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#anyway i hate living at home!!! god i wish my day job paid me more!!!
trans-cuchulainn · 2 years
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ahhhhhh i’m just so stressed about the whole... state of the world situation. at least when i lived alone i could go full hermit and batten down the hatches and never go out / see anyone but now i live with Other People and i don’t control what the household does or who comes here. and don’t get me wrong, nobody here is being irresponsible, they’re all testing and masking and stuff, but it’s still not my call whether relatives come for christmas etc, so i cannot go as hermit as i would like to and i’m stressed >:(
this is the least control over my living situation that i’ve had since the start of the pandemic and i think that makes me a lot more scared than any of the previous waves have, plus the general sense of stress and loss of control over my life (e.g. i don’t do the food shopping so i don’t have as much power over my meals, what food is in the house, that kind of thing, and the scrutiny of what time of day i’m awake doesn’t make me more diurnal it just makes me stressed about being nocturnal)
hngh i gotta move out but how and where
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jessikahathaway · 3 years
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Baby Talk - Part I
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Hellooooo!
I've had this in my WIPs for a while and I wanted to get some of it out so that you all could enjoy it! Let me know what you think and if you want more??? Tag lists are open for all of my ongoing fics so if you want to be added just let me know!
Please enjoy!
Pairing: Jikook X Reader (Jimin X Reader X Jungkook)
Genre: Surrogacy!AU, Polyamorous!AU, Romance. (Future Smut)
Warnings: Medical Procedures, Assault (not descriptive), Profanity. If I forgot anything please let me know!
Words: 11.3k (Phew chill Jess~)
This wasn’t a big deal, you thought to yourself as you signed the paperwork in the clinic.
Just, you know, getting artificially inseminated for money. Nothing weird about that right?
Becoming a surrogate wasn’t something you’d planned on in your life, mainly sticking to your job and working towards a better tomorrow or whatever they say.
You were young, healthy and full of life.
The only thing you lacked, was a full bank account.
The realization hit a little harder than you thought it would. Being a receptionist wasn’t exactly what you’d had planned for your life but, it was simple work and it made you happy.
Going to college wasn’t really ever an option for you anyways. Your parents had died in an accident when you were little, forcing you to go live with your Great Aunt until you turned eighteen. She hadn’t forced you out, but you did leave. Wanting the adventures that life had to offer.
However, you quickly realized that it wasn’t easy pickings out in the world. That’s when the notice came to the door of your apartment that you either paid your late rent in full by the date or you could get your ass out.
Fear trickled down your spine at the thought of being homeless. You briefly thought of going back to your Aunts but, she lived out in the country and the city is where you’d made your home. As much as you cared about her, it just wasn’t going to happen.
That’s when your friend Namjoon and his husband Jim invited you over for dinner.
You were beyond excited, because these two had just had their baby girl Annie.
They had used the local fertility clinic to get a surrogate and had their baby just a month prior. You had been dying to meet the little bundle ever since you heard the news they were having a baby.
God, that kid was going to be spoiled rotten.
Quickly, you had gone over and enjoyed a nice meal with the three of them. Annie still partaking in formula.
You had tried to make conversation, but your eyes kept wandering to Annie and her little hands and feet. You felt a slight clench in your chest at the sight of her round face and sweet eyes.
“Earth to Y/N? You doing alright?” Namjoon’s voice echoed through their lovely, luxe apartment.
“Y-Yeah! Fine, I’m fine,” you smiled.
“You sure?” Jin asked, getting up to take his and Namjoon’s plates to the kitchen.
“Mhmm,” you said, eyes glancing back over at the baby.
“You’re so whipped, Annie has claimed yet another victim,” Namjoon snickered, looking at the blissful gaze your eyes had taken.
“You ever want kids, Y/N?” Jin asked, coming back in with dessert for each of you.
“I guess so, I mean. Just gotta find someone to make the baby with,” you joked half heartedly.
It was no secret among your friends that you were the black sheep. Not dating, not even entertaining the notion of having a significant other. The idea was, honestly, draining.
“Don’t feel like you have to be married to have a kid, Y/N. Single parenthood is just as valid as a couple,” Jin reminded.
“I’m nowhere near financially stable enough to pop out a kid right now,” you sighed.
“No? I thought the job at the hotel was treating you well,” Namjoon said.
“Yes and no, they treat me well. But pay me next to shit... I-I gotta make some quick cash, or I’m gonna be homeless,” you whispered.
“What?!?” The two men shouted, looking at you with heartbreak in their eyes.
“Y/N, why didn’t you tell us you were struggling! We could’ve done something!” Jin says, rubbing his face with frustration.
“No-No! It’s fine, I’ll figure it out! I always do,” you encouraged, trying to keep the fear out of your eyes.
“How far behind on rent are you?” Namjoon asked.
“A little under six grand,” you sighed.
“Y/N!” Your two friends looked distraught.
“I don’t understand how a society can function like this, I hate it,” Namjoon said, looking down at his dessert he no longer wanted.
Annie started fussing, kicking her feet and wanting attention.
Jin sighed and got up, taking his beautiful daughter with him. You and Namjoon sat in cold silence for a while. Neither of you willing to talk to the other.
You were too proud for your own good. Even if it meant crashing and burning, you’d do that before you took anyone’s pity.
“How can we help?” Namjoon asked, looking at you with so much worry.
“I really don’t know Joon, there’s no where that’ll give me that kinda money with my credit and... even if they did I couldn’t pay it back anyways,” you sighed.
“Have you thought about going to school for something? Maybe you can get a degree and, I don’t know I’m pulling at straws here,” he said.
“I can’t go to school Joon, with what money? And even worse, I wouldn’t know what to go into,” you said, swallowing down some more wine.
“I wish we could’ve had you surrogate for us. We paid that woman a small fortune. Had I known you were struggling I would, maybe you could’ve done it instead,” he said quietly.
“How much did you pay her?” You asked.
“Around $80,000,” he said, shrugging.
You choked.
“Damn you filthy rich kids,” you grumbled, crossing your arms over your chest.
“That’s it!” Namjoon said.
“Huh?” You asked, looking at him in confusion and despair.
“You can’t be our surrogate, but you could be someone else’s!”
Your body ran cold at the thought.
“I-I don’t know if I could do that Joon,” you said.
“Doesn’t your family have a high chance of twins?” He said, looking at you with a smile.
“I mean, yes but-”
“Say no more. I know a couple that’s been dreaming of a baby. They actually were supposed to meet the woman who wound up being our surrogate. But she decided to go with us. Jimin and Jungkook, they’re really good people Y/N,” Namjoon said, smiling.
“Namjoon, I don’t know if I can have a stranger’s baby!”
“I mean I won’t force you to sign up or anything. But Jungkook and Jimin are really good guys who have been waiting forever to have a baby. They said they wanted twins but, most importantly they wanted a healthy child. How sweet is that!”
You worried your lower lip with your teeth. This was just ridiculous. There’s no way you’d be able to do it. No way.
“Let me show you a picture of them!” Namjoon said, pulling out his phone.
“Joon really-”
Although, before you could argue anymore, you saw their faces.
A smaller, blond man. Whose smile was brighter than any star. And a taller, lean brunette who looked at the camera with a goofy grin.
“Jimin is the blond, Jungkook is the brunette,” Namjoon explained.
“Okay?” You said, trying to calm your racing heart.
They were both handsome. Deathly so, it made your stomach clench in a weird way to look at them. You wondered what kind of babies they would make. If they had that smile Jimin was packing, no one would be safe. That child would get whatever it wanted.
“I’m just saying, it doesn't have to be them but they’ve wanted a baby for so long and... you could help them with that and get a lump sum of cash on the side. Bad a bing bad a boom! No worries!”
It wasn’t such a hard decision in the end.
You needed the money.
So walking into the clinic had this weird sense of finality to it.
The receptionist looked at you with a smile.
“Hello dear, how can I help you?” She said.
“I-uh, wanted to sign up to be a potential surrogate?” You said, wringing your hands together.
“Of course! Did you bring your medical records and things of the like?”
You nodded quickly, handing over the required paperwork. She clicked away on her keyboard and got you all signed up and ready to go. Soon, you were getting your preliminary check up to see if you were able to have children.
Although your period had some irregularities in the past, the doctor’s said it was probably due to stress and the balancing out of hormones. But it would all work out, you were healthy and fertile!
You managed to tell Namjoon that you signed up without him having a full blown heart attack.
“How long until you need to be out of the apartment?” He asked, sipping his coffee.
“I need to be out in three weeks,” you said softly.
“Well shit you’re kinda on a time crunch there sweets, but don’t worry, you can do it! I’ll let Jimin and Jungkook know that you signed up, they’ll want to meet you. I know it,” he said.
“Namjoon, it’s okay. I don’t care who I surrogate for, as long as it’s soon,” you said, trying to keep your heart rate under control.
“Okay, but Y/N, I’m telling you. They’d be the perfect fit for you!” He said.
You said your goodbyes before hanging up the phone. The days to come would be challenging no doubt.
You were rather popular at the fertility clinic it seemed, because you’d had three meetings already.
One was a couple that had been trying for years and it just wasn’t happening so they were resorting to a different method. Although for this one they wanted to do an egg implantation. You weren’t sure you wanted to do that.
Another was an older couple who looked like they were just planning on having kids but their own clocks ran out.
But finally, you got one more call from the clinic.
“Miss Y/N, you’ve got another request for a meeting,” the receptionist on the other line said.
“Oh? With whom?” You asked.
“A Mr. Park Jimin and a Mr. Jeon Jungkook, they asked for you personally,” she said, tone light.
You almost spit out your drink.
Th-They had asked for you?
The fertility clinic was big, a huge database of surrogates and people willing to conceive for the right price.
But they had asked to meet you.
Personally.
“Miss Y/N? Still there?” The receptionist asked, sounding far away from you.
“Yes! Yes I’m here,” you said, coughing.
“Wonderful, they said if you were willing they’d like to treat you to a meal, of course I can’t give out your contact information without consent from you but if you’re willing to meet with them we can arrange this.”
You heard yourself agree before even thinking about it.
Soon, you were on your way to the higher end of town. Heading towards a good Korean Barbeque place that was notorious for having the best meat in town.
Walking in you looked around, noticing how luxurious the place was. It made you feel a little out of place to be honest. But, not letting that get to you the host came up and asked for your name.
“Miss Y/N, ah yes. You’re with the Jeon party, lovely. Come right this way,” he said, taking you back into the bowels of the beast it seemed.
Winding through tables and chairs you found yourself in front of a private room. You didn’t want to think about how much this cost, so you simply just let your mind wander to other fun topics.
Such as the fact that you were potentially meeting your surrogate partners.
“Mr. Jeon? Mr. Park? A Miss Y/N is here for you,” the host said, through the door.
“Let her in,” a higher pitched male voice said.
You bit your lip and waited as the door opened. You looked inside and saw a beautiful wooden table, laid out with the finest meats and other various types of noodles and food. Then, there was the other feast, one for your eyes.
Park Jimin was a smaller man, but so incredibly handsome it made your head swirl. His soft blond hair tucked under a beanie as he looked up at you with what could only be called wonder. He looked at you gently, a small smile making its way to his lips.
Jeon Jungkook was a different story. Lean but cut, tiny waist accentuated by his pants. His arms were strong looking and one was covered in tattoos. His hair was pulled away from his face in a precious man bun that made your heart stutter. His eyes were big and glassy, looking at you. As if breathing you in.
“Hi,” you said quietly. “I’m Y/N.”
“We know,” Jimin said with a gentle smile.
“Come, sit down,” Jungkook said, moving a chair out for you to sit.
“Okay,” you agreed, moving to sit down.
“Get whatever you want,” Jimin encouraged, handing you the menu politely.
“Thank you,” you blushed, trying to not faint with his eyes on you like that.
Ordering a few things for yourself the three of you sat there with awkward silence filling the space. Jungkook wouldn’t really look at you and Jimin seemed like he was too nervous to start.
“So,” you said, clearing your throat. “How long have you two been together?” You asked, trying to sound cheerful.
“Five years,” Jungkook said, placing his hand over his glass.
“Oh wow, congratulations,” you said, rubbing your hands on your thighs.
“Thank you,” Jimin breathed.
“Our friend Namjoon said you were kind of in a tight spot and needed some help financially, is this true?” Jungkook asked, finally glancing your way.
“Y-Yeah, I wish he wouldn’t just tell other people that but, no sense in denying the truth. I’m almost six grand behind on rent,” you sighed, rubbing your face.
Both of their faces fell, looking at each other in worry.
“It-It’s okay though! I’ll be okay, I always am,” you said, trying to keep your tone light.
“It’s okay to be scared, Y/N, I would be scared shitless if I were you,” Jungkook said, taking slow drinks from his glass.
“Yeah,” you sighed, trying to avoid the stinging in your eyes.
“What do you do for work?” Jimin asked, trying to keep the conversation from turning to dark.
“I’m a receptionist at the local hotel. It’s not much, but I really like it,” you said, a grin taking place on your face.
“Hey, if you like it then that means something,” Jimin encouraged.
“So, you two want to have a baby?” You said, trying to get down to the topic at hand.
“Yes, more than anything,” Jimin said, a wistful look crossing his face.
“That’s amazing, to love each other that much and want to build a family is... Super important,” you said, meaning every word.
“What does your family do, Y/N? Do they live here in the city?”
You awkwardly rubbed your hands together.
“Um, my Great Aunt lives out in the country. But, my parents and most of my other relatives have passed on,” you said, trying to hide the emotion that came up.
“Oh, so sorry for your loss,” Jungkook said, face pinching.
“It’s okay, it was a long time ago,” you whispered.
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” Jimin argued.
“You’re right, but, it’s okay,” you said.
“So, you have a high chance for twins,” Jungkook said, looking at some papers you didn’t notice were on the table.
“Yes, my mother was a twin. It runs way back in my family,” you said.
“Jimin has a good chance of having twins as well,” Jungkook said, gesturing to his loving partner.
“I do I do,” he said with a grin.
“Do you two want a set of twins?” You asked.
“It’s preferred but not necessary. As long as we get a baby, that’s all that matters,” Jungkook said.
Soon, the food was delivered and Jungkook and Jimin insisted on cooking the food for you. Something about not stressing you out too much.
After a full meal, you leaned back and let your head fall comfortably. Jimin and Jungkook exchanged a glance at each other.
‘She’s the one,’ Jimin mouthed.
Jungkook smiled and nodded back.
“Thank you for the meal, I really do appreciate it. I haven’t eaten like that in months,” you said.
“Well, if you want to have our baby, we would gladly provide you with all the food you could want,” Jimin said.
“T-That’s alright, it wouldn’t be necessary-”
“Yes it would, Y/N. If you carry our child that means we’re responsible for you, everything you need or want will be yours. We swear,” Jungkook said.
“Right,” you swallowed thickly.
“Does that make you uncomfortable?” Jimin asked.
“I-I’ve never really been one for dependence on other people. You know? I like to do things myself if I can,” you said.
“Well, we wouldn’t force you to do anything of course but, if you did want or need anything, we would be more than happy to provide you with it,” Jungkook said.
“Thank you, that’s very sweet,” you said.
“You’d be carrying our child,” Jimin said as if it were obvious.
“Of course,” you said softly.
“Hey, if you don’t want to do this then don’t feel pressured. Don’t let money be an object in what you want to do with your life. It’s not healthy,” Jimin said.
“Thank you,” you said again.
“Well, I think it’s time to get going. I know you’ve met with other couples that have no doubt tried to convince you they’re the best option but... I really hope you chose us Y/N. You’d be the perfect surrogate for us,” Jungkook said, looking at you with a softened gaze.
And you knew it too.
You knew they were the couple you wanted to surrogate for, even if it cost you everything. You knew they deserved it. Not that any of the other families you had spoken to didn’t, but, they were the ones for you.
Your fertile window and ovulation were coming up so you had to make a choice and soon.
You’d met with the doctors at the clinic and they said that they were just waiting on you. Whomever you picked would have a meeting with you before the insemination on the rules and what you would have to do in regards to taking care of yourself. And then the money would be yours in full.
Calling the clinic you told them your answer.
“I would like to surrogate for Mr. Jeon and Mr. Park,” you said.
“Alrighty, I will give them a call and set up the appointment for them to get their end of the deal all set up and then we can get you all ready to go!” The receptionist said.
“Okay, thank you so much,” you said before hanging up.
Namjoon and Jin invited you over wanting to hear the news of everything going on with you.
And you couldn’t wait to see Annie again.
“Aw, you’re getting so big!” You said as you were greeted by Annie’s face in Jin’s arms.
“Yes she is!” Jin agreed. The cooing baby leaned forward, moving to capture your hair in her little fist.
You laughed and took her from Jin easily, he didn’t fight you and let you have your time with her. Rocking and bouncing her on your hip while the pair of them talked in the dining room.
Soon, a knocking came to the door.
Confusion swept over you, but regardless, you went to answer the door anyways.
Annie still on your hip, you opened the door to reveal Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook, your new surrogate partners.
Frozen in shock the two of them looked at you as if they were equally confused.
You wondered if the clinic had told them you picked them yet. You had just gotten off the phone with them today, so you weren’t. Jungkook’s face went to you to Annie and then back to you.
“H-Hi?” You whispered.
“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Jimin asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Came to have dinner with Jinnie and Joon, and Annie of course,” you smiled, raising the little one up on your hip more.
“Oh, did you know we were coming?” Jungkook asked.
“No, I had no idea,” you said.
“Ah! Are those the boys?” Jin’s voice echoed throughout the hall.
“Yes!” You yelled back.
“Let them in Y/N! We invited them over too!” Namjoon said.
“Please come in,” you said, moving out of their way as the couple greeted Jin and Namjoon fondly.
It appeared as though there were no hard feelings in regards to them getting a surrogate they wanted. But, you could see Jungkook’s longing on his face when he looked at Annie in your arms.
“She’s beautiful,” Jimin said, looking down at Annie as you rocked her to sleep.
“Mhmm, gorgeous. She’ll be stealing hearts just like her dads,” you said.
“Hey, Y/N,” Jimin said, keeping his eyes trained on the little one in your arms.
“Did you make your decision yet? It said on your profile that your ovulation window was coming up and I was just curious,” he said quietly.
“I did,” you said.
Jimin’s face fell.
“I see,” he swallowed.
“Jimin-”
“Alright you two, paws off the baby, my turn!” Namjoon said, walking in.
You handed the sleeping baby over without a fuss before you and Jimin both walked out into the living room. Jimin whispered something to Jungkook and his face dropped. But you couldn’t find the words in your mouth. You wanted to tell them you picked them. You moved to talk to them when you felt Jin’s presence behind you.
“Y/N? You alright?” Jin asked, placing his hand on your shoulder.
“Yeah.”
It was getting later, and you were feeling sleepy from all the food you’d eaten during the night.
Jimin and Jungkook looked at your sleepy form and their hearts broke all over again.
“I can’t believe she didn’t pick us,” Jungkook said, face betraying how he felt.
“Babe, you can’t force her. I-I thought we had a good chance but,” Jimin sighed.
“I don’t want to keep looking for a surrogate if this is going to happen every time,” Jungkook said, pain coming through in his voice.
“Jungkook you know how badly I want this too right? It’s not just you hurting here,” Jimin said.
“We’ve been trying for two years to find a surrogate and when we find one we want, they always pick someone else. Why? Are we that undesirable? I don’t understand,” Jungkook sighed.
“It’s not that,” Jimin whispered. “Maybe it’s just not our turn yet.”
“When is it gonna be our turn, huh?” Jungkook said. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“We can’t give up,” Jimin said softly. “I don’t want to give up yet.”
“I know baby,” Jungkook said, kissing Jimin’s cheek softly.
You felt your heart pounding in your chest. These poor men were really hurting for a baby. A family to call their own.
Sitting up Jimin and Jungkook looked at you in fear.
“Y/N? Y-You were awake-oh God I’m so sorry you had to hear that-” Jimin said frantically.
“I picked you two,” you said.
Their eyes shot up to meet yours.
Jungkook’s were glossy from unshed tears and Jimin’s were widening by the second.
“You what?”
“I said I picked you two. I want to surrogate for you two,” you explained.
“But-in the nursery you said-” Jimin started.
“I said I had picked someone, I didn’t say who silly,” you smiled.
“Oh thank you Y/N!” Jungkook said, coming over to hold your hand in his.
“You don’t know what this means to us,” Jimin said.
“I know you two want this baby more than anything, I want to give it to you. Honestly, you two have waited long enough,” you said, heart stammering at the look of hope in their eyes.
“You’re perfect Y/N! Seriously!” Jimin cried, holding onto Jungkook for dear life.
“Thank you, you’re very sweet. I’m supposed to go in for the, you know, business end of it on Monday. They said they’d call you tomorrow. I just gave my answer today,” you told them.
“Okay, alright sounds good,” Jungkook said, wiping his eyes furiously.
“You gonna be okay?” You asked, looking at the two of them.
“Of course, more than okay.”
Monday creeped up on you quickly, faster than you thought.
You went to the clinic and sat down, getting signed in and everything before you saw Jungkook and Jimin waltz in looking like a million bucks.
Dressed head to toe in designer clothing, you realized you didn’t know what they did for a living. You hadn’t really looked at their profiles all that much. But you knew their baby would have everything they could ever want and more.
Smiling at them and waving, the two of them made their way over to you.
“Hey! What’s going on?” Jimin asked, sitting down in the chair next to you.
“Just waiting,” you said, looking at the pair of them together.
They looked like the traditional power couple. Strong, dependable and handsome to boot. It was kind of overwhelming.
Jungkook was wringing his hands together, biting his lip as he looked around the room.
“You alright Jungkook?”
“Yeah just-”
“Mr. Jeon, Mr. Park and Miss Y/N? The legal assistant will see you now,” a voice from the corner called.
“Let’s go,” you said, standing up and heading towards the back room.
You sat down and the rules of the road were laid out.
If you signed the contract Jimin and Jungkook were the parents of the child. You had no rights unless they said otherwise. You would be given a lump sum of money, transferred into your bank account the day they know you’re pregnant and expecting. If anything happens to the baby such as a miscarriage or something of the like that you had no control over, you would be able to keep the money. But, they would like to try again to see if the next one stuck better.
“So, if you conceive twins, which your likelihood is good, Mr. Jeon and Mr. Park have agreed to pay you double,” you almost choked on your drink.
Double?
“What?” You squeaked out.
“It’s written right here,” the legal assistant said, pointing to the document in her hands.
“Okay,” you said softly, not wanting to make either of them uncomfortable.
“The total of your payment will come to $153,000 dollars,” the legal assistant said. “If you conceive twins.”
Your head swirled.
What would you do with all that money? Jimin and Jungkook looked at you with worry.
“I-Is it not enough? We can give you more if you want-”
“No! No no, that is totally acceptable. More than,” you said.
“Okay, just making sure,” Jimin answered.
“If you would please initial here, Miss Y/N. And then a signature here at the bottom and then you two will also need to sign as well,” she said.
After all the paperwork was done your date for insemination was set.
Jimin and Jungkook looked at you as you walked out of the clinic.
“Hey! Y/N! Hold on,” Jungkook said, walking forward.
“Huh? What is it?” You asked turning around.
Jungkook’s bright eyes blinded you as he gazed into your own. But you kept your breathing steady as you could.
“Do you want a ride home? Jimin and I cleared our schedules so we could be here today, and... Well we don’t want you to get hurt or anything,” he said, pointing to the black suburban.
“Oh, it’s alright I was gonna go to the bookstore and get a few things and then head home but I’ll be fine, no worries,” you smiled.
“We insist, Y/N,” Jimin said, walking forward to take his partner’s hand.
“Um, well... It’s really not that far, I’m sure it’ll be okay,” you said.
“Well, if you’re really sure,” Jungkook said.
“Yeah, but I’ll see you two on Thursday right? That’s when I’m supposed to... Well, you know,” your said, looking down at your feet.
“Of course! If you want us to be there that is,” Jimin said.
“Yes, it’s your baby,” you said.
“Okay, we’ll see you Thursday then,” Jungkook agreed, waving at you before he and Jimin got into the suburban and left.
But you couldn’t help the feeling you had as you watched them drive away.
Sadness.
You walked into the clinic Thursday morning, sweat pooling in your palms. You were reaching the end of your wire at your apartment. And you weren’t going to get the money in time. You were worried and didn’t want to bother Namjoon and Jin... So you just kept it to yourself.
You felt the fear and worry eating you up inside as you sat in the waiting room.
The doctor called your name and you headed back towards the room, when someone shouted your name.
Jimin and Jungkook were there, smiling brightly at you.
Your heart eased at seeing the two men, so happy and radiant. Everything you weren’t currently. But, knowing you were giving them something so important really made you feel better. Even if it was just for the time being.
“Oh my gosh, we’re finally getting a baby!” Jimin squeaked.
“Easy, it’s probably not going to happen first try,” you reminded him of what the doctor said.
“Bet I could get you pregnant in one shot,” Jungkook smirked.
“Oh shush Kook. But if you got her pregnant you wouldn’t get those twins you want so badly now would you, butthead,” Jimin said, shoving the younger man around slightly.
You tried to keep yourself from blushing but the redness that twinged your cheeks was there regardless. You were here to get pregnant, that was the end goal of today.
“Alright, Miss Y/N, we’re going to take you back and get you all set and then Mr. Park and Mr. Jeon have said they wanted to take you home after. Is that alright with you?” The doctor asked.
“Yes, that’s fine,” you said.
“Okay, let’s head back then,” Jungkook gave you a gentle smile before Jimin came forward and gave your knuckles a quick kiss.
“Good luck, Y/N,” he said.
“Thanks,” you answered before heading back.
The whole process took around a hour and a half, most of it waiting.
The sensation wasn’t too bad, but you were a little uncomfortable. Everything was super sterile and not how you expected you’d get pregnant, but... It wasn’t your baby at the end of the day. You tried not to wiggle as you laid there, letting Jimin’s seed try to impregnate you.
Finally, the timer went off and you were allowed to leave to go home.
Jimin and Jungkook were sat in the waiting room, chatting with each other excitedly. You knew that this was it, that they were more than perfect for this baby. You were beyond happy you could give it to them.
“Y/N!” Jimin said, walking up to greet you.
“Hey,” you said easily, noticing Jungkook come up behind him.
“We’re here to take you home!” Jimin smiled.
“Thanks guys,” you said softly.
“We brought the car around already so you don’t have to walk too much. Don’t wanna spoil all our hard work,” Jimin said, looking at your tummy with affection.
“Like I said Jimin, it probably won’t happen this time. But you never know, you might have some strong swimmers,” you joked.
“You have no idea, Y/N,” he said, gazing into your eyes for a moment.
Your breath caught in your throat. He looked like an angel wrapped in sin, as if he were so good yet so bad for you. It made your head spin.
Jungkook held the car door open for you and you got in carefully. Jimin sat in the back with you while Jungkook sat up front.
Of course these two had a driver...
Jimin was looking out the window and noticed that they were getting into the sketchier part of town. His worry was eating him alive. He didn’t want the mother of his child staying here! That simply wouldn’t do.
You got out of the car, heading towards your apartment when the landlord approached you. Jungkook and Jimin were still getting out of the car when he exploded at you.
“There’s the little bitch now!” He growled, grabbing your wrist and twisting it painfully.
You yelped, trying not to move so much. It only made it hurt more.
“Let me go!” You said.
“You filthy cunt, you owe me almost six thousand dollars! And you dare to come back here without anything? Huh? Nothing? Where have you been huh? Selling your body to make some cash I bet, that’s what little whore’s like you do right? Fucking pathetic,” he spits at you.
“I-I just need a little more time-” a resounding smack is heard through the parking lot.
Jimin and Jungkook look up to see your head turned sharply to the side and a man gripping your wrist.
Both of the men flew off the handle.
“Let go of her you fucker!” Jungkook yelled, walking forward with purpose.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” Jimin growled, pulling you away from the man.
“Did you fucking hit her?” Jungkook said, looking at your reddened cheek.
“Bitch owes me money, she knows that-”
“Fucker!” Jungkook snarled, grabbing the man by his shirt and lifting him.
“Y/N? Sweetie can you hear me?” Jimin whispered. Your head was swimming with pain and discomfort. Your cheek was screaming at you. But what hurt worse was the embarrassment. They saw it all, that you couldn’t take care of yourself. How on earth were you going to take care of a baby if you got pregnant for nine months? Huh?
“I’m sorry,” you whispered.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, he hurt you. Jungkook put him down and call the cops,” Jimin said.
“I owe him money, I just-”
“You can’t arrest me! You fuckheads, do you know who I am?” He asked.
“Do you know who we are? Hi I’m Jeon Jungkook, heir to the Jeon Law Firm here in the city. You might have heard of us, and she is the mother of my future child and you won’t be putting your hands on her ever again,” Jungkook said.
“I just wanna leave, I don’t... I don’t wanna be here,” you whimpered.
“But Y/N,” Jimin said.
“Can we leave? Please?” You begged, looking up at him with a swollen cheek and glossy eyes. Jimin’s heart broke five times over, seeing you so upset.
“Jungkook, come on. Let’s go,” Jimin said.
“And leave her with this fucking piece of shit? I think not, no we’re going to-Y/N? Are you alright?” Jungkook asked, coming forward and looking at your face with a tenderness you didn’t know was there.
“We’ll take her home with us,” Jimin said easily.
“Okay, yeah. But we’re calling the cops on that dickbag when we get back. I want him arrested for hurting her,” Jungkook said with finality.
“Of course baby,” Jimin said, soothing the younger male.
“Can we just go?” You asked, looking up at them for a moment.
“Yes, of course we can, let’s get you in the car and go back to our place,” Jungkook said, coming forward and getting into the back seat this time. Jimin encouraged you to get inside, so you did, him following shortly thereafter.
“Take us home please,” Jungkook said, shutting the little window between the front of the car and the back.
You sat between the two men, each of them looking out the window and appearing to be deep in thought. You were as well. You hoped this didn’t affect your chances of getting pregnant. You don’t know what you’d do if you couldn’t get this baby. The prospect of so much money on the line, you very future.
Also, you worried for Jungkook and Jimin. You really wanted this to work for their sake too.
They’d been waiting so long.
You were swallowed into the dreamscape of your thoughts. Nothing really getting in or out of your mind. You were just reeling at everything that had happened in less than four hours. You had your first attempt at insemination, went home and got assaulted and now you were heading to the upper end of the city with the two men who wanted you to have a baby for them.
This was all so much to handle.
Finally, the car stopped moving and Jimin quickly ushered you out of the vehicle. You stood there and looked up at the stunning building with a weird sense of fear. It loomed over you, almost intimidatingly so.
Jimin told the driver to go park the car and take the rest of the day off while Jungkook gathered their things from the back. You looked around and noticed that people were staring at you.
No doubt you looked like a sore pink thumb right now. Tear stained and swollen cheeks making you look even more outlandish in the area. But, Jungkook quickly moved everyone inside.
The door man asked who you were and Jimin and Jungkook simply told the truth.
“She’s our surrogate, we’re having her stay with us for a while. If she needs anything, make sure she gets it!” Jimin said.
“Absolutely Mr. Park,” the doorman said.
“Come on Y/N,” Jungkook said, heading towards the elevator.
You followed behind them quickly, getting in the mirrored elevator. Looking at yourself you felt all the anxiety and fear come back. You didn’t belong here, you were wearing a pair of fucked up jeans, a flannel and t-shirt. They were dressed in beautiful clothing, dipped in the finest silks and satins.
You looked like a charity case no doubt.
It made your stomach churn in discomfort. But you kept your mouth shut. You were providing them with a service. And in turn they were paying you. It was a give and take situation. But you couldn’t help but feel as though you were taking more than you were giving.
Jungkook held the door while you and Jimin entered the house. You looked around and the apartment was massive. Bigger than your Aunt’s tiny house in the country. You wondered just how much money these two had.
Soon, Jimin was sitting you down on the couch and tending to your cheek. His heart crumpled when you flinched at his touch. He tried not to take it personally, you were literally just assaulted. But he hoped you weren’t scared of him, or Jungkook.
“Should I call the doctor?” Jungkook asked, coming in and sitting next to Jimin.
“No, she’s just a little swollen, she’ll be alright,” Jimin said, handing you the painkillers and some ice.
“Can she have that?” Jungkook asked, referring to the pain medicine.
“It’s acetaminophen she can have it,” Jimin confirmed.
“Okay,” he said, standing up and heading towards the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” Jimin asked, looking at you for any signs of discomfort.
“Not particularly, but I should eat. Especially today,” you said, a weak smile on your face. Jimin nodded, but headed towards the kitchen regardless.
Soon after, a wonderful aroma filled the apartment. But you hadn’t moved from the couch, keeping your eyes trained on the TV Jimin turned on for you. You didn’t particularly want to watch the news, but you weren’t sure on how to work this TV. It made your brain hurt. But, whatever, you kept your eyes on the screen, not looking anywhere in particular.
Jimin soon came out, wearing a smile that must be a signature for him or something. He told you dinner was ready and to follow him. Turning off the TV with a swipe of his finger on the screen you marveled at the technology.
He patted your cheek and brought you into the dining room.
Jungkook was finishing putting the food out when you sat down. He and Jimin were deep in conversation. You picked at your food, eating a few pieces if Jimin put them on your plate. But other than that, you sat unmoving in the corner.
You supposed you were still in shock of what had happened today.
Soon, you felt the distinct cramping in your lower stomach, something you were told is to be expected. Especially if the pregnancy took. Letting out a puff of air, you held your stomach. It wasn’t terrible, but the discomfort had you adjusting in your seat.
Jungkook’s head snapped in your direction, carefully observing you.
“Everything alright? Y/N?” He asked, cocking his head to the side in a cute way.
Forcing a smile you nodded.
“Yeah, just cramping a little bit,” you said, keeping your hands together underneath the table.
“Is it bad?” Jungkook asked, leaning towards you.
“No-ah!” You said, clutching your stomach. It didn’t hurt as much as it caught you off guard. But the two men were beside you in seconds.
“Y/N? Do you want us to call the doctor?”
“Is there something we can get for you? Do you want more pain medicine?”
“N-No, honestly, I’m okay,” you said, giving them each a squeeze to their wrist.
Jimin nodded, standing up and moved to start cleaning up the meal. Jungkook placed a couple more pieces of meat on your plate, asking you to eat them. He thought it could help your cramping, but he mainly just wanted to see you eat something.
Soon, the pair of them had cleaned up the meal and had gathered some clothes for you to wear to bed.
“We’ll pick up some stuff for you to wear tomorrow,” Jungkook said smiling.
“N-No that’s alright I can go back and get my stuff,” you said.
“You’re not going anywhere near that building,” Jimin warned, voice low.
“What? I have to get my stuff-”
“We’ll have someone go collect your things and bring them back here,” Jimin said, careful.
“I can go it’s not a big deal-”
“Y/N, please, just let us take care of this,” Jungkook said, quietly coming over to your side.
You were far too tired to argue. But you already felt like a cat in a cage. So you waved off the disagreement and decided to just head to bed.
The cramping was still there, but not nearly as bad as it had been when you were at the table. Laying down helped, but you felt something in your underwear.
Quickly, you went to the bathroom and noticed some blood in your underwear. Biting your lip, you tried to keep yourself from panicking. Putting them back on you went to living room and found Jimin sitting on the couch, looking tired.
“J-Jimin,” you said quietly.
His head snapped up and he gave you a little smile.
“Yes, Y/N?” He asked, coming towards you. You sighed and ran your hands through your hair.
“I-I was bleeding,” you said, voice straining slightly.
“You were? Where?” He asked, brows furrowing.
“M-My, uh, I found it in my underwear,” you said, breathing in deeply.
“Was it a lot?” He asked, keeping a cool exterior.
“N-No, not a lot but it worried me,” you said, trying to keep yourself from freaking out on him.
“It’s normal to spot a little after the IUI, don’t worry. But tell me if anymore happens. They did just shove a tube up your business,” he said, laughing lightly.
Immediately you were put at ease. Sensing your relief, Jimin patted your shoulder.
“It’s okay to be nervous, we are,” Jimin said, nodding towards the closed door you assumed was to their bedroom.
“Yeah, I’m-I just really want this to work,” you confessed, feeling yourself relax a bit.
“We do too, more than anything,” Jimin answered, giving you a genuine grin.
“I’m glad that the baby will have you two as parents, makes me feel good knowing that they’ll be taken care of,” you smiled back.
Jimin’s face seemed to morph into a look of joy and agony at the same time.
“You’re too sweet, Y/N, honestly. Jungkook and I are beyond excited,” he explained.
“Have you always wanted to be a father?” You asked him, out of the blue. Jimin blushed and looked down at his feet.
“Y-Yeah, ever since I was little I always wanted a family to call my own. And when I met Jungkook I knew it was just meant to be you know? Like, everything just made sense,” he said, a sheepish look taking over his features.
“That’s so sweet,” you gushed.
“It’s the truth,” he shrugged.
“I want someone to look at me the way you look at Jungkook, like I’m their whole world and more. I’ve never been one for dating though,” you said, looking down at the floor, embarrassed.
“No? How many boyfriends or girlfriends have you had?” Jimin asked, not thinking. When the shocked look took over your face he back peddled. “I-I shouldn’t have asked, that doesn’t deem your worth or anything like that-”
“None,” you said, blushing bright red.
Jimin’s face changed.
“Tell me if I’m out of line here, but have you ever, uh... You know, um,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
“Oh? Sex? Yeah, I’ve done it before, but it wasn’t really anything special. I don’t even think I-um... Nevermind,” you said, biting your lip hard.
“You don’t think you what? You didn’t cum?” Jimin said, as if he were shocked.
“No! Now keep your voice down!” You yelped.
Jimin frowned.
“That’s horrible, you deserve better,” Jimin said matter of factly.
“It happens, but, this conversation has gotten away from us,” you said, trying to steer it away from your pathetic sex life and more towards the fact that you both need to go to bed. “I’m tired, had a long day.” You said, rubbing your arms.
“Of course, absolutely! If you need anything or something happens, our room is right here just come get us,” Jimin said.
“Okay, thanks,” you said, turning, but not before you wished him a good night.
Jimin gave you a small smile. “Good night, Y/N, sleep well.”
Soon your stuff was all moved into the boys apartment. You questioned when you would be leaving, but the boys said that you didn’t have to worry about departing for the foreseeable future.
They had originally wanted you to live with them if and when they found out you were pregnant, that way they could be there through it all. But, these stages after the insemination could be hard on you and they decided to keep you with them.
You felt like a little kid half the time, but you had to call in to work often because of these appointments. And quickly, they tired of it.
“Y/N, we love you and we want you to pick here to work, but honestly your attendance is a severe issue right now,” your supervisor said over the phone. You called in that day because you just were feeling super exhausted.
You hadn’t told them you’d signed up for a surrogacy. You weren’t sure how that would go over, but, maybe you had to if you wanted to save your job.
“I-I’m calling in all the time because I’m trying to get pregnant,” you said softly.
Laughter came from the other side of the phone.
You were being laughed at.
“Oh my God, Y/N, that’s hilarious! But seriously, I have to put you on a two week suspension without pay because-”
“Dawn, I'm serious. I signed up with the fertility clinic and I’m currently trying to become a surrogate for a lovely couple,” you said, honestly.
“Y/N, why did you sign up for that? As far as any of us knew, you weren’t that into kids,” Dawn said over the phone.
“I-I like kids, but the baby won’t be mine to keep. The couple gets to keep them once they are born. I lose all rights as a parent,” you explained.
“That’s kinda cruel... Let you carry the baby for nine months then force you to leave them. I don’t know if I could do that,” she said.
“I-It’s the way it is,” you said. “But I need to have the day off, I have an appointment at the clinic.”
“Y/N, would it be easier if we just let you quit?” Dawn said.
“What?!” You shrieked into the phone.
“Well, it’s a delicate time and we'd have you working on your feet for long hours. I don’t want anything to happen to you or your baby,” she said, sounding sad.
“But I don’t wanna leave you guys,” you whimpered.
“Well, once the little tike is born come back. We’ll hire you back, I promise. If you want to come back,” she offered.
“Y-You’ll really let me come back?” You said, biting your lip.
It would be nice to just focus on the pregnancy and helping Jungkook and Jimin. If you had the option, maybe it would be better to take her advice and go back when you were ready. Hopefully they don’t screw you over.
“Of course we will! We love you! But, right now isn’t the best time for you to be working. Focus on you and your little bundle okay? We’ll be waiting,” she said.
“Oh thank you Dawn! I love you guys too!”
After a little tears ‘see you later’, you hung up.
Soon, a soft knock came to your door. Looking up you saw Jungkook there, dressed to the nines looking at you. Raising a brow you assessed the situation.
“What’s up?” You said, setting your phone down to give him your undivided attention.
“I was wondering if you needed a ride to work, you’re already an hour late,” he said, pointing to the clock on your wall.
“Oh, about that,” you said, rubbing your hands together.
“Did something happen? Did they fire you for being our surrogate? Oh just let me make one phone call, that’s illegal! I’m a lawyer, let me talk some sense into them!” Jungkook said, turning to walk out.
“No, Jungkook! It’s fine, they told me to take the time off. To spend time focusing on myself and to take care of the baby,” you explained. “My job will be there when I’m ready to return.”
Jungkook stopped and looked at you. His features softened before nodding.
“Okay, but if they try to tell you you can’t go back when you’re ready, you just tell me. I won’t let anyone disrespect or lie to you,” he said, a stern look on his face.
“Thanks Jungkook, that means a lot,” you said, giving a smile.
“There’s food in the fridge, all you have to do is heat it up. You have the house to yourself so, do whatever you want,” Jungkook said, waving before walking out of your room.
You sat there for a minute, really mulling over what you wanted to do. Honestly, you were so sore and tired you just wanted to fall back asleep. But you decided that it was better to get up and do some activity. Hopefully that would be okay.
It had been about ten days since your IUI appointment and you were mainly just tired. Although fatigue was a symptom of an attachment. But that was the only symptom you were having, you were meant to test in a couple days to see if you were pregnant, but something had you worried.
If you weren’t pregnant, you’d have to wait a whole other month. They did tell you that sometimes it took multiple tries to successfully impregnate someone. But you really wanted this to work, you just wanted to get this going.
That way Jimin and Jungkook could have their baby already.
You knew they’d be amazing fathers, already with their dutiful actions towards you. So willing to do whatever you asked, but you tried your best not to pester them too much. You tried to make it as though you weren’t even there. But they insisted you join them for dinner so they could make sure you were eating well.
For your day you mainly just puttered around the house, picking up and doing little things that wouldn’t aggravate you. So, you settled down with a book in your hands and soft music playing in the background.
That’s how Jimin and Jungkook found you when they came home. Curled up on the couch with a novel between your fingers. Jimin smiled softly, looking at the picturesque scene.
“Do you think she’s pregnant?” Jungkook asked, looking at his boyfriend with apprehension.
“I hope so,” Jimin answered.
“She’s really tired lately, sleeping late and going to bed early. That’s a sign, right?” Jungkook said.
“It is, but that’s also a sign of a woman’s period coming up,” Jimin warned.
“Damn...” Jungkook said, rubbing his face.
“But I don’t know, she’s due to test soon so, we might have our baby,” Jimin soothed.
You looked up from your book, noticing the pair in the entryway. Giving them a shy smile, you waved, nose getting buried back in the book. Jimin laughed lightly, heading towards the kitchen.
The two cooked dinner, making something easy to digest. Your stomach was on the fritz yesterday so they want to make sure they don’t upset your sensitive tummy. But, as Jimin looked out at you reading on the couch, a blanket draped along your lap. He couldn’t help but love the domesticity of it all. You looked at peace, in your element and comfortable.
Jimin hoped it would stay that way. With you, comfy and cared for.
Jungkook rushed past with the boiling soup in his hands, moving quick like a little kid to set the table for you all. Jimin just laughed, smacking his butt when he came back.
“Hey! Paws off,” Jungkook pouted.
“Hmm? That’s not what you were saying the other night,” Jimin laughed at the scandalized look on Jungkook’s face. “I’m kidding, come on go get Y/N so we can eat.”
Jungkook went to gather you from the living room and was met with an unusual sight. You passed out, wrapped in the blanket with your book on the floor.
He smiled, moving towards you slowly. He placed a soft hand on your head, patting your hair gently. Your eyes opened slowly, looking up at him with sleepy eyes. Jungkook helped you up, leading you to the dining room.
The meal was quiet, Jungkook and Jimin making small talk with you, but mostly you were just eating peacefully.
You ate well and leaned back, as you tended to do when you were full and let out a huff. Jimin repressed the smile on his face with the back of his hand. Jungkook smiled openly, looking at your sleepy form.
Sitting back up you took a few more swallows of water before you stood up and thanked them for the meal and headed towards your room.
Jungkook and Jimin watched you go, each having a weird tightening in their chest at the sight of your swaying hips.
You had finally reached the two week mark.
Time to test.
Jimin and Jungkook went with you, driving you to the clinic for your appointment at the ass crack of dawn it felt like.
Jimin was chatting excitedly in the front seat with Jungkook. You could see the looks of love on their faces as they talked about their future with their child. It made butterflies rise in your stomach.
Quickly smacking your cheeks, you tried to forget the sensation of hope building in your belly.
Soon you were all at the clinic, Jimin helping you out of the car. The two men walked on either side of you, making sure everyone knew who you were here with. It made you feel protected, watched over.
Important.
After all the paperwork was done for the visit, Jungkook and Jimin sat down next to you. They interlocked their hands, smiling brightly at each other. You locked your hands together and looked down at them.
“Miss Y/N? Mr. Park and Mr. Jeon? Are you all ready?” A nurse called and you all headed back to a secluded room, a few chairs and the like ready. You saw the needles and everything set up and you swallowed hard.
You hated needles, with a passion.
But you’d done it before, so you’d do it again.
“Y/N? You okay?” Jungkook asked, looking at your paling face.
“Y-yeah, nervous around needles,” you confessed.
“Oh, do you want some water or something?”
“No I’m okay,” you encouraged.
“If you’re sure,” Jungkook said, looking like he wanted to do more...
“Alright! We’re gonna take some blood and a urine sample, so if you two would just wait outside for a moment while we get her changed, then you can come back in if you want,” the nurse explained.
You got changed and hopped up on the table.
They asked a bunch of questions, all fairly standard. Then they brought out the needles. Jimin saw you flinch when the packaging came off and you saw the syringe come closer.
“Hang on,” Jimin said, standing up.
The nurse stopped and looked up in confusion, that’s when Jimin took your hand in his and squeezed.
“You can hold my hand while they take your blood okay? Just squeeze if you need to,” he said, looking at your face for any signs of resistance.
You bit your lip and nodded.
The nurse took your blood quickly, getting a few vials full. Jungkook watched as his boyfriend held your hand the whole time, keeping you calm and at ease.
He hoped with everything he was that this had worked.
God, he wanted it to work so bad.
Soon, the two men were being ushered out of the room so you could do your urine sample.
After everything was done and over with, you got dressed and went to the waiting room. Jimin and Jungkook stood up when they saw you, waving you over to sit with them.
All three of you waited with baited breath as they ran the tests. They kept asking if you wanted anything, water, juice or something to eat. But you politely declined. Knowing if you put anything in your body right now you’d puke it up immediately with how nervous you were for the results.
They said it shouldn’t take too long.
It had been about an hour when a nurse popped her head out, signaling for all three of you to come back.
“Dr. Heinz will see you now,” she said, giving you all a small smile before leading you down the hallway towards the offices.
Shortly, you were sat on a comfortable sofa with Jungkook and Jimin in front of you. Jungkook and Jimin were holding onto each other so tight you feared for their circulation. But, Dr. Heinz was quick to get to the point.
“Well, I want to say, congratulations, Mr. Jeon and Mr. Park... Y/N is pregnant,” he said, talking like you weren’t in the room.
“Oh my God!” Jungkook shouted, standing up and hugging Jimin to him tightly. They kissed several times, tears falling freely down the new father’s faces. Dr. Heinz let them have their moment, smiling at the happy couple. You looked down at your stomach and bit your lip.
So this was really happening...
“Jungkook, I love you,” Jimin said, holding onto his boyfriend tightly.
“I love you too babe, I love you too,” Jungkook affirmed.
“Okay we do have to discuss her health however,” Dr. Heinz said, having the men sit down quickly.
“Is she alright?” Jimin said, looking at you with worry written all over his features.
“She’s at a very fragile point in the pregnancy. IUI can be tricky so we need to be very careful with what happens next. I don’t want her doing anything strenuous. Especially with the lower body until we can get her in for an ultrasound. Her uterus looked good on her preliminary but getting pregnant can really affect a woman’s body, so we need to take all the precautions,” Dr. Heinz explained.
“But is she going to be okay?” Jungkook asked, placing a gentle hand on yours.
You looked at his big hand covering yours, blinking slowly.
“I’m worried about her low white blood cell count. That makes her more susceptible to colds and infections, so you need to be very careful. Her red blood cell count was also low, showing early signs of anemia. So lots of red meat and protein to help keep her levels up. Although the anemia will be aggravated by the pregnancy, so make sure she doesn’t stand up too fast or tax herself too much,” he said.
“I am right here,” you said, glaring at the doctor.
“Sorry Miss Y/N, they’re the parents in this situation. I want them to be informed of your situation,” Dr. Heinz said bluntly.
“There are four of us in this room, I’ll remind you of that. Don’t talk like I’m not here please,” you said, folding your hands and crossing your legs.
Jimin almost burst out laughing.
Damn you were feisty!
He really liked that...
“I-I apologize, Miss Y/N,” he said, swallowing quickly before continuing on. “Also, you’re going to start having more symptoms than the fatigue you mentioned. Morning sickness is extremely common and expected, although every woman is different. Headaches, dizziness and blurred vision are also to be noted. Even some spotting can happen, but please do tell us if you’re spotting or bleeding. Now, do any of you have questions?” The doctor asked, looking at the boys and you.
“Is there any way to know if we are expecting, more than one?” Jimin asked, looking down at your stomach with pure adoration on his face.
“We won’t really know until she’s further along. Quite a bit further actually. But for now, enjoy this. Enjoy the early stages, it’ll be tough but you can pull through. I wish you all the best of luck,” Dr. Heinz said, handing some paperwork over to Jungkook before the three of you stood up and headed out.
Jimin and Jungkook were so excited, chatting with each other about if they were having twins. If the baby was a boy or girl. You were in the car, hands folded in your lap while you looked out the window.
Honestly, you were scared out of your mind.
The doctor had mentioned this was a really fragile part of the pregnancy. That you’d have to be careful, not to mention it was important for your own health as well. If something happened to the baby, something could happen to you and vice versa.
Jungkook insisted on taking everyone out for dinner.
This was a big occasion after all.
Sitting down in the very resturant you all had your first meal in, felt kinda surreal.
Now, you were pregnant with their baby. It felt kinda full circle.
Jimin and Jungkook insisted on getting whatever you wanted. But you weren’t terribly hungry yet, maybe it was the nerves of the whole day catching up. But you ordered a few things, making sure to eat. You knew it made them happy when you did, because it showed you cared about your body and the life growing inside of you.
Jungkook was drinking, a lot if you were being honest. Jimin just watched him as his cheeks flushed red as he continued to talk animatedly at the two of you. Smiling, you filled up Jungkook’s water before urging him to drink some.
“Thanks youuu,” he said, beaming at you.
“You’re welcome, but drink up okay?” You said, gesturing towards the glass.
He did as you asked, drinking all the water. You sighed in relief, knowing at least he’d be hydrated when he went to bed.
“Well, guess you aren’t driving you big lug,” Jimin laughed as he hauled Jungkook out of the restaurant a while later.
“Mmm, we’re having a baby baby!” Jungkook cooed at Jimin, holding his cheeks in between his hands.
“Mhmm, yes we are. Now get in the back with Y/N, okay?” Jimin said, opening the back and helping his very tipsy boyfriend inside. You were about to climb in when Jimin placed his hands on your hips, causing you to jolt so hard you smacked your head on the roof of the car.
“Ow, fuck,” you said, holding your head tightly.
“Y/N!” Jimin yelped. Jungkook’s head popped up.
“What happened?” He asked, looking at you with bleary eyes.
“I just smacked my head, I’m alright,” you said, rubbing your head gingerly.
“Can I take a look?” Jimin asked, biting his plump lips harshly.
“Y-yeah,” you said, leaning towards him.
Jimin’s gentle hands on your scalp proved to be dangerous. Because now, you wanted him to touch you here all the time. Combing his fingers through your hair. Massaging the tender flesh there.
“Well, you aren’t bleeding, but you’ll have a massive bump for a few days no doubt,” he reasoned.
“She’s gonna have a massive bump here soon too!” Jungkook cheered happily, pointing at your stomach.
“Jungkook, enough,” Jimin warned.
Grumbling to himself, Jungkook backed off.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jimin asked. You nodded, already feeling the throbbing in the base of your skull starting.
“I’ll take a few pain killers when we get back,” you said.
“Okay,” Jimin said, running his hand from your head down to cradle your cheek in his palm. You’re cheeks heated up at the feeling of his skin on yours, but shortly he was retreating to the front of the car.
Soon, you were underway.
Jimin turned on the radio quietly, driving carefully around town.
Jungkook had managed to fall asleep against the window. When suddenly, the car was jerking to the side. Jimin laid on the horn, yelling a couple explicit words out the window. But, Jungkook’s body had already fallen into your lap.
His head rested comfortably against your thighs, arms draping across your legs. Jungkook continued to sleep peacefully while you inspected him. He had a beautiful nose, button like and slotting perfectly along with his already perfect features. His plush lips pouting as he slept. Your eyes widened at him, heart hammering in your chest as you gazed down at him.
He was incredibly handsome.
But, you knew his personality too. He was kind, but strong and sure of himself. He had an air of confidence that was almost infectious. But he also had a childish nature about him. Not immature, but there was something about the wonder in his eyes when he tried something new. Or the nostalgia that ran through him when he ate his favorite food or, just the sparkle in his eyes when Jimin came home.
You, as if possessed, took your hand and ran your fingers through his soft black hair. He groaned in his sleep, gripping your legs tighter. You continued to run your fingers through his hair, watching his face for any signs of discomfort.
Jimin looked in the rearview mirror and saw you stroking Jungkook’s head with a gentle hand. His heart thudded dangerously in his chest. You were so caring and tender, everything you did had purpose behind it.
Jimin felt relief flood him at the idea of you being the mother of he and Jungkook’s child. Technically just Jimin’s but Jungkook was also the father but he didn’t get any genetics in this one.
This one...
Did Jimin want to have more children?
You just got the announcement today and he was already giddy at the prospect of you growing large with his child. But confusion swept through him. Was this just because he was grateful to you? Or was it something more?
Looking at you and Jungkook in the back, he thinks he might already know the answer.
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rayofsunas · 3 years
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s/o who dies.
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A/n: listennnn, I wasn't going to write something dark, but then I unregretfully decided to listen to edgy/dark audios and I was suddenly in the mood to write this so yeah lmao. also, guess what? I'm planning on making a discord server right after posting this! so, be on the lookout for that when I get it all sorted out. also, note for Scaramouche's that the reader inserts tend to lean more femininely versed (I hope that's okay), the only reasons why I do that is because one I simp and I'm female AND two since I am doing a mini-series for Scara, I've kind of based his imagines/fics around that universe (baby daddy universe). I haven't started his yet, but consider these part of that series' universe. anyways as always thank you for requesting anon and enjoy! <333
Summary: you die + how the boys cope afterward.
Parings: Albedo/Gn! Reader, Xiao/Gn! Reader, Scaramouche/Fem! Reader
Warnings: swearing, angst, death, poison, illness/cancer, murder, arson, obsessive behavior
Word count: 2.1k
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Albedo
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"You need to keep this on your head." Your lover said for the one-hundredth time, placing the cold cloth on your forehead once again after taking it off only seconds earlier.
"This is pointless," You said, no longer wanting to ignore nor hide behind the invisible thick curtains of the obvious death sentence approaching. "My body rejected the medicine the first twice doses, what's a third time going to do?" You asked, knowing Albedo wouldn't answer; your hope was to knock some sense into his thick skull. but he was too worried trying to ignore the obvious as you had previously been doing, not anymore though.
This was saddening to watch, both Albedo's unfolding and the girl who accidentally poisoned you, whimpering into Sucrose's shoulder. She was only a young girl, barely seventeen when she was chosen to work under Sucrose and your boyfriend. She was very good at Alchemy and luckily had a desire to practice the craft. But unfortunately, she hadn't paid much attention when it came to Surcrose's educational poison lesson and had unknowingly mixed up poisonous liquids and materials.
After tipping over some clutter in Albedo's office and knocking over a test tube laying unsealed on the counter, you had realized the contents spilled on your skin, bleaching into your pores. You had been tasked with bringing the famed alchemist and his assistant some vials and materials for the collection of a rare butterfly they had found. It was both telling and obvious that something was wrong when you never showed up with the required materials requested and it was already too late hours later when the chief Alchemist, his assistant, and Alchemist in training came bounding down the stairs of Albedo's home laboratory.
It didn't take long for the trio to realize something was wrong. Sucrose had found the vile on the floor, most of its contents spilled and in a little puddle, plus your state on a nearby lounge chair was obvious; slumped awkwardly, forehead visibly sweating, eyes closed, breathing raspily.
You accepted the first doses of the supposed nullifying medicine without hesitation, just wanting the numbing feeling to go away. But when it never kicked in you decided it would be best to save the medicine, because it wasn't working. Your time was coming.
"Since the medicine is taking immediate effect, you should try to get the contents out of your system," He said, reaching out for you. Badly you wanted to argue that the medicine wasn't working at all, but he wasn't listening and already has his lean arms wrapped around your middle, helping gently lift and guide you over to the sink.
You hear materials being shoved to the side and soon enough you had your head dangling over the sink, shaking hands gripping the metalled edge tightly. Soon enough, Albedo's hand was on your back rubbing up and down, hoping to comfort you, it wasn't working though. You could only think about your death, what the other side would look like. Could there even be heaven or hell, maybe a place in between, maybe nowhere...?
As soon as you felt the urge to vomit, you did, and despite it being utterly disgusting Albedo seemed to welcome it happily. He took this as something good, but it only worried you when you saw the reddish hues in the bile.
"I think they should leave." You muttered acknowledging Sucrose and Elizabeth, the taste of gooey, metal only becoming more apparent. The blonde agreed, nodding and muttering "Okay."
As Sucrose lead Elizabeth towards the stairs, the pair heard you say. "Goodbye Sucrose, Elizabeth." Which only seemed to make the young girl wail louder.
You sighed sadly once the silence was back. Just your thoughts of death, and Albedo's slowly crushing heart.
"You should probably leave soon as well. I don't want you to be here when I go." Albedo frowned at your statement, head shaking.
"Don't say things like that."
Of course, he'd say that. Why did he feel the need to ignore this when it would only come back to hurt him even more later on when you were gone?
"You're the smartest man I know and we both know where this is heading," You said, head feeling much heavier than before. It was getting closer to your time. "I'm going to die, and you can't do anything about it."
"I'm not leaving your side. We promised to stick together through everything, you can't ask me to leave."
"I guess... But promise me this."
"When I go, stop blaming Elizabeth. It was an accident..." You said sincerely. Albedo wanted to make a fuss about it, tell you he'd never been able to forgive her. But for you, he would try. If it was your list desire, your last wish, he'd make it come true. Though it would be difficult. Accidental or not, she was the reason you were leaving him here, alone.
"Okay, I'll try..." He said honestly.
"Thank you," You said, letting out a shaking breath you had been holding for a very long time. Now you felt much more peaceful. "And since I know you stubbornly won't leave," You started, finally turning away from the sink to look into his cerulean eyes. "At least hold my hand."
"Of course, love."
even a year after your death, no matter how hard he tried, there was still this nagging feeling every time he looked at Elizabeth
he wanted too badly forgive her, but he couldn't
she had, although accidental, taken the one person that meant so much to him and he'd never forgive
Albedo is gonna be distant towards everyone he knows and it's completely purposeful
he doesn't like the pitiful gazes that people send his way and he hates that all the captains stared at him at your funeral
obviously, some questioned if he was able to stay in the field
he hadn't taken any time off, even when Jean advised he was welcome and that it would be best
tbh, albedo's going to have a hard time for a while
Xiao
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Why did it have to be you? Why not him? He'd feel much better knowing you could live another day, after all, he'd been living a very long time.
But no, the fallen Archons, Gods, Yaksha had chosen you to join them. He wished that weren't the case
Humans and their pathetic vessels... So weak, he thought. Allowing something like cancer to beat them.
No matter how harsh it sounded, he didn't despise you, no. It wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this. He just knew that if you were a godly being this wouldn't have happened like this or at least not so soon; Xiao had known Gods that had terminal illnesses to live years. Why couldn't you be like them?
He hated watching you lie there in that bed, immobile, sickly, and tired, and all you could say was that everything was going to be alright, that he'd be alright.
But it wasn't. He wouldn't be okay without you. He would struggle daily, fall deeper into a hole. You were the light of his life, the only light in his life. And you were gone, just like that. Turning external scars into internal ones tattered all over his dying heart.
Xiao for the longest time has been by himself, so the people of Liyue know it'll be harder for him to overcome this, no matter what he says or does to prove otherwise
Zhongli in particular knows how hard this will be for his friend
his first and probably last love, dead, gone in the blink of an eye
he'll continue fighting all the monsters he crosses, becoming even more violent when he does so, trying his best to get rid of this stupid sickly feeling of heartbreak
but it won't go away, no matter what he does, no matter how absurd
he just wants the feeling to go away, he despises that feeling so much
if you have a secret place somewhere, like in the mountains, Zhongli often finds him there, wallowing in invisible self-pity
"You know they wouldn't want you to be like this." Zhongli would say, only trying to help
but it doesn't
it only enrages Xiao, even more, fuels him to push everyone out of his life again instead of letting them in like he'd done in your presence
Scaramouche
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How dare you. How dare you leave him like this. Alone, nonetheless with a toddler to raise who kept crying for her mommy. He couldn't do this without you, he didn't know how to raise a child, speak to her with the gentle care that you did. That was your expertise but now he'd be doing it solo.
And never again would he entrust someone who he cares about, into ignorant, incompetent arms. Never again will he ever allow any member of the Fatui to watch after his daughter; no matter their rank or position. They had one job while he was away doing business in Liyue. Guard your home twenty-four seven, accompany you into Inazuma's port town should you need anything, watch after his daughter while she plays happily in the luscious Inazuma fields. And they couldn't do that. All he gave them was one simple task, watch and keep you and your daughter safe. Instead, they slacked off, probably drunk in some bar while you were being brutally attacked by murderous mercenaries, left to fend for you and your daughter, only to die protecting her and leave your home to be severely burned.
He knew those idiotic Fatui soldiers were incompetent the moment he stepped foot into the harbor and found that everyone seemed to quiet down. Especially the eerily silent soldiers flanked on each side to welcome him home; he was the highest-ranking soldier in the land of Inazuma after all. Not a single one bothered to step forward and tell him what was wrong, what they all criminally allowed happen. Scaramouche only realized what had happened when he was mere minutes away from arriving home, his daughter had come running from his widowed mother's arms, the sight of smoke rising in the air, from the direction of his home. You were nowhere to be seen.
It all happened so fast, in the blink of an eye. His daughter was clinging to his shirt and his mother only stared with tears of pity.
It didn't take long for the puzzle pieces to be put together and before he knew it, Scaramouche was standing in front of his home, part of it burnt to a crisp and black.
He didn't need to ask what happened, he didn't need to know where you were, because he already knew. What he didn't know was who exactly had done this. But he was going to find out, now.
Incompetent, selfish, bastards. They would all pay for this. The lazy piggish Fatui soldiers who he should've never trusted with such a simple task and the thieves who had murdered you. They all had it rightfully coming.
Scaramouche hates the world after he lost you
he hates it so much and can't understand how this had happened
he's not a good person, so he blames it on karma and those stupid idiots who couldn't protect you
ngl, he's not gonna be around much after your death... his mother would argue that he should be here to raise your daughter, because she's also in pain and doesn't understand that this isn't some game of hide and seek this time
instead, he's focused and driven by revenge
he doesn't listen to a word anybody says, he's much more dangerous than before, and he only trusts his judgment
anyone trying to get him to stop his mission, is someone who doesn't want to see him happy he thinks (though that's not true at all. they hate that he is obsessive over this) but he will personally put a stop to that
and he'll only return home to his daughter and mother when he finds who did this and they along with their bloodline is exterminated
while he's gone, the remainder of his family is relocated somewhere he knows they'll be safe, for example, even though he despises childe, he knows his mom and daughter will be safe with his family
sorry, but Scaramouche will hold this deep-rooted hatred and love for you after you die
yes, he still loves and misses you dearly, but he hates you for leaving him alone, hates that although it wasn't intentional and out of your control, that you were gone
no matter how hard you tried to fight, it was selfish of you to leave him like this
he's not going to stop until he believes whoever was behind this is dead
and in his case, he'll stop believing when he chooses, even if they are innocent/guilty, he'll keep going
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3.19.21, rayofsunas
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Text
Star-Crossed
Summary: Virgil has known since he was little that some day he's supposed to meet his soulmate and fall in love with them.  You're supposed to date, then fall in love, and eventually ride off into the sunset to the sound of wedding bells and a happy life in front of you.  You're supposed to look forward to meeting your soulmate.  You're supposed to plan your life around them, because you're supposed to want to.
He's not sure what exactly you're supposed to do when someone else gets there first.
There’s a way these things work, Virgil knows.  Of course, everyone’s story is different, because people aren’t made with perfect cookie cutters.  But there’s a general way that these things work.  It involves meeting your soulmate, getting to know them, dating and falling in love, ending with a wedding at an appropriate age.  You’re supposed to be tailor made for each other, your love story written in the stars, to the point where communication is easy and problems aren’t hard to overcome.  Now, that’s of course not how it always works in real life, because people are complicated and problems can be just that.  But it’s supposed to be relatively easy to ride the wave to your happy ending, wedding bells and cheers and riding off into the sunset.
For most of his life, Virgil had craved that ease.  Relationships that didn’t come pre-packaged for success were hard, and he wasn’t very good at them.  It took him until eleventh grade to make any friends.  But even when he did, they were proof that soulmates made everything easier.
Roman, Patton, and Logan had the kind of soulmate story people dream about.  The three of them had been best friends since childhood and started dating in their early teens.  They’d had their general share of problems throughout the years, but overall they were good.  Their story made them popular too, and Virgil couldn’t imagine why they’d taken him under their wing, but here he was.
With popularity-by-association came pressure, though, and Virgil couldn’t name the number of times he’d panicked about what would happen if he didn’t live up to the soulmate story of his friends.  It was what they expected of him, in the way that they never said outright, but Virgil could tell they were thinking it.  He knew for a fact it’s what his parents expected of him, as unlike his friends, they had said it outright.  He wondered why exactly they felt the need to make that clear.  Did they know something?
Because in the end, that was the point, wasn’t it.  Nowhere in the general “way these things work”  did your soulmate story allow you to be here, in your crumbling backyard treehouse, wrapped in the arms of someone you love but shouldn’t as they kissed your damn brains out.
Virgil couldn’t give an exact name for what he and Janus were.  They weren’t quite dating, but they definitely weren’t just friends, if the way Janus’ hand was tangled up in his hair and pulling him closer had anything to say about it.  He did know that Janus made him feel alive, in a way he’d never quite gotten from anywhere else.  He wouldn’t trade Patton, Logan, and Roman for anything, but there were times the expectations they came with made him terrified.  His parents made him feel more trapped than anything else, though he didn’t think that’s what they intended.  But here, with Janus, he felt like the world could burn, and as long as he had Janus there with him, he would be perfectly content to just watch.
Virgil shifted enough to see the outside of the treehouse, and pulled his head up slightly.  “Janus,” he murmured.
“What, I’m busy,” Janus murmured back, shifting his lips on Virgil’s neck.  Virgil gasped and pulled in a breath.
“Janus,” he said again, though his voice sounded significantly higher than a second ago.  “The sun’s rising.”
“Oh, my, alert the media,” Janus said, moving up from his neck to capture Virgil’s lips again.
Virgil pulled back.  “You can’t keep kissing me to shut me up,” he said.
“But it works so well,” Janus crowed, leaning back in.
“Janus,” Virgil groaned, but wrapped his arms around him anyway, letting them both move back slowly onto the floor.
“You have to go, you know,” he murmured in a moment he pulled back to breathe.
“Mmm, I can’t convince you to stay just another half hour?”  He kissed the corner of Virgil’s mouth and Virgil held back a whine.
“You are very persuasive,” he muttered.
“Ah, one of the many reasons you love me,” Janus said, moving to the other corner of his mouth.
“I’ll love you less if we get caught out here,” Virgil said.  “You know how early my dad gets up.”
“Really?  Getting caught during one makeout session, that’s all it takes?”  He pulled Virgil up closer to him, wrapping his arms around his back.
“Janus,” Virgil said, pushing him backwards.  “It’s not about that and you know it.”
Janus sighed, dropping his head onto Virgil’s chest.  “You ruined it with seriousness, Virgil,” he whined.
“It’s going to be ruined with a lot more seriousness if you don’t go,” Virgil said, trying to ignore the way that Janus’ lips still looked so very tempting.
Janus had to have noticed his staring, because he smirked and leaned back in.  “Yes, and it seems like you want me to leave so much,” he whispered, right before connecting their lips yet again.
Virgil heard the soft click of a lightswitch, easy to hear with nothing else going on— well, with only one other thing going on.
Virgil pushed Janus back more firmly.  “Janus,” he said.  He looked over towards the house, where the kitchen light had just come on.
Janus sighed, and laid back down on top of Virgil.  “Curse your early bird of a father.”
“Yeah, he’s the worst,” Virgil said, only half joking.  “I’ll see you on Monday, alright?”
“How ever will I last,” Janus said with a smirk, leaning in one last time and kissing Virgil much more gently, the way he did goodbyes.
Virgil returned the kiss as Janus sat them both up, and pulled back a second later.  “Text me when you get home,” he said.
“I will,” Janus agreed, moving to climb down the treehouse ladder.  Virgil watched him go for a second before leaving himself, climbing across the tree branch that led through his open window.  He made it just in time to look out his window and spot Janus leaving through the gate towards his front yard.  He paused and looked up at Virgil first, giving him a sloppy salute as if saying “There, I did what you wanted.”  Then he turned and vanished into the early morning.
Virgil smiled to himself and sank down against his windowsill.  God, he loved that idiot.
He waited until he got a text half an hour later that Janus made it home before climbing into bed.  It would still be a while before he fell asleep, though, the buzzing feeling Janus left him with made him feel too alive for that.
Not for the first time, Virgil wished that the “way these things work” was something different.
“I’m just saying,” Roman said, his arm looped through Logan’s as the three of them walked to class.  “That if you’re going to give students an assignment over break you deserve nothing less than death.”
“Agreed,” Virgil said.
Logan shook his head at them both in disbelief.  “We are students,” he said.  “Our entire job is to learn.  If the teachers have assignments to grade over break, shouldn’t students have something to work on too?”
“No,” Roman said.  “It’s the teachers job to grade assignments.”
“Did you miss the part where I said learning is our job?”
“I don’t see myself getting paid for this shit,” Virgil muttered.  “And I don’t want to write a whole damn essay over break.  I don’t care if ‘learning is my job’ or whatever you think.  The whole point of a break is a vacation.”
“It’s just one essay,” Logan said, raising an eyebrow.  “You can get it done and still have a vacation.”
“Logan, your ‘I can write essays in an hour’ thing is kicking in again,” Roman said.  “It takes most people longer to write an essay than it takes you.”
Virgil didn’t catch Logan’s response, having instead caught Janus’ eyes on the side of the hallway.  Janus looked at him as he passed and smirked, giving Virgil just enough time to think about how absolutely gone he was for this boy before he passed behind them.
“Virgil?”
Virgil jerked around to face Roman.  “What?”
“Don’t you agree?”
Virgil blinked.  “Oh, yeah, absolutely.”
“See!” Roman exclaimed, spinning to Logan like that won the whole argument.  Virgil was happy to help.
They both continued the argument that Virgil had lost all interest in until they reached the lunchroom, where Patton was already sitting at their usual table.
Virgil pulled his phone out as he sat down, because if he’d passed Janus… yep.
 Janus: So how are the universe’s favorite love birds doing
 Virgil rolled his eyes.
 Virgil: You don’t always have to act like you hate them you know
Janus: Excuse you?  They are the worst.  I despise them and everything they stand for
Virgil: They also happen to be the only people who actually tried being my friends
Janus: Ugh
Janus: You and your hatred of loneliness
Virgil: If you want to talk to them they wouldn’t hate it you know
Janus: And surround myself with soulmate perfection stories all the time?  Please
 Virgil sighed.  They both knew he could see right through Janus.  While Virgil now had three close friends and gained the friendliness of everyone else by association, he remembered the things that you said when you didn’t have anyone and were trying to convince yourself you were okay with that.  “As if I want to surround myself with soulmate perfection all the time” was up near the top of the list.  Virgil had said it more than a couple times himself before he realized the soulmate perfection people were actually pretty nice.
“Hey, Virgil, whatcha looking at?”
…About most things.
“Nothing,” Virgil said, putting his phone back in his bag.  “Just making notes of assignment stuff.  Roman’s right, an essay assignment over break is BS.”
“Right?” Roman said, and started launching into his complaints.  Virgil sat back in relief and listened to him start to rant, rubbing his thumb over his phone case in his pocket.
He had other reasons to hate the essay assignment.  He and Janus had been planning what to do over spring break for months.  Janus had gotten his mother’s permission to take the car and go with a friend on a couple of day trips, so long as they didn’t like, leave the state or something.  Virgil had been looking forward to going somewhere fun with Janus, exploring the places Janus had picked out, finding places to be alone… maybe pretending to be soulmates.
Virgil looked down at the name on his wrist and sighed, wishing once again that it said something other than Ethan Baker.
Virgil went through the rest of the day trying to figure out a way to finish that essay before break.  He had a week, but he had other assignments due before break.  He could probably ask Logan for help, come to think of it.  He texted Logan after school as he was heading out to Roman’s car.  Logan stayed after most days to tutor.
 Virgil: Hey, could I maybe stay after Thursday to work on my essay with you
Logan: Sure, I don’t have any tutoring on Thursday.  Try and have an outline and an argument decided on by then, okay?
Virgil: Will do
 Virgil slipped his phone back into his pocket and glanced up as he approached Roman and Patton, who were standing outside Roman’s car waiting for him.
“Sorry,” he said as he ended up in front of them.  “Trying to figure out how to get an actual break.”
“Do you have a plan?” Roman asked, getting into the driver’s seat as Patton took the passenger and Virgil got into the back.
“Yeah, I’m meeting up with Logan on Thursday to write the essay.”
“Oh, can I join?”
“You should ask, but I’m sure he won’t mind,” Patton said.  “I need a treat.  Anyone else want ice cream?”
“Sign me up,” Roman said as he started to back up.  “Jenny’s?”
“Absolutely,” Virgil agreed.  Jenny’s was their favorite ice cream place.  He wanted to find a way to take Janus some day.
Patton texted Logan to meet them there when he was done with tutoring, and then they all headed there.
Virgil grabbed his notebook once they got there and started writing down ideas for his essay in between bites of ice cream.  By the time Logan got there, he had a couple ideas to narrow down, and he pulled out his phone to text Janus.
 Virgil: You don’t have any assignments over break, do you?
Janus: Fuck no.  What monsters do you have as teachers?
Virgil: Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it handled.  Just making sure you’re ready for our trips too
Turns out, Janus had quite a few good spots to go to, with different goals in mind.  They went to ice rinks, outlet malls with Hot Topic, and a state park all within the same week.  The park ended up being Virgil’s favorite.  It was filled with giant rocks that people were encouraged to climb on.  They found a high up rock tucked in between trees overlooking a river, and stayed there for hours appreciating the view, and appreciating… other things.  If anyone saw them, the names on their wrists were covered, and people were much more likely to assume they were soulmates than otherwise.
It was as they were getting into the car to leave the park that Virgil turned to Janus.  “Janus?”
“Hmm?”
“We can’t pretend we’re not dating anymore, can we?”
Janus huffed a laugh.  “I don’t think we can,” he said.  “Not really.”
“Should we talk about that?”
“What part of it?”
“You know what part, Jan.”
Janus sighed.  “No, Virgil,” he said.  “I’m not going to force you to tell everyone now just because we’ve admitted we’re dating.  Believe it or not, I like things as they are.”  He leaned over and kissed Virgil as if to make his point.  Virgil’s hands drifted to hold the sides of his face as he kissed him back.
“Hey,” Virgil murmured as Janus pulled away to breathe.
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” Janus replied easily, like he barely had to think about it, and Virgil pulled him closer as sparks lit inside his chest.  It was going to be awhile before they left the park.
“What about that hotel, we could stop there.”
“We are not stopping at a hotel, dumbass,” Virgil said, shoving Janus’ head from the side.  “These are supposed to be day trips.”
“Oh, Virgil, how could you deny me the chance to spend a night with you?” Janus asked, throwing a hand up to his forehead as if this was some huge betrayal.
“Don’t you have to be 18 to be able to buy a hotel room anyway?” Virgil pointed out, crossing his arms and smirking.
“Hmm.  Fair enough.  I know a motel a couple miles away, we could try that.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the same deal.”
“I have a fake ID in the glove box.”
“You what?” Virgil laughed, pulling open the glove box to see that Janus was right.  “Why are we going to a motel and not a hotel if you have a fake ID?”
“So what I’m hearing is we can go to a hotel!”
“Janus!” Virgil groaned, trying to stop smiling.
“What, it’s not like we have school again tomorrow.  We’re not needed anywhere.”
“Yes, well as technically true as that is, tomorrow is still the day we all meet up at Roman’s house to set up the pool and swim.”
All of the mirth faded instantly from Janus’ face.  “Oh.”
“Hey, what?” Virgil asked, furrowing his eyebrows in concern.
“Nothing.  You’re allowed to have other friends,” Janus said, sounding sincere in that.
Virgil sighed.  “Except I never get to see you as is,” he muttered.  “Right?”
“Well… yes,” Janus admitted.
Virgil reached over and grabbed Janus’ hand on top of the steering wheel.  “Come with me, then.  I’ll ask them if you can come.  I’m sure they’ll say yes.”
“Oh?  And what will you say?  ‘Hey, are you three with your perfect fairy tale story ending cool with me bringing my boyfriend that isn’t my soulmate over to your house?”
“Well of course I wouldn’t say that,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes.  “I’ll probably say you’re a friend I’ve met.”
Janus sighed and shook his head.
“Janus,” Virgil said, checking to make sure no other cars were around before pulling his hand onto the middle console.  “Come with me.  You can wear a swimsuit and look hot and make me wish I could come over and kiss your face off.”
Janus gave him a look, and Virgil could see his answer before he said it.
“Maybe another time, Virgil,” he said, pulling his hand away and putting it back on the wheel.
They made the rest of the trip home in silence, and after a while Virgil leaned on the window and fell asleep.
“LOGAN, LOOK OUT!” was all the warning that Logan got before Roman landed right on top of him and sent them both underwater.  Virgil started swimming over to them instantly, but both heads popped out of the water before he got there, though Logan was rubbing his and looked in pain.
“Do you never look before you leap into pools?” Logan asked, glaring at Roman.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Roman said, grabbing Logan’s head and starting to look it over.  “Here, I can kiss it better.”
“That is not how medical care works,” Logan said, as Roman kissed the area of his head he’d landed on.
“Oh for goodness sake, specs, I’m being sweet.” Roman said, continuing to look his head over.  “You look okay.  You want to get out for a minute?”
“I am alright.  I think a headache is forming after that, but I don’t feel I need medical attention.”
“Medical attention?  What happened?” Patton called, emerging from the house with a platter of various snacks.
“Roman was being the idiot he usually is and leapt right on top of Logan instead of just into the water,” Virgil said, swimming back over to lean against the side of the pool.
“Oh my goodness, are you two okay?” Patton said, setting the platter down and rushing over to the side of the pool.
“We’re alright, Patton,” Logan reassured, catching Patton’s hands before they could start fluttering over him in worry.  “Neither of us are seriously injured.”
“Good,” Patton muttered, kissing Logan quickly, and then moving on to do the same for Roman.  Virgil looked away, trying not to feel bitter.  He looked over at his phone, sitting over by his clothes, and debated going over to call Janus and make him get his ass over here.
He missed his boyfriend.  How had he gotten so used to seeing him every day so quickly?
The sound of people climbing out of the pool roused his attention, and Virgil saw Patton waving him over for the snacks he’d brought.  He pushed himself out of the pool and headed over to eat them, trying to push Janus out of his mind.
“You know, I heard there was going to be a new student coming to school after break is over,” Logan said.
“Ugh, of course you care about stuff like that,” Roman said, rolling his eyes and giving Logan an endeared smile.
“No, there was something about him.  His name sounded familiar, but I’m not sure why.”
“What’s his name?” Patton asked, popping a grape in his mouth.
“Um… Ethan, I think.  Ethan Baker.”
Virgil’s blood ran cold.  “What?”
Logan glanced over at him.  “What?”
“Oh my gosh, Logan!” Roman exclaimed.  “Why didn’t you say anything?  That’s Virgil’s soulmate, you dummy!”
Logan’s confused look cleared.  “Oh, that’s why it sounded familiar,” he said.  “Well, congratulations, Virgil.  Unless it’s a different Ethan Baker, it sounds like you might get to meet your soulmate soon.”
Virgil stood up suddenly and stumbled a few steps back.
“Virgil?” Patton asked, standing up and looking concerned again.  “Are you alright?”
“Um,” Virgil said, still moving backwards.  “I—”
Roman jumped up.  “Virgil, stop, you’re going to—”
The ground disappeared from under Virgil’s feet and his heart leapt into his throat a second before he hit the water, thankfully in a deep enough part of the pool that he didn’t hit his head on anything.
Maybe he could just stay down here and never have to face the reality that Logan just presented him with.
Unfortunately, a hand reached down into the water and pulled him upwards until he was above the surface and looking at Roman’s concerned face.
“Are you alright?” Roman asked, helping him out of the pool and sitting down next to him.
Virgil yanked his hand away and wrapped his arms around himself.  “Fine,” he muttered.  “I’m fine.  Everything’s fine.”
“Hey, kiddo,” Patton said, sitting on his other side.  “I get it.”
Virgil looked over at him.
“It’s okay,” Patton said, smiling.  “Of course meeting your soulmate is scary.  I was scared when I met Roman and Logan.”
“You were a kid,” Virgil pointed out.
“And?  You’re not allowed to be scared because you’re a little older than I was?  Virgil, it’s alright.  No one is going to blame you for being scared.  You don’t even have to meet him right away if you don’t want to.”
Something in Virgil’s chest lightened at the thought.  “I don’t?”
“Well, I wouldn’t conceal it from him,” Logan said, sitting down on the other side of Patton.  “You should tell him who you are.  But if you’re not ready for a relationship or even a friendship you can tell him that.”
“I can?” Virgil asked, as his heartbeat continued to slow.
“Oh, kiddo, of course,” Patton said, grabbing Virgil’s hand and squeezing it.
“This is your soulmate, Virge,” Roman said, and Virgil glanced over at him.  “You’re matched up for a reason.  He’s going to understand if you’re not ready.  And even if things are bumpy, it’ll be alright eventually.  I mean just look at my parents.”
Virgil wasn’t sure what Roman’s parents had to do with anything.  Roman had two dads who seemed as in love as any other soulmates Virgil had ever seen.
“Just relax, Virgil,” Roman said with a smile, cutting off his thoughts.  “There’s no reason to freak out before you even meet the guy.  You don’t know what he’ll be like.  Just keep that in mind.”
Virgil leaned forward and rested his head on his knees.  “Okay,” he murmured.  “I’ll do that.”
“These things tend to work themselves out, kiddo,” Patton said.  “That’s what soulmates are all about.”
Virgil’s test tightened again.  That’s kind of what I’m afraid of.
“Okay, I got your frantic text,” Janus said, pulling himself up into the treehouse.  “What’s going on?  Why are we meeting tonight when school starts again tomorrow?”
Virgil was grateful in the moment that he must have looked outwardly anxious in his position of being tucked against the back wall with his arms around his knees, because otherwise Janus definitely would have made some kind of joke about him being just that irresistible.
“There’s a new student coming to school after the break,” Virgil said.  “Named Ethan Baker.”
Janus shut his eyes and let out a long, slow breath.  He clearly knew what that meant.  He moved across the treehouse and sat in front of Virgil.  “Okay.  What do you want to do then?”
“What do you mean what do I want to do?” Virgil asked, staring at him.  “Janus, I want him not to come.”
“Yeah.  I figured.  But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s coming.  So what do you want to do?”
Virgil didn’t have an answer.  He didn’t want to think about it, or have to make this decision.  He didn’t want his parents to reject him.  He didn’t want Patton and Logan and Roman to hate him.  He didn’t want to go back to being alone and friendless, and especially not while dating someone who wasn’t his soulmate.  He’d be ostracized, and even when he was lonely, he hadn’t dealt with any level of vitriol.  But the issue was that, at the same time…
He wanted Janus.  He wanted this, stolen nights in a broken down treehouse and day trips over spring break and Janus’ wit and sarcasm and hatred for all things soulmates.  He just didn’t know if that want was strong enough to override all of the things that he didn’t want.
“I want…” he said after a moment.  “I want to meet him.  Who knows, maybe he’s an asshole who can fuck right off.”
“Maybe,” Janus said, in a tone that said ‘hopefully,’ but also in a way that meant he didn’t really believe that.
“Look,” Virgil said.  “What I want is to not decide anything before I meet him.  Let’s just do things like normal.  I’ll see you here on Friday.”
Janus looked at him for a moment, and nodded.  He turned as if about to leave, and suddenly Virgil wanted to scream at him to stop.  That would have been incredibly stupid, though, so instead he reached out and grabbed Janus’ arm.
Janus turned back to face him.
“What was that you said about wanting to spend a night with me?” Virgil asked, trying on a wobbly smile.
“I meant under different circumstances,” Janus said, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yes, but…” Virgil tried to figure out a way to say Don’t leave me like this without using those exact words.
Janus seemed to read it in his face.  “Okay,” he said, and he turned back around, thank god.  “But I’m not sleeping in a treehouse.”
Virgil nodded.  “Follow me,” he said, and climbed back across the branch into his bedroom, showing Janus where to put his hands and feet.
Janus dropped quietly down into the bedroom after him, and suddenly soulmates were gone from his mind, and the only thing Virgil could think about was that Janus was in his room.
When was the last time he’d cleaned up again?
Janus was smiling as he looked around.  “Wow, Virgil, you’re a regular neat freak, aren’t you?”
“Shut uuuup,” Virgil groaned, shoving his shoulder and stepping over various items as he started towards his bed.  Janus followed, and toed off his shoes at the edge.
“Here,” Virgil said, taking a short detour to his dresser and handing Janus one of his hoodies and a pair of sweatpants to sleep in.  He crawled into bed as Janus changed, and then joined him a minute later, wrapping his arms around his waist.  Virgil leaned back against him.
“I set an alarm so I’ll get up and leave,” Janus said.
“Okay,” Virgil murmured.  He was quiet for a minute.  “Hey Janus?”
“Hmm?”
“I still love you.”
“I love you too,” Janus whispered, kissing the top of Virgil’s head, which made Virgil feel warm in an entirely different way from how he felt after a makeout session.  He fell asleep still warm all over.
Virgil recognized Ethan by finding his name on his wrist, which really just felt like one more way for the universe to laugh at him.  But Logan was right.  He couldn’t just hide from Ethan the fact that he was his soulmate.  So instead, he walked up and tapped him on the shoulder, feeling like he was sealing his fate.
Which he supposed, in a way, he was.
Ethan turned with a slightly curious smile.  “Hello,” he said.
“Ethan Baker?”
Ethan nodded, looking more curious.
“Uh,” Virgil waved his wrist.  “I’m Virgil Storm.”
Ethan’s eyes widened.  “Oh.  Oh, my goodness!”
“Yeah,” Virgil muttered, trying to make his smile look happier than he felt.
“Well, hi!” Ethan said, starting to smile much wider.  “It’s so lovely to meet you, Virgil!  I never would have thought—”  The warning bell rang overhead.
“Oh, damn that thing,” Ethan muttered, looking up at it.  “I wish we had more time to talk.”
“What class do you have?” Virgil asked.
“Uh… Holden.  English.”
Virgil tried to smile wider.  “Well, I’ve got good news then.  That’s my class too.  Want to walk with me?”
“Oh, awesome!” Ethan said.  “Yes, please!  It’s so good to meet you!”
“You too,” Virgil said, falling into step beside Ethan as they started down the hallway.
Come on, Virgil.  Give the guy a chance.  Maybe this will all work out fine and he is an asshole.  Maybe he’s about to say something super dick-ish right now.  Here it comes.
Ethan beamed over at him.  “I should have known you’d be even more gorgeous than I pictured,” he said.
Goddammit.
Ethan wasn’t an asshole, by any stretch of the imagination.  Virgil really tried, he tried so hard to hate him.  It should be easy, he was an expert at hating people for no reason!  He tried twisting all of Ethan’s words and actions into the most despicable light he could manage.  But Ethan was just too damn sweet.
He was gentle and caring.  His smile could light up a room.  He got along perfectly with all of Virgil’s friends.  Virgil was pretty sure he tried harder than anything else he’d ever done in his life, but he just couldn’t hate him.  Why couldn’t he hate him?  Was this the universe fucking with him?  Was there some kind of genetic thing that kicked in that made people incapable of hating their soulmates?
Or was Ethan just that fucking nice?
Either way, Virgil couldn’t hate the guy.  He wanted to, but he couldn’t.  Maybe that was why he was hiding here.  Virgil looked up from the stage, glad at least that the auditorium was big as well as empty.
He just couldn’t go back to class, where everyone would be staring at him and Ethan like all of their future problems were solved now.  He buried his head in his knees.  He wanted to get out of here.
He didn’t register any kind of bell ringing, but one must have, because doors opened and people started coming in, and Virgil remembered that there were drama classes in the auditorium.  He jumped up and headed backstage, trying to control his now much worse breathing.  He’d be fine, he just had to last until everyone starting doing things and then he could—
“Virgil?”
Of course.  Of course he would be here.
“Hey,” Ethan said, coming backstage.  “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Virgil shook his head.  “No,” he choked out.  “No, I don’t want—”  He yanked his hood over his head and pulled hard on the strings until his face was obscured.
“Okay, okay, you don’t have to tell me.  Just come here, alright?  People are going to be coming back here soon.”
Virgil grabbed onto his hand when it was offered because he didn’t know what else to do, and they ended up in what looked like a prop area underneath the stage.
“Hey, breathe with me, okay?  I’m gonna count to four, try and breathe in.  It’s okay if you can’t make it all the way there.”
He started doing that, and waited so damn patiently until Virgil finally managed to calm down, and the whole time he didn’t make a single sudden move, and Virgil wished that he wanted him to leave.
When Virgil was breathing normally again, Ethan just smiled gently and leaned back.  He didn’t ask a damn thing about what happened.  He just said “You okay?” in a way that meant it would be totally fine if the answer was no.
Virgil took a shaky breath and nodded.  “Thank you,” he whispered, because Ethan was good at that, and he hadn’t met another person who knew how to do anything like this before he told them.
“Of course,” Ethan said with a nod.
“How did you know what to do?” Virgil asked.
“My little sister gets panic attacks sometimes.  I wanted to learn how to help her, so I did some research.”
Virgil nodded.  “Guess that’s lucky,” he muttered.  He looked up at Ethan.  “Ethan?”
“Yeah?”
“What do you want from this?”
Ethan looked confused.  “From what?”
“Me.  What are you looking for?”
“Well, a soulmate,” Ethan said, like that should be obvious.  “I don’t want to start dating you if you’re not ready, of course, but eventually.  I— I like you, Virgil,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he started to blush.  “I’d love a relationship with you once you’re ready.”
What if I’m never ready, Virgil didn’t say.  He shut his eyes and leaned back against the wall behind him.
“Virgil,” Ethan said, and Virgil opened his eyes again.  “If you are not ready to date me, we don’t have to date yet.  Is that what you’re panicking about?”
“I… don’t know,” Virgil lied.
“I’m not going to rush you,” Ethan said, taking a small step forward.  “Or push you.  I want to move at a pace we’re both comfortable with, and if that means I have to wait, I’m okay with that.  For now, I would be more than happy to be your friend, Virgil Storm.”
Virgil looked back at his soulmate, with the universe stamp of approval.  It was the ‘for now’ part of that statement he was going to have issues with.  But then again, maybe for now… that would be fine.
Virgil’s entire body melted with relief when Janus appeared in the doorway of the treehouse.
“Janus,” he said, climbing up and moving across to meet him.  He started to pull Janus down into a kiss, only to be stopped by Janus pushing back a second later.
“Janus?”  He stopped moving when he noticed the look on Janus’ face.  “Janus, what’s wrong?”
“Virgil, we need to talk,” Janus said.
“Oh, hardly,” Virgil said, starting to smile.  “I have good news.  Ethan says we don’t have to date if I’m not ready.  And I’m not.  So…”  He leaned up to pull Janus down to him again.
Janus sighed and pushed him back.  “Virgil.”
Virgil stopped smiling.  “What?”
“Did you miss the not ready part of that sentence?” Janus said, sitting down across from him.  “He definitely wouldn’t be comfortable with you dating other people in the meantime.”
Virgil scowled.  “I don’t owe him anything.”
“Yes, you do.  He’s your soulmate.”
“And since when does that kind of thing matter to you?  Part of the whole damn reason you fell for me is because I’m not your soulmate.  You hate soulmates.”
“But you don’t,” Janus said, looking firmly at him.  “Virgil, I saw you with him.  You don’t hate him.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m in love with him!  I love you.”
Janus sighed.  “Virgil.”
“What?”
“You can’t possibly see yourself falling for him?  There’s no chance you could end up in love with him even more than you are with me?”
Virgil leaned back.  “What— Janus.  It’s not about that.”
“What’s it about then, Virgil?  Come on, he seems made for you.  That’s what they say soulmates are supposed to be, don’t they?”
Virgil narrowed his eyes.  “I don’t care.”
“Oh, so you don’t care about whether or not your family wants you to be with him?  Or your friends?  Or everyone else?”
Virgil winced.  “That’s different.”
“I’m not going to push you into the limelight like that, Virgil.  You seem uncomfortable now, when you’re doing what everyone expects of you.  If someone found out you were dating me, I…” Janus shook his head, looked more helpless than Virgil had ever seen him before.  “I can’t do that to you,” he finished, shifting backwards slightly.
“Don’t you think that should be my decision?” Virgil said, crossing his arms.
“Well, I’m making it.  I’m sorry.”  Janus stood up and started for the ladder.
“Wh- wait, Janus!” Virgil moved and started climbing down after him, catching his arm before he could run from the backyard.
Janus sighed, then turned and faced him.  “It’s okay,” he said.  “We’ll be okay.  Don’t try and stop yourself from falling for him, Virgil.  I won’t even be a little mad, I promise.”
“Janus, please.”  Virgil tried to pull him back, but Janus wouldn’t budge.  “What— what if I don’t see you again?”
Janus smiled sadly.  “How ever will I last,” he whispered, leaning in one last time and kissing Virgil gently.
The way he did goodbyes.
He pulled his hand out of Virgil’s and ran for the back gate, slipping through it and into the night.
When Virgil had no reason to try and dislike Ethan, liking him was much easier.  He was sweet, and very cute when he was excited, which tended to happen whenever he talked about theatre, which was his favorite part of school (he got along well with Roman).  He knew how to help Virgil if he was panicking, and he took an interest in the kinds of things Virgil liked.  Virgil tried so hard to return the favor, but he couldn’t make himself interested for very long.  That… that was okay.  That would change with time.
For all of Virgil’s fears about what having a soulmate would do to his relationship with Janus, now that the worst had happened, having one actually having one wasn’t so bad.  Ethan was easy to care about, and easy to spend time with, even if their interests didn’t always line up.  Virgil would fall in love with him.  He just needed a little more time.
These things worked themselves out, Patton said.  That had to be true.
Virgil’s parents were thrilled to meet Ethan.  His mom got along with him really well, and his dad seemed approving, if his smiles and nods to Virgil were anything to go by.  His mom was astounded when Ethan mentioned they weren’t dating yet.
“Why in the world not?” she asked, looking over at Virgil across the dinner table.
“It’s just… a big step,” Virgil muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.  “I don’t know.”
“Hmm,” his mom said, in the way she did when she thought Virgil was being too anxious about something.  “I suppose that’s fair.  Take your time, of course.”
“It’s not just him,” Ethan said suddenly.  “I don’t want to rush things either.  We both decided to just take it slow.”
Virgil smiled gratefully at him, glad for the save. Ethan gave his hand a quick reassuring squeeze under the table.
They went up to Virgil’s room after dinner, and Ethan seemed concerned.  “Is your mom always that pushy?” he asked, as Virgil shut the door.
“She just… wants me to push myself,” he said.  “She thinks I would be more satisfied if I took more risks, went after what I want.”
“What if you don’t know what you want?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.
“And therein lies the main problem in my relationship with my mother,” Virgil sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
Ethan chuckled a little, moving to lean against the wall next to the door.
Virgil worried his lip between his teeth, and looked back at Ethan.  “You’re really okay with moving slowly?”
“Virgil, I told you,” Ethan said, smiling genuinely at him.  “I want you to be comfortable.”
“You want to be with me though,” Virgil said.
“I… do,” Ethan admitted.  “But if you’re not ready for that, I don’t want to rush you.”
Virgil looked at him a moment longer.  Ethan wasn’t bad looking.  Virgil liked him as a person.  Maybe in order to make the switch into liking him romantically, he just had to force it a little.
He took three steps across the room and kissed Ethan square on the mouth.  Ethan made a muffled noise of surprise, and Virgil pulled back instantly.  Idiot, you need to ask before doing something like that, you moron.
“I’m sorry!” Virgil said, stepping back.  “I’m sorry, I just— I—”
Ethan cut him off by reaching up and pulling him back in to kiss him again, and in the moment, all Virgil felt was relief that he hadn’t freaked him out or pissed him off.
He could do this.  He’d done this a hundred times with Janus, he just had to… go through the motions.  Come on, Virgil.  You know what you’re doing.
He pulled Ethan with him as he stumbled back across the room and pulled them both onto his bed, wrapping his arms around his back and trying to push himself a little farther.  He’d start feeling something any second now, he just needed to—
“Okay, okay, woah,” Ethan pushed him back, panting.  “I need to breathe.”
Virgil leaned back.  “Sorry.”
“Hey, no apologies necessary,” Ethan said, grinning at him.  “You… you’re very good at this.”
Virgil felt his cheeks grow warm.  “You wouldn’t guess, huh,” he muttered.
“Absolutely not a bad surprise,” Ethan said.  “It just might be my turn to ask you to slow down a tad.”
Virgil nodded.  “Okay.  You’ve got it.”  He looked down and fidgeted with his fingers.  “Want to watch a movie?”
“That sounds nice,” Ethan said, still looking very happy with the situation.  Virgil leaned over the side of his bed and grabbed his laptop as Ethan sat up.
It’s okay.  It’s okay.  You’ll fall for him.  You just need a little more time.
Time passed, and Virgil didn’t fall for him.  He didn’t know what else to do.  He tried to come up with something to make it better, some kind of “at least” to work off of.  At least Ethan was nice.  At least he was pretty.  At least everyone else was happy for him.  At least Janus didn’t hate him.  None of them seemed to work.
Virgil was quickly becoming the soulmate envy of all just like Patton, Roman, and Logan, and feeling absolutely miserable because of it.  He hadn’t shown it, of course.  He’d beamed at Ethan and kissed his cheek before classes and smiled and rolled his eyes in endearment whenever someone asked him how knowing his soulmate felt.
He couldn’t stand it.  He was pretty sure he’d never felt less like himself.  But Patton and Logan and Roman all smiled at him like they thought he was happy, and so did his parents, and so did Ethan, so Virgil tried to brush aside the miserable feeling in his chest and fool himself like he’d fooled everyone else.
He hadn’t expected a change to come from Roman.  With his general romanticism and his perfect soulmate story, he’d expected Roman to be the last person to be able to tell when someone wasn’t happy with theirs.  He’d noticed the occasional suspicious look sent his way by him, but he’d managed to brush it off.  He certainly hadn’t expected Roman to say anything.
On the day he did, Virgil had already been feeling pretty shitty.  It was around lunchtime, Ethan was sitting next to Virgil and smiling at him as they both ate, riveting them all with a story about what had happened during drama class.  Virgil had mastered the art of smiling and nodding along, and that’s what he was doing when he turned at just the wrong time and met eyes with Janus, who looked as miserable as Virgil felt.
His eyes widened when their gazes met, and Virgil tried to think of the last time he’d seen Janus in any way.  Janus was very good at disappearing.
As if proving his point, Janus looked away and disappeared into the crowded room like a ghost.
Virgil stood up and pushed his chair back, saying something about going to the bathroom before all but sprinting from the lunchroom.
About halfway to the bathroom he realized that was a mistake, because it was just going to make Ethan come looking for him, so he veered right to head out to the football field.  He sat on the bleachers and buried his head in his knees, trying to quiet any of his rushing thoughts.
“You are going to seriously hurt someone.”
Virgil jerked upwards and saw Roman walking up the side of the bleachers towards him, arms crossed and looking firm.
Virgil swallowed, recovering his bearings as Roman stopped in front of him.  “What?” he asked.
“Virgil, if you don’t love Ethan you need to tell him that.”
Virgil’s mouth went dry.  “What are you talking about, I do—”
“No.  You don’t.”
Virgil looked away.  “But I have to.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Virgil.  You clearly don’t.”
“But he’s my soulmate.  What… what else is there?” Virgil asked, like he didn’t know the answer to that question by heart.
Roman didn’t reply right away.
Then suddenly, Virgil was pulled up off the bleachers and into a hug.
“Oh, Virgil,” Roman whispered.  “Virgil.  There is so much more if you want it.”
Virgil blinked quickly, trying to hold back the tears welling in his eyes.  “What?”
Roman leaned back.  “Virgil, what on earth made you think that all soulmate bonds have to be romantic?”
“What— but you— but they are,” Virgil insisted.  “That’s just how soulmates work.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem very fair,” Roman said, smiling gently.  “First of all, aromantic people would be shit out of luck if all soulmate bonds had to be romantic.” Roman’s look turned curious.  “I have told you about my mother before, right?”
“Your mother, what— don’t you have two dads?”
“Not always.  My mother married my father before she realized she didn’t experience romantic attraction.  She ended up divorcing dad, but they’re still close friends.  That’s how their soulmate bond works, but my dads aren’t soulmates.  And mom lives with Remus.  He and I are soulmates, but that’s definitely not romantic.”
“Who’s Remus?” Virgil asked.
“My brother,” Roman said, waving his hand dismissively.  “He and mom live a couple districts over.  He’ll come over here more often on summer vacation and you can meet him.  Point is, soulmate bonds aren’t inherently romantic, nor should they be, in my opinion.”
“But… but you’re in love with Patton and Logan,” Virgil said weakly.
“Because I choose to be, Virgil.  The three of us don’t have to be dating.  I know that’s what most people tend to do, but it’s not fair to expect that of everyone.  What if you don’t want a partner right then?  Or ever?  What if you fall in love with someone who isn’t your soulmate?”
Virgil’s blood ran cold, and he took a step back, almost stumbling into the bleachers.  “Who told you?” he whispered.
Roman’s face fell.  “Oh, Virgil,” he said.  He moved forward and pulled Virgil into a hug again.  “No one told me, Virge.  I’m so sorry.”
Virgil’s breathing started to shake, and he pushed himself back from Roman.  “I thought— I thought you wouldn’t understand,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around himself.  “Because your soulmate story is so perfect.  I thought you wouldn’t—”
“A lot of people don’t,” Roman said quietly.  “I’m not going to tell you you’re wrong for being afraid.  But right now all you’re doing is hurting Ethan, and yourself, and the other person you love.”
Virgil sat down on the bleachers and buried his head in his hands.  Roman, after a moment, sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders.
“I have to break up with him, don’t I,” Virgil muttered.
“I’m not going to tell you what you should do in that regard,” Roman said.  “But I think you should strongly consider telling him what’s going on.”
Virgil nodded.  “I thought I could make myself love him,” he whispered.
“Love doesn’t work like that, Virgil,” Roman whispered.
“It would be easier if it did,” Virgil muttered.
“Yes,” Roman agreed.  “But then you wouldn’t get to have the person you love now.  Is that what you want instead?”
Virgil shook his head instantly.  He hadn’t wanted to lose Janus in the first place.  He didn’t want to trade him for anything.
“Do you want to stay out here for a while?” Roman asked.
“I want you to go get Ethan,” Virgil said firmly.
Roman blinked, seeming surprised.  “Right now?”
Virgil nodded.  “Yes.”
Roman still looked hesitant.  “Are you—”
“I’m sure.”
Roman must have seen he meant it, because a second later he nodded.  “Alright.  I’ll be back.  Um, advice, don’t dance around the subject.  Be straightforward and genuine, but also gentle if you can.”
Virgil nodded.  “Okay,” he said, and Roman left.  Virgil leaned back against the bleachers and took a deep breath.  This wasn’t going to be fun.  It may not be romantic in nature, but he did love Ethan, and he didn’t want to hurt him.  He leaned forward and buried his head in his hands again.  Why had he thought this would last?
“Virgil?”
Virgil jerked upright and spun around, because that wasn’t Ethan’s voice.
Sure enough, there was Janus, standing just at the edge of the bleachers and looking concerned.
Virgil leapt to his feet.  “Where the hell have you been?” he snapped.
“I saw you run off, I wanted to make sure you’re okay—”
“Not what I meant.  You completely ignore my texts and then you avoid me at school?  You asshole.”
Janus turned his hands upwards, looking a little offended.  “What, did you want me to hang around all the time?”
“I didn’t want you to leave in the first place you idiot,” Virgil snapped, jumping down from the bleachers and storming over to stand in front of Janus.  “You were clearly miserable on your own.”
“And you were fine,” Janus said, stepping towards him.  “I was trying not to be selfish for once.”
“Oh, I was fine?” Virgil said, throwing his hands to the sky.  “Janus who’s spent most of these past months avoiding me thinks I was fine.  Never mind then.”
“I thought you wanted to do what everyone expected of you,” Janus snapped.  “It’s not like you ever wanted to fight for me.”
“Oh, fuck you, Janus!  I wanted what everyone expected of me because that made me feel safe.”
“And you don’t want that?”
“No, right now I just want to feel alive again,” Virgil said, moving forward until he was nose-to-nose with Janus.  “Which is kind of hard to do considering I’m starting to spend my whole life going through the motions.”
“Why would you need me to change that?”
“Moron,” Virgil said, and pulled Janus into a kiss, desperate and passionate and making up for all of the months he’d been gone.
They both pulled apart when a gasp came from nearby.
Virgil spun around to see Ethan standing at the edge of the walkway leading up to the field.
“Wait,” Virgil said, stepping towards him.  “Wait, that’s not how this was supposed to happen.  Ethan—”
Ethan spun around but didn’t leave, and Virgil moved across the field until he was right behind him.
“You’re never like that with me,” Ethan murmured.
“I’m sorry, this wasn’t supposed to be how I did this—”
“But you were going to do this.  You were going to leave me for him.  He’s not even your soulmate.”
“I know.  I… I’m sorry.  I do love you, Ethan.  Just not…”
“Not like I love you,” Ethan said, looking over his shoulder at Virgil.
Virgil winced.  “I’m sorry.”
Ethan laughed a little and looked down.  “I think I kinda knew it, you know?  I just wanted… I wanted to be enough for you.  But I was never going to be, was I?”
Virgil started to reach for him, but stopped and dropped his hand.  “I’m sorry,” he said again.  “You can… you can hate me if you want.”
Ethan looked up at him again.  “But you don’t want that.”
“Not everything has to be about what I want,” Virgil said quietly.
Ethan turned to face the school.  “I… I’m going now, Virgil,” he said.  “I’ll call you if I’m ever ready to talk again.”
“Okay,” Virgil whispered.  “Take care, Ethan.”
“You… you too,” Ethan said, and then he walked away.
Virgil watched him until he was gone, and then turned around to face Janus, who was casually looking around back in the middle of the field.  He looked back at Virgil when he started walking across to meet him.
“All good?” Janus asked, like he already knew the answer.
Virgil shook his head.  “No.”
Janus nodded.  “Yeah,” he muttered.
They both looked at each other for a moment.
“Janus?”
“Virgil?”
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Janus started grinning, and held out his hand.  Virgil grabbed it, and they both started running.  They made it to Janus’ car, and both got in, and drove.  And drove, and planned to drive some more.
Nothing was fixed.  They’d have to come back and face the music eventually.  Virgil had to tell Patton and Logan what happened.  He’d need to tell Janus about Roman’s parents.  They’d have to figure out a way to make this work, actually work, work in the way they both wanted.
But for now, they rolled down the windows, and drove out of the suburbs and out under the open sky.  Virgil screamed My Chemical Romance lyrics at the top of his lungs.  More than once throughout the drive he checked to make sure no other cars were around and leaned in to kiss Janus’ face off.  He had a lot of lost time to make up for, after all.
And now, hopefully, a lot of time to do it.
Part 2
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Text
I Messed Up Didn’t I? (Dream)
MASTERLIST
pairing : dreamwastaken x singer!reader (angst) 
summary : after the breakup, he sees that you’re growing as a singer, while he’s suffering alone, but you don’t think that about him, seeing he’s growing on youtube. 
a/n : you’re replacing gwen in the voice! 
hey! this isn’t going to be the only part! stay tuned for more!
it ended after an argument. he was constantly on his computer, and would forget every important day. from your birthday, to your anniversaries, he forgot them all. 
he even would disregard it, saying it wasn’t important anyway, that everyday could be a special day. that hurt you a lot. you two have been together for a long time and you didn’t want to lose it. you couldn’t afford to lose him, not like this. 
sometimes it felt like he didn’t love you anymore, that he didn’t feel the same anymore. it hurt to see him on his phone, or on discord call with his friends. 
you thought his friends were amazing and supportive, but his friends took away your limited time together, and hurt like a bitch. 
at first, you were okay with his constant video games, knowing that’s his job now, and that he’s been supportive of you, and you should be supportive of him too. 
at first, it had been tough, you brought in the money, paid for the bills, bought groceries since you were making money through music. you weren’t stingy, you are totally fine with spending money for him, but it felt wrong at the same time. 
your mum always told you never settle for a guy, that he would do things for you if he wanted to. and that stuck to you, but you love dream, with everything in you. you couldn’t afford to leave him, to break this long time relationship. 
you two had been there for each other since the roots. and to see it crumble like this hurt a lot. 
he didn’t notice. he didn’t care enough to ask you how your day went anymore. he was too busy on his computer. 
you made the effort. you asked him the usual questions, to which he’s reply with a ‘’m fine’ or simply not answer. you brought him food whenever you notice he’s been skipping meals to sit on his desk. 
you got him a new monitor, gaming chair, a new desk. everything he could’ve ever wanted. if it made him happy, you’d buy it, even if it took time away from you together. 
he didn’t notice how you’re slipping away, barely talking to him, barely even sleeping on the same bed anymore. he didn’t notice the constant emails on your phone. or maybe he did, and he didn’t care. 
he didn’t notice that you two were basically living separate lives in the same house. he didn’t notice that you were thinking about leaving. 
it never occurred to dream that you’d snap one day, that you’d leave him. it never occurred to him that you’d buy your own house one day and leave him, alone in his house. 
it started small, you invited him to go to a dinner you had with your producers. he said he would left out, so you let him be, understanding it completely. 
then you’d ask multiple times for him to just get out of that chair and eat dinner with you, even if it’s just once. you told him you missed him, yet he still pushed you away. 
you didn’t understand where the relationship went wrong. you tried your best to work it out, talk it through, but it seemed like he didn’t even want it anymore, judging by the way he’s acting. 
he says it’s just a part of the relationship, getting comfortable. but you didn’t think getting comfortable meant that you both didn’t talk to each other all day. you didn’t want this type of comfortable. 
“just this once, let’s go get dinner. we can go eat at your favourite place.” you begged him. 
“no, i want to finish editing, can’t you go yourself, maybe bring me takeout?” he replies to you. 
“i could but i just want to spend time with you.” you begged again, almost whining. 
“just go, we spend so much time together anyway.” dream tells you, almost out of anger. 
“we haven-” you tried to say before getting cut off. 
“OMG JUST LEAVE, I’M STRESSED OUT RIGHT NOW, LEAVE” he screams at you. 
“i just-” you tried again, almost crying at that point. 
“LEAVE.” he scolded again. 
you left the room quietly, not wanting a screaming fest to start again. 
you sat on your shared bed. thinking about what went wrong. how did your relationship become this bad. 
you packed a bag. you didn’t care about your clothes, you could always buy new ones. you didn’t bother packing much, just the necessities. 
you walked out the door, grabbing your car keys on your way out. 
as you started you car, you sat there for a while. this was it huh? 
you told yourself that you made the right decision getting a house before this argument came.
you didn’t mean to hide it away from him, in fact, you wanted to bring it up during dinner, but since the dinner invitation didn’t work, you didn’t bother. 
the longer you drove, the more sad you became. tears trickled down your cheeks as you drove silently to a hotel before needing to sit a long drive from florida to california. 
you sat on the hotel bed, thinking about dream. you hated ending it this way. you didn’t even think this would end. you were planning to get married, for god’s sake. 
you cried even more thinking about it. 
you felt alone. but you knew you still had friends who supported you. but it felt like there was a void left unfilled after you left that house.
maybe it’s for the best. 
-
DREAM’S POV
i heard the door close. i heard it all. i heard her packing her stuff. but i don’t know why i didn’t stop her. i was too busy streaming. 
it didn’t hit me until a couple days later. and when the days came, it was too late. 
i knew i messed up. 
when i told george and sapnap, they were furious. they said they warned me before. they asked why i’m not looking for her. 
i told them it’s cause i knew you were no where near me. 
i knew i messed up. 
terribly. 
-
YOUR POV
months went by so quick.
the hold in your chest unhealed. but you knew you needed to get over it. 
you saw twitter, instagram, youtube. you saw that he had been blowing up. 
over 13 million subscribers. you were impressed. you were immensely proud of him. you wish you were there to celebrate it with him. but you weren’t. 
fortunately for you, months after you moved to california, you were offered to be a judge on the voice. 
you didn’t waste a second telling your team to say yes. you grew up watching the voice. and plus, you got to meet the john legend, kelly clarkson and blake sheldon. who would miss that opportunity. 
you spent a while trying to settle down in your new house. it was huge. huge for one person. but you needed it, the time alone. 
you liked it peaceful and quiet, it helped you heal slowly. it helped you to move on. 
you came out with a full album since then, which ended up being a hit. you were super grateful for the love you’ve been getting. 
now, you sat in one of the judges chairs for blind auditions. 
your hairstylist was making sure your hair was fully sprayed and looked good. you made small conversation with her, thanking her for making you look good for the camera. 
there was a camera for each judge. you looked into the one right in front of you and said. “holy shit i can’t believe i’m here.” 
john, who sat next to you laughed at your antics. you glanced at him and gave him a grin. 
“we’re ready.” the producer said to the judges, signaling that they were starting. 
audition after audition, you met amazing artists. 
“you’re amazing and i used my block on john for you. if you didn’t know, he’s a little scary when he’s competitive. i would love for you to be on my team.” you said to an amazing singer you turned your chair for. 
she sung an r&b song, to which got a four chair turn, but you were desperate. you needed her. 
“um, oh my god, this is hard.” she said to us, before choosing her mentor. 
kelly and blake chimed in, making her turn her head to look at them. 
“no. please, don’t listen or look at them, just me.” you said to her, practically begging. 
john laughed at this and said. “holy shit, you’re that desperate?” 
“yes, john, i love her.” you laughed along with the other two judges. 
“well-” the artist started. you crossed your fingers, hoping that she would pick you. you had a good chance as john was blocked. but kelly was good competition too, not counting out blake. 
“i pick.” she paused. 
“oh my god, spit it out already.” i screamed and laughed a little. 
“i pick y/n” she announced. 
“HOLY SHIT YES.” you stood from your chair and jumped a little, excited. 
“you losers.” you told the other three judges. 
“yeah, yeah, whatever,” kelly played along. 
-
blind auditions went along really smoothly. 
you’ve seen your face plastered all over the voice’s instagram and twitter. they even posted a clip of you being excited after getting picked as a mentor for the r&b artist. 
you were having a blast. your family from back home would facetime you and congratulate you or laugh at the stupid things you did on tv. 
what you didn’t know was that dream had seen them all. after all, he hadn’t paid attention to you before, why start now? your little jumps on your judge seat as you waited for the next audition. your little shouts to amazing singers auditioning. 
he was proud, to say the least. 
in this couple of months, he’d seen you grow into a young and successful woman. he was sad that he couldn’t be there to congratulate you through all your achievements. 
but that’s what he gets for abandoning his one and only love. 
at first, he didn’t even look into what you were doing. not until a few weeks after you left, george and sapnap had said something along the lines of your name and you being a judge on the voice. 
them two had been purposely teasing him. they knew that he treated you like absolute shit before you left and they made it a thing to make sure clay knew that. 
you weren’t in contact with dream for obvious reasons but you facetimed george and sapnap constantly, even before and after your shows. 
they had been through it all with you. since you were only a couple years older than nick, you two clicked well together, always talking about tiktok trends and the new lingo. but you don’t count off george for being one of your bestfriends. 
you actually had shown the camera once or twice when you facetimed george and sapnap. well, now the world knew that you three knew each other. they just didn’t know how you three met. 
twitter blew up with lots of hashatgs about you three, talking about ‘when worlds’ collide’.
you thought that was funny. they even asked you to link up and be friends with dream, who you knew was dream, but you’ve always ignored those types of comments. 
you saw the ship comments between you and george. you two would laugh it off and constantly say that you two are just friends. he’s your exes bestfriend, that would be awkward. 
dream saw it all, the facetime calls are all over the internet. your supporters were shocked to see that you knew each other. they didn’t know that dream and you knew each other though. 
he saw that you’ve been ignoring the comments to link up with him. his heart broke at that. but he deserved it. he ignored you for the longest time. now it’s your turn.
his heart broke at the shipping comments between you and george after knowing how often the facetime. 
dream knew he deserved it. he deserved all the pain coming to him. 
he felt grateful of his new, large following on the internet, but it felt like nothing compared to having you in his arms. why had he taken you for granted?
he was determined to see you again, to ask you to come back. he needed you. 
PART TWO!
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yellowocaballero · 3 years
Text
Jon & Sasha Arson fic
Little fragment of an idea that never went anywhere. No reason for it. Just thought it would be funny. I was right. Rest under the cut. 
Most people who were unlucky enough to meet Jonathan Sims assumed he had no friends.
This was true, up to a point two weeks after Jon became a researcher at the Magnus Institute: afterwards Jon had no friends, except for Sasha James.
Sasha James was attributable to arson.
Most people who were unlucky enough to meet Jonathan Sims assumed he had no friends. 
This was true, up to a point two weeks after Jon became a researcher at the Magnus Institute: afterwards Jon had no friends, except for Sasha James. 
*******
Sasha James was attributable to arson.
Arson was attributable to a bookshelf of Leitners, humming strange songs and spewing toxic energy into the air in rhythmic hissing motions. The Leitners were attributable to Artifact Storage, a testament to mankind’s hubris and a modern-day tower of Babel where a group of underpaid academics found themselves stress testing kevlar and fire suppression systems each day. Artifact Storage was attributable to the Magnus Institute, where Jon had managed to land a job after three months of desolate post-graduate unemployment. And the Magnus Institute was attributable to - well, probably Jonah Magnus, but Jon found that it was likely a bit of a reach to blame a long dead Regency gentleman for all of his problems. 
Jon needed this job. London was expensive and so were funerals, and he couldn’t keep living on life insurance forever. It was even a good job, with decent pay and the exact kind of limp, half-hearted academia that the private sector promised disillusioned English mastery holders. His coworkers were nice - well, Tim was nice, everybody else seemed to hate him for the same reason that everybody else hated him, likely intimidated by how smart he was - and the commute was short. He couldn’t afford to lose this job. Spiritually, metaphysically, and literally. 
Which was why he should stop staring at this piece of paper. The follow-up research to a statement given by some idiot unlucky enough to cross paths with what was certainly a Leitner. 
‘ORIGINATION OF PHENOMENA ISOLATED’, the page read out professionally, yet chipperly, like a young woman in a new office job. ‘ITEM QUARANTINED WITHIN ARTIFACT STORAGE (46B.1)’. 
Hm. 
Jon pushed down on the floor, rolling himself a meter to the left.
“Say, er, Mr. Stoker.”
Tim “I’m only four years older than you, please call me Tim” Stoker, who had been thumping away on his cheap plastic keyboard either writing up a report or messaging someone on one of those infernal casual sex websites, pulled down his headphones and blinked at Jon owlishly, before splitting his face into a grin. Jon could practically hear the David Attenborough-style narration within his mind: ‘After long weeks leaving out food for the wild Simothan, the feral yet gentle animal approaches the researcher of his own volition. A win for scientists everywhere.’
“Yes, Jon?” Tim asked, in an uncanny yet hopefully unintentional RP drawl. 
“What’s Artifact Storage?”
“God, I wish I was you,” Tim said feelingly. But he nodded sagely anyway, milking his ‘wise senpai’ thing for all it was worth. Jon could practically feel Tim calling himself a senpai. It was kind of embarrassing. “You know the shady room locked deep within the basement that exudes a terrible aura of malice and hatred towards you specifically?”
“The gender neutral bathroom?” Jon asked, confused. 
“No, the one that always smells somewhat of blood. You hear screams sometimes?”
“The Archives!”
“Yes, but no! It’s Artifact Storage. If the researchers dig up any creepy shit from a statement, or if a statement giver brings in something that melts the metal detector, then we dump it in Artifact Storage and let those miserable fucks take care of it.”
“Is it more of a containment facility, or would you say that they conduct experiments?”
But Tim just shrugged. “My source down there tells me that they do some experiments to justify their budget, but it’s mostly unscientific. Poke this and I’ll give you twenty quid, that kind of thing. They say that if you really want a sick day, all you have to do is touch a mysterious rock and whisper your mother’s name -”
“Fantastic, thank you for your help, must go back to filling now,” Jon said quickly, skittering back to his own desk. He tried to distract himself from the terrifying thought of the basement full of supernatural nuclear bombs underneath his feet by trying to remember his mother’s name, but he was stuck on if it was Marjorie or Margaret. Mary Anne?
Maybe Tim’s personal Meerkat Manor series of Jon’s life had paid off - Sims Shack? - more than Jon would like, because Tim squinted at Jon in an unsettlingly familiar way. As if he knew exactly what Jon was thinking about the literature of mass destruction, and he really wanted Jon to be thinking literally anything else. 
“I wouldn’t go down there if I were you, Jon,” Tim warned, sounding a little like a horror movie trailer. “Bushy tailed college grads who go down there don’t come out the same as they went in.”
“I’ll take that under advisement, Mr. Stoker.”
“For the love of christ call me Tim!”
It really was a pity - Jon had actually liked this job. 
*******
It was remarkably easy to commit arson in central London.
Jon had done it once or twice. Three times, actually, although when you think about it arson was a criminal charge and only truly existed so long as someone was charged with it, so technically you could say that Jon had done arson zero times. In his defense, you try making it through Oxford without doing anything embarrassing. 90% of your time was in class or schoolwork and 10% of it was being hazed. At least Jon hadn’t fucked any pigs. 
Jon hit up the usual stores, and stashed the usual implements in his rucksack. It was a careful week after his conversation with Tim, as he couldn’t afford for the older man to connect the dots. He made a show of going home at a timely five pm, startling everybody around him, and paced in a tight circle around his flat until he gave up and watched mindless telly until the clock struck midnight. 
He took a cab to the park a few blocks down from the Institute, and walked the rest of the way. It was a cool, dim night in London, and the foot-traffic had slowed down to a steady trickle of young people in tight clothing. Jon pulled down his baseball cap on his head, fished a key out from his pocket given to him by a helpful and friendly janitor, and took a back entrance into the Institute. 
Said helpful and friendly janitor, whose allegiance had been won because Jon was a “nice young lad” and “I always wanted to burn down the place myself, I’m happy to see the next generation give it a go” had helpfully told Jon that there were no security cameras inside the Institute. A grievous oversight, but good luck for Jon tonight. He took the stairs down to the basement, zipping his jacket up tight against the inescapable chill, and pushed his hat further down his head as he navigated his way towards Artifact Storage.
He unlocked the door with the janitor’s key, hands shaking, and slipped inside into the dusky and unlit room. 
It was pitch-black, and Jon quickly fished a torch out of his backpack. He flipped it on, letting it slowly scan the room. It was the lobby into Artifact Storage, familiar from his stake-out missions: you walked in, met the bored woman behind the desk, checked in or checked out what you wanted, and if you needed to go inside she would press the button that unlocked the heavy climate-controlled door and let you into the hallway inside. The only other door in the lobby was to the office of the Director of Artifact Storage, a terrifying short and squat woman with silver hair pulled into a bun. 
Jon leaned over the counter and jammed the button, holding his breath until he heard the door click open. He quickly twisted the handle, swung the heavy door out, and slipped inside, taking care to grab one of the chairs in the lobby and prop it open. Quick escapes were necessary. 
He was in. 
The torch lit up a map taped up to the wall, and Jon squinted at it. Section A, Section B, Section C...he remembered the classification from the document he read a week ago, and slowly walked down the hallway until he found the heavy climate controlled door marked ‘SECTION B’. He carefully wrenched it open, taking care to grab a rolling cart and using it to prop the door open, before stepping inside. He fished the canister of gasoline and the lighter out of his backpack, giving the gasoline a good shake. 
It was a library. Small, and instead of shelves there were long metal racks with filing boxes stretching long into the darkness, but Jon knew a library when he saw one. Each box had a clipboard attached to it, and most boxes had very large and terrifying stickers on them painted sickly yellow or dangerous red. 
The only thing in the library that wasn’t a filing rack was a battered and beat couch. And the only person in the room besides Jon was a woman, blinking up at Jon blearily from where she had been passed out on the couch. 
“Er,” Jon said. 
The woman sat up, squinting at Jon’s torchlight until he guiltily aimed it just to her left. She had a wild mane of curly brown hair, and was wearing a pencil skirt and ruffled burgundy blouse. A blazer was folded at one end of the couch, clearly being used as a pillow, and she looked strongly as if Jon had just woken her up from a very nice nap. 
“Whuh,” the sleepy woman said. 
“My mistake,” Jon said, “this isn’t the loo. Go back to bed, this is - er, a very bad dream, goodnight.”
“Whutuhiseet,” the woman slurred. 
“It’s - very late, go back to bed.”
“Alright,” the woman said, falling back on the couch. After a second, her snores echoed through the room again. 
Jon very slowly crept backwards. Actually, on second thought, his mission could wait for tomorrow. Bit of a cock block, this, but that was alright - 
“Hey! Who are you!”
Jon, hand on the handle of the door, squeaked and turned around. 
The woman was back up again, and this time she seemed actually awake. She was frowning mightily at Jon, and was already sliding off the couch in stocking feet to glare at him. Jon was aware that he did not look like an innocent person in these events. The gasoline did not help.
The woman’s eyes trailed to the gasoline, then widened. Jon ineffectually tried to hide it behind his back. 
“You’re trying to burn down Artifact Storage!” the woman accused, somewhat fairly.
“Not all of Artifact Storage,” Jon said guiltily, “just the Leitners.”
The woman stared at him further, as if she was a special guest on Tim’s Sims Shack nature documentary. 
“Why,” the woman said slowly, “would you want to do that?”
Despite himself, Jon found himself puffing up in indignation. “They’re evil, nasty little books that shouldn’t exist. Forget studying and - and containing them, we should be making sure no more of them ever disgrace the world again. We should be burning every one we see. They’re pure evil given literary form, they are a disgrace to books and libraries, and if I ever met Leitner myself I would beat him to death with a rusty pipe for subjecting me to his fucked up books.”
The woman stared at him. 
Finally, she said, “I’m Sasha James. Want some help?”
“I - er, wouldn’t that get you in trouble, Ms. James?” 
“I like this job but I hate Leitner and his fucked up books more,” Sasha said gravely. 
Jon, having found a kindred spirit, held out the lighter. 
Sasha James took it, a wide grin splitting her face. 
*********
Jon didn’t remember much else of that night. 
There was definitely arson involved - or, seeing as they hadn’t gotten caught, just some good old-fashioned fire starting. He had the sense that they had both been so giddy with adrenaline that they had immediately joined the raging uni students in the late night bars, toasting their success in toasting. There had probably been quite a bit of alcohol.
When he woke up the next morning, it was in his narrow and uncomfortable bed, face to face with an unfamiliar snoring woman. For a second, two, Jon was briefly convinced that he had done something so drastically out of character it meant that a fucked up book had body swapped him with Tim. Bodyswapping was more likely than him having casual sex. 
Then Jon remembered the arson, and he exhaled in relief as his life made sense again. 
“Ms. James,” Jon whispered, poking her in the arm. She snuffled and muttered something. Jon poked her harder. “Ms. James, we have work.”
Sasha turned around, turning her back to him and pulling up the blankets. “Go back to bed, Tim.”
Ti - oh god. Jon felt like he was in a CW drama. This was why he didn’t interact with people, far too much likelihood that he would accidentally end up interacting with somebody who had sex.
“Ms. James,” Jon hissed, extremely embarrassed, “you have to get up!”
“Mergh mergh fuck off,” Sasha James said. 
Jon, like a true gentleman and hero, got up and made them both strong tea. He squinted at Sasha, recalling everything he knew about her (slept a lot, liked arson, hated Jurgen Leitner) before digging out some instant coffee and making some of that too. Finally, after shoving a hot cup of sludgey black liquid at the woman, she grabbed the cup and chugged it until she was able to sit up and open her eyes. 
She blinked at Jon, who was already picking his hair in an attempt to get ready for work. He could clearly see the thoughts ‘you aren’t Tim’ run through her brain. Hah! He could be the narrator of the nature documentary for once!
“Uh,” Sasha James said, “I’m sorry, did we…?”
“Commit arson? Yes.” Jon paused a beat. “But as I don’t believe we were caught, call it an indoor campfire.”
Sasha James drank more of her coffee. Jon grabbed his clothing and disappeared into the loo to get changed. 
When he re-entered his bedroom, she snapped her fingers at him. “Right! We got pissed after! Good times, mate!”
“I have to assume,” Jon said politely. He was doing his very best to be very polite, because Jon knew he was rude and didn’t want his new coworkers to know that until his probation period was over. Maybe he should have waited until after his probation period for the arson? Would it look bad on his annual review? “Do you need to borrow some clothing? I think we’re about the same size.” Oh, no, was that rude to say to a woman?
Sasha James squinted at him. “It’s like you’re not hungover at all. How old are you?”
“Twenty five?” Be polite, Jon! “And you’re...thirty seven?”
“I’m thirty one, asshole!”
Oh no. Women hated it when you called them old. “You don’t look a day over twenty seven!” Jon cried, panicked. 
“Have you met a woman?”
“I had a grandmother?”
“I’m going back to bed,” Sasha James said. 
Unfortunately, Jon knew that it would be very suspicious if they both skipped, so he forced Sasha into one of his suits that...looked much nicer on her than him, but whatever, and hustled them both to work. Now that the adrenaline had worn away and the sense of purpose in his holy mission had burned up with the cleansing flames, Jon found himself biting his nails in agony in the Underground. 
They had to know. Someone must have caught them. Maybe there were secret CCTVs in the Institute. Maybe Sasha was going to rat him out - but she had helped, so wouldn’t she just be ratting out herself? Was she a double agent? Mr. Bouchard was never going to forgive him, no matter how nice he was and how much he seemed to like Jon to the point where he rather wished someone had given him the ‘Stranger Danger’ speech as a child so he would know what to do. Jon was going to go to jail, or worse - get fired. 
Sasha, cooly sipping her coffee and looking somewhat fly in sunglasses and his suit, did not seem disturbed by any of this. Jon’s rapidly spiralling panic attack must have been obvious, because she casually flicked a finger on his forehead. Jon yelped with pain. 
“Take it easy, mate. If they catch us, I’ll just say that the books made us do it.”
Jon scowled at her, rubbing his smarting forehead. “The books?”
“Sure.” She waved her fingers spookily as the Underground rattled forward into the heart of London. “Brainwashed us to do their evil bidding of -”
“Destroying them?”
“There’s a lot of arson Leitners,” Sasha James said sagely. “Trust me, this is just a normal day in Artifact Storage.” She clapped him reassuringly on the shoulder, and Jon fought a blush. “Don’t worry. We performed a public service, kiddo. St. Peter’s gonna give us a medal when we get to the pearly gates.”
“I’m an adult,” Jon said, scandalized. He had gray hair!
“Well, I guess, but I don’t know your name, so…”
 Jon squinted at her. She squinted at him back. 
“You’re thinking that if you don’t give me your name I can’t rat you out to the feds,” Sasha said flatly. 
Jon pursed his lips. 
Finally, he settled on, “You don’t rat me out to the feds and I won’t tell them that you’re in an illicit relationship with Mr. Stoker.”
“Mr. - how did - what!”
“It’s Jonathan Sims,” Jon said gruffly, crossing his arms. He was slightly hungover and his nerve were jittery and he had set fire to his workplace the previous night, but somehow Jon thought that his heart was jackrabbiting in his chest for a different reason. Somehow Jon felt as if his heart couldn’t stop thumping behind his sternum because Sasha James was staring at him, head cocked, as if he was a mystery she was interested in finding out. “That’s my name.”
Sasha James stared at him, as if surprised, before her face broke into a wide and happy smile. Jon hunched his shoulders up, embarrassed, faintly aware he was blushing. “It’s nice to meet you, Jonathan!” Then she grabbed him by the collar, shaking him slightly. “And there is nothing illicit about me and Tim, and there is nothing between me and Tim at all, we are just friends, so get that out of your little head -”
The train rattled on towards the Magnus Institute, and towards the slight smell of smoke in the air. 
*******
Sasha: are you coming 2 the pub w/us 2nite?
Sasha: come onnn you should comeee don’t feel awkwardddd 
Sasha: I know you hate a) group settings b) drunk people c) Tim in a group d) drunk Tim and e) Tim drunk in a group but that’s no reason not to come!
Sasha: Tim is physiologically incapable of not adopting men 3-5 years younger than him it’s in his blood you can’t escape his affection
Sasha: or at least I find it funny so I’m not letting you
Sasha: Jonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Jon: Yes I’ll come, I need to talk to both of you.
Sasha: WAHOO
Sasha: wait
Sasha: really?
Sasha: did you commit ars*on again
Sasha: wait if you did don’t tell me the courts can request text transcripts
Jon: No, I just need your advice on an urgent matter.
Sasha: do you need to be drunk to do it
Jon: ...maybe.
Jon: ....Mr. Bouchard offered me the Head Archivist Job?
Jon: Which is stupid because I’ve worked here for barely four years and you’ve worked here for about ten years I think. And you’ve published five papers in parapsychological research. I know I helped you figure out that this place is a weird trauma mill but it was really mostly you. It’s completely ridiculous to promote me and I’m afraid it’s favoritism. For potentially heinous ends? This feels awful because it’s such an honor but I would never stop feeling stressed and guilty because I know so many more people (like you) are so much more qualified. Or qualified at all.
Sasha: holy shit
Sasha: ...do you remember the speech I gave you on stranger danger?
Jon: I’m afraid to mention this to Tim because he might beat up Mr. Bouchard for both my honor and yours.
Sasha: Jesus at this point I don’t even want a fucking job anymore. What bullshit. I’m never going to get promoted and I just need to accept that. This isn’t your fault, Jon, seriously, thank you for telling me. 
Sasha: we can talk about this at the pub
Sasha: in private. Off the radar. 
Jon: Looking forward to it :)
Jon: did I use the emoticon right?
Sasha: Yes, Jon, you did everything right. 
181 notes · View notes
imonthinice · 3 years
Text
The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 18/?
Word Count: 2.5k
Author's Note: Y/N - your name, A/N - any name (your best friend's name)
Warnings: Mentions of court, mentions of Jason's injuries, swearing, No beta bitch we die like Jason Todd
(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)
Jason walked out in a few minutes, just in his boxers. She looked at him before letting out a slight laugh at the absurdity of it.
"Don't laugh, you're the one who tore my clothes."
She sighed, "And you're going to have to go home in torn boxers, Bruce is going to kill you."
"God, don't remind me," he said before sitting beside her.
She laughed, "You could just not go home?"
"I wish. But I have a life. You have a life."
"It's unfortunate, isn't it. Can't spend all day with you but you're all I want to do."
"Funny."
"Thank you, I really tried," she thought, "You remember how I seem to have a fascination with vigilantes?"
"Yes, why?"
"I remembered why. So, when I was in high school, graduating year, I had law class. I was bored, so I did law, don't question it," she laughed. "Anyway, in my law class, they split us into groups. Specifically, Pro-Justice-League-Association and Anti-Justice-League-Association."
"Pro and Anti?"
"Yeah, apparently it was relevant? I guess the JLA doesn't use conventional methods to get evidence? Don't care though. Anyway, I was on the side of Pro, obviously."
"Obviously."
"Wait I'm not done! By the end of the class, I had debated every member of the Anti team and converted them. It actually introduced me to the Robin-Forums, which is just smack dab full of conspiracies."
"Robin-Forums?"
"Oh my god? You don't know those? You're all over them. Some people are convinced you're Kid Flash, some are convinced you're Robin, it's crazy."
"That is crazy but seems funny. What about my family?"
"Someone in my class posted "Why Clark Kent is Batman: An Essay" which has like, 20k likes? It's very popular."
"Well, I swear he isn't Batman. He's just very fond of the night."
"That's what I said, but that man is convinced otherwise."
"You would know if any of us were vigilantes. We're not good at hiding secrets."
"I'm sure you have your secrets, I just find it funny people think you have time to be Kid Flash."
"People spend all their time worrying about me, when will it end?"
"Ha! That's fair. Tabloids running your name probably doesn't help the conspiracies."
"I remember one of my ex-friends from high school mentioned me being Kid Flash, I was so confused, I guess it makes sense now. I'm going to have to show everyone that. They'll get a kick out of it."
"I bet they would. I'm waiting for the day I'm on it as someone who's a hero. Hoping they say I'm Wonder Woman or something. I think it would be funny."
"You get Miss Martin because everyone thinks you're too beautiful to be human."
"Aw. That's so corny that I hate it! Well done."
"Thank you. I learned it from Dick."
"Of course you did."
"Where else would I learn it from?"
"If you're genuinely asking, the internet, probably."
"That's fair. That's completely fair. I think Dick learns a lot of his lines from the internet, honestly."
"Oh yeah, there's no way he comes up with everything on his own. No way."
"So, what other dumb stories do you have?"
"Well, I think my sister is either a vigilante or really, really, weird."
"You think your sister is a vigilante?"
"Okay so, she's a businesswoman. No big deal, right? Wrong. She's always out, more often than she has to be, she's always spending nights away from home."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Okay well Adrianna, Aria, whatever you want to call her, she's being suspicious."
"I'm sure you're looking too far into it."
---------------------------
The Night Jason Was Stabbed.
Aria clutched the scythe in her life hand. She had failed. She had worn her best dresses that she could hide beneath her capes, she had drugged him, she had stabbed him 6 bloody times, and he had still survived!
She was angry. She walked up to the Red Hood on his time off while he was catching a drink, looking stressed. She didn't care if he accepted her offer to go to her room, she just cared about that moment. The one where she could slip in the crushed-up pills and no one would stop her.
And she had done it. She waited until after he chugged the whole drink to strike. He was stumbling around, like an idiot. She hit his head with the back of her blade, knocking him to the ground where she proceeded to stab him 6 times in his right side.
She kissed his forehead before leaving, which required her to removed her mask a bit, saying "Goodnight, sweet Prince," before running into the darkness.
But the blue one, Nightwing. He got to the Red Hood before he could die. And she was pissed. All that hard work, just for him to not even die.
The scythe was still bloodied from the Red Hood. Her lips were still warm from his forehead. But now, he had possibly seen her face! Her plans were foiled every way when of her goblins came up to her.
"Ma'am, your weapon."
She passed it over without second thought. She wanted it rid of the blood of a living man, she wanted it soaked in the blood of a dead man.
Her plague doctor mask fell a bit as she began to tear up. She had failed. She had never failed at knocking "Heroes" down a peg.
Call it crazy, but she knew the fights between her and the Red Hood were far from over. She even felt as they'd grow closer.
As she looked at the walls covered in the photos of the vigilantes of the world, she knew this was only the first battle. The war was hers. They didn't know what was going to hit them.
But there was an issue. Her sister, Y/N had become close with one of the Waynes. She needed the Waynes to get to the "Heroes" which meant possibly hurting her sister.
----------------------------------
"I hope I'm looking too far into it."
She wasn't.
One night when they were both 17, it was just Aria and Y/N in the house when Y/N was awoken by a loud crash from the downstairs window.
She went to investigate, bat in hand, to find her sister, stumbling over the coffee table. Bleeding out and clutching her side from the blood. Stabbed.
Y/N took no hesitation to take care of Aria. Stitching her up like they had as kids when Y/N would sitch up Aria after shut cut herself on skates, or if Y/N ran straight into a car.
Those images still dance in Y/N's mind to this day. Something was up with the way that her sister had a mask, a long bird-Esque plague doctor mask. A cloak. Knives. Guns. A scythe.
The best outcome would be her sister was attacked while LARPing in the park. The worst? She was a villain. Midway? A hero of the night, a vigilante. Anything was better than a villain.
If only she knew the pain Aria had caused her until this point. The fact that Aria was the one who drugged and tried to kill Jason. The pieces of the story were unravelling in front of everyone's eyes, they just needed to connect them properly.
--------------------------------
Aria had a plan. Kidnap her sister and her lover's family. Get ransom. Get them hurting. Locate the "Heroes". The only issue was that Y/N would recognise the cloak, the mask. She knew the get-up.
Aria was not about to redesign her entire outfit for the sake of not alerting her sister. She figured it would be unlikely that Y/N would focus on the cloak when she's being used for ransom money.
Or at least she hoped. She wasn't certain her plan would even work. Breaking into the Wayne Manor, after one of the kids had been stabbed, in a mugging was going to be difficult.
They had employed security, something that was never common at the Wayne Manor before this moment. She was upset. If only her sister had met the Waynes before the stabbing.
Then she thought.
Red Hood is a Wayne?
It made sense, sure. They got stabbed at the same time. But was it reasonable? She didn't know. Why would an 18-20-year-old be a vigilante? He couldn't even legally drink?
She thought it didn't make sense. That the Red Hood was never, could never be the Wayne kid. But if he was, what could that mean?
She was certain he wasn't. But the thoughts swirled in her mind as if beckoning her to come to the conclusion.
She was crazy, she knew that. She was obviously crazy, she became the villain, the opposite of her twin in every way. She was insane. Arkham would like her. But there was something about the Red Hood being a Wayne that kept coming back to her. Haunting her like the night she was stabbed by Green Arrow back in Metropolis.
She was on their radar. They knew her. They would come to get the Waynes.
She knew the Justice League Association knew of her. But the people didn't. This stunt would make the people know of her.
The name Hour will ring through the streets of Gotham. The streets of Metropolis. Smallville. Anywhere she could get her hands on. She would begin her reign of terror.
No one could stop her now.
---------------------------------
Jason had left after Bruce had called him. She assumed he needed to work or one of his siblings did a dumbass move. It was upsetting that they couldn't spend every moment together, but she knew that it was par for the course with Jason.
She was bored. She didn't have a job, her parents paid her bills if she focused on school. But she wasn't something to do, a reason to be having down days. She knew school gave her this, but it wasn't like it was every damn day.
A job would be every damn day. Hopefully. A reason to do so much in her life.
She figured she could work at Wayne Enterprises. But she didn't want to be that girl. The one who's fucking the CEO and is subsequently untouchable. You can't befriend her and talk sit, she'll tattle.
She wanted to be a normal working person. A colleague, not a boss.
Wayne Enterprises was a last resort for her. If she couldn't get hired anywhere else, she'd go apply thee. You don't fuck company property, she thought.
But she also thought fucking Wanye Enterprises "Property" was fun. and no one was really going to stop her, not even Bruce. Even though Bruce tried to lecture her and Jason, there was only so much he'd do. Barbara and Dick both worked at Wayne Enterprises and hadn't been reprimanded for that.
And obviously, they were having sex. They had been together for a while, Jason said.
Which, obviously they were having sex if they were together for that long.
She scrolled a little while for jobs, marking down a few she'd look further into. Not really anything exciting, she was still young, 1st year in college, a freshman. Not many prestigious places would hire someone her age. Especially while they're still in school.
There were only unpaid intern jobs in her field. And she wasn't about to fuck with not getting paid, even if it was her line of schooling. She didn't think it was worth it to put all of your efforts into a job that you weren't getting paid for.
A lot of kids thought her way, including her sister. Both of them grew up thinking that getting paid for work was necessary, her parents had always told them that. Even if her parents had strict religious views, they would still back her up if someone wasn't paying her, even if they fell out.
She thought if Bruce felt the same, that kids should be paid for what they do. He figured he did since he employed all of his kids once they were old enough to work at Wayne Enterprises.
She noticed Lexcorp, who had recently put up a building in Gotham, was hiring. She thought it would be funny if she went to work for her boyfriend's dad's competitor. She was tempted.
Worst comes to worst, she'd be a Lexcorp employee.
She, of course, would have to dress up for these interviews, and she had the clothes to do so, but she didn't, per se, want to wear them.
She also didn't want to go outside when trials were still raging. So, she figured she'd call Christopher's parents about getting him a lawyer and then scroll the pages for shopping. His parents finally had the time to deal with their son, because Christopher didn't want to interrupt his parents with him being an idiot.
She dialled.
"Hello?" his mom asked.
"Hey, Laura. It's Y/N."
"Y/N! Sweetheart, we've been wondering about you ever since, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. We can talk about it later I swear. So, I already told you about what Christopher did, right?"
"You did."
"He needs a lawyer, the man is pressing charges."
"Well, that's stupid. He has no right."
"Apparently he does."
"We'll get Christopher a lawyer. But how are you, darling?"
"I'm okay. Could be a hell of a lot better. I have faith in the court system."
"We're all worried about you, kiddo. You've wrapped yourself up in a lot of a mess recently."
"I know. It's weird. But I swear I'm strong enough to pull through, you've known me for what, 13 years? Give or take? I know how to handle myself."
"That doesn't mean we can't worry."
"I know, new city, new people. I swear behind the scandals I'm in that I actually have friends."
"I assume we'll meet this Jason eventually?"
"Eventually. We need to find the time between court dates, work. Adulting."
"You don't have a job?"
"Jason does. And I'm thinking about getting one to pass the time."
"Working to pass the time is a new thing, fascinating, you kids are."
"Nothing can make sense of all these things I've done, I know."
"Those sound like song lyrics."
"Sometimes songs are the best way to get all your thoughts compiled into one place, you know. I starred as Katherine Howard, Laura. I know how to convey emotion through art."
"I know. That's still one of the performances Metropolis holds on to, you know."
"I wish they didn't. But it is what it is."
"It's a good performance, kiddo."
She laughed, "Anyway. You get onto that lawyer. Christopher needs it right now."
"I will. Be safe. We love you."
"I love you lot."
Click. She thought about Christopher, and the bullshit he went through to save her.
She brushed the thoughts off and pulled out her journal. Scribbling down her sister's bird mask. She couldn't get that off of her mind. She could have sworn her sister made the thing out of actual bone.
It was like she threw a steampunk aesthetic into a plague doctor. She was certain there was more to it that she didn't know.
youtube
Literally Aria LMFAO
29 notes · View notes
randombtsprincessa · 3 years
Text
Belladonna || 1
All Rights Reserved. © RandomBTSPrincessa, Tulips98.
Author: Randombtsprincessa
Characters: Min Yoongi x Reader, Past Lovers! AU
Words: 3k
Genre: Heavy Angst, Smut 
Rating: This chapter is General up to NC-17, rating might go up as story progresses.
Summary: Your life has finally settled into a routine; keeping you far away from your home, friends, family and the man who broke your heart. Coming back home means facing him again and maybe you’re not as over him as you’d like to believe.
Warnings: (in-chap) Heavy Angst, mentions of a toxic relationship.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The idol used as the Muse for the lead is not in anyway affiliated with the work. The characterisation is a work of mine. Any asks or accusations against the work on the grounds of inability to keep fact and fiction seperate on the part of the reader, will not be entertained. 
A/N: Its’s rather sad that the disclaimer has to be added but eh, it’s a bad time for tumblr writing fandom and people are being very mean. Brush past that if you’re sane. Anyway, a very very huge hug to my best friends for screaming at me about this fic. A bunch of thanks to @softyoongiionly​ for hyping up the chapter! And a round of applause for @kithtaehyung​ for beta-ing the chappie!!
Happy Birthday Yoonfie baby!!
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It was cold inside the cabin, the air conditioner turned extreme while the outer windows fogged with condensation. Your head leaned against the pane, the thudding and rolling of the train wheels under you jarring your brain in your skull as you watched the world outside flash speedily by.
Trees, small gravelly roads, sign boards, sparse traffic here and there…and then rolling grasslands before the pattern repeated itself…redundant, normal, and soothing.
You sighed, a puff of white exhale clouding around your mouth while your eyes drifted back to the interior of the cabin. This sight was a lot more different, with different people having different lives, problems, worries…
A woman tended to her sniffling child, holding a handkerchief up to the girl’s running nose…a man spoke into his phone; harried and rushed as he more likely than not slurred a few words together…
It was when your eyes caught a girl laying her head on the boy next to hers’ shoulder, smiling serenely when the boy ran a hand through her locks that you turned around again, eyes back to watching the redundant.
There was nothing soothing about people watching.
Or maybe there was and it required some form of inner peace to find the charm in it.
You didn’t have that sort of inner peace; neither did you have the patience for it.
People watching for people like you was anxiety inducing…and you really didn’t want that burden on your shoulders right now. There would be enough anxiety waiting for you when you set your foot home.
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“____?”
You turned coffee worn, blue light sunken eyes towards your boss, standing over you with his files clutched to his chest nervously. The sight was enough to make you chuckle. For all his genius, Kim Namjoon was just a giant fumbling through life. It made him a stellar boss and manager, but it also made him a wonderful friend.
“Yes?”
“I just got your email for the leave application.”
You blinked up at your boss expectantly, face calm and relaxed. Of course, your brain had shot straight to overdrive, praying, wishing, and begging for a miracle that would allow your boss to refute the application.
A large red denied would do nothing to hamper your mood; at least it would stamp down the very intrusive tendril of panic that was already gripping around you.
You waited until Namjoon was done rustling inside of the folder in the crook of his arm. The white print out was placed in front of you, green letterings spelling ACCEPTED AND FORWARDED, scrawled on the top screaming obscenities at you.
You looked back at Namjoon.
“We don’t have a lot of work load right now plus you look dead on your feet. Some time away with your folks will be nice, won’t it?”
You very nearly grimaced at his words.
He was sincere, of course he was. Namjoon didn’t have a conniving bone in his body, but right now, you couldn’t help but resent his kindness, his mushy brain that railed against exploiting his workers. You hated the fact that he looked into your eyes and saw past the stubborn energy and caught onto the exhausted person underneath.
So you offered him a tiny smile, just in case the flicker of your crushing despair was made clear onto your traitor face.
“Thank you, Namjoon.”
He placed a heavy, tight hand on your shoulder as he passed by.
“Have a nice vacation, ____.”
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Usually, someone who was away from home, working their ass off, making something of themselves away from their family should ideally jump at the chance to take a vacation, to go home and see the family and friends they had.
Ideally…one should be happy at the prospect of going home.
So many times, however, situations were rarely ideal. Sometimes there were complications, convolutions, obstacles…
Sometimes people had no love in their hearts; sometimes there was nothing at all.
Sometimes, there was dread.
Right then, in the rattling carriage that carried you to the small town which had spawned your existence, you could sense the dread carving a pit into your stomach, roiling and curling like a wretched cat kept too long from sunshine.
There was no relief for the upcoming long sleepy times, no joy at the prospect of home food…of warm embraces…
There was just that god awful dread.
You hoped you wouldn’t throw up; though there was nothing in your stomach to hurl but for the coffee you’d pumped in you from the station café. You couldn’t keep anything else down.
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You had upped and left your home right after the end of your college life. Many things had come to an end with that particular period in your life. You had scampered and scrapped together enough courage to exit the hole that still robbed you of breath sometimes when you twisted and turned in your bed – sleepless.
You had left shattered pieces of your heart in your whirling escape of the town, the space that you had now the only light that shone at the end of the tunnel back then. Your family and friends, as supportive as they were, had never truly understood why you had nearly clawed away from that world.
To them, it had been the job opportunity.
And it was understandable…
The town, as well-knit and seemingly lovable as it was, was used to being self sufficient. The people there didn’t ever need to leave, they knew everything, helped everyone, and any problem one of them had was a problem for them all.
You couldn’t fit yourself in that mold anymore.
You had left – knowingly cut yourself away from that community.
Your friends had remained; some spreading out of course but they were still as much a part of that bunch as they had been when born.
You didn’t expect anything from them.
Not when he was also still a part of that community.
Your mind jerked away moments before conjuring his likeness behind your eyes, the ticket collector bearing down to save you from the torture of it.
Your fingers fumbled with the pockets of your bag, slipping the stub into his patient hands as he clipped and handed it back to you.
You accepted it meekly, folding into yourself again, eyes drifting back out the window and firmly tugging your thoughts away from your past. You had to prepare for what was going to come now.
Nobody expected you to come, you knew. It was a surprise to you yourself that you had found enough guts in you to pull this off.
Namjoon’s words came back to you.
Some time away with your folks will be nice, won’t it?
You weren’t going to hold out much hope for that.
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You found a cab almost immediately out of the station, the many cruisers that stood to one side eager to free you of your luggage and take you off to your destination. You gave your address shakily, hoping this particular driver wasn’t one of the townspeople. Luckily, the man didn’t bat an eye, instead nodding and quietly switching on the radio for the drive over.
You leaned back into the seats, arms grasping the strap of your handbag tight as the moment to face your family and close ones drew closer.
Objectively, your little hometown was very pretty.
Trees lined the major roads, small clusters of buildings interjecting the greenery to spread business to the good people. And as tense as you were, your mind couldn’t help but pick out the differences.
Boutiques were newer and flashier, the diners you remembered now expanded to add cafes or banquets. The town hall was an imposing as ever, only a new marble fountain added to the square in front of it now.
By the time your cab entered the section of the suburbs where you had grown up; your back was straight, neatly aligned with the window. If you had been dreading the homecoming before, it was all gone; replaced with an odd form of resignation.
You lugged your bags out and paid the taxi driver with cold hands, winding bloodless fingers around the handles to pull them up the drive way towards your open door.
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The house was full, open and bustling – a normal day for when your mother threw one of her success parties. She was one of the famous people in the town, her career as a landscaper and home decorator for big names making her in turn the man source of revenue and attraction for the town.
It had been both a source of pride and embarrassment to you in your teens. Mainly because your mother insisted on these parties each and every time one of her projects turned out well. But then, as you grew you realized that this is why your mother was important to the town.
She was more than half the money earned and the social events of the calendar.
Inside the house, small clusters of people gathered here and there, in the living room, the kitchen, the dining space. You stood at the door; feeling more exposed than you ever had here but moved in quickly, lest one of them notice you in the doorway and start blabbering about it.
Of course, the three big bags that you carried more than made up for it.
One of the groups of women nearest you turned their heads in synchrony, taking double looks as you passed by before the murmurs began.
How could you tell?
Well because, gossip usually lowers ones’ volume. And each group you passed stopped conversing before muttering arose in its place.
You cut across the living room to your father’s den. Here, there were all men, hands cupping your dad’s cut glasses of scotch but thankfully no one mentioned you dumping your bags right by the door and walking back out.
Your hands fiddled with your scarf, wondering where your family was in their own party but you were loathing asking one of the guests.
Even as you convinced yourself to walk over to one of the ladies by the window sofa, a figure walked past opposite you, a handful of trays of cocktail bites and glasses on them. You jumped, watching as the woman placed the trays on the coffee table, smiling at the people before she turned…and spotted you.
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Your sister’s eyes widened, eyelashes fluttering before quick steps led her closer to you.
“____?” She asked, almost checking if it really was you.
You smiled wryly, hand still tangled with your scarf. “Hi Sana, yes it’s me.”
“Oh my god!” She threw herself at you, arms wrapping around your neck to draw you into a warm and nearly forgotten embrace. You stood in her hold for a few seconds, managing to pat her back before she was pulling away, eyes glistening at you.
“Oh god, don’t cry,” you whispered immediately.
“Shut up, these are happy tears; my little sister is home! Hang on; I’ll go get Mom and Dad.” She turned on her heel before you got another word out, mouth parted as she disappeared into the house.
You stood rooted to the spot, hoping against hope she brought your dad first. You just knew your mom would start bawling and then all the neighbors and her social circle would start hovering like the pack of vultures you had the low opinion of them as.
It was unfair and very rude of you, yes, but you couldn’t help but remember half the rumors and gossip that had come from none other than these same people when you had first left. Sympathy or well wishes from them now, would only make you more disgusted.
It had made you keep your own mother at a distance, seeing as she was probably the source of their information.
Thankfully, you knew you could always depend on your dad.
A no-nonsense and rational person, he was only guilty of being extremely in love with your mother. You knew he only bore these parties for her sake and of course your sister, Sana’s.
So when you saw Sana come back, with both your parents you still heaved a relived sigh.
“____, my god, you’re really here.” Your mother was the second to hug you, your father following.
“We didn’t think you would make it this year too.” Your dad said.
“Yeah, it’s been hectic…a lot…for the last couple years.” You repeated the same lies you’d been spouting for two years now. You had spoken the same lines into your phone, in your emails over months and it came much easier while speaking them to their faces.
“Very hectic for a well-established firm, ____, you could’ve asked for a leave, I’m sure office policy allows that.” Your dad said in that logical baritone that rendered most arguments moot.
“That is actually how I got away, Namjoon insisted.” You said; not completely untrue.
“Well, I for one am very happy my little girl is back to me. You’ll stay for a bit, won’t you?” Your mother stroked your hair back from your face.
You smiled tightly at her, thinking of the weeks Namjoon had generously piled on you out of respect for your relentless working for two years under him.
“Yes.”
You caught Sana try and push in, her eyes seeking yours even as your mother squealed in jubilation. “Perfect, we are going to have to throw you a coming home party.”
“Y/M/N,” Your father said lightly. “We are at a party now.”
“Yes, but ____ deserves her own night.” Sana put in before grabbing your hand. “Come on,” she dragged you away from your debating parents.
“Not a lot has changed I guess.” You spoke drily.
“Yeah, maybe, listen I think we need to –”
Sana was cut off by a gasp of your name, your head swiveling to see Park Jimin, one of your old friends gaping at you.
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It was a whirlwind of reunions and emotions as people gathered around you, astonished that you’d come back without any mention of it.
“Yeah, I – I guess, it’s a surprise.” You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly, going over the faces of your childhood to college friends.
Many things had changed while you were gone, true – to the town, to the people and even to your friends but one thing you were glad to see…they hadn’t cut you away completely. Yes, your interaction with them had been reduced to the odd Facebook and Twitter chats and the occasional emails and texts here and there but they still looked…happy to see you.
Park Jimin and his twin, Jihyo had been the first ones to come to you, Jihyo hugging you tightly enough to make you wince. She had been your roommate in college; she probably knew you as well as Sana did – maybe even better. She had introduced you to Jimin and the three of you had been inseparable throughout your college life.
Jimin had apparently been friends with one of your childhood friends, Kim Taehyung.
You were not so shocked to know he was now married, living next door to you with his wife, Nayeon. Sweet and charming, she hugged you like her husband.
“It’s almost like I already know you,” she explained to your unsure smile, “they talk about you so much.”
“Ugh, I’m already worried.” You cringed.
“They were all nice things don’t worry. We had to put down a couple old gossips down here and there, though.” Jimin came to defend his friend.
You glanced at them curiously.
“Oh yeah, it was just old gossipy hags around the town, don’t worry about it. People moved on from you pretty soon to a Miss Mina. She’s a spinster, which apparently is a sin.” Taehyung rolled his eyes. “She lives a few houses from us.”
“Also, I think your mom told that friend of hers, Dahyun to stop people gossiping about you. They were task-forcing the town. It was fun to watch.” Jimin added.
A sudden wave of affection for your mother rose up in you, before being quelled by the reminder that she must have done it to protect her own image.
You shrugged then, picking up a glass from one of the trays to take a sip of your mother’s homemade cocktail – fruity and simple on your tongue.
“Enough about me, what about you all?” you pointed at Tae and Nayeon, “Married with a house,” your finger moved to Jimin, “Sports coach,” then Jihyo, “Choreographer,” you stopped.
“What about the others, any news?”
“Not really, we are the ones who still live here you know. Plus, no offense to your mom, but I doubt folks would leave their city jobs to come to her parties.” Jihyo muttered; exchanging a glance of solidarity with you before her eyes widened suddenly.
“What?” you asked.
Her eyes quickly went to her brother, Jimin’s eyes a little more slow on the uptake but they widened too…before repeating the process – albeit comically – with Taehyung.
“What is wrong with you all?” You asked again.
“Um, ____, did Sana tell you -?”
Jimin paused nervously, refusing to look at you as he fiddled with the rim of his glass.
“Tell me what?”
He looked helplessly at his sister. Jihyo hesitated before placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Listen, ____, while you were gone” -
She broke off, her eyes darting over your shoulder and stuttering to a stop.
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In that moment of her silence, the conversation behind you was clearer.
Or rather, one particular voice was…
Low and deep – soft morning grumbles came back to you – muffled conversations from behind you made you turn around.
It was a voice you would know anywhere. It was one that haunted your dreams, one that crested the ache in your heart on particularly bad days…
It was one you would know beyond a void.
Min Yoongi stood directly across from you, in your home, undoing his coat and removing his scarf, conversing lowly with your sister.
Something she quickly muttered to him had him freezing, long nimble fingers stopping in the unknotting of his scarf.
And then as if he could feel your gaze, could feel your presence, the reason why you left everything behind looked straight up at you, eyes locking across a room…just like the day you had first seen him.
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summary: you became fuck buddies with Rafael after your friend Rita played matchmaker. As a FBI agent, you’re helping SVU during the manhunt of Yates and Rudnick.
words: 3,141
warnings: smut, pegging, sub/dom, sexting, alcohol
i’m very insecure about writing smut... let me know if i’m doing to good job or if i should stop... also, sorry for the typos..
High hopes
Rafael Barba wished he had stayed in bed today. The day kept getting worse and worse. He was stuck in Rikers Island for hours, only to find out that Yates and Rudnick escaped. He growled and wished he could go back to last night, in bed with you.
You met Rafael through Rita Calhoun, or so to speak. You waited in front of the courthouse one day, to go to lunch with your friend, and she was walking down with a handsome dark-haired man. She gave you a quick sign, telling you to wait a minute, but you walked up to them instead. “What don’t you understand in this sign?” she asked, raising her forefinger, just like she did a minute ago.
“I understand this one better,” you showed your middle finger, with a big grin. You heard her friend laughing on your left.
“Very elegant, Y/N.” she answered. “Barba, we’ll go back to that later. Giving you time to come to your senses,”
“To put your hopes too high, Rita,”
“You must be ADA Barba,” you interrupted them and offered your hand to him.
“And you are?” he asked, taking his time to shake your hand.
“Agent Y/N Y/L/N, FBI. Rita’s cutest friend,”
“Cute, indeed,” Barba agreed, even if he would say beautiful, sexy and powerful.
“Dear god, I’m gonna throw up,” Rita spoke up. “You know what, Y/N, I’ll give you his number and you’ll contact him so I don’t have to watch this,”
And Rita did give you his number. You tentatively texted him a few days after, to which he openly responded. In a few days, you and Rafael had your first physical encounter. Rules are simple; just sex, no feelings. Rafael was fine with it, casual relationships have been his thing for many years but it always ends because the other caught feelings. Never him. On your side, you just never fell really in love. You had boyfriends, you had feelings, but never enough to make it work. You know this comes from your sad childhood but you never wanted to give a try to some therapy bullshit. You were fine with it.
Sex with Rafael was amazing. Actually, ‘amazing’ is a small word to what it actually was. The best you ever had. But no chance in hell, you let him know that. His ego’s already big enough, he doesn’t need to feel more cocky in bed. It was so good though, it became more and more regular. You couldn’t get enough of each other. And as you started to trust more one another, you began to try new things. Try, discover.
You and Rafael were so damn compatible sexually speaking. And you both managed to keep feelings out of it. Or so you thought.
That day became such a mess, FBI got brought in. When Rafael saw you walking into the precinct, he felt his body reacting immediately. “Not the time to get aroused, Rafael,” he warned himself. But how could he not? You had that powerful strut, like you owned the room. Rafael had never been into badass women before, he likes that in men. But you were a badass and god how it turns him on. He thought about the few times you got dominant on him. He needs more of that. He needs more of you.
He watched you introducing yourself to Olivia, and then to the rest of the squad. When you finally noticed him, you just gave him a nod before walking over to him. “Field Agent Y/L/N, me and my team are here to find your two escaped prisoners,” you had a smile plastered on your face. As if it was fun to you. “Don’t worry, I do that every day of the week,” you added, loud enough so the squad heard.
“This is bad, Y/N,” he said, barely above a whisper. You could feel he was extremely tense, he must go through a lot of pressure because of the situation.
After a briefing with everyone involved in the search, you quickly grabbed your phone and texted Rafael.
When this is all over, I’ll suck the pressure out of you.
You can read him. He hates it. But your text got him more aroused.
Rafael stayed at the precinct all night long, waiting for good news. You were around somewhere, chasing after Yates and Rudnick. He was exhausted. He couldn’t wait for this to be over.
Find them, babygirl. I don’t know how long I can wait. He texted you. Was it bad to think about you, your body, your most intimate parts, in a time like this? Probably. But it made this night go faster. He’s an ADA, there’s nothing he can do, except waiting. Many times he was told to go home. He could have. But he wanted you to take him home. He didn’t want to leave without you.
Maybe he was screwed already.
Still up, Sir, huh? Can’t go to sleep without a good fuck?
Y/N, do you really want to sext during a manhunting you’re leading?
Dodds driving. He thinks I’m exchanging with my team. To be fair, I am. You like when we sext, don’t you?
You know I do. But this is not an appropriate time to make me hard.
Cause sending me a pic of you masturbating while I’m out with my friends is appropriate, maybe?
Aw, still mad about that, babygirl? I thought you liked it.
I did. But you still haven’t paid for that.
Wasn’t I a good boy last night?
Hell, no and you know it. A good boy doesn’t come until he’s allowed to.
Whoops…
More punishment to come, Rafaelito. Just you wait.
Damn. Be fast, Y/N.
Everyone was out there looking for the two fugitives, so Rafael went to the restroom. He was getting really hard and he just wanted to stroke himself. But he couldn’t. The guilt gets the best of him. He can’t masturbate in SVU’s restroom in the middle of a manhunting. This is highly inappropriate. He couldn’t help but to look at nudes you sent him, though. After the first one you sent, you asked for his phone and made it secure. He had to enter a password to access the files where all your pictures were. There’s one he particularly loves and it’s not nude you sent. It’s a picture he took one night, while he had you handcuffed to his bed frame. He had just made you cum with his tongue and fingers, you had bites marks and hickeys on your body. You looked desperate in a good way. Your lips were swollen for all the kissing. He stood up on the bed, with his phone in hand. “Wh—what are you doing?” You asked, out of breath and confused.
“Immortalising my work of art,” he said and snapped the picture. “You’re so damn beautiful when you come down from your high, with all of these marks I made,”
What was he doing? Was he falling for you? No, he can’t. You have rules. He just fell for your fucking body. Your perfect body he can’t stop thinking about. He gave himself a few strokes while looking at the pictures but he got stopped by a text from Liv, saying they got Rudnick. He became self conscious about what he was doing. He zipped himself back in his pants, answered to Liv and waited until his erection was gone.
It took a few more hours before you found Yates too. He had been shot by you. Rafael didn’t know what to make of it. You never talk about your job or his, he doesn’t know how you’ll feel about killing someone. Maybe he won’t have sex for now. He had to go to his office anyway.
Putting an all nighter isn’t for him anymore. Poor man was exhausted, so he allowed himself a quick nap on his couch in the afternoon. He woke up, too his phone and saw he had a text from you.
Meet me tonight? My place?
Yes, please.
He showed up at your apartment around 7. He still didn’t know what to expect. He knocked and heard you saying it was open. He let himself in. He had come to your apartment three or four times only, you mostly met at his place. But he loves your apartment, it was minimalist but cozy, with a specific smell that was yours. He spotted you on your couch, a glass of wine in hand and another one of scotch waiting on the coffee table. He dropped his suitcase next to your kitchen counter and went to sit next to you.
“How are you?” He asked after a moment.
“Exhausted. I’m too old for sleepless nights,”
He laughed at that. You’re younger than him. “Don’t tell me about it,”
“Why did you stay? You could’ve gone back home. An ADA isn’t much help in a manhunt,”
“You ‘do that everyday of the week’, I thought it wouldn’t take you long to get them and that I could go home with you,”
“Teasing me, Rafael? Aren’t you in deep trouble already?”
“A little more, a little less. Who cares?”
“Finish your drink and get on your knees in front of me, Barba,”
He was in deep trouble every time you called him ‘Barba’. He did as told, he took the last sip of his scotch and got on his knees in front of you, waiting for your instructions. “Undress me,” you ordered. He undid your dark cargo pants, you lift your hips so he could take it off you. He then took off your blue blouse. You were in your underwear, matching dark purple lace. “Matching underwear, huh?” He smiled.
“Did I say you could talk?” You snapped.
“No ma’am. Sorry,” he swallowed. He was so hard already.
“Your case is getting worse, Barba. I want you to make me feel good, okay? You gonna take that silver tongue on yours and make me cum hard in your mouth,”
He nodded and softly traced his way on your thigh to your pussy with his mouth. He gave you a few kisses above the fabric of your panties and he put them aside. You were so wet and hot. He loved it but he didn’t say anything. He lapped a few times your clit, made small circles with his tongue before he gently hit it and sucked. He heard you moan and felt your nails on his scalp. He could cum by just eating you, but he had to control himself. He failed you two nights before, he can’t do it again. Rafael ate you like a starved man, until he felt your muscles tensing. You came on his face, chanting his name as you did. He felt proud. You were still coming down your high when you ordered him to go into the bedroom and wait for you, naked on your bed.
Rafael waited for what seemed to be hours. He had no idea what you were doing in the living room. He was naked on your bed and his erection was losing up. You finally joined him, with a glass of wine in one hand. You took sight of you as you drank. He felt like a prey and he loved every second of it. The look on your face as you looked at him was overwhelming. He felt like he was some kind of a sex god. “Getting tired, Barba?” You asked, finishing your drink.
“Never,” he answered, eagerly.
You put the glass on your desk and got on the bed. Your body was covering his and you kissed him deeply. You felt his cock getting hard against your abdomen. “Do you trust me?” You asked. For a moment, there was no game. No dominance. You just needed his trust and he gave it to you with a nod. You smiled, kissed him again and went to your closet.
You knew about Rafael’s bisexuality and you thought he was the one you could try the fantasy with. You came back and dropped a box next to the bed. He had no idea what was inside but he couldn’t wait to find out. But first, you wanted to go down on him. Your body over his, you gently kissed his neck and chest, biting here and there. “Hands above your head,” you said. “You don’t touch me, unless I allow you to,”
“Yes ma’am,” he answered, breathing hard from the teasing. He loves when you worship his body like this. It makes him feel good looking, sexy even.
“I’m gonna suck your big cock, Rafaelito. But if you come in my mouth, we won’t see each other for a long moment,” you warned him and he whined. “Show me what a good boy you are, or I’ll find someone else,”
Rafael tried to ignore the twinge in his heart when you said that. He doesn’t want you to find someone else. “I’ll be good, Y/N. I promise,” he breathed out. He was dying to touch you, kiss your body just like you’re kissing his. He was dying to fuck you senseless and ruin every other man for you.
The first lick you gave on his cock made him jump. “God,” he muttered. “Think about some boring law stuff,” he told himself. You took an enormous time licking and kissing his length before finally taking him in your mouth. You feel so warm, so good. You sucked him for a moment, you could feel his hips moving so his cock could hit the bottom of your throat. You watched him losing it. Rafael was fighting his urge to grab your hair and guide your mouth on him. You sucked his balls to give him a rest, but his cock was throbbing. He wanted to come, so bad. You went back to his long and heavy length, until you felt him grabbing your face and pulling you off. “I—I was about to—“ he was out of breath, “I’m sorry. Lo siento,” Rafael was all sweaty, his heart was racing so hard, he was sure you could hear it. “You’re so good—you—“ you shut him with a kiss and used your body to make him lay down again.
He took the opportunity to run his hands over your body. Since you didn’t say anything, he kept going and felt your skin under his fingers. He knew you were giving him time to recover, to gain control of his orgasm, but no matter what you had in mind next, he wasn’t going to last long. “Need a drink?” You gently offered.
“I—I’d like to, yes,”
He watched your ass sway as you left the room. You had grabbed your empty glass on the way, and came back with both glasses full. You sat to his side while you both drunk. He was staring. “Are you okay?” He asked.
You smiled. “Sure. Aren’t you?”
“On the edge,” he giggled.
You leaned in to kiss him. It wasn’t like the usual kisses. It was soft, tender, almost loving. “Your relief is coming, don’t worry,” you smiled against his mouth.
Once you both had finished your drinks, you finally showed him what was in the box. Among other things was a strap-on. You showed it to Rafael and saw his eyes darken. You needed his approval. “What do—?” You started to ask but he cut you off.
“Yes, yes! Yes, please,”
His reaction was better than you imagined. With a grin on your face, you jumped back on your bed and asked him to grab the lub from the nightstand. “To be honest, I’ve never done that before,” you giggled. Rafael could see you were a little tipsy - and maybe nervous? - but he trusted you anyway.
He cupped your cheek. “I trust you, Y/N. I’m all yours,” there was more means to this. He was yours in so many ways.
Before you started, he made one request. He wanted to be on his back while you fucked him with the strap-on. He wanted to see you, to look at you. He also wanted you to see him. Your looks make him feel so good.
After agreeing, you started to work on his butthole. You gently stroked with your saliva at first, and put some lube on your fingers before you slid one in him. He let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. You gently worked on opening him. You were watching him all along, looking for any sign of discomfort on his face, but all you could see was pleasure. “Fuck me with it, please, Y/N,” he begged. Rafael was so hard, so excited, he didn’t know how long he could control himself.
You lined the plastic cock with his open butthole. “You can do better than that, Rafael,”
“Give it to you, I’m begging you. I need you to fuck me good, mi amor,” neither you or him paid attention to the pet name.
You gently pushed the strap-on into Rafael. Still staring at his face to see if it was okay, but he kept begging for more. After it was all in, you started to thrust into him. Slow and deep at first, you watched the plastic thing disappearing inside his ass, and Rafael’s cock rocking hard. “I’m gonna—I need to come, Y/N, please,”
Poor thing was on the edge more than he ever been. “Come for me, Rafael,”
He grabbed his cock and gave himself a few strokes until he came hard, screaming your name in the middle of Spanish curses. You were already soaking wet but the sight of him coming as you were fucking him, could’ve made you come too. It was beautiful. He was beautiful.
As he was coming down from his orgasm, he saw you on the edge of the bed, fingering yourself. You needed the relief too. Rafael used his last strength to sit up and replace your fingers with his. He fingerfucked you and sucked on your nipples. You were holding him so close to your chest, he could barely breathe but he didn’t mind. He kept going until you came. He caught your moans with his mouth and watched you falling apart.
Screw the rules, he was in love.
Once you both came down, Rafael was scared you’d asked him to leave. No cuddling was also a rule. But tonight you didn’t care. You turned off the light and crawled into bed with him. “Does that mean I can stay?” He asked.
You tiredly giggled. “You’re asking now that I turned off the light?”
“Just wanted to make sure,” he said. “Can I hold you though?”
“Spoon or nothing,” you said.
Spooning you was perfect to Rafael.
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seostudios · 4 years
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零 don’t cha
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synopsis: who would’ve thought that dating you; the perfect it girl. would be this much trouble? definitely not nakamoto yuta as he decided to become someone more significant to you. was this your average fairy tale or was this a tragedy?
genre: fluff, angst pairings: yuta x fem!reader info: ceo!au, non-idol!au, ceo!yuta, ceo!model!music-producer!nct, rich!au, mentions of proclaimed death, cheating, brother!johnny, assistant!haechan!jungwoo wc: 6.8k
a/n: lol this is NOTHING LIKE WHAT U REQUESTED I’M SO SORRY..... i mean in the beginning it is but it just took a turn and i was writing whatever came to mind... like 2/3 of the story isn’t even a yuta x reader fic it’s jsut about everything else! i hate myself for doing u dirty but i hope u read this! it’s actually good (imo) since i worked awhile on it and it’s one of my longer fics. 
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She was fierce, elegant, beautiful. An unmatched package for any walking figure. Her person, running a multi-millionaire business by herself. Doing it for who? Her and Suki; the fiery red betta fish, placed on her nightstand. Yuta was just like you. Although Yuta is fierce, charming and quick on his feet, he still manages to be just the opposite around you. Yuta is on the right path, growing his empire little by little. You started as an insufficient secretary for an Electric Power Corporation but, those late nights and overtime paid off as you are now the CEO of your own retail company. Yuta waltzed into your business while he was an errand boy for Moon Taeil, a good friend and business partner of yours. Taeil had been worried about his future and decided he would've let Yuta go under your wing for a couple of weeks.
That brings you here, September 2019. The vibrant hues of autumn settling into the busy streets of Seoul. "Good morning Ms. Seo." The receptionist, Chaewon, greeted with a bubbly smile like any other day. "Yuta is waiting for you in your office," She informed, watching your small strides turn into a jog towards the elevator. When you reached the top floor where your office and meeting rooms were located, "Did you receive John's fax? He told me your father wanted an opinion!" Haechan, your assistant, asked swiftly, sticking to your hip as you stepped out of the conveyor, pushing his glasses up. "Oh, can you tell him to print whatever he sent and meet me for lunch? I heard he's back in the city." He nodded before running back towards his cubicle to make the requested phone call. That's when you were finally able to enter the office. "So... The rumours are true, you did decide to visit." You grin like a Cheshire cat plastered onto your face, you made long strides beside Yuta, who was staring into the traffic abyss below you two. He hummed before turning over to you; "How is my favourite person doing today?" He asked cheerfully before inviting himself to sit on your chair. Dragging yourself yet again, towards Yuta. You stood in front of him before seating yourself on top of the desk. He watched as your posture slumped and brows knit with a childish frown displayed. "Not well," He decided to sit up in his seat, hands combing through his dirty blond locks. "John's back in town, I'm pretty sure he brought Gyunghui." You roll your eyes unknowingly at the mention of your elder brother's proclaimed girlfriend. "I mean, who gets married after dating for 6 months?!" You groan, disappointed in your brother's decisions. Yuta's eyes crinkled at the corners before he threw his head back in laughter. Was this the reason you were so upset? "Y/N they've been friends for 10 years, I think it's safe to say they'll be okay." He responded with a smile. Straightening up, you huff and look the other way, crossing your legs. "Ugh, Whatever..." You look back down at him, "How is Jin Nyun?" Yuta's face fell, 'Can't we go one conversation without mentioning her?' He pondered momentarily before looking up at you with a soft smile, "She's amazing. She went out of town for work," He sighed, "Again." Your brows furrowed for an instant. He seemed upset. Why wouldn't he be? You'd be furious if your lover set off on multiple business trips every week. That's when it hit you, "What is she again? Job?" You question. "She's a photographer." Now that's bullshit. You knew for a fact, she wasn't big enough in the industry to leave on trips on multiple occasions for a photoshoot. "Why?" He asked, and you couldn’t explain the sense of innocence you felt from him, so oblivious to the situation he's in. "N-Nothing just wondered." You stutter out. He observed you quietly but decided to leave it like that. Raising your wrist, you glance towards your watch, "It's nearing noon." You whisper, Yuta looks up, "Plans?" he questioned with a brow raised. You nod "Lunch with Johnny," Smiling you reminisce back to when you and Johnny ruled overtop Seoul, with two successful companies in powerful industries. "I'll walk you out then," Yuta chimed, jumping from his seat, bringing his hand out for you to hold. "Oh! What a gentleman." You giggle, watching his cheeks tint in a shade of red.
"You sure there isn't going on between you and Yuta?" Your brother asked playfully, watching as Yuta walked you towards the small cafe at the end of the street. "He has a girlfriend, John," Can't a man and woman simply be friends? What's with him? "So?" He shrugs laughing before whining from the sharp pain in his calf where you managed to land a hand kick at. "What? From what I've heard from Taeil and Mark," Mark is Yuta's closest friend. "She's not all she says to be," He brushed it off his shoulder, "Maybe she's just a workaholic?" You suggest, "We both know an amateur photographer like her isn't that busy." The two of you erupt in a fit of knowing laughter. "You're too dangerous, Johnny," You kiss your teeth before being served the lunch you had Johnny order earlier. "But on a serious note, you should find a boyfriend." He makes a disgusted face, looking you up and down. "Before you age, aren't you almost 24?" He questioned, "Yea, but-" "Mom was pregnant with you at 24." He finishes, before receiving a well-deserved step on his big-toe. "What?! I just want what's best for you!" He barked, "You think that's Yuta! He's my friend and not to mention a business partner!" He lifted his hands, trying not to engage in an argument that might have you ignoring him (again) for months. "Alright, I know!" He sucks in his breath, "Lunch is almost over, kiddo. Try getting in that office and doing something extravagant as always." Johnny grabbed your empty plate and stacked them on top of one another, cleaning up as much possible. "You should have dinner with Gyunghui and me tonight? I'm sure you don't have plans." His eyes lit up at the mention of Gyunghui. It almost warmed your heart. "I wish! I gotta help Yuta clean his apartment tonight," Way to go Y/N! You just made the worst excuse possible. Yuta was probably going to be spending his evening kicking back and relaxing without Jin Nyun. Now that you've told Johnny this, you'd have to go through with it. "Oh?" Johnny's face turns into something more sinister. But you laugh it off knowing he's probably thinking of something perverted. "Okay! Gotta go!" "Not so fast," He grabbed the back of your arm, seating you back down, "You pay today." He smiled before grabbing his briefcase and jacket, exiting happily.
You slump into the cushion before grabbing your purse from the inside of your jacket pocket. After you pay, you pull out your phone, dialling Yuta's number. The call didn't even reach the first ring before he picked up, "Hello?" He was first to speak too. Weird. "Hi, It's Y/N-" "I know, we've had each other's numbers for three years now." You chuckle, "Okay... We have plans tonight, my friend." You can hear the evident groan on the other end. "When and where?" He asked. "After I get off around four and your place!" You cheer before silencing, waiting for a response. "Okay, good." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I need to clean this place up anyways, you can help out." He stated. "Perfect." You replied.
Who would've guessed that your evening is being spent by scrubbing a sink with floral gloves? "You know," You started. "We could've gone out for dinner and hired someone for this," Yuta, who was behind you wiping the kitchen counter. "Yes, but it's unnecessary." He says. You groan, "Can't we watch something on Netflix? This place was already clean when I came in!" You whine, stomping your feet like a child. "No," He simply replied.
"Okay! Let's see what's on Netflix..." You mumble, before looking over to Yuta beside you on the couch. He seemed tense, uninterested. It was odd to see him like this, "Are you okay?" You tediously asked. He murmured something under his breath before sucking it in. "This is weird," He said, "Why are you trying to hang out with me while my girlfriend is out of town? Are you into me or something? I just find it weird!" He finally let out. So this is what has been bothering Yuta. Did he feel uncomfortable with you? He's acting like a completely different person from who he was earlier today at the office. "I'm sorry? I don't know what to say..." You exhale, "We're friends, and friends hang out. Plus, I needed an excuse to get out of dinner with Johnny and Gyunghui." His face fell, a pang of guilt waving over him. Did he seriously think you were trying to get into his pants (He's not wrong)? God, who did he think he was, making such assumptions. "Oh- Fuck. Sorry Y/N. I don't know what got over me." He throws the blanket to the side before leaving the living room towards the bathroom. It wasn't supposed to hurt. I mean, you've always had these hidden feelings for Yuta, but you still treated him like you would to a friend. "Hey, I think I'm just really stressed with Jin Nyun. She's never home." He bellowed, pumping his fists into the air before letting out a stressed groan. "She's really getting under your skin, huh?" You say, "Deeper than I thought." He made his way back beside you. "Let's- Let's just play this movie." He massaged the back of his neck, now focused on the movie displayed on the flat-screen TV.
"Y/N!" You pull the phone from your ear for a moment. Johnny was exceptionally loud at ten in the morning. He sounded like he had something urgent to tell you. But, you out of everyone had no time to listen to his girl talk, especially when you're in a meeting room with ELLE magazine staff, discussing your new line of clothing and having your collection featured in this month's issue. "You won't believe-" "Johnny! I have a job to do!!" You screech, hearing his apologies moments after. Ending the phone call, you enter the meeting room, "Sorry, where were we?" Assistant editor, Myeong-Ko set this meeting up with you to discuss your fall collection. "Since you've gained an audience over the past five years, we'd like to include you're best fashion pieces on our models and October issue."
Finally, you thought you'd be stuck in that meeting for ages! It's a little past noon, you are positive that Johnny's at home relaxing on his day off, you decide to call him back on your way to your late lunch with Yuta and Taeil. "Hello?" You are greeted by Johnny's panting voice with Gyunghui's giggles heard; not wanting to know what was going on the other end of the phone, you cut to the chase. "Johnny, what'd you want to tell me earlier?" You hear the 'Ou' loud and clear as he remembers and laughs aloud, "Guess who asked Doyoung out at a club in Ilsan?" You wrinkle your forehead, looking up at the sky, thinking. "No clue," "Jin Nyun!" Johnny said. Now, this was a disaster. You thought Jin Nyun had been smart enough to not cheat on her boyfriend with his old drinking mate. Did the news reach Yuta? "Did he tell him?" You asked hesitantly, "No, he told me to tell you to tell him." And with that, big brother Seo ended the call to return to doing god knows what with his wife. That's when you reached the front door of this eatery. Yuta gave you directions to this new Tteokbokki place, a ten-minute walk from the main street. You walked in, recognizing the blond from a mile away, eyes glued to his phone in the corner booth. "Y/N..." He said, standing up and brushing off the crumbs of what seemed like a cookie off his lap. He looked awful, the ache in your heart wondering who caused him such discomfort flamed the anger bubbling in the pit of your stomach. "Hey, hey. What's wrong?" You watch him slumped back into the seat, not bothering to sit in front of him, you went into the seat beside him. No matter how weird it looked, to be seated in a booth beside each other, it looked like he needed someone right now. He wore a Nike sweater with basketball shorts and sneakers. You bring your hand to his cheek to lift it and get a good look at him. A sharp pain filled your body, seeing his tear-stained cheeks. He wasn't okay. Looking all worn out and out of place wasn't Yuta. He was always looking ethereal to everyone else. Why did he look so helpless? "Let's go to my apartment, I live a few minutes away." You whisper, watching him nod softly.
It's nearing seven in the early hours of the evening. Yuta hasn't left your living room couch since he just had his heartbroken. It seemed to be that Jin Nyun broke up over text with Yuta telling him he wasn't enough to satisfy her needs. He also mentioned her telling him she met someone a couple of months ago and has been seeing him, but didn't she try sleeping with Doyoung? "Yuta, stop sulking over a girl who doesn't even have her priorities straight." You said, closing the freezer door with another tub of green-tea ice cream. "One year." He mumbled, almost incoherent, "I gave up a year of my life to be cheated on for god knows how long!" He barks. You hand Yuta the ice cream, before standing there, thinking. What could cheer him up? "Oh! I know!" You run into your bedroom, walking out with a bowl. "Suki, say hi to Yuta. He's feeling down... Make him happy, please?" You ask the Betta fish in the bowl before placing her on the coffee table in front of Yuta. "Wha-What?" He expressed his amusement from your odd liking towards this redfish. "Say hi to Suki, Yuta!" You cheer before pointing at Suki. "You're kidding me?" You turn to look up at you, with your hands placed on either side of your hips, 'She wasn't kidding' he turns back and hunched over to look into the bowl "Hi Suki." 
"Are you still thinking about her?" You ask, nudging Yuta. "Surprisingly, no," He said, staring into the black screen. You raise a brow, curious. "I've been thinking about you." He sighs before looking at Suki, who was moved to the table beside the couch so she could 'get a better look at the movie.' "Oh?" This was interesting. Why would he think of you? Were you that significant to him now? "It's just that, you just took the day off... To take care of me." He mumbles. "It's not that big of a deal, I- you was hurt. Of course, I have to be there for you!" You fiddle with the blanket, "You're really important to me." The now tongue-tied boy's head shot up, turning to look at you. His bewildered face softened in moments before he gathered the courage to reply. "You're really important to me too." You rip the blanket off you, throwing it in Yuta's direction. "It's almost midnight. I think we need to eat dinner before bed." You tell him, making your way into the kitchen. "Before bed?" He asked. "You are spending the night, right?" You asked, stopping in your tracks. "Oh, Are you okay with that?" He asked, getting up and trailing behind you. You throw a quick 'Duh?' towards the boy earning a couple chuckles your way. He sat on the island stool, watching you pull together something some-what edible for you two tonight. "I want to apologize for the other night again, I shouldn't have assumed or acted like that," 'He said that out of the blue.' You though before scrunching up your face before cracking an egg, "I hope you like French toast." You say, dodging the unneeded apology.
Nakamoto Enterprises. Never thought you'd walk into Yuta's building with a pair of jeans and a sweater. Most of your trips here were business-related, and you often showed up in a suit. "H-Hi Ms.S-Seo!" Yuta's assistant, Jungwoo, said, greeting you. "Hey Jungwoo, is Yuta out of his meeting yet? He promised me tacos," You said, rubbing your belly enthusiastically, earning a couple of giggles from the tall-boy. "Ah! I heard him mumble something about tacos earlier while fixing his dress-shirt." He said, remembering. Just then, you see Yuta walkout, Jungwoo covers his mouth, tilting towards you. "I heard he dyed his hair and got all dolled up for you Y/N, don't mess up." He said before waving goodbye and wandering off towards his associates. "New do?" You said, combing your fingers through Yuta's rosewood locks. "Just for you." He smiles before walking out with you. After his breakup with Jin Nyun, oddly, he's been on top of his game. You'd think you would have to take a week off to help the pain go away. You knew how much he loved her. Now? Now it was like the two of you had this new sort of bond.
What you weren't aware of was that Yuta has a new spot for you in his heart. Somewhere he held dear. Yuta never expected to move on that fast, but he knew you were always there, just waiting to break out and roam freely in his mind. You made his insides twist in a way Jin Nyun couldn't, but something in him knew it was too soon. "Something wrong?" You asked the boy zoning out at the red light, "No, I'm good." He replied, hand gripping the wheel. Although his mind was flooded with innocent, pure thoughts of you. Tonight, something in him wanted to tear you apart in his penthouse. Always chasing after something that didn't want to be chased after, or so he thought. "Can we get ice-cream... I finished the one at home." He contemplates what to do for a minute before answering proudly, "Nope!" He said. He looks so confident but, he almost melted when you called his place home. "Why not?!" "I'm cooking dinner." He replied, now focusing on the road. You huff and sit back in the seat, staring out the window. The beating in your heart, drumming loud in your ears. Is it possible he feels the same? Or is this way of coping without Jin Nyun... If you thought this evening couldn't get any better- you were wrong! Mark and Taeil decided to drop by while you hung around Yuta's suite. The four of you were feasting on the take-out the two boys brought over. Guess Yuta doesn't have to cook. "So, Mark, you're a producer?" You asked before taking a bite, "Yea, Johnny helps out sometimes." Oh? Johnny helping make music? I guess you could see that in a way, he does have a few specialties in the Arts. "Y/N! Congrats on ELLE, by the way!" Taeil interrupted loud and cheerfully. Your eyes crinkle at the sides while you show him a toothy grin. "I'm proud," Yuta said, bringing his hand up to ruffle your hair. 
The winter chill settles in, as the streets were now covered in a thick blanket of white, footsteps and paw prints being crisscross along the sidewalks. You sported a simple city chic black coat pairing it with a white turtleneck long-sleeve sweater dress. You admit, though the layered clothing appeared to keep you all warm to the naked eye, your exposed legs seemed to be coated in goosebumps as you speeded towards the tall building. "No pants?" Haechan asked, handing you a coffee. "My mom's coming in today," You confess, Haechan's facial expression remained still as if he was already aware of your guest. "She's in your office, let me take your coat." You thank the younger boy before skipping into the elevator beside the main lobby. Before you reached the top floor, the lift stopped on the tenth floor. "Taeyong?" You ask, the man wearing a black mask with his suit. "Y/N? Oh my god, hey." Taeyong was a good friend of yours. He even works under you. Though you'd think having a comrade by your side while you are at your job, it had driven you two apart, both of you only meeting during promotional seasons. He was hired as one of your models and editors. Being successful, he often modelled for Taeil and Kun, another business associate of yours. Though losing a friend hurt horribly, you were still happy for Taeyong and his newfound profession. "Oh my god, I forget you're my boss sometimes," He said, removing his mask. "Haven't seen you in weeks." You chuckle softly before speaking, "We need to catch up, I heard you were the model for our ELLE issue, and you are going to star in an advertisement for Kun?" He nodded. "Kun wanted me and someone, named, Ten to star in the advertisement for his new diamond sets." Your mouth goes slightly agape at the mention of the name, immediately squealing to yourself. "Ten?! Ten Lee?!!! I've been begging his agency to have him model for us! How come Kun gets him that quick?!" Taeyong threw his head back slightly before erupting into a fit of laughter. You seriously were jealous, and it entertained the boy. The elevator stops on the 20th floor. "My stop. Good luck getting Ten. I'll tell him your hot. Maybe then he'll consider..." Taeyong joked before waving goodbye. The rest of the ride up was quiet. You made sure to fix the end of your dress before meeting with your mother. Exiting the chute, you made your way to make your mother a quick cup of coffee from the instant coffee machine. It was no macchiato but it'll make do. 
"Why are you late?" Your mother questioned once you walked into the room. "I was just getting you coffee," You voiced before walking and taking a seat in front of your desk. Taking files and shoving it out of the way. Handing her the coffee, you finally take a sip on your drink, which was now as cold as the snowfall this season. "So, Mom. What brings you here?" You asked. "Can't I visit my daughter?" She replies, offended. "No, you can't." You scoff, "What do you want?" You interrogate, and that's when you see her shoulders drop as she grips the coffee cup. You knew it. "Listen, sweetheart..." You hum, she continues. "It's ... It's just that you're almost 25! An unmarried chairwoman is humiliating. I don't want Johnny or your father to be ashamed of you, so get your shit together is I give your hand in marriage to another man." Your mother scoffs, the innocent facade fading. Though she had no right to talk to you like that, it felt like a slap in the face. You thought that was the end of it, but no. She had more to get off her chest. "You're friends with Mr.Nakamoto, Mr. Kim, Moon, and that model kid Taeyong. All single. Yet you're still single. Get your shit together, Y/N. I can't always run after you-" "Leave." You were now standing up from the little office chair, pointing towards the door. This was wrong. You shouldn't be disrespectful to someone attempting to fix your own mistakes right? "Farewell then, Goodluck." Unfazed, she exits while you stood in the empty room, the silent room. The only detectable noises were the sound of hurried footsteps, the squeak of doors and the printers from co-workers. 
⋆ 
Saturday nights were known for the shenanigans Yuta, and you pulled. Though tonight, the two of you decided on dressing like sophisticated businesswomen and men, like you weren't already! Come on, you two are multimillionaires. Now, heading to Ryunique, a Fusion restaurant along Gangnam-gu. Today, you squeezed into the most elegant dress in your wardrobe. A black short tulle-skirt lace dress, the double-layered stand-up collar. Especially with your partner in crime who decided on wearing a black satin button-up dress shirt with black pants and his long hair slicked back. You two were the main attraction of the night for sure. "What if we pretended to have American accents?" You joked, exiting the car. "We don't even know English Y/N." The two of you broke into small fits of laughter. "All right, enough jokes. Let's head in." Patting the ends of your dress, you fix the watch on your wrist and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. "Good evening," The tall man at the front desk immediately greeted, standing up and walking towards you two. "Hello, we've got reservations." He clicks his tongue before grabbing the laptop on the desk and placing it on the counter. "Name?" "Mr. and Mrs.Nakamoto." Okay, maybe you two took it too far, to look like a dirty rich couple coming to shower money on these restaurant folks, but it was all in good fun! 
Did wealthy people seriously come here to spend hundreds on Pork Belly, Jowl and Shrimps? Damn right! It was delicious, "Yuta. Give me a bite, please...!!" You beg him. He ordered Beef and Salmon. In other words, tonight's special. "Finish what's on your plate first, Mrs.Nakamoto." He tells you, smiling, before cutting a piece of his Beef and placing it onto your plate. Since when were you so spoilt. By Yuta out of everyone. "I can't believe you made it seem like we were married," You said snickering. "I wasn't going to do that at first, but something about 'Mr. and Mrs. Nakamoto' sounded nice." He plays with the leftover salad on the plate, "It has a nice tone to it, right?" If you weren't in a five-star restaurant, you would've choked, but in attempts to keep your cool at Yuta's shameless behaviour in public, you look up and give a smile. "Mhm! Perfect, we should use it more often!" There you were, fighting fire with fire. "Y/N- You can't just-!?" He stops in the middle of his sentence to fill his mouth with the salad. "Check!" He calls out, as you sit there playing with an olive. You sure do have him wrapped around your finger. Sadly, even Saturdays come to an end. "Shouldn't the guy be walking the girl home?" Yuta asked. "Right? I was thinking that. I guess I'm the man here." Playfully Yuta nudged you. Before pulling you close, his arm envelopes around you. "I'm a man." He assures more to himself than you, "Sure..." Dragging your feet towards Yuta's doorstep, you let out a yawn. "Oh god, I gotta play the man role now." He mumbles before unlocking his front door. "You're sleeping over. Can't have my damsel walk out alone in the dark." He whispers to your half-asleep figure leaning on the doorframe, dozing away. 
Your nose scrunches as your eyes take in every ray of light, and without a doubt, you know you've slept in today. What day was it? Was it still morning or past noon? Where is your phone? Wait, where were you? It took a little adjusting for your tired eyes to realize you were in Yuta's bedroom. Oh, you must have slept over. Looking to your right, you see shirtless Yuta, sprawled across the bed. Hold on. Catching a double-take on what you are looking at... shirtless Yuta... God is on your side today. He turns his head over, an evident smirk displayed. “Like what you see?” He asked, “As if!” You reply, taking the pillow from underneath your head and throwing it at him. “I’m gonna shower, make breakfast will ya?” You request, before marching into his bathroom. ‘What's that smell’ you wonder, skipping into the open kitchen. You’ve always admired the interior of Yuta’s place. Modern yet cozy. “I hope you’re craving egg fried rice.” Yuta said which you happily replied with a hungry growl. “Hungry as a hippo today!” You make your way behind him. You have this urge to back hug him, to wrap your slender arms around his waist, indulging in his scent. “Wh-What are you doing?” Yuta asked. He felt a shock when you wrapped around him, nuzzling yourself into his neck. “I don’t know..” You confess, before it hit you. “Oh my god..! I didn’t even know if you were okay with that! I am such a perv, why’d you go hug him Y/N! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid...” You didn’t realize it there but Yuta turned off the stove when he turned around to grab your wrist from leaving, pulling you back into his embrace. This time he wraps his arms around you, pushing your head into his warm chest. His hand made it’s way to pet your head for a moment before he broke the embrace, the two of you got a glimpse at one another, safe to say he feels the same right? Yuta turns to reach up at the cabinet to serve the two of you. Walking over to his dining table he places the plates while you get some water. “Eat up Mrs.Nakamoto” He chirps, before sitting. 
“Yuta I’m gonna wear your sweater!” You shout from his closet, “Mkay!” He replies. Yuta and you decided on skipping work, and spending your Sunday relaxing in his suite. Grabbing his basketball shorts and sweater you tie an extra tight knot on the waist so you didn’t have to hold it whenever you needed to move settings. “Wow, so cute.” He flirts watching you being swallowed by his clothing. “C’mere,” He pats a spot beside him, which you gladly accepted sitting cuddled up beside him. The two of you have still not confronted one another with the fact your feelings were now out in the open. He knew how deeply in-love you were with him, it was getting so hard to hide.. It kind of just, spilt. Yuta only confirmed his by hugging you back. It was more so a silent confession between the two of you. The promise to be with one another till the end of time being hidden somewhere in that heartwarming moment in the kitchen. “So, are we like?” You start, looking up at him to see him nodding with an eye crinkling smile. “Good.” You state, punching the air in victory. He places a kiss on the top of your head. A thank you. 
A year ago, today. You and Nakamoto Yuta came clean about your growing feelings for one another. Now you were happily in love. Work was the same as always. Only a few changes this year had occurred. Johnny, finally becoming a father. Taeyong had been promoted and was now working more flexibly, letting the two of you hang out. Lastly, but not least, you and Yuta. Not a peep from your mother since that day at the office and no word from Jin Nyun either. You've noticed her attempting to rekindle a spark on multiple occurrences, but as foretold, Yuta steered clear. Now you were living happily, right? Wrong.
It’s not everyday that your best friend comes back from the dead. On April 23rd, 2011, 15-year-old, Jaehyun, had been announced dead in a fatal car accident. The car drove off the Banpo Bridge in the middle of the night, which led the authorities to believe he was drunk driving. There was hope he was still out there, but as the years progressed, you lost hope. Jaehyun’s dream was to become a designer. Though you’ve always wanted to become an interior designer, in a way to pay your respects, you’ve followed his desired path. But, to say the least, you learnt to love this path. It’s where you met Yuta and the people you can call your closest. Now, almost ten years later. You receive a call. "Hello?" On the other end of the line, you could hear soft breaths. Feeling a little uneasy, you call Yuta. Who was idling on the couch, silently over to listen to whatever was going on? "Hello? Who is this?" You ask once more. The breathing halts and, you hear a flimsy cough, "Is this Y/N?" You look over to Yuta, who seemed concerned. "Y-Yes." You answer. The man laughs wholeheartedly for a minute too long before a pause. "Who is this?" You asked, "Jung Jae-" "Don't even finish. Is this some sort of cruel joke?! Who are you!?" You were furious. Yuta backs away to watch from a distance, but ready to comfort you if anything. "Who said I was joking? 66-2 Gongpyeong-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu. Thursday night." He finished with a smooching noise at the end of the line. He ends the call, and you adjust your seat on the island stool. "Jaehyun's dead, right?" You mumble to yourself, still audible to an oblivious Yuta. "Baby? Tell me what's on your mind. You know I'm here," He doesn't know Jaehyun. In fact, he has no clue about how you were in the past. The heartbreaks you've had. "Jaehyun." Yuta furrows his brows. Who is Jaehyun? A past lover, perhaps? Hopping off the stool, you make your way towards the master bedroom. Pulling out a duffle bag from underneath the bed. Although this phone call seemed like some sort of sick set-up, you couldn't help it. A small portion of you knew there could be a chance Jaehyun was still alive. 'Johnny and Jaehyun were friends too,' You thought. He must've been informed about his whereabouts if he was alive. Ding. Perfect timing, such an emotional time, being interrupted. Yuta calls you from the door.
"It's Johnny!" 
The timing couldn’t be any better. Just in, that your elder brother had gotten a text, similar to the call you received. He ran into the bedroom, seeing you packing. Turning around, you noticed his suitcase in hand. “Did he?” Johnny questioned. How could he believe a mere text from an unknown number? You scoff, “Yea, I got a call, I don’t buy it though. He’s dead.” You fumed. “Then why are you packing?” He interrogated. He’s right, why were you? “I-I-I don’t know! Just- Just get in the car.” You throw the keys of your minivan off the bed towards Johnny, who catches it, happily. “Apparently I don’t exist. What the hell is going on!?” Yuta roared. Stopping your actions, you walk over to the boy standing behind Johnny. “Jung Jaehyun died in a fatal car accident in 2011. Someone is claiming that he’s alive.” You answered, watching his expression change from dumbfounded to intrigued. “Why does his death concern you guys?” He asked. “He is-was, my best friend.” Yuta brings his hand down towards your hand, grabbing to caress it with his finger. He could only imagine how dreadful this might be, “When he died... Did they find his body?” He asked. Cautiously. You suck in your breath in realization. No, they didn’t. Looking up to Johnny with a glint of hope glistening in your eyes. Was he really alive? “Go, I’ll take care of work.” He says after wrapping his arms around you. “Thank you." You whisper before grabbing Johnny and walking out. Yuta sighs, "She forgot her bag." He said to himself.
"We have to catch the next train Daegu." You say to Johnny, driving. "I booked our tickets as soon as I got the text. We board in two hours." Prepared as always. Johnny drives over the highway, lights on full beam. You watched how the bright lights played in the pouring rain. This was going to be the only time. You'd be close to relaxing before the next chain of events. But all your mind wandered to was Yuta. How Yuta was doing was your main concern as of now. You're nowhere near understanding how he must feel right now. "He's fine," Johnny interjected, knowing that face you made. "I hope so. We went from watching Netflix to this." You whisper. "It's Yuta, Y/N. He understands." He assured.
Now, here you were in a small but nicely decorated cafe on the outskirts of Daegu. It was Thursday morning, you weren't meeting potential Jaehyun until later this evening. But to take extra measures, you came by earlier to rent the cafe for the evening. Paying was generous. Johnny mentioned he'd be visiting his friend, and for you to fill him in on what went on tonight. He wasn't being selfish, leaving the work to you. It was more selfless than selfish. Johnny knows how much of a role Jaehyun paid to your life before and after.  So leaving your first meeting after ten years to just the two of you was all you could've asked for. "Excuse me! Ms.Seo?" The cafe owner calls for you. "Since your guest won't arrive until later tonight, why don't I make you some brunch?" She offers, "Please? Haven't eaten since last night," You two share a small laugh before she heads off into the kitchen.'You're early.' A shiver ran down your spine as you read the notification.  Jheez, couldn't Jaehyun just enter like a human and not some creepy pedophile. Came all the way from Seoul to see you, can't you be normal? 'Come in?' You hit send. Good thing you were meeting on a full stomach, or else you’d be a little over emotional. What’d he look like? Did he still had the shy boy persona? Or has he grown out of it? The questions that flooded your mind were interrupted by the chime of a bell, indicating someone has entered. “Y/N I missed you” 
Meanwhile, at Nakamoto Enterprises. "Jaehyun. Jaehyun. Jaehyun. Jaehyun." The name lingered Yuta's mind. Did he know him from somewhere? "Jungwoo!" He shouts for his assistant, who dashes in. "Yes?!" Yuta looks out the bay windows, contemplating his own move. "Jung Jaehyun. Who is he?" He asked, still gazing at the rainy window. "He is one of the three founders of JYX Co. He requested a meeting with you last month, something about investing." Jungwoo said, reading off the tablet in hand. Impossible. If he died, then why? He must've been trying to score a meeting with Yuta after hearing about his relationship with you. But that’s not where he knows Jaehyun from, is it? 
Sitting in an empty coffee shop with your proclaimed dead best friend was horrifying but still patched up a hole in that broken heart of yours. “Can’t believe it's you...” You said happily, towards Jaehyun. He grew. Going from the lanky fifteen-year-old to a well built and sophisticated man. After rekindling the friendship, he mentioned what happened that night. "Everything you heard is correct, I drove off the Banpo bridge." He started. "But I was pulled out by this older man by the shore. He took me in and brought me to his place in Daegu." He stops to look up at you. "So, you just decided to start new?" You ask. He nods. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring myself to come home. I'm sorry for what I put you through." He apologized. Though a regular person would've been fuming at the fact he just up and left. You were just relieved. "It's okay, Jae. You're here now." You smile, continuing. "I became a designer for you, and frankly, I'm loving it." He laughs, grasping your hand resting on the table. "I know, I've been keeping tabs on you." He confesses. "So, Nakamoto Yuta." He says, watching your cheeks redden. "What about him?" You huff, in a childish manner. "One year? When is he gonna put a damn ring on it?!" He joked, watching you cover your face. "I don't know..." You mumble, "Anyways, Johnny's at Minhyuk's place. Wanna go?" 
"I knew you sounded familiar," Yuta spoke, seeing Jaehyun walk-in with you this afternoon. "Huh?" What was he going on about? "That's the first thing you say when you see me? No 'I miss you'?" Jaehyun mused but laughed aloud when Yuta hands him a strawberry shake. "No, but is that enough?" He threw a wink, "Still remembering my favourite drink too, huh?" Jaehyun said. You stood behind, dumbfounded. "Hold on... You two know each other?" You question amazed. "Oh yea, Yuta was my roommate in uni." Yuta made his was beside you, making sure to give you a tight hug before a kiss, which made Jaehyun and Johnny gag. You sit on the large living room couch, Yuta's arm wrapped around you. Jaehyun on your other side, sharing a bag of chips with you. A film you were definitely not paying attention to playing on the screen, too distracted in your thoughts. Jaehyun was home. You were home in Yuta's arms. The two most important men back in your life. If you heard this was how you'd end up, you wouldn't believe it. The chances of getting together with Nakamoto Yuta. A name with millions of dollars tied to it, and finding your best friend again, Jaehyun, whom you thought was gone forever. Whatever you did in your past life, seriously paid off. 
This is my happily ever after.
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idontblushsrry · 3 years
Text
Inuyasha Characters As Roomates
In honor of yashahime’s release i’ve decided to post this for no real reason.Can you tell who my bias is lmao. Lmk if I should do a Part 2 with the people I missed. Also I apologize I haven’t updated in like a year I have a post addressing this coming up soon. Thank you for your continued support despite the fact that I’ve been updating infrequently, I really appreciate it. Without further ado:
Warnings: Some swear words oop
Word Count: 1632
Inuyasha
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You want Inuyasha as your roommate???Chile anyways...
No but fr tho in general Inuyasha isn’t an awful roommate, he pays his bills on time(ususally), doesn’t make too big of a mess but that’s just because he owns like 3 things and 2 outfits.
No, the real problem with Inuyasha is that he is LOUD
You walk outside to throw the trash away and he’s in his room screaming about a video game or something and the WHOLE neighborhood can hear him. 
People pokin they head out in concern and everything
Another time he was watching a horror movie and you guess the characters did something stupid because you hear a scream from the character and then Inuyasha screaming “WHAT THE FUCK, WHY WOULD YOU GO THAT WAY DUMBASS! THAT’S WHY YOU’RE DEAD NOW!”
Shit woke you up out of your sleep
After that incident you knew you’d have to ask him to be a bit more considerate of your eardrums.
So, you ask him to quiet down and he pouts like a child and huffs and puffs.
He does quiet down tho...for about 2 minutes until he stubs his toe on the end of the couch
God bless you and your patience but god bless his girlfriend Kagome
She’s a saint
If it were up to Inuyasha your groceries would consist of a cabinet of ramen like the man has the budget for ramen and paying his share of he bills why would he spend money on things like fruit???
This is where Kagome comes in, she comes by pretty regularly and she brings food or groceries because she of all people knows how terrible Inuyasha’s shopping habits are.
Bless her soul truly and every time she does this you thank her lmaoo
Inuyasha eventually does move out with Kagome but he does apologize for being loud before he leaves, you aren’t sure if he did that on his own or if Kagome made him do that
Kagome
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She’s so sweet
Fair share of chores, groceries, she cooks for yall sometimes, truly a saint
Only 2 problems:
Ms. Girl has no moneyyy
Poor Kagome, she always tries to pay her bills on time but between trying to feed Inuyasha, helping out her family, and school the paycheck only spreads so thin(She does eventually quit school to start working more but)
Nothing wrong with this but you do end up having to cover for her sometimes.
She of course thank you and you don’t usually mind and your routine was functional for you two, until you meet problem number 2 
The loudest mf on the planet Earth, her boyfriend, Inuyasha
One day you’re in he kitchen grabbing something to eat and you hear pounding on the door like the police showed up.
You proceed cautiously because...what the fuck and you almost reach the door before you hear 
“I’ll get it!”
You’ve never seen Kagome run faster
She opens the door and you see this 5′5 mf who was banging on the door like he paid the bills
Inuyasha just has rbf but you don't know that so you think he’s making faces at you
Immediately you have a problem with him
“Hey Kagome, who’s this?”
She looks between you two before immediately rushing to introduce you to each other
“Oh, I forgot my purse be right back guys.”, Kagome left not knowing that yall were about 2 seconds from fighting
You didn’t like Inuyasha for banging on the door and glaring and he didn’t like you for glaring at him
After that you just avoided talking to inuyasha for the sake of keeping the peace
When he came over you exited stage left 
Eventually Kagome does move out with Inuyasha and she asks why you and Iuyasha had never spoken to each other
“Are you kidding me the first day we met he was already glaring at me?!”
“Ohhh, that’s just his face, he’s really sweet promise :D”
You doubted that
You liked Kagome as a roommate but you were glad she was moving out so you could find someone who could pay the bills on time.
Sango
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She a baddie ngl
Aside from that, Sango is the perfect roommate
However, I hope you aren’t allergic to cats or Miroku because they’re pretty much a package deal
Also hopefully you don’t hate children because she does have Kohaku to worry about
But she makes pretty good money at her job so expenses aren’t a issue
She also isn’t home too often between her job, taking care of Kohaku and Kirara, and her relationship
She ends up spending more and more time at Miroku’s place anyways
Sango finally moves in with Miroku when she gets pregnant, yall still keep in touch tho because you’ve become good friends
And thus you say goodbye to the best roommate to ever grace this Earth lmao
Miroku
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Miroku is the shortest lasting roommate on this list
Mans is a little creeper pervert and that shit gets annoying after a while
You’ll be walking out the shower and Miroku’s standing there like “hey lil mama lemme whisper in ya ear”
Needless to say you smacked the taste outta his mouth and he stopped with that real quick
He stops but you’re surprised when you see Sango come over 
Your hand starts itching with the urge to slap him again...
You meet Sango and what she sees in him is... baffling, scientists to this day still don’t understand 
Baby girl, you’re Sango do better, self love
Anyways, Miroku moves out eventually and he takes his nasty ass ways with him
Later you find out that Sango moved in with him and sje’s gon have a baby by him
But you know that’s none of your business 
Koga
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If you thought Inuyasha was loud...
Inuyasha doesn’t have any friends, Koga has a wolf pack...
Parties all the time good luck homie
If you were tryna study, sleep, do work, etc. best wishes lmao
You come home and mans got 2 random people over like how ya doin   O-O
“Hello”
“Where’s Koga?”
They point to the kitchen and you head here ready to just “talk” with Koga
He turns around and gives you the cutest smile known to man and you immediately lose your will to argue
Can’t argue with a man that beautiful sorry...
Anyways besides being loud af, Koga is HYPER
Mans is up at 5 am knocking on your door like “hey you wanna jog to the gym”
“No Koga, goodnight”
‘No problem, it’s the morning btw!”
He’s actually a decent roommate and he moves into a bigger house with his friends and calls it the ‘pack house’
He actually invites you to come move in w him and his buddies 
You tell him you’ll think about it
Sesshomaru
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The king of “I’m better than you”
He has his life so well together and you’ve gotta give him props
Mans is basically Caspar the Friendly Ghost of roommates 
Does he actually live here? the lights stay on and his name is on the deed so... I guess
Seriously tho, Sesshomaru doesn’t need a roommate but he does need someone to mind Rin
You might ask, what about Jaken, Jaken is busy (following Sesshomaru) or so he claims
Sesshomaru isn’t too bad honestly he covers the majority of the expenses in exchange for you watching Rin and feeding Ah-Un
So you’re basically Rin’s stay at home nanny
But you don’t mind because she is a SWEETHEART
Ah-Un isn’t too bad, just feed 2 lizards
(Although depending on who you are feeding them bugs might be your worst nightmare)
Jaken and you buttheads all the time, it’s almost comical
The times you interact with him mainly consist of you telling him to leave Rin alone or him telling you something Sesshomaru said
Speaking of Sesshomaru you don’t see him often and the only times you hear from him are in the form of notes he leaves around the house to the degree of ‘I fed Ah-Un this morning’ or ‘Make sure Rin takes her vitamins’ 
The other times you “hear” from him are when Jaken comes by saying things like ‘Lord Sesshomaru has requested that you prepare Rin to go out’
And for a while you were like who tf does he think he is because like yea he pays most of the rent but like he isn’t paying you for this so why does he think he can order you around indirectly
The first time you see Sesshomaru, it’s late and Rin’s been asleep for hours.
You walked into the kitchen and didn’t bother with turning the lights on but then you heard the smallest shuffle and a groan
And the moonlight comes through the window at the perfect angle and it reflects so beautifully off his silver hair
He turs some and you see his face and immediately take back all the times you’ve cussed him out mentally
And the you realize you’re in your pajamas staring at this man you’ve never met before that’s sleeping on the couch. For all you know he could be some random guy who broke in
He looks so peaceful that you loathe to disturb it but you poke at him w a stick and he groans out something to the tune of “Go away Jaken”
“I’m not Jaken”
He immediately sat up and stared at you like he was trying to figure out who you were in his head for a moment 
“Don’t you want to sleep in your room?” you asked him. He stood up and begun to walk towards his room in response 
You just watched him walk away but before he turned the corner into the hallway you swear you heard him say “You should get some sleep too.”
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ukulelecal · 3 years
Text
Bloom - Part Three
The story of flowers.
Pairing: Poet!Luke Hemmings x Female!OC
Warnings: mentions of alcohol/drinking, anxiety, bit of angst, fluff as well
Word Count: 7.9k
A/N: the finale!! i really really loved writing this and i hope you all enjoyed reading it. if yall are interested i would love to write more about luke and devon in the future!! anyways. like always, i ask you to remember how important reblogs and feedback are, and i hope you love it!!!
series masterlist
my masterlist // posted on ao3
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Moving back in with Luke was as painless as moving could be.
It was much easier than when Devon left in the first place. She didn’t have help then, and there was the anxiety about moving to a whole new place and starting grad school all while going through a breakup. This time, Luke was there, and she was going to a place she knew and loved.
Within a week, Devon was packed up and ready to go again, after a quick pause for the official release of Luke’s book, a cause for celebration. All her belongings were taken by the movers and her and Luke flew back home without a hitch. Ashton was still in the process of packing up his own belongings and assured the couple that he would be out within a few days, cracking a joke about making sure to keep the noise down until he was gone. Devon and Luke sped up the process by helping him pack and transfer everything over to Calum and Michael’s flat.
Finally, they were alone. And thank God for that.
“Is it weird being back?” Luke asked over breakfast the first morning that it was just the two of them. Devon shrugged.
“I thought it would be, but it’s really not. Feels natural,” she explained. Luke smiled in satisfaction, feet rubbing against each other under the table.
He was so glad to have her back. As much as he liked living with Ashton, he needed his girl back. He needed to wake up next to her, share good morning kisses and cuddles until daily duties finally pulled them out of bed. Ashton didn’t make nearly as good of a dance partner while making dinner and definitely never gave Luke a good night kiss.
Now that Devon was back, they could go back to all their normals from before. Luke could lay his head in her lap while she read a book and he wrote. At least, he would try to. The feeling of Devon gently scratching his scalp always distracted him and made him sleepy.
Devon, ever the early riser, could sneak out of bed in the mornings to make a run to the local cafe down the street from their apartment complex for coffee and pastries and be back before Luke ever noticed she was gone. She’d always climb back into bed with him for a bit if she didn’t have anywhere to be, knowing he hated to wake up without her there.
Things had finally fallen into place.
With breakfast finished and cleaned up, Luke and Devon got themselves ready for the day before meeting in the living room.
“What now?” Luke asked, throwing his arms out. “We have the whole rest of summer until you start school again. What do you want to do?”
“Not to be boring, but first things first, I want to see if I can get my old job back,” she chuckled, causing Luke to roll his eyes playfully, though he understood. Rent and loans wouldn’t pay themselves. “But, I haven’t been here in a year. I want to do it all.”
Luke smiled, stepping towards and snatching up his car keys.
“Let’s go, then. Summer won’t last forever.”
Back in Bertha, Luke drove Devon to the office building where she used to work as a receptionist. She hated it, if she was honest with herself; the people there were stuffy and boring, but the job paid well, and that’s all she needed until she finished grad school and got a permanent job. A quick conversation with her old boss had her rehired, the woman expressing how Devon was always the most organized receptionist they ever had, before she made her way back to Luke.
“I am officially a receptionist again starting Monday,” she announced with fake enthusiasm as she shut the car door behind her. “Anyways, I’m thinking a walk in the park and then the panini place a few blocks down for lunch, if that’s okay with you.”
Luke didn’t answer. Devon looked up from clicking her seatbelt into place to find him staring at her with an adoring grin, eyes twinkling with love.
“What?” She mumbled sheepishly, heat rising to her cheeks.
“I’m so glad I’ve got you back, honey. I love you so much.”
Devon barely had the chance to return the sentiment before Luke was leaning over the center console, beard tickling her as he pressed a needed kiss to her lips. He reached over to give her knee a squeeze before throwing the car into reverse.
“Off to the park!”
The walk was relaxing. Luke and Devon both found solace in nature, absorbing up the sunshine and fresh air. Devon realized she needed an updated picture of him in all his beard and glasses glory for her lockscreen. She picked a few daisies from the ground and tucked them behind his ear, using her free hand to cup the side of his face opposite from the flowers and took the picture. It was adorable; his eyes squinted from the sun and his grin was full of joy. She loved it, wasting no time in setting it as her lockscreen. He teased her about it, but a picture of her laughing across the table from him at the restaurant quickly became his new lockscreen.
It was an amazing day. The best day either of them had had in a while, right up there with Luke’s book release. They drifted off to sleep that night with smiles on their faces, ever so content and ever so in love.
One evening some weeks later, Luke hopped in the shower while Devon wandered around the bedroom until he was done so they could watch a movie. She stopped in front of the small book shelf in the corner, eyes landing on The Life of a Flower. She picked up the book, fingertips trailing over the familiar orchids on the cover.
She had read it all the way through a few times, and it didn’t take long to realize that the entire book was about her. The very first poem in it was The Orchids, the first poem Luke had written for her. It started off happy, all poems about their loving relationship, but they slowly got more tragic as the book went on, poems about their breakup. Many of the poems had flower themes, including the flower referenced in the title of the book being a symbol of their relationship and it’s journey.
The final poem was called Sunshine Can’t Save Me Now. It was about a broken man - Luke, surely - trying to save a flower that was already dead - his and Devon’s relationship. He explained that he was at a very low point when he wrote it, admitting that he didn’t have much hope at the time. It was the right way to end the book, considering the state of Luke’s life when it was finished.
It took Luke a half hour to calm Devon down when she finished the book for the first time. She couldn’t stop sobbing as he held her, assuring her that everything was okay now. Her tears were caused by a mixture of resurfaced painful memories and the pure heartbreaking beauty of Luke’s poetry.
She let out a deep sigh. Just thinking about it made her want to cry. The poems really revealed how Luke was feeling about the breakup. He opened up to her about going through a bit of a rough patch, but his poetry said far more than what he ever said to her out loud. She only wished things could have been different; maybe the book would have had a happy ending.
“You ready, babe?”
Devon’s head snapped up at Luke’s voice, seeing him step into the bedroom with wet curls and only a pair of joggers on his legs. She quickly put the book on the shelf and grinned at him.
“Yep, I’m ready.”
She walked towards him, expecting him to turn and go into the living room, but his large hands rested on her forearms, stopping her.
“You okay?” He asked with concern. He didn’t miss the frown on her face when he first walked into the room.
“I’m alright, bubs. Come on,” she insisted, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the living room.
“You sure?” He coaxed as they sat down on the couch together. She looked up at him with a smile and nodded. He searched her face; she really did look alright. He sighed and pressed a prickly kiss to her cheek. “Okay.”
Devon tossed a blanket over the two of them as Luke pulled up the movie. She cuddled into him easily, head resting on his bare shoulder. With an arm wrapped around her shoulders, his fingertips gently danced over her forearm, the touches subtle but meaningful.
They greatly appreciated the quiet moments like this. No expectations, worries, or watching eyes. Just the two of them, flowers in a pot rather than a field.
Devon felt her eyes start to droop, as they did most times when they watched movies at night and she got too comfortable. Luke would tease her relentlessly about not being able to stay awake through an entire movie, but he was more than happy to hold her sleeping figure until the movie ended, then carry her into bed with him.
Halfway through the movie, Luke glanced down to see Devon’s eyes closed, noticing her breath had slowed down. A soft grin spread across his face. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. The weight of school and work weren’t twisting her face. She was at ease, calm.
Luke’s lips ever so softly connected with Devon’s forehead. The tickle of his beard made her stir for a moment, but quickly settled back into his shoulder. He wanted this forever. He wanted Devon to fall asleep on him every night, fall asleep with her in his arms and wake up with her right there next to him. He had known that for a long time, but at the moment, the love he felt for the stunning woman right next to him was overwhelming.
He watched her sleep for another moment before an idea popped into his head.
He quickly paused the movie and gently scooped Devon up into his arms. She cuddled into him, thankfully staying asleep as Luke carried her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and pulled the sheets carefully over her. Once he was sure she was still asleep, Luke quickly moved into the spare room and pulled out his most recent notebook.
The words came easily, flowing out onto the paper as water flowed through a stream. The poem was short but heavy, a depiction of white roses to match a white gown. A vow to love forever, through whatever life may throw at them. Through sickness and in health. He let out a deep breath once the final line was written.
Luke would save the poem for later; now wasn’t a good time. But one day, Devon would hear it, and have a brand new ring on her finger to go along with it.
The rest of the summer was certainly one to remember.
Devon and Luke were lucky to have similar work schedules. Their days off typically lined up, and even if they couldn’t see each other much during the day, they were always both home to have dinner together.
Luke’s book was doing well in sales and reviews. Readers begged for more, desperate to find some sort of closure on the wilting relationship detailed in the book. They had no idea that things worked out in the end, the flowers revived.
Summer came to a close. Devon’s second and final year of grad school was starting, only two semesters away from her master’s degree. Luke had some promotion opportunities for The Life of a Flower lined up, and was starting to think about a second book.
He was hesitant to quit his job at the bookstore. He didn’t feel like he was established enough in the poetry world to be financially stable without a more steady source of income. If he could just write all day, every day, he would. Until then, he would stay a manager at the quaint store in the city.
“Are you nervous?” Luke whispered to Devon the night before her first day of classes. The couple was cuddled up in bed, Devon’s head on Luke’s chest.
“A bit,” she sighed. “I guess I’m more nervous about what comes after I graduate.”
She figured a master’s degree would open more opportunities, but there was always uncertainty when it came to job hunting. She had time before she needed to start looking, but the thought always made her worry.
“Don’t be nervous, honey. You’re the smartest person I know. I have every faith in you that you’ll be amazing. And remember, I’ll always be here.”
His words brought a smile to her face. He always knew just what to say when she needed comfort.
“I love you,” she whispered as she began to drift off. She heard his return of the sentiment before sleep took over, her final sleep before being thrown into the whirlwind of a final year of grad school.
First semester was nothing short of overwhelming.
Devon was swamped with assignments, constantly scrambling to get things done between classes and on her breaks at work. She spent hours at her computer, back aching and eyes burning, pressure heavy on her shoulders.
It took a lot of deep breaths and reevaluation to remind herself that she only needed to get through two semesters, and she would be done. She would have her master’s and grad school would be over. School being done meant a job hunt, but she tried not to think about what came next. She needed to stay focused in the present.
Luke wasn’t around much. He was away a lot doing interviews and signings for his book, taking up extra hours at the bookstore in his free time to save money - for multiple things he had in mind.
When he was home, Luke’s mission was to make sure Devon stayed sane. He could see the stress school was putting on her, and she tended to overwork herself. He had to force her to take breaks, even if it meant physically lifting her from her desk chair and carrying her into the kitchen to eat. She would always give in, but it never lasted long until she scurried back to her studies. Saturday nights, however, were always reserved for date night. No work, no school, no commitments to anything other than each other. It was their favorite night of the week in which they got to relax and let their minds drift from responsibility.
Winter break was like a sigh of relief for the couple. Devon got her first proper night’s sleep in months, putting Luke’s worried self at ease. They divided up the time between Luke’s family and Devon’s family, of course setting some time aside for themselves. It was relaxing, refreshing, and the perfect break before second semester.
Now just a few months away from her master’s degree, Devon had to bring her A-game. She had her thesis paper to worry about, along with the dreaded job search. It was a lot to tackle all at once, but she was prepared for the challenge. She had her eyes on the prize, and all the stress would be worth it in the end when she fulfilled her goal.
Luke still had promotion things to do, but he was starting to focus on writing more. He wanted his second book to have a story like his first one did. He planned on making it a sequel of sorts, a tale of his and Devon’s saved relationship after their breakup period, but not in a way that a reader would have to read The Life of a Flower to understand.
It was only a couple weeks into the second semester that Devon’s workload quickly got massive. Between gradual work on her thesis paper, class assignments and her job, things got difficult pretty quickly. Luke was busy as well, cranking out drafts upon drafts of poems that he wasn’t even happy with. He knew he needed to slow down and focus on quality over quantity, but it was difficult when he knew publishers would want options.
Luke and Devon’s individual stress began to put a stress on their relationship.
There was hardly time for each other. Devon was usually out of bed before Luke in the mornings, and it was a guessing game to see who would retire to bed first at night. No matter who it was, it was always at an hour far too late. It affected Devon especially, who was used to turning in early most nights. There were rarely good night or good morning kisses, and most dinners were whatever was easiest and quickest.
Actual date night got canceled most Saturdays as someone was usually too tired to go out; it had gotten to a point where the closest semblance they had had to a date in weeks was a trip to the grocery store.
All of the tension built up more and more, and eventually it led to the little time they had to spend together being full of petty arguments. It started with Devon snapping at Luke for leaving his pants on the bedroom floor, and it only grew from there. Little things that used to not bother them much caused ridiculous bickering.
It was scaring Devon. Their relationship was starting to feel like the days leading up to their breakup. Tense and bitter. Every little argument with Luke left a foul taste in her mouth, and she didn’t want to let it go on. They promised each other that they were going to make things work, and that meant they needed to sit down and talk like adults.
Devon knocked softly on the spare bedroom door where Luke had shut himself away to work, as usual. She heard a soft “come in” from inside, and gently pushed the door open.
Luke looked up from his notebook, and she quickly noticed the dark circles under his eyes. What pained Devon the most was that they had probably been there the whole time and she had been too frustrated to notice. Not frustrated at him, either; it was school and work, and she was taking it out on him.
“You alright?” He asked, seeing the worried look on her face. She simply sighed and stepped forward, taking his open arms as an invitation to take a seat on his lap.
“Can we talk, bubs?” She whispered. Luke’s hand gently rubbed her thigh as he nodded in agreement. Devon continued. “I’m sorry I’ve been so rude to you lately. It’s not an excuse but school has just been a pain in the ass.”
“It’s okay, honey. I’m sorry too. I think we’ve both just been really on edge lately,” he mumbled, pulling her closer. “We need to find time to unwind.”
Devon hummed in agreement, leaning her head on Luke’s chest. The gentle thump of his heartbeat was comforting as she took in his touch. She couldn’t remember the last time they were so close physically.
“My spring break is coming up next month. Maybe we could go somewhere? Even if it’s just for a few days?”
Luke smiled a bit at the suggestion.
“That sounds nice.”
Perhaps a getaway would do them good. They could leave all work and school behind and just have fun together. The last time they took a trip was spring break junior year of undergrad. They spent most days getting drunk and making out on the beach. They laughed until they forgot what was funny and ate their way through the local restaurants. Maybe they were overdue for a nice vacation.
Devon leaned up to press a kiss to Luke’s scruffy chin.
“Let’s go to bed, bubs.”
The two of them climbed into bed at the same time for the first time in a long time that night. Luke pulled Devon into his arms and they exchanged a good night kiss, thoughts of a vacation lulling them to sleep.
Luke and Devon eventually decided on going back to the beach for spring break. They didn’t have much money to go anywhere fancy, and they had a lot of good memories associated with the place. Devon insisted on taking her car for the drive, unsure about Bertha’s ability to make it through the trip, but Luke still insisted on being the driver.
With luggage loaded into the trunk, the couple hit the road.
As passenger, Devon got the aux. She played the road trip playlist that she perfectly crafted for the occasion, and the drive was spent singing along and dancing in their seats.
Devon glanced over at Luke. It was golden hour, a gorgeous glow casting over the gorgeous boy that she was lucky enough to call hers. He looked so happy and in his element. Devon squeezed his hand that was resting in her lap.
“You’re staring,” Luke mumbled without returning her gaze, a small smirk on his face. She giggled.
“Can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”
A blush spread across his cheeks under the orange glow of the setting sun. She squeezed his hand again as a reassurance before turning her eyes back to the road.
Soon enough, Luke pulled into the parking lot of the small hotel they had booked a room at, the same place they stayed at junior year. It wasn’t exactly a five star establishment, but they didn’t expect to be spending much time there anyway.
After loading their small amount of luggage from the trunk, they made their way into the quaint lobby to check in. The walls were covered top to bottom in tacky beach decorations, coastal throw pillows on the white couches. It wasn’t what Devon would call good interior design, but it was fitting for the location and only made her more excited for the trip.
“We’ve got a reservation under Hemmings.”
The man at the front desk handed them their room keys and a pamphlet with some local attractions and restaurant recommendations. They were off to their room afterwards, a small thing but plenty for the two of them.
“Remember the last time we came here?” Devon asked as they got settled in, carrying her toiletries into the bathroom.
“I remember coming, but I can’t say I remember much of the actual vacation.”
Devon laughed at that; they spent a good majority of the trip drunk. She couldn’t say she remembered many specifics either, just some tidbits. Based on the blurry pictures they found in their camera rolls afterwards, they could imagine they had a good time.
Luke pulled on a clean shirt before joining Devon in the bathroom where she was leaning over the shower, setting her shampoo and conditioner on the wire shelf on the wall. She turned around to face him, finding a small smile on his face.
“C’mere, honey,” he hummed with open arms. Devon flushed and melted into him, feeling him press a kiss to the top of her head. “This was a great idea. I love you.”
“I love you too, bubs.” She puckered her lips for a kiss that Luke gladly delivered. “How about we walk around to find a place for dinner?”
Luke agreed and the two were out the door. Hand in hand, they strolled around the small beach town. There wasn’t a chain restaurant in sight; every place was a local business. They didn’t look like much on the outside, but the couple were firm believers that the holes in the wall and the greasy spoons were usually the best places.
A taco restaurant with a calming seafoam green exterior beckoned Devon and Luke inside, sitting down for dinner. The slightly run down building was no comparison to the delicious food.
With full stomachs, the couple made their way to the beach. The spring breaker crowd was thin at the time, most people gone for dinner, but surely it would fill up again later at night for the real fun.
Luke and Devon slowly strolled down the beach, carrying their shoes in their hands that weren’t interlaced together. The sun was barely still peaking out, and a cool breeze began to rip through the air.
“I forgot how pretty it is,” Devon commented as they walked. The setting sun over the ocean was a lovely sight to see. Luke hummed, dropping her hand in favor of wrapping it around her waist.
“I love it,” he mumbled in response. “And I love you, honey.”
Devon turned her head to press a chaste kiss to his shoulder, leaning her cheek on the spot.
“I love you too, Lu.”
They walked until they reached a wooden bench swing. It was a bit creaky but comfortable, Luke using his feet to slowly swing them back and forth.
“I’d like to live here one day,” Devon said dreamily. “On the beach. Maybe after we retire. We’ll be that old couple that sits on their front porch all day and watches the waves.”
Luke could picture it perfectly. They would be the laid back grandparents that took the grandkids to the beach all the time, having bonfires in their backyard on warm summer nights. They would have their own little beach house with a porch swing and a dog. He wasn’t too keen on growing old just yet, but the thought definitely made the future seem bright.
“One day,” he affirmed. “But what about now? Where do you want to live after you graduate?”
“I think I want to stay where we are.” She glanced up at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Is that where you want to be?”
“It is.” He bent down and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “We could live anywhere and I would be happy as long as I had you, Dev.”
“You’re so cheesy,” she chuckled although her heart soared. She felt the same way; white picket fence house or tiny apartment, she would be content so long as she had Luke.
“I’m a poet. It’s my specialty.”
The couple laughed before falling into silence again.
Luke meant what he said. He still wanted to be in the city and close to all the job opportunities for Devon, but he wanted more than their little apartment. It was perfect for college students, but they had always yearned for something more. Once Devon got a job after graduation and if his book sales continued to be successful, they could achieve their dreams soon.
The rest of the trip was pure bliss. They spent their days lounging on the beach and popping in and out of antique shops in the town. There were many photos, many laughs, many heartfelt kisses. It was exactly what they needed to recharge and regroup. After weeks of tension, they were finally at ease.
All too soon, it was back to reality. Devon had a thesis paper to finish, and Luke had a book to get back to work on. However, they were confident that the workload wouldn’t put such a strain on their relationship this time. They had a newfound energy to power through and make things work.
Time flew by, and before either of them knew it, Devon was only two weeks away from graduation. She was only two weeks from having her master’s degree. She had to admit she was proud of herself. Grad school was no walk in the park, and she was about to finish. In a world that seemed to be against her, she was succeeding.
It was both an exciting and stressful time in her life. She was approaching the finish line, and she even had a few job offers lined up. No more receptionist work for her.
There was one thing that was bringing her down; the damn thesis paper.
Her first draft was done, but she wasn’t happy with it. She spent hours editing and rewriting, fingers cramping from all the typing. She only had another week to finish, and the panic was starting to set in.
“You’re working yourself ragged, honey,” Luke said one afternoon, not missing the concerningly dark circles under Devon’s eyes or the fact that she had been wearing the same shirt for three days. He placed his hands on her shoulders, thumbs working the stiff muscles. “Come on, take a break.”
“I don’t have time, Luke,” she huffed, eyes never leaving her computer screen. “I only have a week to finish and this paper is shit.”
Luke felt his heart break in his chest. It pained him to see her so stressed out and unsure of herself. Devon was a perfectionist; she would settle for nothing less than fantastic for her paper.
“Devon, look at me,” he mumbled, gently grabbing her chin to turn her face towards him. Exhaustion weighed heavy on her features.
One look into Luke’s sincere blue eyes had Devon’s own watering. Her bottom lip trembled as she turned around in her chair to stand up. She collapsed into Luke’s arms, a pained sob escaping her lips.
“It’s so hard, Lu,” she choked out. “It’s so hard.”
“Oh, honey,” he cooed, slowly walking backwards until they reached the bed. He laid down and coaxed Devon to join, still crying into his chest. “It’s alright, just let it out. It’s okay to cry. I’m right here.”
She sobbed until she had no tears left, cries subsiding to the occasional sniffle. She felt a sense of relief, letting out a deep breath.
“You okay, baby?” Luke inquired. He only got a nod in response. “I told you you needed to take a break, Dev.”
She sighed and mumbled something incoherent, burying her head further into Luke’s chest.
“What do you want to do now, honey?” He asked. “You want to take a nap? I know you’re tired.”
She did want to nap. She wanted to sleep for days, but life didn’t allow that.
“Shower,” she grumbled, voice muffled. “Then nap.”
“Alright,” he agreed softly, thankful that she wasn’t fighting him on taking a break anymore.
While she showered, Luke straightened up her workspace a bit, knowing the mess would only stress her out more. He also prepped some celery with ranch dressing, one of Devon’s favorite snacks, for her to munch on before she went to sleep.
Devon let the hot water soothe her aching muscles. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, relishing in the warmth. She didn’t want to take too long of a break, but Luke was right; she was working too hard. If she was well rested, felt good, and paced herself, she would do much better.
After her shower, she changed into one of Luke’s clean t-shirts and her most comfortable pair of leggings. She stepped out of the bathroom and walked back to the bedroom, quickly noticing her tidy desk and the plate of celery on her nightstand.
She could have started crying again, just because of how sweet he was. He had a certain knack for being able to make her feel better instantly.
“I’ve got a snack for you to have before you take your nap,” Luke explained, standing up from the edge of the bed. “Celery and ranch.”
She stood up on her toes to press a grateful kiss to his lips.
“Thank you, bubs.”
Curled up in bed, she nibbled on her snack until she could barely keep her eyes open. Setting the plate back on the nightstand, she moved herself to lay down and curled up next to Luke.
“Don’t let me sleep too long, okay?”
“I won’t, I promise,” Luke assured. “Just go to sleep, honey. You need it.”
Devon dozed off contently. With Luke by her side, she was ready to take on the next two weeks.
Devon’s knee bounced the whole flight to the city of her grad school, as much as Luke tried to calm her down. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous; she had been through graduation ceremonies before. All she had to do was walk across the stage, get her diploma, and shake a few hands. It was simple.
“Why are you so nervous, honey?” He had asked, rubbing her thigh to soothe her.
“I don’t know,” she huffed. She reached for Luke’s hand on her leg to fiddle with the rings on his fingers. “I don’t think it’s the ceremony that I’m nervous about. It’s just...I don’t know.”
The fact that she didn’t know what was bothering her only stressed her out more. She knew there really was nothing to worry about. She had gone through her bag a million times before leaving for the airport; she had her cap and gown, as well as the dress and heels she bought for the occasion and enough clothes to last the trip. Her phone was tucked safely in the pocket of her joggers along with her wallet. Pretty much anything else, she could either live without for a few days or buy it there.
If she wasn’t worried about the ceremony and she knew she packed all the essentials, then what was she so nervous about?
Luke dropped it for the rest of the plane ride, but once they got to the hotel, getting ready to meet Devon’s parents for dinner, the way she paced around the room and fidgeted with everything she could get her hands on was starting to make him nervous.
“Everything is going to be fine, Dev. You’re getting your master’s and your parents are going to be there to see you. I know they are so proud of you. You worked so hard for this. Isn’t that exciting?”
The realization finally hit.
Devon’s parents expected a lot from her. She knew they always wanted the best for her, and she did everything she could to make them proud. Her parents were loving people. They always said that they would be proud of her no matter what, but Devon never felt like she was doing enough.
“That’s just it, Luke. What if it’s not enough? What if they expect more?” She rambled, straightening her necklace for the thousandth time.
“What more could they expect? You just finished grad school. That’s a huge accomplishment,” he tried to reason with her.
“Anything. They could expect anything else.”
Luke realized what was happening. The need to make other people proud bled into a need for herself to feel accomplished. Even if her parents told her a million times that they would always be proud of her, she would always need more. She needed validation.
“Devon Murphy. Look me in the eyes.”
He grabbed her shoulders to stop her pacing. She stared up at him, eyes wide with nerves.
“I need you to realize that your worth is not measured by physical accomplishments. Your worth is not measured in grades and degrees. And even if it was, you’ve done better than the average person. You say your parents will want more, but I know for a fact that you have already made them more proud than you can imagine. You will always be enough.”
Devon wasn’t sure when she had started crying, but Luke used his thumbs to wipe the wetness off her cheeks. She definitely needed to hear that. Unable to find the right words, she leaned up to kiss him, a silent expression of her gratitude.
“Love you,” she whispered against his lips. He grinned and gave her one last peck before pulling away.
“I love you too.” He wiped away the bit of smudged mascara under her eyes. “Are you ready to go?”
Devon nodded. Hand in hand they headed out the door and to the restaurant.
Devon’s parents were ecstatic to see her. They hadn’t been able to visit since the holidays, and they were simply overjoyed to see their daughter and watch her get her master’s degree.
They were excited to see Luke as well. From the moment Devon first brought him home to meet them, they knew he was the one. They looked at each other like they were the entire world. Luke was kind and respectful. They had full faith in him to be a good man for their daughter.
Naturally, they were shocked when Devon told them that her and Luke broke up. It was the last thing they ever expected, but they knew deep down that things would work out in the end. They were right.
The meal went smoothly. The lively conversation put any anxieties Devon was feeling at ease, and as the night ended and her and Luke were off to bed, she was ready.
Devon took her time to get ready in the morning.
She got up early so she could take a long shower, cleaning well so she felt her best. She blow dried her hair and took her time doing her makeup. She did it lightly, wanting to look natural but not washed out in the inevitable countless photos she would be taking.
Slipping on the orchid purple color dress she bought, she glanced at herself in the mirror.
Luke’s words from the evening before rang in her mind. This was a huge accomplishment. She had done many amazing things in her life. She was enough.
Devon walked out the bathroom with a smile, ready to go. Luke was sitting at the small table in the corner, hunched over his notebook. He had already changed into his dress shirt and slacks, ready when she was.
His eyes widened when he saw her. She was simply glowing with confidence and pride, as she should. He smiled brightly as he stood up to meet her.
“You look stunning, my love,” he mumbled. He shook his head softly. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, bubs.” She glanced past him at his notebook. “What are you writing?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled.
He grabbed Devon’s black gown from where it was hung on the closet door and handed it to her along with her cap. With a deep breath, she was ready to go.
The ride to the school was short. Devon and Luke met up with her parents beforehand.
“We are so proud of you, sweetheart,” her dad announced, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“We always knew you would do amazing things,” her mom added in, tears welling up in her eyes.
Devon finally felt like she had done enough. Looking at her parents, she knew that they were truly beyond proud. She was enough.
“Don’t cry, Mom,” Devon chuckled warmly, pulling them in for a hug. “I wouldn’t be here without you two. Thank you.”
They talked for another minute before a different familiar voice called Devon’s name. She turned around to find Luke’s parents walking up, big smiles on their faces. Her mouth dropped at the surprise, heart bursting. Luke hadn’t told her that he invited them, but it made her so happy that they were there as well. Her relationship with them was very strong.
“Liz! Andy! Oh my gosh, thank you for coming!” She cheered, sharing hugs with them as well.
“Luke invited us. We’re so proud of you, Devon. We wouldn’t miss this,” Liz said, Andy piping in his agreement.
Devon couldn’t contain her smile, glancing at Luke in appreciation. This was her family, all together and there to support her in her biggest accomplishment. She felt proud, excited, and loved. She couldn’t ask for more.
The three couples chatted and took a few pictures until it was time for Devon to go. She exchanged hugs and kisses with each person before heading off to join the rest of her graduating class, Luke and the parents going to find their seats.
The anticipation as she waited to enter the gymnasium was killing her, lined up in a sea of caps and gowns. She shifted her weight back and forth, making small talk with the person standing in front of her that she had never met just to pass the time.
Eventually, the line began to move, walking right towards the next chapter of their lives.
The sound of Pomp and Circumstance filled Devon’s ears as she walked inside. The massive crowd made her heart rate pick up a little, both in excitement and nerves. This wasn’t just her big day. So many other students were feeling just the same as she was, so many other families beaming with pride. It made her feel good to be a part of something so grand.
Devon quickly glanced around for her family, but the crowd was too big to spot them. She took her seat in the folding chair, and the ceremony began.
Many people made speeches, most of which Devon wasn’t familiar with, but listened intently anyway. Before she knew it, it was time to call names. The first half of the alphabet flew by, and suddenly, it was Devon’s turn.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she stood at the bottom of the steps, her smile wide. After every all nighter, all the stress, she did it. She finished grad school. She had her master’s degree in social work.
“Devon Murphy.”
The crowd cheered as she walked across the stage. She could hear a few cheers that stood out among the rest, and she knew exactly who they belonged to. She couldn’t help but laugh as she was handed her diploma and shook hands. Nothing was funny, but she had never felt such a sense of pride and joy.
Devon barely heard the rest of the ceremony. She was buzzing, staring at the diploma resting in her lap. She did it.
Her attention was regained when the people next to her stood up, and she quickly followed, walking out of the gymnasium. Everyone made their way to where the graduates could meet their guests. It took a minute to find them in the crowd, but she spotted them.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the group as she ran towards them, pulling them all into a group hug. They all chorused their congratulations and pride. The love between them was strong, pride immeasurable.
Devon hugged her parents and Luke’s parents individually before she got to him. His smile crinkled his eyes, grabbing her face and pressing a firm kiss to her lips.
“Congratulations, honey,” he mumbled once he pulled away. “You did it. I am so, so proud of you.”
The group took many, many pictures before heading off to have a late lunch. Luke refused to tell her where they were going on the drive there, but soon enough Luke pulled into the parking lot of a fancy steakhouse.
“This place is like, the same price as my tuition, Lu,” she stated, giving him a look.
“Only the best for our graduate,” was his simple response, sending her a wink before getting out of the car. She rolled her eyes playfully but followed, grateful for the treat.
Luke and Devon’s parents meet them inside, talking to the hostess for a moment before being led towards the back of the restaurant. Devon followed, confused when they passed all of the tables in the dining room.
“Where are we sitting?” She whispered to Luke, but her question was answered when the hostess opened a door that led to an outdoor patio. String lights were strung through the awning, a perfectly set table for six sat in the middle. There were no other tables out there, telling Devon it was private.
“You guys!” She exclaimed, glancing around the group with a grateful smile. “This is too much.”
“You just got your master’s degree, Devon. This is the least we can do.”
The group all took their seats, a server quick to come and take drink orders.
The meal was phenomenal. The food was delicious, and it was also nice to be able to have everyone together. Devon and Luke’s parents had only met a couple of times, so they were glad that this was an opportunity for everyone to be together.
After dessert, Luke rested his hand on top of Devon’s on the table. She looked at him with a grin, but he looked nervous. She furrowed her eyebrows.
“What’s wrong?” She asked. She snuck a glance around the table, noticing that they were biting back smiles. Now more confused than concerned, she turned back to Luke.
“Nothing’s wrong, honey,” he assured. “I, um...I have something for you.”
Luke grabbed Devon’s hand and pulled her to stand up with him. She glanced back at the group; they had pulled their phones out, holding them up.
“Lu…” she murmured under her breath, heart rate picking up and heat rushing to her cheeks. He sent her a comforting smile and took a deep breath.
“I’ve been trying to write this poem for you for weeks now. I just haven’t been able to get the words right. But this morning, I finally finished it. I’d like to read it to you, if that’s okay.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of his pants pocket. Trembling fingers unfolded it, Devon watching as a million thoughts of what this might be ran through her mind. Luke held the paper in one hand and reached for Devon’s with the other.
The poem was beautiful. It spoke of a seed that budded into a vibrant flower, one full of life that lit up a room. The flower radiated love and kindness to all. It spoke of a love that was true and pure. Devon was barely holding back her tears by the time he finished reading, squeezing his hand.
“That was incredible, Luke,” she whispered shakily, smiling. He squeezed her hand in return and set the paper on the table.
“I just have one thing that I want to ask you now.”
He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a small black box. Devon gasped, finally putting the pieces together. Time went in slow motion as he sank down to one knee, opening the box. She didn’t even look at the ring. She was staring at Luke, at least trying to, through her tears. Her hands covered her mouth in shock, heart racing.
“Devon Jo Murphy...will you marry me?”
All she could do was nod. Words completely escaped her. She hardly even registered the cheers from her family as Luke slipped the ring onto her finger. He quickly stood up to meet her, pulling her in for a bruising kiss. Their tears mingled together, arms wrapped tightly around each other.
“I love you so much, Devon. So fucking much.”
“You’re my world, Luke. I love you with my entire heart.”
They finally pulled back and looked at each other. Their eyes were red rimmed and their smiles beaming. They laughed, so full of love and joy. They were shortly joined by their parents, congratulating and hugging.
Everything about Luke and Devon was beautiful. The love they had for each other was as abundant as a field of flowers. Bright, joyous. A college seminar led to a wonderful, blooming relationship. And bloom, they most certainly did.
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glassartpeasants · 4 years
Text
Crying In The Club .5
Overhaul x F!Reader
Warnings: Angst, a bit of happiness for once?, mentions of past abuse, 
*Part 1* *Part 2* *Part 3* *Part 4* *Part 5*
A/N: HE HO everybody. Like i promised, they would both be out today. Am I tired? Yes. Am i rushing through his chapter since my dumbass thought it would be cool to procrastinate? Yes. But none of that shit matters now. Its out and we are all good.
Edit: Did I fall asleep while writing this and never finished it? Yes. Was my laptop almost dead when I woke? Yes. Am I sorry for not keeping the promise? Yes. I is big sorry U^U
Taglist
@winchester-wifey @hello-lucky-luka
~~~
You haven’t left the safety of your bathroom in about a week. I mean what was the point of even going out there if all your gonna remember on how horribly you wanted to get out of this shit show. You felt like nothing mattered anymore. Why should it? You were dragged away from all of your friends and family. You had no one except Overhaul. Which practically left yourself friendless except for the voice in your head.
When was the last time you even ate? You remember eating the afternoon you escaped. Soo about a week then? You hold your tummy as painful growls rumble from it. Causing you to groan in pain. Your eyes were squeezed shut as you sighed.
When was the last time you moved from your little spot behind the door? To long...
Kai-Overhaul hasn’t even tried to talk to you. Not even once. Good. You didn’t want to see his disgusting face anyways. It was the same face that gave you nightmares when you slept at night. God even thinking about that prick has your stomach turning as you resist the urge to vomit. Insignificant selfish bastard-
“Miss (Y/N)?” You sigh. It was Hari, Kai’s right hand man. You wanted to hate him but you realized that would be childish. The man never did anything to harm you, he was only trying to follow orders.
“Yes?” You reply softly, Your voice was dry from not talking in awhile. You lick your lips in order to just have some mostiure.
“You can leave the base.” Your eyes shot open so wide you thought they would pop out of your skull. Scrambling to get on your feet you pull open the door. Eyes wide open hoping he wasn’t lying to get you to open the door.
“What?! Are you serious?!”
“Yes Overhaul told me to tell you that. saying how he found someone better for the job.”
A smile etched it’s way into your face. Tears of joy fell down your face as you hug Hari. You pulled him in a bone crushing hug as you thanked him over and over again. You let him go before you ran out the door faster then you have ever ran before. You wanted to leave before Kai changed his mind.
Your feet hit the cement as the tears of joy slowly slid down your cheeks. You ran so fast that your legs felt as if they could fall off your own body. But that pain was welcomed. You would take this pain over staying with Overhaul any day.
Your feet stopped when you had bumped into someone. Your momentum of running knocked down the man and you stumbling back, trying not to fall on your ass.
“Oh my god i’m so sorry!” You profusely as you lend a hand to the fallen man so he could get up. The man took your hand and you couldn’t help but smile and nervously laugh as you enjoyed how soft the mans hands were.
“No it’s okay, I should have looked at where I was going.” You both laugh a little before you rub the back of your neck.
“Hey since you knocked me over how about you let me take you to the cafe nearby. Me falling on my ass has made me thirsty.” You laugh as you let your hand fall to your side.
Looking at the man there was no lying that he was some good ass eye candy. But you were still a little shaken up and weary about what happened not to long ago. But then again you haven’t eaten in about a week...
“You know what? I’d love too.”
~~~
Kai walked down the hallways of the Shie Hassakai on his way to Pops to tell him about his ‘break up’ with you. Finally he got rid of you. No more fighting, no more complaining, no more escape attempts,
and no more of the feeling of your soft lips against his own.
Kai shook his head at the last thought. Why do you plague his mind? How dare you distract him from his work? His goal is on the line here! He can’t have some annoying pest bothering him.
“Finally I’m free of that pest.”
“Kai just the man I’m looking for. Hows your girlfriend?”
“We broke up.”
“Oh, i’m sorry to here that my boy. Don’t worry stuff like that happens!” Pops patted Kai’s back.
“Yeah.” Kai laughed. Trying not to give the secret away.
‘I just met someone new, that’s all.” Kai lied, well kinda. He had met someone new who would do the work for money.
‘You know (y/n) didn’t do it for the money.’
“Oh well that’s too bad. I hope you let her down easy.”
“I did.”
“Well I must be off, see you later my boy.” With that Pops walked off. Leaving Kai to take a long sigh. Stopping in his tracks as he rubbed his temples.
Now thinking about it, you never even asked for anything in return, not money, not jewelry. Nothing. You just...did it. Even after everything he put you through you never asked for anything. Why? Why didn’t you ask for something? What was your plan?
‘Maybe she was afraid?’ Thoughts ran wild in his mind before his phone rang, making his pants pocket vibrate.
Opening the phone he noticed it was the new girl. Picking it up before moving it away from his ear. immediately regretting his decision.
Ugh he couldn’t stand her voice. So insufferable. Sounded like a drying dog. At least your voice was smooth like honey. Yours so calming and sweet-
“No stop it!” Kai yelled at himself. You need to get out of his mind. You were plaguing it like the disease you were. How dare you? How could you make him so confused on what he feels about you. He should hate you! 
Kai swore if he thought about you one more time, he would go insane.
~~~
You couldn’t help but giggle. The man was just a charmer! Not to mention he has a great sense of humor! You just couldn’t get enough of him and his jokes. Man it felt amazing to be laughing again, this time knowing you weren’t going to get killed for it.
“So why were you running earlier?” His question caught you off guard but it was fair. You were running like your life depended on it. To you it felt like you were. But to him and looking through his eyes it was only reasonable.
“Ex-boyfriend troubles.” You laugh nervously before taking a sip of your tea. Might as well drink something cold before fall and winter roll around. The taste of the tea hitting your tongue gave you s little smile. You look at the tea before turning your attention back to the man in front of you.
“Well don’t worry, I’m here.” You both laugh as you put a strand of lose hair behind your ear. Man this felt nice to talk to someone who you weren’t afraid of.
“Good to know.”
~~~
‘Oh god can this woman shut up already?!’ Kai thought to himself as he tried to ignore the chattering that came from the woman next to him. Who kept pointing at useless stores that he wished would just disappear if he stared at them long enough.
Since he made the deal with the new girl, with her getting paid and everything, she demanded that they went to the mall together.
“Hey are you listening to me?!” The girl as she screamed at Kai.
“Yes (R/N).” God this woman was going to be the death of him. If he killed her right there would anyone tell on him?
“Okay good! The take me to bath and body works! They’ve got a sale going on!” Ugh he hated that store with a burning passion. All those unholy scents made him want to pass out.
Once they entered the store Kai cringed as all the scents that the store contained filled his nose. Making his nose hurt, causing him to crinkle his nose. He shook his head before staying at the front of the store trying his best to avoid all the horrific scent that this store held. He watched as all of these people in such a closed space pretty much bumping elbows. Disgusting.
“You too man?” Kai turned his head to see another male only a few feet away. By the looks of him, he was in the same exact situation.
“I fucking hate people.”
~~~
“Wow this is so much fun!” You laugh as the man showed you his favorite places in all of the city.
“This....this is nice.” You smile genuinely at the man.
“It was, can I walk you home?” You were about to say sure but then you remembered that your ass was pretty much homeless now. Well shit. Kai had you in that room for so many months that you knew your lease with your landlord would have been broken. Pretty much gone.
“I-uh...I use to live with my boyfriend and then he kicked me out hehe...” Great now he was going to think you were some sort of -
“That’s too bad. I know a place where you could live. It’s a place where you can live there and stay until you get back onto your feet again.” The man smiled at you and you couldn’t help the tears of joy slide down your face. You hug him in desperation hoping it all wasn’t just some sick nightmare.
“This is the nicest thing someone has ever done for me.” Tears drenched your face as you sniffle at bit.
“Hey I’m just doing what my father did to my mom.” The man chuckled. You couldn’t help the giggle that crept out of you as well.
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TUA PIRATE AU
(of the Caribbean? Sort of? I guess?)
(please understand that by AU, I mean they share an incredibly small amount of things in common with the original source material which I barely remember BUT the “story” takes place in the setting of the books/films) (not to be misleading or anything :p)
(BEWARE: abuse, murder, pirates and all of their violent shenanigans, etc.)
(If you can handle watching Umbrella Academy, this will be fine for you.)
Luther is the captain of the guard, and pirates are the bane of his existence. He hates Diego most of all, the man who’s stolen unspeakable amounts of gold from Reginald, Luther’s employer. But as annoyed he is at all of the theft, he purposefully never catches Diego, because he knows Klaus loves him. And Luther may be a man of the law, but he’s also Klaus’ beloved brother-in-spirit, even if Reginald wants them to marry each other for some idiotic reason. (Something about getting Klaus to settle down - ha, he can try.) When Klaus disappears, Luther follows him, having no connections left here - and that’s when he meets Allison. And there are copious laws against getting involved with married women and outlaws alike… so Luther starts to think that maybe bending the rules wouldn’t be so bad. (Klaus is so proud.)
Diego grew up poor, and became a pirate in his early teens when Grace took him in. When she fled the colony, Diego went with her, leaving his childhood best friend Klaus behind. He’s got his own fleet and crew now, and mostly uses his scores as excuses to flirt with Klaus, who’s still just as drawn to him after all these years and often sneaks him into his bedroom when Diego’s in town. Diego’s kept in close touch with Lila and Eudora, both of whom he grew up with once Grace took him away, and they both help him when it comes time for him to crash Klaus’ wedding to Luther (fuck you dude) and steal Klaus away for a life at sea. (Klaus absolutely LOVES this. They kiss a lot. They swing from ropes. Klaus is screaming at all the guards as Diego carries him away bridal-style (ha, I’m so funny). It is delightful.) (His ship is a terror they call The Kraken. Ha, get it? Get it - because Diego’s name - and the monster from legend - okay yeah I’ll shut up now.)
Allison is a badass goddess, covered in colorful tattoos with gold in her hair. She was a prostitute for awhile, stealing a bunch along the way, but one day one of the pirate captains who approached her tried to take more than he paid for. She broke both his hands and killed him in cold blood, then defeated his entire crew in a sword fight single-handedly, earning their respect. She now rides with that same crew as their captain, in one of those off-the-shoulder poet-blouse-corset dresses and high brown boots. Ray is a leutinant who’s been chasing her for years, the two of them flirting back and forth forever… but he’ll never catch her. It’s bad form to arrest your wife.
Klaus is the governor’s bastard son, a totally wild spirit who wears dresses all the time, drinks his weight at parties, and has slept with half the town (marriage is not a problem for him, this is Klaus, we all know he is very down for threesomes). He’s stolen half of Reginald’s shit for Diego over the years, and has been sneaking off to see him just as long, completely in love with his pirate king. Though he’s loved others before - Dave, for example, a soldier whose death broke Klaus into give in to Reginald’s plan to marry him off to Luther (who Klaus loves, just, Not Like That™). The day Diego kidnaps him from his own wedding is the best fucking day of his life - okay, no it wasn’t. That was second best. The best day of his life was the day he and Diego watched Diego’s ship and treasure burn and sink into the sea, and Klaus asked him if he was alright, and Diego just shrugged. Said, You’re the only treasure I need, and kissed him like the world was ending. Yeah. That was the best day of his life, because Diego is the best anything in his life.
Five was a pirate queen until he transitioned a few years ago, though only by word of mouth. No one’s ever seen him. Anyone who works for him doesn’t make it a month outside of the job, usually by his own hands, but people keep coming because nobody knows who he is. He sails alone, though he offers Klaus refuge on his boat for a few days under the moniker Aidan, because he knows Diego loves him, and Five actually respects Diego (if only because he respects Lila who he only respects because he respects Eudora). He hates the Handler for leaving him stranded on an island when he was just a child, an unwanted product of her crew’s hard partying, and has vowed to kill her one day for leaving him alone for so long, ageless in misery. He talks to the mermaid on the front of his ship named Dolores and kills without mercy, and when he finally reveals himself as this skinny pale thirteen-year-old with the grandpa haircut, he revels in the looks on his family’s faces as they try to rebuild their blown brain circuits.
Ben loves Klaus more than life itself, which is, in hindsight, probably why he’s dead. Oh who is he kidding, it’s definitely why he’s dead. Klaus is sort of, kind of, maybe, just a little bit a witch, and they hang witches where they’re from. So when they needed someone to blame for the odd happenings Klaus had caused recently, Ben had taken the blame and worn the noose proudly. Klaus still talks to him all the time, his ghost anyway, and it’s fine - but Klaus lives on the sea now, with Diego, and Ben gets seasick like all the time. (And then he steals Davy Jones’ heart and gets trapped as a tentacle monster, which is honestly not that bad. It helps him scare birds, and Ben likes scaring birds.)
Vanya works as the blacksmith’s apprentice, sad and lonely. She’s been having an affair with the duchess Sissy for years, also working as her maid and a nanny for her son Harlan when asked, but mostly she’s alone, with no one else to care for in the world. (And that creep officer Leonard keeps asking her to marry him, which, just. Ew.) When Five shows up, his hands in his pockets, and offers her a way out, well - what else could she possibly do?
Lila is a badass pirate princess who don’t take no shit from anybody. She wears bright pink ballgowns while skewering people like kabobs, which is funny because she’s a well-known maneater. Literally. (Yes I included a Hannibal character in here because it’s my AU and I can do whatever the fuck I want.) She fell in love with Eudora, and thought she had corrupted the kind sergeant until she found out Eudora had been an undercover pirate the whole time, helping Diego smuggle Reginald’s gold and goods in and out of port. (That’s hot as fucking hell, she blurts when she realizes. Fuck, I’m gonna marry this woman.) She has a serious rum problem she will not be addressing and a collection of pet parrots that will forever prevent her and Ben from becoming friends. When she and Eudora get married, it’s in the middle of the pouring rain while thunder and lightning and gunshots crack around them and they’re killing people and shooting canons left and right (because I may not have shipped Will and Elizabeth but by god if their wedding wasn’t the best fucking thing I’ve ever seen). Now if only she could find the king of the pirates… she’s been hunting Five for years, hoping to prove herself to him, but he just… won’t show up.
Eudora is the sergeant in Reginald’s legions, and has been using her position to help Diego pirate goods since before he even left with Grace. She makes a lot of deals with him, having him carry her cargo and speak with her connections in exchange for her keeping an eye on Klaus for him, which to be honest they both know she’d do anyway. She helped Diego get to Klaus’ wedding and kidnap him, confusing the soldiers in pursuit of the bride, and follows them off to sea, finally home. She feels she owes an eternal debt to Klaus for not being able to save Ben from execution, though she tried, almost desperately. She flirts with Lila all the damn time, and believes in magic, wanting to travel the world looking for it. Most importantly, you should know that she will and has killed for a cheeseburger. (I know they weren’t invented yet shut up.)
Reginald is the governor of the colony, and Klaus’ father. He’s an asshole, one who constantly hunts the pirates because his wife Grace left him to be one. He only has one eye because Grace cut the other out viciously in their last fight, and he’s an abusive piece of shit who lives to terrorize and tax people. Pogo is his assistant / advisor / let-me-stand-here-and-give-you-good-advice-that-we-all-know-you’ll-ignore person. Reginald refuses to die before he catches Grace and sees her hanging in the square - something that seems more and more likely by the day. (HA, Grace says. He wishes.)
Grace is the original pirate queen, and lives in legend. She faked her death after living a double life for years, leaving Reginald and taking her son Diego with her. She knows Reginald doesn’t believe in her death, because she cut his eye out and nearly killed him right before she left, but everyone else believes it. She jumped from the bell tower and Klaus himself “went mad with grief” at the sight of her body, though he of course knows she’s alive and keeps up the story for her benefit. She injured Reginald so severely because he killed Ben, knowing that he wasn’t guilty, and that the witch in question had done nothing wrong anyway. She is known to be fiercely protective of her children, and kind in nature despite her ability to kill you using a historic number of methods. Her crew is made up of refugees who she offered shelter and a better life in exchange for their servitude, including Five, for awhile, who was running a scam. She knows who he is, and remembers his face well - but she keeps it to herself. Though she could match him in a fight easily, she has no interest in battling the boy she has grown to love as a son. (She’s also the one who officiates Diego and Klaus’ wedding, but that’s unrelated.)
The Handler is another pirate queen, and Grace’s greatest rival. She has two pistols at her waist and is not afraid to use them, having such deadly aim that she’s never missed a target - except Diego, which she hates him for. Also for encouraging her first mate and daughter Lila to mutiny, but that’s a whole other can of worms. Her ship is followed by an entire shiver of sharks, who let her use them like water skis whenever she wants. She abandoned Five on an island when he was born into her crew, as she hates children with a burning passion. (There are rumors she eats little boys’ bones. They have yet to be disproven.) Hazel is her snivelling first mate and Cha-Cha is her willing servant and second captain, a master at the wheel and with a sword. Agnes is an old psychic (ha, she’s faking it. She’s got no fuckin’ clue where Five is and will continue to lie whenever asked) she keeps in the brig after kidnapping her years ago, hoping to get a read on Five, who the Handler hates for constantly stealing her goods before they even make it to port. (She has no idea he’s the same boy she left on that island all those years ago - he’s certainly not the only child she’s done that to. But countless are out for her blood… almost every person Grace has rescued was left to die on an island by the Handler.) She eventually dies at Klaus’ hand, who plunges a sword through her heart in defense of his family, who she made the fatal mistake of coming after. (It happened in the same rainy battle where Lila and Eudora were married. He was wearing a yellow ballgown.)
Also Jack Sparrow is super great friends with Lila and he’s married to Will Turner who’s honestly so exhausted but gets along great with Ben and Elizabeth is their ace-aro friend who is a goddamn queen and who Diego has a lowkey crush on and Klaus can geek out with for hours. It’s awesome.
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bettsfic · 3 years
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hi, i was reading your years in review and i noticed that you quit a job of many years to go your own way. i was wondering if you would mind talking about this decision/if you struggled with it? idk i've always told myself that i wouldn't let the idea of a "career" get in the way of what i want (e.g. writing) and that one day (shortly after 30?) i would just quit whatever job i had and go my own way, but as that deadline comes up i find it harder to imagine how i could just uproot myself...
yes, i very much did struggle with the decision to quit (what i thought was) my very stable and lucrative career in finance to get an MFA in creative writing. it’s a bit of a long story so i’m putting it under a cut.
warning for suicidality and sexual assault.
i used to believe i grew up poor, but it was the 90s so poverty looked very different. my dad didn’t work for a long time, and so we only had one income, and we lived in an apartment that was kind of a lowkey hoarder home. as a kid, all i knew was that i didn’t get to have toys, or my own space, and i wasn’t allowed to have friends over. the concept of an allowance was totally alien to me. but it also wasn’t like i ever went hungry. the food we had wasn’t particularly healthy but it was always there.
i didn’t really realize how much that instability affected me until much later, when i noticed other people hadn’t lived their entire lives aware of and obsessed with money. i used to compulsively count the change in my piggy bank and beg my mom to take it so she could pay her taxes (i didn’t know what taxes meant, i just assumed they were the reason we couldn’t afford nice things). 
my safe haven was always my grandparents’ house, which was clean and had semi-healthy food and the door was always open. my grandpa was a high school chemistry teacher. my grandma worked at a bank. growing up, i had no idea what she did at the bank, just that it sponsored all the fun things we did, like going to amusement parks and baseball games. my parents never took my sister and i on vacation, but every year, my grandma would drive us to visit our family in missouri, which, even though it only cost the gas to get there, seemed like a wild indulgence to me.
i started working at 16 so i could have my own money. by 17 i was working illegally full-time and getting paid under the table. then i bought my own car, and shortly after i turned 18 i got my own apartment. even though i could pay my bills, i was still terrified about money. i thought about it all the time. i checked my bank account multiple times a day. i was a cashier at a restaurant and i would often open my drawer and just stare at the money or count it when i was bored.
but i hated working at the restaurant, and one day i thought to myself, how can i keep the money part of this job but lose the food part? then i remembered my grandma’s career at the bank (from which by then she’d retired), and that afternoon i sat down and applied to be a teller at the very same bank. obviously the bank was very large and it wasn’t like my grandma was in management. she worked in ATM operations. nobody on my hiring committee knew who she was, and honestly i have no idea how i got the job.
i stayed a teller through college, working 25ish hours a week. it didn’t pay very well and i was still nervous about money, so i picked up a job altering bridal gowns on evenings and weekends, and also an admin job at my university. so i was working 60ish hours a week, plus going to school full-time and trying to keep up my 4.0. in retrospect, i can’t remember how necessary all this was. i know i was living in an apartment whose rent was higher than i could afford, and i lived with my boyfriend who was struggling to find a job. anyway, it was definitely the lowest time of my life, and i was so exhausted that every day i hoped something horrible would happen to me so i could be hospitalized and rest. 
then something horrible did happen. my dad died. and even though everyone in my life was telling me to please dear god take a break, i did not. 
i got promoted to business finance, which paid what seemed at the time to be an ungodly amount of money. i was still part-time and finishing up my undergrad degree. once i graduated, i got promoted to full-time. for the first couple years, i really did try to be a banker. i was good at my job only insofar as someone who is left-handed can write with their right hand if forced for long enough. it felt very much like i was in the wrong place, but by that point i had so much unchecked trauma that i had convinced myself the highest human ideal was misery and deprivation. i wish i was kidding. i was the definition of ascetic and martyred myself. i didn’t believe happiness existed. work was all that mattered to me.
then i bought a house. so at this point, i had student loans, a car loan, a mortgage, and credit card debt. after my dad’s death, my mom had to file for bankruptcy because of all the medical bills. she abandoned her house. by this point i was 23, single, in six figures of debt with no familial support net, but i was making decent money at the bank, so it wasn’t like i was drowning. in fact i was doing pretty well. the bank was a rock in my very turbulent life. i got a lot of vacation time that allowed me to travel a bit. i had insurance and a matching 401(k). it was really a decent job.
but the bank was also in many ways an abusive relationship. i don’t mean that metaphorically. i had bosses who manipulated me, insulted me, humiliated me in front of other people. i had one boss who went so far as to look at my checking account and ridicule my purchases. i didn’t have any idea what it meant to stand up for myself or say no. in fact i wasn’t allowed to say no. my job at the bank involved solving other people’s problems. i could never say “i can’t solve that problem.” i could only say “i’ll figure it out.”
i had convinced myself working at the bank was a stable career because it was boring and i hated it. but actually it wasn’t stable at all. after 2008, there were mass layoffs and restructures every year while the bank tried to recover from the recession. i worked for a sales team, and so my job was dependent entirely on whether or not the salespeople did their jobs well. if they didn’t make goal, they’d get fired. if they got fired, i’d get fired. 
i started trying to date again and was sexually assaulted. after that i really struggled at work because i was dissociating a lot and couldn’t focus. my team, despite my having worked there for years, instead of being concerned for me decided to start complaining about me to my boss. finally i had to tell a coworker what happened and that i wasn’t doing very well. my team started being a little nicer to me but ultimately they didn’t care about me, they cared about how effective i was at my job. my boss didn’t want to fire me, so instead i was pushed onto another team.
that move came with a raise. then that team was dismantled and i was pushed onto another team. that was a demotion, but i got to keep my raise from the previous move. by then, i was working from home, and even though i was more comfortable i was also very isolated and miserable. my “fulfillment through deprivation” attitude was destroying me. i wasn’t eating well or taking care of myself. i was isolated and lonely. i still didn’t believe happiness was real and i constantly thought about killing myself. 
but i had started writing fanfiction, and even though i didn’t think i was any good at it, i was beginning to see a way out. i was beginning to learn how to dream, and want things, and give myself the things i wanted. i just couldn’t imagine leaving the bank, or selling my house, or moving out of my hometown. all of that seemed impossible to me.
then i had to go to a business conference where my team had a retirement party for one of my coworkers. she’d done what i was doing for 45 years. by that point i was at the 9 year mark. i’d spent my entire adult life at the bank. and i realized: the bank benefited from my fear and passivity, and nothing in my life was going to change unless i was willing to make sacrifices. 
but i still wasn’t entirely convinced. and then came the day i had to physically hold onto my desk to keep me from killing myself. i didn’t end up trying it, because i had another realization: this was a life or death situation now. if i kept working at the bank, i knew i would die. i knew eventually i would get low enough to do it. i didn’t actually want to die; i wanted an escape and didn’t know what else to do. suddenly i was off the hook. my options were not “financial stability or imminent poverty” but “live or die.” 
those were the big epiphanies i had, but the process of actually leaving the bank was a slow one. i wrote a bit about it here. i got into an MFA program basically by telling myself repeatedly i would figure out the money stuff later. when it came time to quit the bank, my boss convinced me to stay on working part-time, with the assumption i would move back to full-time once i’d graduated. i agreed to it, because just trying to quit was enough to convince me i could, and that better things were ahead of me. for a year and a half, i stayed on working two days a week while doing my MFA, which involved both coursework and teaching, and it felt a bit like it did during undergrad, having too many jobs and no time to breathe or think or feel anything.
between my first and second year, i had a looooong overdue mental breakdown. there were a lot of causes, but one of them was spreading myself too thin. shortly after, i quit for good. by then it didn’t feel like a big deal at all, i was so far removed from the work and my team and so focused on my degree. one day i turned on my work laptop and the next day i didn’t. i shipped it back to HQ and it was over.
then i graduated from the MFA and suddenly had to face the consequences of this life i’d chosen. my school kept me on as an adjunct, but it felt like being a ghost. i no longer had the community of my cohort. i had no health insurance. i was given my teaching schedule and a contract to sign, that’s it. there was no guarantee i would be getting classes the following semester, and after a year, that was what happened. i remember sitting in my favorite coffee shop trying not to cry when i got the email that said the department had nothing for me to teach the following semester.
i really wasn’t the same after the breakdown. i went from “i can do anything i put my mind to no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts” to “i have to step carefully, and treat myself gently.” i hadn’t fully realized that yet, though, so i tried to get a Real Job. i got the first and only job i applied to, because i am bad at nearly everything but somehow i’m exceptional in interviews. it wasn’t a bank but it offered the same sort of benefits package. it was a full-time salaried position at a non-profit. if i had found it earlier, i think it would have been my dream job. it was the kind of work you throw yourself into because you care so much about doing good. 
i lasted a month. during the first week something happened that triggered me in a way i’m very rarely triggered. i realized i needed disability accommodations, but i needed to go to a doctor to get an assessment and i had to be on the team 60 days in order to get insurance. i thought i could white-knuckle it, and i could, sort of, but every minute i was at work, it felt like i was forced away from the thing i should have been doing. i was constantly trying to write a few paragraphs here and there on my phone when no one was looking. i had to find excuses to take breaks and go to my car and breathe. at one point i told a volunteer i was an english instructor, and she looked at me very confused, and i realized i’d said it in present tense, like it was part of who i was and not a job i did for a while. then finally, my breaking point was an after-hours function. when i left i saw a field full of fireflies and thought about how, if i’d just stayed home, i could have sat outside and enjoyed them all evening, not just a glance at them on the way to my car. i liked the job but it was making me miss all the things i’d learned to love about being alive.
i quit the next day. i’d sold my house by then (which was its own feat) and moved in with my grandma, which hadn’t been a possibility until my grandpa passed away the previous spring. i paid off my car. i figured out finally that i would probably never be able to work full-time again unless it was teaching, and that the downside to this life would be accepting fear and instability, only being able to look ahead one semester at a time. staying open to the opportunities that arise. being a little selfish. 
i wrote a bit more about the financial realities of the writing life here. i can’t tell you what you should do, because the path i took definitely isn’t the path for everyone, but i do believe we all owe it to ourselves to pursue our best and happiest lives, because we only get one, and there’s no reason not to live it the way you want to. 
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sugarsugarmoon · 4 years
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Dearly Beloved
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Summary: Your friend from high school, Taehyung, helps you out when you need a wedding date.
Genre: SMUT and a little bit of fluff
Warnings: Masturbation, swearing, recreational alcohol use, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected sex (plz use protection irl), spanking, some biting, dom!Taehyung, brat!reader
a/n: sorry Triv. sorry mom. If digital headstones are a thing by the time I die, please put this gif on mine. I listened to “Earned It” by The Weeknd the whole time I wrote all the nasty stuff.
Word Count: 6473
Your best friend is sweet and kind. She is the most generous person that you’ve ever met, and she can make you laugh harder than anyone on this planet. She has cradled you in her arms as you cried over boys, and, when your dad nearly died of cancer, she was there with you in the hospital every day, coffee in hand, ready to listen or just sit with you.
You take a deep breath through your nose and remind yourself of all of this. You love her more than pretty much anyone on this planet, but in this moment you have never wanted to slap her so much in the whole time you’ve known her.
She has been planning and preparing for her wedding for over a year, and the date is only two weeks away. The extravagance of it isn’t really your style, but she’s one of those people that has been dreaming of her wedding since she was a little girl. She has a vision. 
At this present moment, you are surrounded by small cuts of lumber, empty vases, fake greenery, and tea lights. Your job today is to assemble the centerpieces. You sit in the middle of the room on the floor, surrounded on all sides by your craft supplies. She is standing just outside your ring of accoutrements, crying and yelling. You aren’t totally sure what she’s yelling about. Seating arrangements? Maybe someone canceled? Honestly, at this point it’s unintelligible, so you decide it’s best to just let her carry on.
“And you!” you hear, clear as day.
You look up from your project and see her finger pointing toward wear you sit on the carpet. You look behind you, half expecting someone else to be there; you’ve done nothing but help. You turn back to her and barely raise a finger to point to yourself and raise your eyebrows in bewilderment. You mouth, “me?”
“Yes, you! Who else would it be? God.” You know she’s just stressed, so you take a deep breath and clench your fists around the fake greenery in your hands. “When we first started planning, you said you were gonna have a date, and I’m sorry things didn’t work with Yoongi, I really am, but now the seating arrangement is fucked and the whole entrance of the wedding party is fucked. It’s fucked, y/n. Could you just ask Yoongi to go with you?”
“Just ask Yoongi?” you spit back, “You want me to ask the man who broke my heart? Tore it into a million little pieces, who is, mind you, already going to be at the wedding because he’s friends with your future husband, to be my date? So...what? So I can get my hopes up again when he’s nice to me, because of course he will be, and get my heart smashed again? Oh but your seating arrangement will be good, so I should just suck it up. Right. Sure.”
You’re standing now, having spilled tea lights all over the floor with the sudden movement. You are breathing heavily, fists clenched at your side, tears threatening to burst from your eyes. Things didn’t work out when you had told your workaholic boyfriend, Yoongi, that you wanted to get more serious, maybe move in together and consider marriage. You don’t think he meant to laugh at you, but he did laugh when you brought it up. He said that it was clear the two of you wanted different things, and he ended it with you. You clearly aren’t over him yet, and she knew that.
Your friends face softens for a moment. You can see the reality of what she said smoothing her features.
“Y/n, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just so stressed…” she trails off.
“Look, you want me to get a date? I’ll get a fuckin’ date. But I will not be caught dead on Min Yoongi’s arm.” You turn on your heel and let yourself out of her house, slamming the door behind you.
When all the rage fades, you realize what you’ve said that you’re going to do. You also realize that you left all centerpieces unassembled in the middle of the floor. You call your best friends mom and ask her to go over and finish them.
“I am already on my way over there, sweetie. But did I hear right that you are going to get a date for the wedding? Where?” she asks, genuinely concerned.
You know she isn’t trying to be hurtful but c’mon, I know guys! You think to yourself. I know so many guys. I know...Yoongi for one, and Hobi. Granted Hobi is marrying my best friend in two weeks. I know….oh! Jungkook! Jungkook will totally go with me!
“I know guys!” you respond to her with excitement in your voice. “I actually have to call the guy that I’m asking right now though, so I’ll talk to you later. Thanks again for doing the centerpieces.”
As you hang up, you quickly scroll through the names on your phone until you land on Jeon Jungkook. You tap out the message on your screen quickly and send it away.
You: Hey JK! I was hoping you might be able to accompany me to a wedding in two weeks. It’s out of town, so hotel. All expenses paid. Huh?
You put your phone down feeling optimistic. Jungkook loves to dance, and he’s a fun guy. Not only does he seem like a living human male who will go with you, you actually don’t hate the idea of going together with him. The excitement doesn’t last long.
Jeon Jungkook: y/n! Hey! I wish I could, but I’ll be back home in Busan. I’m so sorry!
You: No prob, buddy. I’ll go with Yoongi 😬
Jeon Jungkook: No! I won’t let you do that! He broke your heart. Let me give you hyung’s number. You remember Tae? From high school? He’s cool, and he’s free (he just asked me to make plans that weekend). Hit him up.
He sends you the contact. Kim Taehyung. You stare at the number for a long time before you type up a text, and you stare at the text for even longer before you send it.
You: Hi Taehyung, this is y/n. JK gave me your number, and he said you might be free in two weeks to be my date to a wedding. Nothing weird or anything! I just can’t go alone, and if I don’t bring a date, my friend is going to make me go with my ex. It’s a long story. Anyway, it is out of town, but your hotel and all your food and stuff would be paid for. Just let me know.
You exhale a deep breath after you hit send. You hope it doesn’t sound too weird or desperate or anything even though you are definitely both weird and desperate. 
Kim Taehyung: sure! I’m always down for an adventure.
You breathe a sigh of relief. Which is short-lived when you realize you don’t know anything about Taehyung anymore. You ran in the same circle in high school, connected by your mutual closeness to Jungkook. You text him back asking him to meet you for coffee, so you can go over the plan. The two of you decide to meet that afternoon, and the anxiety in your chest begins to loosen just a tiny bit. 
….
When you get to the coffee shop, you find a spot by the window in the big squashy chairs. You order yourself a latte and play on your phone, waiting for Taehyung. You hear someone softly clear their throat, and your eyes scan the figure in front you. You don’t mean to give him the up-and-down, you really don’t. But the man standing in front of you is not the same Taehyung you remember. You remember a scrawny boy with too much eyeliner (yikes) trying to act like a man while still dealing with all his teenage emotions.
Before you stands, perhaps, the hottest man you’ve ever seen. He is tall, taller than he was when you last saw him, and he is fuller too. He is no longer gangly and awkward. He has broad shoulders, firm pecs, and toned arms that you can see straining against the fabric of his tight black shirt. His black hair is long and messy, and tendrils hang down into his eyes. He has a smile on his face when your eyes finally meet his.
“Hi, y/n! It’s been so long!” he exclaims as he reaches out and pulls you into a hug.
You are shocked by the sudden touch and hesitate to put your arms around him. Even while he holds you for a moment with your arms at your sides, you feel comforted and safe. He smells like lavender and chamomile mixed with something else - maybe just his own skin.
When he lets you go, he looks a little embarrassed and backs up into his chair across from yours.
The two of you catch up about what you’ve been up to since high school: college, careers, failed relationships. You tell him all about what happened with Yoongi, but you don’t mention that you’re not over it yet. He tells you that his ex-girlfriend cheated in a one night stand with a girl at a club, and he had been pretty broken up about it.
You set your plans for leaving to get to the wedding early together. You have to be there on Thursday night because the bachelorette party was Friday and the wedding was on Sunday. He agrees, and you say goodbye to one another, this time without the hug. 
****
Thursday afternoon you are packing your bags making sure that you have everything when your phone rings. It’s your best friend, so you take a deep breath before you answer it, trying to stay as calm as possible since she is a total mess. “Good morning, my beautiful best friend and soon-to-be bride,” you say in a syrupy tone that she knows is facetious.
“I have bad news,” she huffs and without pausing she continues, “we booked the hotel when you and Yoongi were still together. So we only booked one room for you and Yoongi. So now Yoongi doesn’t have a room, and your date...Tae or whatever...doesn’t have a room either. And I know that I’m being insensitive right now, but you and Yoongi breaking up is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.”
She’s definitely crying and spiraling. “I mean...it wasn’t great for me either,” you attempt to joke, but she just sobs harder.
“Okay, okay. It’s fine. Yoongi will just stay with Hobi until Sunday, then on Sunday, you and Hobi are going to stay together anyway, yeah? So that problem is solved. As for Tae...I’ll talk to him, okay? No big deal,” you console her, unsure what you’re going to say to Tae.
She lets out a long sigh, but her crying seems to be evening out. “You’re right. Okay.” You finish the phone call and send a text to Tae.
You: So...funny story...youandihavetoshareahotelroomnowsorryokaybye
You toss your phone aside and finish packing your bags. As you are loading up the car, Tae pulls up. He looks just as good as he did the other day, wearing a loose t-shirt and gray sweatpants. He’s carrying a single leather duffle bag, and he has a huge smile on his face. He almost looks like he’s laughing.
The drive is only three hours, but it is long enough to be boring. You’re glad that you have company, and you and Tae crank up the radio singing along and laughing. You play car games together, and it is an overall good time.
When you get to the hotel, you are a little unsure of what to do or how to handle sharing a room with Tae. You slide the key in the door to the hotel room and exhale in relief when you see there are two beds in the room. You each take up your side and start to settle in.
When it’s time for you to get changed for bed, you awkwardly shuffle to the bathroom to change. Even though you normally just sleep in your underwear and a t-shirt, you put on a whole pajama get up because you aren’t sure how modest you should be with Tae.
When you come out, he’s scrolling through his phone. He looks up at you and gives you that warm, gentle smile again. How does he look so good just sitting on his bed playing on his phone?
“Hey, uh, so I usually just sleep in my underwear...but I can keep a shirt on if you want,” he says casually to you.
“Oh, uh, I mean, whatever you’re comfortable with. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable on my behalf, seeing how you’re doing me a favor,” you ramble out.
You wish you said no. As soon as it happens, you really wish you’d told him to keep on a shirt and a parka and snow pants and maybe also a ski mask. To say he is hot is the understatement of the century. His toned honey toned skin is smooth across his chest, taut over his muscles. His boxer briefs sit low on his hips, and your eyes follow the curve of his muscles from his stomach down past his waistline. 
You watch the muscles on his back flex as he climbs into bed. You lay your head back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. What the fuck is happening? you think to yourself. You try to blink the images of his nearly naked body out of your head, but they are there even as you eventually fall asleep.
*********
All day Friday you help set up for the wedding. Tae comes by and helps for a while, and, when it’s time for the bachelorette party, he says he’s going to go find something to do in town. The girls all go out, drink, and celebrate your best friend. 
After the bachelorette party, you are feeling light and drunk and, for the first time in a while, you feel your shoulders relax. You say goodbye to the other girls in the lobby of the hotel and head to your room.
When you get there, there’s only one lamp on, and the room is empty besides your bags. You are painfully aware of the silky material of your dress against your skin, especially without a bra on. You feel so hyper-sensitive with the alcohol coursing through your veins. You skate your fingertips up your arms and across your collarbone. You feel yourself soaking your panties, and your nipples are hard against the silky material.
Your head isn’t totally clear, and you slide the straps of your dress off and let it pool on the floor around your feet. You stand in the middle of the floor in nothing but your panties and your heels for a moment, barely touching your skin on your neck and down your chest and belly.
You lie back on the bed, fuzzy head telling you to take care of it. You lick your fingers and take one of your nipples between your index finger and thumb. You feel your hips buck a little bit, feet, still in your heels, planting on the bed. With the way your feet are planted, your legs are open wide, and, if you weren’t wearing underwear, your pussy would be on full display. You bring your hand down to your panties. You run your fingers along the waistband before passing your hand over your covered folds, barely applying any pressure. You have decided to take it slow. You haven’t been with anyone since Yoongi, and you have been too busy to even consider masturbating. Now, you have the time, and you are soaking through your panties. 
You close your eyes, and you see the way that Tae’s shirt fits across his chest, the way the rolled up sleeves accentuated his biceps, the way that his sweatpants yesterday left nothing to the imagination. You see the way his bare chest is broad and smooth, the way his underwear sit on his hips, bulge prevalent. You imagine the way he smelled when he’d pressed you into his chest. You want to drown in his smell. 
You slide your hand into your underwear, drawing languid circles on your clit, sliding your finger through your arousal and back up to your clit. You feel like you are not in control of what your body is doing and small moans start to slip out of your mouth. You feel “Tae” come off your lips over and over.
“What?” you hear from near the door, but you think it might be coming from outside of the room and can’t process its proximity because the things you are doing are overwhelming you.
A whimper that turns into a yelp followed by “oh my god” comes from within the room, and your eyes snap open. Tae is standing at the end of the bed, eyes wide, mouth open, frozen in place.
You scream and try to get up from the bed quickly, but you are drunk and wearing heels, and you lose your balance. Instead of getting away from him, you stumble toward him. He throws his arms out to catch you, steadying you as your mostly naked body presses against him. And you are mortified, but the scent of him makes your pussy clench. In that instance, you’re a little angry that you didn’t get to finish.
“Are you okay? How drunk are you? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...I just...we’re both in here. I didn’t know. That’s my bed, by the way. But that’s neither here nor there. Are you okay?” he rambles, trying not to look at you.
You pull away from him quickly covering your chest as you run over to the other side of the room to grab a t-shirt and sweatpants. You throw the shirt over your head, and, as you try to put on the sweatpants, you realize you’re still wearing the goddamn heels. You throw them off as quickly as you can and pull the sweatpants on. When you look up from your panicked clothing debacle, Taehyung is looking anywhere but at you.
“Tae...I’m sorry. I’m just...I’m-I’m drunk, and I’m horny. I’ll go stay somewhere else.”
“Wait no…” Tae starts, but you are gone before he can even finish. You go to your best friend’s room, and she welcomes you in. When you tell her what happened, she laughs hard, pretty drunk herself. You agree to not talk about it any further.
*********
Besides avoiding Taehyung, the next day and half go by smoothly. You are busy setting up for the wedding. The hairstylist and makeup artist take care of you before the wedding, and your friend’s mom brings your dress and shoes to you. You haven’t had to go back to your room for anything, but you are dreading sitting next to Tae at the reception. The dread is briefly overshadowed by the love and pride that you have for your best friend and Hobi during the ceremony.
The ceremony goes off seamlessly, and you are so happy for your friends that you forget for a little while to be embarrassed. When it’s time for the reception, you realize that you have to enter with Tae for the processional. He meets you by the doors, looking pretty annoyed. He doesn’t say anything to you, and he just offers you his elbow when it’s time for you to enter the banquet hall. You walk in holding his arm, faking a smile, and take your seats at the table, followed by the remaining bridesmaids with their dates.
Throughout dinner, Tae continues to ignore you. You think to yourself if anyone should be avoiding anyone, it’s me avoiding him, but you don’t say anything to him. At one point he gets up to go to the bathroom, and you sit alone, pushing your food around your plate.
“Is this seat taken?” you hear from an all too familiar voice. You force yourself to look up into his eyes, and Yoongi is staring back down at your with a smirk on his face. You don’t have the words to respond, so you just stare at him for a moment.
A deep voice from behind you says, “yeah, actually it is,” and then you feel a hand on your shoulder. Oh, so now he wants to pay attention to me. His hand feels like it’s burning your skin, and you want to lean into it.
“Oh sorry, man. It didn’t seem like you guys were together,” Yoongi says, confused but still confident.
“Yeah, well, we are. Why don’t we go dance, y/n?” Tae hisses through his teeth.
“I’m kind of talking to Yoongi right now,” you say to him.
“Yeah, that’s all good, but I really like this song. So come dance with me,” he insists, pulling your wrist a little.
“Yeah...okay fine,” you mumble as you take your napkin out of your lap. Yoongi is looking at you dumbfounded, and you shrug and follow Tae to the dance floor. He pulls you in and presses his body fully against yours. Is this some kind of weird possessive shit?
“So you’re going to ignore me all night and then get pressed when Yoongi tries to talk to me?” you snap, annoyed.
“First of all, you left me alone in that hotel room for two days, so who’s really ignoring whom? Why can’t you, for once, just be a good girl and do what I say?”
You can’t deny that the expression “good girl” coming from his mouth does something to you, but you are already heated. “Oh, yes sir. I’ll be the goodest girl because you just dragged me over here and are being an ass, so I better be good for you. Fuck off,” you spit at him, rolling your eyes.
“Well, you told me how Yoongi broke your heart. And you weren’t gonna tell him to get lost, so I did you a favor. You should be thanking me,” he spits out.
“What’s your deal, Tae? It’s not like we’re actually dating or anything.”
You swear he growls in his chest a little bit, then he spins you before pulling you back into his body. “Well, maybe I want to be,” he mutters.
Before you have a chance to talk, the MC comes on and asks everyone to clear the floor for all the first dances, father dances, mother dances, second-cousin dances. It goes on for so long that you decide to return to the table, and Taehyung follows you. You sit down, fully prepared to demand an explanation from him when the photographer comes up to your table.
“Can I get a picture of you two?” she asks with a bright smile.
You can’t bring yourself to say no to her cheeriness, so you agree, doing your best to smile for the camera.
“You know what would be really cute?” the photographer starts, and you feel the dread building in your chest, “if you sat in his lap.”
Oh my gods, ugh. You are incredibly annoyed, but you know that this innocent woman doesn’t understand the very weird situation going on. So you, once again, reluctantly agree. You climb into Taehyung’s lap, and the energy immediately feels different. He clears his throat behind you and slides his arms around your waist. While the photographer tries to get a better angle (why is she taking so long!?), Taehyung starts to slide his hand down your thigh.
“I heard you,” he whispers to you, smile still stretched across his face. “I heard you say my name. You can’t act like you don’t want me. I heard you.”
“What are you talking about?” you ask defiantly, knowing exactly what he’s talking about.
“You know what I’m talking about. You said my name. I’ve wanted you since the day I met you. I had such a big crush on you in high school, but you were oblivious. Now, you see me. Now, you want me. I heard you.”
As the photographer walks away, you don’t try to get up. You just shift a little in his lap. With the movement you can feel, very clearly, as if there was hardly any fabric between you at all, the outline of his cock, half-hard against your ass.
“Are...are you not wearing underwear, Tae?” you ask, feeling flustered, face hot.
“I tell you I heard you say my name while you were touching yourself on my bed. And you ask if I’m wearing underwear. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to take advantage of me,” he professes with a smirk.
You look around frantically to make sure no one heard him, but your head snaps back to look at him when you feel his fingers teasing the hem of your dress against your thigh. You can feel the movement causing a rush between your thighs, and you can’t focus on anything except the way his hand feels on your skin.
“Tae…” you whisper, trailing off.
“Say it, y/n. Say you want me.”
“We can’t do this here, Tae. There are so many people here,” you say looking around at all of your friends, who you would be mortified if they found Tae with his hand in your dress.
“If you say that you want me right now, I’ll take you upstairs, and I’ll fuck you like you deserve to be fucked,” he whispers, letting his hot breath run over your ear.
Shit. Shit. Am I doing this? Fuck it.
“Tae, I want you...right now,” you practically moan.
With that, he’s up out of his seat, adjusting his pants. He ushers you out of the hall with his hand on the small of your back. You clamber into the elevator, and, when the door shuts, he is all over you. His mouth is on your ear and your neck, your collarbone and the curve of your shoulder, you chest and the upper swell of your breast. He’s kissing every exposed inch like he’s been poisoned and the only antidote is in your skin.
The elevator door opens on your floor, and the two of your practically run to your room. He slides the key card in and flings the door open. He kicks it closed behind you, and he takes off his tie and begins unbuttoning his shirt. He turns around to look at you, lacing his fingers in the hair on the back of your head down to the nape of your neck. He’s big eyes are peering into yours, searching your face.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks in a deep rasp.
“Tae, you’ve already kissed my whole chest. Yes,” you say back with a bite to your tone. You can’t help but want to contradict him and push his buttons.
He smashes his lips into yours, a deep, hungry kiss. All of his annoyance and frustration seems to come out with his kiss too. He nips your bottom lip and pulls it a bit before letting it going. He goes right back to you, forcing his tongue into your mouth.
“Are you going to be a good girl for me now?” he asks when he pulls away.
“I don’t know,” you tease. “I guess we’ll have to see.”
“How is ‘babygirl?’ Is that okay with you?” he asks looking into your eyes again.
“Babygirl is fine,” you reply, “but I’m not your good girl.”
He growls at you from his chest, scrunching his nose. You feel the tension in your stomach building and you know that your panties are useless at this point they are so soaked. He leans into you, reaching around your back, unzipping your dress. You shimmy it off your body, letting it pool on the floor around your feet, just like you had down two days before.
You runs his fingertips across your skin from your collarbones over your breasts, gently catching your nipples, down your stomach, across the waistband of your underwear. He bends his knees, setting one on the floor, and he keeps tracing his fingers down your thighs, over your knees, and around your ankles. He presses his mouth to your hip and your thigh while he caresses the inside of your legs up to your thigh and back down to your ankle. Then he pulls the strap off both of your ankles from your shoes and pulls them off your feet. Your skin feels like it’s on fire with every touch from Tae’s fingers, and you feel your pussy clench around nothing with every move he makes. 
While still on his knee, Tae looks up at you through his lashes. He asks in a commanding tone, “Babygirl, if you need me to stop you just say red, okay?” And you nod.
“Now, are you going to be good for me while I lick your pussy?”
Your breath catches, and your heart pounds in your chest. “I don’t want to be good,” you sass, voice hoarse already.
His teeth bite down on the skin of the inside of your thigh. “Are you talking back to me, babygirl?”
You are too stunned to come up with anything clever, so you just nod.
He bites down again on your other thigh. “Use your words,” he commands.
You are so wet and so overwhelmed. He is too much for you already. “Yes, I was talking back to you,” you pant out.
He stands up from between your thighs, and you feel remiss that you let your brattiness get in the way of having him licking you. He whispers, “you’re being a bad girl.”
You stick your tongue out at him in response, unable to stop yourself. His hand comes up to your chin and holds your head so you have to look him in the eye. “Look at me,” he demands. “You better start behaving, you little monster.”
For some reason, him calling you a little monster does something to you. You don’t know if you’ve ever been this turned on. “I’ll be good. I’m sorry.”
You lean to kiss him, and he catches your lips in another bruising kiss.
“Lie down on the bed and take your underwear off,” he says as he stands back from you, palming himself through his pants, seeking some relief. 
Once you’re in position, he pushes your legs up, so your knees are bent. You are in the same position that you were just two days ago when he walked in on you. He whispers so pretty, then kisses gently on your clit and down your folds. He barely slides his tongue into your pussy, then drags it all the way up you, collecting your arousal on his tongue.
“So wet for me, babygirl.”
He takes his tongue and draws slow, steady circles on your clit while he brings his hand to your entrance and slides too fingers in. He immediately pushes them all the way in without letting you adjust, then he curls them upward. His lips wrap around your clit, and he sucks.
You groan beneath him. He feels like he knows exactly what your body wants and needs. He is intuitive to your body, and your head is swimming. Your skin is burning, and your hips start to buck, even as he uses one hand to try to still you.
“Tae, I’m going to cum,” you gasp.
“No, you aren’t,” he says against your clit, “you’ll cum when I tell you to cum. And do you know why?”
You shake your head, back arching up off the mattress.
“This pussy is mine. Your orgasms belong to me, understood?”
“Yes,” you whine, “please, Tae…”
“Say it,” he commands for the second time tonight.
You moan as he continues his unforgiving ministrations with his fingers and his tongue. “Fine. This pussy is yours. My orgasms belong to you.”
“Good girl,” he whispers and pulls his fingers out of you and pulls his mouth away.
“No, no,” you whine at the lost of contact
“You better start being good, babygirl. You better start showing me that you deserve to cum.”
You really don’t mean to say it, but your bratty side comes out again. You look him in the eye and defiantly say, “Make me,” crossing your arms over your chest.
He leans over your body and picks you up, flipping you over easily. He commands you to get on your hands and knees.
“I’m going to punish you, babygirl. Do you remember the word to say if it’s too much?”
“I remember, yes.” You crawl onto your hands and knees and push your ass toward him, taunting him. You have your legs spread, and with the way you have put your head down on the mattress, your pussy is on full display for him. He can see how slick you are for him and because of him. You can feel how swollen your clit is, and all you want is for him to touch you again. Instead, he brings his hand down with a smack on your ass. You hiss from the sting, but you feel yourself growing wetter somehow. You moan and push your ass further back toward him. He lands four more spanks on the same cheek, and it stings as he rubs his hand over the spot. He presses his lips to the tender spot, and then he presses his lips against your wet pussy before pulling away. 
You try to bite back the whine that is trying to escape your chest. You turn to look at Tae over your shoulder, and you should have just kept looking forward. His pupils are huge, and his hair looks like he’s been running his hand through it. His lips are swollen, and his cheeks are pink. You let out a moan at the sight of him. Desperate to cum.
“Please, Tae. Please let me cum,” you beg, feeling like you might cry.
“Turn around, baby girl,” he says a little more gently than his last commands.
You turn around, and he steps up right in front of you as you sit on the end of the bed. He puts his fingers on your chin again and angles your head up to him. He presses a gentle kiss to your mouth, and then he grabs your hands and brings them to his belt. You can see the outline of his cock through his tight black pants. You have never wanted a cock more in your life than you want his right now.
You unbutton his pants, and the flesh of his dick is right inside the zipper. So he wasn’t wearing underwear. You push his pants down, and he steps the rest of the way out of them. He takes his cock in his hand and strokes it. You look up into his eyes to wait for him to tell you what to do.
“Lie down, babygirl,” he says, and you immediately obey.
His eyes flash with realization for a moment. “I don’t have a condom,” he says in panic, his breathing quickening.
“It’s fine. Are you clean? I’m fine. Birth control. Just fuck me raw,” you can’t think and words are tumbling past your lips.
“I am clean. You’re on birth control? You’re clean?” he asks, slightly more coherent than you are.
“Yes to both. Fuck me raw, Tae, please,” you beg. You feel desperate and crazy.
He pulls your hips to the end of the bed, still standing in front of you. He drags his cock through your arousal, getting his dick slick before he presses against your entrance. He pushes slowly into you, and you feel every millimeter of him exploring every millimeter of you. You let out a loud guttural moan as he continues to push all the way in. He brings his thumb to your clit and pushes messy circles there, and you clench around his dick.
“Fuck, babygirl, you can’t do that. I’m not gonna last long anyway,” he says as he draws himself slowly back out of you and pushes back in slowly.
“Tae…” you pant.
“I know, babygirl. You have to hold on though. Remember your orgasm is mine.”
He starts to thrust in and out of you more urgently. He’s panting, hair falling into his eyes. His breath is ragged as he continues to rub unforgiving circles on your clit. He pushes his hair back with his one free hand, and his tongue darts out to lick the corner of your mouth. You feel yourself careening toward the edge, and you don’t want to disappoint Tae but also can’t stop it. You pant out his name again.
“Cum for me baby girl,” he whispers as he bites your ear lobe, thrusts becoming erratic. You tumble over the edge, warmth filling your stomach as your pussy clenches around him, and your mind goes black as your eyes pinch shut and all of your muscles contract. You let out a low, loud moan, and Tae is crashing like a wave too. He cums hard and moans a long moan, filling you with cum and continuing to fuck it up into you. His hips only stop when you have regained your senses enough to open your eyes.
After he pulls out of you, he disappears for a second. He returns with a warm washcloth. He sets to work cleaning you and then himself. He takes the towel back to the bathroom, and then climbs into bed next to you. “What can I do to take care of you, babygirl?” he asks, pressing a kiss to your cheek.
“I want to cuddle you, and maybe watch The Grinch,” you respond in a sleepy voice.
He gets you both under the covers, then pulls your body close to his. “I’ll try to find it, but we might have to watch something else,” he explains as he grabs the remote and flicks on the TV.
“Hey Tae?” you say after you settle on watching HGTV.
He hums in response and pulls his eyes from the screen to look at you. “Can we like...go on a date soon?” you ask, suddenly nervous even though you’re both naked, cuddled in a post sex cocoon.
“I want nothing more than that...and we probably should since your pussy is already mine anyway,” he smiles a huge smile and presses kisses to your temple, cheek, and jawline. You snuggle back in and eventually fall asleep wrapped in one another.
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