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rollforfelicity · 9 months

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The Interdimensional Diner

Author's note: I promised on stream like 2 months ago that if people contributed enough channel points, I'd write Phoenix Wright fanfic. This is the result of that promise. It's probably the most unhinged thing I've ever written and it probably only makes sense if you have the context of jokes I've made on stream while playing Phoenix Wright. Consider yourself warned.

Phoenix Wright knew he should be feeling satisfied. After all, he’d just managed to win yet another case by the skin of his teeth. But it wasn’t the same as it used to be. Instead of an exhilarating battle of wits against Edgeworth, tonight was another in a long line of Prosecutors who talked down to and abused him. Edgeworth could be mean sometimes, but he’d never whipped Phoenix into unconsciousness. He’d never thrown scalding hot coffee at him.

Edgeworth had always pushed Phoenix to be better. The only downside were the…what had Edgeworth called them? Unnecessary feelings, Phoenix thought, and felt the same mixture of dread and excitement he had felt when Edgeworth first said those words. Unnecessary feelings. But were they the same as the feelings Phoenix felt? He’d seen Edgeworth back at the courthouse just a few minutes ago, face buried in papers, probably studying notes for his next case. They’d made brief eye contact before Edgeworth frowned and looked away. I want to tell him I miss going up against him…but I know he’ll just scoff.

Phoenix’s thoughts were interrupted as he noticed a green sparkle in the sidewalk ahead of him. As he got closer to inspect it, it began to glow with an eerie green light. He looked around furtively. Is anyone else seeing this? His walk had taken him past Vitamin Square, and the only person around was Victor Kudo, the mean old pervert in a blue kimono who often spent time pelting pigeons with seeds. Phoenix shuddered. Ugh, I don’t want to talk to him, that’s for sure. He took a step closer to the glow, stooping down for a closer look, and reached out his hand.

“Whoa whoa whoa WHOA” Phoenix shouted as the Los Angeles sidewalk suddenly disappeared beneath him, “Maya? Pearls? Is this some kind of spirit channeling thing?” Phoenix barely had time to wonder what was going on before he was surrounded by a blinding flash of green light. When his vision returned, he found himself inside a dimly lit diner, the kind with greasy food, questionable cleanliness, and the world’s strongest cup of coffee. The restaurant had a few other patrons who glanced his way, then went back to what they were doing, as if his sudden appearance was nothing unusual. “Huh, these people seem to be used to whatever kind of science or…magic brought me here. Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?”

“Whoa, where am I? I wonder if this place has chili dogs!” a raspy, radical voice piped up.

Phoenix whipped his head around. Someone else arrived with me, he thought. Maybe they’ll know something about this! He locked eyes with a slightly rumpled-looking man nearby, who shrugged as if to say “wasn’t me!” He heard a sound like an impatient foot tapping the ground, and looked down, and was shocked at what he found.

A blue creature with white gloves and bright red sneakers looked back at him. His hair is almost as spiky as mine! The creature grinned, and stuck out a hand “I’m Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog! And who are you calling spiky?”

“I didn’t–” Phoenix sputtered.

The rumpled looking man spoke up. “Could this place be any weirder?” He was wearing an oversized blue button down, boxy slacks, and an incredulous expression.

He’s one to talk! The man seemed human, but was human in a grotesque way that Phoenix had never seen before. His skin was full of imperfections, uneven tones and…textures. And the way he moved was so fluid and changeable. His idle animation had no discernible pattern or loop. His breathing, unlike the regular heaving chest of Detective Gumshoe, was only slightly noticeable, and varied.

The man frowned at him, “Take a picture, it’ll last longer. I’m Chandler Bing, and I must be having a mental breakdown because I’m surrounded by cartoons.” He paused, as if waiting for something. His wait was interrupted by a bored-looking woman in a red and white checkered apron tapping him on the shoulder.

“Sarcastic blue characters, party of three?”

“Sarcastic?” Sonic said, sarcastically.

“Blue?” Chandler asked.

Characters? I’m not a character, I’m a person!

“Sure, sure, I’ve heard it all before. You think you’re people, and I guess you are, in a way. C’mon, let’s do a walk and talk while I find you a booth.”

Sonic and Chandler looked at Phoenix, who shrugged. “I’ve had weirder cases. Let’s get to the bottom of this.” He quickly looked away from Chandler, whose hyper-realistic features made him feel queasy.

“This is the Interdimensional Diner. Forces of Destiny bring characters together at crucial turning points in their lives to get advice from the people who could most understand them: other characters with a matching color scheme and personality.” The woman spoke quickly and flatly, as if reciting items on a menu. She gestured to her left, where an alien woman with ombre purple-red hair sat with a personified candy and a pouty cartoon in an acid green catsuit. “Example, Gamora, The Green M&M and Shego are all sexy green characters. They share a bond unlike few others in the multiverse.” The women paused their excited conversation to look Phoenix, Sonic and Chandler up and down with disdain.

“The three of you each have problems that only each other could possibly understand. You’ve been brought here to confide in each other, and offer advice. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don’t fuck it up. Can I start you all off with something to drink?”

Chandler nodded, an exaggerated look of consternation on his face. “I’m gonna need some coffee.”

++++++++++++

“All right,” Sonic said, cracking his knuckles, “let’s get this over with so I can get back to fighting Eggman!”

“Oh, are you going to go fight the walrus next?” Chandler asked.

“Why would I fight Rotor? He’s the only one who knows how to maintain the Freedom Fighter security systems! Anyway, my only problem is stopping Dr. Eggman from turning all the forest creatures on Mobius into robots, do either of you know anything about that?”

Phoenix scratched his head. “No, where I come from there aren’t that many robots, and there aren’t any forest creatures who can talk, sorry. Although I have met some pretty bad doctors,” he shuddered, remembering the murder of Turner Grey and how close Maya came to going to jail for his murder.

“Look, I’m just a guy who works at a normal job who is in the middle of a total mental breakdown, so I’m just going to sit here and eat this cheesecake until I either wake up in a hospital or I have to start walking into the light.” Chandler paused again, then greedily dug into his cheesecake.

“I’m in between cases right now, so I’m not having any problems with my job, either,” Phoenix said. “Maybe our problems aren’t about our jobs, but are about something else?” If we all share a problem, maybe I won’t have to say mine first. After all, if I’m wrong, it’s going to be pretty embarrassing.

“Hey, Phoenix, you look like you’ve got something to say!” Sonic shouted, flecks of chili dog spraying from his mouth.

Chandler put his arm over his plate defensively “Hey, say it don’t spray it, buddy!”

Phoenix took a gulp, and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. If we’re connected like they say, they will understand what I’m going through and won’t judge me too harshly. “My problem area is my love life.”

Chandler and Sonic both stopped eating.

“Awkward…” Chandler laughed uncomfortably.

“Amy Rose and I are very happy,” Sonic said unconvincingly.

“Hold it! I can tell from your expressions that you’re both lying! Therefore, I’ve realized our shared problem! We’re all in love with our male friend/rival and don’t know what to do about it!”

Chandler started to choke, and reached for his glass of water and quickly chugged it.

“No way, dude! I’ve got a friend/rival but I’m NOT in love with Knuckles!”

Phoenix was unconvinced, and he knew just how to prove it. He pulled out a piece of paper where he had taken notes on some of what the waitress had said when they came in, and laid it on the table. “Sonic, do you have a picture of Knuckles?”

“Sure,” he pulled out a photo of a red echidna with oversized white gloves. “This is Knuckles, my best friend and sometimes rival. We keep each other on our toes, like iron sharpening iron!”

Phoenix slammed his hand down on the diner table. “According to the waitress, we are all sarcastic blue characters, which means that we must each be in love with our best friend and rival who is a standoffish red character. It’s the only thing that makes sense!”

Sonic’s eyes widened, and his cheeks turned almost as red as Knuckles. “I’ve never told anyone…”

“You didn’t have to say. After all, I understand you better than anyone else.” Phoenix took out a picture and laid it gently on the table. It showed him standing back to back next to a handsome man with greyish hair, parted swoopingly in the middle. In the picture, Phoenix was smiling widely in his usual blue suit. Edgeworth was scowling and wearing the red suit and frilly ascot he always wore in court.

“Well, I can’t relate to any of that,” Chandler interrupted. “Joey is my best friend, but I’m in love with Monica.” He stopped, his face growing pale. “Wait, I’m in love with Monica. That’s the first time I’ve said that!”

Phoenix was barely paying attention to Chandler. For once, he had finally found someone who understood him completely. A blue guy with spiky hair who was in love with his red best friend and rival. Time stood still as they looked at each other with wide eyes.

“I mean, Joey kissed me that one time but would I call him my rival? I don’t even know if I’d consider him my best friend…”

“We have to tell them,” Sonic and Phoenix said at the same time.

“It’ll break Amy’s heart, but I can’t keep living a lie.”

“Pearly will kill me, but she’s too young to understand that Maya and I could never be together. We share the platonic bond of a bisexual man who is primarily attracted to men and a bisexual woman who is primarily attracted to women.”

“I still don’t get the ‘blue’ thing. I wear blue sometimes but I don’t know if I’d say it’s my signature color or anything. Although it does bring out my eyes.”

A globe of electric green energy expanded, originating from the center of the table and encompassing Chandler, Phoenix and Sonic.

“Ah, finally, either the medication is kicking in or I’m dying. Either way, beam me up, Scotty!” This time, when Chandler paused, Phoenix heard the faint echo of laughter from an invisible audience. Chandler smiled smugly as the green light overtook them all, and they disappeared from the diner.

Phoenix clutched his chest and fell to his knees in relief as he appeared back in Los Angeles, right outside Vitamin Square. He smiled broadly at the giant apple slide, the strawberry playhouse, and even at Victor Kudo.

“Who are you smiling at, whippersnapper?” Kudo sneered, but even his bad attitude wasn’t enough to ruin Phoenix’s good mood. Phoenix stood up, dusted himself off, and took off running back to the courthouse. If he ran fast enough, he might be able to make it before Edgeworth left.

++++++

The waitress let out an exasperated sigh. “No tip, that’s great. God forbid I get anything for facilitating their little life-altering–” she drew her hand back in surprise. In clearing the dirty dishes from the table, she revealed a glowing green crystal. “A little unorthodox, but hey, a tip is a tip. I wonder how much I could get for this.”

Before she could pick up the crystal, a gloved hand snatched it away. “So sorry to interrupt, young lady, but that emerald is property of Dr. Ivo Robotnik! But here’s a tip for you: never trust a hedgehog!”

“Gee, thanks, I’ll take that one to the bank,” she narrowed her eyes. “Surprised I didn’t notice that emerald when I cleared your table earlier. I thought you and your buddies left a while ago?”

“Oh, I had a little business to attend to, nothing for you to concern yourself with.” His toothy smile did nothing to comfort the waitress, maybe because his eyes were completely hidden behind reflective round glasses, or maybe because his bushy red mustache bristled with evil intentions.

The waitress watched as his spindly legs carried his egg-like torso from the diner and out onto the street, still visible from the diner’s windowed front. His two friends waited outside: a middle-aged man in a dark blue suit with slicked back white hair and a bleach blond with a round face wearing a button down shirt and loud tie. She looked back at the messy table, no tip in sight.

Not my circus, not my monkeys. She finished cleaning off the table, and consulted her list of reservations for the night. Spongebob, Jake the Dog, and Pikachu should be arriving soon. They always tip well, she thought. And super friendly to boot. Things are looking up!

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builder051 · 1 year

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1️⃣🏃‍♂️💣 for the asks?

1️⃣ What’s the first fandom you ever participated in online?

Like a lot of folks my age, it was Harry Potter. I'm a perfect fit into that very specific subset of younger millennials that's been nicknamed "The New Bratpack," referencing Miley, Selena, Justin, Nick, Ariana, Timothy, and a number of young male actors and artists whose popularity has spiked enough to give him press coverage, until he does something dumb and and just fades away, as a revival of "Original Bratpack" wide group-recognition Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Maccio, Rob Lowe, and a many others who have made Hollywood shine for the past four or five decades.

All of that might be jumbled, but this, people who started attending school in the year 2000, after spending birth through 1999 raised without much encombus, at home, with a family. Schools had just introduced a new special activity, "Computer Lab," (during which a "technology educator" and a teacher would show the students the bells and whistles of Windows 1998, then keep everyone from putting misspelled profanity at the top of their word documents, because they hadn't learned to use the backspace key yet. Anxious children would cry out for help, and devious ones would pester their friends to ask if "the F-word" ended with a C or a K.)

My bio family got one of those white Gateway boxy things when I was 5-ish, and then when I was 12-ish they replaced it with a laptop and desktop, AND I was now allowed to have my own profile and (loosely monitored) internet access.

Very much true to that spot of a generation, the magic or still-releasing Harry Potter books and, and continuous release of "limited edition" paraphernalia was still a concrete part of, well, everyone I knew's lives. It made making school acquaintances easier. I can be very OCD about my most voracious task of interest of the moment, and memorizing trivia was a hobby of mine.

I'm not going to go back and count the years or do math, but I'm not THAT much younger than Emerson Spartz. By the time extended periods of free internet were allowed, I found MuggleNet, which had just barely spiffed up enough to be a Google recommendation, in addition to becoming navigable for a middle schooler who knew computer skills, up to and including, QWERTY and click-with-mouse.

Once I'd poked around enough to have read all the tabs and verbally debated the guesses for upcoming book subplots (I was way too afraid to leave a comment), I found their fanfiction collection, and I was immediately hooked. I thought it was fun, but there. was probably a glitch in the system. A search term would be run through all data of all text of all files, of all stories of the site. I have some buzzwords. They haven't changed much over the years.

At 12ish I was reading fanfic a few times a week. By age 16 I was hand-writing or making shitty (ha, windows 98, remember?) typed stories that I'd print out and just hide in my room. I just got onto AO3 a little bit before starting my blog, making me a full adult before I hit the "publish" key.

🏃‍♂️ What/s your longest running fandom you still have interest in?

I love Titain A.E., which is a very underrated 20th Century Fox animated film released in the summer of 2000. It's a StarWars-type adventure/mild thriller, definitely PG (kid friendly, but the plot's intricate and there's some canon-typical violence), it really hit the ball out of the park for me. Yes, I believe it is now a Disney pawn, since the mouse in whiteface is carrying on with throwing cash, and grinning at the knowledge of the outcome of the next slippery deal, but it's been long forgotten.

After a disappointing theater run, someone let dust gather on the cover of the original notebook. Characters voiced by Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore, pushed together by fate, must continue to survive in the midst of an inter-species war as they search for a hidden method to restore Earth, all whilst overcoming the obstacles of their post-apocalyptic cyberpunk environment and keeping an eye out for enemies, which may not be where they're expected...

Ok, that sells, right? And the soundtrack is amazing (even if it's a smidge dated, but that underscores the cyberpunk vibe nicely as well)--Lit's Over My Head is a big feature.

The three main characters in the film are all humans in an alien-dominated environment, and they come from drastically different backgrounds. There are three scenes dispersed along the plotline where each of the three characters are wounded/sedated/receiving medical treatment/engaging in field medicine... And with the three characters also having huge potential for the filling in of missing moments and little opportunities of added H/C, one can take things in a lot of different ways, and with a lot of freedom to create complementary backstory.

💣 Have you ever been a part of a fandom during what might be considered a major fandom event?

...No... Not, like, a con. Though I'd love to attend a comicon.

But I have done, oh, eight or so, midnight releases over the stretch of my teens. And a few book parties. Though those, at least in the geographical area in which I grew up, meant that maybe 20 or 30 people would walk aimlessly around Borders (remember when those stores existed???) whilst trying to wave at the news van with its high beams on before it backs out of the gridlock of the parking lot.

#Starbucks sunday #ask game #ask meme

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crystalninjaphoenix · 3 years

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Time to End

A Stitched Story

JSE Fanfic

Second to last story, wow. That’s insane. We’re really reaching the end now. In this story, we have one last confrontation with Jackie and Marvin, and then the rest of it is all fallout and cleanup. I don’t want to say too much, but the story is a bit longer than my usual stories lately. Not by too much, though. Alright, I’m excited to finally post this, so I’ll stop there. Here we go!

Tagging @septic-dr-schneep for inspiring this AU with this post.

Read where it started: Stitched Together | Season One | Season Two

Taglist (finally): @bupine @violet--majesty @ari-trash

Twilight had covered the city, and the last of the sunlight was quickly fading. There were cars out, but no pedestrians. Well, actually, there were four pedestrians. They’d been running for a while, but were now slowing down, as the spinning blue disk they’d been following was gradually losing speed. If anyone had bothered to look, they would have thought it weird to see four men following a flying, glowing disk. But the four didn’t care.

If it’s slowing down, that means we’re getting close, JJ explained as the group shifted from jogging to walking.

Jack looked around. They were now surrounded by apartment buildings. Not particularly tall ones, all boxy and generally looking the same. “This place...we’ve been here before,” he muttered.

Really? It doesn’t look familiar to me. JJ looked around as well, confused.

“I don’t think it would be, J,” Chase said absentmindedly. “Not to you.”

“Where are we?” Schneep asked, tightening his grip on Jack’s arm. “It does not sound too busy.”

“We’re near Jackie and Marvin’s old apartment is,” Jack explained quietly. “I think...I think that’s where we’re heading.”

“...ah.” Schneep’s expression fell. “So. They decided to head there.” He took a deep breath. “It makes sense, I suppose. We are coming full circle.”

“Well, now that we’re getting close, we should figure out what to do.” Chase’s hand drifted to his belt, where he’d tucked his gun. “I-I don’t want to hurt them. But...would we have to?”

We’ll have to defend ourselves, at least, JJ anticipated.

“What we really need to do is get rid of the strings,” Jack said. “But, well, we can’t destroy them, apparently.”

“Maybe we can contain them, somehow?” Chase speculated. “Like, while they’re in that box, they didn’t really affect Jackie for a while. I mean, it doesn’t look like it’s working anymore, but something like that?”

“I don’t know,” Jack said quietly. The disk is slowing even further, and the area is definitely becoming familiar. He recognized the striped [awning] set out in front of one of the apartment buildings. They’re getting close. “Maybe...if we put them far away, a-and somehow contain them, then they’ll stop influencing them. JJ, you’re the magic man, do you think you can do that?”

JJ looked skeptical, clearly frowning under his mask. I don’t think so, he signed slowly. I tried before, back when the strings first came after Jackie, remember? He just used his new magic to destroy the brief moment I had them under control.

“I don’t remember that,” Chase said.

Well, it definitely happened, JJ said. He paused for a moment, thinking. Henrik. I have a question. Where do your scissors come from?

Jack translated the signed question for Schneep, who frowned, confused. “I...am not sure. They sort of come from nowhere.”

“Hey, y’know...back there, you pulled out like three of those, right?” Chase asked. “And that cane you sometimes use comes from nowhere, right?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Well, if you can take things out of nowhere, do you think you can put things away into the nowhere?” Chase asked. JJ nodded eagerly, apparently having had the same idea.

Schneep blinked. “Oh. I had not tried that, not with things I had not already pulled out. Perhaps.” He nodded, slowly at first, then with increasing surety. “Yes, it makes sense that I would be able to do that. And we might as well try, yes? That would probably contain the strings, and put them far away.”

“Great, so we have a basis,” Jack said. “Now we just—” He suddenly stopped walking. The tracking disk had turned a corner, and there it was. “Oh. We...we’re here.” The building with Jackie and Marvin’s apartment. It looked exactly the same, even years later. Despite the disk not changing pace, the boys hurried up, getting ahead of it.

Once the disk caught up, it headed down a side alley. Then, strangely, it paused. And floated upward. Up to a fifth story window, with a fire escape outside. Once it reached there, it disappeared. Is that their apartment? JJ asked.

“Yeah,” Chase muttered, nodding. “That’s it. Wonder if it’s still empty.”

“Wonder how we are going to get inside,” Schneep added. “Can we just...walk in?”

Jack leaned to the side, looking through the glass front doors of the building. “Well I mean...no one’s in there.”

“It can’t be that easy,” Chase said.

But it was. The boys walked right into the apartment building’s waiting area, heading straight for the elevators. Nobody appeared to stop them. The elevator doors slid open, and the four of them piled inside.

“Shit. I forgot about this,” Jack swore. He pointed at a keyhole in the elevator’s button panel. “To access the floors with rooms you need a room key. Otherwise...” He pressed the button for the fourth floor above the ground story. It didn’t light up. “Yeah, that.”

“I do not suppose either of you two kept a copy of their room key,” Schneep muttered.

“No,” Chase said. “God. I really don’t want to climb up the fire escape. I know Jackie always said it was fine, but that thing looks rickety as all hell.”

Hang on, let me try something, JJ said, pushing past the others to be closest to the button panel. He stared down at the keyhole, then pressed two fingers on either side of it. A small bit of blue magic flickered into existence, flat and long. It slid right into the keyhole, and JJ made a turning motion. Then he pressed the same button Jack had. This time, it lit up, and the elevator started moving upward.

Chase whistled, impressed. “I didn’t know your magic included picking locks, J.”

It’s not exactly like that, JJ explained. It’s just that my magic is purely focused on helping others. I concentrated on ‘we need to move the lift so my friends can get upstairs,’ and it worked.

“Still, that’s pretty cool,” Jack said. “But okay, while we’re here, we need to figure out what exactly we’re going to do. Get a game plan going. Anyone have any ideas?”

— — — — — — —

The fifth story hallway was eerily normal. It felt out of place for what they were about to do. Jack, Chase, and Schneep still remembered the room number: 515. Near the end of the hall. The group walked silently down the corridor, until they stopped outside the room with the number stenciled on its door. After a moment of hesitation, Jack reached out and grabbed the knob, turning it. “It’s unlocked,” he said, surprised.

“Either that’s how they got in here, and they left it open, or they knew we would come,” Chase guessed.

Personally, I hope it’s the former, JJ said.

Jack looked at the other three, taking in their expressions. Nervous, but not backing down. “Are we ready?” he asked. They all nodded. “Alright. Let’s get in there fast. On three. One...two...” He pulled the door open. “Three!” And the four of them hurried inside, the door shutting behind them.

The apartment hadn’t changed at all in the past few years. That was a bit odd, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t it have been sold to new owners, or at the very least cleaned up to show it off to potential buyers? But no. Perhaps being the apartment where a murder-suicide happened was enough to scare people off. Or perhaps there was a supernatural reason for it. Either way, everything was the same. Exactly the same.

All of the living room’s furniture had been pushed to the walls, even blocking the doors to the other rooms. There was a circle burned into the wooden floor, with five melted black candles along the perimeter, now just lumps of wax.

Jackie and Marvin were kneeling on the floor inside the burnt circle, facing each other with the box containing the strings between them. The coppery metal sides were pretty banged up, covered with scratches. But the box was still holding strong. The moment the four entered the room, Jackie and Marvin’s heads shot upward and turned to stare at them. “Leave,” they said, in perfect, eerie unison.

Jack instinctively took a step backwards, bumping into Chase. The moment he did, Chase reached out and squeezed his hand, giving him an encouraging nod. Jack nodded back. He took a deep breath. “No,” he said. “We can’t let you do this.”

“Why not?” They asked, still perfectly in sync. “We need them. We need to be whole.”

“You two are whole by yourselves,” Jack insisted. “You’re two people, not one.”

“Can’t it be both?” They tilted their heads. “Things can be two and one, half and whole.”

“Not people,” Chase added. “C’mon, guys. You remember who you were before! I know you do!”

They looked at each other. “The memories are there,” they conceded. “But which is which? We don’t know. We can’t tell. It’s all mixed up. But when we are whole, it doesn’t matter. Because our memories are mine. My memories are ours. Everything is there. Everything is complete.”

“But do you know what that—that ‘whole’ does?” Jack asked. “He hurts people! You two don’t like to hurt people. You never have. So how can you let this—this black magic do things like that?”

“It doesn’t matter. We need to be complete.” They stand up. “Back off. Or we’ll make you.”

Jack clutched his chest, as if this was physically hurting his heart. “No,” he whispered. “I already said so. We can’t let you.”

“One more chance,” they warned. “We will open this.” They pointed at the box—no. At the spot on the floor where the box had been. But it wasn’t there anymore. When they glanced down and saw that, they froze. Then looked up, towards the back of the room. Schneep, who’d jumped behind the two while the rest of the group was distracting them, had slowly pulled the box away, dragging it out of the circle. The moment the silence fell, he realized that the jig was up. And he picked up the box.

“No!” The two broke up. Jackie lunged backwards towards Schneep and tackled him to the ground, where the two of them struggled over the box. Marvin ran forward towards the other three, blue strings of light appearing around him, reaching forward.

Jameson pulled up his shield, diverting the strings to either side. Chase pulled his gun out of his belt and pointed it towards Marvin. “We don’t want to hurt you!” He shouted.

“Oh, shu̧ţ ̴u̵p,” Marvin snarled. He pounded on the shield with a fist. “We don̢'͟t̸ ̵c̵ar͢e.̧”

Schneep suddenly cried out as Jackie threw him backwards, hitting the draped windows. Now clutching the box, Jackie retreated to the circle in the center of the room, kneeling on the floor again. The burnt circle sizzled, like embers coming to life, and suddenly huge red spikes shot out from the black circle, each half the size of a person and sharp as a knife. Jackie was now defended in the middle, as he struggled to open the box.

“Fuck!” Chase darted out from behind the shield, running towards Schneep. But a blue string wrapped around his ankle, lifting him up. He yelped in surprise, dropping the gun. Jameson looked towards him and made a gesture like he was throwing something. A light blue disc sailed through the air, slicing through the darker blue of the string and dropping Chase to the floor. Unfortunately, as a result of this magic, the part of the shield covering himself flickered a bit. Just enough for two different strings to snake through and wrap around him, pinning his arms. The rest of the shield then died.

“Schneep, get Marvin, I got Jackie!” Jack shouted, jumping straight into a sprint to avoid more of Marvin’s strings.

“Right!” Schneep got to his feet, now holding two pairs of scissors, one in each hand. His eyes briefly glowed turquoise, and he disappeared. Then he reappeared behind Marvin, practically on top of his back. “Jamie! Catch!” He threw one of the scissors in Jameson’s general direction. It clattered to the floor, and Jameson immediately got down, awkwardly picking them up while his arms were still pinned. Meanwhile, Schneep held the open blade of the scissors to Marvin’s throat. “Sorry about this.”

Marvin shrieked, grabbing Schneep’s arm and trying to push him away. But Schneep held fast, trying to keep the blade close, but not touching. Unfortunately, after one particularly hard shove from Marvin, he overcorrected. The blade sliced—not through Marvin’s skin, though. Instead, the scissor blade cut through the green stitches holding his neck wound closed. Immediately, Marvin cried out, finally managing to push past. He leaned forward, bracing against the wall, and made several uncomfortably harsh choking sounds as the strings wriggled out, falling to the floor. They inched past Schneep, heading towards the circle where Jackie was.

Meanwhile, Jack and Chase had met up on the edge of the circle of spikes, giving each other unsure looks. Slowly, Chase raised his gun again. “Jackie!” He shouted. “Put the box down!”

Jackie ignored him, frustratingly prying at the seam where the lid met the rest of the box. He growled, and the spikes got a little longer, forcing Jack and Chase to back up. “Shit, okay, not the way to do it,” Jack muttered. He hesitated, then reached out and touched one of the spikes. Immediately, he withdrew his hand, hissing. “They’re, like, hot or something.”

“Right. Okay.” Chase took a deep breath, then pulled the trigger on his gun.

The BANG! filled the small room. The bullet hit one of the spikes, shattering it like ceramic. Jack and Chase covered their faces, but bits of the shards still cut their arms. Jackie, to the side of the spike when it shattered, cried out as shards bit into his arm as well. One of them sliced right through the green string wrapped tightly around his wrist, which fell to the floor. That finally made Jackie look up. “Go a͟w̢ay̧.”

“No,” Jack said. “In fact, we’re getting closer!” Quickly, he grabbed Chase’s arm and ran, darting into the circle through the gap caused by the broken spike.

Jackie screamed as the two of them entered the circle, and shot to his feet. “Leave us a̷l̶o͞n̕e!̡” He ran at the two of them, and Jack stepped in front of Chase, grabbing Jackie’s arm as he went to hit him. Then when Jackie’s other hand shot up, he managed to grab that one, too. He looked pretty shocked and impressed with himself, until Jackie stomped on his foot and made him let go in surprise.

But during that brief window, Chase dove forward, and managed to snatch up the box. He gave a triumphant grin, which faded as he realized he was still trapped in the circle.

Back on the other side of the room, Jameson finally cut through the strings with the scissors, quickly regaining his feet. Marvin, recovering from the slice, noticed this. “F͝a̶k̵e̛ magician,” he hissed, and pounced.

Before he actually got to JJ, Schneep grabbed him, knocking him to the floor. The two of them rolled across the room, struggling with each other.

Jameson quickly backed up, looking around to regain his bearings. His eyes landed on the circle of spikes, with Chase holding the box inside. Jackie had turned on him, and Chase was backing up, head darting from side to side. Jameson started waving his arms, drawing Chase’s attention. Chase nodded, and got ready to throw the box.

Just then, Jackie ran at Chase and grabbed him. He still managed to throw the box, but his aim was now off, and the box landed on the floor in the corner of the room. Jameson hurried to get there, but then tripped. Another blue string. Schneep had managed to pin Marvin to the ground, but accidentally left one of his arms free, which he used to send a string to grab Jameson’s legs. Eyes wide, Jameson raised his own hand, conjuring a protective blue dome around the box.

“I’ve had ęǹo͢ug̴h͝ of this!” Jackie shouted. He made a throwing motion, and a streak of sharp red light headed straight for the box, piercing through the dome and slicing right through the coppery metal side, leaving a huge gash.

For a moment, everyone froze. For a moment, everyone was waiting.

And then the strings poured out of the new opening, moving almost like a liquid as they pooled on the floor. The strings from Marvin’s neck and Jackie’s wrist inched over to join the lump of writhing green threads. And once they were all together, the strings began to slither forward across the floor.

Jackie and Marvin started to laugh. Their eyes started to glow green, Marvin’s right, Jackie’s left. A static buzz filled the air.

“No!” Chase cried, breaking the stillness of the moment.

Jackie started to run, but Jack and Chase grabbed him and held him back. Schneep doubled down on keeping Marvin pinned, and Jameson hurried over to help. This only lasted for a moment before Jackie grabbed a knife of glowing red light and slashed at the two, cutting up their arms further, and Marvin’s strings burst outward, wrapping around Schneep and Jameson and tying them back to back. The two ran for the strings, which wriggled closer to them.

Schneep quickly cut through some of the blue strings, giving Jameson enough room to pull an arm out. A blue sphere enveloped the green strings, flying into the air where it hovered near the ceiling, keeping them temporarily contained in a glowing bubble. Marvin and Jackie shrieked in frustration.

“God damn it,” Chase muttered, pressing a hand against a particularly nasty cut on his upper arm. He looked up at Jackie and Marvin, just in time to see Jackie holding another red knife, gearing up for a throw. “JJ, watch it!”

The sphere jerked to the side, just in time to avoid the streak of red, which embedded itself in the ceiling. Marvin tried next, blue strings shooting forward to try and wrap around the sphere. It dodged them, weaving through the air in a series of maneuvers, but Jameson was starting to look a bit strained. Schneep was about halfway through the strings binding them.

“Chase?” Jack glanced at him, then nodded at Jackie and Marvin. He nodded back.

The two were distracted, standing beneath the sphere and shooting magic towards it, attempting to get it down. Jameson was fully concentrated on keeping it out of their grasp. He didn’t even notice when Schneep finally cut through the last of the strings. But he was slowly losing speed, the sphere becoming a little bit more unwieldy every second. One of Jackie’s knives sliced through the side, and he diverted focus to fixing that before the green strings could escape. In the process, the sphere temporarily stopped, and Marvin’s strings started to wrap around it.

Luckily, before they could get a good grasp, Chase and Jack sprang forward, grabbing Jackie and Marvin, respectively. “Take it now!” Jack shouted, knowing they couldn’t hold them much longer.

The sphere lurched through the air, crashing down on top of Jameson and Schneep and immediately breaking up. Schneep took off his coat and used that to catch the strings as they fell, wrapping up the bundle so none of them could escape.

“Give them b͞a͢ck̴!” The two yelled.

Anticipating an attack, Chase let go and ducked, barely missing a whirl of blue magic strings. Jack wasn’t so quick, and cried out as a red glowing blade lodged itself in his side, losing his grip and staggering backwards. The two rushed forward the moment they were free, and Jameson barely managed to conjure a shield in time. They slammed into it, stumbled back for a few seconds, and then immediately pressed forward against the blue magic, their expressions twisted viciously.

“You...two...” Jack panted. “You have to let this go! Let them go!”

“They are p͢ar̵t͝ óf̀ u͝s̛!” They cried.

And for a moment, Jack hesitated. They all did. Because wasn’t it true, on some level? Those strings were black magic, but trapped in their twisted fibers were actual bits of Marvin and Jackie’s souls. Would it be cruel, separating them from those shattered remains?

But what would happen? What would happen if the strings took hold of them? The magic they were made of was a poison. The two would be poisoned in turn, and the rest of them would have to fight back once again, starting everything over. That couldn’t happen. Something had to change. “We’re sorry,” Jack whispered. “But we have to.”

The two snarled, and shoved forward, breaking through the shield. Jameson backed up, raising his hands to defend himself, but the attack never came. Because the strings weren’t there. Schneep had been holding them, and Schneep wasn’t there anymore.

In unison, the two whirled around, and saw him. Schneep was standing against the far wall, his eyes glowing turquoise with black scleras. His coat was wrapped around the strings, but they still struggled against the fabric. Sensing the attention on him, he raised the scissors, and made a slashing motion. And the world...the world was sliced. A tear opened up in the air, beyond which could be seen only darkness.

“Ņ̴͓̹͞o̸̩̟̪̬̥͎!̡͇͞” The two started to rush at him, but they were just too far away. Schneep threw the ball of fabric just as a few green threads started to slip from in between the folds. It was a perfect throw. For just a second, the ball of strings was frozen in the middle of its arc, a few strands trying to escape but not fully able to.

And then, with an anticlimactic quietness, the strings slipped through the rip in the air and disappeared from this world for good.

The two screamed, piercing the silence, and everyone hurried to cover their ears. Those screams could be heard all throughout the building. But then the rip closed itself up, disappearing as if it had never even been there, and they stopped. And the instant they did, the two of them collapsed, falling to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut.

For a moment, the other four just waited, staring. What now? Was it really...over? They weren’t moving.

Then Schneep gasped. “Th-their souls!” he said. “I-I can feel them! Like with you!”

That broke the spell. Jack, Chase, and Schneep all ran forward, [getting down next to] Jackie and Marvin. They shook them, checked their pulse, called their names. JJ stayed back for a few seconds, before slowly walking closer, wary.

“They are alive, at least,” Schneep said. “Heartbeats.”

“That’s not a sign,” Chase said, shaking Marvin’s shoulder. “Remember what they were like the first time Jack grabbed the strings and Anti disappeared? Alive, but all...empty.”

“No no, I-I think this is different.” Jack tried to sound confident. “I think that, whatever happens, it’s not going to be that.” He rolled Jackie over, onto his back, noticing his eyes were closed. “Jackie? Jackie? It’s us. You need to wake up.”

They must have sat there for a couple minutes, trying their best to get a response. Jameson was just about to suggest they get out of there, when something finally happened.

It started with a small groan, then a whimper. Marvin moved first, lifting up his head before squeezing his eyes shut and burying his face in his arms with a small cry. “M-Marv...?” Chase whispered. “Are you awake?”

Another whimper. Marvin blindly reached up and grabbed at his face, pulling his mask off and dropping it before once again hiding his eyes.

“A-ahh.” That was Jackie. He opened his eyes, squinting, even though the light was fairly dim. “Wha...? Wh-where...?”

“Jackie! You’re up!” Jack laughed, beaming. “Oh thank fucking god.”

“How are you feeling?” Schneep added.

Jackie didn’t answer, turning his head to look around. “Where...am I?”

“You’re in your apartment,” Jack explained. “Do you...know what happened?”

“What...happened? I...” Jackie reached upwards, watching his hand as he turned it around. Almost as if he couldn’t quite believe it was his.

“Marvin, are you okay?” Chase asked, leaning down closer to the floor. “Do you need us to—well, we can’t turn the lights down, there’s only one ceiling lamp and there’s no dimmer. But...can we do something?”

After a moment, Marvin raised his head, covering his eyes with his hands and looking out through his fingers. “I...don’t know...what’s happening,” he said quietly. “Chase?”

“Yeah, it’s me, bro,” Chase nodded.

Marvin’s eyes darted over towards Jameson. “Who...is that?”

“That’s JJ, don’t worry, he’s a friend.” At Chase words, Jameson waved, still a bit wary but relaxing just slightly. “You’re alright, right? Are you?”

“...my neck hurts,” Marvin said quietly. “And my head.”

“Oh.” There was an open wound across Marvin’s neck. Not too deep, but definitely there. Chase tried to smile. “Well, we’ll get that fixed. Can you sit up?”

Marvin closed his eyes again, making a quiet keening sound. But he sat up. Slowly. And once he was upright, he swayed a bit in place.

“Someone tell me what happened,” Jackie said.

“Well, what do you remember?” Schneep asked.

“I...think I talked to you? And...and Chase? My chest hurt...it doesn’t...doesn’t anymore, but my head...” Jackie pressed his hands to either side of his head. “I gotta—gotta get up.”

“Oh, here.” Jack offered his hand, and Jackie let him pull him upright. “You look a bit off balance there. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Head,” Jackie repeated. He started to look around. “What happened to this pla—”

Jackie glanced to the right. Marvin glanced to the left. The two of them made eye contact. They stared for a few seconds...and then screamed. Jackie scrambled backwards until he ran into Schneep, while Marvin grabbed Chase by the shirt and buried his face in him.

Then they both seemed to lose all strength, slumping down. Jackie’s eyes glazed over, and Marvin let go of Chase’s shirt.

“What was that?!” Schneep hissed.

“I-I don’t know!” Chase shook his head, at a loss. “They saw each other and—and flipped out.” He tried to shake Marvin, but got no response. “Are they...okay?”

“I think they’re just overwhelmed,” Jack speculated, waving his hand in front of Jackie’s eyes and getting nothing.

JJ snapped his fingers, drawing everyone’s attention. I hate to interrupt the moment, he said, but don’t you think we should get out of here? We’ve caused quite the commotion, with smashing against the walls and screaming and such. And Chase did fire a gun, as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors are calling the police.

Schneep nodded. “You are right, we have to leave here. It would be difficult to explain everything.”

“But where do we go?” Chase asked. “I don’t think we can find our way back to the magicians without, y’know, magic. A-and I don’t want to go to Stacy’s place, just in case...things...happen.”

Jack sighed. “Can I be honest, you guys?” He looked at each of them in turn. “I just want to go home.”

— — — — — — —

Opening the door led them to a disaster zone. The last time they’d been in Jack’s apartment, it was falling to pieces around them as Anti and Schneep fought, their magics colliding and tearing everything apart. Plaster had fallen from the ceiling, leaving the beams overhead exposed in some places. The paint on the walls had peeled, more plaster fallen out in chunks. Some furniture was completely unusable, and the furniture that wasn’t still leaked stuffing or was missing legs. Jack didn’t even want to look at the rest of the house.

Sighing, he reached over to turn on the lightswitch, relieved when the ceiling lamp half-dangling from the ceiling still turned on. He stepped inside, feet crunching on the plaster, and the others followed. Chase was carrying Marvin in his arms, JJ was carrying Jackie in his. Schneep kept a hand on the wall and slowly inched into the room, not raising his feet so he wouldn’t trip over any debris he couldn’t see. “This place...is a wreck,” Chase said plainly.

“Yeah, I know, but we gotta stay somewhere, right?” Jack asked. “I figured this place was pretty safe. For now.” The sofa was mostly intact, save for the cotton tumbling out of bursts in its seams. But it was soft, and would hold weight, so Jack brushed off the plaster that had landed on it and hit the cushions a couple of times to get rid of dust. “I guess eventually we’re all gonna have to try to go home.”

Chase laughed. “I bet the landlord sold my house a month into me not showing up. God. All my stuff, gone.” He gently set Marvin down on the sofa, who blinks, briefly looks around, then curls into the broken cushions, eyes still open and glazed.

“Oh, not all of it, Chase,” Schneep says, slowly creeping around the room. “When it was clear the landlord was going to sell, Stacy had to go to collect your belongings. I think all the furniture is gone, but your clothes and things like your computer are okay. Did you ever check that spare storage room while we were with her?”

“O-oh. No, I didn’t...didn’t think to.”

JJ put Jackie down on the sofa, next to Marvin. Similarly, Jackie looked up, took in the state of the room, then just...mentally checked out. Well, my shop should still be fine, at least, JJ signed. I do own the building, after all. Henrik, what about your flat?

Chase translated the question, and Schneep shrugged. “I am not sure. I was there a few times, and everything seemed the same. But I am sure that the situation is more complicated.”

“Well, I’m probably going to be living here for a bit, at least,” Jack muttered. “So we should clean up. Um...maybe we could start by getting all this plaster into a corner of the room? A-and we should see what the damage is everywhere else.”

It was slow going. A brief look at all the rest of the rooms showed the kitchen and the living room were the worst off. The walls and ceilings were more intact in the rooms down the hall, and Jack’s room, at the very back, even had all its furniture together. So they did start by cleaning up all the plaster. Jack found his cleaning supplies in the hallway, some of which weren’t alright, but at least the broom could still be used, even with its handle snapped in half. They cleaned silently, starting by making the living room...livable, then spread out through the rest of the apartment, getting all the broken bits of ceiling and walls out of the way.

“Done in here!” Chase called from the kitchen. “With the plaster shit, anyway!” There was still a lot wrong. Cabinet doors had fallen off, every single dish was shattered, and the table was missing one of its legs and part of its surface. He didn’t even want to think about all the perishable foods that had no doubt gone bad inside the fridge.

“Great.” Jack appeared from down the hall, white dust in his hair. “Everything’s stable in the bathroom. I even found a first aid kit, so we can wrap up these cuts. Hope we have water. I think we should, I mean, I didn’t see—oh shit!” He jumped backwards. While they were talking, Marvin had appeared in the entrance to the living room, and was now staring very intensely at Jack. “Oh my god, Marv, you scared me,” Jack breathed. “Um...is everything good?”

“What happened?” Marvin asked bluntly.

“Oh, uh, we took you and Jackie over to my place. It’s...terrible, but it was close by. So now we’re cleaning—”

“No, I don’t mean that.” Marvin’s eyes were wide and a bit wild, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his entire body visibly shook. “I mean what happened to me. A-and to Jackie too. What happened to us? What happened?!”

Jack took a step backwards. “Whoa, calm down a bit—”

“Why do we remember the same things?!” Marvin stepped forward, leaning closer. “I-I don’t understand! You know, right? Tell me. Please!”

“Marvin, please, I know you’re freaked out, but you need to breathe, okay?” Jack said, fighting the urge to step back again. “You’re just going to spiral at this rate.”

Suddenly, Jackie appeared, peering around Marvin’s shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Jackie, hi.” Jack looked back over towards Chase, who was still in the kitchen.

Nodding, Chase joined the rest of them in the hallway. “Marvin’s a bit freaked out,” he explained.

“I-I-I’m freaked out too.” Jackie tried to laugh, but it just came out as a wheeze. He wrapped his arms around himself. “A-after everything, I—we talked about it and—you guys have to know, right? You can tell us what happened, right? You can—please? Please explain. I-I’m so confused.”

Chase and Jack glanced at each other. “You go get Schneep and JJ,” Chase said. “We’ll sit down in the living room.” Jack nodded, and disappeared down the hall.

It took less than a minute for all of them to gather together. The sofa was the only piece of sitting furniture that was still usable, so they sat on the floor in a circle, unconsciously not wanting anyone to be above the others. Marvin and Jackie sat next to each other, a slight gap between them and the other four. Jack was the first to speak, clearing his throat. “So...what do you two remember?”

Marvin and Jackie glanced at each other, and Marvin made a ‘go ahead’ gesture. “W-well...chronologically,” Jackie started. “We...remember doing the spell. We did a spell, i-it was supposed to—” He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “It was supposed to make us...b-better. Stronger. But...” For a moment, his eyes glazed over, then he squeezed them shut and opened them wide again, and he pressed forward. “It didn’t work. And from there, it was just...ni-nightmares. Awful, awful things...”

“Nightmares,” Schneep muttered to himself.

Taking that as a cue to elaborate, Jackie nodded. “Like...i-images of terrible things...happening to...people.”

“Don’t say people,” Marvin said quietly. “It wasn’t just people.”

Jackie flinched. “W-well sometimes they were just faceless people. But...i-it was...you guys. Most of the time. E-even him.” He pointed at Jameson. “A-and we talked about it, and we had the exact same ones, and we’re—neither of us are sure, if we were just...imagining them, thinking really hard about these things. Or if...they were real.”

“What do you remember after that?” Chase asked gently.

“Just...a lot...of bad things,” Marvin said haltingly. “More...nightmares. Tha-that seemed to go on forever. A-and then suddenly...my chest hurt. And I was on this street, but then...things got...jumbled up. And then I was in the flat. And now I’m here.”

“I had something that was like that,” Jackie said. “With you guys, and then thing were...my thoughts all...” He put his hands on the side of his head. “Mixed up. And then there. A-and it’s weird, that was the only place where our memories were different.”

A moment of silence. Marvin and Jackie waited for the others to respond, but they just looked at each other. “Do...do we tell them?” Jack asked quietly.

“They said they wanted to know, yes?” Schneep added.

“But it’s so fucked up,” Chase whispered. “All of it.” He glanced towards the two. “Maybe we just...just keep to the basics? Not tell them about...us?”

Jameson shook his head. They’ll find out eventually, and we can’t keep it from them forever.

“Okay, but we don’t have to do it all now,” Jack said.

Schneep huffed. “I think we should. Ripping off the band-aid, as it is.”

“What if they get overwhelmed?” Chase asked. “You remember what happened last time. And back at the apartment? They just had to look at each other to go unresponsive.”

We can check in on them as we explain, make sure everything is fine, Jameson suggested.

“I...okay, after all that, I...think we should tell them everything now,” Jack said. “It’s gonna suck for all of us, but...if we do it all together, we’re getting it all out. We won’t have to drag it out.”

Chase hesitated, but then nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense,” he said reluctantly. “It’ll be easier to move on if nothing’s holding us back.”

“Okay, then. I’ll start.” Jack turned back to Marvin and Jackie, who looked decidedly uneasy about the explanation that was about to follow. But their expressions weren’t identical. Marvin was rocking a bit where he sat, face drawn in dread. Jackie’s eyes were wide and he leaned back, like getting distance would help. The differences made Jack relax a bit. They were two people. Not halves of a whole. “Well, you said you remember casting a spell, right? We figured out what it was for. And that it went wrong. When the spell was over...both of you...were dead.”

Explaining everything took nearly an hour. Jack laid the groundwork, explaining what Anti was and the early days of haunting them, with the others jumping in to add their experiences. Jameson, of course, couldn’t tell his experiences by himself, as neither Jackie nor Marvin understood sign language. So Jack translated that as well.

They progressed to how Anti slowly took them out. Chase took off his bandanna briefly, showing the stitches that remained, and Jameson did the same with his mask. Schneep told the story behind why he couldn’t see anymore, and Jack explained why one of his eyes was a slightly different blue. For many of these moments, it was the first time they’d said anything about what happened to them, about all the physical and mental scars left behind. They had to pause several times to collect themselves. Ironic that they were the ones being overwhelmed by emotion, when they’d been worrying about Jackie and Marvin.

Then there was the discovery of what Anti was, them fleeing to Stacy’s house, finally taking Anti apart, and keeping Jackie and Marvin—in their distant, not-quite-there state—away from the strings that remained. Marvin and Jackie sat quietly through everything, nodding when the others asked if they were still listening, if they were okay, but not saying anything. Finally, Jack, his voice now hoarse, told them about what had happened that evening, ending with bringing the two of them to the apartment.

And it was all out there. They waited for a response, but got none. Jackie’s eyes had glazed over again, and Marvin had stopped rocking and was just leaning against the base of the sofa. “I guess it was a lot,” Chase said. “Hey.” He started to reach forward, but then stopped, not knowing if either of them wanted to be touched. “It’s fine if you two need some time. That would make sense. Don’t worry about it.”

“Is it okay if we keep cleaning up around you?” Schneep asked gently.

Nothing. Then, after a few seconds, Jackie nodded.

“Alright.” Schneep stood up, and was soon followed by the other three. “We will try to be quiet about it.”

They left, discussing in low voices what to do next. The living room was left alone for now, as none of them wanted to disturb Jackie or Marvin. So they dispersed throughout the rest of the house. Jack took Chase into the bathroom, and the two of them used up all the first aid kit’s bandages on their various wounds. JJ started with the kitchen. It looked like all ceramic dishes had been shattered, but the trash bin was intact, so he started sweeping all the broken pieces into there. Schneep did his best to get order together in the bedrooms, feeling around for things that were too broken to salvage.

At some point, Chase joined Schneep in the spare bedroom, where he found something under a fallen shelf. It took both of them to get it out, one to hold the shelf, the other to grab it. “You want to keep that, yes?” Schneep asked.

“Of course,” Chase said. “But, uh...h-hang on, I’ll be right back.”

He returned to the living room. Jackie and Marvin were still sitting on the floor, turned slightly away from each other. Chase cleared his throat. “Hey, uh...so. I found this.” He held up the object in question—his weighted blanket. “Jack got it for me a while ago, but like...it’s supposed to help with anxiety and stuff, and it does kinda work, so...I thought you guys might want it.” Walking over, he set the blanket on the sofa. “It’s heavier than you expect, ha. But...yeah. I’ll just leave it here.” He backed up, then turned to leave.

Before returning to the hall, he heard the slight rustle of fabric, and glanced back to see they’d pulled the blanket off the sofa and were now sharing it. Chase smiled softly, then left, heading back towards the bedrooms.

All the digital clocks had stopped functioning, but the analog clock in the kitchen slowly ticked through the minutes. Eventually, the apartment was made livable again. There was still the problem of the broken ceiling and occasionally broken walls, not to mention the furniture that was now unusable. But livable was the ideal.

As they finished up, the boys would occasionally glance into the living room, asking the two if they were okay. There was never a spoken response, but eventually, Jackie started to nod, and then Marvin. And then they stood up and moved to the sofa. And eventually, Jackie started walking around the room, pushing the plaster and broken bits of furniture into the corner. Marvin dusted rubble off the sofa and half-intact coffee table, then tried to put the stuffing back into the torn pillows. It took both of them a while, dazed as they were, but once the rest of the boys were done with the apartment, they were done with the living room.

The clock read 12:35. Judging by the darkness outside, that meant midnight. Everyone was exhausted, but they were also hungry. Most of the food in the kitchen was ruined, but there were boxes of dry pasta and a single, large pot. The water worked. It only took another half hour to make the pasta and scoop it into six tupperware boxes, those being the only bowl-like things to survive fully intact. The utensils were okay, too. No glasses, so they used more tupperware.

Once the food was ready, Jackie and Marvin joined the others in the kitchen/dining room. They took the only two chairs left and sat at the half-table to eat while the other four stood at the counter or sat on the floor. Everyone ate silently.

Now the clock read 1:20. “I think...” Jack spoke up for the first time in a while. “...we should go to bed.”

Jameson nodded. The beds are alright. And there are still blankets in the closet. We might have to double up.

“Doubling up is fine for me,” Jack said. “Chase? Schneep?”

“Yes, fine,” Schneep agreed, yawning.

“I’ll just sleep on the floor again,” Chase mumbled. “My sleeping bag is alright.”

“Are you sure, Chase? It is all dusty, and there could be things inside that we missed,” Schneep said.

“I...” Chase hesitated. Then he took a deep breath. “Alright. I can double up with someone. But can we put a pillow or something in between?”

“That’s fine, Chase,” Jack said. “You can stay with me.”

What about these two? Jameson asked, gesturing to Jackie and Marvin.

“Well...” Jack looked at them. “Do you two want to have a bedroom, or are you okay with the living room? Or, uh, I have my recording room, but that’s kind of a mess, computer parts all over.”

No answer for a bit. Then Marvin held up two fingers.

“The second option?”

He nodded.

“Alright. Jackie, what about you? Do you want the same?”

Jackie nodded too.

“Okay, then. We’ll bring you guys some blankets,” Jack said. “And some spare pillows.”

And slowly, everyone drifted off. They made up the beds, gave Jackie and Marvin any blankets and pillows they could find, and one by one, they all went to sleep. Jameson went first, Schneep following soon after, closing the door to the spare bedroom. Then Jack, disappearing into his own room.

Chase lingered for a bit, cleaning up dinner as much as possible. He yawned, and eventually concluded there was only so much he could do. So he headed out.

“Um...Chase?”

The soft question made him jump. He turned to see Jackie standing awkwardly in the doorway to the living room. Behind him, Marvin was lying on the sofa, Chase’s blanket pulled up to his neck, facing away from them with his head cushioned by two pillows. All the other blankets and pillows had been made into a bed underneath the half remains of the coffee table.

“Y-yeah, Jackie?” Chase asked. “Is everything okay?”

Jackie hesitated. “I...everything you told us...it really happened. Some of the memories th-that Marvin and I share, they...line up.”

“Oh.” Those memories weren’t really theirs, were they? They were Anti’s. “I see.”

Jackie took a deep breath. “Which is why...I’m sorry, Chase. I-I’m so, so sorry.” Tears started to gather in his eyes. “I-I don’t even know if I can apologize, but I really am, I feel so fucking sorry, a-and I just hope that—I just want you to know that—”

“Hey, Jackieboy.” Chase stepped forward, gently grabbing Jackie’s hand and holding it. “It’s fine. You weren’t...yourself. There was some black magic going on, and it...made things different.”

“...but still...” Jackie whispered.

Chase smiled softly. “It’s okay. I forgive you. And Marvin, too. Tell him that.”

Jackie nodded. “He’s sorry too, you know.”

“I know.” Chase squeezed his hand. “It’s late. You should go to sleep.”

“Alright. Alright.” Jackie let go, and backed up. “Good night.”

“Good night, Jackie.” Chase waited for him to get under the blankets of the bed under the table. He watched for a minute, and then turned to go, walking down the hall to the room at the end.

And for the first time in years, everyone rested. Truly, fully, at peace.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #chase brody #dr schneeplestein #brigid writes fanfiction #the stitched septics #stitchedstories

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sweetwritertanya · 4 years

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The Most Memorable Halloween

A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Here it is, my last story for this special month, the thirteenth story I promised you guys! And… it’s a OT7 fanfic! I usually prefer to write only for one member at a time, but for this story I wanted something special so I included all of them. The relationship with the reader can be read however you like, be it romantic, platonic or just as a friend! Up to you! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this series and that you like this story for the finale. Love you guys and let me know what you think!

Summary: You take all the members of BTS to go out camping during the Halloween weekend. Just the eight of you. What could possibly go wrong?

Warnings: HORROR! But not quite, just a spooky idea I had and wanted to share! Hope you all like it!

Word Count: 4769

There was a particular difficult issue that you always knew would come up when you first got to know the seven boys of BTS. Getting close to them, befriend them, caring for them would end up being incredibly frustrating during special days, like birthdays or Christmas or Valentine’s Day. And the reason why was simple: they were rich and already had any and everything you could envision them wanting for themselves.

Coming up with gift ideas became so stressful to you, that the boys had to put on an intervention one day and make you promise that you would never buy any of them a present ever again. So, since then, special days were celebrated with kind words and long messages to each other, lots of food and drinks if you could all be together and an overall good time in each other’s company.

And yet, when a friend of yours got a job as park ranger at a beautiful national park with amazing views, you got an idea. That particular park was closed down as they were redoing some of the roads and adding trails for hikers, being safer to just close off access to any pedestrians or campers for the month of October. So, if your friend could get you and the boys into the park, no one would be there to recognize them or bother them. And they had the weekend of Halloween off just in time.

It took a bit of persuading, but it’s not something Taffy hadn’t done before for her friend’s or something you had done for her back in the day. It would be just for the weekend, when no one would be working in construction either way, and she would be at the station in case anything went wrong.

In your eyes, it was the perfect gift you could give them. The boys liked camping, but they only ever did it with a bunch of cameras, never really just by themselves. They have been talking about a trip like this for months. And you could offer them just that.

“Have a good stay up there, babe” Taffy’s voice came in through the walkie talkie she gave you as you met her at the station to come in.

“Thanks, I owe you big time, queen” you radio back at her, a smile on your lips as you look out the van’s window while you continue up the path.

“Yeah, you do. Just watch out for wildlife and new forks in the roads. They haven’t put up the new signs yet” she warns.

“Will do. See you tomorrow.”

With that you decide to keep the walkie in your backpack before you ended up losing it.

“I still can’t believe we are actually doing this!” an excited Taehyung next to you says, a boxy smile and sparkling eyes thrown at you.

“It’s going to be fun. We’ll put up the tents, make a fire and eat some s’mores…” Hoseok chips in, sitting across the table from you with that usual cheery smile of his. “We’ll drink some beers and dance under the stars!”

“Yeah, I don’t know about the smores” Yoongi warns, on the other side of the moving van, body leaning against the window on his side, but looking your way. “We didn’t buy any marshmallows, so unless you packed some, no can do.”

“What?!” Hoseok turns around in his seat to talk to Namjoon, who was currently on the passenger side upfront, next to a driving Jungkook. “Say, Namjoon, did you buy the marshmallows like I asked?”

“Hum? What?” He does his best to turn around in his seat and look at us, but you can only see half of his square jaw and one of his slim eyes as he stretches, short hair covered by a cap.

“The s’mores for tonight” Hoseok persists.

“Oh, crap. Sorry, totally forgot about it!” Hoseok sighs in disappointment, and Namjoon feels guilty about it. “Should I go back and buy some?”

“No, of course not. It’s okay, another time we’ll have some” Hoseok remains positive and smiles brightly again, much to the leader’s relief.

“Yeah, this won’t be the last time we go camping, surely” Jimin, sitting next to Hoseok across from you and Taehyung, comforts him although he didn’t seem to need it any longer. “If I remember next time, I’ll buy you some myself, hyung.”

“How’s it going, JK? Is it much longer?” Jin yells as he leans to try and see the driver from his seat across from Yoongi.

“What?” Jungkook asks back, turning his head towards us slightly but keeping his eyes on the road and hands steady on the wheel.

“How much longer?” Jin repeats.

“The last sign I saw said two miles to the camping ground” he answered.

“Okay, good job!” Jin compliments the youngest.

Soon enough you arrived at the camping site, some bathroom facilities nearby that your friend gave you the keys to use as well some wooden tables and benches. There were tall colorful trees surrounding the clearing where you would all be staying tonight, with a beautiful view to the peak of the mountain, high on the sky, so much further away.

The boys all jump out of the van even before Jungkook managed to shut the engine off, screaming and stretching their legs as they walk outside into the grass and fresh air. Jin and Namjoon both ask you for the keys to the bathroom since they had to go for a while, only for Taehyung to steal them out of your hands and go first, with a shouting angry Jin and an annoyed resigned Namjoon following after.

You help Yoongi and Hoseok taking out all the necessaries in terms of food preparing, while Jimin and Jungkook tried to set the two tents up. When the rest of the members joined, things picked up quickly and you, Jin and Yoongi got a station ready for cooking while the rest of them took care of everything else.

It was early afternoon when you all arrived, but the night was commencing by the time you all sat down to eat. The hours felt like minutes, not a moment passing by in boredom with these boys around. Be it Jin telling you his silly jokes as he sliced the ingredients next to you, Yoongi asking you to taste every dish he prepared multiple times to know if it was good, Namjoon trying his best to help only to look at you with guilty eyes as he holds in his hands a broken part of the chair he and Hoseok were assembling. Hobi laughing about it in disbelief with you. The three younger members all struggling to put up the tents at first, calling you to help them but you only end up stuck under the fabric of the tent when they let it fall on you.

Not a dull moment with them. And so, hours went by like minutes.

By the end of dinner, you are all sited in chairs around the fireplace – Namjoon siting on one that was missing an arm, since he broke it – all watching the starry sky in comfortable silent, interrupted occasionally by a remark or two.

“Thank you for bringing us out here, Y/N. You’re the sweetest” Jimin murmurs in a chair next to you, his hands moving from his lap to brush at the skin of your fluffy arm in a gentle manner.

“Oh, you are welcome, ChimChim. Anything for you guys” you assure him, patting his hand that stays placed on top of your wrist.

“I didn’t think we’d ever get to be out and about like this ever again, just us without cameras, without causing trouble” Yoongi confesses, with a bit of a slur and his accent coming out due to the few beers he had to drink.

“Yeah, me neither. It’s all thanks to you, sweetheart” Namjoon agrees, throwing you a dimpled smile that had you smiling right back at him.

“Guys, please, stop it” you say as you grow a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable.

“Ohh, I think she is blushing! Look at Y/N’s cute chubby cheeks going red!” Taehyung points out, a long index finger pointing playfully your way, a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Maybe the beer is getting to her head only now” Jin proposes in a chuckle, leaning forward to look at you with puffy lips tugging up.

“Shut up! It was only one beer, how lightweight to you think I am?” you try and defend yourself.

“Pretty lightweight if I recall from that night at the karaoke…” Jungkook chips in.

Knowing exactly the night he was referring to, and mortified that he would spill all the embarrassing bits to everyone, you end up taking your slipper and throwing at him. But he just catches it and giggles, throwing it back at you with measured strength.

“Wait, guys, shush!” Hoseok suddenly gasps from the opposite side from you, turning in his chair to look at the woods behind him. “Did… Did anyone hear that?”

“Is your mind already playing tricks on you, hyung?” Jimin questions.

“No, no, I heard something. Like a branch snapping” Hoseok persists, on edge. “A-Are there bears in this mountain or something?”

“You hear a branch cracking and your first thought goes immediately to bear?” Yoongi wonders, not sounding amused. “How about a rabbit, a fox or even a coyote before you think of something like a bear?”

Yoongi did have a point, and nobody heard anything except for Hoseok, but seeing how concern he was, you decide to appease him.

“I’ll call Taffy and ask her about what wildlife we are dealing with, okay, Hobi?”

“Thanks, Y/N, you’re a real angel. Unlike you guys!” He pouts at the rest of the group after throwing you an appreciative look of relief.

“Hey, Taffy, you there?” you say into the walkie-talkie you took out of your bag.

It takes her a minute or two, but she does respond.

“Hello there, gang. What’s up? Already bored?” she jokes.

“Nothing like that. Just wandering, what kind of animals are there in the mountain? We won’t be seeing any bears or anything like that, right?”

“Oh, we had some bears alright” she says through the static and Hoseok yelps while the rest of them widen their eyes at the walkie in your hands. You heart skips a bit in unexpected fright, but then she continues. “But since we are closed, there won’t be any large hairy gay men around any time soon, sorry to disappoint!”

A collective sigh of relief and a chuckle or two are heard around the fireplace and you pursue your lips as you close your eyes, imagining just smacking the back of her head if she was there with you for scaring you like that.

“Very funny, thanks for that” you sarcastically reply.

“No problem, anytime. But yeah, there’s only like foxes and wild cats to watch out for in here.”

“Good to know, we’ll be careful.”

“I see the smoke. You guys around a fireplace?”

“Yeah, we finished eating and we’re just relaxing before hitting the sack. Don’t worry, we’ll set it out before going to sleep” you promise her.

“Alright. Make sure the nine of you cuddle up for warmth, it will be cold tonight” she teases.

You know she is trying to tease and embarrass you, but you frown at what she says with a strange feeling instead. The boys don’t seem to pay it much attention apart from Namjoon and Jungkook, who look at you frowning as well.

“You mean eight. There is eight of us, me and the seven guys” you correct her.

The static goes silent for longer than it should and you realize that you have a bad feeling. Hoseok must have sensed it, cause his expression seems to mimic yours.

“She must have just counted wrong” Namjoon tries to calm you down.

“Hey” Taffy’s voice returns from the walkie and you don’t even realize you are now leaning in the chair, holding the device in front of you for everyone to hear it. “You guys all went down to the fountain to gather water, didn’t you?”

It was Jin who answered, a bit more serious now than he was before.

“Yeah, the buckets would be heavy to carry back to the camping site so we all went to help.”

“There are cameras every ten miles up the path and I saw you in one of them” she explains. “I’m looking at the recording right now and I count nine people walking by.”

A chill runs up your spine and your throat closes in on itself as you feel nauseated. This was not right; something was not right.

“Y/N, get everyone out. Come back to the station, there is someone else in the park!” your friend’s voice commands with assertiveness.

“OH MY GOD! I knew it, I knew it! There is A KILLER in here!” Hoseok starts to panic and, as much as you feel on the verge of terror yourself, you try to remain calm the best you can.

“Hobi, calm down” you say, running to him and placing your hands on his arms, rubbing them up and down through the sweater he had to try and keep him steady.

“Everyone on the van. NOW!” Namjoon orders and it takes less than thirty seconds for everyone to run inside the vehicle and leave all the stuff you had outside behind.

Instead of sitting, everyone seems to be looking out the windows with suspicion, into the dark distrustful woods, all the vehicle’s door locking as the sound of the motor roars to life. Only to stutter and crumble. Seven the heads suddenly snap to the driver’s seat, where Jungkook was again turning the key on the ignition. And the same happened.

“What the hell Jungkook! Get us out of here!” Jimin cries out, showcasing he was just as scared as Hoseok was looking right then.

“I’m trying! The van won’t start!” you can hear the guilt in his voice as he continues to try and try again to start the motor, but it just won’t work.

“We’re sitting prey! WE ARE SITTING PREY!” Hoseok is shaking profusely next to you and you hug him for support. His arms wrap around you as he leans his head against yours and breathes.

“No, we’re not. There was a ranger’s jeep on the side of that cabin next to the toilets, remember?” Namjoon starts, sounding a lot more confident than the clumsy man looked. “If we can get inside that cabin and find the keys, we can drive back to Taffy and wait for the police.”

“That’s IF we can even get to the cabin without encountering whoever is out there and IF we can get in and IF we can find the keys and IF the jeep even works!” Jin points out in a very matter of fact speedy speech that is difficult to keep up with. His nervousness was beginning to show. “How about we just lock ourselves here? Lock the van and wait for rescue? Y/N’s friend must have already called the police by now, we can wait here for them.”

“And be sitting ducks? Hell no!” Yoongi disagrees, biting at his nails before he speaks again. “I’m with Namjoon on this one. Whoever it’s out there, is just one person and there’s eight of us. And we don’t even know if they mean us any harm, they haven’t done anything yet.”

“Except messing with our van” Jungkook sighs irritated, giving up on starting the vehicle. “It worked perfectly before, someone must have messed with the engine.”

“Exactly, which means they wanted us here. They planned for us to stay here so, I say let’s get out there and try our luck with the jeep” Yoongi perseveres.

“You’re assuming they didn’t think we would wander off on our own, hyung! You don’t know! At least here we have four walls between us and whoever is out there, they wouldn’t get in” Jimin objects, sitting down and hugging his knees to his chest.

“Y-Yeah! S-so what if they shut the engine? We s-still have power so we can stay warm all night while they freeze outside!” Taehyung sides with Jimin, speaking for the first time in a while with evident fright in his voice but putting on a stoic front.

“What do you think, Y/N?” Jin asks you, coming to your side and taking your free hand into his while your other one was still around a terrified Hoseok’s back.

“I… I… I don’t know” you confess, completely undecisive. “Both ideas have their pros and cons. I don’t know which would be best, honestly.”

“Well, we do need your keys to try and get into the cabin. You still have the set of keys Taffy gave you, don’t you?” Namjoon asks.

“Oh, yeah, in my pocket” you say as you take them out. There were two other keys besides the ones for the toilets. “You think one of them is for the cabin?”

“Must be, right? It would make sense to have them all in one set if they’re next to each other.”

“I say let’s split up” Yoongi suddenly declares.

“What? That’s the worst idea, have you ever seen a horror movie?” Jungkook refutes. “We should all stick together, keep each other safe.”

“Well, we can’t seem to reach an agreement on what to do and we’re just wasting time. And this is not a horror movie, Jungkook, this is real life. We need to make our move and fast” Yoongi counters back.

“Let’s vote. Who wants to stay on the van?” Namjoon questions.

Jimin, Hoseok and Taehyung immediately raise their hands.

“Okay, who wants to try and get to the jeep?”

Namjoon and Yoongi raise their hands. Both Jin, Jungkook and you stay neutral, unsure of what to pick. But Yoongi was right, you had to make your move sooner rather than later. So, with a deep breath, you go and stand between Namjoon and Yoongi, your decision made.

“I want to try and get out of here. Siting here, doing nothing, just creeps me out. I’ll go with them.”

“No, Y/N!” Jimin pouts with worry and stretches his arm to pull on yours, but you shake your head. Seeing his sad expression, you take his face in between your hands and peck at his forehead.

“If we get to the jeep, we’ll come back for you so we can all leave this place together. No one gets left behind” you promise them.

“I’ll go with them too” Jungkook decides, getting up from his driver’s seat and joining the group. A protective hand lands on your shoulder and you feel a little bit better.

“Then I’ll stay on the van. Keep an eye on them” Jin decides.

“Okay, that’s settled. Everyone, we’ll open the door, gather our things and we’re running” Namjoon says.

“I bet Yoongi is wishing he stayed in the van right now” Jin teases to which Yoongi just scrunches up his small nose. He wasn’t much of a fan of running and neither were you, but you both would have to for now.

“Stay safe, all of you” Taehyung wishes, coming in for a hug. You hug him back and try not to let negative thoughts go over your mind.

“I better hear the motor of the jeep coming soon, okay?” Hoseok asks, obviously nervous for you all.

“We’ll be right back” you promise again, rubbing his arm up and down before leaving.

Jimin holds your hand again, not wanting to let you go, but giving up once you move out of reach. Jin opens the door for all of you to step out and kisses the top of your head before you descend from the van.

You grab your backpack and it’s on.

All of you run towards the cabin, staying close to one another and away from the edges of the woods where there was no light. It was like any shadow could be someone, hiding, ready to strike. But there were four of you. People used to say there is strength in numbers. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to testing that.

The cabin was not particularly far, but in the context of the situation you were in, it felt like a continent away. The seven hundred feet distance took much too long for comfort, with the night sky darkening with each step. The running footsteps of the four of you were so loud you couldn’t tell if someone was following you. You just kept going, trying not to slow down the group with your poor running speed, especially with Jungkook staying right behind you.

When the cabin was just a few feet away, when you struggled to get the keys out of your pants’ pockets while you ran, that’s when you all heard it. A faint noise of glass being broken. And screams.

“Oh my God, oh my God…” you whisper with a trembling voice.

All of you stopped in your tracks as you look back at where the screams were coming from. From the van. Something happened in the van.

“Fuck! Jungkook, stay with Y/N and get to the cabin! Find that key and meet us by the van, we have to go back and help them” Namjoon orders in an almost shouting command, those dark and bushy eyebrows pulled so closely together in apprehension and fear that they almost meet at the bridge of his nose. He was trying to remain brave, but he was just as scared as you all were.

“N-No! I need to go to! We need to help them!” you refuse, already trying to walk back to the van, but Jungkook’s arms come around your shoulders and he keeps you pressed to him while you struggled.

“Focus, Y/N! Me and Yoongi are going back, you two go get the car. NOW!”

They were already running back as he speaks, decision already made despite your aching heart. The youngest members pulls you along with him to the cabin, even as your head remains looking back, heart at your throat and praying to any God out there that they were all fine. That everything would be all fine.

“C’mon, Y/N… I’m sorry but we need to get the car and fast.” Jungkook presses, one hand around your back keeping you running forward to the cabin.

“T-They are okay, r-right?” you force yourself to speak despite the lump on your throat. “They can’t b-be… be hurt…”

Your voice ends up dying in your mouth as he looks away with clenched jaws, not able to give you the response you wanted. Not having a response to give, probably being just as terrified as you were. All of his hyungs were back there in danger, relying on him and you to go and get them out. With that in mind, you force yourself to focus on your tasks again.

You try the first key on the lock and it doesn’t fit. Hands shaking, you try the second key. It goes in. You turn it on the lock and a nervous and relieving chuckle escapes you as the mechanism of the latch opens.

“Okay, okay!” you utter as you open the door and get in.

“Right, search for the key of the jeep! Quick!”

Letting go of him, you start searching the small cabin. Every drawer, cabinet, even under the rug gets searched. The plan was cemented around finding this key and getting to the jeep. The key had to be here, it just had to be. You went into the bathroom, even rummaging through the med kits in hopes it was somehow lost in there. It came to you then, that you still had the walkie talkie with you in the bag.

“Kook! I’ll try to ask Taffy on the radio again” you yell out to him, already taking the walkie out of your bag. “Taffy, can you hear me? Taffy, are you there?”

There’s only static. And silence.

The back of your neck breaks into goosebumps. It was silent. The cabin had gone absolutely dead silent. Not a single step, not a single breath, not a single movement was heard.

“Kook?” You step out of the bathroom slowly, wide restless eyes searching around the hallway and peering into the bedroom next to the restroom. Much to your terror, no one’s there. “… J-Jungkook?”

No one answers. You voice cracks as you call for him when walking into the dark living room, tears of distress gathering at your eyes that strained to see with only the moonlight coming in through the windows. The white light bounced off the furniture, the sofa and cabinets and the table. But no Jungkook. There was no one at the cabin. You were suddenly all alone.

“Oh no… oh no…” you whisper into the darkness, completely frozen as you don’t know what to do anymore.

Your body crumbles beneath you and you feel at a complete lost. So, you just do what you’ve been avoiding all this time: you break down and cry. It starts in small sobs but soon you are drenching your hands as they hide your face, crying your heart out.

“CODE RED! CODE RED!”

It all happens so fast you can barely keep up. Eight figures jump out from behind the large sofa on the other side of the room, a loud bang releases a bunch of confetti suddenly into the hair and someone crunches down in front of you with a hand on your shoulder. Through your tears, it takes you a while to realize it’s Jungkook.

“W-What?” is all you manage to say as you sob.

“Damn it, guys! I told you this would make her cry!” a voice you recognized too well says. It was Taffy, standing among the boys with a tray of food in her hand.

“Hey, Y/N, it’s okay, you’re okay” Jimin, who came to squat down next to Jungkook and took your hand into his, says in a calming sweet voice.

“But… the van and the screams…” you whisper back, your brain trying to make sense of the mess you found yourself in.

“Sorry, sunshine! We didn’t mean to scare you this much!” Hoseok apologizes. “Someone dropped a glass cup while we waited and it scared me, so I may have screamed a bit too loud.”

Hoseok shoots a look at Jimin, who whispers another ‘sorry’ to you. Your eyes wonder around all of them and you find yourself staring blankly at Jin, who just shrugs.

“Happy Halloween?” he expresses.

“We may have gone a bit overboard. But we were also trying to prove a point! We agreed to not get each other gifts anymore and you went ahead and planned all of this for us. So, we planned something for you too” Namjoon starts explaining.

“We definitely over did it. She’s crying, hyung!” Taehyung points out, with a guilty expression.

“Yeah, we’re not the best at coming up with a plan at the last minute like this. All of this was just supposed to spook her, not terrify Y/N like this. And there should have been a lot less running!” Yoongi complains.

That brings a chuckle from everyone except you, as you are still processing it all.

“S-So… So, this was all fake? To scare me for Halloween?” you sum up their explanation the best your jumbled brain could.

The guys and your friend all share a look, before answering you in unison.

“Yes.”

Slowly, you stand up, your bulky legs no longer shaking, eyes closed as you inhale deeply and exhale soundly. When you open your eyes again, there are eight pair of worried ones staring at you. And you only had one thing to say.

“I hate all of your stupid faces!”

It’s a lie and they all know it. To apologize and earn your forgiveness, you are suddenly pulled into a group hug by the boys while your friend turns on the lights of the cabin and prepares the fireplace.

You spend the rest of the Halloween night hearing all about their malicious plan, the preparations and outrageous ideas they came up with before settling on this one. You never thought you would be grateful to only have gone through this situation until you heard some of their ‘spookier’ concepts they had. And, although you wouldn’t admit it to them, this would be the Halloween you would tell everyone about until your old years to come. It would be the most memorable Halloween of your life.

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fatrainbowmermaidunicorn · 4 years

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Kindred Spirit (Taehyung X You) (ONESHOT)

A/N: The full version of the Taehyung fanfic, but I changed it a little from the preview I posted. Hope its okay 😘 also, im not sure whats an "er of their marriage" means exactly? But i take it their life after marriage? Ill make an epilogue of that soon! 😘

"Ive been an idol for years Y/N and you have never once come to see me perform? Dont you know people would die for all the free passes and tickets I left for you?!" Her bestfriend grumbles, hands crossed over his chest, his pout over an inch long.

Y/N laughs.

"Thats why I said you should give it to someone else thats actually have time to go watch you,"

"But you are my best friend. BESTFRIEND Y/N. How is is possible you never once saw me perform? And you dont even know any of my bandmates? How is that possible??" Yoongi keeps on grumbling in disbelief.

"Well.. Min Yoongi. I can give you an answer. Because I'm busy with real life okay. You know my appa wants me to take over soon. You know I dont do it on purpose right?" Y/N pouts, hoping if shes cute enough, or looks guilty enough Yoongi would actually forgive her.

"Nope. Your puppy face wont cut it this time,"

Damn.

"You are coming. And if I dont see you cheering your ass off tomorrow night, front row, our friendship is over. Over I say!"

And thats is why Y/N is running and pushing through the excited crowd of boys and girls in the stadium, trying to find her section. She made it! She almost didnt, but almost didnt matter. Shes here now. All dressed in her work clothes, with what is supposed to be called an Army Bomb in her hand, something that her secretary shoved in her bag earlier, saying its a must have for an Army. She dont even know what an Army is!

As the show starts, Y/N jumps to the music, smiling proudly everytime Yoongi make an appearance. She has heard him rapped before, but she never seen him this charismatic. Its as if the man on stage is not even the dorky Yoongi she has known for years. And his band members... wow. All so talented, all so good looking.

As the concert ended, Y/N makes her way backstage, flashing the pass Yoongi gave her and make her way through series of dressing room, trying to find the one where the boys are in.

"Must be this one," she followed the door that has the most sound and lights to find the boys chatting, congratulating each other. "Uh, Yoongi?" Y/N calls out softly, feeling awkward. Is she even supposed to be here?

"Oh you are here. God, cant believe you actually made it!" Yoongi rushed over and gave her a tight hug. "Wait, I'll introduce you to the others, but I need to change my pants first. Wait here, dont move!" Before she could say anything, Yoongi has already ran off.

"Uh.. okay. Ill stay here I guess," she moved herself timidly to a corner and stands awkwardly, hoping no one would notice her. But wishes dont always come true.

"Hey, uh..." a guy, a very handsome guy, who Y/N recognizes as one of Yoongi's band members, but cant be sure who, approached her.

"Uh.. yes? A-am I not supposed to be here? Im sorry. Im just waiting for Y-"

"Oh, no. I just want to ask you. Wheres the bathroom?"

"Huh?" Y/N looks at the guy curiously. Is he for real? He had a three day back to back concert here and today is the third day. And he doesnt know where the bathroom is? And he is asking... her? Y/N laughs before answering. So weird.

"Uh.. I-"

Smack.

"You know very well where the bathroom is you idiot. What are you talking about?" Yoongi who just came back smacked the guy's head.

"Ouchhh, hyunggg," he pouted, rubbing his head.

"Serves you right. Thats the worse and most cringy pick up line ever!"

"Hyunggggg, shut upppp," the guy eyed Y/N shyly and glares at his hyung and turn his attention back on her. "S-sorry. I just wanted to talk to you but I dont want to scare you off," he grins sheepishly.

"Oh, its okay. Im not a stalker. I'm here because Yoongs invited me. I'm Y/N," she hands out her hand for a handshake. "And no, I dont know where the bathroom is," she giggles.

Yoongi rolls his eye and smacks his forehead at the lame attempt of flirting the younger man is doing.

"Hi Y/N. I'm Taehyung," he grips her hand and shakes it. "Kim Taehyung. And I'm the guy you will be having coffee with tonight," he grins.

/////

"Okay, so do you have a boyfriend?"

"No appa, I dont," Y/N sighs, frustrated.

"Then uh.... do you not like men? I mean, Im okay with that sweetheart, as long as you are happy..."

Y/N smile a little. Her appa is the most adorable man ever existed.

"Appa, no!" She giggles.

"Okay, okay. Im just asking. You know I will support you always princess," her appa smile and she can see a small sigh of relieve. "Then what is it sweetheart? Why are you so against this marriage with Hyun Dae?"

"Well, for one, I think arranged marriage is so old school appa," she pouts. "We are not living in the 60s or 20s or whatever year you and eomma are from,"

"How old do you think we are? The 20s?!" Her appa laughs. "Arranged marriage is not so bad you know,"

"Its not bad at all. I actually found the love of my life," her eomma gets up from the couch and link arms with her husband. "Although he is quite annoying at first," she laughs. Y/N's appa leans and kiss the top of her mothers head.

"Its the best decision ever," he smiles.

Y/N roll her eyes. It is well known between their family, friends and community that her parents are as in love as ever. They were from two wealthy family, arranged to be married, and lucky for them, they were each other soulmates.

"Appa, eomma, just because you two are lucky doesnt mean everyone is,"

"But sweetheart, Hyun Dae is everything a man can be. Hes very kind, smart, hes taking over his appa's business, he loves animals, arts, kids. Everything that you like. And plus, you two are quite close too. Why are you so against it?"

Y/N sighs.

"I dont know. Maybe a little part of me wants that traditional love story you know? To fall madly in love with someone and then get married?" She sighs and lays her head on her elbow. Her parents look at each other before her eomma approached her slowly, stroking her hair slowly.

"Sweetheart... are you in love with someone?"

"Well..." Y/N scratched her neck, avoiding their intrusive eyes. Her lips immediately curl into a small smile as an image immediately pops inside her head. Boxy smile, deep voice, always happy, positive outlook on everything. The one guy who made her deeply fall in love.

"Oh my dear, who is it? Why didnt you tell us?" Her eomma smile widely, clapping her hand in excitement.

"Well.. its uh.. because I dont know if he feels the same way..."

"Have you told him yet? Whoever this lucky person is?" Her appa take a step closer to her, smiling. His princess' happiness is everything to him.

"N-no. Not yet. I dont know. Should I?"

"You should sweetheart. Or how else would he know? And he most definitely feels the same way,"

"Do you think so appa?"

"I know so," he smiles. "Who in the world wouldnt fall in love with you sweetheart?"

Y/N smiles. Her parents are the best.

"Then I'll tell him. I'll tell him tomorrow,"

/////

"I like you Taehyung,"

A few moments past without either one saying anything. The air that pricks her skins feels colder. But nothing is colder that Taehyung's stare that is emotionless in front of her right now.

"Uh.. what? I heard you wrong I think," he laughs awkwardly.

"I... like you Taehyung,"

"Well, I like you too. Of course. You are one of my closest friends," Taehyung smiles. Y/N feels her heart suffocating but still puts on a brave face. Maybe he dont understand what she meant. Taehyung can be oblivious sometimes.

"I like you Taehyung," Y/N says it much clearer this time. "I.. love you. I love you Kim Taehyung. Like for real,"

"Listen..," he sighs after a few moment of silence. "I'm really flattered that you uh.. have feelings for me. And I know we have developed some degree of friendship, but... you thats what you are... just a friend," he looks at her with his deep gaze. "Yoongi's hyung friend to be exact,"

"Yoongi's friend?" Y/N looks at him, eyes filled with confusion. "After all this time. Is that all I am to you Tae? Your hyung's friend?"

"You know what I mean Y/N. You know how we met-"

"Yeah, I know how we met Tae.. but I though after all these time and moments we had..."

"That I would think of you as more? That I would fall in love with you?" Taehyung sighs. "I'm sorry if you felt like I lead you on. Thats just me. I'm just friendly. Im this way with everyone. But come on Y/N. Look at the facts. How can I be with you? I'm a worldstar, and you are well... you,"

Y/N felt like Taehyung just stabbed hee heart a million times. What does he mean that shes just.. her? Whats so wrong about being her?

"I enjoy our friendship, our interaction Y/N, but no more than that. And I am sorry to say that I am in a relationship. We havent gone public yet, but we are planning to, by this week,"

"I-in a relationship? With who Tae? A-and you didnt even bother to tell me? After all the time we spent together?" Y/N feels like screaming, but she knows she has no right to do so. All she can do is hold in her tears that can easily burst at any time.

"I think you know her," he smiles. Oblivious to the pain that Y/N is feeling. "Oraia. The new idol,"

"Oraia?" Oh Y/N knows the girl perfectly well. Pretty, fashionable, great at singing, dancing. Any guy would kill to have her. Including Taehyung it seems.

"I-I have to know Tae. W-why her? H-how?" Y/N managed to choked out her question.

"Oraia is the perfect girl for me," Taehyung smile at the thoughts of her, proving how in love he is, making Y/N's heart breaks even more. "An idol, beautiful, talented, shes basically the female version of me. So I'm sorry, but you..." Taehyung stops, trying to find the right word to describe what hes saying. "You and me Y/N... we are just worlds apart,"

"You are not a worldstar when I met you. You are not that like this when I met you," Y/N said softly, holding in tears. "We are not that much different from each other Tae,"

Taehyung gave a sad smile, no, a pity smile, before standing up, ready to leave.

"You can think whatever you want Y/N. But if you ever think we can be together..." he sighs and looks at her and gave her another pity smile. "If only things were different. In another world, maybe we would have been together.Goodbye Y/N,"

/////

Y/N closes her eyes, tears rolling down both her cheeks, already mixed together with the pouring rain as she walks home. Maybe the rain will wash away her feelings for Taehyung. Her stupid feelings for Taehyung. Different world? Taehyung's world is what she wanted to avoid her whole life. Glitz, glamour, fame, riches... Y/N cries out as loud as her heart wanted, thankful no one can hear her in the heavy rain. Shes just not enough for him. Thats the real reason. And she will never be for Kim Taehyung.

Days passed and Y/N has been locked up in her room ever since that disasterous day. Her parents have given up trying to find out what happen and finally left her alone.

And this week is finally the week Y/N dread the most. All the entertainment news, magazines, gossip websites are buzzing with the announcement that has just been made all week.

Y/N looks at the glossy pictures of the scattered tabloids in front of her again. The intimate pictures getting blurry as her eyes gets wetter. Taehyung's voice replayed in her brain like a broken record.

"An idol, beautiful, talented, shes basically the female version of me. So I'm sorry, but you..." Taehyung stops, trying to find the right word to describe what hes saying. "You and me Y/N... we are just worlds apart,"

With a deep breath, she crumples the pages that reflects the beautiful relationship that is Taehyung and Oraia, wipe her eyes and walked downstairs to where her parents are drinking tea, enjoying their evening in their luxurious lounge.

"Oh Y/N. You are finally out. How are you feeling honey? Want to join us sweetheart?" Her mother looked up from the magazine shes reading and smile, her father the same, offering her a seat besides them.

"N-no. Thanks though. And I feel better," she gave a small smile. "Eomma, appa, I have something to tell you guys," she said, heart beating fast.

"What is it honey?"

"Appa, eomma, I have thought it through. I agree to your proposal. I agree with the arranged marriage to Hyun Dae,"

Her parents looks at each other, surprised.

"Sweetheart, are you sure? You dont have to rush into this. You should take your time and think i-"

"No appa. I am sure this time," she gave a smile, hoping it would convince them. "I want to marry Hyun Dae. I think he and I will make a very happy marriage,"

"W-well.." her eomma looks unsure. "Okay.. then,"

"If you are sure sweetheart. Then we will start setting it up," her appa stood up and hugs her. "Just know that we both love you so much and want nothing but your happiness,"

Y/N nods slowly, tears brimming in her eyes, softly she whispers,

"Me too appa, me too..,"

/////

Tupp. Tupp.

Y/N looks over the sliding door that opens up to her huge balcony. What is that sound? Panicking, she grab the first thing she can reach, a hairbrush, and walk slowly to the glass sliding door.

Tupp. Tupp.

The sound continue. Taking a deep breath she bravely slides open the door.

"Ouchhh," she rubs her head. "What the hell?" She looks around to find what hit her. "A pebble?"

"Oh no, did I hit you?" A voice called out. Y/N looks over the balcony.

"Hyun Dae? What are you doing here? Its 2am!"

"I, uh.. I want to talk to you," he grins.

"Theres this thing call a telephone you know? Or a front door? Havent use one of those?" She glares and Hyun Dae laughs.

"Sorry. I just thought this Romeo and Juliet shit is romantic you know?" He laughs and Y/N rolls her eyes. "Can you come down? Lets take a walk in your garden,"

"Come down from here? Like Rapunzel?!"

Hyun Dae laughs. "Oh my god, how are you so adorable? Of course not! Use the front door silly,"

Y/N giggles. "Okay. Be right there,"

A few minutes later, they were strolling in Y/N's family flower garden, inhaling the fresh night air.

"So? What is it you want to talk about that cant wait until daylight?"

"Well," Hyun Dae stop walking and pull her hand, sitting her down on the stone bench. "I just want to do it properly and formally," he smiles and kneels down in front of her, holding her hand.

Y/N looks at him, both nervous and confused.

"Y/N, you dont know how truly happy, grateful, excited, speechless, ecstatic I am that you agreed to marry me. I have been in love with you since forever," he smiles and blush slightly. "And I know this is just an arranged marriage to you, and you dont love me. But right here, right now, I promise you, that I will make you the happiest girl alive, that I will love you despite everything and anything, and everything you wish for princess, is my command,"

Y/N feels her heart beats faster.

"L/N Y/N, will you marry me and make me the luckiest man ever lived?"

Without a doubt, without a single second of hesitation, she nodded.

"Yes, yes, definitely yes,"

/////

"You look distracted. Whats wrong?" Yoongi glance at Taehyung whos just staring blankly at his mirror as they are changing and cleaning up their makeup.

"Uh... nothing hyung," Taehyung quickly pretends to clean up his things.

"Its not nothing. You have been distracted for a few weeks now. I didnt want to say anything because I thought you would snap out of it but its just getting worse,"

"Its really nothing hyung!" Taehyung snaps and plop down on his chair, sighing. Yoongi shrugs and decide to give him some space. "Err.. hyung?"

"Yeah?"

"Why..uh... why doesnt Y/N come over to our shows anymore?" Taehyung finally open up his mouth to ask. Since that first time they met, she has always been around, cheering for them, right at the front row. But after her confession, he didnt see her anymore. Yeah, he felt bad about what he said and he tried calling, texting, video calling.. but nothing. Shes totally ignoring him. He wanted to meet her at her house, or her work place, until he realized he didnt know where to go. In fact, he didnt know anything about her. All the time they hung out, he only always talk about him. His life, his problems. Him. As if its that interesting. He sighs again.

Yoongi side eyed him.

"Is that what disturbing you? Y/N?"

"N-no. Im just curious,"

"Oh, okay then. Then the answer is, I dont want to tell you," Yoongi picks up his stuff and walk off.

Of course. Of course his hyung knows. Yoongi and Y/N are best friends afterall. Taehyung sighs. Well, maybe he deserves this. But still... he doesnt want to admit it to anybody, even himself, but deep down, he miss her. Really miss her.

/////

"Okay guys, lets go. We need to get ready," Namjoom clap his hands as a way to make his members make their way to the dressing room. Its awards season finally, and they need to get ready for their stage. Taehyung makes his way with his hyung to the back of the stage, wishing for all this to be over soon. He really wants to just rest his head.

As he was putting on the final touches he turns to the door and saw Y/N standing there, all dressed in a beautiful gown, fit for an award show. His first thought is, wow, and the second is that his eyes are playing tricks on him. But as Y/N makes her way inside and hugs Yoongi, he knows this is reality. Taehyung smiles. He cant help it. Did Yoongi told her about what he said a few days back and now shes here to see him?

Taehyung walks over the moment he gets the chance to get her alone.

"Hey," Taehyung smiles.

"Um.. hey," Y/N smiles awkwardly.

"So, why are you here? You miss me or something? Or are you stalking me?" He laughs.

"No, I'm actually h-"

"Hey baby, there you are. The crew said you went in first," A handsome guy, and obviously a chaebol makes his way to them, giving Y/N a kiss on the cheek and hugging her waist.

"Hi babe," she smiles. "Yeah, I went in to see Yoongi. Its time you meet my mysterious bestie,"

Taehyung was silenced, eyeing the man up and down. Baby? Cheek kissing? Waist hugging? Who is this guy?

"Oh is this Yoongi?" He smiles and held out a hand. Taehyung took it reluctantly.

"Oh no no. This is Kim Taehyung. Hes uh... Yoongi's band member,"

Yoongi's band member? Thats all he is??

"Oh okay. Hi, I'm Hyun Dae," he smiles and shakes Taehyung's hand before hugging Y/N's waist again. Taehyung felt like pulling off his arm, and he dont know why he felt that way.

"Lets go meet Yoongi," Y/N smiles and bows to him and move over to Yoongi, leaving Taehyung still staring at them. Once Yoongi and Hyun Dae are caught up in a conversation, Taehyung immediatly grab Y/N by the elbow and drag her to the side.

"Ouchh. What the hell Tae?!"

"Are you seriously this petty?" Taehyung scoffs.

"Petty?? What are you even talking about?"

"Fine, I rejected you. So now you are bringing this... this... stuck up someone here for what? To show me that you have moved on? To make me jealous?" Taehyung scoffs again. "As if,"

"What?!" Y/N looks at him in disbelief. "God Taehyung, you are so full of yourself! Hes not stuck up! And I'm not here for you!"

"Yeah right," Taehyung smile sarcastically. "So, hyung told you I asked and the next show you brought a man over? Please Y/N, have some pride,"

"What are you even talking about? Yoongs never talked about you. At all! Im here becaus-"

"Oh Taehyung, you have already met," his manager interrupted the conversation and bows to Y/N as Hyun Dae join her side. "Okay guys, gather round. I think all of you must already know about The Empire. As you know, their company owns and organized all show events in Korea and is one of the biggest in the music industry, among others. The president cant make it, so his daughter is here instead. And she and her fiancee just wants to meet all the artists her tonight to express their gratitude,"

Y/N and Hyun Dae bows and smiles to everyone as Taehyung stands frozen in place, the only thing he can hear is 'fiance'. Y/N is... engaged?

And... shes an heir?

"You and me Y/N... we are just worlds apart,"

Yeah, they are worlds apart. He was right. But the truth is, Taehyung is the one whos way beneath her.

/////

"Lets go, lets go peopleeee," Namjoon clapped his hands a sign for them to get moving. Taehyung and the rest of the members climbed up their black van, still yawning from having to wake up early in the morning. They are off to another country for a month for their variety show shoot. A special content, the management said. Something to do with their new sponsors. Taehyung never really pay attention to all the boring details, all he knows is, he will do what he is asked to do, no question asked.

But as they land and making their way out from their private plane, Taehyung, still half asleep, need to take a double take when he saw Y/N and her fiance at the arrivals, standing atound with the crew, their luggage all around them.

"H-hyung?" He nervously tapped Yoongi's shoulder.

"What?" Yoongi grumbled, still cranky from being awaken from his beauty sleep on the plane.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is that uh... Y/N?" Taehyung really wished he has gone crazy. Thats he is seeing things. That Yoongi will look at him funny and tell him theres no Y/N. And Yoongi did look at him funny, but his answer is totally not what hes expecting.

"Dont you know? Her father's company is our new sponsor for the show and they are here to monitor the shoot,"

Taehyung stopped in his tracks. He dont know why the news startled him. It shouldnt be affecting him at all. Right? Even he dont understand what he is feeling as he looked over to Y/N and Hyun Dae smiling at each other. Anger? Sadness? Happy? He cant be sure. But one thing he knows for sure, its going to be one hell of a month.

/////

"So... you arent going to tell me that you are engaged?" Taehyung jogged lightly, to catch up with Y/N whom he saw is taking a morning walk from his hotel roon window. They have free schedule for the first day and what luck, the first thing he saw this morning is Y/N, alone. Without that stupid chaebol.

"Oh, uh hi Taehyung," Y/N, startled at his presence, give a small smile and a polite bow.

"Hi Y/N," he smile. Honestly, he missed her. Well, they were pretty close before. As friends. Yes, of course as friends and nothing more! Taehyung reminded himself. "But seriously, you are never going to tell me you are engaged?"

"Do I have to?" Y/N raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I'm not even sure if I'm your friend or yoongis friend or whatever, you know? And I dont think you be interested to know anyway," she picked up her pace but Taehyung managed to catch up.

"What do you mean?! Of course I wanna know! And of course we are friends! And you didnt think to tell me that you father own half of Korea's music industry?" He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, you never ask. And I'm not one to go around telling people my family history Tae," she shrugged. "Afterall, why would a worldstar want to know about someone who is from a different world than him, right?"

Okay, he deserved that.

"Okay, Y/N, look," he pull her hand, stopping her from walking. "I am sorry about what I said that day. I dont know what I was thinking. I was startled by your confession. To be honest, the months I spent without seeing you at all, well... I missed you. I miss you, okay?"

Y/N sighed. Why is he doing this to her? Her heart is still recovering. Still trying to erased every love she felt for him.

"We are going to spend a whole month working together. Stuck in a small island. Why dont we be friends again? Hmm?" He made his famous puppy eyes, blinking his eyes rapidly, lips pouting. "Pleaaaase? Taetae is sorrryy,"

Y/N tried to keep a sttaight face but burst out laughing. She can never say no to that face.

"Fine Tae. You know I cant resist that stupid face," she laughs.

"So, friends?" Taehyung held out a hand and Y/N shakes it.

"Of course, friends,"

As he shakes her hand, smiling ear to ear, Taehyung realized, he had never felt this happy, and it scared him.

/////

They might have rekindled their friendship, but Taehyung couldnt get even 10 minutes alone with her without being disturbed by Yoongi or Hyun Dae, and its pissing him off. Worse, he have to watch all the romantic moments between the two love birds, and trust him, Hyun Dae is really not afraid to show his affection, its making him wants to throw up.

Suprising Y/N with flowers on set, setting up a special candle light dinner when the whole crew is eating, suddenly gets on stage in the middle of dinner and sing her a song. And that motherfucker can even play a guitar and he look damn good playing it too. Taehyung swore all the girls there are swooning over him. But what he hates most is all the admiring whispers.

"Y/N is so lucky"

"Hyun Dae is the perfect guy"

"I wish I was Y/N"

Urghhh. Annoying.

It also doesnt help that his relationship with Oraia has gone stale. Yeah, they text everyday, call each other every night. But nothing she says interest him. Taehyung mostly tune out whatever shes saying during their phone calls, eyes focusing on what Y/N is doing. The way she laughs when she talks to someone, her clusmy ways of doing things, her passion while working. All that is more interesting to him than his own girlfriend. His supppsedly perfect, beautiful, girlfriend.

It must be the island. He hasnt seen Oraia for almost a month now, and hes stuck here for all that time. Of course it will put a strain on his relationship. Yes, that must be it.

But as his heart bubbles with jealousy as he watches Y/N and Hyun Dae running around the beach, Hyun Dae catching Y/N by the waist and lift her up to kiss her, Taehyung knows for sure, that it is definitely not it.

/////

Taehyung tossed and turned for hours and after eventually still failing to fall asleep, he decide to take a walk by the beach. The moon is out and the breeze is welcoming. Its a good night to walk and collect his thoughts.

As he walked slowly along the beach, the cool air blowing his hair, he saw a figure sitting alone by the beach, eyes closed, enjoying the midnight breeze. Taehyung immediately smile.

Y/N.

"Hey," he approached her slowly and smile.

"Oh, Tae. Hi," she smiled back. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I cant sleep. What about you? Isnt it dangerous for a pretty girl to be alone so late at night?" He smile.

Y/N laughs.

"Its a private island Tae. I think its kinda safe. And you know I usually cant sleep and the sound of the ocean calms me down,"

Taehyung does know that. Back to the days when they use to spend so much time together, they always sit by the beach and talked. Well, usually, he will be the one who do the talking, because all he cares about is himself. And his problems. And Y/N always listen. To all his weird ramblings, his peculiar thoughts that people usually laugh at. Even Oraia sometimes makes fun of him. But Y/N listen to them all. Understand him even. Why didnt he realized that before?

"Well... can I join you?"

"Of course. Have a seat," she patted down the spot besides her and Taehyung makes himself comfortable. They talked and talked, laughter filled up the night air and Taehyung cant seem to care about anything else other than that moment.

"Oh god, my tummy is hurting from laughing so much," Y/N said, still giggling from what Taehyung said. "I forgot how funny and weird you are Taetaeee,"

Taehyung smile and looked at her, staring deeply at her laughing face.

"Its nice,"

"What is?" Y/N who has stopped laughing, asked him, confused.

"Hearing you call me Taetae again," he smile, making Y/N blushed.

"W-well, that is your name,"

"Yeah, yeah. It is," Taehyung smile, still staring at her. "Y/N? Are you happy?"

"Right now? Yeah I am. We have been laughing for hours Tae. Of course Im happy. Whats wrong with you?" Y/N giggles, trying to toned down the awkwardness shes starting to feel.

"No. I mean, are you happy? Like really happy? With Hyun Dae? Does he makes you happy?"

"H-hyun Dae?" Y/N was taken aback from the sudden question. "Uhh, of course I am, hes my fiance, of course he makes me happy Tae,"

"Really? Then why did you stutter?" Taehyung still looks at her, straight into her eyes with his sharp gaze.

"I- I did not stutter! Whats wrong with you Tae? You are being weird. But not normal weird," Y/N starts to dust off the sand off her, preparing to get up. "Its getting late. We should go in,"

Taehyung grab her hands, standing up with her.

"Do you love him? Do you love Hyun Dae?"

"Why are you asking me that Tae? You are being weird!" Y/N tries to shake off his grip but he held on tighter.

"Answer the question Y/N. Do you love him?"

"Hyun Dae is amazing! He cares for me. He loves me. He knows what I like, sweet, romantic, p-"

"But do you love him?"

"I-I," Y/N stuttered. "I dont need to answer that!" Y/N tries to pull her hand again but to no avail.

"You cant answer it because you dont love him. And you cant lie to me," Taehyung smile.

"You are crazy. Let my hand go Tae," Y/N insisted. "It has nothing to do with you!"

"But it does Y/N. It does, because you dont love him. Because you love me," Taehyung state matter of factly. "You always did and you always will Y/N,"

Y/N was speechless, shocked, surprised, that Taehyung would bring it up again. Tears starts to sting her eyes. She has never felt more hummiliated. Is Taehyung making fun of her? Of her feelings? She thought they were friends again. Why is he doing this to her?

"Just let me go!"

"I cant, and I wont,"

"Why?!" Y/N is crying now. She dont understand why Taehyung is being this way. "To hummiliate me even more? To make fun of my feelings for you?"

"What? No!" Taehyung cant believe Y/N would think of him to be that cruel. But maybe he deserved it. "Because I love you Y/N!" Taehyung pull her hands, making her fall into his arms and he immediately cup her face and captured her lips with hers. The kiss has never felt more electricfying. Taehyung felt goosebump all over his body, he hears fireworks went off everywhere. And right at that moment, he knows that hes in love.

But the moment only last for a split second when Y/N, tears already spilled down her cheeks pushed him away hard and slapped him across the face.

"Get away from me Kim Taehyung!"

Was the last word she screamed out before she ran away into the darkness.

/////

Taehyung almost went crazy trying to finish the rest of the shooting. After that fateful night, Y/N took the earliest flight home the next morning, leaving Taehyung with no way to contact her at all. No reply to his texts or his calls and he cant even get away from his stupid schedule to find her at home. He was lost.

Its the very first time in his life that he has seen things so clearly. He is in love with Y/N. And she left him being so lost.

It also doesnt help that after Taehyung told Oraia that he wants to break up, his crazy ex girlfriend bombared his calls, his texts, his friends, even his manager with texts begging to take her back. She even went so far as to include the media, giving sad interviews, crying her eyes out. Taehyung wondered how he didnt notice how crazy Oraia is. Maybe its true what they said, love is blind. But what they had isnt love. It never was. They both know they got together just because they seemed to look perfect for each other. Thats not love, and Oraia is just mad that shes no longer one half of the industry perfect couple.

/////

"Hey Tae?" Yoongi knocks on his hotel room, peeking his head. Theres still a week left of shooting, but Taehyung's heart is no where in it. All he wanted to do is to go back home, find Y/N and begged for her forgiveness until she takes her back. Hes going to convince her that he loves her. He really do. And not because he pity her, or because hes jealous of her relationship with Hyun Dae, but because he just realized it now. That from that moment he asked her where the bathroom is, hes already in love. Y/N has already caught his eyes, and heart from that first night at the concert, but he is too busy chasing his fame and title to realized it.

And now it might be too late.

Taehyung might have already lost the love of his life, forever.

"Yeah hyung?" Yoongi make his way in and sit on Taehyung's bed.

"Did something happen between you and Y/N? Did she going back home early has anything to do with you?"

Taehyung looked at his hyung with tired eyes. No longer bother to pretend or curious why his hyung us asking.

I told her I love her...." Taehyung said, tears stinging his eyes at the memory. "And she thinks I'm just playing her,"

Yoongi sighed.

"Are you?"

Taehyung sits up and hugs a pillow, looking at Yoongi with teary eyes.

"No hyung. Of course not. I really do love her. I love her so much. Im just too stupid to realized it then," he sniffles. "And now, I have to wait until this stupid shoot is over to win her back hyung, because shes not answering my calls or my texts. And I swear hyung, I will do everything to win her back from that Hyun Dae,"

Yoongi sighs again, looking away before looking back at the younger man.

"Tae... Y/N is getting married today. She suddenly said she wants to get married as soon as possible, doesnt matter if its a small wedding. She just wants to get married. Today,"

Taehyung looked at his hyung, eyes widen, not believing what hes hearing.

"I-I have to go hyung," he suddenly gets up.

"Go where Tae? What are you doing?"

Taehyung grabs his bag, not thinking anymore.

"To stop the wedding hyung, to win back the love of my life,"

/////

Y/N looks at her reflection in the mirror. Even with last minute preparations, her mother managed to do everything perfectly. Her dress, her makeup, her hair, her flowers, even her dressing room is perfect. Y/N smile to her reflection. But she knows its only superficial. Its a smile she puts on to convince everyone, to convince herself, that shes making the right decision. The right choice.

That shes happy.

And she know Hyun Dae will make her happy.

He have to.

"Dont marry him,"

Y/N turns around to find Kim Taehyung by the door. His hair a mess, shirt crumpled, eyes bloodshot from crying.

"T-Tae..."

"Dont marry him Y/N," he move closer to her. "Dont do it. Please. Please Y/N,"

"Taehyung, what are you doing here?" Y/N feel tears prickling her eyes. Why is he here. Why now? Why today?

"To tell you I love you Y/N," Taehyung sniffles and take her hand. "T-to tell you to not marry him. Dont marry him Y/N,"

"I-I cant Tae," Y/N shakes her head. "Hyun Dae deserves all the happiness in the world. He treats me so good Tae,"

"Then what about you? You deserve happiness too. Happiness with me Y/N,"

Y/N close her eyes and shakes her head. Why is Taehyung telling her all the things shes dying to hear before? But its all too late now. Too late.

"Marry me Y/N. Marry me. And I'll make you the happiest woman in the world. Marry me," Taehyung sobs and kneel down on his knees, begging, hand still holding hers.

Y/N starts to shake, trying to hold in her tears but it rolled out anyway, flooding her face.

"D-dont do this to me Tae. You dont love me. You dont. You dont!"

"I love you Y/N. I love you I love you I love you! I know I realized it too late. And thats my mistake. But I swear to you, that I'll spend forever making it up to you," Taehyung begs desperately. He cant lose her. He cant! "Please. Please, dont marry him Y/N. Please..."

Y/N closes her eyes. Tears rolling down her face, no intention of stopping. She wanted to say yes. God, how she wanted to say yes. How easy it would be. To be with the man he love. The man he had dreamed of. But she cant. Its not fair to Hyun Dae. And its not fair to her. To her heart that Taehyung has broken to pieces.

"Im sorry Taehyung... I cant," Y/N let go of his hand, tears dropping on the floor, wetting her beautiful white dress.

Taehyung felt like his whole world shattered to pieces. Thats it. Just two words. "I cant" and he lost her. He lost the love of his life.

After felt like an eternity, he stood up, face still wet with tears but a smile on his face.

"You look beautiful Y/N," he smile. "You always do.

Y/N sobs hard, her whole body shakes.

"Be happy Y/N. Hes an idiot if he dont take care of you. If he hurt you like I do. Hes an absolute idiot," Taehyung smile and carressed her face softly. "Be happy my princess. And when the time comes, come back to me. I'll always be waiting Y/N, because you are my true love, and we will always find our way back to each other,"

Taehyung placed a long, deep kiss on her forehead, eyes closed as tears flows down, knowing he has lost the love of his life, trying to savor the feel of her in his memories.

"I love you Y/N. And I'll wait for you, forever," he smile one last time as he turns around and walk away, leaving Y/N drenched in her tears.

/////

5 YEARS LATER

"Woohoooo, last concert for this tour guys, good job!" The members high five each other as they make their way into the dressing room backstage. Taehyung laughs and make his way into his own personal room, exhausted from a show well done.

"Hi, do you know where the bathroom is?"

Taehyung stopped in his track at the sound of the voice. A voice so familiar. A voice that haunts his dream for years. A voice that he never forgets.

He looks up, and there she is. Smiling at him.

"Y-Y/N?"

Y/N nods, giggling.

"Y/N?!" Taehyung runs to her and engulf her in a hug. "I am not dreaming am I? A-are you really here?"

Y/N giggles again.

"Its me Tae. Real life me. Im real,"

"W-why? H-how?"

"Well, if Im not mistaken, 5 years ago, someone told me that we will always find our way back to each other. And that he will wait for me, forever. Im just checking if he still keeps his promise," Y/N grins.

Taehyung hugs her tight.

"You dont know how I dream of this day every single day Y/N. How I waited to see you again. To feel you again. To hear your voice again," Taehyung hugs her, not letting go.

"Ive come back Taehyung. Ive come back to you,"

Taehyung cant believe this is happening. Then he remembered something. And although its something hes dreading to ask, he knows he has to know.

"H-Hyun Dae?"

Y/N smile at his nervous state. She has never seen someone so adorable. God, shes just so in love with him.

"We were never married Tae. When you came that day... everything changed. I didnt marry him. I couldnt. Not when I know my heart belongs to you. And Hyun Dae... he knows it too. And he loves me enough to let me find my own happiness,"

"W-what?"

"Im sorry it took so long. But I need to find myself. To really understand my feelings, your feelings... but Im here now, Taehyung... if you still want me..."

Taehyung grins.

"Is that even a question my love?"

Y/N giggles at the way he calls her.

"I love you Y/N. Since that first night we met. I have been yours. Im sorry for hurting you. Im sorry for my mistakes. Im sorry fo-"

"Shhhh," she puts a finger on his lips. "It doesnt matter anymore Tae. All of it doesnt matter anymore," she smile. "Im here now. You are here now. And I, I love you Kim Taehyung,"

Taehyung grins. Such word has never felt so sweet. He felt happiness bubbling inside his chest. And in the first time in 5 years, he really mean it.

"I love you Y/N, my love, my soulmate,"

"I love you Taehyung. You really had me at bathroom," she giggles.

"Oh shut up," Taehyung laughs and lifts her up, wrapping her legs around him. "Just shut up and kiss me. Just kiss me baby,"

And she really did.

#bts #bangtan boys #bangtan seonyeondan #bts fiction #bts fanfic #kim taehyung #bts v #taehyung scenario #taehyung angst #taehyung fiction #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop scenario #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook #jungkook fanfic #jungkook angst

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subzerobts · 4 years

Text

Thoughts on the Eighth Member of BTS

A/N: No pairings or warnings for this, except that it may throw you into a sudden 8th member fanfic spiral. When I tell you I was reading 8th member fanfic for the majority of my day, I mean like a good six hours. It wasn’t good.

Okay, so I feel like a lot of people have talked about an eighth member and it being a girl and stuff so I figure I should add some stuff to the ever growing cache of things about the eighth member.

This was like 2300 words and I have no regrets.

~So if there was I feel like she would be slightly younger than most of them and would have come in after their first few albums

~Maybe she was raised in New York with her immediate family being mostly Korean and hella feminist and she’d have older brothers and be super chill

~So like maybe the company would be worried about the lack of fast growing traction with the group and have a girl added in

~First things first: it would be awkward as heck for the guys to suddenly have a girl there and would make living situations even more difficult, with having to share rooms and such. So, they’d probs alternate who rooms with who and who gets the couch, especially for her rooming with a guy

~Not to mention if she catches them talking about some sort of issue with the sleeping situation and then being nervous about it

~Eventually, I feel like she’d kind of get tired of all of the tiptoeing around her and be like

~‘Guys! I don’t even care! Unless you guys have some sort of creepy thing you’re trying to avoid, just treat me like one of you guys’

~Things would chill out basically immediately. Like the next few days, the boys were super relaxed and that was a problem because they just started walking around in just underwear and she would be like:

👀😒 um ew?? Put a shirt on?

~They’d clean it up a lil bit and walk around in like boxers and t shirts, which was fine she had older brothers, she could deal with that

~She’d respectfully bow out of the choreographed hip thrusts and things of that nature at first, like maybe they’d thrust and she’d like make a gagging motion or something(only rarely because the company would be like no) at some point she’d get extremely comfortable with just doing the hip thrusts herself

~The company even found that during interactions with fans she got just as much, sometimes more, attention and screaming as the boys

~Eventually she’d get used to dressing androgynous, like the stylist unnies would put her in skirts and she’d get kinda pissed and the guys would all agree that she’d be better in just what they’re wearing(i.e. pants)

~(Also, just a quick side note, before they even realized what was happening, they’d be super protective. Like unwarranted protection.

~Especially during interviews and talk shows any heavily toxic feminine questions related to her would be met with complete headassery(is that a word?) Just any kind of bullshit the guys could come up with.

~Like it wouldn’t happen immediately, but like after a few interviews and them seeing how uncomfortable it made her to answer the weird questions(coming from female OR male interviewers) they’d kind of come up with an unspoken agreement to answer any and every sexist comment or question with an answer just as shitty)

~ Into specific dynamics now:

~I feel like she’d be evenly split to each other member’s interests because in the first few months, that’s how she bonded with them, busy finding somethings she had in common with each of them and building on it

[we’ll go youngest to oldest]

~She is close with all of the boys, but each get her undivided attention when the moment serves.

~ With Jungkook she’d notice his quiet side during the beginning and willingness to please. So she’d always assure him, in a not so obvious way, that he was accepted. Just quiet validation from her court to his.

~So she’d set up gaming nights with Jungkook when they didn’t have strict schedules or just sit around on their phones

~ The fandom would eventually come to know them as the meme lords of the group.

~Their inside jokes are way too many to count and don’t even come close to being forgotten.

~Can’t forget GCF cause she would be in every single one of them that she could. She’s endlessly supportive of the videos and wants to be in all of them, she even suggests music and things(sometimes before he’s even thinking of doing another one)

~She disapproves when he pushes himself too hard. When she knows it’s happening, she’ll involve on of the hyungs( probably Jin) or they’ll talk to a manager if things get super serious.

~That being said, if he doesn’t have the dance down, or they’re both struggling, she’s the first to volunteer to run the dance with him multiple times and is always the voice of reason.

~When he says ‘one more time’ she says ‘food first’ or like ‘how about a water chugging contest really quick?!’ (bc we all know his competitive nature) ‘Jin probably has some left overs in the fridge that we can reheat, late night snack time!’

~They definitely argue a bit about being the “Golden Maknae.” She’s a bit competitive in that aspect. Because they’re both so talented and she’s just a half of a year older than he is.

~For Taehyung, I feel like she’d grow to love art with him. His quiet adoration for things of beauty, conventional or not.

~(They have a joke,mostly his own that he refuses to let die, that she’s his favorite piece of artwork, eventually she retaliates with him being her favorite piece of artwork and it just sticks.)

~They’d be the classy duo, but with matching boxy smiles. Elegant and poised, their visuals are basically unmatched and during photo shoots, they’re always the ones finished way before the others.

~There are no bad sides for the classy duo. (I’m basically imagining model material for both of them, like just ethereal. Visual god and goddessssssss)

~Also his need to fall asleep holding something, I feel like she’d match that with just being okay with anything when she’s asleep or almost asleep(like she’d fall asleep in the car with the boys or something and be difficult to wake up, so they’d just carry her and she wouldn’t even stir)

~So Tae would lay beside her and they’d be chilling and eventually fall asleep and then later wake up holding onto each other.

~Both of them are shameless damn flirts. They’re attractive and they know it and they will absolutely use it to (not literally) kill ARMY

~Jimin is a bit harder to think about(idek why) but I feel like she’d be his buddy in quiet studying. Like he’d come find her if he wanted to do some reading, but not be alone and she’d be totally down( same with Joon but hold on)

~and either she’d read her own book or she’d do some sketching(mostly because she’d want to have her own unique thing that the others weren’t too interested in)

~Jimin would be her ideal model in these moments. She never gets tired of sketching any of the boys, but in those moments, Jimin is the least likely to change face or position and thus be the perfect study.

~she’d also ask him for homework help in the earlier days with like mathematics and he’d always be more than happy to help

~Jimin is a brat and I feel like when the two of them spend a bit too much time together, the rest of the group can only expect the worst.

~(Low key the Lil-Shit Duo™️)

~Joon is next and here’s where her position in the group comes in. Since she was raised in New York, she’d be fluent in both Korean and English and, as such, would help with the interviews and translating.

~It’s a huge load for Namjoon to carry and with her, being by his side and helping with rephrasing things to the boys during interviews really eases him.

~Along with that, he always makes sure that she knows how much he appreciates her after difficult interviews or just every good while he’s just endlessly doting and complimenting her and things. She always tells him that it’s unnecessary, but he never stops thanking her.

~So they’re like the Leader Duo™️ and are consistently doing damage control between the boys(almost like group therapy) or rephrasing the boys’ answers(in those moments where the boys give weird answers to questions in interviews)

~When not in the public eye, they are coming up with ways to better interact with ARMY or they’re expanding their horizons by reading and stuff.

~Her favorite thing with Joon is working on learning a new language or just English with Joon and making up little tongue twisters and sayings and debating proper ways to phrase things. Which brings us to:

~Being a part of the rapline. So Joon, Hobi, and Yoongi are her peeps. When she’s not entertaining the maknae line, she’s with the Hyung line.

~Hobi and her have a cute dynamic. He babies her a little bit and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t love it at least a little.

~they like coming up with dances together, even when they are supposed to be taking the day off, just goofing around and coming up with dances for little snippets of songs is fun

~they’re like the sunshines of the group. So he’s J-hope and she’s his ‘little hope’. How cute.

~She’s constantly encouraging his little quirks and things that he does(the sound effects and just being him) and being right there with him in being the lights of the group.

~I feel like her and Jungkook get the same bit of his attention. Like the cuddly bits of it

(and my heart skips for cuddly JungHope so like imagining the three of them being cozy and mellow together and just watching the rest of the group do whatever. Agh my heart)

~My boy Yoongles is next and let me tell you I’ve been excited as hell for this one.(trying real hard not to let bias love seep through)

~When moving to a more spacious apartment, they decided to give her her own room. (She’s grateful.)

~And so when she wants to tamp down the wildness in the apartment, get a moment's peace, she retreats to her room.

~While she’s endlessly supportive of all six of the others, encouraging their wild quirks, her room is the quietest. Her room has a ‘no noise’ rule.

~Yoongi shares a room with Jin still at this point and not that Jin is a bad roommate, or particularly noisy, it’s just that the maknae line patronizes him a lot. And Yoongi has very little patience for that.

~So her room is where they’ll often find him. She has a comfy couch that she took Yoongi with to pick it out(because it was basically for him.)

~Point is, she’s mellow when she wants and needs to be and Yoongi is drawn to that chill side of her.

~When the rest are wild and he wants mellowness, he seeks her out and when she wants to be a bit rowdy, she leaves and closes the door.

~He has a gigantic soft spot for her. Not even kidding.

~The boys will always pull her into the situation if they think Yoongi might get too angry or a prank goes south and does more harm than fun amusement.

~They mention that she was involved and she goes with it because she doesn’t want the boys in too much trouble and Yoongi won’t hurt her like he would the boys(not actually hurt but you know like “beat them up”) or scold her too harshly.

~As soon as he finds out she’s involved the anger either dissipates or he removes himself from the situation so as not to hurt anything(but you bet your ass she scolds the maknaes from time to time on Yoongi’s behalf)

~And he definitely helps with her mixtape which the fandom is waiting for. Basically, chomping at the bit. She gives Yoongi and Joon so much credit tbh

~They definitely nap together. Mostly because they’re up at ungodly hours during the night, either working on songs or just talking because that’s definitely a thing that happens.

~They have similar views of the world(I’m mostly thinking of Interlude: Shadow here) but being lonely while being famous is definitely a view they share and are drawn together from that. Despite all of their wants to be on the top of the world, they want to not be lonely.

~Along with her keeping up well with the rowdy bits of the group, she’s definitely introverted like Yoongi. She does what she has to to further the group, but she does get drained and just kind of shuts everyone out some times.

~This is where Jin comes in. (Not to be that cliché bitch who’s always like Jin’s the mom of the group omg) but in this case, he makes sure she’s eating and taking care of herself when she does this.

~They all have locks on their doors and she keeps hers locked a majority of the time, but Jin and Yoongi are the only people she absolutely trusts with coming in unannounced.

~Despite always laughing at his dad jokes and being totally supportive of that, he knows when to turn on being serious and not taking her bullshit about “being fine” if she’s not.

~He forces(more like needles annoyingly) her to eat even when she says she’s not hungry during those times

~Makes sure she’s taking care of herself like showering and brushing her teeth and things.

~During the earlier years when she mostly stayed with the boys, very little contact to her mother in New York, Jin absolutely made sure he had cramp medication on hand and feminine products stashed in spots around the house. Well hidden obvi so the boys wouldn’t just stumble across them, but still there. (She does these things on her own now, but she’ll never forget the thought he put into making sure she was cared for)

~She’s definitely requested a majority of the time on EatJin. ARMY just likes to make sure that she’s eating(just like all of them) and they want to see the two of them talk.

~All in all, the boys are her family and she wouldn’t trade them for the world.

#i didnt want something so informal to be my first fic related post #but i got inspired so....#bts #8th member au #8th member of bts #bangtan #bts mots 7 #bts fanfic #jungkook #taehyung #jimin #namjoon #hoseok #yoongi #seokjin

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thatboxylady · 4 years

Text

haha my hand slipped oops

consider this sort of a teaser for the big Beast Machines fic that I am publishing later this year (or early next year). don’t worry about it. it’s fine. yeah. everything is f ine.........

- - -

“Rain”

In the years following Megatron’s takeover of Cybertron, pollution from the mass production of Vehicons had choked the life out its atmosphere— far more than what was to be expected for a planet that was just a hunk of metal.

When the sun did manage to come through the clouds, it was always in a haze that clogged your intakes. Cleaning your vents was mandatory maintenance if you wanted to avoid accidently cooking your internals on a hot night. Visibility was throttled through the smog on the best days, thick like smoke on the worst. It was amazing that the organic-half of the Maximals managed to survive as long as they had… maybe the whole techno-organic spiel that Primal constantly spat wasn’t so organic after all. The few humans that managed to survive the initial siege were dead by the end of the first year of Megatron’s not-so-little uprising— suffocated by the air they had tried so hard to improve when the Pax Cybertronia was first passed. If they were lucky, the Maximals would go the same way. Eventually. Hopefully.

But the rain. The rain. Not quite concentrated to the point where it was pure acid, but that slag was awful if you let it stick to you for too long. It seared white streaks on Cybertropolis’ skyscrapers where it chewed away paint and eroded just about everything else that wasn’t glass or metal. Jetstorm’s wings always tingled in the worst ways after the sky decided to start spitting. The sensation stayed for days after even after a good chemical wash if he wasn’t careful.

So how the frag Thrust could tolerate it was a mystery. Acid ate through rubber way faster than it tore through anything else on Cybertron, and the cycle-general had been driving laps for the better part of the hour on exposed tires.

In a torrential downpour.

Like a goddamn maniac.

Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment?

Jetstorm kept himself tucked under the overpass as he watched the other general start another lap. It was a rudimentary figure eight pattern, taking the freeway entrance going southbound and exiting at the next mile marker before looping back down. Over and over again. Something just… wasn’t right with ground-pounders. How the frag could they manage to keep their sanity following the same roads all the time? The smaller mech was dwarfed by the eight lanes he was weaving between, skirting past obstacles as he came up on them. For the most part Thrust travelled in the same lane, practicing drifting off the exit whenever they came up. Tightening the turns every time. The sound of the mech’s engine revving up and down popped like individual gunshots.

The echo was particularly obnoxious with the acoustics surrounding Jetstorm’s current perch. The flier pulled his wings tight against his body as he leaned as far in as possible out of the rain. So much for a “quick” run. Five cycles, Thrust said. Five! What a load of scrap this whole thing was.

The jet scowled when the other general swerved to purposely hit a puddle on the next lap back. Then, as to be expected, Thrust immediately spun out and ended up hitting the dividing wall to the opposite highway. The maroon mech transformed in time to catch himself on the barricade and let loose a string of swears on impact. The resulting crunch wasn’t pleasant sounding, but Thrust was still cursing when he bounced off the wall and went down. Alive… good! No need to rush out in the rain to pick up his partner’s body, or something.

Jetstorm waited for the sky to stop dumping before floating down. Thrust had rolled onto his back, arm raised to shield his face from spare droplets still coming from the low hanging clouds.

The blue mech leaned over him. “You finished, biker boy?”

“Nice of you to harp on my rescue,” Thrust said. He reached up with a clawed servo, finally revealing his face. The mech’s visor was cracked. “You gonna gawk at me all day, or am I actually gonna get a leg up from you?”

Jetstorm held out his servo, yanking Thrust upward when they made contact. He pulled the other mech up— and kept pulling. The momentum brought Thrust upward too fast for him to regain his balance. He immediately pitched forward and ended up face first in the asphalt again. The sound of armor on concrete was grating.

“Aurgh! Storm!”

“You said you needed a leg up. Not that you needed to stay up.” Jetstorm scoffed at the streaks in his partner’s armor. He crossed his massive arms in disgust. “Eugh. You look hideous.”

“Don’t be so blue about it.”

“Did you just... use a pun? On me?” Jetstorm kept sneering, but this time he couldn’t help but feel a little stupid about it. "I could just— I will beat you to death with my bare servos. You know that, don’t you?”

“Cute.” Thrust propped himself back up on his own. He was a little less helpless when he wasn’t stuck on his back. As he turned, Jetstorm could see that the treads on his tire were almost bald. There was no way that wasn’t going to be sore. “I’d like to see you try.”

“I’m cold and wet, and I want to go somewhere that isn’t dripping with anything that’s gonna corrode this paintjob!” Jetstorm bristled at the sound of thunder. “I am not letting myself get caught in another— urgh! How can you stand that?”

“Eeh. The tingling’s not so bad once you get used to it. Rain wasn’t even that concentrated this time.” Thrust shook his head where it was still dripping with excess water. Then he allowed the shuddering motion to carry into his shoulders and downward. Water flew off his armor. Jetstorm recoiled to avoid being hit, raising his taloned hands in self-defense. The cycle-general swayed but otherwise kept himself from falling over again when he was finished. “Just gotta pop yourself into a working CR tank. Buffs everything right out.”

“That stuff is gross. You’re gross. Stop it. You will never get me into one of those things.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’d rather have me buff out your wings. I remember.” Thrust rolled past, wincing. He’d visibly damaged one of the shock supports in his suspension on the right side, giving him a tilted “limp” that looked even more sore than his tire. “You keep overloading whenever I do, though.”

“Mmm, speaking of which...” It was a nice subject change. Jetstorm let Thrust pass him before turning to follow, keeping close as a precaution— just in case the damaged support gave out. He wondered if he had aggravated the injury by allowing him to fall that second time. Not that he was worried or anything. That would be… “Well. Never mind.”

“What? You not in the mood for anything?”

“You’re not exactly in good working condition, biker boy.”

“I can take my fair share of hits.”

“Why did you even aim for the puddle, anyways?”

They made it to the shadow of the next overpass when Thrust leaned into him in the dark. Right where no prying optics could see them. Just for balance. Yeah. Jetstorm, being the superior mech he was, allowed the temporary contact as a show of good faith. No other reason.

“You’re warm,” Thrust muttered.

“You’re drenched, and you still didn’t answer my question.”

The cyclist hummed. The answer was exactly as dumb as he expected for the grounder. “Why not? Looked like it might be fun. You should try it sometimes. Y’know. Stuff that’s actually fun. Not just goading the she-spider or shooting the rest of the Paw Patrol.”

Jetstorm sighed, turning around. He aimed his primary weapons, allowed time for a sufficient charge, and fired off a single plasma round. The shot warbled as it singed the humid air, striking the original underpass where he had been sheltering. The bridge immediately collapsed in an upheaval of debris and fire. It cleaved through the highway below and destroyed the bridge suspension. All eight lanes converged in a crumbling twist of shattered asphalt and bent titanium beams.

Thrust shouted and reeled back as the ground shook, catching himself on the closest barricade again. As the crumbling structure tore through the road, water sprayed upward from thousands of puddles now ruined.

“Huh. Whatcha know? That was kind of fun,” Jetstorm said.

Thrust buried his face in his servos and muttered something about needing to find him a hobby, or literally anything other than goddamn feral vandalism.

#beast machines #mccadam #jetstorm #transformers #boxy does fanfic #thrust/jetstorm #HEY IF YOU GUYS WANT MORE I WILL TOTALLY PUBLISH MORE DRABBLES MAYBE #this is a good ship and I will throw hands with blackarachnia personally #jetstorm voice: get me wet and I will BLUDGEON YOU to DEATH with my MASSIVE BASTARD HANDS

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herbtae · 5 years

Text

title: blood bank

pairing(s): park jimin x reader, ot7 x reader

au: vampire au, captive au, witch au, supernatural au

contains: blood, violence, angst, smut, unrequited feelings, fluff ( may have to squint at times)

authors note: hi guys! this is my first fanfic ever so i’m rlly excited but nervous. i hope you like it and have a good day/night 🌸💓💞💝🌸💞💝

chapter one | next

“Baby, do you really need to join this.. thing, for money? I mean, I’ve told you so many times that I don’t mind lending -“

A heavy sigh draws from Y/Ns perfectly painted lips as she looks up to send a look of disapproval. “Jackson. I’m not going to take money from you, I refuse to! You’re my boyfriend, not my bank.”

Jackson is perplexed, watching his stunning girlfriend happily approve of her reflection in the mirror. The short red dress that adorns her every curve is specifically worn for the pleasure of other men - Jackson isn’t okay with that. His sour scowl gives this away immediately.

“Hey, don’t make that face” Y/N laughs, throwing a pillow at his head that snaps him out of his worried thoughts. Jackson weakly smiles in response, sighing dramatically as his girlfriend takes her hands into his.

“Look, it’s only for tonight. I just wanna see if this is a good job for me.” Jackson pouts and lets out a childish whine in protest. Y/N giggles as he snakes his arms around her waist and pulls her close into his chest.

“Jacksooon! C’mon, you have to trust me. And besides, I’ll be all yours again the moment I finish my shift...”

Jackson is all too familiar with the playful glint in his girlfriends tone and defeatedly rolls his eyes. “Okay, okay. God, you’re so good with your words,” Jackson mumbles and Y/N smiles cheekily at the double-edged meaning, leaning into his puckered lips for a quick kiss.

“Can I pick you up?”

Y/N absentmindedly hums in reply, pulling on a oversized leather jacket that belongs to her boyfriend. Jackson smiles at how big it looks on her small frame, practically falling off her shoulders. However, as she swiftly moves past him to grab her bag, his eyes sharply dart to the length of her smooth legs on display and he swallows down a comment.

It takes biting down on his bottom lip to stop him from protesting as she blows him a fairwell kiss before rushing through the door.

“Y/N! Fucking finally! Is that dick really trying to get you fired on your first day of work for being late?”

Y/N rolls her eyes as she clambers into the passenger seat of her best friends car, barely buckled in before they‘re roaring off into the main road.

“Hi to you, too! And that dick was needing a lot more reassurance than I thought he would need... as expected of Jackson.”

Sierra simply hums in reply. It‘s salty as fuck; not that a sound can be salty, but with Sierra anything is possible.

As Y/N bites at her nails, she waits for Sierra to crack and let out a snide comment. Drake passionately rapping about Fake Love seems to do the trick.

“What a bitch! Who does he think he is, telling you what to wear and where you can go! I hate men, they’re egoistic assholes that need dicks rammed down their throats.”

Now growing closer to the club, Y/N is too preoccupied with attempting to calm her nerves to pay attention to Sierra‘s complaining. It’s nothing Y/N hasn’t heard before; men are dumb, men should suck cock and choke, men are scum... just the usual.

Sierra isn’t some sort of delusional anti-men extreme-feminist but her recent breakup has filled her with passionate feelings - and with good reason, too. How else do you cope with your boyfriend breaking up with on your one year anniversary?

Having grown up with Sierra, Y/N has also grown custom to her best friends tiring (and borderline toxic) routine. The sting of heartbreak will eventually burn out and she’ll hop onto the next big thing as if her ex never existed. Maybe then Jackson will stop being the triggering cause of every rant.

“Are you going to get out or continue to chip at your nails all night?”

Y/N looks up and is briefly surprised to find Sierra and Drake have both stopped their passive aggressive preaching, and the car is now parked at the curb of the pavement.

Clutching her bag close to her chest, Y/N forces herself out of the car and remains close behind Sierra as they slip into the sinful world that lies beyond the double doors.

Y/N winces and squints as flashing lights shine in her eyes. Multiple things hit her at once.

The first is the heavy bass of the music that causes an urge to dance burst through her body. It’s enthralling and Y/N spots the strippers with an excited boost of adrenaline. The second is how crowded it is; shoulder to shoulder with the sweaty bodies. The last is the stench of alcohol and sex. It reeks far worse then Y/N anticipated and she can’t help but let out a dramatic gag as they pass a couple fervidly making out against the wall.

“Hey, Y/N!” Sierra loudly calls out over the music as they approach a bar. Y/N shoots her friend a questioning look. Sierra gestures for her belongings. Reluctanlty, Y/N parts with Jackson’s jacket and her bag which are both handed over to the bartender.

He catches her sceptical look and breaks out into a boxy grin. “Hey, don’t look so torn. Your belongings are safe with me.”

Y/N uncertainly eyes him, soaking in his boyish smile as he sighs and leans across the counter.

“If you don’t get everything back in one piece at the end of your shift, I’ll serve you the best connoction I can pull out of my ass. Completely free of charge.”

His humorous promise triggers a small smile to tug at her lips. “As tempting as that sounds, I don’t drink,” she begins and before the bartender can continue she interrupts, “nevertheless, it would be nice to get my stuff back in one piece. You and I are still going to have problems if I don’t find my secret stash of gum.”

The bartender grins as she breezily plays along like a good sport, the warmth of his smile reaching his brown puppy-like eyes as he hums in understanding. Before Sierra can whisk Y/N away, he gently touches her arm to regain her focus. Y/N is startled at his warm touch as she turns to face him again.

“Can I at least know the name of my threatener?”

Y/N genuinely laughs at this, and the man enjoys hearing the sweet sound spill past her lips. “I’m Y/N.” The sandy-haired man is about to introduce himself before Y/N cuts in again, “Nice meeting you Taehyung. It’s on your namecard.”

And with that, she’s being pulled away before Taehyung can string together a response, leaving him softly smiling to himself as he loses her to the crowd.

Y/N and Sierra are helped onto the stage by two hunch security staff and Y/N nervously eyes the men whom are undressing the dancers with their hungry eyes.

Sierra leads the two to a pole and begins to powder her hands for an extra grip. Y/Ns constant fidgeting doesn’t go unnoticed and Sierra sends her friend a soothing smile.

“Relax, doll. Feel the night.”

Y/N is not feeling the night.

For three hours, she has clumsily followed in Sierras shadow; literally, awkwardly standing in her shadow and watching her perform song after song and earn bill after bill. It‘s more like a wake up call rather than a scolding when Sierra pulls her to the side with an annoyed expression.

“Y/N, you can’t just follow me around all night like a lost pup! This is your job too - you have to dance and earn your coin. Now get your fine ass over to those poles and shake it like I know you can! You’ve got this!”

Y/N purposefully chooses the pole furthest away, hoping no one will notice her if she’s isolated in a corner.

Cautiously, she wraps her hands around the cold metal and shakes it for precaution. Just as she suspects, it‘s firmly rooted into the ground. The only unstable obstacle is herself.

Testing out her waters, Y/N walks around the pole, hand still firmly attached as the music changes and she allows herself to grow familiar with the rhythm.

The lighting now has grown much dimmer, casting shadows across the dance floor and suspending the watchful eyes of the men into complete darkness.

A shaky breath rises from her dry throat as her eyes flutter close. In tune to the songs slow melody, her hips begin to hypnotically sway from side to side.

Rather than following the path of her peers whom are dancing rather sexily, Y/N opts for a more sensual route - hitching a thigh around the pole and running her free hand through her hair in a teasing manner.

Y/N loses herself to the peformance, jumping at the flares of adrenaline that dance provides her with. The embarrassing thought of Jackson running his hands over her body is what entails and fuels her movement and she’s a flustered mess when the song reaches an end.

As her eyes shoot open, a stranger beckons for her at the end of stage. Y/N carefully steps down and joins him at the steps.

“That’s quite a show you put on,” the man muses as he hands her a water bottle. In any other scenario, she would’ve politely denied a drink from a stranger, but she’s extremely parched and eagerly swallows up every last drop of water without a second thought.

Besides, his black attire and badge reveals he’s probably just another staff member ensuring the safety of the dancers.

Y/N calls out a quick thanks, handing the empty bottle back as she makes her way towards the pole, avid to dance again. A rough hand landing on her thigh and hurling her backwards catches her completely off guard.

Struggling in a tight grip, her features contort with disgust as hot breath tickles her neck. “You can’t just leave me stranded when I helped you. I think it’s only fair you return the favour, baby...”

Y/N lets out a loud cry that is quickly muffled by a hand wrapping around her open mouth. Fingers begin to dance over her skin and travel further up her legs.

Y/N squirms and wriggles and silent tears betray the pleading anger in her eyes as she searches the crowd for Sierra, Taehyung, anyone. It’s hopeless. Now she knows why no one was dancing at the far end of the stage.

The man lets out a deep groan as he cups her heat over her underwear and Y/N takes his slip up as an opportunity. The elbow she juts into his face shoots a numbing pain down his nose and Y/N quickly scrambles to her feet, becoming one with the dancing bodies before he can reach for her.

Although her tears blur everything around her into a multitude of colours and shapes, she eventually manages to stumble into her best friend. Sierra is ensnared in a frenzied dance, sandwiched between two men. Y/Ns wet eyes flicker down to their probing hands.

The sight fills her with a strong detestation.

The moment Sierras happy eyes land on Y/Ns shaking form, she immediately pushes off the men coying up to her and makes her way over in a hurry.

“Oh my God, Y/N! It’s okay, you’re okay...”

Y/N rushes into open arms, nestling her head in Sierras neck as her body rakes with sobs. Sierra murmurs words of reassurement into her ear until Y/Ns pulsing heart eventually resides to its steady beat.

“Y/N... what happened?” Sierra softly asks, brows furrowed with worry as she searches her friends glazed eyes that are distant in thought and plastered on the ground.

“I... I don’t wanna talk about it... not now. Please don’t make me say it...” Y/N shamefully mumbles, wiping off the tears on her scorching cheeks with the back of her hands.

Sierra nods quickly, and gently tugs her over to the bar. Taehyung shoots Sierra a curious look of worry as he silently passes Y/N her belongings. Sierra sadly shakes her head in reply, just as confused as he is.

“You need call Jackson. You need to go home.”

Y/Ns protests are immediately hushed and ignored as she’s directed to the restroom for some silence.

The moment the lock is turned on the door, a trembling exhale escapes that has been wrestling to make its way. Slow footsteps make their way over to the basins. The eye makeup Y/N spent far too much time perfecting has smudged under her eyes and her cheeks are flushed with shame.

Sniffing, Y/N pulls her jacket over her shoulders and clasps her phone in her hand. Despite her fingers shaking over the keyboard, she manages to send Jackson a short message asking him to pick her up.

Y/N spares her broken reflection one last look before leaving. Shuffling through the crowd proves to be a challenge, flinching whenever her skin comes into contact with someone. Eyes trained to the ground, Y/N caves her body inwards, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

The double doors, her escape and freedom, gleams and beckons for her over sweaty bobbing heads. Just as she’s about to take the last few steps, someone yells for her.

Y/N turns her head and is filled with dread when her eyes land on her boss’ daughter, whom has apparently taken over Taehyung’s shift. Y/N has no choice but to slowly make her way over.

“Hey, new girl! We’re running out of vodka, can you please get a box from the cabinet? It’s the one at the back near the emergency exits. Please be quick.”

Y/N tiredly nods and forces herself to descend down the dingy staircase leading to the liquor cabinet.

The door is painted a deep ocean blue and the letters B.S are engraved in iron. Y/N thinks nothing of it, absentmindedly passing off the letters to stand for booze store or something along that line.

Struggling, Y/N pauses to slip her phone into her bag before pushing her full weight against the door. The door lets out a successful click.

The scene to which Y/N stumbles upon is definitely not what she expects of a liquor store.

An air of sophistication is held high in the air, draping over luscious leather seats that are positioned around glass tables perched with dices and stacked with bills. Besides each of these sets stands a beautiful young woman wearing a well fitted black dress.

The odour of expensive perfumes blends with the alcohol, creating a stimulating aroma that lingers in the air and rivals the typical night club.

Y/N quickly discovers that this must be the VIP section; the black platform which is the centre of all attention confirms this.

Three woman spiritually move across the stage, every move bursting with poetry. They advance, retreat, pirouette. Heads sway and hips follow, like a fluid snake in the Sahara hypnotised by a pipe. The women here definitely outshine the trashy stripper dancers in the main section of the club.

A frustrated mumble emits from Y/N; she just wants to go home. Turning sharply on her heels, the corner of her eyes are suddenly drawn to something.

Enthralled in pleasure, a heated couple are sprawled across a velvet couch. Limbs are intertwined, neither one knowing where their bodies start or end. The males head is buried in the crook of the females neck, sending her into a state of euphoria as she lets out a long moan that rings in Y/Ns ears.

Y/N spots a tongue moving effectively across skin and immediately blushes, clearly prying on an intimate moment between two lovers. She pleads herself to turn back and find the liquor store so she can leave. However, for some odd reason, she can’t seem to look away or move a single muscle.

It’s as if she’s in a trance, enchanted by the male whom now sweeps his dark bangs out of his eyes and observes the room. His cheeks are shaded a light tint of pink that contrasts against his perfect snow-white complexion. Y/N can’t help her wandering eyes drift to his tongue that seeps between plump bruised lips.

Ice grey eyes suddenly pierce into her own and she feels her throat grow dry under his intense stare. Even in the faint lighting, Y/N can make out his strikingly handsome features. Electricity jolts through her veins as she breathlessly watches his eyes lazily follow the curves of her body. Slightly parting his lips, their eyes meet in the middle and Y/N believes he’s about to mouth something when, knocking the breath out of her lungs, two razor sharp fangs begin to grow from the corner of his lips.

Teeth bared and eyes hooded with lust and hunger, he whips his head round to the meal squirming beneath him and sinks into the flesh.

The scene is something out of a 1970’s Blockbuster horror film. The woman lets out a screeching scream before slender fingers enclose around her throat. It takes only a few moments of adjustment before the painful protest merges into needy mewls of pleasure.

Y/N accidentally lets out an unstable sob that’s safely drowned out by the pounding music. She quickly clasps a hand over her mouth as she watches the scene pan out before her.

The man pulls back, crimson blood smearing his mouth and chin as he licks his red stained lips appreciatively. As if on cue, the woman’s figure falls limp in his lap and for a few cold seconds, Y/N is definite she has just witnessed a murder.

The male cradles the drooping head and murmurs something in the woman’s ear, gently pushing her long blonde hair out of her face. The action is innocently sweet, unlike the savageous behaviour Y/N witnessed seconds ago. In response, movement is instantly evoked and Y/N is in awe as they resume to snuggling on the couch as if the last few minutes never happened.

Everyone around them doesn’t even bat an eye at the couple whom are now drenched in blood. The sickening smell sweeps through the thick atmosphere and the moment it hits Y/N, she jumps back to reality.

Letting out a frightened cry, she trips up the stairs, frantically searching for the quickest escape. The emergency exit is her only hope, and Y/N ignores the blaring alarm that she sets off upon barging open the door.

The chilly air of the late night nips at her overly exposed skin and Y/N expires a chorus of loud, heavy breathes as she weakly falls into the brick wall for support.

Silence greets her like an old friend and Y/N presses her eyes closed, briefly cherishing the peace that floods her overwhelmed senses.

The moment is soon ruined by a muffled yell in the distance and Y/Ns eyes snap open. It’s only now as she blinks into the darkness that she realises she’s in an alleyway stowed behind the building in which the night club resides in.

Suddenly aware of her suspicious surroundings, Y/N pulls herself off the wall and fastens her pace as she searches through her phone for Jackson’s phone number.

Calling Jackson❤️...

Y/N urges him to hurry up, quickly pausing to remove the stilettos that have been digging into her feet all night.

“Hello?”

“J-Jackson” Y/N softly gasps in relief. The familiarity of his voice sends warmth through her shivering body.

“Hi baby, I’m almost here. I bought some McDonalds too, I figured you’d be hungry after all your hard work. We can get something else if you’re not down for Maccies right now but does a cheeseburger sound good? Hello... Y/N? Hello?”

Maybe the events of tonight have just started to take their toll because out of the blue, Y/N feels her mind grow hazy as the streetlights above start to whirl into a cloud of orange light.

“Y/N? Baby, are you there?”

Before the world turns black around her, Y/N manages to murmur a soft “Come quick...” before she loses consciousness and falls into someone’s arms.

#park jimin #park jimin x reader #ot7 x reader #bts ot7 x reader #vampire bts au #park jimin imagine #park jimin smut #bts oneshot #jungkook x reader #yoongi x reader #taehyung smut #namjoon smut #bts fanfic #bts ot7 series

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aaello-w · 5 years

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DP research Ep 5. only

DP Research Contd. Episode 5

*What on Earth is Boxie avenging? I mean what is his motivation for disturbing Danny every so often? Leave him alone Jesus Christ!

*"You look like you've seen a ghost." Was coming and we all knew it.

* Of course High school with literal half ghost protagonist would have a ghost legend. LET’S NOT FORGET ITS NAME IS ‘CASPER’ (The friendly ghost) HIGH!

*look a weird mirror in my new and allegedly haunted locker - Let’s just YeET my hand onto there.

*Ya know when Danny removes his hand from Poindexter’s mirror it briefly turns green.

*HOW DOES DANNY LITERALLY NOT BREAK HIS NECK WITH THE WAY DASH JUST YEETS HIM INTO A LOCKER, PRE-GHOST?!

*Danny is so petty lmao. Where does the trope that Danny does not like to possess people come from? I see this in many fanfics but canonically he has NO problem doing it to get revenge on Dash and yeah after ep he never really mentions anything about possession.

* “Don’t worry maybe girls will talk to you in College.” ... Dam Jazz. T.T

* Lmao Dex can be such a sweetheart.

* Dex has laser eyes.... oookay.

*The term Halfa is first used in Ep. 5 good trivia knowledge.

* what the fuuuuuuuck is up with Dex taking over Danny, like what the fuuuuuuck? THAT is some Body horror right there!

*Dex doesn’t have a logo on his shirt OR on his phantom suit when he changes so I can safely assume that this is the case with most ghosts.

* Dex is technically stranded in his own purgatory... that’s pretty messed up.

#Danny Phantom #danny fenton #danny phantom headcanon #DP research

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idoladventures-blog · 5 years

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Rise to the Top Chapter 1: Starting out

AN: Hello I made the account to post this giant fanfic or world I made for the boys. So I hope you like it.

This adventure starts with a kid named Jungkook who hails from the Kanto region who dreamed to be like the amazing trainers and teams; that were made due to the amount of people wanting to become pokemon trainers. He saw these teams in stadium battles. Their pokemon duking it out with another team’s pokemon, doing their best to take the other out. Sure, sometimes his favourite team looses but the battles we always so close. He just hoped that this journey to be like these trainers would help him see the world. Of course after so many years have passed since people barred the regions past the natural barriers, many of the professors of today do share starters for the different regions for Professor Birch to see how their new environments affect them after witnessing Alolan pokemon’s forms compared to Kantonian forms. So Jungkook has been exposed to many pokemon as is and has had one in mind he’d want as a starter since the beginning. Now with the Galar pokemon coming too he was excited to get his hands on these pokemon and traveling to the much farther regions to get the pokemon that apparently couldn’t manage to live in the region he is in which did make him a bit sad but that only drove him to want to travel even more and learn how to care for these pokemon too from his new team mates. He picked up his bag already packed with his usual casual outfit and varying other essentials, along with a tent before heading out to Professor Oak’s Lab. As he approached the lab on this sunny day he saw many people lined up at the door, seemingly, already have formed teams of their own. Jungkook sighed, as he stood there alone before he saw a group of guys all with black hair, that while a bit older than him seemed to be good friends already. One was very tall at least to him, next to this tall man was a shorter man, shorter than Jungkook even and this guy looked at him, his seemingly baby face meeting Jungkooks eyes, and kind of intimidating him as he turned to a long faced man saying something to him as this man looked at him with a bright smile on his face, which calmed Jungkook down a bit. The final member of this group was tall but not as tall as the first man that caught Jungkook’s attention, but even he had to admit he was good looking. This group stood behind Jungkook in line as the one who smiled at him tapped him on his shoulder. Once Jungkook turned around to talk to him he waved and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Jung Hoseok,” “Hey, Jeon Jungkook,” he introduced with a small smile on his face. “So, Jungkook, you going out there alone?” The tallest one asked looking at him, with concern, doing his best to not talk down to him for being alone. “Huh? Oh, I mean it does seem that way,” Jungkook replied a bit sad about that fact. “I think you should join us, I mean we can’t have you walking alone,” “You sure? I barely know you guys,” Jungkook said unsure if he really should just join in on a group that was seemingly already made. “Yeah, Kim Namjoon by the way, the short one is Yoongi, you know Hoseok, and the second tallest here is Seokjin,” Namjoon introduced with a smile. “Hey! I prefer to be called the Handsome one!” Seokjin retorted with a laugh. “Full name Kim Seokjin!” He said fully introducing himself. “Yeah, Min Yoongi.” Yoongi introduced bluntly with a nod. “Anyways want to join us?” Namjoon asked with a soft smile stretching his hand out for Jungkook to shake. Feeling the warmth of this group and how welcoming they were Jungkook couldn’t help but want to join in and nodded as he shook his hand. As he did though he heard footsteps approaching and looked in the direction as the others with him also looked in the direction he looked at, seeing two boys approaching them. One with dyed blonde hair and another with black hair and was much shorter than the other. “If you don’t mind want us to join you guys too?” The blonde one asked with a bright boxy smile. “Yah! Taehyung! You can’t just ask to join a group like that,” The short man scolded before burying his face in his hands and looking upwards. The group looked at Namjoon who looked at this sudden appearance of the duo. “Well, first how about you both introduce yourselves.” Namjoon chuckled as the duo looked at the tall man an nodded. “Kim Taehyung, and my friend is Park Jimin!” Taehyung introduced happily as Jimin simply nodded and waved. “I mean, I don’t see why not,” Namjoon smiled holding his hand out to the two of them. “You can be a part of this group too!” He added happily as the duo shook his hand. “We should have more people…” Yoongi piped up looking at the group now. Namjoon looked around and nodded in agreement as the group moved forward in line towards Professor Oak’s newer much larger lab. The 7 boys approached the lab after at least 10 minutes of waiting in line. As they entered most of the group was pretty amazed at the layout, there an assistant was waiting, he wasn’t that tall probably standing at 5’3” with light brown hair, and green eyes. A nametag with “Carl” was on his lab coat “Another batch of new trainers, come with me and we’ll get you your starter pokemon,” Carl said with a nod as the group walked through the man-made environments in the lab for the pokemon. “So, do you guys know what you’re getting?” Jungkook asked looking at the others curiously. “I do,” Jimin replied excitedly as they approached the first environment of grassland. “Really?” Hoseok asked pretty shocked. “I’m just looking for the pokemon that isn’t scary,” He admitted. “If you think about it they’re all scary if you don’t have one protecting you,” Namjoon stated with a shrug. The conversation was cute short with a whistle being blown as the entire group looked at the assistant as a bunch of pokemon rushed over. “Take your pick.” Carl said gesturing to the group of pokemon as everyone carefully approached the pokemon. The first to get their pokemon was Namjoon as a Chespin ran up where the assistant was and looked around sniffing the air as he did so before walking up to Namjoon himself and Namjoon smiled as he rubbed the Chespin’s head, thinking the chipmunk like pokemon was really cute. “Hey, Carl, I’ll raise this one,” Namjoon stated as the assistant nodded and handed Namjoon the pokeball the pokemon would be contained in. “I’d give you a warning that this one is quite a glutton, so you better get ready to feed it often.” He chuckled, as Namjoon nodded. “I think he’ll be named Kola.” He decided looking at the Chespin who simply nodded at the idea. Next was Jimin who saw the brown fox like pokemon and picked the pokemon up. Rubbing the pokemon’s head happily. “That’s the pokemon you want?” Jungkook asked curiously as he saw Jimin hold the pokemon very carefully, as Jimin nodded. “Yup, I want this Eevee please!” He said happily. Jungkook smiled not seeing the pokemon he wanted here he just wanted to watch how happy the two were to get their pokemon. Hoseok sighed, as he didn’t feel that spark with any of the pokemon there, followed by Yoongi who just shrugged at the fact his starter just wasn’t there, Seokjin who didn’t see a pokemon who had a similar vibe to him and Taehyung who just was looking for someone who would like him first. “That’s alright we have many more places to show you to hopefully find your partner.” Carl said rubbing the back of his neck as he led them a short way to the forest environment before another whistle went off. And the pokemon gathered near the group. Jungkook searched and searched with the members that didn’t have a pokemon yet while the two that did have a pokemon let them play with their lab mates since it might be the last time they’ll see them in a while. Seokjin soon found his partner as he looked up into the trees and a pokemon shyly looked at him and he knelt down trying to get to the pokemon’s level and not scare it away. “Hey,” Seokjin greeted softly with a gentle smile as the pokemon slowly walked up to him, revealing himself as a Snivy “It seems like you just need some self-confidence.” He said with a chuckle as the Snivy climbed up his arm and once the pokemon was on his shoulders Seokjin petted the pokemon’s head. “You are King, that will be a start.” He said with a nod as the pokemon nodded Yoongi on the other hand met his pokemon as if by psychic connection literally as his pokemon was a Ralts, and they seemingly just looked at each other having a silent conversation before the pokemon joined him. The others still couldn’t find the pokemon they were looking for. After checking out the rainforest area and not finding the pokemon they wanted and playing with the pokemon there, they entered a cave like area. The whistle echoed within the area as the pokemon hurried on over. Jungkook looked around as some of the fire pokemon helped light up the area, not a lot but it was enough to see the pokemon around him finding the pokemon he was looking for, a cute Cyndaquil. He smiled and petted the pokemon on the head feeling the warmth come off the pokemon’s body as he did so. Picking the pokemon up and looking at Carl. “I’ll have this one.” He proclaimed hugged the pokemon gently. “Cynder that will be your name,” he said with a nod as the pokemon nodded with him. Taehyung looked around the dark area before a candle like pokemon approached curiously. Taehyung noticed the movement and waved with a boxy smile on his face. He signalled the pokemon to come towards him as the Litwick did so slowly and cautiously and Taehyung waited as the pokemon slowly approached and basically chose him to be his trainer. “I don’t know what to call you, Chandele?” He muttered thinking out loud wondering what to call the candle pokemon as the pokemon smiled and cried out happily. “I guess that’s that,” He said with a chuckle as the Litwick nodded. Hoseok sadly didn’t have such great luck finding his first pokemon. “Hey, it’s okay, trust me, we’ll find your partner soon,” Yoongi said holding his Ralts close to him as the pokemon nodded. “Ah, I hope so,” Hoseok said rubbing the back of his neck as they passed the rocky mountainous region into a desert like environment. It didn’t take long after the whistle before a pokemon started pulling down on Hoseok’s pants. As the man looked down he jumped in shock, not expecting an alligator like pokemon to attack him, at least that’s what he took it as at first. “I-I’m sorry,” He said nervously as the pokemon moved closer to him looking up at him. “It wants to join you,” Yoongi said as his Ralts nodded again. Hoseok looked at the pokemon as it also nodded happily moving closer to Hoseok and nipping at his pants again. “A-Are you sure?” Hoseok asked seeing as the pokemon was still nipping at him. “I mean, if he really was attacking you he’d be biting your leg rather than just the bottom of your pants,” Namjoon observed. “I-Isn’t that just because it’s too short to reach my leg?” “I’m pretty sure, I mean it can still jump to get at the lower part of your leg,” Namjoon reassured with a smile. Hoseok gingerly moved closer to this Alligator like pokemon as he slowly patted the pokemon still unsure if this would be his partner in the long run but the pokemon snapped his jaws not to hurt Hoseok just in joy that it seems to have been accepted. Although this did still made Hoseok flinch back but he was glad he wasn’t hurt. “A-alright o-only because it seems like you like me.” Hoseok said nervously “Snap, will be your name since you seem to like to do that with your mouth.” He said as he put the pokemon in the pokeball. AS did everyone else in the group did with their own pokemon. “I think that’s it.” Carl said with a nod as he walked around the desert like area finding the exit into the lab leading the group with him. “With that I’ll hand you a pokedex, and I’ll send you on your way.” He said with a nod as the group waved a good bye after they said their thank you’s to him. “Ah, right we should think of a name for our team.” Namjoon said as the group went outside the lab. “Right! What should we call ourselves?” Jungkook asked enthusiastically, throwing out ridiculous names for the team such as Lightening Strikers, Fire Starters, and the sort, each name getting rejected by the other members. “I mean the name should be catchy, and meaningful to us.” Yoongi pondered as the group nodded in agreement. “BangTan Sonyeondan.” Namjoon suggested with a snap of the fingers. “BTS for short.” The group looked at Namjoon fairly confused at first. “Bulletproof boy scouts I mean we’re basically boy scouts, and together we’re bullet proof.” Namjoon explained with that the team name was agreed upon and BTS finally set out on their journey.

#bts x pokemon #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts #bts jimin #bts v #bts suga #bts hosoek #bts namjoon #bts taehyung #bts yoongi #bts rm #bts jhope #bts jin #bts jungkook #bts seokjin

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jimlingss · 5 years

Note

Hi, if you don’t mind me asking um I’m finally writing my first very own fanfic and I’m excited but when you introduce a character, are you quick and brief? Or do you go into lots of details?

HUhuhuhuhmmmmm…..well, the first fanfic is always exciting, I’ll start off by saying that. It’s your first milestone!! If you keep going and you find a liking for writing, then in the future you’ll turn back and be like ‘wow, I made it a long way’. As for introducing a character, lots of people like to do it in different ways. Keep in mind, there is never a right or wrong with writing and that’s why it’s so fantastic. You can do whatever the hell you want to.

For me personally, I kind of just merge my character into the story. When I begin a story, I want to make it feel like this world has already existed and I am only beginning in the middle of their lives. Usually when you begin writing, you’re not writing from the point where the character is born. If you’re doing a College!AU for example, then this character has been through a lot of shit already, they’ve lived like…18 years and they have friends and experiences and they’ve been through much schooling. I’ll use examples so it makes more sense:

“Taehyung!”

As his expression blanches and he tries to make a run for it, you’ve already caught up. The honey brown haired boy sulks, slumping his shoulders. “How did you find me?”

You ignore him, gleaming irises pinned on the tall man beside him. “Who is this?! You’re handsome!” Taehyung’s friend with the blonde locks widens his eyes at your bluntness. You bat your eyelashes back and forth, standing on the tips of your toes. “Can I have your number?”

“No.” Taehyung answers for his friend. “He’s not free.”

“You’re not single? Aww…” Your pout returns and your best friend shakes his head with his infamous boxy grin.

“Namjoon’s too busy to be dating. He’s a new engineering friend by the way, met him by the vending machines.” Tae turns to the boy beside him who’s watching the two of you bicker back and forth in amusement. “Namjoon, this is Y/N. She’s a high school friend-”

You interrupt, “best friend!”

“Ah, debatable.”

“Is not!” You stamp your feet. “Kim Taehyung that is not debatable!”

This is part of my fic ‘Love So Shallow’ and it’s the first time I introduce Taehyung. I don’t have any long descriptions about how they met, what Taehyung’s personality is like, what their character dynamic is. Instead, I choose to utilize dialogue. Always show, never tell - it’s the #1 writing tip. From the above small blurb, you learn that OC and Taehyung are both best friends. You learn that they have a playful relationship. They banter a lot and they’re close, high school friends. Later on in the story, they tell other people how they met.

When you’re introducing a character for the first time, there’s no need to go in-depth right away into explaining what the character’s backstory is, what their goals are, what their quirks and flaws are. That’s the good stuff you want to sprinkle throughout. Why would you want to dump all that good stuff all at once?

The way I introduce Taehyung is somewhat seamless and that’s due to the fact that Taehyung has been a part of OC’s life for a long time and they’re comfortable with each other. No need to have some kind of epic introduction where the wind blows through his hair and OC’s jaw drops. It makes it seem like OC sees Taehyung on a regular basis. It makes it seem like this world has begun long before the story has.

Here’s another example and instead of the characters already knowing each other, here’s where they’re meeting for the first time….

The moment you open the door, you’re met with a taller, blonde boy standing in front of you. He’s looking at you expectantly, suppressing a huge smile with lips upturned. Without a doubt, he’s cute; dashing to say the least and outwardly handsome, even a blind person would agree. But you were too tired to ogle him for long and you were already popping your head out the doorway, darting your eyes around. Where was the package?

“Hello.” The delivery man grins and you look back at him, wondering why he was wearing a fancy, black suit.

“Hi…” You grumble out with your sleepy voice. “Do you have something for me?”

“Have something for you…?” He tilts his head, a bit confused. “Oh! Should I have gotten you flowers?”

“What?”

“I’ll keep a mental note to get you flowers next time.” He beams at you. “What kind of flowers do you like?”

“Wait….” Your frown deepens and your temples begin pulsing. Hoseok giggles on the phone. “I’m going to have to call you back.” You mumble, quickly hanging up. The stranger blinks with a charming smile. “Who are you?”

“Oh!” He jumps. “I haven’t introduced myself at all, huh? I deeply apologize! My name is Kim Taehyung!”

I actually had a pretty hard time looking for this next example because I’ve written first-meetings in a lot of different ways. This is the first time Taehyung is introduced in ‘Rent-A-Boyfriend’. When I introduce him, I don’t introduce his backstory, his personality, his flaws, his abilities…it’s straight up from OC’s perspective and you can see how for the most part, she’s underwhelmed. At most, she thinks he’s handsome. Typically when I introduce a character, I just introduce their appearance…like their hair, eye colour, if they’re smiling or not, and what they’re wearing. Think about when you meet someone for the first time, you know nothing about them but they’re outer appearance so I do the same thing when I introduce a character.

I almost always describe appearance right away so that the reader can envision what the character actually looks like inside their minds. Makes it more immersive instead of the readers left wondering what the hell they look like.

It’s actually harder to introduce a character if they have no previous relationship with your main character because then it’s up to you to build that relationship.

Here’s a last example:

He glares down at you, travelling away from your patheticness. “Last one for today.” Lieutenant Min reads the name next to yours on the list. “Jeon Jungkook.”

A boy no more than your age steps up. He speaks no words, simply lifting the bag over his shoulder. It takes no effort for the male to walk the twenty meters. When you turn to him, frozen in your spot, he ignores your existence. Jeon Jungkook places the sand at the top of the stack of boxes you made. He jumps up the wall, fingers curled at the edges to lift himself up.

The gasps of others are faint to your ears.

The male who stands on the ledge, looks down at you. The rays of the beaming sun piercing your eyes. You can barely make out what you see. His irises are a dark hue of cinnamon, coal locks that sweep his forehead. Sweat drips down the side of his sculpted face. His lips are parted, soft inhales and exhales releasing between them as his chest heaves. The man with doe eyes gazes at you for less than half a second before he turns and carries the bag across the rope.

Then…he falls.

Almost too easily. As if on purpose.

No one seems to notice this as the new recruiters gives a sound of disappointment at his failure, others a sigh of relief that he didn’t manage. Jungkook groans on the ground and Lieutenant Min nods his head. “Alright. Off to your bunks. Tomorrow, we’re beginning hard training. Some of you especially need it.”

The Lieutenant disappears and Jungkook brushes past you. “Wai-” He ignores you completely.

Here’s a pretty different example. It’s part of ‘A Piece of the Moonlight’. It’s a much more impactful first introduction. There isn’t a lot revealed by dialogue. It’s description, but rather than describing Jungkook’s backstory or history, his personality or quirks, I describe his actions. I describe his appearance. I describe how OC feels about him. I kind of show how OC is impressed/in awe by Jungkook. Also, there’s some foreshadowing in there too.

It’s actually a pet-peeve of mine if a character is introduced with their entire backstory revealed. It just feels boring to me, like I’m being spoon-fed and it’s too much. An example:

When you open the door, Park Jimin is standing right there in front of you.

He has ebony locks that sweep along his forehead, rounded eyes that stare back into yours, pinks cheeks that look like they’ll burst any second now. He’s cute, especially with his oversized sweater hanging off of his frame, only for his jeans to be fitted around his legs, showing his hobby of going to the gym.

But the cuteness is only part of the outer appearance. You know he’s considerate, kind, but he is also no-nonsense and strict. Jimin is stubborn to a fault and worse of all, he has a bad-temper. It’s not like you ever get to witness the temper first-hand, but his fists are almost always bruised. It hurts to his face puffy and purple, for his skin to bloom in ugly shades of blue.

But that doesn’t stop the fact that he’s your best friend.

Park Jimin is your best friend ever since you were born. You’ve been through thick and thin, through all the highs and lows. You can remember when you were ten years old at the playground, crying because of some bullies, but he swooped in and saved the day. You can remember being sixteen and feeling conscious about your body, but he told you that you looked beautiful no matter what. You remember the sleepovers, sharing beds, giggles, laughter, every childhood memory, sad or happy.

Maybe it’s fate that you were supposed to be together. After all, his parents were friends with your parents. They were childhood friends, grew up together, went to the same college, even settled down in homes next to each other. Maybe you were always supposed to be with Jimin.

And maybe you were always meant to be in love with him.

Okay, so this blurb isn’t bad per-say, but eh. It could be better. I would do this kind of writing if it was a short story. If I wanted to make it longer, more immersive, I would’ve used dialogue by the second paragraph. And I would never do this much explaining. I mean…I just threw a lot of facts at the readers.

New character is Park Jimin.

Description of his appearance.

Description of his personality + his flaws.

Jimin gets into a lot of fights.

Main character is best friends with him.

They’re childhood friends and have been through a lot of shit together.

Main character’s parents are best-friends with Jimin’s parents.

They live beside each other.

Main character is in love with him.

Like…that’s a lot of shit. I could’ve used dialogue instead and established their relationship more naturally that way. All that’s actually fucking happened in this blurb is that OC opened the door. LOL I could’ve written a scene where both families had dinner together to establish parents are best friends. I could hint their past throughout the rest of the story. I could’ve shown his temper in a lot of creative ways, etc, etc.

There’s a lot of different ways to introduce a character and you can do it however you want. However it fits into your story. If the character is a main character or not. If the character isn’t important, I might write one or two paragraphs about their role and how they met the main character.

What I recommend is reading and finding out what you like as a reader and then do that. If you like it when you know some backstory, then write some backstory! If you don’t like it then don’t do it! Look at your story from the perspective of a reader - it helps a lot.

You can do whatever you want. Brief. Long. Descriptive. Detailed. Quick.

There is no wrong. There is no right.

To Summarize:

Show, don’t tell.

Use dialogue to your advantage.

Description is for appearance or action only.

No need to delve into backstory or character personality/flaws.

Do what feels right.

Ignore the rest of this and do what the fuck you want

For more shitty writing advice: click here. or https://jimlingss.tumblr.com/tagged/writing-advice

#this got REALLY out of hand #i'm sorry #I just was in a rambling mood #hope this helps #goddamn I didn't mean for this to be so long #I'm sorry #the short answer is do whatever you want #Jimlings #Anonymous #writing advice

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vangcfs · 5 years

Text

Happier

Synopsis:

“I want you to be happier, even if it’s not with me.

I love you,

Yoongi”

A songfic for Ed Sheeran’s song, Happier

Pairing: Yoongi x Jimin, mainly. Taekook, if you squint. Namjin, if you make assumptions.

Genre: Angst, with a little bit of fluff at the end

Work count: 2.9k

Warning: A bit of cursing here and there

Author’s Note: So I made this Yoonmin songfic for Happier by Ed Sheeran and I’m kind of happy with how it turned out? It’s my first fanfic on Tumblr so feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!

Walking down 29th and Park

I saw you in another’s arms

Only a month we’ve been apart

You look happier

Jimin still looked the same, his eyes were shining, they were closed in crescent shapes, and a laugh was bubbling out of his lips. Only he was with someone else. Yoongi waited for Jimin to look up, to see him across the street. But he was too immersed in whoever he was with. Was it fair for Jimin to still have that light and happiness in his eyes when he took Yoongi’s with him a month ago? Somewhere inside him, Yoongi knew this was just, so he walked away, an unwilling tear slipping out as he forced himself not to look back and meet the eyes that he knew were watching his back.

Saw you walk inside a bar

He said something to make you laugh

I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours

Yeah, you look happier, you do

“And then I somehow got stuck babysitting 7 kids at once because I didn’t know how to say no,” the man said, pouting as Jimin laughed and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Yoongi watched from the corner, a bitter drink in front of him. He shut his eyes and leaned his head back. He didn’t need to know where they sat. He already knew. Jimin always loved sitting at the counter, right where the fluorescent lights shined and the dance floor was in front of him. The boy didn’t drink a lot but he loved all the shining lights in the dark, the people dancing to forget, and a chance to let go of any regrets he would feel in the morning.

They were such opposites but Yoongi loved to watch Jimin’s bright smile as he danced and enjoyed, slightly tipsy but the center of attention. He still looked the same, but his smile was brighter and there was someone else watching him tonight, dancing with him.

Yoongi quickly left from there, the unfinished drink added to his tab.

Maybe if he stayed a little longer, he would have seen the way the clothes hung off of Jimin’s thinner frame or the way the younger’s cheeks were hollow. Maybe Yoongi would have seen the way Jimin’s smile fell as he tried to push his date away from him when the letter advanced to the former despite his protests.

Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you

But ain’t nobody love you like I do

Jimin,

I’m sorry, but it’s best if I didn’t stay this morning. Maybe it’s best if I don’t stay at all. I can’t give you what you deserve. You deserve all the love and happiness in the world with someone who will give up the world for you. I am what you want but I can’t give you what you need.

I love you. I love you so much that it hurts me to look at you, knowing that I’ll hurt you one day. Find someone else, love, someone who you will laugh a lot more with, someone you can love a lot more than me.

I won’t ever move on from you, but it’s better than staying and knowing I’m the reason you could cry sometimes. Knowing I’m the reason you could ever feel tied down.

I want you to be happier, even if it’s not with me.

I love you,

Yoongi

Tears were rolling down Jimin’s face at a rapid rate as a sob escaped. The paper had this adorable little smiley at the end, another poor attempt to make this easier on them, the dried tears prominent where the ink smudged. His small frame collapsed to the ground with it. He wiped his face and took out his phone, dialing Yoongi’s number.

Voicemail.

Would you like to leave a voicemail?

“Stay.” He croaked out. “I can’t be happier without you here. Don’t make excuses about how we can’t make it work because you know well we’ve always been able to. Yoongi, I need you more than you can imagine. I can’t breathe right now. I’m suffocating inside this apartment we brought together. I’ll spend forever waiting for you to come back, even if it means waiting with someone new at times. I love you too. Take care.” His voice was softer at the end, murmurs and small sighs were all that can be heard, soft sobs escaping occasionally.

Are you sure you want to delete this message?

Yes | No

Promise that I will not take it personal, baby

If you’re moving on with someone new

Ignoring the crushing pain, Yoongi smiled softly to himself. He said he wouldn’t beat himself up over it but the longer he heard Jimin’s soft laugh or watched someone else pinch his cheek playfully, the more he wanted to be the one who would make him laugh or touch him endearingly.

He leaned his head back, blinking back tears.

Jimin’s happy. He’s with someone else. You’re fine with that.

It was like a personal mantra he repeated over and over until Yoongi found the strength to get up and leave from wherever he was.

Jimin’s happy. He’s with someone else. You’re fine with that.

‘Cause baby you look happier, you do

My friends told me one day I’ll feel it too

And until then I’ll smile to hide the truth

“Yoongi, you need to stop. You left him 7 months ago, without a proper explanation on top of that, he’s not coming back to you!”

Seokjin was almost yelling at the younger man sitting on the couch. Yoongi ran a hand through his now-silver hair, before looking up with a pained expression.

“He sent me his fucking marriage invitation card! My name is imprinted into that goddamned cardstock with him and his fiancee’s names underneath!”

Seokjin winced, his voice a bit softer now as he said, “Yoongi, you said you’d be happy for him if he found someone new. Didn’t you? At least go to the wedding. Maybe if you see how happy they are, you’ll come to terms that you two may not be meant for each…?”

The younger considered it before giving Seokjin a fake smile. “You’re right. I should be happy for him if he’s found someone else, that’s what I told him to do.” With that being said, Yoongi got up quickly and left.

Seokjin smiled too, but the curve of his lips was a bit more melancholy as he saw right through Yoongi’s fake smiles and his empty words.

But I know I was happier with you

Yoongi missed Jimin.

The way Jimin curled into him, fitting in perfectly, shying away from the occasional chill slipping in through their shared apartment.

Yoongi hadn’t gone in there since he left.

Jimin had this air around him when he talked. It was like he was keeping a secret that would soon be revealed. (What Yoongi wouldn’t give to go back to listen to all of them). Jimin’s whispers in the dark somehow seemed like they would drown out even the loudest of harsh words. (Maybe Jimin would have been enough to stop every biting word that entered his mind).

Most of all, Yoongi loved the way Jimin made hushed promises and sounded like he knew they were meant to be broken. (‘I’ll cook dinner tomorrow so you can rest.’ The younger boy fell asleep at the kitchen counter. ‘I’ll try to be nicer to your friends.’ He still stood up to them for criticizing Yoongi’s mint hair and new mixtape concept, but Yoongi was three seconds away from dropping their sorry asses anyway. ‘I won’t hurt myself again, Yoongi. Not while I have you.’ The new scars on his forearm and the dried blood in the cracks of the bathroom tiles said it all). Jimin made all his promises like he thought anyone would believe him. And Yoongi did believe, for the longest time. Maybe if Jimin still made a promise, Yoongi would hum quietly and smile in encouragement.

Sat on the corner of the room

Everything’s reminding me of you

“You didn’t tell me he was going to be here!” Yoongi whispered harshly.

“He was the one who planned this party! Yoongi hyung, he’s engaged and you guys broke up 8 months ago. His marriage is in 3 weeks, and you already RSVP’d to his wedding. How will you watch him get married if you can’t even be at the same party as him?” Taehyung asked, concerned.

Yoongi sighed at his friend’s frown and gave him a small smile. “Fine, I’ll stay but don’t expect me to enjoy this party. Now go, Jungkook’s waiting for you!” Yoongi gestured to the impatient frame of the male on the other side of the room.

Taehyung gave him a wary look before letting out a breath and giving him a boxy smile. “Ok, hyung, but call me if you need anything.” With that, the younger boy disappeared within the mass of dancing bodies.

Yoongi sat in the secluded corner, wincing at the bitter taste in his mouth even though he didn’t have any alcohol to drink yet. Everything was just what Jimin would love. The darker decorations had the occasional highlights of louder colors, somehow looking festive and bright. The music has this upbeat solidity to it. Even the items to eat and drink were clearly labeled so people wouldn’t consume any allergens or unintended alcoholic beverages. Jimin was at the center of it all, smiling widely and talking to someone, a shine in his eyes.

Nursing an empty bottle and telling myself you’re happier

Aren’t you?

Yoongi went to take another sip, frowning when no burning liquid poured down his throat and soothed his pain. The person he loved was right in front of him, there for the taking, yet off limits at the same time.

Yoongi would never be able to give him this. Hell, they would probably end up arguing because he wanted to add his own twist to it with some more black streamers at the doorway. The DJ would have more hip-hop artists in his playlist. He and Jimin would have popped all the balloons in some stupid contest before the party even started.

Jimin wouldn’t have minded though, he never does.

He closed his eyes tight as Jimin ran over and hugged his fiancee when the latter came in through the front door.

Jimin’s happy. He’s with someone else. You’re fine with that.

Maybe if he’d paid more attention he would have heard the escalating argument between them in the balcony.

“Babe, the decoration looks shit. We should have hired a professional! I’m an interior designer for a reason!”

“Well maybe, Hyungsik, if you actually came earlier to help me with the decoration, it would have looked nicer.”

“I was at work, earning money to pay for all the expenses going towards OUR wedding, Jimin!”

“Is that why there’s that lipstick stain on your collar and that ‘mosquito bite’ on your neck?”

“We were checking out a new client’s house and she had wet paint!”

“Red and shimmery paint?”

“Oh, so you don’t trust me? You know what? Fuck you, Park Jimin!”

Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you

But ain’t nobody need you like I do

“Min Yoongi?” His voice was still as soft as ever, a tenacity laced with his words.

Yoongi’s eyes widened as he turned around in his stool to face the boy who now sat next to him.

“Park Jimin. Long time, no see.” He greeted with a forced smile appearing.

“I could say the same to you. How long has it been? 6 months?” Jimin asked, but he already knew.

It had been 7 months, 28 days and a few hours since he woke up to find that note.

Yoongi coughed awkwardly. “Yeah… Congratulations on your wedding, I’ll try to do my best to come.”

“Thank you! And I hope you can make it! I have to go now.” With that, they bowed their heads slightly and Jimin left.

Just like that, they were strangers again.

I know that there’s others that deserve you

But my darling, I am still in love with you

But I guess you look happier, you do

“Waiting for rehearsal dinners to start is so boring,” Hoseok complained to Yoongi.

Yoongi nodded back. “Yeah, the couple isn’t even here yet!” The words didn’t even feel bitter on his tongue because he knew that Jimin wouldn’t be his after this. Maybe it was for the better that Jimin found someone who he deserved. Someone who could make him happy.

Jimin and Hyungsik walked in, and finally, the dinner commenced, everything slowing smoothly and even some music being played.

After a few shots too many, Yoongi loosened up and joined Hoseok on the dance floor, dancing silly dances on purpose until the night ended.

He glanced over to where Jimin was helping Namjoon with his speech, the brightest smile on his face. The pang in Yoongi’s heart was stronger now, the crushed boy leaving with a heavy heart.

What he didn’t see was that the groom-to-be was smiling about Yoongi’s rendition on the chicken dance if the chicken dance had involved gummy smiles and tipsy coordination.

My friends told me one day I’d feel it too

I could try to smile to hide the truth

I know I was happier with you

He cornered Jimin at his dressing room in the church (It was a wonder how the church accepted them for being gay. Yoongi guessed it had something to do with the heavy donations Hyungsik often gave) before the wedding just as the makeup artists left.

“Jimin.” He murmured, a bit breathless.

“Yoongi? What do you need? I’m running a bit late already.” Jimin asked, a bit of concern lacing his voice.

“I still love you.” The words rushed out. “Please come back to me. I need you. Even if it’s just you smiling up at me when I come home from my studio. Or you talking animatedly about the kids you taught today at wor-” Yoongi was cut off.

“Yoongi! Stop! I’m about to get married! YOU left me 8 months ago just when I thought I could start depending on you! Hyungsik makes me happy! Hyungsik wouldn’t leave me like that and now we’re about to promise to stand by each other for the rest of our lives!”

“Yet I still haven’t heard you tell me you love him. Look me in the eyes and tell me you love him, not me.”

Jimin said nothing.

“That’s what I thought. Bye, Jimin.” Yoongi turned and left.

“You can’t force me to say I don’t love you and mean it as well, Min Yoongi.” Jimin murmured, his words lost into the silence.

Baby, you look happier, you do

Jimin still walked in with a huge smile on his face, his eyes still on the man standing on the altar.

Jimin still held the other man’s hand.

Jimin still said his vows.

But when it came to saying that one final ‘I do’, he hesitated.

He looked around, his eyes searching desperately for a certain boy, only to be met by a bunch of people looking at him expectantly.

“I do,” he finally murmured and felt himself being pulled into a kiss.

I knew one day you’d fall for someone new

Yoongi left that day, not knowing that maybe if he had stayed long enough, he would have earned Jimin back. But he left a second time. Leaving Jimin to force himself in loving someone else.

Months passed and Yoongi would look on at Jimin and Hyungsik, his heart sinking and his body stiffening. He would then leave, the routine becoming a norm at get-togethers.

Jimin’s happy. He’s with someone else. You’re fine with that.

But if he breaks your heart like lovers do

“Jimin, baby, you know I love y-” Hyungsik was desperate now, panic sounding in his voice as tears slipped down Jimin’s face.

“I saw you with her. The texts you sent her.” Jimin hesitated. “I saw the way you touched her and the way you kissed her, Hyungsik, I’m not a fucking fool.”

Hyungsik took Jimin’s hand and gently kissed his neck until the latter pushed him away.

“Hyungsik, not now, not here. There are people outside for the party, just…” Jimin went into his closet and pulled out a folder. “Just sign these papers and I’ll be able to file for the divorce.”

Hyungsik looked down, defeated. “I can’t love you.” He murmured.

“I know.” Jimin’s voice cracked and he left the house in a hurry.

There was only one person he could go to now.

Just know that I’ll be waiting here for you

He knocked on the door, worries pouring into mind as the tears poured down his cheeks. The door suddenly opened and Jimin’s mouth went dry at the sight of his ex-boyfriend.

Yoongi took a look at Jimin, his shock already fading and pulled the younger boy into a hug.

“Shh, Jiminie, it’s fine. Don’t cry, baby…” Yoongi shut the door and guided Jimin to the couch, seating him there.

“He-he loves her. Not me. How could I t-think he’d love me? It was t-too good to b-be true…” Jimin choked out his words, the comforting rubs on his back soothing him.

“He doesn’t love you, Jimin-ah. That’s my job. To love you. To watch you. To protect you. Even if I did it all from afar. He’ll change for you, baby. If you love him, give him time…”

Yoongi watched Jimin curiously as Jimin shook his head.

“No more chances, hyung. Now I give myself a chance…”

With that, Jimin kissed him, soft and hesitant, just like how Jimin was with everything he did and the older kissed him back, the shock still fresh in his mind.

They broke away, giddy and breathless.

“I love you, hyung.”

“He’ll make you happier, Jimin-ah.”

The younger smiled and pecked Yoongi again.

“You know I was happier with you.”

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lokifiction · 6 years

Text

Relationship Status

It’s really no secret that the Avengers and Loki aren’t fans of each other, but when a seemingly invincible common enemy looms ahead, it is necessary that they learn to get along. However, it soon becomes quite clear that this will be no simple task.

Category: Fanfic

Rating: Teen

Notes: ...I know, it’s been forever since I’ve updated anything. I’m so sorry, guys. I feel absolutely terrible. My schedule is very busy, but for some reason this year it got away from me and days flew by without me even really realizing what was happening and this page kind of got put on the backburner. I’m really so sorry. I sincerely hope that this chapter makes up for the tardiness and that I do better in the future.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

Masterlist

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

Chapter Seventeen: The Test Run

“What do you think a better theme for the dinner party would be? ‘A Night out in Paris’ or mythology?”

Loki raised a brow at me from where he was chopping vegetables for our lunch, giving me a vision of domesticity that surprisingly suited him well. “Where did mythology come from?”

I shrugged, absentmindedly stroking Henry where he laid on the counter in front of me. “It’s springtime. Every year when that time comes around, I always delve into my Persephone aesthetic. Besides, I’m kind of craving Greek food.”

“Alright, then.” Loki nodded agreeably. “Go with mythology. I admire Hades and wouldn’t mind portraying him for a night.”

I squirmed on my stool, halfway laying on the countertop, staring at Loki sideways. “Yeah, but I feel like the Paris theme is more formal and appropriate. And French food is good, too.”

“Then do that one.” Loki reached for a sweet potato, not looking up from his perfectly even slices.

“I can’t decide!” I whined. “Tell me which one you would genuinely prefer.”

“Both sound equally as wonderful, or as wonderful as a night with the Avengers can be.”

“You’re no help.” I slumped out of my seat and came around the counter to embrace him from behind, burying my face between his shoulder blades. “Please tell me.”

“Well, actually, I had an idea for a theme, myself.” Loki put his knife aside and turned to face me, resting his clasped hands at the small of my back.

“Really?” I bounced in his arms. “Tell me!”

“How about ‘An Asgardian Feast’?” He smiled with a glimmer of pride in his eyes. “We could have Thor help us a bit, and give the Avengers a taste of the culture in Asgard so they understand us and our ways better.”

“Oh my god, Loki!” I squealed and reached up to kiss him in excitement. “That’s great! We have to do that one.”

“I’m glad you like it.” I may have been mistaken, but I thought I noticed a flush creep up on his cheeks. “It might be a bit difficult to procure all of the ingredients, and we may have to make some substitutions, but I already know of a few dishes that we could serve, as well as some ceremonial decorations we could make.”

“Oh, that’s genius!” I kissed him once more. “What would I do without you?”

“Your life certainly wouldn’t be as interesting, that’s for sure.” Loki playfully tapped my nose. I scrunched it in response and giggled before slithering out of his grasp and bounding towards the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” he called after me, opening his arms as if commanding me to run right back into them.

“I’ve got a wonderful idea for the invitations,” I replied over my shoulder. “I need to get it down on paper somewhere before I forget. What’s the proper Asgardian address format again?”

***

“I hope that the wardrobe guide I sent with the invitations didn’t seem rude or snobby or anything,” I fretted, securing the final braid of my traditional hairstyle. “I just wanted them to really experience the atmosphere, and dinner parties usually have some sort of dress code, so…”

“I’m sure you came off just fine. Stop worrying yourself sick.” Loki came up behind me, zipping my dress and placing a tender kiss on my shoulder. “Do you want to go take a last-minute look at the decor?”

I heaved a sigh that was a mix of anxiety and relief. “Yes, please.”

Before we made our way into the hallway, I paused in front of the mirror, straightening my skirt and checking my appearance for any fixable flaws. I had chosen to wear a golden evening gown with a wide halter neckline, and I accessorized with heavy gold jewelry, including arm cuffs and golden rings that Loki helped me braid into my hair. Altogether, my outfit was an Earthly version of what was commonly worn to banquets in Asgard, and Loki had donned a simpler version of his armor for the occasion.

In the wardrobe guide I sent with the invitations, I advised our guests to dress similarly, and to place emphasis on a lot of leather, metal, and flowing fabrics, and sent Thor out with the task of helping them achieve that. Praying that everyone wouldn’t just show up in suits and make me and Loki look like fools in our otherworldly garb, I made my way to the kitchen, the smell of what I considered to be home filling my nostrils.

It had taken nearly an entire day for me, Loki, and Thor to put together a menu that would reflect traditional cuisine on Asgard with foodstuffs found on Midgard, and another several hours running around New York to collect all of the supplies. The spiced wine mulling on the stove fragranced the whole house and gave it the feel of autumn despite the fact that it was the middle of April, and the pork we substituted for boar had my mouth watering. The menu also included an array of baked fruits, a pumpkin soup, an apple cake, along with numerous other things, and I was glad that our guests would have no idea if the recipes were accurate, so I only had to worry about the dishes being delicious.

After fiddling with some settings on the stove and putting a loaf of bread in the oven to be warmed, I followed Loki into the dining room to perfect the setup one last time. Again, our decor for the night was a task that required hours in our storage room and another full day of shopping to gather everything we needed.

Our house had many places to dine in, but Loki and I usually ate in the breakfast nook or at a small, intimate table next to a window in the sitting room. However, for the event we had utilized our largest dining room, which boasted a table that sat eighteen with plenty of room to spare. All around the walls we had hung golden draperies to give the illusion of the inside of the palace of Asgard, and a similarly colored fabric was draped over the dining table, for the Victorian-styled piece didn’t reflect the boxy furniture found on Asgard.

From directly above the table we had removed our usual chandelier and replaced it with an antique one from medieval times, that when purchasing we nearly gave the curator a heart attack when we told her we were actually planning to use it. Loki went to light its candles and I straightened the ornate bowls of fat, red grapes and gourds that made up the table decorations. It turned out that it was nearly impossible to find gourds in the middle of spring, so instead of adding that to the list of our wild goose chase shopping trip, Loki merely conjured some, and made them particularly beautiful, with swirling vines that draped all the way over the sides of the table and curled onto the floor.

“This dinner party has me in trouble,” I murmured as Loki passed me to light the candles that sectioned off the table. “It’s got me in such an autumn mood.”

“I’m feeling that effect, as well,” Loki agreed, admiring at our handiwork and wrapping his arm around my waist. “Though I’d hardly call it trouble. You know that if we had our wish, it would be perpetually autumn.”

“Just with slightly warmer temperatures for me,” I teased, brushing imaginary dust off of one of the napkins resting atop the plates in their engraved holders. “Loki, are you sure I arranged the place settings correctly?”

“They’re perfect,” he assured, kissing my temple before breezing to the other side of the room. “Stop fretting and come sit down for a bit before the guests arrive and you get all fluttery again. You’re going to exhaust yourself if you don’t.”

“Oh, alright.” I frowned in compliance, but still had to approach the table to push one last plate a millimeter more into place. We had originally planned on using our Thanksgiving china for the event to match the decor, but after remembering that we wanted to replicate an Asgardian feast and not have an autumn fest, Loki and I decided to go out hunting for new dishes for the night. After even more searching and a hefty sum, we had gold-colored china and brassy flatware, as close to what could be found on Asgard as possible. I took one last critical glance at our little portal to another world before joining Loki in the sitting room, where we barely settled down into chairs before the doorbell rang.

My stomach dropped as I jumped to my feet, dashing to the landing to let the guests in, but they turned out to only be Stellan and his two younger brothers, Luca and Teo. Since Stellan was the only one outside of my family briefed on Loki’s true identity, and since his family owned a high-class restaurant in town that all three brothers had worked for at one point or another, Loki and I figured that they would be the best candidates to come and be our waiters for the night.

“Hello, Camryn!” he greeted with a wide grin, bending down to hug me. “The place looks really spectacular.”

“Thanks, Stellan.” I patted his back and waved to Teo and Luca. “Thanks for doing this on your night off.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure.” He reached down to pick up Bellatrix from where she was languidly rolling atop his shoes. “Bella and I go way back, so when I’m not waiting the table we can have some good catch-up time. And where’s Sir Henry?”

“He’s moping in our bedroom like he always does when we have company.” I rolled my eyes. “But if you guys’ll follow me to the guest bedroom, I have your outfits in there.”

On Asgard, servants typically wore arduous robes, but Loki and I made the express decision that even with the atmosphere we had created, the typical servant garb would look ridiculous. Instead, we procured sturdy brown pants and white tunics, along with some leather overlays that gave the effect we were aiming for.

As the boys were changing, the trio of lute players that we hired for the night arrived, and they set up in the corner of the dining room while I was briefing Stellan, Teo, and Luca on the dishes for the night and how to serve them. After one last meticulous sweep of the area of the penthouse we’d be entertaining in, Loki convinced me that there was nothing more that I could do, and urged me to sit next to him and wait for the first guests to arrive at last.

“Are you sure this dinner party is a good idea?” I worried, tugging at a hangnail with my teeth and shifting on the sofa.

“It’s a bit late to go back on that decision, isn’t it?” Loki replied with a raised brow, but rubbed my back reassuringly, tugging me closer to him and holding me tight to his side. “I’ll make sure everything is just fine,” he murmured against my temple.

When the doorbell rang, I sprang out of my seat once more, but Loki jumped in front of me before I could make another move, putting his hands on my shoulders and staring deeply into my eyes as he always did when he wanted to calm me.

“I’ll get it,” he insisted, squeezing my arms gently. “It’s likely just Thor. He’s coming early, remember?”

I nodded, letting out a breath and merely trailing along behind as Loki went to let his brother in. Thor arrived dressed in a simpler version of his ceremonial armor, much like Loki was, and bore a bottle of mead for the party.

“Don’t tell me this is one of the bottles you took from Asgard’s royal stores before you came to live on Earth,” Loki declared, popping the top off and peering inside.

“It is, and I only have three of them left, excluding that one.” Thor snatched the mead back. “This party had better be good, if I’m going to be giving up one of my precious remaining bottles of the finest Asgardian mead ever tasted.”

“Hey!” I protested, coming around from behind Loki and giving Thor a playful shove that, of course, didn’t even cause him to bobble in the slightest. “Are you doubting my skills?’

“Absolutely not, Camryn. I’m merely making a jest between brothers.” Thor patted my shoulder. “If I didn’t have faith that your party would be wonderful, I wouldn’t have brought the mead in the first place. The little I’ve seen of your show for tonight is fantastic, and I can’t wait to see more.”

“Thank you for saying so, but don’t scare me like that!” I reprimanded. “I’m stressed enough as it is.”

“My deepest apologies.” Thor cradled the mead like a baby. “Where might I put this? And where are the cats?”

“I’m throwing what might be the best dinner party of my life and all anyone cares about is the cats. I would scold you, but I relate.” I nodded my head towards the hall. “I’ll take you to put the drink in the kitchen. Stellan’s in there, so at least Bellatrix should be in there, too. You’ll have a contender for her attention tonight.”

“A most honorable challenge that I humbly accept,” Thor played along, bowing his head nobly.

Once Thor dropped his mead off and got his desired greeting from Bellatrix, I sent Teo off to answer the door and had Luca follow us into the sitting room with a tray of drinks, waiting yet again for the rest of the guests to arrive.

“Thor, they are coming, right?” I inquired, bouncing my leg up and down.

“They are, and I promise they’re not planning any tricks,” he assured, selecting a goblet of wine. “Relax.”

Loki rose from the couch and approached Luca, taking a glass and passing it to me.

“Everything will be fine, love,” he assured. “Besides, is anyone but the three of us going to be able to judge the accuracy of the night?”

“It’s not the accuracy I’m worried about,” I muttered into my glass, but took a sip and pretended to be pacified, sitting back and waiting for whomever our first true arrival would turn out be.

It ended up being Steve, who knocked on the front door at the exact arrival time listed on the invitation. Teo showed him into the sitting room, and Loki and I rose to greet him.

“Thank you so much for coming.” I gave him a slightly awkward hug and Loki shook his hand stiffly. “Why don’t you take a seat, and have some wine?”

“There’s no need to be so formal,” Steve assured with a chuckle, but obeyed my instructions nonetheless. “Your penthouse is amazing. Does it always look like this?”

“In the autumn,” I replied. “The current decor is special for tonight’s event, to really give the illusion of being on Asgard.”

“I see. Well, it’s really nice.” Steve took another once-over of the room, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I feel a bit underdressed, though. Thor and Loki are in their armor and you’re in that dress...The wardrobe guide you sent mentioned leather and neutral colors…”

“What you’re wearing is perfect,” I assured, appraising his dark brown pants and beige button-down, trying my hardest to resist the possessive embrace Loki pulled me into as Steve’s eyes passed over me.

“I’m glad.” Steve glanced at the clock on the wall. “Banner was right behind me, so he should be here soon.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the doorbell rang, and Teo entered the sitting room with Bruce in tow, along with Natasha and Clint. Luca served them their drinks and, seeing as most of our guests had arrived, I sent him into the kitchen to fetch the hors d'oeuvres.

“Clint and I were already going to carpool, and we met Bruce in the lobby,” Natasha explained before I could ask how the three of them ended up arriving together, plopping down on the sofa with her drink and straightening her beige gown. “You’ve got a really gorgeous place.”

“Thank you. That seems to be the general consensus tonight.” I fidgeted awkwardly, wishing I could sit but not wanting to do so with guests around. “Did you all make it here alright?”

“It’s a really easy ride from Stark Tower,” Bruce replied. He had dressed in a plain suit, though it was brown. “There’s a Metro stop less than a block away from here.”

“If you guys are all staying at the Tower, why didn’t you all come together?” I asked, noting the staggered arrival times and methods of our guests.

“Well, we knew Thor was coming early to help get things ready,” Natasha began. “Steve was the only one that left at a normal time. Bruce wanted to stay back to finish something in the lab, and Clint and I came straight from a mission.”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed. “If you had to work tonight, you didn’t have to come.”

“Don’t be silly.” Natasha smiled warmly and took a sip from her glass. “We wanted to.”

“I’m glad we all did, because whatever’s cooking smells delicious,” Thor remarked. “When are we going to eat?”

“We have to wait until everyone gets here,” Loki spoke up with suppressed annoyance. “Does anyone have any idea where Stark is?”

“He left around noon to oversee some construction upstate,” Bruce replied, taking a bite from his smoked salmon crouton. “He should be back by now.”

“Oh, really?” Something bumped the back of my knees and I glanced behind me to realize that Loki had pulled up a chair for me. I settled into it and took my own crouton from Luca, and held Loki’s hand where it rested on my shoulder. “What kind of construction?”

Bruce exchanged a look with Steve.

“I don’t know the clearance level for that info,” Bruce explained, brow furrowed in apology.

“Oh, Norns.” Even though Loki was behind me, I could clearly sense his eyeroll. “More about those damned clearance levels.”

“Be nice.” I patted his hand. “You have clearance levels for your important dealings on Asgard, even if they aren’t necessarily mapped out.”

“Perhaps, but I’m accustomed to being the one at the top of those unsaid levels,” Loki rebutted.

Steve cleared his throat to catch our attention and spoke up, answering Bruce’s question. “They’re consultants and will find out about it eventually, so we might as well tell them now.”

“Are you building a Death Star?” I cocked an eyebrow, and Natasha leaned across where Clint sat next to her on the couch to reach Steve.

“The Death Star is from-”

“Star Wars, I know,” Steve interrupted with a playful eye roll. “I watched them last week.”

“Just looking out for ya, buddy.” Natasha patted his arm and sank back into her cushion.

“Anyway,” Steve continued, “we’re building a new Avengers home base upstate. We’ve sort of taken over Stark Tower, even though it’s still the functioning headquarters of Stark Industries, and the location in the middle of the city, while central to a lot of action, is leaving us exposed and vulnerable, with little space to grow.

“Around the new facility, there’s hardly any civilization for miles, and the land we purchased leaves seemingly endless room for expansion. We won’t have to coordinate space and scheduling with the Avengers team and the Stark Industries team, the environment will seem a bit more homey, and some of our new members will be better protected and contained from society there.”

“Well, that sounds interesting,” I replied. “I’d love to see it someday. If it’s out in the forest like that, I bet it’s beautiful.”

“It’s quite, as the mortals say, aesthetically pleasing,” Thor put in. “I feel very calmed inside the building.”

“And I’m sure you all need that, with all the high-stress work you do,” I said. “You should get Tony to put in a spa.”

Natasha laughed aloud. “That would be the best.”

Loki cleared his throat, reminding us all of his point. “But his business should be finished, correct? It was possible for him to be on time?”

“It should have been, yes,” Bruce replied.

“Well, where is he?”

“The fun is here!” As if on cue, Tony Stark burst into the room with an irritated Pepper on his arm.

“I’m sorry,” she lamented, rolling her eyes. “I couldn’t get him here any sooner.”

“I had to make sure I was at my best for this royal soiree.” Tony pointed to the tray Luca carried. “Is that salmon? Lovely.”

“Was there trouble on your way over here, Mr. Stark?” Loki asked, his voice dangerously cordial. Tardiness was not something he dealt with well.

“No, not at all. Traffic was great, weather was great. Everything was great.” Tony went for some wine and Pepper sighed heavily, covering her reddening face with her hand.

“Then why, might I ask, are you arriving so far past the time listed on your invitation?” Loki’s voice was a mere note away from being a growl. I reached for his hand to calm him.

“Well, you know how I like to make an entrance, and I wanted to make sure I looked impeccable, and worthy of what Camryn listed on that charming wardrobe guide,” Stark replied, gesturing to his outfit straight out of Game of Thrones.

“I’m amazed you took it that seriously.” I took a closer look at his attire, marveling at the fine craftsmanship. “Did you have that made?” “Sure did.” Stark patted his chest proudly. “I wanted to make something matching for Pepper, but she said it was too much.”

I noted Pepper’s stunning rust-colored evening gown.

“You both look amazing. Everyone here does, and I’m so thrilled that you’re all embracing the theme.” I rose from my seat and gestured towards the door. “I’m sure you’re all hungry. Since everyone’s arrived, should we proceed onto dinner?”

The group erupted into murmurs of excitement and began to file towards the dining room, but Loki gently held me towards the back of the herd and bent down to whisper in my ear once we were alone.

“I know our alliance is budding, but I’m absolutely infuriated at Stark’s behavior,” he ranted.

“I know you are.” I rubbed his arm. “But this is supposed to be a test run for the wedding, remember? We need to practice being civil even if something bothers us.”

“I understand, love.” He kissed the top of my head gently but insistently. “But if he tries to ‘make an entrance’ like that at our wedding, I’ll kill him.”

“Oh, believe me.” I took Loki’s hand and pulled him towards the dining room. “If he does that at our wedding, I’ll get to him first.”

When we entered the warm, candlelit dining room, I checked that every guest had found their place card and motioned for the musicians in the corner to begin playing. Luca passed out fresh goblets and Stellan entered with the first course as Loki and I made for the opposite heads of the table to deliver the toast.

“The music is a very nice touch,” Natasha praised, raising her glass in my direction. “I like it.”

“I’m glad you do,” I replied, then cleared my throat to address the room. “Welcome, everyone. I’m so honored that you’ve taken time out of your busy and important schedules to attend this party. Now, I know I’m usually the bridge between you and Loki, but tonight is another effort to make it so that a bridge is no longer needed. So, since our party is to replicate a traditional feast on Asgard, and he’s the one that actually grew up there, I’ll turn the floor over to him.”

Loki locked eyes with me and nodded once, clearing his throat before speaking, effortlessly capturing everyone’s undivided attention.

“Feasts are incredibly common on Asgard. To me and Thor, the spread before you seems an ordinary morning, midday, or evening meal. However, since this is a special event, I wanted to have a special banquet.

“There are many reasons for special feasts to be held on Asgard. A holiday, the returning of soldiers from war, a funeral, et cetera, but I decided that Camryn and I should host a dinner party best compared to a peacemaking or ambassador banquet, for often a major point of those dinners is to show off the culture of Asgard. That was the goal of the theme for tonight, and since every meeting between me and the Aveners is a peacemaking mission, I figured that no feast template could be better.”

Loki gestured to the corner where Stellan stood in his costume, now flanked by Teo and Luca.

“That young man over there is Stellan, and I’m sure you recognize Teo and Luca from earlier this evening. They will be serving you tonight. Now, I’m sure you’re all hungry, and the food smells incredible, so I will move right along with this introduction. Banquets such as this are almost always opened with a prayer to our gods, which is as good of a representation of Asgardian culture as anything, so I’ll get on with that.”

“Excuse me.” Steve politely raised his hand, ducking his chin sheepishly. “I thought you and Thor were the gods. What gods are gods supposed to pray to?”

“Excellent question, Steve,” Pepper interjected. “I was wondering that myself.”

“We pray to our ancestors in Valhalla,” Loki replied, a slight smile creeping onto his lips. “Even divine beings need guidance sometimes.”

“As for whom we pray to once we get to Valhalla, we have no idea,” Thor put in. “And we’re not sure we’d like to know.”

“The speculations we made when we were children only frightened us,” Loki added with a conservative grin. “Now, I typically pray to my mother, so it’s been awhile since I’ve recited a formal prayer like this, so forgive me if I make any mistakes.”

I bowed my head obediently, and I was happy to see that everyone else in the room did, too. I was a bit shocked that Loki revealed such a personal tidbit as coping with Frigga’s death to the room full of people, but I was glad to see him opening up.

Despite his warning, however, he recited the prayer perfectly as I knew he would. He didn’t pray in the traditional sense very often, but I loved it when he did, for the words spilled out of his mouth like beautiful poetry. His voice became melodic, and he often came closer to singing prayers rather than speaking them. I was completely hypnotized by the time he finished and continued the toast.

“Now,” he resumed in his normal cadence, “Asgardians are typically very bawdy and love their food, so the toast is kept short. To peace and friendship. May we make it and may it last.”

“To peace and friendship,” the room echoed, and as everyone drank from their glasses and took their seats, I got the feeling that, for the first time,everyone truly meant it.

***

Once the last course was cleared away and I felt incredibly bloated in the best way, I tapped on my glass with my knife to bring everyone’s attention. The sound wasn’t entirely necessary, for the conversation of the evening had been wonderful and typically involved everyone present at the party, but the action was something I had always wanted to do. Once Loki finished explaining the differences and similarities of Viking culture and that on Asgard and everyone’s eyes turned to me, I began my short speech of the night.

“Asgardian feasts are hardly ever just feasts,” I began. “As Loki said before, Asgardians are quite bawdy, and have a lot of energy, especially after being filled with wine. Feasts are typically affairs that last well into the early hours of the morning. Once the main meal is finished, there’s often dancing and singing and merrymaking, and a lot of the younger citizens will branch out to different taverns once the older attendees have retired. We, unfortunately, did not prepare for raucous activity, but to replicate the ever-changing scenery of an Asgardian banquet, we’ve decided to serve dessert and some of Thor’s Asgardian mead on the terrace.”

“He brought that stuff?” Stark gasped, dropping his hands onto the table, already a bit inebriated from the wine served with the meal. “Sign me up. Let’s go.”

With a giggle, I took my wrap from Loki and laid my head on his shoulder, leading the way out into the slightly chilly night air and onto the terrace that we had decorated just like we had the dining room, and lit with strands of fairy lights. Just like the New Year’s Eve party what seemed like an eternity ago, I felt like I had grown incredibly close to the people around me, and felt an enormous sense of kinship with them. I was sure that, like at the party, the effect was somewhat heightened by drink, but I felt that the new feeling was one that would stick around much longer.

The group gathered into seats around the fire as Thor distributed the drinks and Stellan passed out pieces of apple cake, and the conversation, which had been mainly centered around questions about Asgard, had no trouble picking up again.

“So, Loki,” Steve began, “you said that when boar is served at feasts, it’s usually been hunted and killed that day?”

“Yes,” Loki replied. “There’s no taste like freshly butchered boar, and unless there’s a siege in place, the royal family doesn’t eat boar unless it’s been killed that day.”

“Being royalty sounds like it’s worth it.” Natasha raised her eyebrows. “Thanks for explaining the whole boat symbolism thing, by the way. I never really understood it.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Loki smiled kindly, the mead making him a bit looser with his charms.

“This actually isn’t meant to be rude for once in my life,” Stark interjected, taking a bite of cake, “but do your horns symbolize anything?”

Loki actually laughed at that, and went on to explain without a complaint. After a long-winded speech about symbolism on Asgard that everyone’s drunkenness had turned into a stream of jokes by the end, Stark piped up again.

“I know it’s the drink that’s making me say this, but I think it’s important to be said.” He inhaled sharply. “Loki, after talking with and getting to know you tonight, I’ve decided that you’re not a bad guy. You’re different, for sure, but you’re not bad. You’re actually pretty awesome when you’re not trying to take over the world. I figured that you’d have to be to get a girl like Camryn, but now I really see it.”

“Thank you, Stark.” Loki squeezed my hand, and a small but genuine smile spread across his face. “Tonight, after getting to know you outside of the context of work, I’ve learned that you’re actually quite more brilliant and creative than I originally thought you to be. I may actually grow to enjoy your company, and dare I say, admire you.”

Stark put a hand to his chest, his next joke holding the tone of truth. “I’m so very honored.”

“I’d like to say something, as well.” Clint, who was usually so quiet but had become quite chatty and a jokester over the course of the night, stood from his chair. “Loki, I still don’t trust you. But if all of the people here that I trust with my life are growing to, I respect their decision. I feel that you’re deserving of it, and I think that someday I may come around on you.”

“Thank you, Clint,” I whispered as he returned to his seat, and for a few moments the only sound was the crackling of the fire as everyone processed the words that had just been exchanged, which bore the best kind of weight.

“It’s pretty late,” Bruce eventually said, voice cracking from the awkward breaking of the silence, “and I’ve had a lot to drink. I think I should go and make sure I can get a cab.”

“Wait,” I called out as he made for the door, then looked to Loki, silently asking for approval for what I was about to do. “Why don’t you...stay here?”

Bruce furrowed his brow. “Sorry?”

“Why don’t you all stay here for tonight?” I suggested shyly. “God knows we have enough room for all of you. I’m in the theatre tomorrow night, so I don’t have to go into work until later. We could make sort of a grownup sleepover out of it, and then go for brunch in the morning.”

Pepper cracked a grin. “That sounds like fun. Let’s do it.”

After everyone’s agreement, Loki and I dismissed Stellan, Teo, and Luca, and left Thor to entertain the group while we went to make sleeping arrangements for everybody.

“So, how about it?” I asked nervously as we stood in front of the linen closet, loading my arms with sheets, still in a bit of disbelief over what I had just done.

“You know, I’m actually feeling alright about it,” Loki replied, his bright eyes gleaming. “I’m still not too fond of the Avengers, but I think I might actually like them as individuals. I’m sure that, like at the New Year’s party, some of these feelings and progress are due to drink and will regress in the morning, I feel like they won’t regress as much as they did last time.”

“I’m so glad.” I dropped the sheets in my hands and hugged him instead, burying my face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent of leather and sandalwood and snow. “I feel like so much important progress has been made, too. I’m so proud of you.”

Loki pulled me closer, resting his cheek on top of my head. “I don’t think it will be a problem to have them at our wedding, now.”

“Absolutely,” I agreed. “We won’t have to worry about any fights breaking out or any trouble being caused. We can focus on nothing but each other, just as it should be.”

“That is, if your extended family can behave,” Loki teased.

“Hey, one thing at a time,” I quipped. “My family doesn’t have access to the arsenal that the Avengers do, so the Avengers took priority in terms of peacemaking.”

“But now that problem is solved.” Loki hooked his finger under my chin and tilted it up towards him. “And I’m glad for it. Truly. For the first time in our engagement, I can be completely excited about everything that’s to come with no worries about anything else. And it’s the most wonderful feeling in all the realms.”

Next Chapter

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