jaehyun outside near the bonfire. You’re roasting marshmallows with Jaehyun for s’mores.

Start the conversation. “You look like you have a lot on your mind, Jaehyun.”

He snaps out of his gaze to glance at you. “Do I?”

You chuckle, nodding your head at his marshmallow that’s burnt. “Clearly.”

“Ah,” he cusses, pulling his burnt marshmallow away from the fire. He throws it out and replaces it with a new marshmallow. “I guess I do have a lot on my mind.”

Jaehyun is thinking about whether— “Do you think I should propose to Yeona?”

“You’re planning to ask her to marry you?” You ask.

He nods. “Yeah. What do you think?”

He will ask you for your opinion. This is what you should say— “Do you love her?”

“I love her—”

“With all your heart?”

He will hesitate. It will take him a while to say he loves her with conviction. But after a couple of minutes, he will say— “I love her with all my heart.”

That’s a lie. Ask him this— “How do you know for sure?”

“When I met her for the first time, I just knew.” He says, his look turning distant. You’re afraid that his marshmallow is going to burn again. “She makes me feel happy. Whenever I’m with her, I feel special. I feel like the luckiest man on Earth.”

Tell him this— “Funny because that’s how I feel whenever I’m with you.”

“W-What?”

He’s looking at you now. He’s staring at you. You’re not sure where to look, so you focus on your marshmallow that’s browning. You pull it away from the fire to replace it with a new one.

He will feel confused. But you have to remind him that you confessed to him on the night of Christmas Eve.

“I told you that I’m in love with you, remember? On Christmas Eve? When you picked me up at the train station?” You try to help him recall.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “You weren’t joking? I thought you were joking—”

He will tell you that he thought you were joking. But this is what you tell him— “I wasn’t joking, Jaehyun. I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for the longest time.”

“Y/N—”

“But you’re in love with Yeona and she’s in love with you.” You cut him off before shoving your first s’mores of the night into your mouth.

He’s not sure what to say. You say that like it’s nothing to you. It kind of throws him off.

“Jaehyun, your marshmallow’s burnt again.”

“Shit.”

Jaehyun will feel troubled. Your conversation with him ends there. Things will be awkward for the rest of the summer and the both of you won’t talk to each other.

But there’s nothing to worry about.

Things will get back to normal. On your last day up at the cottage, the both of you will act like nothing ever happened.

The seventh letter comes on the day you’re moving out of your house. You’re making a courageous move to a new city, where you’ll be living in an apartment and working at your new job. Jaehyun has no idea that you’re moving out. Heck, he has no idea that you’re moving out of town. But you’ll tell him… eventually.

“You’re sure you’ve packed everything with you?” Your mother asks as she sniffs. Her eyes are glassy.

You look at her with an endearing smile. “Mom, the more you cry, the more I’ll dread moving out.”

“Shut up, let me have my moment. You’re growing up too fast, honey.” She wipes a tear that streams down her cheek.

“She’ll be fine. Besides, we’re going to visit her every two weeks.” Your father reassures her. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“If you hate it there, you can always come back here.” Your mother rests her hands on your shoulders. “We’ll be ready to pick you up at the train station too.”

“I’ll let you know if anything happens.” You reassure her as you’re walking towards the car.

“We should get going before your mother starts crying again.”

“We probably should.” You chuckle.

“Make sure you eat your meals!” Your mother exclaims as you and your father are hopping into the car.

The car ride to the train station feels different. You’re not sure what the future has in store for you. You’re not even sure if you’ve successfully rewrote your future. Your mission isn’t even complete for Jaehyun is still in a relationship with Yeona.

You arrive at the train station earlier than the scheduled departure time. You decided to open the seventh letter and read it to kill some time. You take a seat at one of the benches.

Y/N,

This is my final letter to you, past self.

You’re probably on a train ride to a new town for your new job. Or you’re probably still waiting for the train to arrive.

The future feels uncertain, right? If Jaehyun is still in a relationship with Yeona, don’t worry, things are slowly working out. You’ll have to give it some time.

You will lose touch with Jaehyun for a while. He will be mad at you for leaving him without telling him. But make sure you both reconcile this Christmas. As for Yeona, she might give you a call a few months later, just to check up on you and stuff.

I just wanted to let you know that you’ve done your best and if things don’t turn out the way you wanted it to be, everything will be okay. Life will go on.

However, I am sure that the future will be different. I have a great feeling inside of me that things will be different. I am sure that you and Jaehyun will end up together this time—

“Y/N!”

You look up from your letter. It’s become an instinct for you to hide the letter when you hear someone calling your name out. Standing a couple of metres away, you spot a breathless Jaehyun.

“Jaehyun?”

He’s rushing over to you. You’re standing up to greet him until he crashes you into a tight embrace. You’re caught off guard. “Jaehyun, what are you doing here?”

He pulls away from the hug. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? What are you doing here?”

You’re confused. Your future self just told you that you will lose touch with Jaehyun for a while. But why is he standing in front of you?

“I—” You begin. “I got hired at a company out of town. I moved out. I’m moving into an apartment in another city—”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He frowns.

Huh? This is the first time your future self was wrong. Does this mean that you can disregard your future self’s seventh letter? Does this mean that you successfully rewrote your future? But your mission failed. Jaehyun’s not in love with you. What is going on?

“I figured it would be best not to tell you because I knew that you would hold me back,” you explain. “And if you held me back, I don’t think I’d ever move out.”

“But you should’ve told me. I came over to take you out for lunch only to find out that you’re moving out of town and into a new city. Do you know how sad I felt?” He frowns.

“I’m sorry—”

“And then I started wondering why you didn’t tell me about this. I started to wonder if I did something wrong. I couldn’t think straight. I drove all the way here in hopes that I don’t miss you and that I catch you right before your ride.” He rambles on. “If I didn’t catch you on time, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“Jaehyun—”

“I broke up with Yeona.”

“What?!” You blurt out. “Why would you do that?!”

He looks at you for a brief moment. You’re looking at him with anger. Why would he break up with her?

“Why did you break up with her? She’s in love with you, Jaehyun! You’re supposed to propose to her—”

“Because I’m in love with you.” He breathes out.

“Huh?”

Yeah, you’re really confused. What’s going on?

“I’m in love with you.” He lets out a nervous laugh.

“You’re in love with me?”

“I’m in love with you, stupid.”

You blink. “Jaehyun, you’re not making any sense right now. It was just weeks ago when you asked me if you should ask Yeona to marry you. It was just weeks ago when you told me that you missed her a lot. It was just weeks ago when you thought my confession was a joke—”

“On Christmas Eve, I picked you up. Yeona and I were going through a rough time in our relationship and I was starting to question if we were meant to be together. I asked and begged for a sign.”

“A sign?”

“The first snowfall. You and I were together on the night of Christmas Eve, where we both witnessed the first snowfall. You asked me if I knew what it meant,” he explains. “I thought, ‘Is this the sign I’ve been looking for?’ and then I joked around asking if you were in love with me, not expecting you to say yes. And you did. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Jaehyun—”

“And that summer where you didn’t come up to the cottage. I felt lonely even though I was with Yeona. Things just didn’t feel the same.” He lets out a shaky laugh. “Everything started to remind me of you. I just knew Yeona was annoyed about it. I kept talking about how this and that reminded me of you. It was all starting to make sense.”

“But you still had thoughts about asking her to marry you.” You say and he shakes his head.

“I asked you for your opinion on it because I couldn’t trust my own decision. I wanted to see if you would say no. A part of me was begging you to say no.” He explains further. “But you told me that you love me and that your confession wasn’t a joke. That’s when I knew.”

“So,” you mumble. “You’re in love with me?”

“I confessed my feelings for you three times already.”

“But I want to hear it again—”

“The train is arriving in two minutes. The train is arriving in two minutes.” The speaker announces. You and Jaehyun look at each other.

“I’m in love with you, Y/N.” He confesses again. “But do you really have to leave me here?”

“I’m in love with you too, Jaehyun.” You feel your heart doing cartwheels. “And yes, I have to go, Jaehyun. I can’t keep taking the train everyday to work.”

“Can I move in with you, then?”

“Not until you give me a kiss first—”

“How about I marry you instead?”

“Babe, I’m going to get the last box downstairs!”

You hear Jaehyun close the door as he goes downstairs to get his last move-in box. It didn’t take long for Jaehyun to make the trip to your apartment. In fact, it’s been a week since you moved in and he’s already moving in with you.

You’re unpacking his clothes from his bags until you open one of the small pockets to see an envelope. Out of curiosity, you pull the envelope out of the pocket.

The envelope has Jaehyun’s name written on the front in his… handwriting? You open the envelope to pull out a long letter. As you’re unfolding the letter, a soft gasp escapes your lips.

To Jaehyun,

Don’t be alarmed. You recognize the handwriting, right? It’s because it is your handwriting.

I am you from the future.

You’re probably wondering how and why you’re getting this letter. Read this letter carefully because it will be a lot to take in.

I made the biggest mistake and I need you to fix it.

Do you remember Y/N, your childhood best friend? Y/N is your soulmate. You are destined to be with her. As I write this letter to you, I have lost almost all forms of communication with Y/N.

I made the biggest mistake of falling in love with someone else. I fell in love with someone who I am not destined to be with. I married this person and have been married to her for three years. We had just filed for a divorce a month ago.

I don’t want you to experience what I went through, past Jaehyun. I don’t want you to lose Y/N. I’m sure you don’t want to lose Y/N either. Y/N is everything you could ever want.

Here are three things I need you to remember:

The moment you realize you’re in love with Y/N, you must tell her before it’s too late.

Y/N will be moving out when you get this letter. Y/N will be moving into another city and won’t tell you.

Y/N’s going to board the train at 4pm. You must get to her before then if you plan on confessing to her.

Those feelings you have for Y/N? Yes, they are true and sincere. Y/N has been in love with you for the longest time. It was my biggest mistake of thinking it was a joke and letting her become the one that got away.

“Babe, did you know there’s an ice cream parlour across the street?” You hear Jaehyun enter the apartment.

He places the box down onto the floor and opens it up to start unpacking. You laugh to yourself, wiping away a couple of tears that flow down your cheeks.

Who would’ve thought that future Jaehyun would be writing letters to his past self too?

You feel relieved.

You’ve rewritten your future.

You’re carefully placing the letter back in its envelope and back into the pocket of his bag. You zip up the pocket and let out a sigh.

“Really? We should probably get ice cream after we unpack your stuff.”

Don’t be a hopeless fool like me.

You’ll regret it. Ever since I married someone else, all I’ve ever done was reminisce and regret.

I hope you get to her on time. You must get to her on time. Or else you’ll be a little too late… again.

She’ll be waiting. In fact, all she’s done was wait for the perfect time and moment.

I wish you the best of luck,

Future Jaehyun.

3K notes · View notes

luminari-mc · 3 years

Text

My Human, My Sunshine - Part 1

Genre: Angst, hurt/comfort.

Pairing: GN!MC x Mammon

Word count: 5194

Summary: Mammon finds himself lost in the human world. Meanwhile, MC can't get ahold of Solomon, their phone dead silent.

Warnings: N/A

A/N: My first writing piece for Obey Me! It's kind of a long one so I recommend you grab a snack or two during it. While this part is occupied by a good amount of text messages between Mammon and someone else, I'm already thinking of writing a part 2 which will have way more dialogue. In the meantime, please enjoy this little scenario I came up with after listening to a song that set me in an angsty mood. :)

______________________________________________________

Wet. Cold. Exhausted. And completely lost.

Mammon felt all of those, and yet, his legs kept on marching into the dead of night, his jacket covering his head despite being too drenched to protect him from the rain anymore. Each time a droplet of water came rolling on his cheek, his wrist would come to brush it off, and Mammon would let out an annoyed groan. If only there were any shops open, but the city was definitely asleep. He was thankful for the crashing sound of the rain on the ground around him, along with the smell of the wet asphalt keeping himself awake, otherwise, he surely would have gone crazy by now. The demon had even lost count of how many hours he had been wandering through the streets, how many mailboxes he had checked, how few passersby he had come across, only to receive negative answers to his questions.

And so Mammon kept on walking, not sure where to go next. But he felt sure of one thing: he wouldn't stop moving until he had found what he was looking for. Be there rain, or no rain. Lost or not.

"Tch, the human world's weather really sucks..."

As he walked on the pavement, his brow furrowed from the lack of new clues as to where his destination was supposed to be. His eyes caught sight of a bakery he had already walked by earlier during the day, its gentle light piercing the darkness that had been accompanying him for far too long now. Mammon's brow furrowed slightly at the sight- he knew he had gone in circles time and time again, but seeing it confirmed once more rubbed him the wrong way. Despite that, he decided to walk towards it, and took shelter under the entrance's porch. Surely the owners wouldn't mind him checking his phone for a few minutes, right? Right.

Pinching between his fingers the precious D.D.D. he had tucked under his shirt to protect it from the rain, Mammon looked at the map again. His stomach dropped for the upteenth time upon seeing the address still showing in his search bar, the letters and numbers taunting him. A knot formed in his throat as he tried his best not to scream at his screen.

"It wasn't there, you idiot..."

His mouth formed into an angry pout. Mammon looked into the list of potential addresses he had made throughout the day, and all had been crossed out. He felt his jaw clench- not only was he left with no addresses, no other clues, no humans to help him, but also that stupid rain surely would keep on falling for the rest of the night.

He was truly cursed.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do now?!" Mammon groaned, his free hand reaching upward to grab at his hair in frustration.

Yes... that was a good question. What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he could ask help from any of his brothers, or from the angels. It had already been a miracle a witch he knew accepted to snuck him into the human world without anyone knowing, but there was no way he'd get any more help from her without offering his own life in exchange. And contacting Solomon was absolutely out of the question, for his own obvious reasons that he still was suspicious of the guy.

For the longest time in a while, Mammon felt alone. More alone than he had ever been before. He had promised himself to go on this search on his own, stupidly thinking that it'd be over by the end of the day, and look where that got him. Lost in the human world, on the verge of catching some nasty human virus from all this rain that had poured on him, and without anyone by his side.

The grip on his phone tightened, the hand holding it shaking slightly as the anger was starting to consume the demon. Even Mammon's patience had its limits, and he was starting to reach it.

"Dammit, where the hell are ya-"

A pathetic yelp escaped his mouth as he looked in fear at his phone, which had buzzed for a very short second in his palm. Wait, was it a notification? But from who? He had taken all the necessary precautions before leaving, so who was still able to reach his number?

His mind ran through all possibilities as he quickly checked his screen, the name of the sender making him open his eyes wide.

Leviathan: Mammon!!

Leviathan: Where are you???

Leviathan: You promised me you'd play this new game with me after coming home from RAD, don't tell me you forgot?? It's been HOURS.

Leviathan: Also the others say they can't reach your DDD and Lucifer is seriously pissed!

Leviathan: And I know you didn't break your DDD, that wouldn't explain why I can send texts now and the others still can't. Even though mine didn't work before.

Leviathan: But do you know how much time and effort it took me to find a way to bypass a blocked number?? Well guess what, the same amount of hours since you broke your promise!

Leviathan: You're reading this, right? Then send something! Anything!

Mammon backed even more into the porch of the shop, his eyes stuck to the screen of his phone. All of the blood rushing to his head suddenly made him forget he was cold in the first place. Of course Levi would be the first to find a way to contact him.

The demon's chest rose as he breathed in heavily, his hands slowly wrapping around the phone. It took him a hot minute to get ahold of his trembling fingers so as to not make any typos, his mind debating whether responding was a good idea or not, even as he hit the send button.

Mammon: Sorry Levi, gonna have to postpone the gaming session.

Mammon: I got business elsewhere and I'm not sure when I'll come back home, if ever.

Leviathan: Ew stop sounding so gloomy, you're almost starting to sound like me and tbh it would be kinda creepy.

Leviathan: That still doesn't tell me where you are! I know it's like a common thing for you to get into shady stuff on a regular basis but even Lucifer seems concerned, and weirdly enough he's not even trying to hide it???

Leviathan: He's been pacing back and forth in the common room for 20 minutes and won't let go of his phone it's starting to creep me out.

Leviathan: Hey huh, if you really were in big trouble you'd let us know, right? Like, even by typing a secret message to let us know that you got kidnapped or whatever?

Leviathan: Nevermind, I really don't see why you'd even get kidnapped, so it HAS to be that you chose to disappear by yourself.

Leviathan: But anyway! It's been 2 months now since everyone's been acting weird and I've seen and heard you enough to CLEARLY see that you're getting worse but finding trouble with witches or whatever won't help you feel better. And yes I know you've been faking being fine the entire time!! Don't think you can fool me!!

Leviathan: Believe me and the hundreds of figurines I bought!! I thought they'd help and it's somehow doing nothing, I feel like the worst fraud of an otaku EVER!!! How can I call myself an otaku when I can't even find joy anymore in the things that make an otaku what he is??

Leviathan: It's like I'm losing my identity! Wait no screw that, it's not just me, we've all been losing it!!

The three dots of a message being typed disappeared and reappeared, and Mammon couldn't do anything but watch the messages of his brother pop up one after another on his screen. A sense of guilt surfaced inside of him, and it only made him frown. It's not as if he hadn't thought about asking Levi for help, before getting himself into this mess... but for both of their sakes, he had decided that it had to be him coming here, and only him.

But suddenly, just as he expected his brother to send another message, the three dots disappeared, and didn't come back right away. Mammon's focus on his phone increased at the unexplained absence of new texts from Levi, and he waited, expecting him to continue the chain of messages he had started. But nothing followed.

It wasn't in Levi's habits to suddenly stop texting in the middle of a flood of texts. The demon gripped his phone tighter, worry beginning to grow within his mind. Was it because they were in different worlds that their phones couldn't reach properly? Or worse- had Lucifer found him out?

His heart almost skipped a beat as the three dots reappeared under his eyes, before letting another message pop up.

Leviathan: wait

Leviathan: waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait

Leviathan: OMG NO WAY

Leviathan: MAMMON TELL ME YOU'RE KIDDING

Mammon: I literally haven't said anything?

Leviathan: YOU PERFECTLY KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

Leviathan: DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE IN THE HUMAN WORLD RN??

Shit.

How did he even find out?! Well... he could only assume that it wouldn't take a genius to figure out where Mammon could have gone if not anywhere in the Devildom, but still, why did Levi have to type it out? His plan was supposed to be flawless after all.

Mammon: Sorry bro, I can't say where I am.

Mammon: I know Lucifer's bound to check all of your DDDs sooner or later and that's only gonna help him find me.

Mammon: And like I said, I have something to do, so I can't come back.

Leviathan: Wait! I'll delete all of our messages, and I'll even destroy my DDD if it means you tell me why you're there

Leviathan: Actually no don't even answer, there can only be one reason you took that kind of risk

Leviathan: Is it... because of MC?

Upon reading their name again, Mammon felt his stomach sink. The eyes of the Avatar of Greed closed almost instantly as if to avoid reading it, the damp air whistling through his teeth as he breathed in deeply. Of course Levi would figure that out too. Any of his brothers could have.

The demon leaned his head against the wall behind him, his eyes opening and staring into nothing as he contemplated telling Levi about his plan. It wasn't as if he had any backup plans considering the situation he was in, after all. And Levi had the advantage of being at home, and having access to technology and magic that could improve his search further. But the thought of Lucifer figuring everything out still haunted him, making the hair on his skin stand straight.

And yet... At this point, he had nothing else to lose.

Mammon: Ya gotta promise not to tell anyone about this.

Leviathan: Who do you take me for? I'm not a snitch!

Leviathan: Especially if it's about MC.

Leviathan: But huh... what about Lucifer? You know that if when he finds out you went to the human world, he's going to kill you.

Mammon: Fuck Lucifer.

Mammon: I'm tired of hearin' him say he's "taking care of it". He clearly knows something but won't tell any of us and I'm tired of not getting any news from MC since they left the Devildom 2 months ago.

Mammon: And what's with his excuse about them not havin' their DDD anymore to contact us? I call that a load of bullshit.

Mammon: Something weird happened and Lucifer's too stuck-up to let us know what it is.

Mammon: So I'm done waiting around to see when they'll come back, or IF they'll even come back. So I'm going to get them myself.

Mammon: Problem is, I went to MC's place, and they weren't there. Their neighbor told me that they moved out a while ago with, get this, "a guy with white hair".

Leviathan: ??????? Solomon?????

Mammon: I'd bet my Demonio and all the things I possess that it's him.

Mammon: Not only Lucifer's in on this secret thing about MC, but Solomon too. I've already booked him an appointment with my fists if he did anythin' to them.

Mammon: Hell, even Diavolo and Barbatos seem to be in it too, which sucks even bigger time.

Mammon: So that means it's just us 6 who don't know shit. I wasn't about to play nice and dumb for Lucifer any longer.

Leviathan: Mammon

Leviathan: I never thought I'd ever write something like that to YOU

Leviathan: but

Leviathan: you sound super cool rn!! That just makes me wish I could have gone too!!

Leviathan: Pleasepleaseplease let me help!!! I'm also worried about MC and I miss having them here. The atmosphere at the house has sucked ever since we realized we couldn't text or call them anymore and I huh... kinda miss seeing them around the others too.

For a split second, Mammon considered taking a screenshot of Levi's last message to sell it as "the proof that the Avatar of Envy can control his jealousy!", but now wasn't the time for that. He had Levi's approval for helping him find the whereabouts of MC, and that's all he needed at the moment. He hadn't even noticed his lips turning into a small grin upon reading his brother offering his support.

Mammon: Alright Levi listen.

Mammon: All I'm tryin' right now is to find where MC might be.

Mammon: I don't think they left the place I'm at, but I ain't about to search at every damn house there is here. Would take too much time anyway.

Mammon: So can ya use your shut-in powers and figure somethin' out? Like I don't know, catch their human phone's signal or whatever through hacking?

Leviathan: Lol? I'll let you know it's not because I spend my entire days in my room that I know how to find a human phone!

Leviathan: I know how to hack yeah, but I don't know how to hack human technology! Not that I maybe tried once or twice and it resulted in failure each time.

Leviathan: But huh... I could try?

Leviathan: Let me ask Satan if we could use magic too.

Mammon: Satan? Levi, are you stupid? Last thing we want is to get more people to know about what I'm doing.

Leviathan: Oh huh yeaaaah, about that.

Leviathan: I should have told you sooner, but when I stopped answering earlier it's because Satan caught me texting you.

Leviathan: But he actually knew you had left to the human world! So we don't have to worry! He's on our side... obviously.

Mammon: Then the two of you get on it.

Mammon: And don't catch Lucifer's attention.

Leviathan: Yeah!

Leviathan: I'll let you know when we've found something.

Leviathan: BRB!

And then just like earlier, Levi's texts stopped appearing on his screen. A sigh left Mammon's lips as he closed his eyes, and the demon allowed his body to slide against the wall behind him until he was sitting on the ground. As he stretched out his sore body, the second-born finally realized that after two whole months of not getting to hear MC's voice, seeing their smile, getting to touch them... he had gotten closer to finding them, all thanks to his brothers. He had let Lucifer's intimidation get the best of him throughout all this time, but not anymore. No matter whether his older brother would catch wind of where he was, and what he was doing, Mammon would never stop trying to bring back MC where they belonged. With him, in the Devildom, back with the family they had found and grown to love.

Closing the messaging app with his thumb, the picture of MC he had set as his D.D.D. background seemed to radiate like the sun. How dared them all try to separate his human from their first man? From the one who'd they come to whenever they had a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep? The demon who'd hug them as tight as possible in their bed after a long day at RAD? The one who'd had the chance to fall asleep with them, getting the absolute honor of seeing their face so close to his, and who'd protect their dreams from any bad thoughts and scary nightmares?

The anxiety that Mammon had worn on his face all day slowly disappeared, and a small smile was placed upon it instead as his eyes met MC's in the picture.

"I'm almost there. Ya just gotta be patient a little more."

I'll find ya.

Time went on as Mammon waited for any news of Levi and Satan's research. The rain showed no sign of clearing soon, and the demon was starting to doze off after spending his entire day without taking a single break. He could have almost fallen asleep if it hadn't been for the owner of the bakery opening the door to close his shop and asking him to sit somewhere else. So Mammon moved from one spot to another, and took shelter near another store instead.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting on the stone steps he had sat on, his phone's screen flashed a bright light as a new notification from Levi appeared from the top. Quickly passing his wrist on his tired eyes, Mammon tapped on the new message at the speed of light. The contents made him gasp, and for a second, he had almost forgotten how to breathe, as his now wide-open eyes were glued on the content of the message.

A full-on address, along with a picture of the place.

Mammon instantly stood up at the sight of the picture, the memories of his day resurfacing in a flash. He remembered very clearly seeing this particular building sometime during his search- its height had been making it stand out very easily amongst the other buildings in the city. Nobody couldn't mistake it with anything else.

Mammon: This is it?

Leviathan: Yeah, we placed down a map and confirmed it was there.

Leviathan: Satan actually found a book in his room with a spell that can help find a person's specific item with just some of their DNA.

Leviathan: So we went to MC's room and found some hair that Satan used for the spell, along with his phone so it could narrow down the list of MC's items.

Leviathan: I didn't think Satan's room could look even more of a mess, but he spent 10 minutes shoveling through his collection and now you can't even see the floor or his bed anymore lol

Leviathan: Anyway now that you got what you wanted, go and check if MC is there!

Mammon felt his legs move on their own as he flipped his jacket above his head and stepped under the rain again, a confident grin now brightly adorning his face as he typed on his phone to reply.

Mammon: Thanks Levi. I'll owe ya one.

Leviathan: Find MC and bring them back. Then you can consider us even.

Mammon nodded, a newfound hope filling his entire body and mind. After confirming that Levi had ceased texting him, the demon turned the phone off. He opened his hand to drop it on the wet floor, and let his right foot crash down upon it, the object almost breaking in half. Mammon promptly gathered in his hand the shattered item, now completely unusable, and threw it down a nearby sewer before letting his excitement take the best of him and sprint further in the direction of the building from the picture. At least, now Lucifer wouldn't be able to track him down with it if Levi and Satan got caught.

The more distance he covered, the more Mammon could swear he was about to take on his demon form at any moment. The thoughts of MC began to fill his head even more, as if they were the one pushing him to find them, to get to them as soon as possible. For the first time in 2 months, Mammon felt truly alive.

"Almost there. The Great Mammon's coming for ya, MC!!" he let out in the form of an encouragement to himself, his legs having found their energy again as his form was engulfed further into the city.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anxiously pacing around the room, their head low and their phone in their hands, MC was growing more and more impatient. They were supposed to receive an update from Solomon about three hours earlier in the form of a phone call, but no matter the amount of messages they'd spent in the hopes of the wizard finally answering them, all they received was a dreadful silence. Grabbing a nearby chair, they let their body fall onto the seat as their fingers typed yet another message. They couldn't really understand how they had come to grow so persistent when it came to getting Solomon to reply to them, but having no other person to talk to ever since they left the Devildom 2 months prior would do that to anyone, they assumed.

'Solomon, sorry, I know I'm sending a lot of texts, but you said you'd visit today and I'm starting to be worried and... honestly a bit lonely. I thought going out today would help, but I just sat in the park for an hour before going back home and not doing much of the day.'

'You were supposed to meet with other wizards today, right? I hope nothing bad happened. But in case you're alright, all I'm asking is just one reply to at least get some sort of human connection. Not that I had a lot of it in the past few months.'

They felt their throat tighten upon writing their last sentence, feeling the frustration spilling out of their own words right back into their face. But who could blame them?

2 months without seeing, hearing, or even texting their friends back in the Devildom. 2 months without receiving a single visit from Luke or Simeon. 2 months spent exclusively with the company of Solomon, who had been acting strange ever since and had made them move out of their home under the excuse that it was to "train them at magic in a more private setting". But more importantly... those had been 2 months without having Mammon around, and MC would lie if they said they hadn't spent several nights crying themself to sleep, wondering how the demon was dealing with their absence.

The memories of their latest departure from the Devildom played in their head like a movie as they placed a hand on their forehead. Everything had seemed alright at the time, with them getting to say their usual goodbyes to the brothers, wishing to see them again once the new year at RAD would start, foolishly thinking that they'd get to spend their time hearing their voices on a daily basis once they were back in the human world. And before they could understand, their DDD had been taken from them, Solomon had been more present in their life than ever before, and for a reason they still couldn't grasp, it was as if the brothers had vanished from their life completely. No news whatsoever. Complete radio silence.

Just thinking back to this period, and how they could have probably caught that something was up as soon as Diavolo asked for their DDD after the brothers had left... it just made them want to puke.

But nothing could make them want to do so as much as the long-awaited reply of Solomon appearing on their screen.

'Hi MC. I'm deeply sorry I couldn't get ahold of you throughout the day. I won't be able to visit you today, since my services are still required here. Besides, it's getting late. I recommend you go have a good night's sleep as soon as possible.'

'If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to come back tomorrow. Then, we'll be able to go walk wherever you want. How does that sound?'

'I need to be going, but I shall wish you a good night. Take care, MC.'

And just as quickly as he had answered, Solomon went silent again. Leaving them in this apartment they had grown to hate, this prison cell he had put them in. A place where no fun could be found for them. MC didn't even bother sending anything else after that.

Their head sunk even lower, until their forehead slowly met with the hard surface of the dinner table. The phone faceplanted onto the wood as MC's hands turned into hard fists, a deep groan shaking the walls of their throat. It was hard not to let the tears escape their eyes, but instead, they opted to punch the table several times as hard as they could, until they felt their anger diminish.

How long was Solomon going to act ignorant towards them? How long was he going to ignore their pleas to get news from the Devildom, anything that would let them know why they couldn't contact the brothers, Diavolo and Barbatos? Even if the lords had been in some sort of trouble... they'd still find time to talk to their human, right? There was no way Mammon, the one they loved, wouldn't try to reach them one way or another... right?

Him who had been so clingy in such an adorable way every time they'd be at the House of Lamentation, he who had revealed to them that there wasn't a single day where his thoughts wouldn't drift to them no matter how hard he tried...

No. No amount of important duties would explain why Mammon of all demons, would ignore them like that.

They missed his antics. His entire being. The warmth he'd bring them each time he'd hold their hand before tucking his face into their neck like a pouting child, desperately trying to sneak one or two kisses in there, in the hopes he'd get to hear that sweet giggle of them. It wasn't for nothing that Lucifer had come to name them the chaotic duo of the House of Lamentation. They were two parts of a whole.

And yet, the world had dared to separate them. And MC was tired, oh so tired of not having their other half near them. The only feeling they had left, was one of pure desperation to see their greedy demon.

"I'm not asking for much... even a single word would do." MC replied to no one as they turned their head to rest their cheek onto the table. They closed their eyes, the anger slowly being replaced by a profound exhaustion. Could they really do nothing but act normal around Solomon, and accept that this was now their new life? No demons, no angels, just... humans around them?

Before they could slap the thought away, a loud banging coming from the entrance door made them straighten in their seat, their head turning towards the hallway in a panic. Their heart pounded inside their chest as the banging seemed to go on forever, until they used the back of their chair to push themself up, their legs shaking.

"S...Solomon?" They asked, way too silently for anyone to hear, and fully knowing that the person behind the door couldn't be the wizard.

As if they were waiting for an answer, MC stood there, their hand grasped onto the chair. The banging was insistent, demanding, angry. At this time of night, there were few reasons they could think why someone would mistreat their door in such a way, and MC wasn't sure they wanted to find the reason for it.

That is, until the person behind the door finally let their voice be heard.

"Oi, MC! Ya can hear me right?! Come on, open the door!"

It didn't take long for MC to let the familiar voice enter their ears, and it took less time for them to nearly stumble over the chair as their legs moved in a hurry to lead them towards the door as quickly as possible. Their hands messily trying to open the locks on the door, they were sure their mind had just played a trick on them, and the person outside was going to leave them completely disappointed, but they didn't care. This voice they could only remember so well despite the time since they had last heard it, was simply inviting them to open the door, to check for themselves whether it was true, or just a nasty joke played by their brain.

But as the last lock was undone, and the door was swung open, MC couldn't do anything but just stand there, their mouth agape.

Mammon kept on drawing breaths, his wet hair stuck to his forehead and drops of rain falling from his clothes onto the floor below, so much so that it had started to create a small puddle underneath him. As if the person who opened the door wasn't the one he expected, the demon took a step back, letting his eyes wander up and down on the human he had in front of him, almost in an attempt to check if it was really them. He too, couldn't stop his mouth from hanging open at the sight.

The two of them just stood there for a few seconds, taken by so many emotions at once that they weren't sure what to do. But right as Mammon took a step forward, his mouth opening some more to let out words that he so desperately had wanted to say for so long now, MC's face contorted into one of pure sadness before they rushed towards him. Mammon greedily welcomed them into his arms as they jumped and wrapped their arms around his shoulders, and their legs around his waist. They buried their face into his neck, the warmth of their tears mixing with the rain on his skin.

His embrace only tightened even more as they mumbled his name amidst broken sobs, the sound ever so close to his ear that even though he had his eyes firmly closed, he might have cried on the spot too. But he had found them. He had them in his arms again. After what had seemed like a million years, finally, they were back where they belonged, and he was back with his human.

Almost as if they were about to be pulled away from him, Mammon placed a hand on the back of their head, wanting to protect their entire being from harm no matter the cost. He still wasn't sure why it had taken so long for him to reunite with them despite the obstacles, but at the present moment, nothing else could matter.

The lord had finally found them, and he wasn't about to let anyone interfer between their happiness once more.

"I ain't letting you go." He whispered through gritted teeth, his head lowering into their shoulder. "Ever again."

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wordwizards · 2 years

Text

ID: Glowing yellow text that reads "Captive Audience". The background is red with a pattern of water droplets. End ID.

Some Really Uncomfortable Re-Introductions

Sloane is trying to sleep when her boyfriend comes to warn her about a super hero passed out in the alleyway by her apartment. That super hero happens to be her roommate, and now she has a secret identity to worry about.

Length: 2556 words

Sloane sleeps in a tangle of blonde hair and blankets. Nighttime in the city does include a higher risk of being kidnapped by super villains, especially paired with her roommate’s habits of angering nearly every villain to enter the city. Excessive apartment security saves her from the risk of being kidnap bait, which has already happened to her twice.

What looks like a deep sleep vanishes at the sound of someone knocking on the window. She’s three stories up, but now she’s regretting keeping her bed this close to her window. She lifts one of the blinds to peer out, and she’s met with the panicked expression of her boyfriend, Igor.

He’s visited before, even staying the night, but he’s never invited himself over like this. She lifts the blinds and opens the windows for him. Igor tumbles over the windowsill and lands roughly in her lap.

“I need your help,” he whispers. “Is your roommate here?”

“No, why?”

“You think you can help me with a super hero I found on the streets?”

Heart pounding, Sloane jumps off the bed, sending Igor over the edge in the crossfire.

“What do you mean you found them? Where?”

“In the alley, just passed out,” Igor says. “Actually, she helped me escape a bank robbery, which was nice.”

“Stay right there,” Sloane says.

The cabinet beneath the bathroom sink houses a hefty first-aid kit. She drags it back to the bedroom and takes a pair of sneakers from beneath her bed. This is truly a sneakers and pajamas emergency.

Igor climbs out the window again, and Sloane follows.

“Down this way,” he says, but Sloane can already see the unconscious body lying in the alleyway.

A super hero covered in red—her costume and her blood.

Sloane collapses to the ground beside her. That’s her roommate, Claudia. She can’t tell Igor this; it’s not her secret to tell. Words struggle to escape and die in her throat. Giving up, she opens the first-aid kit and looks at what she can do.

“Can I help?” Igor asks, his voice wavering with concern. “I could call an ambulance or something.”

“No doctors,” comes the weakened voice of the super hero.

Sloane leaves over her. “Can you hear me? It’s Sloane. Are you okay?”

Claudia lightly moves her hand, like she’s trying to gesture to something, but Sloane can’t tell what it means. Fear turns to frustration as she moves Claudia’s helmet and checks for head wounds. Nothing obvious, and no blood there. Still, she’ll keep it off; Claudia’s wearing a mask anyway. Sloane just hopes Igor won’t recognize the similarity in her hairstyle and her roommate’s.

To Igor, Sloane explains, “I know this super hero. She’s from space, so going to the hospital wouldn’t work well. I think she heals faster than normal people—” (She does know this is true, actually.) “—so I’ll just try to stop the bleeding and stuff.”

Claudia utters a vague sound that almost resembles an agreement, but at least it’s a sign of her consciousness.

Sloane opens the first aid kit. In hindsight, she wishes she had washed her hands or something. She hopes all this stuff is clean.

“Do you know what happened to her?” Sloane asks, not looking up.

“Um…bank robbery. It was that plant guy.”

Sloane thinks about it. “Dr. Gorey?”

“I guess. The mad scientist.”

Sloane grimaces. “That sounds like Dr. Gorey. Well, all he does is plants, maybebees, but I can work with that.”

Igor helps in what ways he can—mostly emotional support, of being an extra pair of hands if Sloane needs something else to be held up. Unlike Sloane, who has had a handful of experiences like this one, Igor has no prior medical knowledge. What he provides most is a voice to the worries Sloane has been avoiding. What would they do if Claudia passes out, or needs more medical help? What if the super villain comes back for revenge? Or another one comes by?

Finally, Sloane silences him by passing off the first aid kit to him and asking him to put everything back. This allows her to turn her attention back to Claudia.

“Are you still awake?”

The super hero’s eyes open. “Hmmm.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Slowly,” she says.

Doesn’t really make sense, but at least she’s talking.

Sloane points up the fire escape. “I want to bring you inside. Can we carry you upstairs?”

“Up there? Sure.”

Igor looks up from the first aid kit. “Is she gonna get hurt more if we move her?”

“It doesn’t look like anything’s broken. This, uh, don’t do this for normal humans, though.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

Sloane hands off the helmet as well—no point in putting it back on her head—and slips her hands beneath Claudia, who’s on the verge of blacking out again. Going up the elevator would be easier, but Sloane didn’t bring her key card for the apartment to get into the front door, and causing that scene would just make everything worse.

Claudia’s a bit awkward to carry, even if she is much smaller than Sloane, but Igor’s behind the pair to help guide them back into the apartment. He shuffles around Sloane to open the window wider, and then he climbs inside to help Sloane bring Claudia in through the window.

“That was awful,” Igor says, looking down at Claudia lying on the bed. It looks like she’s unconscious now.

Sloane sighs. “Guess I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.”

She shuts the window and locks it. Then closes the blinds. Then, for extra measure, shuts the curtains. When Claudia gets better, maybe Sloane will have her help move the bed farther away from the window.

Igor puts a hand on her arm. “Are you going to be okay here alone? Because…I could totally stay. If you were worried or something.”

“You just want to stay, don’t you?” Sloane asks, rubbing her face.

“Um…”

“Then it looks like we’re both sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Igor follows Sloane into the living room. He looks around as she sits on the couch and takes off her sneakers. He puts the first aid kit on the coffee table, then tries to balance the helmet on top of it, but he has to keep catching it when it rolls off. Finally, he just gives up and sits down beside Sloane.

“Does this happen a lot?” he asks. “’Cause you said you knew her.”

“You know I don’t like getting involved in super hero stuff.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t.”

Sloane’s next sigh has her sinking down into her knees. The weight of her exhaustion has finally hit her. “She comes through here a lot when she’s trying to escape a super villain. I wouldn’t abandon her if she was hurt.”

“I wouldn’t do that, either,” Igor says. Pressing a cheek against her shoulder, he adds, “Man, that was really scary, though. Remind me to never go to a bank again.”

Sloane stays there as Igor lets the details of the night sink in. It’s all new to him, and he has a lot to tell her about, in a completely broken, out-of-order way. She tries not to be too jaded about it, biting down even a “you’ll get used to it” comment. He will, but that’s not what he needs to hear right now.

Once Igor has calmed down, Sloane returns to her room in search of some pillows and blankets. She checks on Claudia again, too, now peacefully asleep. The bleeding has stopped, but Sloane’s going to have to wash her sheets tomorrow. Claudia should be awake by then, even if she hasn’t healed entirely.

Sloane falls asleep rapidly, clutching Igor against his chest. She has her chin pressed against his head, her breathing occasionally moving his hair. Igor stares straight ahead, his sleeping problems exacerbated by the current situation. In that moment, he feels particularly small. Not just because of how much taller than him she is. He watches the dark room, then watches as a shadowy figure leaning heavily against the wall moves into the room. She stops, waiting. Igor can’t make out her expression in the dark void taking up her face.

“Who’s there?” she calls out.

Igor opens his mouth.

Sloane lifts her head slightly. “Just me ‘n’ me boyfriend. Go back to bed.” Her head hits the pillow once more, and she’s already asleep again. (How does she do it?)

Igor lifts her arm, planting a kiss on her hand, and slips off of the couch.

“Hi,” he says to the super hero, who looms over him and has an odd metallic scent that he suspects to be blood. “Are you feeling okay?”

She’s staring at him, but he still can’t make out her expression. Without emotion, she says, “So you’re the one who followed me out of the bank.”

She moves past him and heads towards the bathroom, switching the lights on as she enters. She doesn’t risk removing her mask yet, but she gets a good look at herself in the reflection. Other than the healing wounds and awful helmet hair, she looks fine.

She also catches a glimpse of Igor standing in the doorway while fiddling with his hands. Seeing him again brings to mind the wild, purple-haired mad scientist she used to fight. Now he’s swapped out the lab coat for a pink T-shirt and black skinny jeans.

Staring at this reflection while refusing to actually meet his gaze, Claudia asks, “So my friend’s dating a super villain, huh?”

“I’m retired,” Igor says. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“I’ve never known a super villain who retired for good.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Claudia looks over her shoulder. Igor does look different now, and not just that he’s out of uniform. He seems like a relatively normal guy, or at least the type of guy who’s weird in a boring way, not a creepy super villain way.

“I haven’t forgotten all the stuff you did when you were a super villain,” she points out, as if that would do anything.

“Well…I have.”

“Did you get hit on the head or something?” she asks, turning around. The movement makes her dizzy, so she leans against the sink and tries to look tough.

Igor lifts the sleeves of his shirt, revealing jagged scars etched through his arms and heading towards his chest. “No, but I got hit by lightning. I forgot what Doc called it. It’s when you put electricity in dead things. It’s supposed to be frogs and stuff.”

“I’ve never heard of that,” Claudia says, exhausted. “Does this have anything to do with your hiatus?”

“Retirement,” Igor stresses. “As in, permanent. Doesn’t matter what Doc says.”

Claudia thinks about it. Her brain is working on half-power now, but she can still put the details together. “Last time anyone saw you, as a villain, you were on TV, trying to stop that game show villain’s show. Everyone figured you were just hospitalized after that. Did he kill you?”

“I think so. I don’t really remember anything,” Igor admits. “Doc, you know, my henchman, he just told me that I died, but he brought me back, so I should go back into villainy for revenge or something.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Well, why would I do revenge if I can’t even remember what I was mad about?”

Claudia finds herself smiling—slightly. It’s exhausting. “So you died, and now you’re dating my roommate?”

“Wait, Sloane’s your roommate?”

“Did I say roommate? I meant friend. Distant, civilian acquaintance.”

“Oh.” Igor’s face falls. “I guess that fight messed you up really bad. Are you sure you don’t need to get to the doctor?”

“I’ll just sleep it off. I don’t heal the same way humans do.”

Claudia doesn’t believe how quickly he fell for it, nor how quickly her guard fell down on a simple sob story about, well, dying. Okay, that’s bad, and the fact that he’s never been a good liar doesn’t help with her desire not to believe him.

“Well…what I was going to tell you earlier,” she says, “is that even though I remember your villain stuff, I also remember you helping me out back at the bank, which most people didn’t want to do given that they were being held hostage. And I’m guessing you got Sloane to come find me, which I also appreciate.”

Igor nods. “I’m just trying really hard to avoid villain stuff. Even if that means, um, trying to help stop them.”

“Now it just sounds like you’re trying to get back at your old henchman,” Claudia says.

“He really wants me to go back to being a villain, and it’s so annoying!”

His voice breaks off in frustration. It’s interesting that she’s getting more used to this regular tone of his than the creepy voice he often tried to take on in his old villainy. Maybe that’s why it’s hard not to believe him.

“Are you having problems with him?” asks Claudia. “If you are, you know. I’m still a super hero. Fighting villains is my job.”

The premise seems to distress Igor, who looks around for a proper excuse to avoid eye contact. “No, he’s…fine. I can deal with him.”

“Hmm. Fine, but look for me if that changes.”

“Hey—” Now he is looking at her, and she’s the one trying to avoid eye contact. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I guess that’s fair since you already gave me your whole backstory.”

“Did we used to be enemies?” Igor asks. “I mean really bad enemies. Trying to kill each other and stuff.”

Claudia’s grimace practically confirms his fears. Attempting to salvage the situation, she says, “I can tell you something that may or not offend you.”

“Okay, I guess.”

“Back when you were a super villain, not a lot of people took you seriously.”

Igor’s face lights up, and then he bursts into laughter, flashing canines that always looked a little bit like fangs. He realizes that his normal laugh sounds like an evil cackle and covers his mouth.

“Sorry,” he says. “It’s just that Doc was always way exaggerating what a scary villain I used to be and I’m apparently supposed to be again. I have to tell him that when I get home.”

“Just don’t get yourself killed.”

“Say…do you need help getting home? I think Sloane was letting you stay the night, so you might want to stay just so she doesn’t worry about you…”

Claudia picks herself up from the sink. Bad move—she stumbles forward. Igor holds out his hands like he can catch her.

“That’s not good. How does this healing stuff work? Sloane said you were from space.”

“I just need to sleep,” Claudia mutters.

“I can help you back to your room!” Igor offers, grabbing her arm.

She steps out of the restroom, heading for her own bedroom.

“That’s Sloane’s roommate!”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

So the pair head into Sloane’s room, which Claudia feels weird about, but it’s getting to be something she’s too tired to deal with. She collapses on top of the blankets.

“Do you need anything?” Igor whispers.

“Sleep.”

“Besides that. Or to help with that.”

Claudia pats his arm. “Dude, calm down. I’ll see you in the morning.”

#wiz.txt #writeblr #captive audience updates #the wizard's scroll #008

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